The talk describes the evolution of the town crier and the relevance of this to today Oyez, Oyez, the fabled cry of the early bellman started the process of spreading information and news to a generally illiterate public. Unlike today, imagine the joy of hearing a man ringing his bell and shouting outside your bedroom window at three o’clock in the morning. And it was a ‘joy’ and a reassurance that all was well. The Crier was a key figure in protecting the public from the ever present dangers of fire, burglary and even murder. He was also a news spreader, an announcer of Government declarations, a ‘wife seller’, and hangman’s assistant. Even following the launch of newspapers in mid seventeenth century, these crier roles co-existed happily for many years. Crier ‘shouts’ have been used in modern times to announce Royal Births and even to wake a bride on the morning of her wedding! The ‘succinctness’ of a town crier ‘shout’ and posted notice is in complete contrast to the indiscriminate information overload we endure today. But the philosophy of the Crier is fighting back. Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!