Latest news from Malmesbury Town Council
A new town crier is being sought to bring colour, character, pomp and ceremony to one of Wiltshire’s most historic towns – Malmesbury.
Mayor, Cllr Stephen James is leading the charge to bring this role back to life in and around the town after not having a town crier for more than a decade.
“I have been to events in other Wiltshire towns where they have town criers and they make such a positive contribution to civic events. For me it’s obvious that we should bring back this tradition to our town. We are looking for someone who has charisma, a loud voice and who can sense the mood and react accordingly.”
History shows that there have been town criers in Malmesbury dating back as far as at least 1859, according to public records. That first town crier was listed as Boyce May who was a labourer born in 1783. He was succeeded by his son John May and then the surname ‘May’ seemed to keep recurring over the subsequent decades with James May until 1907, then Albert May up to 1915 and then George May until 1923. There was then a gap and there have been various town criers from 1986 up to 2014.
One former town crier is Gordon Williams who took on the role from 1992 to 1997.
He said: “It was really good fun and a lovely role to showcase the England’s oldest borough and I’m thrilled that it’s going to return. I took over from the previous town crier who had taken on the role for some years. He had to step down for health reasons and I took over – at the time I was a maths teacher at Malmesbury School.
“I wanted to give back to the town which was so wonderful for me, my wife and my family.”
Gordon, now 72, is an active retiree and now volunteers with his wife at the town’s Sue Ryder charity shop, is a keen gardener and can be seen kayaking and paddleboarding on waterways around Wiltshire. Originally from South Wales, he’s lived in Malmesbury for over 50 years.
The new town crier will make up a trio of important ceremonial roles which celebrate Malmesbury, its culture and heritage. These are the current town mayor Cllr Stephen the town and the Macebearer, a role held by Steve Caygill for the last four years.
An advertisement for a town crier has been put out by the town council and applications are open until September 5. The successful candidate will be provided with the appropriate ‘uniform’ and will be expected to attend up to four formal occasions a year. They will be paid a honorarium of £75 per event. For more information visit https://www.malmesbury.gov.uk
Article from Scott Media
