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diff --git a/old/51885-0.txt b/old/51885-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 98d8217..0000000 --- a/old/51885-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8506 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Trade Signs of Essex, by Miller Christy - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org/license - - -Title: The Trade Signs of Essex - A popular account of the origin and meanings of the public - houses & other signs - -Author: Miller Christy - -Release Date: April 28, 2016 [EBook #51885] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRADE SIGNS OF ESSEX *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - [Illustration: CHELMSFORD HIGH STREET IN 1762. - - (_Reduced by Photography from the Larger Engraving by J. Ryland._)] - - - - - THE - - TRADE SIGNS OF ESSEX: - - A Popular Account - - OF - - THE ORIGIN AND MEANINGS - - OF THE - - Public House & Other Signs - - NOW OR FORMERLY - - Found in the County of Essex. - - BY - MILLER CHRISTY, - - _Author of “Manitoba Described,” - “The Genus Primula in Essex,” “Our Empire,” &c._ - - WITH ILLUSTRATIONS. - - Chelmsford: - EDMUND DURRANT & CO., 90, HIGH STREET. - - London: - GRIFFITH, FARRAN, OKEDEN, AND WELSH, - WEST CORNER ST. PAUL’S CHURCHYARD. - - MDCCCLXXXVII. - -[Illustration] - - - - -PREFACE. - - “Prefaces to books [says a learned author] are like signs to - public-houses. They are intended to give one an idea of the kind of - entertainment to be found within.” - - -A student of the ancient and peculiarly interesting Art of Heraldry can -hardly fail, at an early period in his researches, to be struck with the -idea that some connection obviously exists between the various -“charges,” “crests,” “badges,” and “supporters” with which he is -familiar, and the curious designs now to be seen upon the sign-boards of -many of our roadside inns, and which were formerly displayed by most -other houses of business. - -On first noticing this relationship when commencing the study of -Heraldry, somewhere about the year 1879, it occurred to me that the -subject was well worth following up. It seemed to me that much -interesting information would probably be brought to light by a careful -examination of the numerous signs of my native county of Essex. Still -more desirable did this appear when, after careful inquiry, I found that -(so far as I was able to discover) no more than three systematic -treatises upon the subject had ever been published. First and foremost -among these stands Messrs. Larwood and Hotten’s _History of -Sign-boards_,[1] a standard work which is evidently the result of a -very large amount of labour and research. I do not wish to conceal the -extent to which I am indebted to it. It is, however, to be regretted -that the authors should have paid so much attention to London signs, to -the partial neglect of those in other parts of the country, and that -they should not have provided a more complete index; but it is -significant of the completeness of their work that the other two writers -upon the subject have been able to add very little that is new, beside -mere local details. A second dissertation upon the origin and use of -trade-signs is to be found in a most interesting series of articles upon -the signs of the Town of Derby, contributed to the _Reliquary_[2] in -1867 by the late Mr. Llewellyn Jewitt, F.S.A., the editor of that -magazine; while the third and last source of information is to be found -in a lengthy pamphlet by Mr. Wm. Pengelly, F.R.S., treating in detail of -the Devonshire signs.[3] - -On the Continent the literature of signs is much more voluminous. Among -the chief works may be mentioned Mons. J. D. Blavignac’s _Histoire des -Enseignes d’Hôtelleries, d’Auberges, et de Cabarets_;[4] Mons. Edouard -Fournier’s _Histoire des Enseignes de Paris_;[5] and Mons. Eustache de -La Quérière’s _Recherches Historiques sur les Enseignes des Maisons -Particulières_.[6] - -It should be pointed out here that, although in what follows a good deal -has been said as to the age and past history of many of the best-known -Essex inns, this is, strictly speaking, a treatise on Signs and -Sign-boards only. The two subjects are, however, so closely connected -that I have found it best to treat them as one. - -There will, doubtless, be many who will say that much of what I have -hereafter advanced is of too speculative a nature to be of real value. -They will declare, too, that I have shown far too great a readiness to -ascribe to an heraldic origin, signs which are at least as likely to -have been derived from some other source. To these objections I may -fairly reply that as, in most cases, no means now exist of discovering -the precise mode of origination, centuries ago, of many of our modern -signs, it is impossible to do much more than speculate as to their -derivation; and the fact that it has been found possible to ascribe such -large numbers to a probable heraldic origin affords, to my thinking, all -the excuse that is needed for so many attempts having been made to show -that others have been derived from the same source. - -No one is more fully aware than I am of the incompleteness of my work. -Many very interesting facts relating to Essex inns and their signs have -unquestionably been omitted. But the search after all such facts is -practically an endless one. If, for instance, I had been able to state -the history of all the inns and their signs in every town and village in -the county with the completeness with which (thanks to Mr. H. W. King) I -have been enabled to treat those of Leigh, I should have swelled my book -to encyclopædic dimensions, and should have had to ask for it a -prohibitory price. - -In a treatise involving such an immense amount of minute detail, it is -impossible to avoid some errors. My hope is, however, that these are not -many. I shall always be glad to have pointed out to me any oversights -which may be detected, and I shall be not less glad at all times to -receive any additional facts which my readers may be kind enough to send -me. - -I regret that it has been necessary to make use of some old heraldic -terms which the general reader will probably not at first understand. -This, however, was quite unavoidable. The meaning of these terms will be -at once made clear on reference to the Glossary given at the end of the -work, as an Appendix. - -According to the list given in the last edition of the _Essex Post -Office Directory_ there are now existing in the county no less than one -thousand, three hundred and fifty-five inns and public-houses. The signs -of all these have been classified, arranged under various headings, and -treated of in turn, together with a very large number of others which -have existed in the county during the last two centuries and a half, but -have now disappeared. Information as to these has been collected by -means of a careful examination of the trade-tokens of the seventeenth -century, old Essex Directories, early books and pamphlets relating to -the county, old deeds and records, the early issues of the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ (now the _Essex County Chronicle_), and other newspapers, -&c., &c. Altogether it will be found I have been able to enumerate no -less than 693 distinct signs as now or formerly occurring in Essex. - -I am indebted to a large number of gentlemen who have most kindly -assisted me by supplying me with information, suggestions, &c., during -the eight years I have been gathering material for the present book. -First and foremost among these I must mention Mr. H. W. King of Leigh, -Hon. Secretary to the Essex Archæological Society, who, as he says, -“knows the descent of nearly every house and plot of ground in the -parish for two or three generations, and the name of every owner.” Among -other gentlemen to whom I am indebted in varying degrees, I may mention -Mr. G. F. Beaumont, Mr. Fred. Chancellor, that veteran Essex -archæologist Mr. Joseph Clarke, F.S.A., Mr. Wm. Cole, F.E.S., Hon. -Secretary of the Essex Field Club, Mr. Thos. B. Daniell, the Rev. H. L. -Elliot, Mr. C. K. Probert, Mr. G. N. Maynard, Mr. H. Ecroyd Smith, and -others, I have also to express my thanks to the following gentlemen, -magistrates’ clerks to the various Petty Sessional Divisions of Essex, -who have most kindly supplied me with lists of such beer-houses as have -signs in their respective divisions:--Messrs. A. J. Arthy (Rochford), -Jos. Beaumont (Dengie), W. Bindon Blood (Witham), J. and J. T. Collin -(Saffron Walden), G. Creed (Epping and Harlow), Augustus Cunnington -(Freshwell and South Hinckford), W. W. Duffield (Chelmsford), H. S. -Haynes (Havering), A. H. Hunt (Orsett), and Chas. Smith (Ongar). I have -also to thank the Essex Archæological Society for the use of the four -blocks of the De Vere badges appearing on p. 70; the Essex Field Club -for that of the Rose Inn, Peldon, on p. 118; Messrs. Chambers & Sons of -22, Wilson Street, Finsbury, for that of the Brewers’ Arms on p. 32; -Messrs. Couchman & Co. of 14, Throgmorton Street, E.C., for that of the -Drapers’ Arms on p. 40; and the Brewers’, Drapers’ and Butchers’ -Companies for kindly allowing me to insert cuts of their arms. To my -cousin, Miss S. Christy, I am indebted for kindly drawing the -illustrations appearing on pp. 87 and 140. - -Portions of the Introduction and other parts of the book have already -appeared in an altered form in _Chambers’s Journal_ (Jan., 1887, p. -785), and I am indebted to the editor for permission to reprint. - -Finally, I have to thank the Subscribers, who, by kindly ordering -copies, have diminished the loss which almost invariably attends the -publication of works of this nature. As the book has already extended to -considerably more space than was originally intended, I trust the -Subscribers will excuse the omission of the customary list. - -[Illustration: signature of _Miller Christy_] - - -CHELMSFORD, - -_February 1, 1887_. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] CONTENTS. - - -CHAPTER I. PAGE - -INTRODUCTION 1 - - -CHAPTER II. - -HERALDIC SIGNS 29 - - -CHAPTER III. - -MAMMALIAN SIGNS 46 - - -CHAPTER IV. - -ORNITHOLOGICAL SIGNS 91 - - -CHAPTER V. - -PISCATORY, INSECT, AND REPTILIAN SIGNS 103 - - -CHAPTER VI. - -BOTANICAL SIGNS 107 - - -CHAPTER VII. - -HUMAN SIGNS 120 - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -NAUTICAL SIGNS 134 - - -CHAPTER IX. - -ASTRONOMICAL SIGNS 148 - - -CHAPTER X. - -MISCELLANEOUS SIGNS 153 - - -GLOSSARY OF HERALDIC TERMS USED 176 - -INDEX TO NAMES OF SIGNS, &C. 177 - - - - -[Illustration] The Trade Signs of Essex. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -_INTRODUCTION._ - - “The county god, ... - Whose blazing wyvern weather-cocked the spire, - Stood from his walls, and winged his entry-gates, - And swang besides on many a windy sign.” - TENNYSON: _Aylmer’s Field_. - - -The use of signs as a means of distinguishing different houses of -business, is a custom which has come down to us from times of great -antiquity. Nevertheless, it is not at all difficult to discover the -reasons which first led to their being employed. In days when only an -infinitesimally small proportion of the population could read, it would -obviously have been absurd for a tradesman to have inscribed above his -door his name and occupation, or the number of his house, as is now -done. Such inscriptions as “Sutton & Sons, Seedsmen,” or “Pears & Co., -Soapmakers,” would then have been quite useless as a means of -distinguishing the particular houses that bore them; but, if each dealer -displayed conspicuously before his place of business a painted -representation of the wares he sold, the arms of the Trade-Guild to -which he belonged, or those of his landlord or patron, or some other -device by which his house might be known, there would be little -probability of mistake. If the sign thus displayed indicated the nature -of the wares sold within, it would answer a double purpose. Signs, too, -would be especially useful in distinguishing different establishments -in times when many members of the same craft resided, as they used -formerly to do, in one street or district. Although this habit has now -largely disappeared in England, in the cities of the East each trade is -still chiefly confined to its own special quarter. - -In considering the subject of how signs originally came into use, it -must never be forgotten that, in bygone times, they were not confined, -as now, almost exclusively to “public-houses.” We have still, among -others, the sign of the POLE for a barber, the ROD AND FISH for a -tackle-dealer, the BLACK BOY for a tobacconist, the GOLDEN BALLS for a -pawnbroker; but formerly the proprietor of nearly every house of -business, and even of private residences, displayed his own particular -sign, just as the keepers of inns and taverns do now. For instance, an -examination of the title-page of almost any book, published a couple of -centuries or so ago, will show an imprint something like the -following:--“Printed for Timothy Childe at the WHITE HART in St. Paul’s -Churchyard; and for Thos. Varnam and John Osborn at the OXFORD ARMS in -Lombard St. MDCCXII.” Again, Sir Richard Baker’s quaint _Chronicles of -the Kings of England_ was printed in 1684, “for H. Sawbridge at the -BIBLE on Ludgate Hill, B. Tooke at the SHIP in St. Paul’s Churchyard, -and T. Sawbridge at the THREE FLOWER-DE-LUCES in Little Brittain.” As a -further example of the use of signs in former times by booksellers, in -common with other tradesmen, it may be mentioned that, according to a -writer in _Frazer’s Magazine_ (1845, vol. xxxii. p. 676)-- - - “The first edition of Shakespeare’s _Venus and Adonis_, and the - first edition of his _Rape of Lucrece_, were ‘sold by John Harrison - at the sign of the WHITE GREYHOUND in Saint Paul’s Churchyard;’ and - the first edition of _Shepheard’s Kalender_ by ‘Hugh Singleton, - dwelling at the GOLDEN TUN, in Creed Lane, near unto Ludgate.’ The - first edition of _The Merry Wives of Windsor_ was sold at the - FLOWER DE LEUSE AND CROWNE in St. Paul’s Churchyard; the first - edition of the _Midsummer Night’s Dream_ at the WHITE HART in Fleet - Street; the first edition of the _Merchant of Venice_ at the GREEN - DRAGON in St. Paul’s Churchyard; the first edition of _Richard - III._ at the ANGEL, and the first edition of _Richard II._ at the - FOX, both in St. Paul’s Churchyard; the first edition of _Henry V._ - was sold at the CAT AND PARROTS in Cornhill; the first edition of - _Lear_ at the PIED BULL in St. Paul’s Churchyard; and the first - edition of _Othello_ ‘at the EAGLE AND CHILD in Britain’s - Bourse’--_i.e._, the New Exchange.” - -Were announcements similar to these to appear on any modern book, it -would certainly give many persons the impression that the work had been -printed at a “public-house.” Again, on the cheques, and over the door of -Messrs. Hoare, bankers, of Fleet Street, may still be seen a -representation of the LEATHER BOTTLE which formed their sign in -Cheapside at least as long ago as the year 1677. In Paris, to the -present day, sellers of “_bois et charbons_” (wood and charcoal or -coals) invariably have the fronts of their establishments, facing the -street, painted in a manner intended to convey the impression that the -house is built of rough logs of wood. This device, although not -displayed upon a sign-board, forms, in every respect, a true trade-sign. -In all parts of France, signs still retain much more of their ancient -glory than they do in England. Though not common in the newer and more -fashionable streets and boulevards, they are abundant in the older -quarters of Paris, Rouen, and other large towns. They are much oftener -pictorial or graven than with us, and it is notable that they are used -almost, or quite, as frequently by shopkeepers and other tradesmen as by -the keepers of wine-shops, inns, and taverns. The sign, too, very often -represents the wares sold within. - -Nowadays, however, the old custom of displaying a sign finds favour with -very few English tradesmen, except the keepers of inns and taverns; and -even they have allowed the custom to sink to such depths of degradation -that the great majority of sign-boards now bear only the name of the -house in print: consequently the reason which led originally to the use -of signs--the necessity for pictorial representation when few could -read--is no longer obvious. It may be truly said that the great spread -of education among all classes during the present century has given a -death-blow alike to the use of signs in trade and to the art of the -sign-painter. This, to be sure, is hardly a matter to call for regret on -its own account. Nevertheless, the great decline in the use of the -old-fashioned pictorial sign-board is to be regretted for many reasons. -The signs which our forefathers made use of have interwoven themselves -with our whole domestic, and even, to some extent, with our political, -history. In losing them we are losing one of the well-known landmarks of -the past. Sign-boards of the real old sort have about them an amount of -interest which is sufficient to surprise those who care to take trouble -in studying them. Dr. Brewer very truly says, in his _Dictionary of -Phrase and Fable_:--“Much of a nation’s history, and more of its manners -and feelings, may be gleaned from its public-house signs.” The -sign-boards themselves tell us (as has already been pointed out) of the -habit our forefathers had of crowding together in one street or district -all those who were of a like occupation or profession. They tell us also -of the deep ignorance of the masses of the people in days when -sign-boards were a necessity. And when it is remembered that it was only -so lately as the beginning of the present century that the knowledge of -reading and writing became sufficiently widespread to allow the -numbering of houses to come into general use as a means of -distinguishing one house from another, it will be easily seen that the -sign-boards of (say) two centuries ago played a very important, and even -an essential, part in the commercial world of those days. - -But a study of the various devices that appear even on modern -sign-boards will teach us still more of the doings of our ancestors. -They tell us of the wares our forefathers made and dealt in, of the -superstitious beliefs they held, of the party strifes in which they -engaged, and of the great titled families which had so large a share in -the making of English history--in short, the devices seen, even on -modern sign-boards, afford, to those who can and care to read them, no -mean picture both of mediæval and more modern times. It was well -remarked in an early number of the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ (1738, vol. -viii. p. 526), that “The People of England are a nation of Politicians, -from the First Minister down to the cobbler, and peculiarly remarkable -for hanging out their principles upon their sign-posts.” Some of our -modern Essex signs, for instance, are relics (as will be more clearly -pointed out hereafter) of what were once staple industries in the -county, though now all but unknown in it. Thus the signs of the WOOLPACK -(p. 79), the SHEARS (p. 41), and the GOLDEN FLEECE (p. 78) are all -mementoes of the time when the woollen trade flourished in Essex. The -sign of the HOP-POLES (p. 111) reminds us of the time when hop-growing -formed a considerable industry in the county. Our various BLUE BOARS (p. -68) speak to us of the noble and once mighty Essex family of De Vere, -which formerly wielded a great power in England. These are but a few -instances. Others will occur to every one who peruses the following -pages. At the present day, too, there is scarcely a village in the -county that has not some street, square, or lane named after an -inn-sign, as, for instance, Sun Street, Eagle Lane, Swan Street, Falcon -Square, Lion Walk, Greyhound Lane, &c. In London, or Paris, the -connection is still closer. Surely, then, although signs are no longer -of great or urgent importance to us in the daily routine of our ordinary -business life, an inquiry into their past history will be a matter of -much interest, especially as comparatively little has hitherto been -written about them. - -Nevertheless, although it is certain that (as has been stated) not a few -of our present signs have been derived from emblems of industries now -decayed and the armorial bearings of ancient county families, the fact -cannot be overlooked that in a great many cases these particular signs, -as now displayed by particular houses, have only very recently come into -use. That is to say, they are only _indirectly_ derived from the sources -named, having been selected because, perhaps, some neighbouring and -really ancient inn (which derived its sign _directly_) was known to have -long borne that sign. There can be no doubt (as Mr. H. W. King writes) -that-- - - “The very large majority of country inns are comparatively modern, - both as to signs and sites. Elsewhere, as here [Leigh], I suspect - they have been moved and removed again and again--old signs - shifted, and often changed altogether. I remember the late Mr. - Edward Woodard, of Billericay, telling me some years ago that the - inns of that town had been changed again and again: that is, what - are now private residences were formerly inns, and _vice versa_. - This he knew from the evidence of conveyances which had passed - through his hands professionally. I have no doubt that every town - would show the same facts if only one could get sufficient - evidence. At the same time, of course, some inns are very old - indeed, both as to sites and signs.” - -The great decay in the use of inn-signs of the real old sort has, it is -much to be feared, now gone too far to be arrested, however much it may -be regretted. In Essex, probably not five per cent. of our sign-boards -are now pictorial. Even in the remote and sleepy little town of Thaxted -very few of the inns now possess pictorial signs. Here and there, -however, throughout the county one may still come across a few such, and -several excellent examples will be hereafter alluded to. - -Probably no better idea can now be obtained in Essex of an old-fashioned -thoroughfare than in the broad High Street at Epping. From one point no -less than ten sign-boards may be seen, all swinging over the pavement in -the ancient style. Only one, however, the WHITE LION, is now pictorial. -The number of inns in Grays, too, is very large. It has been stated in -print that “for its size, it contains more than any other town in -England.” In the narrow Tindal Street at Chelmsford the sign-boards -still swing across the street in the old style, and are hung upon