Ancient & Honourable Guild of Town Criers

The Ancient & Honourable Guild of Town Criers (AHGTC) was founded at Hastings in 1978 when criers met after the British Championships and elected a Committee. One aim was to regularise the organisation of competitions and to define rules for town criers to follow.

In 1999 it was decided that the AHGTC should be formed into a limited company, limited by guarantee, to better protect the members. We hold an Annual General Meeting each year, usually in September.

Today, the AHGTC sanction and oversee numerous town crier competitions across the United Kingdom, including the prestigous annual Guild Championships, which attracts competitors from all over the world to compete for the stunning silver George Carpenter trophy.

In order to recruit a town crier for the first time or to replace one who has died or retired, you will need a Job Description, and Application Form and a trial cry.

Once you have these documents in place, you will need to advertise the position. Bear in mind that this is not a full-time job nor even a part-time job, but should be considered as a voluntary position. Thus the advertisement should be placed, not in the jobs section, but preferably in the News or Social section.

If you have a local radio station, they too can often be persuaded to publicise the vacancy. As it is a bit unusual, the radio presenters are often happy to give a bit of time and have a laugh at listeners attempts to “have a go”.

The Guild has available some example documents which may be obtained by contacting the Membership Secretary.