THE mayor of Trumpton? Not quite. Launceston’s town crier for four decades? Most definitely!
This month marks 40 years as town crier for well-known Launceston resident and Cornish Bard Robert Tremain — who initially only took on the post for one day.
Forty years later and Rob took the time to recount some of the highlights of his civic role with the Post — including a memorable local village fete, when he was asked by a youngster, ‘here mister, are you the mayor of Trumpton?’!
He had offered to take on the role of town crier just for that day, after the mayor at the time, Alan Buckingham, had difficulty in finding someone to fill the post.
The post by that point had been vacant for around 40 or 50 years. Rob said: “The jubilee was coming up and the council were looking how to celebrate the Silver Jubilee. I think they looked back in the records to see what happened last time, and the town crier announced the proclamation.
“They couldn’t find anyone to take on the job as town crier. Several people were asked throughout the town.”
Rob’s parents Bert and Marjorie Tremain were friends of Alan and Cynthia Buckingham. Cynthia told Mrs Tremain they were ‘still desperate to find a town crier’. Rob added: “I said those fateful words I will do it for the day if you can’t find anyone.”
Rob said of his first day: “I was very nervous, very proud to be taking on an ancient duty of the town. It was a Tuesday and it was obviously market day back then, a busy day in town, lots of people about. We retraced the route through the town where proclamations had been made down the generations.”
The proclamation renewing loyalty to the sovereign was made at five points, namely — the Guildhall steps, the Southgate, the site of the old Northgate, Newport Roundhouse, and on St Stephens Green.
“At mayor choosing that year I was officially appointed as Lanson’s town crier, not really knowing what to expect.
“When I started I didn’t really realise how many town criers were still in existence around the country, and each of us is different, and we all carry out different duties with our towns.”
As well as the civic parade, Remembrance Day parade and performing his official duties at the annual mayor choosing ceremony, he helps out with as many local events as he can. He particularly enjoys welcoming Trigg Morris Men to Launceston every Easter Monday, and a special event welcoming Father Christmas into the town square in December — all the while supported by his wife Pat.
Along with his father, Bert, Rob re-introduced The Silence on November 11, into the town in 1995, which he said is a tradition that is growing year on year. And in December that year the first junior town crier competition for local school children was held in conjunction with the Christmas late night shopping extravaganza, which is still going strong.
They celebrate St Piran’s day on March 5, and Rob reads a proclamation in the Castle Green prior to a procession through the town to a local pub for a celebration of music, song and dance.
As if that wasn’t enough to keep him busy, Rob continued to work. When he became town crier he was working at Ambrosia Creamery, later going on to work at Abru, and then for English Heritage at Tintagel Castle.
Although he said it was ‘great to welcome visitors from all over the world and tell them a bit about Tintagel and Cornwall’, he has always been devoted to ‘Lanson’, adding: “Lanson is the centre of the universe, isn’t it?
“We’ve had our ups and downs over the years like any community. People do like the sense of place and the sense of tradition. You can learn an awful lot from the past.”
In 1982 he said he was ‘honoured’ to be elected to join The Ancient and Honourable Guild of Town Criers, and as a result of this he is invited to travel, when able, to various functions throughout the country.
Where a competition is held he uses his cry to draw attention to Launceston as well as Cornwall, and he has travelled all over for regional, national and even international competitions, bringing home trophies from all over.
Other notable highlights have been, in August 1997, when Rob was asked to MC for the North Cornwall garden party celebrating ‘golden couples’ — when the Queen celebrated her Golden Wedding. The Lord Lieutenant of Cornwall did not want to disappoint the many other couples who were unable to go to London so a series of Cornish garden parties were held.
1997 also saw the 500th anniversary of the Cornish Rebellion, when Michael Joseph, An Gof, and Thomas Flamanc, the Bodmin lawyer, led the Cornish to London.
Rob said: “I was privileged to help start the Keskerdh Kernow march in St Keverne and walked that day with my family — we were sponsored to raise funds for the White Cross Mission, supporting the Romanian orphans — we also walked into Lanson on the Friday, where I was MC for the party of Cornish music and dance on the Castle Green. The Saturday morning saw about 2,000 people leave Launceston Castle to walk to the border in a real carnival atmosphere.
“A month later we walked the final few miles to Blackheath, where once again I compered the events there.”
But one particular honour, that came in 1998, still leaves Rob feeling ‘14 foot tall’ to this day — on September 6, of that year he was made a Bard of the Cornish Gorseth for his work for Launceston and Cornwall.
The citation read, ‘for his support of all things Cornish, especially as town crier’. He took the Bardic name — Cryor an Dre, Lanstefan.
He and Pat were presented to the Queen in July 2003 when they were invited to attend a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, for Rob’s contribution to the life of his community in Cornwall.
They were able to talk to the Queen at some length. Rob said: “She was magic, really.”
He added: “[The office of town crier] is one of the older traditions in the country and I suppose folks say who needs a town crier when you have Facebook and Twitter, etc now, but it is an ancient ceremonial office that is still important.
“I suspect there has always been a town crier, or bellman, ever since man started to communicate with man. Messengers from Greece and Rome ran from town to town crying proclamations and decrees from their rulers to the people.
“There are well over 100 town criers in Britain today and they form part of our colourful heritage and history.
“The office of town crier has evolved from that of night watchman, and there are many references to watchman in the Bible, so as we can see town criers have been around for a long time.
“The original duty of the bellman was to patrol the interior of the town at night using a bell to announce his calling the hour… ‘Two of the clock on a cold and frosty morning, and all’s well’… very reassuring, especially if you had just got the baby off to sleep.
“The bell was also useful should he need to raise the alarm… this ability to attract attention to himself led to his eventual emergence in the daytime to make pronouncements, the opening of the market, meetings of the council, and mayoral and Royal proclamations.
“The town crier would often read his proclamation by the door of an inn. The innkeeper would be happy to have the crowd enter his premises to discuss the current news and would perhaps pay the crier with a welcome mug of ale. The crier would sometimes nail the scroll to the door post of the inn for the few who could read. This has resulted in the expression of posting a notice, and perhaps newspapers being called ‘the post’.”
Although the post of town crier was vacant for around 40 or 50 years before Rob took it on, he does not think it will be vacant after him.
He said: “I don’t think it will. There are lots of towns and communities that have appointed town criers over the last few years where there hasn’t been a town crier for a long time.
“When the time comes I can’t shout, I will be looking for an apprentice to take on. I think whoever takes on the job as a town crier needs a love of their community. Everyone will have their own idea how to promote their town. That’s what makes the community — everyone joining in to ensure that things happen. It’s excellent to publicise the town and events within the town.
“It’s wonderful. I never would have thought all those years ago how it would evolve. I never thought all those years ago, the places we have travelled and the people we have met promoting dear old Lanson. We’ve had some good times.”