the -old supports. The best example is that which supports the sign of the -SPOTTED DOG. Witham has many inns, nearly all of which have their -sign-boards hanging over the pavement, but neither they nor their -supports are of much interest. Colchester has hardly such a thing as a -projecting sign-board, let alone pictorial signs. Castle Hedingham, for -its size, probably has more pictorial signs than any other Essex town, -the BELL, the CROWN, the THREE CROWNS, and the RISING SUN being all thus -represented. Except the sign-iron of the _Six Bells_ (p. 168), Dunmow -contains but little of sign-board interest. The only pictorial -sign-board in Ongar is that of the COCK. Several signs and sign-irons in -Bardfield are hereafter noticed (pp. 170 and 169). In the High Street at -Romford are many very old inns, but their signs are all script. At Leigh -there are many inns, the most ancient of which, in the opinion of Mr. -H. W. King, are the CROWN and the HAMBORO’ MERCHANTS’ ARMS, though the -GEORGE was originally the more important. - -The following interesting list of inns in the Epping Division in -September, 1789, has been kindly contributed by Mr. G. Creed of -Epping:-- - - CHINGFORD: King’s Head, Bull. EPPING: White Lion, Bell, Cock, Swan, - Black Lion, Epping Place, Cock and Magpie, Green Man, Globe, - George, Rose and Crown, Thatched House, White Hart, Harp, White - Horse, Sun, Chequers. NAZING: Chequer, Sun, Coach and Horses, - Crown, King Harold’s Head. ROYDON: Fish and Eels, Black Swan, New - Inn, White Hart, Green Man. WALTHAM ABBEY: Owl, Green Man, Harp, - Greyhound, Ship, Cock, Chequer, Angel, Rose and Crown, Red Lion, - Bull’s Head, Three Tons (_sic_), Sun, Cock, New Inn, Green Dragon, - White Horse, Compasses, White Lion, King’s Arms. CHIGWELL: Three - Jolly Wheelers, Roebuck, King’s Head, Maypole, Bald Hind, Fox and - Hounds, Bald Stag. LOUGHTON: Reindeer, Crown, King’s Head, Plume of - Feathers. MORETON: Nag’s Head, Green Man, White Hart. NORTH WEALD: - Rainbow, King’s Head. STANFORD RIVERS: White Bear, Green Man. - THEYDON BOIS: White Hart. THEYDON GARNON: Merry Fiddlers. GREAT - HALLINGBURY: George. LATTON: Sun and Whalebone, Bush Fair House. - FYFIELD: Black Bull, Queen’s Head. LAMBOURNE: White Hart, Blue - Boar. HIGH LAVER: Chequer. LITTLE LAVER: Leather Bottle. MAGDALEN - LAVER: Green Man. CHIPPING ONGAR: White Horse, King’s Head, Anchor, - Crown, Red Lion, Bull, Cock. HIGH ONGAR: Red Lion, White Horse, Two - Brewers. HARLOW: King’s Head, Black Bull, George, Green Man, White - Horse, Horns and Horseshoes, Queen’s Head, Black Lion, Marquis of - Granby. HATFIELD BROAD OAK: Plume of Feathers, White Horse, Cock, - Duke’s Head, Bald-Faced Stag, Red Lion, Crown. SHEERING: Crown, - Cock. NETTESWELL: White Horse, Chequer. GREAT PARNDON: Cock, Three - Horse Shoes. - -In the last edition of the _London Directory_, 82 firms are still -described as “sign-painters,” and in the _Essex Directory_, 10; but it -is certain that most of these follow also some other trade than -sign-painting. In some cases artists of eminence have been known to -paint signs for inns, but there does not appear to have been any notable -instances of this in Essex. As a rule our pictorial sign-boards are not -works of art. That this is a common failing elsewhere, is shown by the -fact that the French say of a bad portrait or picture, “qu’il n’est bon -qu’à faire une enseigne à bière.” Signs, it must be admitted, are among -those things which the enlightenment of this go-ahead nineteenth century -is rapidly improving off the face of the earth. Yet one cannot but -agree with the writer in _Frazer’s Magazine_, already quoted, who aptly -observes that it is a thousand pities the old signs were ever taken -down. “Men might,” he says, “read something of history (to say nothing -of a hash of heraldry) in their different devices.” - -This decay in the use of inn-signs, however, is no greater than the -decline in importance of the inns themselves. These have within quite -recent years fallen from a position of great eminence and prosperity to -one of comparative degradation. Up to about fifty years ago, inns were -the centres round which most events of the time revolved. They combined -within themselves, to a very large extent, the various uses to which -modern clubs, reading-rooms, institutes, railway stations, restaurants, -eating-houses, hotels, public-houses, livery-stables, and the like are -now severally put. At present the majority of our inns are little more -than tippling-houses or drinking-places for the poorer classes. The -upper stratum of society has but little connection with them, beyond -receiving their rents. - -Nothing has done more to promote this lowering of the status of modern -inns in general than the disuse of coaching. Inns were the -starting-points and destinations of the old coaches, and travellers -naturally put up and took their meals at them. Now people travel by -rail, stop at railway stations, put up at the “Railway Hotel,” and get -their meals in the station “refreshment rooms.” In days, too, when -country inns formed the stopping-places of the coaches they naturally -became important centres of information. In this they answered the -purpose to which clubs, institutes, reading-rooms, and the like are now -put. The cheap newspapers of to-day have given another serious shock to -the old tavern life of last century. Then, too, the innumerable horses, -needed for the many coaches on the great high-roads of fifty or a -hundred years ago, were kept at the inns, to the great advantage of the -latter. Now the various railway companies, of course, provide their own -engines, and the old-fashioned inns have to content themselves with a -very limited posting or omnibus business. - -It is, indeed, not too much to say that in the old coaching days a small -town or village on any main road often consisted largely or almost -entirely of inns, and lived upon the traffic. Supplying the necessaries -for this traffic may be said to have been “the local industry” by which -the inhabitants of such places lived. Evidences of this may be gained -from not a few old books. Thus in Ogilby’s _Traveller’s Guide_, a book -of the roads published in 1699, Bow, near Stratford, is said to be “full -of inns,” while Stratford and Kelvedon are both spoken of as “consisting -chiefly of inns.” Again, in Daniel Defoe’s _Tour through the whole -Island of Great Britain_, published in 1724 (vol. i. p. 52), it is said -that-- - - “Brent-Wood and Ingarstone, and even Chelmsford itself, have very - little to be said of them, but that they are large thorough-fair - Towns, full of good Inns, and chiefly maintained by the excessive - Multitude of Carriers and Passengers, which are constantly passing - this Way, with Droves of Cattle, Provisions, and Manufactures for - London.” - -Few persons of the present day have any adequate idea of the extent to -which tavern life influenced thought and manners seventy, eighty, or one -hundred years ago. Each man then had his tavern, much as we now have our -clubs and reading-rooms. There he met his friends every evening, -discussed the political questions of the day, talked over business -topics, and heard the expensive and highly-valued London newspapers read -aloud. Dickens, in _Barnaby Rudge_, has well sketched the select village -company, which, for forty or fifty years, had met nightly in the bar of -the old MAYPOLE to tipple and debate. Ale was the universal beverage on -these occasions, and the fame of any given tavern was great or small -according to the skill of the landlord or his servants in producing this -beverage. It was not then, as now, the product of colossal breweries at -Burton, Romford, or elsewhere, but was entirely brewed upon the premises -of those who retailed it. Such customs as these, however, are now almost -entirely of the past. - -We will now return once more to the discussion of sign-boards and their -modern degeneration. When signs were in general use by all tradesmen, -it was but natural that people should endeavour to outvie one another in -the prominence and obtrusiveness of their sign-boards. Exactly the same -thing may be seen at the present day on any hoarding which the -bill-sticker has ornamented with his flaring posters. These are of all -imaginable colours and designs, in order to advertise and draw attention -to the wares of rival tradesmen, each of whom endeavours to obtain -greater publicity and attract more attention than his neighbour. Many -were the devices made use of a century or more ago to draw attention to -the sign-boards of those times. Some of the boards were made of enormous -size; others were painted in flaring colours; others bore striking or -amusing devices, likely to be remembered by those who saw them; while -others were projected far out into the street, or hung in elaborate and -ornamental frameworks of iron. When each man endeavoured to outdo his -neighbour in these particulars, it may well be imagined that no slight -inconvenience was caused to the public. Complaints that the size and -prominence of the sign-boards in the London streets prevented the access -of sunlight and the free circulation of the air began to be heard, -according to Messrs. Larwood and Hotten, as early as the beginning of -the fifteenth century, and an order was made to do away with the -nuisance. In the course of time, however, the evil grew again, till -Charles II., in 1667, “ordered that in all the streets no sign-board -shall hang across, but that the sign shall be fixed against the -balconies, or some convenient part of the side of the house.” Again, -however, the nuisance grew, and in 1762 large powers were once more -granted for clearing away the too obtrusive sign-boards, and very many -were taken down. - -In France and other continental countries the same evil has had to be -grappled with. Time after time, as reference to the works previously -mentioned will show, the police of Paris and other large towns have -issued orders concerning the pulling down and putting up of sign-boards. -All Parisian signs are, consequently, now fastened to the fronts of the -houses. - -This regulation of sign-boards is not altogether unknown, even at the -present day, in England. In the _Sussex Daily News_ as lately as last -October there appeared an account of the removal of two sign-boards that -had recently been erected in two of the principal streets of Brighton. -These boards, measuring respectively 48 inches by 30, and 48 inches by -18, were swung over the pavement at the respective heights of 15 feet -and 12 feet; yet, although there are scores of more obstructive -sign-boards and sun-blinds in the borough, the somewhat over-officious -Works Committee of the Corporation ordered that they should be removed -by the surveyor, and the cost of so doing recovered from their owners, -because, in the opinion of the Committee, such boards were “public -annoyances and nuisances, by reason of their projecting over the -highways and annoying the public passage along the streets.” Presumably -it is within the power of any Local Authority to remove, or direct the -alteration of, any sign-boards which it regards as “nuisances.” - -A writer, styling himself “Ambulator,” in the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ -(vol. xl. p. 403) observes, so long ago as the year 1770, that signs -“were certainly the effect of a general want of literature, and -therefore can no longer be thought necessary, without national -disgrace.” He adds, though he must be guilty of exaggeration, that -“there is, at present, scarce a child among the poorest of the people -who, at seven or eight years old, cannot read a man’s name and trade -upon his door or window-shutter; and therefore we want the sign-painter -no more.” He also says that-- - - “Long after signs became unnecessary, it was not unusual for an - opulent shopkeeper to lay out as much upon a sign, and the curious - ironwork with which it was fixed to his house, so as to project - nearly into the middle of the street, as would furnish a less - considerable dealer with a stock-in-trade. I have been credibly - informed that there were many signs and sign-irons upon Ludgate - Hill which cost several hundred pounds, and that as much was laid - out by a mercer upon a sign of the Queen’s Head as would have gone - a long way towards decorating the original for a birth-night.” - -A good idea of how our Essex streets were obstructed by the huge -dimensions of the signs of the various inns a century or more ago, may -be obtained from an old print engraved by J. Ryland in 1762. It shows a -view of the High Street of Chelmsford, taken from the point at which the -fountain opposite the end of Springfield Lane now stands, and is -entitled _A Perspective View of the County Town of Chelmsford, in Essex, -with the Judge’s Procession on the Day of Entrance, attended by the High -Sheriff and his Officers_. The judge’s carriage, drawn by six horses and -preceded by the old “javelin men,” now dispensed with, is shown in its -progress up the street, past the old BLACK BOY Inn, and going towards -the church. The procession is passing under the great beam from which -swings the sign of the BLACK BOY. This beam extends out from the house -to the top of a post set up in the middle of the street for its support. -If the height of this post may be estimated from the height of two -persons shown standing near its base (who may be fairly set down as six -feet in stature), it is not less than 28 feet high, while the beam it -supports must project at least 33 feet from the house. Close to this -structure, but nearer the other side of the street, though still not far -from its middle, stands another sign-post of even more gigantic -proportions. This post is very massive, and (if its height may be -estimated in the same manner as before) it must be at least 24 feet -high. Against the substantial shores supporting it in its upright -position, leans a fiddler; while, close at hand, two mounted trumpeters -are saluting the passing judge. But this is not all: upon the top of the -post, supported by a fine iron framework, of an excellent flowing -design, is the sign-board. This displays a _lion rampant guardant_ (as -the heralds say), which is evidently the sign of the large inn opposite -to which it stands. This brings the height of the entire structure up to -at least 45 feet, or nearly as high as the inn itself. This was probably -the sign of the ancient LION Inn mentioned hereafter (p. 59). - -Mr. F. T. Veley of Chelmsford possesses a fine old oil painting from -which this engraving was evidently made, though the two differ in some -particulars. The figures and the houses are almost precisely alike in -both, but the painting has not the signs and sign-posts shown in the -engraving. In both the width of the street is much too great. The -engraving has been reduced by the photographic process, and is herein -made use of as a frontispiece,[7] whilst the design of the remarkably -fine iron framework supporting the sign of the Lion has been reproduced -upon the cover of the book. It is a remarkable fine example of the -elaborate and ornamental sign-iron within which swung many sign-boards -of a hundred years ago. Other examples, but less elegant, still remain -here and there in the county, generally much rusted with age. Among -these may be mentioned those of the SIX BELLS at Dunmow, which is dated -1778 (p. 168), the BELL at Bardfield (p. 170), and the BELL at Castle -Hedingham (p. 150), all of which will be found depicted hereafter, -though with other signs attached. - -Leaving now the consideration of the _origin of the use of signs_, in -order to discuss the _origins of the various devices used as signs_, we -may well feel some surprise at first that the ancient and extremely -entertaining, though now much decayed, art of Heraldry should have given -us, at the present day, so many of our commonest signs as it obviously -has done. A somewhat hasty examination of the list of Essex signs will -show that something like 40 per cent. of the whole have probably been -derived, either directly or indirectly, from Heraldry. The same -statement would probably be found to hold good of the rest of England. -So obvious is it that a very large number of inn-signs have been in some -way derived from Heraldry, that it is surprising this connection has not -received a much fuller recognition in the past than it has done. It is -impossible, even for those most strongly inclined to disbelieve in the -heraldic origin of a majority of our signs, to deny that very many of -them, at least, have been so derived. Allusion is here made to such -signs as the GRIFFIN, the BLUE BOAR, the GREEN DRAGON, the BLUE LION, -the RED LION, the THREE CROWNS, the WHITE HART, the FLEUR-DE-LYS, the -ROSE AND CROWN, the CROSS KEYS, and many others, the difficulty of -ascribing which to any other than an heraldic origin will be at once -apparent. Indeed, the fact that a very large proportion of our signs are -of an heraldic derivation seems to require no stronger proof than will -be found in the following pages. The next thing, therefore, will be to -show how this came about. - -It would probably early have suggested itself to the minds of tradesmen -and others to use their own coats of arms (when they had any), or those -of the Trade Guilds to which they belonged, or the arms, crest, or -badge[8] of their landlord or some patron, as a sign. This convenient -custom, once established, would be sure to be largely followed. There -can be no doubt whatever that in this way arose the custom of calling a -house the “So-and-So’s Arms.” At the present time, the custom itself -remains, although its origin has been largely lost sight of; and many -inns have now, in consequence, come to be known as the “Arms” of -persons, trades, places, and things which never did bear, and never -could have borne, a coat of arms. Clearly the origin of the sign of the -KING’S ARMS had never presented itself to the mind of the “simple -clodhopper” who, according to Messrs. Larwood and Hotten (p. 106), “once -walked many miles to see King George IV. on one of his journeys, and -came home mightily disgusted; for the king had arms just like any other -man, while he had always understood that his Majesty’s right arm was a -lion, and his left a unicorn!” In Essex no less than 8·5 per cent. of -all the inn-signs are “Arms” of some kind. In Devonshire “Arms” actually -form as much as 22 per cent. of the whole, according to Mr. Pengelly. - -Although the custom of calling a house the “Somebody’s Arms” still -survives, it is probable that, when the knowledge and ordinary use of -Heraldry began to decline, many houses, formerly known as the -“So-and-So’s Arms,” gradually came to be called after the most prominent -charge in the coat, or after the “crest” or one of the “supporters,”[9] -which might have been a _lion gules_, a _boar azure_, a _white hart_, -or a _rose crowned_. The badge, again, has unquestionably given us not a -few signs. Badges were used by the sovereign and by the higher nobility -from the fourteenth to the sixteenth centuries inclusive. They must not -be confounded with _crests_, which were personal emblems, worn on the -crest or helm by leaders in the field. _Badges_, on the other hand, were -household emblems, worn by all the followers and retainers of the lord. -They were always of a simple nature, to be easily distinguishable in -battle, and were placed on armour, standards, clothing, buildings, -furniture, &c., &c. As a rule, therefore, it is the badge, rather than -the crest, or even the coat of arms, which has given us our old heraldic -signs. In some cases badges were adopted by parties, as, for instance, -during the Wars of the Roses, so called because the Yorkists took the -White Rose as their badge, while the Lancastrians took the Red. -Shakespeare often alludes to the old custom of using badges. Mrs. Bury -Palliser,[10] speaking of this subject, says, that “we still find the -cognizance of many an illustrious family preserved as the sign of an -inn. The White Hart of Richard II., the Antelope of Henry IV., the -Beacon of Henry V., the Feathers of Henry VI., the Star of the Lords of -Oxford (whose brilliancy decided the fate of the Battle of Barnet), the -Lion of the Duke of Norfolk (which shone conspicuous on Bosworth field), -and many others, too numerous to mention, may yet be seen as sign-boards -to village inns contiguous to the former castles of families whose -possessions have passed into other hands.” From the red shield (_roth -schild_), above the door of the house of an honest old Hebrew, forming -No. 148 in the _Juden Gasse_, or Jews’ Alley, at Frankfort, has been -derived the name of the richest family in the world. - -From these heraldic devices have unquestionably been derived many of the -strangely-coloured animals, such as red and blue lions, blue boars, -&c., which are quite unknown to men of science, and have never yet been -seen except in Heraldry and upon sign-boards. A calculation will show -that no less than 203 Essex signs, or about 15 per cent., are described -as being of some particular colour, and that these coloured signs are -animals in nearly all cases--one good proof of their heraldic origin. -Black occurs 24 times, blue 7 times, golden 6 times, green 28 times -(including dragons and men only), red 39 times (including 34 RED LIONS, -3 RED COWS, 1 RED HOUSE, and 1 RED TAPE TAVERN), and white exactly 100 -times (including 50 WHITE HARTS, 2 WHITE SWANS, 2 WHITE BEARS, WHITE -LIONS, WHITE HORSES, &c.). In London the proportion of coloured signs is -much smaller. There are 79 distinct devices, or about 4·5 per cent. of -the entire number. - -Another strong proof that many of our otherwise incomprehensible signs -have been derived from Heraldry, is to be found in the frequency with -which the number _Three_ appears upon sign-boards. No less than 35 -houses in Essex (having 15 distinct signs) are known as the _three_ -somethings, while other numbers only occur 12 times in all. The -following is a complete list: There are 3 TWO BREWERS, a FOUR ASHES, 2 -FIVE BELLS, 3 SIX BELLS, and 4 EIGHT BELLS. Many of our Essex _Threes_ -will be noticed hereafter. The list includes the signs of the THREE -BLACKBIRDS, the THREE COLTS, the THREE COMPASSES, the THREE CROWNS, the -THREE CUPS, the THREE HORSESHOES, the THREE PIGEONS, the THREE TUNS, and -several others. Nor is this peculiarity confined to Essex signs only. In -London the number Three gives twenty-nine distinct devices and -sixty-five signs, including repetitions of the same device. All other -numbers put together only give twenty-two distinct devices, or -fifty-five signs. The author of a curious and interesting letter on the -signs of Bury, which appeared in the _Bury and Norwich Post_ on June 29 -and July 6, 1791, noticed this prevalence of the number Three on -sign-boards in his day, and was, he says, “inclined to account for it -from a kind of predilection there is among sign-painters to the number -Three, as we see in the Three Horse Shoes, before mentioned, also in -the Three Bulls, the Three Tuns, the Three Crowns, and the Three Goats’ -Heads.” - -Now every one acquainted with Heraldry will know how very common it is -to find _three_ charges of some kind or other upon an escutcheon, either -alone or with an “ordinary” or some other charge between them, such as -_Argent, three cinquefoils gules_ for D’Arcy, _Gules, three eagles -displayed or_ for Band, _Gules, a fess between three bulls’ heads couped -or_ for Torrel, &c., and there can be very little doubt that this -striking abundance of the number three on our sign-boards is due, -largely at least, to the frequent use of that number in Heraldry. It -cannot be denied, however, that three was a favourite, or lucky, number -long before the first appearance of the art of Heraldry. Messrs. Larwood -and Hotten cite many instances of its use, even as far back as the time -of the Assyrians and ancient Egyptians. But, in spite of this, there can -be no reasonable doubt that many of our “_threes_” are derived directly -from Heraldry; whilst others are probably derived from it indirectly. In -the latter case the name has been bestowed recently upon his house by -the landlord, because he knew it to be a very common custom to call a -house the “_Three_ Somethings,” although of the origin of that custom he -probably knew absolutely nothing. Essex examples of the former class are -given above. Among those of the latter are probably our signs of the -THREE ASHES, the THREE ELMS, the THREE JOLLY WHEELERS, and the THREE -MARINERS. - -It is, of course, more than probable that some signs, which appear to be -truly heraldic in their origin, are, in reality, not derived from -Heraldry at all, but have been taken direct from Nature. At the same -time, the evidence is overwhelming that very many of our signs have a -truly heraldic origin. Messrs. Larwood and Hotten recognize this fact to -a considerable extent, and devote their third chapter, comprising as -much as a tenth part of their whole work, to “Heraldic and Emblematic -Signs.” It appears, however, that they have in most cases erred on the -side of caution, and have been too reluctant to ascribe to Heraldry the -origin of any sign for which another derivation could possibly be -found. There is, nevertheless, much truth in the opening sentences of -their fourth chapter (p. 150), treating of “Animals and Monsters.” They -say: - - “It is, in many cases, impossible to draw a line of demarcation - between signs borrowed from the animal kingdom and those taken from - Heraldry: we cannot now determine, for instance, whether by the - WHITE HORSE is meant simply an _equus caballus_, or the White Horse - of the Saxons, and that of the House of Hanover; nor whether the - WHITE GREYHOUND represented originally the supporter of the arms of - Henry VII., or simply the greyhound that courses ‘poor puss’ on our - meadows in the hunting-season. For this reason this chapter has - been placed as a sequel to the heraldic signs. As a rule, - fantastically-coloured animals are unquestionably of heraldic - origin: their number is limited to the Lion, the Boar, the Hart, - the Dog, the Cat, the Bear, and, in a few instances, the Bull. All - other animals were generally represented in what was meant for - their natural colours.” - -Again, the authors very truly remark (p. 110) that-- - - “In pondering over this class of signs, great difficulty often - arises from the absence of all proof that the animal under - consideration was set up as a badge, and not as a representation of - the actual animal. As no amount of investigation can decide this - matter, we have been somewhat profuse in our list of badges, in - order that the reader should be able to form his own opinion upon - that subject. Thus, for instance, with the first sign that offers - itself, THE ANGEL AND TRUMPET, it is impossible to say whether the - supporters of Richard II. gave rise to it, or whether it represents - Fame.” - -The late Mr. Jewitt, who had an excellent knowledge of Heraldry, in his -article already referred to, clearly recognizes the important part which -that art has played in giving origin to many of our commonest signs; but -the same cannot be said for Mr. Pengelly’s treatise on the _Signs of -Devonshire_. The connection between Heraldry and the origin of our -trade-signs is so intimate, that no one is fully competent to discuss -the latter unless well acquainted with the former; and, although the -signs of the 1,123 inns existing in Devonshire are carefully classified -and treated of at length by Mr. Pengelly, numerous passages make it -evident from the outset that he has little or no knowledge of the -herald’s art. Consequently, his remarks lose very much of their -interest. For instance, he says:--“So far as I have been able to -discover, the HARP AND LION at Plymouth is without parallel anywhere. -Its meaning, if it have any, seems very far to seek.” Had the writer -been acquainted with Heraldry, he would have known that a lion and a -harp are the principal charges in the arms of Scotland and Wales -respectively, as shown on the backs of our florins. Again, he says: - - “Three is the popular numeral, and is not, at all times, easily - accounted for.... There seems to be no explanation for the THREE - CRANES at Exeter, the THREE PIGEONS at Bishop’s Tawton, the THREE - HORSESHOES, of which there are four examples, or the THREE TUNS, - met with as many as seven times, unless we suppose the number to - have some direct or indirect allusion to the doctrine of the - Trinity, or to the very popular belief that ‘Three are lucky.’” - -The frequent appearance of the number three on our sign-boards has been -already explained, and the origin of its use will be made still clearer -hereafter. It is certainly true that one of Mr. Pengelly’s headings is -“Heraldry,” but under it he speaks of but little else than those inns -which have the “Arms” of some person or place as their sign. In this -connection he says: - - “The Devonshire inn-keepers appear to be fond of heraldic signs; - but it may be doubted whether some of the arms they have set up are - known at the Heralds’ office. There are in the county as many as - 253 sign-boards--_i.e._, 22 per cent. of the entire number--bearing - arms of some kind. There is, however, a sufficient recurrence of - the same names to reduce the number to 165 distinct signs or names - of coats. The list contains the arms of a hero who had died, and a - hierarchy that had passed away--Achilles and the Druids--before the - founding of the Heraldic System; of royal, noble, and other - distinguished personages; of proprietors of the soil; of countries, - counties, cities, towns, and villages; of trades and employments; - and of objects difficult of classification.” - -With Mr. Pengelly’s treatment of non-heraldic signs there is, of course, -no fault to be found. - -M. Edouard Fournier, in his most interesting _Histoire des Enseignes de -Paris_, makes some valuable remarks on the connection between Trade -Signs and Heraldry. The following is a translation. After stating that -coats of arms came into use at the time of the Crusades, he says: - - “The first Crusade dates from the year 1090.... Is it not allowable - to suppose that, among the Crusaders who had taken the sign of the - cross upon their coats [of arms], there were some who, prevented - from starting upon the Crusade, displayed the cross upon their - houses, as a token of their having taken a vow, sooner or later, to - proceed to the Holy Land? This would be a rational explanation of - the general and widely followed custom of using the cross as the - sign of a house or a shop--Red Crosses, White Crosses, Golden and - Silver Crosses, &c., which form a kind of sign-board crusade. It is - impossible otherwise to explain the singular and obvious analogy - which exists between the devices on the shield of arms and those on - the oldest sign-boards. On the sign-boards, as upon the armorial - bearings, are to be seen the same devices, borrowed from every - object which has a shape or a name in the creation of God or of - man; moreover, upon the sign-boards, these figures are reproduced - with the various colours and ‘metals’ in which they appear on the - coats of arms. The only difference is in the ‘field’ or background - upon which the figures are painted. On the sign-board this is of no - importance; while it is, on the contrary, one of the distinctive - features of the coat of arms. In Louvan Geliot’s _Indice Armorial_ - (_Armorial Index_) is to be found not only a glossary of all the - words used in heraldic ‘blazon,’ but also the names of nearly all - the devices displayed upon sign-boards.... In a word, sign-boards - and shields of arms, both alike, display figures of everything that - strikes the eye or the mind in our every-day life.... - - “The mansions built or inhabited by noble families bore, as signs, - the arms of these families, sculptured or painted, over the - entrance-door. These escutcheons of the nobility, without doubt, - excited the envy of the merchants, who wished also to have signs, - and who, therefore, placed their trade or occupation under the - protection of the shield of France, or some other shield, either of - a province or even of a monastery. There was nobody to object to - this, and such signs quickly multiplied in every direction.” - -M. Fournier next gives a long list of houses which formerly displayed -armorial signs in several of the “Quartiers” of Paris. “After this -enumeration [he says] it will be possible to form an idea of the -multitude of signs of this kind which must have existed at the same -periods in the other Quarters of Paris.” - -Before proceeding to discuss in detail the various signs to be met with -in the county of Essex, it will be well to point out two -cunningly-concealed pitfalls into which the ardent antiquary is likely -to fall, unless he is careful to exercise vigilance in avoiding them. - -The first of these arises from the combination of two different signs -into one. Larwood and Hotten speak of such signs being “quartered,” but -“impaled” is a much better word, if used in its old heraldic sense. -Signs of this kind first began to appear about the beginning of last -century, and are still common, although less so than formerly. It is -noticeable that Taylor in his _Catalogue of Tavernes_, published in -1636 (see p. 28), does not name a single impaled sign, properly -so-called. In some cases, such as the EAGLE AND CHILD, the STAR AND -GARTER, the GEORGE AND DRAGON, &c., the connection is at once obvious; -but in the great majority no meaning or connection is apparent. In such -cases it will be found best not to search too deeply for a meaning, for -the good reason that none exists. The mind of Addison seems to have been -considerably exercised by the signs of this kind to be seen in his day -in the London streets. In an amusing letter to the _Spectator_, in 1710, -he professes himself desirous of obtaining office as “Superintendent of -Signs,” in order that he might be able to expunge those of an unnatural -kind. - - “My first task, therefore [he says], should be, like that of - Hercules, to clear the city from monsters. In the second place, I - should forbid that creatures of jarring and incongruous natures - should be joined together in the same sign; such as the BELL AND - NEAT’S TONGUE, the DOG AND GRIDIRON. The FOX AND THE GOOSE may be - supposed to have met; but what have the FOX AND SEVEN STARS to do - together? And when did the LION AND DOLPHIN ever meet except upon a - sign-post? As for the CAT AND FIDDLE, there is a conceit in it; and - I, therefore, do not intend that anything that I have here said - should affect it.” - -Further on, he makes it plain to us how some of these strange -combinations arose. - - “I must, however, observe to you upon this subject [says he], that - it is usual for a young tradesman, at his first setting up, to add - to his own sign that of the master whom he served, as the husband, - after marriage, gives a place to his mistress’s arms in his own - coat. This I take to have given rise to many of those absurdities - which are committed over our heads; and, as I am informed, first - occasioned the THREE NUNS AND A HARE, which we see so frequently - joined together.” - -According to Messrs. Larwood and Hotten (p. 21) impaled signs, too, were -often set up “on removing from one shop to another, when it was -customary to add the sign of the old shop to that of the new.” Numerous -examples may be cited of impaled signs which occur at the present time -in Essex. Such are the BULL AND HORSESHOE (p. 65) at North Weald, the -LION AND BOAR (p. 63) at Earl’s Colne, the LION AND KEY (p. 63) at -Leyton, the BULL AND CROWN (p. 65) at Chingford, the STAR AND FLEECE (p. -79) at Kelvedon, the SUN AND WHALEBONE (p. 83) at Latton, the examples -of the COCK AND BELL (p. 99) at Writtle, Romford, and High Easter, the -RAINBOW AND DOVE (p. 101) at North Weald, the CROWN AND BLACKSMITH (p. -131) at Tendring, the examples of the PLOW AND SAIL (p. 146) at -Tollesbury, East Hanningfield, Paglesham, and Maldon, the SUN AND ANCHOR -(p. 147) at Steeple, the BELL AND ANCHOR (p. 159) at Canning Town, the -COACH AND BELL (p. 159) at Romford, the OLD WINDMILL AND BELLS (p. 159) -also at Romford, the CROWN AND CROOKED BILLET (p. 162) at Woodford -Bridge, and many others. These will all be found noticed in their proper -places. Many other apparently impaled signs might be noticed. Such are -the COACH AND HORSES (p. 57), the LION AND LAMB (p. 63), the EAGLE AND -CHILD (p. 92), the DOG AND PARTRIDGE (p. 75), the ROSE AND CROWN (p. -116), the GEORGE AND DRAGON (p. 128), &c., &c.; but these do not -properly belong to this class, there being some obvious or possible -connection between the two objects named in each case. Among signs of -this kind--apparently, though not strictly speaking, impaled--belong -all, or most, combinations of any object with either a Hand or a Hoop. -Such are the HAND AND GLOVE (p. 142), the HAND AND BALL (p. 142), the -CROSS AND HAND (p. 142), and the HAND AND STAR (p. 28); also the COCK -AND HOOP, the HOOP AND HORSESHOE, the HOOP AND GRAPES, which do not -occur in Essex. Combinations with a Hand generally arose from the fact -that it was once common to represent on the sign-board a hand holding or -supporting some other object. In many cases, no doubt, such combinations -originally represented some family crest, in which (as is commonly the -case) a hand supported a cross, a glove, a spear, or some other object -as the case might be. Combinations into which a Hoop enters may be -explained by mentioning the fact that formerly the sign was not always -painted on a board, but often carved in wood or metal and suspended -before the house within a hoop. - -The second cause of difficulty arises from the fact that some signs have -become altered and corrupted in the course of time. Many curious -examples of signs of this class are given by the authors so often -quoted. Most of them seem to have arisen in this way:--A sign was put up -which commemorated some incident or personage, often perhaps of only -local celebrity. In the course of time the occurrence commemorated or -the individual represented by the sign became forgotten (or, at any -rate, disconnected from the sign); and, under the influence of vulgar -pronunciation (or, possibly, upon the advent of a fresh landlord, who -knew nothing as to the significance of the old name), the sign was -changed, and given some fresh meaning, which the words seemed to imply -or nearly resemble. Such signs as these may be styled “corruptions.” As -an example, it may be mentioned that at Hever, in Kent, near which place -the Bullen or Boleyn family had large possessions, there was, for many -years after the death of the unfortunate Ann, an ale-house with the sign -of the BULLEN BUTCHERED; but, on the place falling into fresh hands, the -sign was vulgarized into the BULL AND BUTCHER (!), and so remained until -a recent date. In exactly the same way, a farm standing on or near the -site of one of the old lodges at one of the entrances to the Park of New -Hall, Boreham--another ancient estate of the Boleyn or Bullen family--is -now known as “Bull’s Lodge Farm,” it having formerly been “Bullen’s -Lodge Farm.” Thus, too, the GEORGE CANNING has become changed into the -GEORGE AND CANNON, the ISLAND QUEEN into the ICELAND QUEEN, the FOUR -ALLS into the FOUR AWLS (and used as a shoemaker’s sign), and the -ELEPHANT AND CASTLE into the PIG AND TINDERBOX. It is by no means -improbable that, if sufficiently minute inquiry were to be made, it -would be found that some of our 22 Essex SHIPS, many of which are -situated far from the sea, and in purely agricultural districts, are -intended for _Sheep_, that word being, in Essex, invariably pronounced -“ship,” both in the singular and plural. The Stock SHIP, for instance, -occupies some of the highest ground in the county, and is a well-known -landmark for many miles around. It could hardly have reached its present -position without undergoing some such strange adventures as Noah’s Ark -is said to have experienced. The - -[Illustration: FALCON AND FETTERLOCK.] - -authors of the _History of Sign-boards_ state that the two words “ship” -and “sheep” were once commonly pronounced almost promiscuously, as now -in Essex. At Berkhampstead, in Hertfordshire, moreover, there is a house -which formerly had a pictorial representation of a ship in full sail as -its sign. Of late, however, the sign-board has merely borne the word -“ship;” and, quite recently, on the advent of a new landlord who had -been a cattle-dealer, the sign was changed into the SHEEP. On the other -hand, there is, at Chipping Norton, in Oxfordshire, a house styled the -SHEEP AND ANCHOR, which, doubtless, should be, and originally was, the -SHIP AND ANCHOR. The old sign of the FALCON AND FETTERLOCK, representing -the badge of John of Ghent, is now often corrupted into the HAWK AND -BUCKLE, or even into the HAWK AND BUCK. In speaking of Essex examples of -corrupted signs, it may be mentioned that the GOAT AND BOOTS (p. 81) -appears at Colchester for the GOAT IN BOOTS, and that the DE BEAUVOIR’S -ARMS (p. 43) at Downham is locally known as “the BEAVERS.” In the _Post -Office Directory_, too, the HORSE AND WELL (p. 57) at Woodford appears -as the HORSE AND WHEEL, the ROMAN URN (p. 44) at Colchester as the ROMAN -ARMS, and the SUNDERLAND ARMS (p. 31) at Wakes Colne as the SUTHERLAND -ARMS. Some of these are not corruptions which have actually taken place -on the sign-board; but they well show the tendency towards such -corruption. There can be but little doubt, too, that the sign of the -HARROW (p. 171) represents the _Portcullis crowned_ which Henry VII. and -other sovereigns used as a badge. When the knowledge of heraldry -declined the common people called the sign by the name of the Harrow, -not knowing of anything else which resembled the device displayed. It -thus became an agricultural sign, and was sometimes combined with -another sign of the same kind, namely, the PLOUGH, as at Leytonstone (p. -170). In other counties, according to Larwood and Hotten, the sign is -still commonly known as the PORTCULLIS, but we have no example in -Essex. Some forty years ago it was recorded in the _Worcester Journal_ -that the landlord of the WHITE HART Inn at Dudley decided that his sign, -which had until then been merely written, should be made pictorial; but -instead of having depicted the ordinary White Hart with golden chain and -collar, he (whether through ignorance or intent) had painted in white, -on a black ground, a large Elephant’s _Heart_! Of this absurd corruption -we have now an example in Essex, as mentioned hereafter (p. 53). - -[Illustration: PORTCULLIS.] - -It was also once a very common thing for the sign to form a “rebus,” or -pun, upon the name of the owner. Thus TWO COCKS represented Cox; THREE -CONIES, Conny; THREE FISHES, Fish, &c., &c. The token issued in 1665 by -“Beniamin Samson in Coggeshall” bears what Boyne describes as “the -figure of Sampson, standing, with a robe over his shoulder and loins, -holding a jawbone in one hand.” Many combinations, otherwise -inexplicable, doubtless arose from this source, such as a HAND AND COCK, -signifying Hancock, and a BABE AND TUN, signifying Babington. It is not -easy to detect any instance in which a rebus or punning device now -appears on an Essex sign-board; but several cases may be pointed out on -the trade-tokens issued by Essex tradesmen in the seventeenth century. -Thus, a LAMB appears on the token of Thomas Lambe of Colchester in 1654 -(p. 80), a FINCH on that of John Finch of Halstead, and a TREE on that -of W. Spiltimber of Hatfield Broad Oak. It is worth mention, too, that -Mr. A. Stagg, an English hatter, in the Rue Auber, Paris, displays two -gilded stags’ heads on the facia above his shop. - -Thus we see that, in searching for the origin of any sign of obscure -derivation, we may have to trace it back through several different -forms. - -Coming now to the more particular examination of the signs connected -with Essex, we find that the signs of the 1,355 inns existing in the -county furnish an ample fund of interest to any one who systematically -studies their origin and significance. For convenience in treatment an -attempt has been made to arrange these signs under various headings, and -under one or other of these headings every distinct inn-sign now -appearing in the county will be found treated of, together with a large -number of other signs which once existed in Essex, but have now -disappeared. The list of Essex inns given in the _Post Office Directory_ -for the county has been found very useful, although, unfortunately, the -signs of the numerous “beer-shops” (when they have any) are not given. -This deficiency has, however, to some extent, been supplied through the -kindness of the magistrates’ clerks in the county, who have forwarded -lists of such beer-houses as have signs or names in their respective -divisions. The information thus obtained has been incorporated with the -remainder; but in speaking of a certain sign appearing so many times in -the county the number of fully-licensed houses alone is in all cases -referred to. In various parts of the county, but especially in the -south-western portion round Epping and Ongar (as also in London), these -houses are known among the labouring people by the strange name of “Tom -and Jerrys,” no explanation of the origin of which seems to be -obtainable. Beer-houses are compelled by Act of Parliament (1 Will. IV., -c. 64, s. 6, & 4 & 5 Will. IV., c. 85, s. 18) to display over their -doors a descriptive board, to be “publicly visible and legible,” under -penalty of £10, but it does not appear that either they or -fully-licensed houses are compelled to display signs. - -There does not appear to have been any complete list of the inns of the -county published more than forty years ago, but even the lists extending -back that far may advantageously be compared with that of the present -time. Although very many of our signs still remain the same now as they -were then, numerous changes are noticeable. These are, however, -generally in the direction that might be expected. Old heraldic devices -are slowly disappearing and giving place to modern vulgarisms. For -instance, so lately as the year 1868 RAILWAY INNS and RAILWAY TAVERNS -combined only numbered twenty, while at the present time we have no -less than thirty-one. It is quite clear that in the early part of this -century, before railways came into existence, these signs must have been -altogether unknown. Their places were then filled by such signs as the -COACH AND HORSES or the HORN AND HORSESHOES, and other signs now going -out of fashion. - -A great deal of very useful and interesting information as to the signs -in use in Essex two centuries ago is also to be obtained from an -examination of the list of seventeenth-century tokens given by Mr. -Boyne.