BY VICTOR SPINK
The first Town Criers of all in the world were recorded in ancient Rome, so it might be imagined that at just after 1.pm on 24th August 79. AD the town crier of Pompeii delivered some red hot news with an ashen face running pointing and shouting “Vesuvio eruptio” thus warning the Roman townsfolk of Pompeii that nearby Vesuvius was going off with a bang!
As far as Chertsey history is concerned, there were no town criers recorded, (or bellmen as they sometimes were known) and like the bridge toll keepers they are not found in any ancient documents of the town. The job description of the medieval town crier entailed letting those mostly uninformed populace of Chertsey know the official news and proclamations from the ruling Monarch, and other persons in authority such as the Mayor, the Abbot of Chertsey and the Duke of Guildford. This was done by ringing his bell and shouting ‘Oyez Oyez Oyez’ around the Chertsey town streets. Oyez is a Norman French word meaning ‘listen’. The town crier carried a wooden staff to denote his authority and to defend himself if he had to call out bad news about taxes which displeased the rowdies of the town. Some bellmen had a dog for extra protection. It was a serious offence to assault the ‘King’s man’.
Paper was generally introduced late into England so the ordinary populace had no access to public written or printed information before this, so fake news and rumour by word would have abounded through the town. The man who gave the official declarations of news had to be a trusted member of the community (hopefully). The town crier would have to be openly informative and it would help if he was knowledgeable too. News would have been brought to Chertsey by an official horse dispatch rider from whatever reliable source.
The Chertsey town crier could catch up on what was going on in the wider world if he wanted to. He could do this by going down and speaking to the toll keeper on the old wooden Chertsey bridge who would have all the wide ranging current gossip and tittle tattle.
This would come from the London – Guildford unmade road which crossed the old bridge, and the latest news from the Thames by the boats plying up and down the river and by squeezing underneath its timbers.
One has to imagine the true or false news spreading like a virus along the river. It must be remembered that there were more royal palaces on the Thames than any other river in Britain, thus news of the royal family would be available for airing. Also London was a gateway to the continent by ship, so one can suppose that the old bridge toll keeper might have been the most informed man in Chertsey and for a small coin was willing to disclose some juicy tit bits of news.
The Chertsey town criers that we know about are from 1895 and are quoted here from a Chertsey Museum Facebook page, for which we thank curator Emma Warren for the right to reproduce in an amended form.
THE BELL RINGING BLAKERS OF CHERTSEY
Albert Blaker was the son of shoemaker Henry Blaker, town crier from 1895 to 1906 when his son took up the role. In 1914 Albert went to India to serve as a sergeant in the 6th Battalion East Surrey, and his son, Albert junior, enlisted with the 20th Hussars, leaving the position of town crier vacant.
Mary Ann Blaker was England’s first female town crier in modern times. She was born in 1869 in Lyne and lived in the district all her life. She married Mr. Albert Blaker a Chertsey cobbler and took over his job as Chertsey Town Crier in 1914, when he was called up for service in the First World War. To capitalise on her fame she sold photographs of herself and gave the proceeds to aid the families of those fighting the War.
When the War ended in 1918 Albert returned home to Chertsey, but Mary Ann did not give up her role as town crier. She was a familiar figure in Chertsey, particularly at public events when she was often seen at the head of processions, wearing her Georgian style uniform.
Part of her duty as town crier was to collect the fees from Chertsey Market for the trustees. Mary Ann was also required to call ‘order’ for the announcement of the poll at parliamentary elections from The Old Town Hall balcony, and was amongst the first to congratulate the winning candidate. When Mrs. Blaker died in 1940 the role of town crier was vacant until it was revived substantially in 1993 by The Chertsey Society.
The Chertsey Society has promoted the Chertsey town crier to appear at Chertsey functions such as the Black Cherry Fair and The Goose Fair, where he leads the parade in both, and at Chertsey War Memorial on Armistice Days and Remembrance Sundays. The costume that the Chertsey Town Crier now wears is a copy of the Blaker’s Georgian uniform and it was expertly made by Barbara Prowle, a long time member of The Chertsey Society.
MODERN TIMES
The late Cyril Whitlock appeared for a day as town crier on the Dumsey Mead fair day in 1985 celebrating the 200th anniversary of the opening of the stone Chertsey Bridge. The fair was organised by a Chertsey Society committee member with the help of the committee of the Chertsey Campsite. Since 1993 the Society’s Chertsey Town Criers have been Robert Knock, Michael Dollery, Terry Pattinson – who was the first to wear Barbara Prowle’s splendid uniform, the next was actor Billy Reynolds, and the present holder of the bell and staff is Steve Pile. This is a voluntary post and we would like to thank all who have donned the ancient costume for their active appearances, thus enhancing Chertsey’s gatherings over the years.