THE hitherto untold story of tricorne hats, buckled shoes and men-in-tights is about to be revealed.

This month sees the publication of For Crying Out Loud! written by Chester’s resident loudspeaker David Mitchell.

The first part of the Chester town crier’s book traces the roles of the crier and the bellman as the forerunners of the newspaper, obituary column, lost-and-found notice, burglar alarm, smoke detector and outside broadcaster.

The story then enters the present day by recounting some of the adventures of a modern-day proclaimer: the town crier of Chester. These include making public marriage proposals, perilous horseback proclamations, appearances in feature films, fielding bizarre questions from tourists, and competing in town crier championships.

The book is illustrated by photographs, drawings and cartoons. In fact many of the illustrations have been produced especially for the book by Chester’s other town crier, David’s wife Julie.

Lovers of local history will discover how proclamations have played a key role in colourful junctures in Chester’s history such as the proclamation against Welshmen (1403), the proclamation of Charles I as a traitor at the High Cross (1646), and the proclamation against thatched roofs within the city walls (1671).

The book was launched at The Coach House in Town Hall Square, close to the location for this year's World Town Crying Championship final.

David and wife Julie, from Hoole, are the world's first town crier partnership.

Their son, Spencer, is an apprentice crier.

For Crying Out Loud! is published by Avenue Books and is priced £11.95. It is available through a number of local outlets, including the Tourist Information Centre.