[11] These tokens were issued very numerously by tradesmen during -the Commonwealth and the reign of Charles I., when the national coinage -was in an extremely debased condition. In the “field,” or centre, of the -coin there was generally a device, which usually represented the sign -under which the issuer traded. Many of the objects thus represented -have, of course, disappeared from the sign-boards of the present day, -though very many others are still familiar public-house signs. Mr. Boyne -is, however, of the opinion that not more than one-fifth of the tokens -now extant were issued by tavern-keepers, the rest having been -circulated by ordinary tradesmen. Reference has already been made to the -fact that many of the common heraldic signs had their origin in the use -formerly made of the arms of the various Trade Guilds or companies as -signs; and a hasty examination of the list of Essex tokens given by -Boyne shows that between 80 and 90, or 37 per cent., bear arms or -emblems belonging to one or other of these ancient companies. Thus, the -Grocers appear about 25 times, the Bakers about 13 times, the -Tallow-chandlers 10 times, the Woolmen 8 times, the Clothworkers 4 -times, the Blacksmiths and the Drapers each 3 times, the Mercers, the -Apothecaries, and the Barber Surgeons each twice, and the Brewers, the -Fishmongers, the Butchers, the Fruiterers, and the Cutlers each once. -Each of these signs will be hereafter treated of in its proper place. - -A very interesting list of the inns in Essex (107 in all) in 1636 is -given in John Taylor’s--the “Water Poet’s”--_Catalogue of Tavernes in -Tenne Shires about London_, published in that year. Unfortunately, -however, in only thirteen cases does he give the sign. In all other -cases he merely gives the name of the holder. Frequent allusion will -hereafter be made to this list of inns. - -In the first edition of _Pigot’s Commercial Directory_, published in -1823, is a list of the inns in the principal Essex towns at that day, -which has proved very useful. An asterisk placed before the sign of any -particular existing inn, or the name of the place at which it is -situated, indicates that the inn in question is mentioned in the above -_Directory_, and that it is therefore at least 64 years old. - -It is much to be regretted that, although the inns are, as a rule, among -the oldest and most interesting houses in any small town or country -village, our Essex historians have, almost without exception, been too -fully occupied in tracing the descent of manors and estates, even to -notice them. - -The list given in the _London Directory_ for 1885 enumerates no less -than 1,742 distinct signs or devices, as appearing in the metropolis -alone. Some of these are, of course, repeated as many as fifty times. - -[Illustration: HAND AND STAR. - -(_Date 1550, after Larwood and Hotten._)] - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER II. - -_HERALDIC SIGNS._ - - ... “a coat of arms, ... and wild beasts on their hind legs, - showing it, as if it was a copy they had done, with mouths from ear - to ear,--good gracious!” - DICKENS: _Little Dorrit_, book ii., chap. ix. - - -As the quaint art of Heraldry has given to us many, if not a majority, -of our most interesting signs, it is only reasonable that signs of this -class should be treated first. - -In all respects the most purely heraldic sign we have in Essex is the -FLEUR-DE-LYS, which occurs at Widdington. As a sign, this was formerly -much more common than at present. Eight of the Essex tokens are -described as having borne it. Two of these were issued in Colchester, -two in Billericay, and one each in Chelmsford, Coggeshall, Stock, and -Witham, the issuer at the latter place being John Jackson, clothier, in -1669. There was formerly a house of this name at Waltham Abbey. In the -parish register the burial of a landlord, on May 8, 1684, is recorded as -follows:--“Edward Clarke, att y^{e} flower de luis.” Mr. H. W. King, -too, finds mention in ancient deeds of a “Flower de Luce” at Maldon in -1658, and again in 1690, but whether an inn, shop, or dwelling-house, -there is, as usual, no evidence to show. As it is sometimes varied into -the THREE FLEURS DE LYS, the most reasonable conclusion is that it is -taken from the arms of France, as formerly quartered with those of -England, but a fleur-de-lys was also used as a badge by Edward III. In -former times, too, it was an emblem of the Virgin Mary. In London at the -present day the sign occurs once only, namely, in Fleur-de-Lys Street, -E. Below are depicted four of the many forms taken by this device on -early shields of arms. - -[Illustration: FLEUR DE LYS (_four early forms_).] - -[Illustration: ESSEX ARMS.] - -[Illustration: COLCHESTER ARMS.] - -No less than 116 of our present public-houses (or 8·5 per cent.) are -named after the arms of some family, place, city, country, or trade. -Those obviously named after some place within the county will be first -noticed. To commence with, however, we will mention the ROYAL ARMS at -Silvertown.[12] The same device appears on a token inscribed “Theophilus -Harvey, in Manitree, 1669.” Next we have the ESSEX ARMS.[13] There are -now four examples, though forty years ago there were five. At -Springfield, too, there is a beer-house of this name. Then we have a -*COLCHESTER ARMS,[14] which is, of course, situated at Colchester. It is -at least forty years old. The COLCHESTER ARMS also appear on the -halfpenny token of Alexander Satterthwaite, of Colchester, dated 1668. -The BOROUGH ARMS at Maldon are, of course, the arms of that town.[15] -The ABBEY ARMS at Plaistow doubtless represent the arms of the -neighbouring Abbey of Barking.[16] Sixty years ago there was a HARWICH -ARMS[17] at *Harwich. Then we have the HUTTON ARMS at Hutton, the -CHADWELL ARMS at Chadwell Heath, the BERECHURCH ARMS at Lexden, the -ROMFORD ARMS (beer-house) at Romford, the COLNE VALLEY ARMS at -Birdbrook, and the ROYAL ESSEX ARMS at Braintree, all of which coats the -heralds would probably be unable to find entered at Heralds’ College. -The last-named is an especially strange device. It is probably an -impaled sign, due to a combination of the ROYAL ARMS and the ESSEX ARMS. - -Many other of our “arms” are named after places outside the county. -Probably in many cases a new landlord has named his house after the -place he came from. Such are the CAMBRIDGE ARMS, the CUCKFIELD ARMS, the -DARTMOUTH ARMS, the DENMARK ARMS, the DORSET ARMS, 2 DURHAM ARMS, the -FALMOUTH ARMS, the IPSWICH ARMS, the LIVERPOOL ARMS, the NORTHUMBERLAND -ARMS, the ODESSA ARMS, the LILLIPUT ARMS (in the Lilliput Road, -Stratford), the TOWER HAMLETS ARMS (at Forest Gate), and the KENT ARMS -at North Woolwich, a parish belonging to Kent, though situated on the -north side of the river. Twenty years ago there was also a SUSSEX ARMS -in existence. The CITY ARMS at Canning Town presumably represent the -arms of the City of London.[18] The dagger in the City arms commemorates -the slaying of Wat Tyler by Sir William Walworth, in 1381. The weapon -used is still in the possession of the Fishmongers’ Company. The -SUTHERLAND ARMS at Wakes Colne seems from the printed list to have been -corrupted from the SUNDERLAND ARMS within the last twenty years. An -example of both forms occurs in London at the present time. It is most -probable that some of these signs have not taken their names direct from -the counties or towns mentioned, but from the titles of noblemen who -have become prominent for political or other reasons. This has been -almost certainly the case with the CAMBRIDGE ARMS, the DURHAM ARMS, and -the LIVERPOOL ARMS. - -[Illustration: BREWERS’ ARMS.] - -The following signs are, with equal clearness, derived from trades or -employments pursued within the county. Many of them are, doubtless, -derived directly from the arms of the London Trade Companies. Of the -BLACKSMITHS’ ARMS[19] we have examples situated respectively at Little -Clacton and at North Weald. The Blacksmiths’ Arms also appear on the -halfpenny tokens of “Will Todd, Blacksmith of Epping,” 1668, and of -William Thompson of South Benfleet (no date). The BLACKSMITHS’ ARMS, at -Little Clacton, appears to have existed since 1786 at least, as it is -referred to in an advertisement in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for March -17th in that year. Not improbably the HAMMER AND PINCERS crossed, which -appeared on the halfpenny of Will Willis of Romford, in 1667, -constituted a blacksmith’s sign. The BREWERS’ ARMS[20] occur as a sign -at Woodham Ferris and *Colchester. The THREE TUNS, of which we have -examples at Newport, *Dunmow, and Waltham Abbey, all of them being at -least forty years old, are certainly derived from the arms either of the -Brewers’ Company or the Vintners’ Company.[21] THREE TUNS are depicted -on the token issued by William Harman, of Chelmsford, in 1657. The THREE -TUNS which formerly existed at *Chelmsford was long a well-known inn. -The Rev. R. E. Bartlett finds it mentioned in the parish registers in -1619, when “a chrisome son of Robt. Ogden of Chelmsford, Vintner, at the -3 Tunnes, and of Susan his wife, was buried the XXX day of December, -being Thursday.” Taylor also mentions it in his _Catalogue of -Tavernes_, published in 1636. Sixty years ago there was a house of this -name at *Braintree, and in 1789 that at Waltham Abbey was spelled THREE -TONS. The Bakers’ Arms[22] occur on the tokens some thirteen times, -either as the BAKERS’ ARMS, a HAND AND SCALES, a PAIR OF SCALES, or a -PAIR OF SCALES AND A WHEATSHEAF. The BAKERS’ ARMS now only appears as an -inn-sign at Leyton, but there are beer-houses of this name at Buttsbury -and Waltham Abbey. Our common modern sign of the WHEATSHEAF is also -probably derived from the arms of this Company. There are seven examples -in the county, situated respectively at Wrabness, *Chelmsford, -Tolleshunt D’Arcy, Braintree, Stow Maries, High Ongar, and Ardleigh. -There are also beer-houses of this name at Loughton, Theydon Bois, -Waltham Abbey, Hatfield Peverell, Kelvedon, Rettendon, Writtle, -Hornchurch, &c. A house at Castle Hedingham, known as the WHEATSHEAF, -though now a beer-shop merely, appears once to have been a very good -private residence. The WHEATSHEAF at *Chelmsford seems to have been in -existence since 1786 at least, as it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ on January 13th in that year. Likewise the still-extant sign -of the MAID’S HEAD (to be noticed hereafter) is probably derived from -the arms of the Mercers’ Company,[23] which appear on the undated -farthings of “Thomas Bvrges, Est Street, Covlchester,” and “Clement Pask -of Castell Heninhame.” The MASONS’ ARMS[24] occur at *Moulsham. The -GARDENERS’ ARMS[25] appear at Wakes Colne and Loughton (beer-house). The -WHEELERS’ ARMS[26] (? _Wheelwrights’ Arms_) appear at - -[Illustration: BUTCHERS’ ARMS.] - -Good Easter. The BRICKLAYERS’ ARMS[27] occur three times, namely, at -Colchester, Stondon, and Bocking (beer-shop). The ROYAL HOTEL at -Purfleet is famed for its whitebait. Until recently it was known as the -BRICKLAYERS’ ARMS, evidently, as Mr. Palin thinks,[28] because the -Bricklayers’ Company formerly worked the huge chalk quarries close at -hand. The BUTCHERS’ ARMS[29] occur at Wimbish, Felstead, Stambourne, and -Woodham Ferris (beer-shop). Probably the BULL’S HEAD, the BOAR’S HEAD, -and the FLY AND BULLOCK, to be noticed hereafter, are all connected with -the arms of this Company, which appear on the halfpenny of “John Harvey -of Rochfoord” in 1668. The CARPENTERS’ ARMS[30] occur eight times in the -county, and also often serve as a beer-house sign. One near Chelmsford -is kept by a carpenter, as is, doubtless, often the case. There can be -no doubt that the COMPASSES, which occurs six times, and the THREE -COMPASSES, which appears twice, are derived from the arms of this -Company. A house near Waltham Abbey, now known by the latter form of the -sign, seems in 1789 to have been called the COMPASSES merely. The AXE -AND COMPASSES at Arkesden is probably a modern, but certainly an -appropriate, combination; or the axe may be intended for one of the -adzes in the arms of the Coopers’ Company, for the COOPERS’ ARMS[31] -themselves appear at Chadwell Heath, Aldham, Chelmsford, and Romford, -the last two being beer-houses. Although the arms of the Cutlers’ -Company[32] are not now to be seen on our sign-boards, there can be -little doubt that the TWO SWORDS CROSSED, which appeared on the undated -farthing of “Nathaniell Smith in Thacksteed,” were derived from the arms -of that Company, Thaxted having formerly been a seat of the cutlery -trade, as the name “Cutlers’ Green,” in the immediate vicinity, -indicates. The WATERMAN’S ARMS[33] was formerly a sign at Leigh, but -whether of an inn or private house does not appear. Mr. H. W. King is -able, by means of evidence obtained from old deeds, to give a complete -account of the house which displayed this sign (and which was built -about the time of Charles I.) from 1650; but there are earlier notices -of it. Portions of it, built of oak, are still standing, but much -altered. When it first became an inn does not appear. It is first -mentioned as having been such in 1746, when it is described as “two -tenements now and lately called the Waterman’s Arms.” Probably, -therefore, it had even then ceased to be an inn, and had been divided -into two dwelling-houses. Under the floor of one of the rooms, some -years since, were found several small coins of Charles II., and a leaden -tavern token, undated, but probably of the seventeenth century. On it -was a hand or arm, pouring from a tankard into a cup or glass. Forty -years ago there was a POULTERERS’ ARMS[34] at Chelmsford. Larwood and -Hotten do not notice this sign. - -[Illustration: THE CUPS HOTEL, COLCHESTER.] - -Similarly, several other Companies, whose arms are not now to be found -named upon our Essex sign-boards, appear to have given us signs which we -still have. For instance, the sign of the TROWEL AND HAMMER at Marks Tey -(which is not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten) is in all probability -derived from the arms of the Plasterers’ Company,[35] while the sign of -THREE CUPS has, doubtless, been derived from the arms of the Salters’ -Company.[36] Of this sign we have examples at Great Oakley, Maldon, -Springfield, and *Colchester. The THREE CUPS at Colchester (commonly -called the CUPS), though not one of the oldest licensed houses in that -ancient borough, was long a well-known coaching inn, and for upwards of -half a century has been the leading hotel in the town. There is reason -to believe that a small tavern known as the Queen’s Head stood upon the -site in the days of Elizabeth; but a more commodious building was -erected, as an inscription on the front stated, in 1792. That, however, -had become too antiquated for its requirements, and was demolished in -1885. Upon its site has now been erected an extremely handsome building -of brick and stone. Carved on one of the projecting windows are “three -cups,” with pedestals, but they do not correctly represent the “covered -sprinkling-salts” of the Salters’ Arms. These, however, are correctly -represented, being carved in wood, and supported upon a sign-post, -before the THREE CUPS at *Springfield, a house at least a century old, -as it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on March 30, 1787. - -In a curious poem, describing a journey from London to Aldborough and -back, published in 1804,[37] the THREE CUPS at *Harwich--now known as -the CUPS--is thus alluded to: - - “But now we’re at Harwich, and thankful am I, - Our Inn’s the Three Cups, and our dinner draws nigh, - But first for a walk to survey this old Borough, - To peep at the church, and the churchyard go thorough.” - -Again, the ADAM AND EVE, which occurs at West Ham, as noticed hereafter, -is a very old device as a sign. This example is forty years old at -least. Messrs. Larwood and Hotten state (p. 257) that “our first parents -were constant _dramatis personæ_ in the mediæval mysteries and -pageants;” but both they and Mr. Jewitt overlook the fact that the sign -may with equal probability have been derived from the arms of the -Fruiterers’ Company,[38] which appear on the halfpenny of Jasper Eve of -Springfield in 1669. In this case, however, the device probably was -intended as a rebus upon the name. The sign of the THREE PIGEONS is not -improbably derived from the arms of the Tallow-chandlers’ Company,[39] -since there is no other obvious source from which it can have come. -Although Larwood and Hotten seem to regard it as being now a rare sign, -there are two cases of it in Essex--one at Stratford, and the other at -Halstead. As already stated, the occupation of the tallow-chandler is -represented ten times on the Essex tokens of the seventeenth century, -either by the arms of the Company, by a man making candles, or by a -stick of candles. The latter device appears on the undated farthing of -William Newman of Halstead, and may have some connection with the THREE -PIGEONS which now exists there, and has certainly done so for at least -forty years back. The DOVE AND OLIVE-BRANCH, which is shown on the -undated farthing of “George Evanes in Ingatestone,” is also probably a -device taken from the arms of this Company. Other arms and emblems -belonging to the great trade companies, and appearing commonly on the -tokens of the seventeenth century, have now quite disappeared--at least -so far as Essex is concerned. For instance, the BARBER-SURGEONS’ -ARMS[40] are to be seen on the halfpence of “Thomas Bvll of Mamvdine, -1669,” and of “Henry Carter, Chirvrgeon, in Manitree, 1669.” The -GROCERS’ ARMS[41] occur, as already stated, no less than about -twenty-five times, either as the Grocers’ Arms, a sugar-loaf, three -sugar-loaves, one or more cloves, or a sugar-loaf and cloves combined. -The GROCERS’ ARMS and an ESCALOP occur respectively on the two sides of -the undated token of “George Nicholson in Tolshon Dacey in S.X.” The -sign of the THREE SUGAR-LOAVES still occurs at Sible Hedingham, and has -been in existence there for a century at least, as the house is -mentioned in an advertisement in the _Chelmsford_ _Chronicle_ on March -9, 1787. It can hardly be called an heraldic sign, as the three -sugar-loaves seem only to have been set up by grocers as an emblem of -their business. At the present time the house has no sign-board, but the -three sugar-loaves are suspended over the door as here shown. There is -also a beer-house of the same name in Felstead parish. - -[Illustration: THREE SUGAR-LOAVES AT SIBLE HEDINGHAM.] - -The WOOLPACK, which occurs eight times on the Essex tokens of the -seventeenth century, and six times in the county at present, will be -noticed hereafter. It is, doubtless, derived from the arms of the -Woolmen’s Company.[42] The APOTHECARIES’ ARMS[43] appear on the tokens -of “Isaac Colman, grocr, in Colchester, 1667,” and of Thomas Bradshawe -of Harwich, in the same year. The DRAPERS’ ARMS[44] - -[Illustration: DRAPERS’ ARMS.] - -occur three times on the Essex tokens. The sign of the THREE CROWNS, -which occurs four times in the county, as hereafter mentioned, is very -probably derived either from the arms of the Drapers’ Company, or from -those of the Skinners’ Company.