A bellow of town criers descend on Rye

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The National Town Crier Competition was held in Rye on Saturday, October 14. If you were in the town you really could not miss it: with bells and drums and bagpipes and over sixty cries of ‘Oyez!’ there was plenty of noise, bringing in the crowds to the Gun Gardens.

National Town Crier Competition 2023 in Rye

It was the 70th year of the competition, held for the first time in the Ancient Town of Rye, East Sussex, and 12 town criers from across the country and from abroad came to take part. Sadly ill-health curtailed the participation of a few contestants.

The criers assembled at the town hall and once they had registered they paused on the front steps and had the first of many group photos and were then ceremoniously drummed through the streets of Rye by Ryebellion Drummers. The criers stopped from time to time to have a ‘bells up’, much to the delight of the gathering crowds. The final stages of the walk were through the churchyard of St Mary’s and into the Gun Gardens where the competition was to take place.

Group shot National Town Crier Championships 2023 in Rye

It is custom for the first cry to be a ‘home cry’, an opportunity to tell the audience why each crier’s town is an amazing place to live, work and relax. The theme for the second cry this year was the number seventy. There were some factual cries and some very funny ones delivered with a twinkle in the eye.

The judges National Town Crier Competition 2023 in Rye

There were four judges hearing the cries. Local author Alex Preston, Isabel Ryan, daughter of the creator of Pugwash, Cllr Rebekah Gilbert and the mayor of Rye, Cllr Andi Rivett: a formidable team of judges each judging a different aspect of each cry.

Whilst the judges were deliberating their scores after the morning’s cries, Martin Bruce sang some impromptu shanties, the audience joining in enthusiastically with the chorus.

Jon Bartholomew from Hastings piped the criers to the Mermaid where a delicious lunch was provided. This gave the group a chance to catch up on the goings-on since last year’s competition. Jon then piped the criers back to the Gun Gardens in true Bartholomew style.

Jon Bartholomew National Town Crier Championships 2023 in Rye

Jon Borthwick from Lewes summed his experience up: “It was an honour and a privilege competing with other criers – and being proud to proclaim both these marvellous towns of Lewes and Rye! Massive congratulations to our new champion and to all the winners, volunteers and of course to Paul and Arabella for giving us a Rye Old Time!”

The winner this year was Kurt de Smet from Oudenaarde in Belgium and he gave his cry in Flemish having given a translation to the judges so they would know that he wasn’t being rude.

He and his delightful wife Karoline enjoyed their warm welcome and he said:
“After a rewarding weekend in England, especially in Rye, I would like to sincerely thank everyone who congratulated us in one way or another (digitally or in person). I never, ever thought becoming a champion at an English championship was within our capabilities, especially if my calling is placed in our mother tongue. With a special thanks to the opportunity promotion team of Oudenaarde who also provided beautiful memories (of both image and video) as well as of a very successful weekend driving left (Stef, Robbe, Silk, and Bianca). Also to Kt Bruce to portray everything beautifully. Thanks also to all town criers who have been faithful to post for a few years and also to the new faces who always remember us very warmly.”

“A big thank you to the town of Rye, the town council and their genuine town criers: Paul Goring and Arabella Ansar for their class and hospitality. And to my great example Jon Bartholomew, former town crier of Hastings – there is rarely a smile on his face and yet I am, happy to have such a friend.

“But certainly also for my partner in crime: my Bellelevrouw – the Oudenaardse Belle Dame – and the best dressed of this championship, to make it possible together.”

Kurt de Smet National Town Crier Competition 2023 in Rye

The winners were:

Best dressed crier: John Griffiths, Sleaford
Best dressed consort: Karoline de Smet
Judges choice: Jon Borthwick, Lewes and Peacehaven because he was considered to be a good all-rounder who was well paced, had good delivery, witty content and a twinkle in the eye.
For the best crier:
3rd place: John Griffiths, Sleaford
2nd place: Alistair Chisholm, Dorcester
1st place Kurt de Smet, Oudenaarde

A huge thank you goes to the sponsors – particularly Rye Town Council and Rock Channel Marine – and the team behind Paul Goring and Arabella Ansar, our illustrious criers from Rye. It takes a dedicated team to pull this event off and many were working tirelessly in the background so a huge thank you to everyone who made it such a special Rye occasion.

The photography and videography was kindly sponsored by W Tollett of Rye, video by Martin Bruce.

Image Credits: Kt Bruce , Kt bruce , Juliett Duff .

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3 COMMENTS

  1. Many thanks to all those who sponsored, donated or in other ways helped to make the event such a success: Rye Town Council (for bravely taking the event on in he first place!) and all the Town Hall staff (Richard, Jess and all who helped on the day); Rock Channel Marine (the principal sponsor); David Angell of WordPress Digital; The Mermaid Inn; W. Tollet, builders; A Rye Good Time; Sussex Medal Services; Kt Bruce & Martin Bruce; Rye DIY and Alsfords.
    Thanks also to the townsfolk of Rye for such a great turnout on the day, and for welcoming the Championships and the visiting Criers to Rye!
    Looking forward to next year…

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