Many thanks for all your concerns, good wishes, and kind words folks, I have to say that its been a hairy few days here for me and Earl, but I am very pleased to be able to report that he is no longer a fugitive. It turns out that he was suspected of Aiding and Abetting a Fake Town Crier, which is apparently quite a serious offence in parts of Yorkshire.
You may recall that on a recent visit to Knaresborough, I took a couple of photos of Earl in the company of a man I thought to be the Town Crier being as he was dressed like one, acting like one, and promoting Town Crier Tours. Well it turns out that this is not the real Town Crier, but an imposter! As I read online (and if you think Im making this up, you can research it yourself), the individual in question lets call him TC1 originally had a role as Knaresboroughs Town Crier, but after a series of incidents, and rather erratic behaviour, most notably shouting Who won the war?! at the German team in the towns annual charity bed race, he was suspended, and in due course dismissed.
The case went to court, the local council claiming TC1 was not in fact an employee, because the position of Town Crier was supposedly a voluntary one. A judge however,, ruled that TC1 had been an employee prior to his dismissal, and awarded him £570 in wages for the preceding 4 years not a great rate of pay, but then he only worked for 10 minutes, once a week. A request for reinstatement was denied though, the affair having caused a huge amount of acrimony in the town, and between the parties involved.
A new Town Crier TC2 was recently appointed, but TC1 continues to turn up each market day, as he did previously, and is also running Town Crier Tours around Knaresborough. Since TC1 no longer has any official proclamations to make, he tends to stand on the Market Cross simply shouting out whatever comes into his head, annoying the local traders, and castigating his replacement. The police eventually became involved, which is why Earl was being sought for questioning it seems that it was thought Earl might be lending his celebrity status to Town Crier Tours, a business which might not be entirely legitimate since it is based on a falsehood. A source told me that they had spoken to TC1, but have so far let him off with a warning, telling him that if he keeps impersonating a Town Crier, he will be arrested.
Whod have thought that when I took Earl on a trip to rural Yorkshire, he would become involved in the biggest scandal to hit Knaresborough since the Window Tax of 1696, and that both he, and his hapless minder, would have to go on the run? Naturally, both Earl and myself were extremely relieved when we got the good news yesterday, and Earl was very glad to be able to take off his disguise and start flirting with the ladies again. I took Earl for a slap-up meal to celebrate, and then carried him round Yorks ancient city walls, stopping off at a couple of fine hostelries on the way. I suspect that Earl has been in a few scrapes during his long life, and had to skip town a few times too, but he came up smelling of roses
So all ended well, and as I write this now, Earl is having a lie in, and resting up for the next leg of his adventures, as come Monday morning, I will be sending him off to the custody of Our Man in Scotland, PMEW.
I think you better get him hooked up with the Barlow Underground....asap!