[45] The signs of the HORSESHOE and the -THREE HORSESHOES (the former of which occurs three times in the county -and the latter ten times) probably both owe their origin partly to the -fact that horseshoes appear on the arms of the Farriers’ Company,[46] -and partly to the old custom of fastening a horseshoe upon the -stable-door or elsewhere in the belief that it would scare away witches. -The THREE HORSESHOES now existing at Billericay seems to be at least one -hundred years old, as it is referred to in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on -March 10, 1786. As a beer-house sign the HORSESHOE occurs at Great -Parndon, and the THREE HORSESHOES at Braintree, Waltham Abbey, High -Ongar, and elsewhere. It appears from the parish registers of Grays that -there was a HORSESHOES there in 1724, and there was a THREE HORSESHOES -at Great Parndon in 1789. The CLOTHWORKERS’ ARMS[47] appear twice on the -Colchester tokens, once on the farthing of “William Cant, in Hedingham -Sibley, 1667,” and once elsewhere. The SHUTTLE on the tokens of “Moses -Love, slaymaker, of Coggshall,” and “Nathaniell Cattlin of Safron -Walden, 1668,” the WOMAN SPINNING on that of “John Little in Movlshem, -1666,” and the pair of SHEARS on that of “James Bonvm in Stisted, 1670,” -are all probably connected with the woollen trade which formerly -flourished in Essex. In 1662 there was a house known as the SHEARS in -Chelmsford. It is mentioned in the _Account of the Murder of Thomas -Kidderminster_ as being in “Colchester-lane,” which was probably what is -now known as Springfield Lane. Littlebury was once another seat of the -woollen trade. Until comparatively recently the 3rd of February used to -be celebrated there, as related in a poem still occasionally to be met -with, that being the day dedicated to Bishop Blaize, patron of workers -in wool. Two huge pairs of shears, one of which is here represented, may -still be seen carved on the old oaken north door of the church. - -[Illustration: SHEARS. - -(_From Littlebury Church Door._)] - -In addition to the foregoing signs connected with trades and -occupations, we have the following, though none of the employments named -ever bore coats of arms. Most of them are modern vulgarisms, and need no -further attention. There are CRICKETERS’ ARMS at Manningtree, Danbury, -and Rickling; MALTSTERS’ ARMS at Willingale Doe, Lambourne (beer-house), -and Colchester; FREEMASONS’ ARMS at Brightlingsea and Braintree -(beer-house); a DROVERS’ ARMS at Rayleigh; an ENGINEERS’ ARMS at -Stratford; THATCHERS’ ARMS at Mount Bures and Rettendon (beer-shop), -Tolleshunt D’Arcy, and Great Warley; a VOLUNTEERS’ ARMS at Maldon; a -YACHTSMAN’S ARMS at Brightlingsea; a SLATERS’ ARMS at Chadwell Heath; a -MOULDERS’ ARMS (beer-shop) at Great Wakering; a WOODCUTTERS’ ARMS -(beer-shop) at Eastwood; a FOUNDRY ARMS (beer-shop) at Hornchurch (of -course named after Messrs. Wedlake’s foundry there); LABOURERS’ ARMS at -Great Baddow and Woodham Ferris (beer-shops); and an ODD FELLOWS’ ARMS -at Springfield (beer-house). Mr. H. W. King finds mention in ancient -deeds of a house at Leigh, in 1682, with the sign of the HAMBRO’ -MERCHANTS’ ARMS, but whether an inn, shop, or private residence does -not appear, nor is there any subsequent mention of it. The owner, George -King, is described as a mercer on some of his tokens, still extant, and -also on his tombstone, now destroyed. Most probably, therefore, it was a -shop-sign. It stood on the site of the present KING’S HEAD. At High -Ongar a beer-shop displays the sign of the FORESTERS’ ARMS. Sixty years -ago there was a NELSON’S ARMS at *Colchester. At the same time, the -WEAVERS’ ARMS[48] formed a very suitable sign at *Colchester, and there -were a *JOINERS’ ARMS, a *TAILORS’ ARMS, and a *SAWYERS’ ARMS at the -same place. Of the latter, there is still an example (beer-house) at -Magdalen Laver. In times past, probably, many other trades have had -their “Arms,” though only sign-board ones. - -Many other “arms” are borrowed from the names of illustrious persons, -though there is some uncertainty about several in the subjoined list. -The following will be at once seen to be named after well-known Essex -landowners: such are, the DUCANE ARMS at Braxted, the LENNARD ARMS at -Aveley, the NEVILLE ARMS at Audley End, the RAYLEIGH ARMS at Terling, -the TOWER ARMS at South Weald, the WAKE ARMS at Waltham Abbey (which is -over forty years old), the WILKES ARMS at Wenden Lofts, and the WESTERN -ARMS at Rivenhall, which figured as the LORD WESTERN ARMS forty years -ago, when there was also a PETRE’S ARMS at Ingatestone. Other arms of -this class, but not necessarily connected with the county, are the -CAMDEN ARMS at Forest Gate, the COWLEY ARMS at Leytonstone, the HEADLEY -ARMS at Great Warley, the HENLEY ARMS at North Woolwich, the LAURIE ARMS -at Romford, the MANBY ARMS and the WADDINGTON ARMS at Stratford, the -MILTON ARMS at Southend, the SPENCERS’ ARMS at Hornchurch, and the DE -BEAUVOIRS’ ARMS at Downham, together with the PETO ARMS, the SIDNEY -ARMS, the SUTTON ARMS, and two NAPIER’S ARMS. Sixty years ago there was -a *THEOBALD’S ARMS at Grays. The DE BEAUVOIRS’ ARMS is at least forty -years old. It seems to be locally known as “the BEAVERS.” Its sign is a -pictorial one with the arms duly displayed. Larwood and Hotten describe -the GENERAL’S ARMS at Little Baddow as a “new-fangled, unmeaning sign,” -through knowing nothing of its local significance. It appears that the -house belongs to Lord Rayleigh, and the arms of the Strutt -family--crest, motto, and all--are correctly depicted upon the -sign-board. It takes its name from Major-General William Goodday Strutt, -brother of the first Baron. After seeing much active service, in which -he lost a leg and received many wounds, he was appointed Governor of -Quebec, and died February 5, 1848. - -The ROYAL ARMS are displayed in the undesirable neighbourhood of -Silvertown. Although our present Queen has now reigned fifty years, the -QUEEN’S ARMS only appear three times on Essex sign-boards, against no -less than seventeen KING’S ARMS. Probably the fact that the number of -kings has been very much greater than the number of queens will fully -account for this. There is, however, a VICTORIA ARMS at Brentwood. It -seems probable that during the last forty years many houses formerly -known as the KING’S HEAD have come to be called the KING’S ARMS, after -the recent craze for “arms;” for the former sign was much commoner, and -the latter much rarer, forty years since than now. It may be pointed -out, for instance, that in Mr. Creed’s list of signs round Epping in -1789, the King’s _Head_ appears six times, and the King’s _Arms_ only -once; also that the Queen’s _Head_ appears twice, while the Queen’s -_Arms_ does not appear at all. This shows the great prevalence of -“Heads” over “Arms” on the sign-boards of last century, and also that -the present prevalence of _Kings_ over _Queens_ in the same situation -was observable even then. Probably the two Queen’s Heads given, which -were at Harlow and Fyfield respectively, represented the portrait of -Queen Anne. A token was issued by William Drane at the KING’S ARMS -(depicted in the field), in Waltham Abbey in 1668, and the same sign is -mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for 1786 as occurring at -Halstead. The sign still exists at both those places; but it is, of -course, difficult to say whether or not the houses are the same as those -that displayed the sign in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries -respectively. The sign of the KING’S ARMS at Waltham Abbey in 1668 can -hardly have been more than eight years old at the time, as no one would -have ventured to display such a sign during the time of the -Commonwealth. Doubtless it was set up at the time of the Restoration in -1660 in honour of the new king, Charles II., for whose father, perhaps, -this William Drane had fought. - -Among the more miscellaneous “Arms” may be mentioned the CHATSWORTH ARMS -at Forest Gate, the ALMA ARMS (beer-house) at Navestock, the CHOBHAM -ARMS at Stratford, together with a LIBERTY ARMS, a LIBRA ARMS, three -ORDNANCE ARMS, a RAILWAY ARMS, and a ROMAN ARMS in the Roman Road, -Colchester. The last-named sign has been corrupted within the last -twenty years from the ROMAN URN. Most of these extremely absurd signs -have come into existence during the last few years. They serve to show -how completely the original use of arms as signs has become -disassociated from their present use. Another indication of the modern -growth of “Arms” is to be found in the fact that they are very common as -beer-house signs--beer-houses having only been instituted since the -beginning of this century. Even forty years ago “Arms” were decidedly -less common as signs than they are now. The list has of late been -swelled by such stupid and unmeaning additions as the ALMA ARMS, LIBRA -ARMS, and LILLIPUT ARMS, very few, if any, of which existed fifty years -since. - -To the above may be added the following, which appear in London, and are -most of them modern and meaningless absurdities:--The WATERLOO ARMS, the -GRAND JUNCTION ARMS, the PAVIORS’ ARMS, the PALACE ARMS, the ROMAN ARMS -(in the Roman Road, Bow, E.), the MECHANICS’ ARMS, and the VOLUNTEERS’ -ARMS. The SOL’S ARMS, in the Hampstead Road, commemorated by Dickens in -_Bleak House_, still exists under the same name. “Arms” in London are -very frequently situated in streets of the same name, and these streets -are usually named after persons, who, it may be presumed, own property -in them. Altogether there are in London no less than 352 distinct signs -consisting of “Arms” of some kind or other, not counting the number of -times each particular sign is repeated. Thus, in London, “Arms” form -rather more than twenty per cent. of all distinct signs. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER III. - -_MAMMALIAN SIGNS._ - - -The next great class of signs to be noticed consists of what may be -termed “Mammalian Signs.” In Essex no less than 464 houses, or 34·2 per -cent. of the whole, display devices derived from the animal kingdom. -There are, however, only 102 distinct signs. These may be classified as -follows:-- - - No. of - No. of signs. distinct signs. - - Mammals 384 81 - Birds 75 18 - Fish 1 1 - Insects 4 2 - --- --- - 464 102 - --- --- - -This calculation is, moreover, made independent of “man and his parts,” -as the heralds say. Signs of human origin have been placed in a separate -class, and will be treated of hereafter by themselves. - -Although many of the signs belonging to this class are, undoubtedly, -nothing more than very modern vulgarisms, there can be no doubt whatever -that a great number have a truly heraldic origin, as will be seen from -what follows. - -To commence the list, we find at Buckhurst Hill a BALD-FACED STAG, and -in the adjoining parish of Chigwell a BALD HIND. These two signs have, -doubtless, the same origin, but one which it is not now easy to -discover. In Essex a horse is always said to be “bald” when he has a -white face. - -[Illustration: BALD-FACED STAG. - -(_Buckhurst Hill._)] - -Possibly the signs commemorate the killing of two deer with white faces -in the adjoining forest, which was the last locality in the east or -south-east of England in which the aboriginal wild red deer survived, -the last having been killed so lately as the year 1817 or thereabouts. -Both the BALD HIND and the BALD-FACED STAG are among the oldest of the -forest inns. The latter is, presumably, the same house marked as the -BALD STAG on Cary’s map, published in 1768. It has the same name in Mr. -Creed’s list (p. 7). The Rev. Wm. Cole tells us, in his voluminous MSS., -that on the morning of October 27, 1774, he “started from the COCK at -Epping without eating, and breakfasted at an Inne, called the BALD-FACED -STAG.” The existing inn is a large square, white-washed building, with a -high-pitched roof. It contains a portrait of Queen Anne, and the -coffee-room is panelled. From it, according to the author of _Nooks and -Corners in Essex_ (p. 21), the famous “Epping Hunt,” so cleverly -satirized by Tom Hood, used to start every Easter Monday, when it was no -uncommon thing for five hundred mounts to ride off from the ridge on -which the house stands. The Easter Monday hunt is said to have -originated as far back as the year 1226, in the reign of Henry III. The -custom was kept up until so recent a date as 1853, after which it -gradually fell off, owing to the rough East End element which marked the -annual meeting, and made it little more than a public nuisance. The -stag--a tame one--was, on these occasions, taken round in turn to all -the neighbouring public-houses before being set at liberty, and the -amount of liquor consumed, and riot occasioned, was, in consequence, -considerable. Something approaching a celebration of the old custom has, -however, been attempted as lately as the last two or three years. There -was also a BALD-FACED STAG at Hatfield Broad Oak in 1789. - -[Illustration: ROEBUCK. - -(_Buckhurst Hill._)] - -At Buckhurst Hill there is also a _Roebuck_, as well as a REINDEER. The -former is marked on Cary’s map, published in 1768, and is probably the -same house several times spoken of (p. 6) as the BUCK in _The Trials of -John Swan and Elizabeth Jeffries_, published in 1752. It is still one of -the best and most widely-known inns on the Forest. In its large Assembly -Room public gatherings often take place. The old REINDEER, which is -shown on Cary’s map, published in 1768, is now a private house, -inhabited by Captain Mackenzie, the Forest Superintendent, and known as -“Warren House.” The present REINDEER is situated about a mile distant -from the old one. An ARCHER SHOOTING AT A STAG is also depicted on the -undated halfpenny token of “John Unwin at Layton Stone.” - -It is in every way probable that the fallow deer, formerly living in the -surrounding forests of Epping and Hainault, and still existing in -considerable numbers in the former, gave rise in some way to these -numerous cervine signs in and around the parish of Buckhurst Hill. It -is, however, a moot point whence the parish derived its name. Some -connect the name with Lord Buckhurst, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth; -others regard it as composed of two Anglo-Saxon words, _Boc_, a beech, -and _hurst_, a wood or forest, which is not unlikely to be the true -derivation; others, however, state that this part of the forest was -severed from the remainder by Royal Charter, and so termed Book-hurst, -meaning book-forest; while yet others consider the name to mean -Buckhurst, the wood or forest in which bucks lived. The latter -derivation seems in every way the most likely one. Nevertheless, the -place was formerly often called “Buckit’s Hill,” as, for instance, in -_The Trial of John Swan and Elizabeth Jeffries_ (p. 8), published in -1752, but this was probably a corruption. The farthing of “William -Locken in Tollsbvry in Esex, 1668,” bore a STAG, and that of “John -Attewell in Black Notle in Esex, 1670,” bore THREE STAGS’ HEADS couped, -probably taken from the coat of arms of some private family. The STAG’S -HEAD at Colchester is also, probably, a form of some family crest. Forty -years ago there was a DOE INN at Halstead. There is now a STAG at -Hatfield Heath, and another at Little Easton. Concerning the latter, -there can be very little doubt that it represents the crest of the -Maynard family (_a stag statant or_). It would be interesting to learn -whether this house has come to be known as the STAG after having first -been called the MAYNARD ARMS. The STAG also serves as a beer-house sign -at High Ongar. It is not very easy to say what first led to the REINDEER -being used as a sign; but that it was in use as early as the - -[Illustration: CROWN HOUSE. - -(_Newport, Essex._)] - -seventeenth century is clear from what Pepys says in his _Diary_. He -tells us that on the night of October 7, 1667, he “lay very well” at the -“Rayne-deere at Bishop Stafford” (meaning Bishops Stortford), where the -sign is still in existence. The same sign also occurs at Takeley, Black -Notley, and (as already mentioned) Buckhurst Hill, having been probably -set up at the latter place in order to keep company with the other kinds -of deer that are found there. The REINDEER at Takeley has been in -existence since 1786 at least, as it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ on January 20th in that year. At Greenstead, near Colchester, -there is to be seen the sign of the BUCK’S HORNS, which is very likely -intended to represent the deer’s “_attires_” in somebody’s coat of arms. -The sign is not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten. The HORNS at Barking -Side may have had the same origin, or the house may have taken its sign -from the noted tavern of the same name which formerly existed in Fleet -Street. The residence at Newport, now commonly known as the Crown House -(from the crown sculptured over the door), or Nell Gwynne’s House, used -formerly to be an inn. Its present names have been given to it within -living memory. Mr. C. K. Probert states[49] that in the time of his -father, eighty or ninety years ago, there was a tradition still -lingering in the town that the inn was formerly known as the HORNS, and -that Charles II., The Duke of York, and Nell Gwynne used to stop there -on their way from London to Newmarket races. This circumstance is -alluded to in an old folio history of the Rye House Plot, and Mr. -Probert has seen a play, printed about seventy years ago, in which the -scene was laid at the HORNS at Newport, the characters being Charles -II., Nell Gwynne, the Duke of York, &c. Mr. Probert writes: - - “Tradition says they used to come with packhorses by the Great - North Road, _viâ_ Rickling and the lane near Wicken Bonhunt, still - called ‘London Lane;’ then along the ancient road at the foot of - Bury Field in Newport; then along the back of the Burywater House, - and so emerging opposite the Crown House.” - -The HORN Hotel in the High Street at Braintree is a well-known old -coaching inn, and has long been one of the best in the town. If the late -Mr. Joseph Strutt is to be believed, this house, at the beginning of the -present century, was known as the BUGLE HORN. In his Essex and Herts -romance, entitled _Queenhoo Hall_, published in 1808, the hero relates -(ii. p. 180) that “we took some dinner at the Bugle Horn at Braintree, -and proceeded in the afternoon to Dunmow, where we arrived before -sunset.” In any case, this sign, like that of the HORN AND HORSESHOES at -Harlow Common, is probably connected with the old coaching days. The -sound of the horn and of the horses’ shoes would be the first intimation -of the approach of a stage-coach. The latter sign, however, may have -some heraldic significance, as Larwood and Hotten mention a London token -of 1666 on which a horseshoe is represented within a pair of antlers or -_deer’s attires_. In 1789, too, it seems to have been the HORNS AND -HORSESHOES. The BUGLE HORN might easily be connected either with -coaching, hunting, or heraldry, were it not situated in Barrack Street, -*Colchester. This, of course, makes it in every way probable that it is -a military sign. Here, also, must be noticed the popular sign of the -WHITE HART. This device appears to be unusually common in the county of -Essex. Nearly every town or village of any consequence possesses an -example. At present we have no less than fifty, and twenty years ago the -number was exactly the same. London itself cannot boast of having more, -as it has also just fifty examples of the sign. The WHITE HART in the -High Street at Brentwood is in all respects the most notable house now -displaying this sign in Essex. In its best days it was a coaching inn of -great importance, and is still by far the best hotel in the town. Mr. H. -W. King has ascertained that it was in existence under its present name -in the time of Queen Elizabeth; but, looking at the house itself, he -believes it to be of still earlier date, perhaps of the fifteenth -century, or even earlier. It is certainly one of the very best examples -of an old-fashioned inn, with a central courtyard and galleries running -round it, now remaining in England. It is mentioned in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ for September 14, 1764, as a stopping-place for the coaches -“which set out on Monday the 27th instant at 7 o’clock in the morning -from the Black Bull in Bishopsgate, London, and at the same time from -the Great White Horse Inn[50] in Ipswich, and continue every day (Sunday -excepted) to be at the above places the same evening at 5 o’clock. Each -passenger to pay 3 pence per mile and to be allowed 18 pounds luggage,” -&c. - -During the reign of Elizabeth the WHITE HART was also the principal inn -in the town of Saffron Walden, but it is not now known in what street -the house was situated. Possibly the inn now known as the HOOPS, in King -Street, was the WHITE HART of those days, as it is a very ancient -structure. Boyne describes a farthing bearing the GROCERS’ ARMS, and -issued by “Anne Mathews, in Safforn Walden, 1656.” Mr. H. Ecroyd Smith -has ascertained, from the registers in the church, that a few years -later she married John Potter of the WHITE HART, and also that they -thereupon jointly issued fresh tokens, retaining her name, arms, and -date on the obverse, but having a new reverse, bearing the words “John -Potter,” and in the centre a _hart lodged_ with the monogram “I.^{A.} -P.” over it, perhaps to indicate that they continued to carry on their -two trades simultaneously. On the 25th of February, 1659, Pepys says in -his _Diary_: “Mr. Blayton and I took horse, and straight to Saffron -Walden, where, at the White Hart, we set up our horses, and took the -master of the house [in all probability the aforesaid John Potter] to -show us Audly End House.” References to this inn occur early on in the -records of the Corporation of Walden. Thus, in 1627, 14s. was expended -“for wine when the Earl of Sussex was at the White Hart;” in 1631, 9s. -was “spent at the White Hart when we ourselves did ring for the king;” -in 1643, 2s. 10d. was “payd at the White Hart when Radcliffe was taken -for a Jesuit;” and in 1661, the sum of 3s. 4d. was “spent at the White -Hart when the ryot was, some of the company being there.” The WHITE HART -on a sign-board at Boreham is correctly and heraldically represented, -but has evidently, in the mind of the artist, been associated with the -deer in Boreham Park, as a view of Boreham House has been introduced in -the background. The WHITE HART at Great Yeldham is a very ancient -village hostel. Its windows, and its exterior generally, are quaint and -antique. In front of the inn, on each side of the door, are old oaken -settles, whereon the village sages debate the topics of the day. From -the sign-board on the Green opposite, the white hart has long since -departed. The WHITE HART in Tindal Street, *Chelmsford, has a new and -large graven sign, heraldically represented, and prominently projected -over the street. The WHITE HART at *Witham, too, has a large and rather -grotesque sign, though it is correctly represented. It is rudely cut out -of what appears to be a thin sheet of iron, and is suspended over the -pavement. The WHITE HART at *Coggeshall--doubtless the existing -hotel--is mentioned in _Bufton’s Diary_ in 1678.