The Men’s Breakfast at Horrabridge had a real treat this morning as David Turner, Tavistock’s Town Crier, came to speak to the group about the history and practice of the Town Crier.

An extra treat was the addition of Black Pudding to the breakfast menu, specifically requested by David, and skilfully cooked by the ladies of St John’s.

We learnt about ‘dead ringers’, being shot in the foot, and running like the clappers amongst other idiomatic words and phrases that owe their existence in part, perhaps, to Town Criers.

David also alluded to Biblical references to the watchmen who were the original town criers:

Listen! Your watchmen lift up their voices;
    together they shout for joy.
When the Lord returns to Zion,
    they will see it with their own eyes. (Isaiah 52.8)

There was nothing stentorious about David’s delivery although he did remind us of the original derivation of the word from Stentor, the original ancient Greek, whose voice was “as powerful as fifty other men” according to Homer.

Do join us from breakfasts across the Mission Community.