Making history – first female town crier

Arabella Ansar, who made her debut as deputy town crier last week, is the first female to occupy the rôle in East Sussex and the third female to do so in the county of Sussex.

On Saturday outside the town hall she welcomed the newly-married Mr and Mrs Martin to the town of Rye and went down a storm with the wedding guests. Her voice resonated through the cobbled streets of Rye and stopped tourists in their tracks.

Jessica Neame, deputy town clerk, commented: “As Rye’s first lady town crier, Arabella is really making history. She will deputise for Paul Goring, primarily at weddings and occasionally at civic events. Arabella auditioned for the role some years ago and was narrowly beaten to it our previous deputy, Michael Blumel. Upon Michael’s recent resignation of the post, we enquired with Arabella as to whether she were still interested in the job and, happily, she was! She is a natural with people which is vital, as a key part of the rôle is welcoming guests to the town hall and engaging with members of the public, who are always keen to ask questions and request photographs.”

Arabella Ansar told me: “Many people will know about my connections with Rye. Let’s face it, I’ve not kept them quiet! I’ve been privileged to know Paul Goring and enjoy his wonderful work representing Rye as town crier. Of course, I was hugely honoured to be asked to be his deputy and so grateful to be trained and mentored by one of the best. Alongside this is my complete awareness that the choice of a woman of Indian and English descent is a historic decision for Rye – and for me. It makes perfect sense to me that a town so steeped in history has made a historic decision. I’m very proud of that. I shall honour the choice at every opportunity and continue with my commitment to promoting and celebrating Rye.”

Paul Goring, town crier of Rye is delighted to welcome Arabella as his deputy. “She is perfect for the rôle and will do a grand job! She’s already got off to a flying start with two solo weddings on a day I was unavailable. I look forward to working with her!”

Some fun facts about the tradition of town crying

The regalia of the town crier includes a tricorn hat, with feathers. Originally the feathers would have been quill pens, for writing proclamations. The feathers indicated that the crier was one of the few people in the town who was literate.

Historically, the town crier would nail a written copy of his proclamation to the doorpost of the local inn and “post” his cry. This is the origin of our modern terms to post a letter or to post on social media.

Mary Anne Blaker became England’s first female town crier in 1914. Her husband, Albert, was the Chertsey town crier. When the first world war began, Albert was called up for service leaving the post of town crier vacant. Mary stepped up. Once the war ended and her husband returned, she surprisingly continued as town crier for another twenty-five years.

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Image Credits: Town Hall , Arabella Ansar , Kt bruce .