[51] It is also recorded -in _Bufton’s Diary_[52] that “In April, 1682, there was y^{e} floore of -a Chamber fell downey at y^{e} WHITE HART at Bocking [probably the still -existing Hotel of that name], where y^{e} Justices sat and about 200 -people in y^{e} roome, and one man broke his leg.” In an early number of -the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ is an illustration of an old inscribed beam -from the WHITE HART between Springfield and Boreham. Mr. J. A. Repton in -a note says that the building was thought to have been a hermitage. He -adds: “There is a long inscription at the bottom of one of the gables, -but it is at present concealed with plaster;” “that the beam measured 52 -inches by seven; and that it bore the inscription, ‘Jesus! Mercy! Lady -help! Jesus!’” Taylor, in his _Catalogue of Tavernes_, mentions a WHITE -HART at *Romford in 1636, probably the hotel of that name still existing -there. An inn with this sign at Colchester is mentioned in one of the -old Corporation records, dated 1603, as being an “auncyent inne” at that -time. In old deeds Mr. H. W. King finds mention of a WHITE HART--either -inn, shop, or tenement--at Horndon-on-the-Hill in both 1704 and 1719. -There does not seem to be any apparent reason why the white hart should -have become so common a device as a sign as it has done. According to -Larwood and Hotten, its use dates from a very remote period; but there -can be very little doubt that its present abundance is due to the fact -that _a White Hart lodged, collared and chained or_, was the favourite -badge of King Richard II., and appears, with variations, no less than -eighty-three times upon his monument at Westminster. At a tournament -held in Smithfield in 1390, in honour of various foreign counts who had -been elected members of the garter-- - - “All the kynges house were of one sute; theyr cotys, theyr armys, - theyr sheldes, and theyr trappours were bowdrid all with whyte - hertys, with crownes of gold about their neck, and cheyns of gold - hanging thereon, which hertys was the kinges leverye that he gaf to - lordes, ladyes, knyghtes and squyers, to know his household people - from others.” - -The White Hart was also used as a badge by Edward IV. It is just -possible that the fact of the crest of the Maynard family being a stag, -as already mentioned, has something to do with the abundance of the -WHITE HART as a sign in Essex, or at least in the northern parts of the -county. It is possible, too, that the abundance of this sign in Essex -may be due in part to the fact that a very ancient and famous WHITE HART -formerly stood in Bishopsgate Street Without, in such a position that it -would probably form a stopping-place for most travellers to and from -London along the Great East Road. Timbs, in his _Clubs and Club-life in -London_ (p. 397), says that it was originally built in 1480, but the old -house was pulled down and rebuilt in modern style in 1829. Allusion has -already been made (p. 25) to an absurd corruption of this sign at West -Bergholt, where the landlord of the WHITE HART, not content with a -script sign, has added a pictorial one of his own designing, -representing a large WHITE HEART on a black ground! Whether this has -been done through ignorance or intent, it is a good example of the way -signs become corrupted and altered in the course of time. Illustrations -of both forms are given above. - -[Illustration: THE WHITE HART (Heart). - -(_At West Bergholt._)] - -[Illustration: THE WHITE HART.] - -The horse and his belongings are referred to no less than seventy-three -times on Essex sign-boards, although a simple horse does not once occur. -The use of the horse as a sign is probably derived both from the animal -himself and from the part he anciently played in Heraldry. Horses of -fantastic colour, such as the GOLDEN HORSE at Forest Gate, are, in all -probability, of heraldic origin. No less than thirty-six times in this -county do we meet with the sign of the WHITE HORSE, and there is an OLD -WHITE HORSE at North Ockendon. Boyne describes tokens issued by “John -Tvrner at the White Horse in Chelmsford, 1667,” and by “John Langston at -the Whit Horse in Mvchboddow.” WHITE HORSES are still in existence at -both of these places. There can be no doubt that the one at Great Baddow -is the one from which the token was issued in the seventeenth century; -but in the case of Chelmsford there is some doubt. The matter is not -without interest, for there is in the British Museum a scarce and -curious quarto tract, of twenty-one pages, published in the year 1688, -with the following title: “_A True Relation of a Horrid Murder, -committed upon the person of Thomas Kidderminster of Tupsley in the -County of Hereford, Gent., at the White Horse Inn in Chelmsford, in the -County of Essex, in the Month of April, 1654, together with a True -Account of the Strange and Providential Discovery of the Same nine years -after, &c., &c._” In this tract one Mr. Turner (without doubt the man -who issued the token in 1667) is many times mentioned as landlord at the -time the murder was discovered. Forty years ago the WHITE HORSE at -Dovercourt styled itself the GREAT WHITE HORSE. The WHITE HORSE in the -High Street, Maldon, is several times referred to in advertisements in -the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ during the year 1786. Likely origins for this -sign have already been given (p. 18). The FLYING DUTCHMAN, which is a -beer-house sign at Braintree, probably commemorates the racehorse of -that name. There are BLACK HORSES at White Roothing, Widdington, Sible -Hedingham, Pilgrim’s Hatch, and Chelmsford (beer-house). Sixty years ago -there was another at *Coggeshall. There are also YORKSHIRE GREYS at -Coggeshall (at least forty years old), Stratford (two), and Brentwood. -Probably these are named after some famous racer. One or other of those -at *Stratford is several times referred to in the _Trials of John Swan -and Elizabeth Jeffries_ (1752). It was then kept by a certain Ann -Wright. Sixty years since, too, there was another at *Colchester. -Adjoining the racecourse at Galleywood there is a RUNNING MARE. The -NAG’S HEAD is a sign which seems to be becoming increasingly common, as -we have five now existing in the county, not counting a beer-house so -called at Chelmsford, though, twenty years ago, there were only three. -The sign of the THREE COLTS, which occurs at Stanstead Montfitchet and -Buckhurst Hill, has very likely an heraldic origin. It is not a modern -device, as there was an inn of this name in Bride Lane, London, in 1652, -and our houses may have taken their name from this one. A HORSE -_passant_ is depicted on the farthing token of “Ioseph Gleson,” 1664, -and a HORSE GALLOPING on that of “Samvell Salter,” 1656, both of Dedham. -In Essex the horse enters into many combinations with other sign-board -objects. In most cases the meaning of the combination is so evident that -no explanation of it is required. For instance, at Colchester we find a -CHAISE AND PAIR, at Stratford a CART AND HORSES, at Mistley a WAGGON AND -HORSES, and another at *Colchester. There are also beer-houses so called -at Braintree and Hadleigh. The COACH AND HORSES occurs no less than -thirteen times, the OLD COACH AND HORSES once, the HORSE AND GROOM seven -times, and the HORSE AND WHEEL once. This latter is, however, a misprint -on the part of the compilers of the _Post Office Directory_. Twenty -years ago it appeared in the list as the HORSE AND WELL, and as the -house is situated at Woodford Wells, this is undoubtedly its correct -form. The sign is not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten. That part of -Woodford known as Woodford Wells, takes its name from a mineral spring -which once existed there. It was formerly in great repute, but is now -quite dry and neglected. An _Itinerary of Twenty-five Miles round -London_, published towards the end of last century, and quoted by Mr. -Walford in _Greater London_ (vol. i. p. 464), indicates that the name of -the house was then the HORSE AND GROOM. The adjoining mineral spring, -says the author, “was formerly in good repute, and much company resorted -to drink the waters at a house of public entertainment called ‘WOODFORD -WELLS;’ but the waters have long lost their reputation.” Hood, in his -witty poem on the Epping Hunt, refers to the house as follows: - - “Now many a sign at Woodford Town, - Its Inn-vitation tells; - But Huggins, full of ills, of course, - Betook him to the WELLS.” - -The HORSE AND GROOM at Great Warley seems to be at least a century old, -as it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on March 10, 1786. At -Margaret Roothing there is a HORSESHOE, which is a comparatively rare -sign by itself. The BULL AND HORSESHOE at North Weald is, doubtless, -merely an impaled sign. Our three HORSESHOES and ten THREE HORSESHOES -have already been referred to (p. 40). At Finchingfield there is a -beer-house with the sign of the KICKING DICKEY, and the CROSS KEYS at -Roxwell is commonly known in the parish by the same name. The origin of -the sign, which Larwood and Hotten do not mention, is hard to explain. - -The Lion, with frequent variations of colour and position, is of common -occurrence in the county. This great variety in colouring clearly shows -that we are indebted to the art of Heraldry for most of our sign-board -lions. Messrs. Larwood and Hotten say (p. 118): “The _lion rampant_ most -frequently occurs, although in late years naturalism has crept in, and -the _Felis leo_ is often represented standing or crouching, quite -regardless of his heraldic origin.” - -When it is remembered that _three lions passant, guardant, or_ occur on -the Royal Arms of England, and a _lion rampant gules_ on the arms of -Scotland; that a _crowned lion statant, guardant or_ is used as the -Royal Crest of England, a _crowned lion sejant affrontée gules_ as the -Royal Crest of Scotland, and a _lion rampant guardant, or_ as the dexter -supporter of the Royal Arms of England; and that lions of various -colours and in different attitudes have served as charges, badges, -crests, and supporters to many of our earlier sovereigns, and now appear -in the armorial bearings of innumerable private families, it will not be -found in any way surprising that the lion figures so commonly as he does -upon our sign-boards. So frequently, indeed, are lions made use of in -Heraldry that it is almost impossible to assign the variously-coloured -examples now to be seen on our sign-boards to their original wearers. -_Lions rampant_ appear on the trade-tokens of John Rayment of Brentwood, -in 1669, and of Richard Boyse and Richard Rich, both of Colchester, in -1668 and 1656 respectively. At present the animal occurs eight times in -Essex as a simple LION, and once as a BRITISH LION. The LION at -Chelmsford, although it has now disappeared, was once evidently a very -important inn. The Rev. R. E. Bartlett finds several mentions of it in -the parish registers, the earliest before the middle of the sixteenth -century. They are as follows: “1543. William Knight, a stranger, who by -misfortune and his own lewdness was drowned at the Lion, and was buried -the 22nd of May.” Again, in 1545, “Wyllyam Pemberton, servaunte to the -Irle of Essex, was slayne at the Lion by one of his Fellows and bury’d -the 19th Day of Januarii.” From the first of these it appears that the -inn was near the river. Taylor, in his _Catalogue of Tavernes_, also -mentions the LION as one of the chief inns in Chelmsford in 1636. -Whether this was the same inn afterwards known as the WHITE LION, and -mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on April 14, 1786, as then -existing at Chelmsford, is hard to say. Possibly the latter house was -identical with that shown with the sign of a rampant lion in the -frontispiece. Its back premises would probably abut upon the river bank. -The site is now occupied by an inn with the sign of the QUEEN’S ARMS. -The GOLDEN LION, if it does not represent the true “lion of England,” -may represent the _lion passant, guardant, or_ which appears on the arms -of the Haberdashers’ Company.[53] The sign now occurs at Prittlewell, -*Chelmsford, *Romford, and Rayleigh. There are also beer-shops so-called -at Braintree, Hatfield Peverell, Rochford, and elsewhere. The GOLDEN -LION at Rayleigh is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for February -24, 1786. Sixty years ago another house of this name existed. A GOLDEN -LION at Harwich in 1764 is also mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ -for that year. The sign of the BLUE LION occurs at Galleywood and at -Great Baddow. Larwood and Hotten think that it “may possibly have been -first put up at the marriage of James I. with Anne of Denmark.” There -can, however, be very little doubt that in Essex this sign represents -the arms of the Mildmay family,[54] which was once of very great -influence in the county. At the time of James I. there were nine several -families of this name possessed of very large estates in the county, the -heads of eight of them being knights. Our nine WHITE LIONS perhaps -represent the badge of Edward IV., though the Dukes of Norfolk, the -Earls of Surrey, and other prominent personages have also borne _lions -argent_. Forty years since an OLD WHITE LION existed at Epping, being -probably the *WHITE LION which lived there in 1789 (p. 7). As he has now -disappeared, it is only natural to suppose that he has died of old age. -The sign-board of the existing house at Epping is fully pictorial. The -WHITE LION at Waltham Abbey is mentioned in the parish registers in -July, 1746, when W. Chesson (presumably the landlord) was buried. BLACK -LIONS are to be seen at Plaistow, Stisted, Althorne, Layer Marney, High -Roothing, and *Epping. At the last-mentioned place two houses of this -name existed forty years ago, one of which has existed since 1789, at -least. According to advertisements in the issues of the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ for February 10 and April 14, 1786, a BLACK LION then existed -at Braintree; but, unless identical with the LION AND LAMB or WHITE -LION, still in existence there, it has now disappeared. Larwood and -Hotten say (p. 120), “The BLACK LION is somewhat uncommon; it may have -been derived from the coat of arms of Queen Philippa of Hainault, wife -of Edward III.,” or it may represent the _lion sable_ in the arms of -Owen Glendower. The RED LION is, however, by far our commonest leonine -sign in Essex. It occurs as many as thirty-four times. The authors so -frequently quoted, say (p. 119) that it doubtless originated in the -badge of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who bore the lion of Leon and -Castille on his arms as a token of his claim to the throne of those -countries. In after years it may often have been used to represent the -lion of Scotland. The RED LION, opposite the church at Stambourne, has a -truly heraldic sign--_a lion, rampant, gules, armed, langued, &c., -argent, on a wreath argent and sable_. On one of its gables this inn has -two designs--one representing an old man with long white hair, wearing a -large green coat and boots of the same colour, and apparently blowing a -long horn or trumpet; the other a monogram “I.^{W.}E.” and the date -1709. This may indicate that it was formerly known as the GREEN MAN. The -RED LION at *Colchester is a very well-known house. Like the WHITE HART -at Brentwood, it is one of the few examples now remaining in the county -of the old-fashioned inn of several centuries ago. Its capacious -courtyard has evidently once been galleried, and it is altogether one of -the most ancient inns now existing in Colchester, or even in the county, -as well as being certainly one of the most quaint and antique in its -appearance. Its uppermost story considerably overhangs the others, and -the whole of the front shows much old carving which is certainly not -later than the fifteenth, and probably the fourteenth, century, to which -has been added some good modern work. Probably if the plaster were -removed much more old carving would be brought to light. Among other -faces, are those of two lions, which look down upon the entrance. The -doorway is also carved. Miss L. S. Costello, in an article on Colchester -in _Bentley’s Miscellany_ for 1840 (vol. xviii. p. 62), says, that among -the few interesting houses in the High Street, she “was struck with a -wooden doorway at the entrance of the [RED] LION INN. It has evidently -been elaborately carved on the different storeys all over, but very -little of its ornament remains. The spandrels of the arch have a -representation, on one side, of a dragon, huge and grim, and on the -other of a knight on foot, with an immensely long spear, tilting at the -monster.” An entry, dated Jan. 9, 1603-4, in one of the old Corporation -assembly books, states that “the Lion, the Angel, and the White Hart -were appointed the only three wine taverns in y^{e} towne, being -auncyent Innes and Taverns.” Mr. Chas. Golding of Colchester has, -however, traced its existence back many years earlier, having found -mention of it under its present name in the Corporation records of the -year 1530 or thereabouts. The still-extant RED LIONS at Great Wakering -and Ilford are referred to in advertisements in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ on Jan. 20 and 27, 1786, respectively. The latter was a -posting-house of great importance in the days when coaching was at its -height; but, like its neighbour, the ANGEL (another house once of -considerable fame), it has now sunk into comparative insignificance, -though still quite one of the leading inns of the district. It is a -large, massive square brick building, before which on the top of the -sign-post reposes a graven representation of a Red Lion _couchant_. The -RED LION at Waltham Abbey is referred to in the parish registers in -1644, when 1s. 8d. was “given to the woman that lay in at the Reed -Lyon.” Capt. Andrew Hamilton has given[55] an interesting account of an -old house at Kelvedon, formerly known as the RED LION Inn. It is now -converted into four good-sized tenements, and is known as Knight -Templars Terrace, from a tradition that the inn once belonged to that -fraternity. In its day it was probably the most considerable inn in -Kelvedon, and the largest on the main road between Chelmsford and -Colchester. It was certainly built before the year 1420, and is now an -excellent example of a half-timbered house of that date. Until lately, -however, the original work has been hidden by no less than two false -fronts of lath and plaster of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries -respectively. Capt. Hamilton describes in detail both the internal and -external construction of this singularly interesting house, but his -remarks are too lengthy to quote here. Opposite to it stood the ANGEL. - -The RED LION at Abberton figures in the Rev. S. Baring-Gould’s -_Mehalah_. The RED LION at Springfield is an extremely ferocious one, -if one may judge from the appearance of his effigy, which is rudely cut -out of a thin sheet of iron, painted red, and placed upon the top of the -beer-house to which he serves as a sign. A RED LION at Radwinter -(perhaps the existing LION) finds mention in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ -on January 20, 1786. The LION AND BOAR at Earls Colne may represent the -lion and boar which sometimes appear as the supporters of the arms of -King Richard III., or it may simply be an impaled sign. The sign is not -mentioned by Larwood and Hotten. The LION AND KEY at Leyton is a sign of -somewhat obscure origin. It is not a modern invention, as there was a -house of the same name near Lion’s Quay, London, in 1653. Our house, -which is over forty years old, and was formerly a blacksmith’s shop, may -have taken its sign from this one, or it may have derived its name -independently from the popular version of some family crest. This is -rendered extremely likely from the fact (supplied by the present -landlord, who, however, is unable to give any further information as to -the sign) that among the old property taken with the house is a -punch-bowl bearing the heraldic device of a lion rampant, its paw -resting upon the ring of an upright key, and dated either 1756 or 1786. -Whose this crest is, it is hard to say. The Rev. H. L. Elliot has -ascertained that it is not included among those in _The Book of Family -Crests_, although the family of Lyngard of Northants bore _a lion sejant -guardant sable, in the dexter fore paw a key in pale or_; while the -families of Knox, Criall, and Chamberlain had crests with a demi-lion -holding a key. The very common sign of the LION AND LAMB is now met with -at Braintree, Stratford, Takeley, Chelmsford, and Brentwood, although, -twenty years ago, the county only contained three examples. At the -last-named place the sign seems to have existed since 1786 at least, as -it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on March 17th in that -year. At *Chelmsford a LION AND LAMB carved in stone repose peacefully -upon the parapet of the building, while a newly-painted sign-board, very -well designed, depicts them in the same attitude. The fact of the name -containing an alliteration has, no doubt, had something to do with its -adoption; but it is also an emblematic representation of the Millennium, -when (as Larwood and Hotten say) “the lion shall lie down by the kid.” -Those gentlemen, however, together with all who use the sign, appear to -be a little at fault in their knowledge of Scripture. The passage -describing the “Millennium” (Isaiah xi. 6) says nothing about a lion -lying down, either with a lamb or a kid. It runs as follows: “The wolf -shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; -and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together.” The sign -first came into use over two centuries ago. In connection with this sign -there is an amusing tale, which is worth repeating, told of a sceptical -American. When the significance of the sign was explained to him, he -remarked that the state of things depicted might possibly come to pass -some time, but that, when it did, he “guessed that there Lamb would be -inside that there Lion!” - -Bovine signs are very frequently to be seen upon our Essex sign-boards. -The simple sign of the BULL is the commonest device, occurring no less -than twenty-two times. Its intimate connection with Christmas beef, -heraldry, and bull-baiting is sufficient to account for the frequent -appearance of this animal on the sign-board. About seventy years ago the -BULL Inn, Whitechapel, was the resort of the Essex farmers, who came to -London once a week to dispose of their corn, &c. The landlord, named -Johnson, who was formerly “boots” at this inn, being in good credit with -his customers, they occasionally left their samples with him, and he -acted as a middle man so much to their satisfaction, that he shortly -after opened an office upon Bear Quay, styling himself “Factor of the -Essex Farmers.” The business ultimately grew to one of great extent. In -old deeds Mr. King finds mention of a BULL--either shop, inn, or -dwelling-house--at Billericay as early as 1616, also of another house -with the same sign at Hockley early in the seventeenth century. Taylor, -in his _Catalogue of Tavernes_, mentions a BULL (probably the existing -inn of that name) at Barking in 1636, and another at Brook Street, where -also there is a still existing Bull. The BLACK BULL appears at Fyfield, -Chelmsford, Margaretting, and Old Sampford, while an OLD BLACK BULL -occurs at Stratford. Very probably these two signs owe their existence -to the fact that a _bull sable_ formed one of the badges, as well as the -sinister supporter of the arms, of Edward IV. In 1662 there was a BLACK -BULL Inn at Romford, as appears from a mention made of it in the -_Account of the Murder of Thomas Kidderminster_, already referred to. In -1789 there were other examples of the BLACK BULL at Loughton and Harlow, -and that at Fyfield was then existing. Sixty years ago there was also -one at Grays. On the map of the road between London and Harwich, given -in Ogilby’s _Itinerarium Angliæ_, published in 1675, “Ye BULL -INN”--evidently a house of some importance--is shown about midway -between Ingatestone and Widford. In the _Traveller’s Guide_, a smaller -edition of the same work, published in 1699, the same house figures as -the BLACK BULL Inn. Probably this is the still existing BLACK BULL at -Margaretting. The BULL AND CROWN, which has been in existence at -Chingford for at least forty years past, may be simply an impaled sign, -or it may (like the last sign spoken of) be derived from the black bull -of Edward IV., or from the white bull used as a supporter by Henry VIII. -In either case the bull would probably be crowned. This device is not -referred to in the _History of Sign-boards_, nor is that of the BULL AND -HORSESHOE, which occurs at North Weald. It is probably only an impaled -sign. The BULL’S HEAD, to be seen at Loughton, is, as already stated (p. -34), probably taken from the arms of the Butchers’ Company. There was -once a famous BULL Inn at Newport. It has now disappeared, having, it is -said, been compelled to close owing to the opening of the HERCULES just -opposite; but there are old folks still living who can recollect the -shields of arms in coloured glass in the windows, and the “Bull Orchard” -still remains. The house is mentioned in the Corporation records of -Saffron Walden for the year 1734. Cole also, in his MSS., speaks of it -by the name of the RED BULL (a rather uncommon sign, of which Essex does -not now possess an example). The sign, however, seems to have undergone -a change of colour, for it is referred to as the BLACK BULL in _Poor -Robin’s Perambulation from Saffron Walden to London, performed this -month of July, 1678_.