Member-only story
‘Sometimes I’ll just go out and shout… because I can’
Performance, pageantry, tradition, tourist attraction… As an official town crier, Jane Smith is a living slice of history
Jane Smith is the official town crier for Bognor Regis, West Sussex, and Secretary of the Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers. It’s a role she clearly relishes, and is uniquely qualified for, but it all sort of happened by accident.
‘I design and craft bespoke handbags for a living, and have always been involved in singing and amateur dramatics,’ she told me one International Town Crier Day (July 11). ‘About five years ago, one of my Rock Choir buddies told me the Council was thinking of reviving the voluntary position of town crier, and they needed someone to make the new livery.’
Jane found herself applying, and a daunting interview in the Council chamber followed. ‘They all sat round me in an arc, and gave me a chair in the middle; it felt like the firing squad! I had this long black dress on matched with a really flamboyant, flowy kimono, very brightly coloured,
with a pair of wacky shoes and one of my own designer bags — my usual sort of attire, because I’m a little bit out there sometimes. I looked at them all and I said: “Before we start, ladies and gentlemen, I am innocent!”’
