This is the call or cry of the town crier, now usually only heard at ceremonials, fetes and local events. It would however have been a common cry on the streets of medieval England. 'Oyez' (pronounced 'oh yay') comes from the French ouïr ('to listen') and means “Hear ye”.
Perhaps surprisingly, town criers still exist. ... New laws, royal decrees, advertisements for entertainment, plays and shops, and the times and places of bazaars and market days were called out in town.
