A council worker from Surrey has been named Britain's best town crier after finishing third at the recent world championships in Chester, Cheshire. Christian Ashdown, 57, placed behind an Australian and a Belgian, making him the top British crier at the event. He has served as town crier in Haslemere for 16 years and described his finish as a 'pleasant surprise'.
Unexpected podium finish
'I like to think I am up in the top 30 town criers,' Ashdown said. 'At that competition there were some top criers, especially from Canada, and I came ahead of them, so I was quite impressed with that.' He added that tourists loved the event and that it was hard to gauge how you are doing compared with other criers, calling the result 'a very pleasant surprise'.
Twenty-five people entered the World Town Crier Tournament, held over five days at the end of last month. Competitors were judged on three cries: one about their home towns, one about a luxury lingerie shop that sponsored the event, and one about their hotel accommodation. Kevin Howarth from Toowoomba, Australia, won, with Joris Goens of Veurne, Belgium, taking second place.
From reluctant stand-in to guild chair
Ashdown never intended to become a town crier. When the local crier retired during the busy Christmas period, the mayor called and asked him to fill in. He hesitantly accepted and eventually fell in love with the role. He now chairs the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers, the largest and oldest body of town criers in the world, which has 117 members.
The job mostly involves meeting and greeting people in the town on special occasions and market days, as well as representing the town during contests. Criers wear a costume, usually Georgian-inspired, as that was the peak of town crying. They work on a volunteer basis, so they typically have other jobs. Ashdown works as a projects and amenities officer at Haslemere Town Council.
Common mistakes and advice
Contestants are judged on volume, clarity, inflexion, and diction. Ashdown says common mistakes include saying 'oyez' while talking rather than at the start with a pause, and focusing too much on volume. He advises not using your voice too much the day before a crying event, as you will need lots of water and throat lozenges.
'Try not to scream and shout too much. You have to pace yourself. Just be nice and clear. It is not necessarily always about the volume; it is enunciation,' he said. Ashdown has already entered competitions for next year, saying it is a good way to meet other criers and compare notes.
