Hue and cry

In common law, a hue and cry is a process by which bystanders are summoned to assist in the apprehension of a criminal who has been witnessed in the act of committing a crime.

By the Statute of Winchester of 1285, 13 Edw. I cc. 1 and 4, it was provided that anyone, either a constable or a private citizen, who witnessed a crime shall make hue and cry, and that the hue and cry must be kept up against the fleeing criminal from town to town and from county to county, until the felon is apprehended and delivered to the sheriff. All able-bodied men, upon hearing the shouts, were obliged to assist in the pursuit of the criminal, which makes it comparable to the posse comitatus. It was moreover provided that "the whole hundred … shall be answerable" for any theft or robbery, in effect a form of collective punishment. Those who raised a hue and cry falsely were themselves guilty of a crime.

In Oliver Twist, Fagin reads the Hue and Cry, an early name for the weekly Police Gazette, which gave details of crimes and wanted people.

Hue and Cry

Hue and Cry is a pop duo formed in 1983 in Coatbridge, Scotland, by brothers Pat Kane (vocals) and Greg Kane (music/production). The duo are best known for 1987 single "Labour of Love".

Career

Their first single "Here Comes Everybody" was released on a small Glasgow-based independent label, Stampede, in 1986. While not a chart hit, it attracted the interest of Virgin Records' subsidiary Circa who signed the duo in 1986. Their debut single for Circa was "I Refuse". Their second single and, to date, biggest hit was "Labour of Love" from the debut album Seduced and Abandoned. Other hits included "Looking for Linda" and "Violently (Your Words Hit Me)" – both from their second album Remote.

In the 1990s, the brothers embarked upon a period of musical experimentation. Their 1991 album Stars Crash Down pushed the boundaries of the pop genre, embracing folk, country, Latin and quartet jazz. Truth and Love (1992) was released on the brothers' own short-lived label, Fidelity. Hue and Cry had a brief chart revival in 1993 with the release of the Circa compilation album Labours of Love – The Best of Hue and Cry, which included a Joey Negro remix of "Labour of Love".