The Town Crier in the Dutch Republic

Official, Commercial and Private News Provision in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Abstract

The aim of this article is to describe, for the first time, the general character and function of the town crier in the Dutch Republic, between the beginning of the seventeenth century and the middle of the eighteenth century. The stadsroeper belongs to a cast of early modern urban professionals that has been largely ignored as an object of study. This article seeks to reconstruct the world of the crier, based on extensive research in Dutch archives. Our analysis covers a discussion of the general distribution across the Republic of the town crier; a comparative examination of the services and duties of the crier; a reconstruction of the appearance and performance of the crier and their relation to the crier’s function; and a reflection on the remuneration, ancillary activities and general status of the crier in society. Overall, this article argues that the town crier was a figure central to civic society in the Dutch Republic, across villages, towns and cities, functioning as a vital communicative mediator of news and announcements of official, commercial, and private natures.