[56] The author says: - - “To Newport Pond my course I next way bent, - And in at the sign of the Black Bull went. - Where scarcely in a room I had set down, - When in came my old friends, kind Mr. Br ... - And Mr. Woo ..., two who love their friend - With true and hearty love unto the end; - For though they in another town do live, - They to their neighbour some kind visits give. - ’Twas twelve o’clock; dinner time did approach, - When men whet knives on wheels of cart or coach. - The cloth was laid, and by the scent o’ th’ meat, - One might perceive there something was to eat. - And so it proved, indeed; for from the pot - Came forth a rump of beef, was piping hot, - And from the spit was brought a loyn of mutton, - Would satisfy the stomack of a glutton, - For like a loyn of beef it might well have been knighted, - To which our hostess kindly us invited; - Which we accepted of, and to delight her, - Told her that none could deny such an inviter; - For she’s a widow of such excellent carriage, - Would make a man most happy in her marriage,” &c. - -Boyne describes a halfpenny token issued by “Thomas Rvnham at y^{e} Bull -[represented in the centre] in Newport, 1667.” He assigns the token to -Newport in Shropshire; but, as Mr. Joseph Clarke, F.S.A., has informed -the author that no less than seven examples have been found at Newport, -Essex, and as the man’s name also occurs in the parish register, there -can be no doubt that Boyne was wrong.[57] At Chingford Hatch there is a -house with the sign of the DUN COW. This is an ancient device, and -probably has reference to the feat of Guy, Earl of Warwick, who, -according to an old ballad, slew a “dun cow bigger than an elephaunt” on -Dunsmore Heath. The RED COW, as a sign, may be seen at Chrishall, Ashen, -and Shelley. A once well-known RED COW at *Chelmsford is now an equally -well-known coffee-tavern with the same sign. At Waltham Holy Cross a -beer-shop displays the very strange sign of the SPOTTED COW, which is in -all probability unique. Larwood and Hotten do not mention it. The sign -of the RED COW is probably intended to express the idea that good drink -may be obtained within, as from a cow; but, in former times, especial -value seems to have attached to the milk of red cows. At Cold Norton, -near Maldon, there is a house with the very strange, and probably -unique, sign of the FLY AND BULLOCK, kept by one William Pond. It is at -first difficult to see what possible sign-board connection the two -creatures can have. Farmers have reasons for believing that, during hot -weather, a great animosity exists between the two. Inquiry has at last -elicited the fact that the sign is a corrupted one, but this was not -arrived at until after much amusing and erudite speculation, as the sign -in its present form is a very perplexing one. The first guess was that -it was a corruption of the “Flying Bullock” or “Winged Bull,” the usual -emblem of St. Luke. This seemed the more likely, as we have in Essex -signs which might represent at least two other of the Apostolic emblems, -namely, the ANGEL for Matthew, and the EAGLE for John; and who can say -but that some of our LIONS were not once winged, thus representing the -only remaining Evangelist, Mark? Moreover, Larwood and Hotten, although -they do not refer to this sign, mention (p. 73), when speaking of the -sign of the FLYING HORSE, “a facetious innkeeper at Rogate, Petersfield, -who has put up a parody in the shape of a _Flying Bull_.” But then arose -the question, “Why should Luke be thus commemorated?” It was next -suggested in several quarters that the sign might have originated in the -old fable of _La Mouche et le Toreau_, of which Miss Elliot of Gosfield -has kindly forwarded a copy, and which is thought to be of Oriental -origin. This, however, did not decide the question, so inquiry was made -of the landlord, who, though knowing nothing of the origin of his sign, -stated that it formerly was, and should now be, the BUTCHERS’ ARMS, -thereby clearing up the doubt, the crest and supporters of those arms -being “Flying Bulls.”[58] There can be no doubt, therefore, that the FLY -AND BULLOCK originally represented one of the FLYING BULLOCKS in the -Butchers’ Arms. It seems, moreover, that the sign does after all -represent the winged ox of St. Luke, that Evangelist being, in a way, -the Patron Saint of butchers, for in Chambers’s _Book of Days_ (ii. p. -464) it is stated this symbol has been associated with St. Luke, -“because, to quote the words of an ancient writer, ‘he deviseth about -the presthode of Jesus Christ,’ the ox or calf being the sign of a -sacrifice, and St. Luke entering more largely than the other Evangelists -into the history of the life and sufferings of our Saviour.” - -The BLUE BOAR is, perhaps, the most interesting of all our Essex signs. -At present it occurs five times in the county--namely, at *Prittlewell, -*Maldon, *Colchester, *Stratford, and Abridge. The two first-named -houses have been in existence at least a century, as they are mentioned -in advertisements in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ in 1786 and 1788 -respectively, while the last-named is marked on Greenwood’s Map of -Essex, published in 1824. Forty years ago there was another example of -the sign at Stanford Rivers, and Mr. H. W. King informs the author that -the house at Hadleigh, now known as the CASTLE, displayed the sign of -the BLUE BOAR until late in the last century. Taylor (see p. 28) -mentions another BLUE BOAR at Ilford in 1636. In 1789, too, there was -one at Fyfield. In the year 1750, a BLUE BOAR’S HEAD Inn existed -opposite the Church at Waltham Abbey. Mr. Charles Golding, of -Colchester, in writing to _Notes and Queries_[59] to inquire the latest -date at which bull-baiting is known to have taken place in England, -mentions that an entertainment of this kind was announced, in an old -advertisement that he had seen, to take place at the above house on -Whitsun Monday, 1750, and “any gentleman bringing a dog should be -entertained at a dinner free.” The same house is referred to in an -entry in the parish registers in 1647, when 12s. 6d. was “paid for a -dinner at the Borsehed when the ould Churchwardens gave up their -accounts.” The sign of the BOAR’S HEAD occurs at East Horndon, -*Braintree, and *Dunmow. The first of these houses appeared in the list -forty years ago as the OLD BOAR’S HEAD. Our houses of this name have, -perhaps, been named after the famous BOAR’S HEAD tavern which used to -exist in Eastcheap, or they may have had a separate origin. As to the -derivation of the sign itself, Larwood and Hotten are inclined to -believe that it represents the boar’s head as formerly often brought to -table, rather than a charge taken from some one’s arms; but, in this, it -is difficult altogether to agree with them. A boar’s head forms part of -the arms of the Butchers’ Company (p. 34), and we have had in Essex -several families bearing the same charge in their arms, such as the -Borehams of Haverhill, the Welbores of Clavering, and the Tyrrells, -Baronets, of Boreham House--the charge and the name of the place being -very probably connected in some way in the latter case. Indeed, so far -as the BOAR’S HEAD at East Horndon is concerned, there can be no doubt -whatever that it represents the crest of the family of Tyrrells, -Baronets (connected with the Boreham Tyrrells), formerly of Heron Hall, -in the same parish, which was demolished about the year 1789. Their -crest, which was _a boar’s head, couped and erect, argent, issuant out -of the mouth a peacock’s tail proper_, is now correctly represented on -the sign-board, exactly as upon several of the family monuments in the -church. Both the sign-board and the heraldic device it bears are new, -having been recently set up under the supervision of the rector of the -parish. The old board, which is altogether unheraldic, is displayed over -the door, and exhibits the head of an extremely ferocious-looking boar -emerging from a clump of rushes in a most threatening manner. - -There can be very little doubt that in Essex the sign of the BLUE BOAR -represents the _boar azure, armed, unguled, and bristled or_, which -served as a crest, as one of the supporters, and also as one of the -principal badges of the once powerful De Veres, Earls of Oxford, -formerly of Hedingham Castle. This is shown to be the more probable by -the fact that we have still no less than five examples of the sign in -the county, while the adjacent counties of Kent, Middlesex, and Herts -possess none. Elsewhere, too, the sign is very uncommon. Not a single -example now appears in Surrey, Sussex, Durham, Devonshire, -Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, -or Cheshire. Norfolk, Kent, and Cambridge have one each. Leicestershire -and Suffolk (in which county the De Veres also had large estates) have, -however, two each. In London, although there is both a BOAR’S HEAD and a -BLUE BOAR’S HEAD, there is not now a BLUE BOAR. However, a tradesman’s -token issued “at the Bleu Boore without Bishopsgate” in the seventeenth -century still exists. Much valuable information concerning the _Blue -Boar_ as used by the De Veres, is contained in a paper by the Rev. H. L. -Elliot, of Gosfield, _On Some Badges and Devices of the De Veres, on the -Tower of Castle Hedingham Church_.[60] Four of these--the Boar, the -Mullet, the Whistle, and the Windlass--are here reproduced. - -[Illustration: - -BLUE BOAR. - -MULLET. - -WHISTLE. - -WINDLASS. - -(_Badges of the De Veres._)] - -[Illustration: BADGE OF THE DE VERES. - -(_Front the Black Boy, Chelmsford._)] - -The motto of the family, _Vero nihil verius_ and _Verite vient_ formed a -rebus on the name. The boar as a badge was evidently assumed for the -same reason. The Latin name for the animal is _verres_, though the De -Veres probably got it through the Dutch (_veer_ or _vere_), as they were -a branch of the House of Blois, and owned the Lordship of Vere in -Zetland. The boar has been a favourite device of the De Veres from a -very early period. The feet of the cross-legged and mail-clad figure of -Robert, the fifth Earl, who died in 1296, still existing at Earls Colne -Priory, are placed against a boar, and the same animal appears in -different capacities on all, or nearly all, the other existing monuments -of the family. Stowe speaks of John, the sixteenth Earl, “riding into -the city, to his house by London Stone, with eighty gentlemen in a -livery of Reading tawney, and chains of gold about their necks, before -him, and one hundred tall yeomen in the like livery to follow him, -without chains, but all having his cognizance of the Blew Boar -embroydered on their left shoulder.” As a badge, the boar is carved, -alternately with the mullet (another device of the De Veres[61]), over -the clerestory windows of Castle Hedingham Church; on several parts of -Lavenham Church, Suffolk; on the roof of the south aisle of Sible -Hedingham Church; over the west door of Chelmsford Church, and -elsewhere. In the Chelmsford Museum, moreover, is preserved a wooden -boss, taken from the ceiling of a room of the old BLACK BOY Inn when it -was pulled down. On this is carved a boar, within a circular ribbon -charged with seven mullets. Some information as to how these devices -came into these positions is given hereafter. For close upon five -centuries this mighty family, whose riches were immense, and whose power -was second only to that of the sovereign, ruled over a large portion of -East Anglia in semi-regal fashion. For 567 years, too, was the same -title retained in this one family. It is no wonder, therefore, that -their armorial bearings should have been largely used as signs by those -who were in various ways dependent upon them; but it is interesting to -find at the present day such comparatively clear evidence of this fact. -The principal Essex inn exhibiting the sign of the BLUE BOAR (and the -one from which, in all probability, some, at least, of our others have -taken the name) was the once famous BLUE BOAR at Castle Hedingham. This -ancient house may be cited as a good example of an inn deriving its sign -directly from the armorial bearings of a great historical family which -formerly resided in the immediate vicinity, and, without doubt, owned -the house. Its sign, of course, represented the badge of the mighty -Earls of Oxford. The inn was a fine old house standing in St. James’s -Street, where its ornamental chimneys once formed the most prominent -feature. After being injured by fire it was pulled down in 1865. On this -occasion various old coins and other relics were discovered, the most -interesting being an inscription in Early English characters, written in -chalk on a blackened beam behind the wainscot. It ran thus:-- - - “Hans pes withe yore nebor whilom ye maye, - For oftyn tymes favore do the passe withe ye daye.” - -This may be translated as follows:-- - - “Be at peace with your neighbour while ye may, - For often times the favour will pass with the day.” - -According to the authors of the _History of Sign-boards_ (p. 116), this -sign was originally a _white_ boar, and represented the _boar argent_, -which formed the favourite badge of Richard III., as well as one (or, -more generally, both) of the supporters of his arms. - -[Illustration: THE WHITE BOAR. - -(_Badge of Richard III._)] - - “The fondness of Richard for this badge appears from his wardrobe - accounts for the year 1483, one of which contains a charge ‘for - 8,000 bores made and wrought upon fustian,’ and 5,000 more are - mentioned shortly afterwards. He also established a herald of arms - called ‘Blanc Sanglier,’ and it was this trusty squire who carried - his master’s mangled body from Bosworth battle-field to - Leicester.... After Richard’s defeat and death the WHITE BOARS were - changed into BLUE BOARS, this being the easiest and cheapest way of - changing the sign; and so the [WHITE] BOAR of Richard, now painted - ‘true blue,’ passed for the [BLUE] BOAR of the Earl of Oxford, who - had largely contributed to place Henry VII. on the throne.” - -Shakespeare in Richard III. (act v., scene 3) alludes to the dead king -and his badge as follows:-- - - “The wretched, bloody, and usurping boar - That spoiled your summer fields and fruitful vines; - ... This foul swine ... lies now ... - Near to the town of Leicester, as we learn.” - -It is related that in this king’s reign one William Collingbourne was -executed for composing the following couplet:-- - - “The Cat, the Rat, and Lovell our Dog, - Rule all Englonde under an Hogge.” - -The king and his ministers, Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Sir William Catesby, -and Lord Lovell, were, of course, thus referred to. At Earls Colne, as -already stated (p. 63), there is a LION AND BOAR. Here, in all -probability, we have again represented the boar of the De Veres, Colne -Priory having been another seat of the family, some members of which lie -buried there. Other signs, which have, in all probability, been derived -(partly, at least) from other badges of the De Veres, will be noticed -hereafter. - -The sign of the FLITCH OF BACON is most conveniently described in -connection with the boar. The authors just quoted say (p. 420), “The -FLITCH OF DUNMOW is a common sign in Essex, and is sometimes seen in -other counties;” but it does not appear that we have had more than one -in the county for forty years past, that one being, of course, the -well-known inn at *Little Dunmow. How the sign originated is too well -known to need any explanation here. A similar custom has occasioned a -similar sign at Wichnor, near Lichfield (_Gent’s Mag._, 1819). A -beer-shop, about thirty years old, in the market-place at Romford, is -known by the appropriate name of the PIG IN THE POUND. A PIG AND WHISTLE -is in existence at Thames Haven, and there are beer-shops of the same -name in Broomfield and Writtle parishes. The origin of this sign appears -not to have come down to us out of the mists of antiquity. Very many and -very learned are the explanations which have, of late, been proposed as -the solution of it. Half the European languages have been ransacked for -its derivation, but so far without any satisfactory results. Larwood and -Hotten dismiss it as “simply a freak of the mediæval artist.” Possibly -it may represent, in a corrupted form, the peg said to have been placed -in the wassail-bowl by King Edgar, who, in order to discourage -drunkenness, imposed a penalty upon any one who drank so deeply as to -leave it uncovered. There is, however, a by-no-means-unlikely origin for -the sign, and one which the author believes has never before been -suggested. In Mr. Elliot’s interesting paper just quoted (p. 70) it is -stated that, in addition to the _blue boar_, the De Veres, among several -other devices, made use of a _Whistle and Chain_ as a household badge. -Thus, among the devices of this one family, are found the two objects--a -pig (or boar) and a whistle--which, when combined, constitute this most -perplexing sign. It is very difficult--perhaps impossible--to prove now -that the sign was actually derived from these two badges of the De -Veres, but, remembering the enormous past importance of the family, it -must be admitted that the sign was in no way unlikely to have been so -derived. Mr. Elliot himself writes that he considers this suggestion not -unlikely to be the correct one. Very probably this description of the -Earl’s badges was a derisive one, applied to them by the Yorkist party -during the Wars of the Roses. A whistle, like that adopted by the De -Veres, was formerly worn by sea-captains, even of high rank; and Mr. -Elliot is of opinion that it was assumed by the De Veres as a symbol of -the office of Lord High Admiral, an appointment held by John, the -thirteenth Earl, who was very active on behalf of the Lancastrian -party. - -Forty-six inns in Essex exhibit signs which are more or less canine. A -few of these may have had their origin in Heraldry; but there can be no -doubt that, in the great majority of cases, the signs have originated in -the modern use of the dog, whether for sporting or other purposes. At -Wethersfield and Halstead the DOG appears alone; at East Horndon there -is an OLD DOG; a POINTER exists at Alresford; and at Colchester, East -Mersey, and Tolleshunt Knights the DOG AND PHEASANT appears; while at -Stifford and Great Leighs (beer-house) the DOG AND PARTRIDGE is used, as -it was also at *Halstead sixty years ago. The sign of the SPOTTED DOG, -although it is not mentioned by Hotten, occurs four times, namely at -Witham, Barking, Chelmsford, and West Ham, and there is a beer-house of -the same name at Braintree. The sole use of the Spotted, or Dalmatian, -Dog in this country, says a writer in the _Gentleman’s Magazine_, “is to -contribute, by the beauty of its appearance, to the splendour of the -stable establishment, constantly attending the horses and carriage to -which he belongs.” On October 22, 1804, a disastrous and fatal fire took -place at the SPOTTED DOG, *Chelmsford. The details are given in a scarce -pamphlet, reprinted in Hughson’s _London_ (vol. vi. p. 246). It seems -that about 120 Hanoverian soldiers marched into Chelmsford on the day in -question, and about 70 of them took up their lodgings in the stables of -this inn. While most of them were asleep it was discovered that the -straw upon which they lay had caught fire. All were, of course, at once -aroused, but being unused to the fastening of the door, they were unable -to open it. When at last it was opened and the inmates liberated, many -of them were sorely burned, and others had their clothing on fire. The -flames were got under after a time, but not until they had extended to -other stables and burned several horses. On clearing away the rubbish, -the bodies of no less than thirteen of the Hanoverian soldiers who had -perished in the flames were found. They were afterwards buried with -military honours in the church. At Hordon-on-the-Hill there is a BLACK -DOG (beer-house). The SHEPHERD AND DOG is a device which - -[Illustration: DOG’S HEAD IN POT. - -(_After Larwood and Hotten._)] - -is now to be seen at Upminster, Ramsden Cray, and Great Stambridge -(beer-house). Two centuries ago it appeared on the farthing token of -“Peeter Pearcce” of Braintree; while a DOG WITH CHAIN, _passant_, occurs -on that of “Thomas Peeke, Wyre Street, in Colchstr,” and a dog eating -out of a fleshpot (the DOG’S HEAD IN POT) on the halfpenny issued by -John Phillips of Plaistow in 1670. This device seems to have been -originally used to indicate a dirty, slovenly housewife. It was never -common. The HARE AND HOUNDS occurs seven times, the FOX AND HOUNDS ten -times, and the HUNTSMAN AND HOUNDS once (at Upminster). Both the FOX and -the FOX AND HOUNDS are very common beer-house signs. The HARE, an -unusual sign when not accompanied by the Hounds, appears at Great -Parndon. The TALBOT at North Weald may be named after the famous TALBOT -in Southwark, which, under its former name of the TABARD, sheltered -Chaucer’s pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Talbot is the name of an -old variety of hunting dog which, at the present day, is never heard of -except in connection with Heraldry; and, as the sign in question is not -now a pictorial one, most of the inhabitants of North Weald would -probably be much puzzled to explain what it originally represented. -There was another TALBOT in Stapleford Tawney until about ten years ago, -but it is now a private house. The county contains no less than thirteen -GREYHOUNDS, one of which is an OLD GREYHOUND. The sign of the GREYHOUND -existed at Chelmsford in 1786, according to the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ -for July 21st in that year, but it is not now extant, though Greyhound -Lane still exists. In all probability this was the house that existed -under the same name in 1662, as mentioned in the _Account of the Murder -of Thomas Kidderminster_, to which reference has been already made. The -GREYHOUND at Waltham Abbey is mentioned in the parish registers on June -4, 1735, when “John Munns from y^{e} Greyhound was Bur.” The GREYHOUND -at Barking is mentioned in the parish register as early as 1592.