Could the sound of a town crier soon be ringing out on the Isle of Wight?

Plans have been put forward to create the position of town crier in a town on the Isle of Wight.

The proposal for the honorary position has been outlined for Ventnor on the south of the island.

The town council will discuss the plans on Monday evening (14 August) at a meeting from 7pm, at Salisbury Gardens.

There are currently no town criers on the Island.

Sandown's crier, John Davies, died last year and Steve King, who retired in 2021 after 12 years of service representing Yarmouth and Ryde, died earlier this year.

In May, town criers across the country proclaimed the accession of King Charles III.

The role in Ventnor would be voluntary and, if approved, the only costs budgeted for the role by the town council would go towards the crier's uniform or livery.

Where does the role of town crier originate?

According to Historic UK the town crier or bellman can be traced back to medieval times.

Two bellmen appear in the Bayeaux Tapestry, which depicts the invasion of England by William of Normandy and the Battle of Hastings in 1066.

The call or cry of the town crier is “Oyez, oyez, oyez!”, and these days is usually only heard at ceremonials, fetes and local events.

But during medieval England, it would have been a common cry on England's streets.

‘Oyez’, pronounced ‘oh yay’ comes from the French word ‘to listen’, and means “Hear ye”.

The town crier would begin his cry with these words, and ring a large hand bell to attract attention.

After revealing the latest important information, the cry would end with the words, ‘God save the King’ or ‘God save the Queen’.

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