An Overview of the Nova Scotia Guild of Town Criers

Many other sites will tell you varying tales of the origins of town crying. We'll leave you here with the fact that the need for the town crier position, or what-ever name it went by in many parts of the world, goes back a long way in history. But we will try to give you a picture of town criers in Nova Scotia through the ages.

The Mi'kmaq  First Nations people had their form of town crier who would help spread the word of the Elders. These were called the Eyapaha. When the French settled the lands of Nova Scotia, most of the people were spread out over the rich farm lands and having a town crier (or village crier or tambour de ville, as they were called in France) wasn't always the most efficient way to pass the news. While Louisbourg didn't have an explicit town crier, they did have multiple huissiers, a court official that often filled the role of crier. The huissier could often be seen along the quay, reading out charges and sentences against individuals within the town. Visitors to Fortress Louisbourg may witness someone filling this role - the Huissier is always present and addressing the crowd during public punishment. There will be more on these two aspects as the research progresses.

With the arrival of people from the British Isles and their Colonies, came their culture also. The British took over Annapolis Royal in 1710, founded Halifax in 1749, Liverpool in 1759, took over the farmlands in the Annapolis Valley following the expulsion of the Acadiens in 1760, settled Pictou and area in 1767 and founded Sydney in 1785. 

Town criers are first recorded in Nova Scotia in the Occasional Articles of the Acadian Recorder newspaper on July 21, 1917, page 1: "Town crier in Halifax 1831 ... James Fry appointed town crier, beadle and bellman... . James Fry having been nominated by the Grand Jury, and confirmed by the Magistrates as a beadle, bell-man and town crier, gave notice that he was prepared to proclaim through, and in the most public places in town, sales by auction, property lost, found, lost, strayed, arrivals of produce etc. He could be found, himself, at John Robb's opposite the Court House. William Christie also announced that he intended to commence 'crying' in the town. The business promises to be brisk that he desired to obtain a suitable person as an assistant."

Again in the Occasional Acadian Recorder Feb. 13, 1926 page 1: "George Charker town crier died Jan. 23rd 1845 Age 76. Born in England. Buried Jan. 26th 1845 in Holy Cross Roman Catholic Cemetery." His headstone is pictured in the photo gallery. Mr. Charker is said to have been one of the town criers of Halifax for 15 or 16 years at the time of his death.

It would stand to reason that there very well could have been a crier in Halifax earlier than 1830. Though, to date, there has been no record of a town crier in Annapolis Royal in the 1700s and 1800s, and Annapolis Royal was the capital of Nova Scotia prior to Halifax gaining that distinction.

In the Provincial Archives in Halifax, in MG1 - vol 826 #37 are historical references to members of William Crossland's family. On page 675: Moses Crossland, whose marriage is here recorded, was for many years constable and town crier in Liverpool, and a familiar sight was Moses going up and down Main Street making his announcements. He died Mar. 13, 1864.

Also in the Nova Scotia Archives is a collection of Sydenham Howe's scrapbooks. In file 1994-272 page 169, is a newspaper clipping dated Nov. 24 1890 from the Chronicle. This clipping mentions "Dad Chalker" and goes on to talk about old McFarlane, saying in part "This McFarlane ran the crying business until about 1854 or 1855. ( I will try to find out more about him).

Peter Cox became the Halifax town crier in 1974. In this capacity he was the first town crier to co-ordinate an international town crier competition outside of the United Kingdom. That event happened first in 1978. 

Peter tells the story that in 1976 he was sent to England on a goodwill tour, visiting towns and cities in England that shared place names with communities in Nova Scotia, such as Chester, Halifax, Liverpool and Dartmouth. He finished his tour in Hastings, at the British National Town Crying Competition. As a Canadian, he was not permitted to compete, but was invited to be a guest crier, the first North American crier to do so. On the spur of the moment, and anxious to show off Canadian hospitality, he discarded his planned cry, and instead invited criers to come to Halifax for an international competition.

