He is the official town crier of Palmerston North, but that doesn’t mean he can’t start crying in neighbouring villages. He can cry in Foxton, or Shannon, or Tokomaru, or Levin, too.
“I’m happy to cry anywhere,” he said.
Brenton donned his traditional crying garb and was a special guest of the Levin and District Senior Citizens Association this week, where he gave members an insight into his role and the history of town crying.
“I live in Horowhenua [Foxton Beach]. It is legal for me to be here. I’m allowed to move around,” he said.
Brenton, 67, has been Palmerston North’s official town crier since 2019. He is contracted to the city council and attends civic functions, citizenship ceremonies, graduations, parades and multicultural events.
Town crier Lyal Brenton: "Their job was to ring the bell and tell townspeople what was happening."
Brenton said town crying originated as a way of spreading official news quickly throughout a town or village, particularly important where literacy rates were low. It originated as “bellmen” as early as 1066, around the Battle of Hastings.
“Their job was to ring the bell and tell townspeople what was happening. The saying ‘don’t shoot the messenger’ came from town criers,” he said.
It was the job of the crier to let townspeople know of the latest news, proclamations, bylaws and any other important information, and attend hangings.
“They would read out their crimes ... they would also lead formal processions, and patrol streets looking for ill-doers and miscreants.”
Brenton is believed to be one of only three official town criers left in New Zealand, although he is connected to about 40 town criers around the world through social media.
He sticks with tradition and ends each cry with God Save the King or God Defend New Zealand.
The outfit is a big part of it. He had it made by Palmerston North fashion design tutor Debbie Watkins, although he wears stocking and a pair of loose-fitting pants that he admitted picking up from the women’s section at Farmers. The ostrich-feather hat is from Hamilton.
The white piece down his front that resembled a large frilly white bib was called a jabot.
Meanwhile. he was a Rotarian who had received numerous civic awards for services to the community, and is a justice of the peace at Foxton Beach. In 2017, he was recognised with a Civic Award, and in 2018 was named Kiwibank Manawatū's Local Hero.
For the past 20 years, he had doubled as Santa Claus at Christmas in Palmerston North.
– Public Interest Journalism funded through NZ on Air
