They carry a handbell to make a loud noise and they shout the words "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!" before making their announcements. The word "Oyez" means "hear ye," which is a call for silence and attention. "Oyez" is from an Anglo-Norman word for "listen". Some town criers announcements are recorded in books called a Proclamation Book The proclamations book in Chester from the early 19th century records the town criers call as "O Yes, O Yes!"