By 1978 funds were found, and in September of 1978 he was faced with the realization that, apart from himself, the only other crier in Nova Scotia was Len Atkinson, in Dartmouth. George Green was a crier for a campground in Kentville, but that didn't make him an "official" town crier. Ron Amey had worked for Peter in several promotional undertakings in Yarmouth, and Peter bullied and cajoled him into an official town crier position in Yarmouth. Lloyd Smith had been playing the role of Sam Slick in Windsor, and he was enticed to become an official crier for that community.

This became the Nova Scotia contingent, and the group that hosted the first international town crier competition in Nova Scotia. It was attended by 13 criers; the five from N.S., Bob Burns from Bermuda, George Carpenter, Ian Clarkson, Richard Fox, Raymond Goode, William Matthews and Ted Wilson from England and Marty King from USA.

Following this competition the Canadian Guild of Town Criers was formed, with Peter Cox being the first President. Len Atkinson, George Green, Ron Amey and Lloyd Smith along with Peter, were the first members. They all met and formed this group in the Camelot Camping Park in Kentville.

In 1981, Ian Clarkson, the town crier of Chester, England, decided to stay in Nova Scotia and became the Chester Nova Scotia town crier. His stay wasn't exactly legal, and he later moved on to the US.

Len Atkinson left the Dartmouth position after a few years of service and Troy Swinamer took over the post. He remained for about two years and handed off the bell to Rod Collyer, who also remained for a couple of years. Rod was crier for Dartmouth at the 1987 (Bridgewater) and 1988 (Middleton) NS town crier championship. Next to fill the position was Bill Brooks who also stayed about two years. 

In 1985, at the Nova Scotia Town Crier Championship, in Sydney, a meeting of the Nova Scotia criers in attendance made the first move to establish themselves independently of the Canadian Guild, as the town crier population in Ontario was growing in leaps and bounds and there was also a strong contingent in New Brunswick. The Nova Scotia Chapter of the Canadian Guild of Town Criers was formed with Allie MacInnis as chair, Gary Long as vice chair, Ron Amey as Secretary and Lloyd Smith as Treasurer.

As the town crier family in Nova Scotia grew, so did the idea of an independent organization in the Province. During the winter of 1988/89 Gary Long laboured at hammering out the paperwork for the Nova Scotia town criers to form an official guild and on May 27, 1989 at the Old Orchard Inn in Greenwich, during the annual Annapolis Valley Apple Blossom Festival the official papers of incorporation were signed and sent off to the N.S. Joint Stock office registering the Nova Scotia Guild of Town Criers as an official entity.

What was just the Provincial Championships now became the N.S.G.T.C. Guild Championship.

And in 1990 the Nova Scotia criers and the Guild took on their biggest challenge. Fredericton, New Brunswick was hosting the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers 3rd World Championship, sponsored by McCains Frozen Foods. The Nova Scotia criers, many of whom had international competition experience, thought that to make the Fredericton competition a real draw  to the world of criers, a competition should also be held in Halifax - before the Fredericton show. Peter Cox (Halifax), Lloyd Smith (Windsor), Gary Long (Middleton), Ron Amey (Waverly) and Ozzie Stiles (Bridgewater) formed the committee and approached the City of Halifax. Funding was secured, and not only was a competition held, but two competitions were held, transportation to Fredericton, and back to Halifax, for 82 town criers from around the world. 

That was the last international town crier competition in Nova Scotia for many years.

At the top of the curve for town criers in Nova Scotia, there were 22 town criers serving at least 40 communities as official and honourary town criers.

The Nova Scotia Guild of Town Criers crest was designed by Bob Sanford, town crier for Liverpool.

In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic created havoc throughout the world. Town criers were hard hit, along with everyone else. All festivities, and public activities were shut down, cancelled, or put on hold to comply with emergency measures declared around the world. In Nova Scotia, some criers participated in computer on-line "zoom" presentations. Some, very cautiously, on very special occasions, went into the streets to make proclamations, such as on Canada Day. One even participated in a "zoom" town crier competition - and won it. The world is a different place now, and the town criers of Nova Scotia are waiting to be able to be the social butterflies that they are, once again.