A crier (sometimes called a town crier) was a person whose job was to walk through the streets of a town or village shouting out important news and announcements. Before newspapers, radio, or the internet, this was how most people learned what was happening: new laws, upcoming events, missing children, items for sale, or warnings about danger. The crier would ring a bell or beat a drum to get everyone's attention, then call out “Hear ye, hear ye!” (which meant “listen up, everyone!”) before delivering the message.

Town criers were official messengers, often employed by the local government. They had to have loud, clear voices that could carry across busy marketplaces. In medieval England and colonial America, town criers were crucial for spreading information quickly through communities where many people couldn't read.

Today, some towns keep the tradition alive with ceremonial town criers at festivals and special events, dressed in historical costumes and ringing handbells, preserving this colorful piece of history.