At 12 noon on Friday, May 22, a small crowd gathered in front of Rye Town Hall to hear the proclamation from Paul Goring, town crier, that Rye in the person of Mayor Councillor Michael Boyd had ascended to the Speakership of the Cinque Ports.
“Oyez Oyez Oyez
Be it known by all here present, that yesterday, the 21st day of May in the year of our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty, the Antient Town of Rye ascended to the Speakership of The Cinque Ports Confederation.
The Right Worshipful, The Mayor of Rye, Councillor Michael Boyd, accepted the speakership on behalf of the town, and now holds the title of Speaker of The Cinque Ports.
The Confederation of The Cinque Ports is one of the oldest institutions in England, and has served our country for over one thousand years. The role of Speaker has existed for at least 700 years.
The Antient Town of Rye is honoured by this distinction. To celebrate this, the Annual Cinque Ports Speaker’s Day Parade, led by The Lord Warden and The Speaker himself, will take place in our own town, this Autumn.
God bless Old England and The Antient Town of Rye
God Save The Queen!”
Councillor Boyd acknowledged the honour and thanked those attending, saying his tenure of office is being extended thanks to the coronavirus pandemic Almost as an aside, he mentioned that he had not yet received the badge of office, but had been assured that “it was in the post”.
Image Credits: Anthony Kimber .
Well done Paul, your crying was glorious!