In May 2022, Christine Igot donned a feathered hat, white ruff and multicoloured tabard in the middle of the market square in her home town of Annapolis Royal, Canada. “Oyez! Oyez! Oyez!” she shouted while ringing a bell at a bemused crowd. “My gracious lords and ladies, wily judges, esteemed citizens and visitors, the town of Annapolis Royal greets you, along with any layabouts, ne’er-do-wells and scallywags, who are most certainly present!”
The retired French teacher, who was 60 at the time, was taking part in her first “cry-off”, where she was competing against another hopeful for the role of town crier. “It’s a tradition that dates back to the medieval era, when town criers would read the news to the public,” Igot says. “Now, it’s like being an ambassador for a local community. Once a week, you stand in the town square and announce any goings-on. Except it’s all good news.”
A decade earlier, Igot had moved to the quiet seaside community of Annapolis Royal from inland Nova Scotia, adding to its population of 540 people with her mother, husband Pierre and three cats. She would spot the town crier, Peter Crofton Davies, ringing his bell and making booming proclamations every Saturday morning. Intrigued by his theatricality, she struck up a conversation and the pair soon became friends.
In September 2021, Davies announced he was stepping down after 20 years in the role because of illness. The same month, Igot’s 92-year-old mother died. “I was terribly sad after losing my mother and since I was retired, I was looking for something to do,” she says. “I was used to performing in the classroom and I’ve always volunteered, so my husband suggested I’d be a great town crier.”
Igot put herself forward for consideration with a video recording of her reading one of Davies’s proclamations and made it through to the cry-off. The judges voted unanimously for her performance and the following weekend she gave her debut performance in the market square. “I was nervous – I had to warm up my voice to be able to project loudly and I knew Peter would be there watching,” she says. “As soon as I began, though, it made me so happy seeing everyone smile.” Now, at 10am and noon every Saturday, Igot can be found in the square announcing the town’s news for the weekend. “People will come up to me and ask different questions about the town or kids will want to take pictures,” she says. “Although I most often get asked where the toilets are!”
Aside from directing people to the local amenities, Igot has had a remarkably busy two years as the new town crier. In 2023, she performed 85 proclamations, including attending flag raisings for Canada Day and Bastille Day, as well as leading parades, opening businesses and even being invited to weddings. Now 62, she is the first female town crier and the fifth person to hold the position in Annapolis Royal. “I’m really proud to be part of this ancient and noble tradition and to be a modern ambassador for this town,” she says. “I love putting on my colourful regalia and talking to people about the town’s history dating back to Queen Anne. When I take it off and they notice me in the street, I feel like Clark Kent without his Superman outfit.”
As well as enjoying the lighthearted side of town crying, Igot likes to use it as an opportunity to highlight the history of her community. “I always start each proclamation with an acknowledgment of the Indigenous Mi’kmaw people and the ancestral lands we are standing on,” she says. “It’s important to share the story of where we are and the more entertaining you can make it, the more likely people are to remember it.”
With the ceremonial role available for Igot as long as she can continue her duties, she is planning to carry on for years to come and has also inspired the neighbouring town to begin looking for their own town crier. “It’s become this fantastic purpose I never thought I’d have and it has made me feel so much closer to this wonderful community,” she says. “There is so much sadness in the world, it brings me joy to share good news and to bemuse people. I think we need that now, more than ever.”
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