[62] An -entry states that “Henry, the supposed son of Henry Fisher of London, -from the Greyhound, was bap^{d} the 17th of October.” For this sign we -are probably about equally indebted both to the sport of coursing and -the art of Heraldry. _Greyhounds argent_ formed either one or both of -the supporters of Henry VII., the badge, and often one of the -supporters, of Henry VIII., and one of the supporters of Elizabeth and -Mary; so that in all probability the sign found its origin in Heraldry, -but owes its use in the present day, largely at least, to coursing. - -In a hunting district like Essex it is in no way surprising that there -should be as many as twenty-five references to the fox on our -sign-boards. Although twenty years ago the sign of the Fox only occurred -five times, it now occurs eleven times; while there are ten signs of the -FOX AND HOUNDS, and three of the FOX AND GOOSE. The latter is a -combination which mediæval artists never tired of representing. It may -be seen, among other places, on a carved oak screen in Hadstock Church. -Of the FLYING FOX at Colchester, Larwood and Hotten say (p. 170)--“It -may represent some kind of bat or flying squirrel (?) so denominated, or -is a landlord’s caprice.” It seems much more probable, however, that the -device is intended to represent a fox flying before the hounds. - -There is a beer-house known as the WOLF at Great Coggeshall. The origin -of the sign, which is not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten, is hard to -explain. Probably it is unique. - -The sign of the HARE AND HOUNDS, of which, as previously stated (p. 76), -we have seven examples, is, doubtless, entirely derived from the sport -of coursing; but the RABBITS, a very old house still in existence at -Little Ilford, has probably an heraldic origin. Most likely the sign is -derived from three coneys appearing on some family coat of arms, but -whose, it is now difficult to say. The sign appeared in the list as the -THREE RABBITS forty years ago, and as the THREE CONEYS on Jean Roque’s -_Map of Ten Miles Round London_, published in 1746. Lysons, in his -_Environs of London_ (1796, vol. iv. p. 157), says-- - - “A great mart for cattle from Wales, Scotland, and the North of - England is held annually, from the latter end of February till the - beginning of May, on the flat part of the forest of Waltham - (commonly called Epping Forest), within the parishes of Ilford, - Eastham, Westham, Leyton, and Wanstead. A great part of the - business between the dealers is transacted at the RABBITS in this - parish--on the high road.” - -There is also a beer-shop known as the RABBITS in Stapleford Tawney -parish. It is probably named after the foregoing. There is another -beer-house so called at West Thurrock. Larwood and Hotten do not mention -the sign under any of the above forms, although they say that in 1667 -Hugh Conny, of Caxton and Elsworth, Cambridge, had THREE CONIES for a -sign, and a RABBIT is depicted on the farthing token of one William -Hutchenson, of Chelmsford. - -[Illustration: FLEECE.] - -The sign of the FLEECE occurs twice at *Colchester, once at *Coggeshall, -and once at Brentwood. That of the GOLDEN FLEECE appears at Chelmsford -and East Ham, although the former seems to have become golden only -during the last forty years. There were also FLEECES at Halstead and -Witham sixty years ago. Both forms of the sign are, of course, intended -to represent Jason’s Golden Fleece, or Gideon’s, and their use -commemorates the time when the woollen trade was one of the staple -industries of Essex. The Fleece also formed the pendant of the Order of -the GOLDEN FLEECE, which was founded in 1429 by Philip, Duke of Burgundy -and Count of Flanders, “to perpetuate the memory of his great revenues -raised by wools with the Low Countries,” as Ashmole says. Ancient -encaustic tiles have been found, Mr. Elliot writes, both in Witham and -Maldon (St. Mary’s) Churches bearing the arms of the Dukes of Burgundy, -with their badge of flint, steel, and sparks in the upper and side -spandrels, and the figure of the Fleece below. A fleece forms a charge -in the arms of the town of Leeds,[63] now the principal seat of the -woollen trade. Larwood and Hotten facetiously remark that “a fleece at -the door of an inn or public-house looks very like a warning of the fate -a traveller may expect within.” The STAR AND FLEECE is an odd -combination, which does not appear to be noticed in the _History of -Sign-boards_. It may simply be an impaled sign, or may represent the -fleece of one of the mullets in the arms of Leeds. An example has -existed at Kelvedon for over forty years, and another was in existence a -few years since. Another emblem of the woollen trade is the WOOLPACK, of -which, as already stated (p. 39), we have six examples, arranged in an -almost straight line across the county, namely, at *Romford, -Ingatestone, Chelmsford, Witham, *Coggeshall, and *Colchester. Three, at -least, of these were in existence sixty years since, at which time there -was another at Bocking. It is recorded in _Bufton’s Diary_[64] that on -May 1, 1693, at Coggeshall, “Y^{e} soldiers set up a Maypole at y^{e} -WOOLPACKE doore.” The WOOLPACK is a device which appears commonly on the -tokens of the seventeenth century. It is met with at Billericay, Dunmow, -Castle Hedingham (twice), Braintree, Bocking, Witham, and Colchester. -The sign of the WOOLPACK, it should be noticed, is still, or was lately, -to be seen at the three last-named places. The sign of the SHEARS, as -pointed out elsewhere (p. 41), is another relic of the now departed -woollen trade. From the middle of the seventeenth to the end of the -eighteenth century, the spinning, carding, and weaving of wool formed -the staple industry in most of the larger towns and villages of Eastern -England. Several prominent families of the district in former days owed -their wealth to this trade. In the neighbourhood of Hedingham it is said -that several old houses, of which remnants only now exist, were once -“wool-halls,” combining a residence for the merchant with a warehouse -for his wools, worsteds, and “pieces.” Very high wages were earned by -the workpeople, even by children and old persons. It has been estimated -that, at the middle of last century, not less than 20,000 hands in and -around Colchester were employed in the woollen trade; but by the end of -the century the number had sunk to less than 8,000. Many old persons -still living can remember their parents’ or grand-parents’ accounts of -the festivities on St. Blaize’s Day, the 3rd of February, when there -were processions in mediæval fashion, with shepherdess and lamb, and men -and women spinning and weaving, accompanied by a great deal of noise and -fun, bell-ringing and band-playing, ribbons and banners, roystering and -drinking. In the evening bonfires were lit upon the hills to commemorate -(as the common people thought) the name of their patron, St. Blaize. The -weaving of bunting for ships’ flags lingered in and around Sudbury until -about twenty years ago, but has now quite died out in East Anglia. The -RAM, at North Woolwich, perhaps, represents the crest of the -Clothworkers’ Company.[65] Our six examples of the sign of the LAMB may, -or may not, have had an heraldic origin. They probably represent the -Lamb with the flag of the Apocalypse; but this was used as a crest by -the Merchant Taylors’ Company.[66] The farthing issued in 1654 by “Tho. -Lambe at Bvttls Gate in Colchester” bears a _Holy Lamb couchant_, and -that of “Joseph Lamb of Lee [Leigh], 1664,” bears the same device. In -both cases a rebus or pun on the name of the issuer is, of course, -intended. The LAMBS at *Colchester and *Romford are both at least sixty -years old. Probably the sign was first set up as an emblem of the -woollen trade. The five instances in which the Lamb occurs in -conjunction with a Lion have already been noticed (p. 63), and attention -has also been drawn to the fact (p. 23) that some, at least, of our -SHIPS are probably intended for _sheep_. The SHOULDER OF MUTTON, which -occurs both at Great Totham and Fordham, probably represents the joint -so often brought to table. - -The BEAR occurs by himself only twice, namely, at Buttsbury (where he is -at least forty years old), and at Romford. The BEAR at Buttsbury is -mentioned in the Stock parish registers in 1673. Forty years ago there -were also BEARS at Colchester and Great Baddow. We are probably more -indebted to the old custom of bear-baiting for this sign than to -Heraldry. Larwood and Hotten say that it was originally adopted by -ale-houses as a pun on the word “beer.” If so, the pun was a very weak -one. The WHITE BEAR is to be seen at Galleywood and at Stanford Rivers. -At the latter place he has existed at least since 1789, and is -represented on a board over the door, but not upon the swinging -sign-board, as a Polar Bear picking his way over blocks of ice. The sign -of the WHITE BEAR is not a modern one. It was used in the seventeenth -century, and both of our Essex examples are over forty years old. The -Queen of Richard III. used a White Bear as her badge, and this perhaps -originated the sign. - -Of the ELEPHANT AND CASTLE, a very old device, we have two instances in -Essex, one at Harwich, and the other at Colchester. Neither seems to -have been in existence twenty years ago. Most probably they are named -after the famous old coaching inn at Newington Butts; but they may have -originally been cutlers’ signs. The elephant with a castle on his back -(as he was generally represented in the Middle Ages) formed the crest of -the Cutlers’ Company.[67] At Great Baddow, Rayleigh, and elsewhere the -device serves as a beer-house sign. - -The GOAT AND BOOTS on *East Hill, Colchester, though over forty years -old, is a sign which is not noticed in the _History of Sign-boards_. It -is, doubtless, a corruption of the not-uncommon sign of the GOAT IN -BOOTS, which appears to be a caricature of Welshmen, and not a -corruption of the Dutch description of Mercury, _der goden boode_ (the -gods’ messenger), as is often stated. We have in Essex no example of the -not-uncommon sign of the GOAT AND COMPASSES, which is usually supposed -to be a corruption of the Puritan motto, “God encompasses us.” This -explanation, however, is not sound. The motto could never have been -represented pictorially upon the sign-board, and we know that pictorial -representation was the sole aim and object of the sign in olden times. -Probably the sign is merely a compound one; or it may represent the arms -of the Cordwainers’ Company[68] in a corrupted form. To this origin may -be certainly traced the sign of the THREE GOATS’ HEADS, which, however, -does not occur in Essex. - -The SQUIRREL’S HEAD at Squirrel’s Heath, Romford, has no doubt some -connection with the locality. It was not in existence forty years ago. -The sign of the THREE SQUIRRELS, which is not found in Essex, has been -in use for over two centuries. - -The sign of the SEA HORSE, which has existed at *Colchester for at least -sixty years past, is not noticed by Larwood and Hotten. Very likely it -commemorates the capture in the Colne, and subsequent exhibition in the -town, of some such strange creature as a seal or porpoise, which vulgar -belief set down as a “sea horse.” - -The sign of the DOLPHIN occurs four times in the county, namely, at -*Colchester, *Chelmsford, Maldon, and *Romford. The animal also figures -as a beer-house sign at Stisted, Goldhanger, &c. The houses bearing it -may have taken their sign from the many representations of the dolphin -in private coats of arms; but, most likely, they have simply been called -after the famous DOLPHIN Inn which existed in London for several -centuries, and is said to have been occupied by Louis, the Dauphin of -France, who, in 1216, came over to contest the English crown with King -John. It was once adorned with fleurs-de-lys, dolphins, and other French -cognizances. The dolphin formed the badge of the Dauphins of France, -just as the three ostrich feathers form the badge of our own Princes of -Wales. Larwood and Hotten do not notice the sign of the WHALEBONE of -which Essex possesses four examples, namely, at Woodham Ferrers, -*Colchester, Fingringhoe, and White Roothing. That at the latter place -has apparently been in existence for at least a century, as it is -mentioned more than once in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ in the year 1786, -while the one at Colchester figured in the list as the OLD WHALEBONE -forty years ago. The FISHBONE, however, spoken of by Larwood and Hotten -as being “rarely met with as a public-house sign,” though frequently -used by dealers in rags and bones, is probably the same sign under a -different name. In the museum at Saffron Walden there has been, for -nearly fifty years past, a large whale’s scapula, which is said formerly -to have hung as a sign in one of the streets of that town. Mr. Joseph -Clarke believes it was displayed at the KING’S HEAD, and it has on it an -almost illegible letter R, probably part of the monogram G. R.; but more -likely it formed the sign of the WHALEBONE at some house not now in -existence, or not under that name. Of the SUN AND WHALEBONE which has -existed at Latton since 1789 at least, the authors so frequently quoted -say that “it may have originated from a whalebone hanging outside the -house or [it may indicate] that the landlord had laid the foundation of -his fortune as a rag merchant.” More probably, however, its origin was -the impalement of two distinct signs. The sign-board is not pictorial. -This sign was very fully discussed in _Notes and Queries_ in 1862 (3rd -series, vol. i. pp. 250, 335, 359, 397, 419, and 473). Several most -profound speculations were advanced to account for it, but they were all -more or less far fetched. The WHALEBONE at Chadwell Heath has now -disappeared, though a beer-shop so named existed there until about the -year 1870. From it, in all probability, our four existing houses of this -name, as well as the SUN AND WHALEBONE at Latton, have taken their -designation; for the sign is a very uncommon one in the adjoining -counties, and does not appear at all in London. The house in question -originally took its name from two whale’s jaw-bones (not _rib_-bones, as -is commonly supposed) set up in the form of an archway over the road -close at hand. Local tradition says that the bones were those of a whale -that was stranded in the Thames near Dagenham during the great storm -that prevailed on the night preceding September 3, 1658, when Oliver -Cromwell died. - -This was, perhaps, the case, as “Ye Whalebone” is marked against the -tenth milestone from London on the map of the high-road from London to -Harwich, given in Ogilby’s _Itinerarium Angliæ_, published in 1675, only -seventeen years after the whale is said to have been stranded. Also in -Dr. Howell’s _Ancient and Present State of England_, first published in -1678, it is stated (6th Ed. p. 263) that, “near about this time [1658], -there came up the Thames as far as Greenwich a whale of very great -length and bigness.” Daniel Defoe, too, in his _Tour through the whole -Island of Great Britain_, first published in 1724, says (vol. i. p. 3) -the WHALEBONE was “so called because the rib-bone of a large Whale, -taken in the River of Thames, was fixed there in 1658, the year Oliver -Cromwell died, for a monument of that monstrous creature, it being at -first about Eight and Twenty Foot long.” The WHALE’S BONE is also marked -on _Andrew and Drury’s Map of Essex_, published in 1777. That a storm of -most unusual magnitude did rage on the night in question, is certain. -Prideaux, in his _Introduction to History_ (1682), speaks of “that most -horrid tempestuous night which ushered in this day [on which Cromwell -died].” Pepys also mentions the storm. Nor is it anything new for whales -and similar animals to appear in the Thames. In Sir Richard Baker’s -_Chronicles of the Kings of England_ (p. 425), published in 1684, it is -recorded that on the 19th of January, 1606, “a great Porpus was taken at -West Ham, in a small creek a mile and a half within the land; and within -a few days after a Whale came up within eight miles of London, whose -body was seen divers times above the water, and was judged to exceed the -length of the largest ship in the River: but when she tasted the fresh -water and scented the land, she returned again into the sea.” On the -morning of April 31, 1879, too, a whale alarmed some fishermen by his -spouting near Hole Haven. Many other records might be cited. It is, -however, a curious circumstance that in M. J. Farmer’s _History of -Waltham Abbey_, published in 1735, there is given as an appendix “The -Inquisition taken the 17th of King Charles I. [1642] of a Perambulation -of Waltham Forest in the County of Essex,” in which occurs the following -passage:--[The Forest boundary runs] “from Great Ilford directly by the -same King’s High Way leading towards Rumford, to a certain _Quadrivium_ -(or way leading four ways), called the Four Wants, where late was placed -and yet is a certain side of a whale, called the _Whale bone_.” From -this it would appear that the spot was known as the Whalebone long -before Cromwell’s death. Possibly, however, there is an error in the -above date, Charles I. being inserted instead of Charles II. - -A good deal of discussion upon the subject took place several years ago -in the pages of _Notes and Queries_. In 1871 (p. 4), “G. S.” wrote that -he had often seen whales’ bones set upright in Holland for cattle to rub -against, and that he “was once struck with the same in a large park -between Ingatestone and Chelmsford. The owner was a Dutch gentleman, who -had introduced this sensible idea into England.” Other correspondents -wrote that they knew of whales’ bones having been set up in various -parts of England. Later on (p. 195), Mr. J. Perry, of Waltham Abbey, -wrote that-- - - “There is (or was lately) a pair of whale’s ribs placed over the - old toll-gate at Chadwell Heath, near Romford, Essex, which form a - kind of Gothic arch across the roadway. They must have been there - for a considerable period, as it is beyond the memory of any of the - good old country-folks living in the locality to tell when first - erected. At a little distance from the toll-house occurs a similar - pair, set up over the carriage entrance to a residence.” - -Afterwards (1878, p. 397) “S. P.” wrote as follows:-- - - “When I was a boy, there stood by the roadside, about two miles - west of Romford, at the east end of the long straggling village of - Chadwell Heath, and on the left hand going from London, a - tremendous pair of bones, forming an arch. The bases were deeply - rooted in the earth, but even then the space spanned was - considerable. Near by was a toll-house, with its bar, known from - the adjacent relic as ‘Whalebone Gate.’ I think, too, if I remember - rightly, there stood near the spot a road-side inn called by the - sign of ‘the WHALEBONE.’ My father, an Essex man, long since dead, - used to tell me that he had it from his grandfather, that the bone - was the upper [should be lower] jaw of an immense whale, which had - been cast ashore about three miles to the south of the spot, on the - north bank of the Thames, at Dagenham, while the Great Storm was - raging on the night that Oliver Cromwell died. In course of time, - toll on suburban roads was abolished; the toll-house and gate were - cleared away; and the jaw was appropriated to serve as an entrance - arch to the front garden of a neighbouring suburban villa--the - rural residence, I believe, of a Whitechapel pork-butcher--an - edifice known, and still indicated on suburban maps of a tolerably - modern date, as ‘Whalebone House.’ ... What became of the worthy - tradesman I have above alluded to, I do not know. Probably his - house is still standing, but I am unable to identify it now by its - former title or peculiar gate. I am under the impression that what - remains of the relic has been transferred to its original site; for - I was past the spot where, so far as my memory serves me, it - formerly stood, on July 25th in this year. Half the arch (_i.e._, - one bone) stood upright, still deeply rooted in the earth, but - alone, forgotten and deserted, by the side of the high road in a - fallow field. No one in the neighbourhood seemed to know anything - about it or its history.” - -To this, Mr. J. A. Sparvel-Bayly, of Billericay, wrote (1879, p. 58):-- - - “In the little village of East Tilbury in Essex, situate on the - banks of the Thames, and not far from Romford, is a house known as - ‘Whalebone Cottage,’ in front of which is an arch composed of the - jawbones of a huge whale. From their weather-worn appearance they - may possibly have belonged to that alluded to by S. P.” - -In reply to this, Mr. W. Phillips (p. 338) stated that-- - - “The jawbones spoken of by Mr. Sparvel-Bayly as being at East - Tilbury, ‘not far from Romford’ (it is twelve miles from Romford as - the crow flies), cannot be identical with those mentioned by S. P., - whose account I can corroborate, so far as knowing the jawbones he - mentions, forty years ago, when travelling on the box-seat of the - old Colchester Coach alongside a coachman of the Mr. Weller sort, - of some sixty-five summers. The two bones were then in existence on - the north side of the road near the tenth milestone, and two miles - the London side of Romford, in front of a roadside public-house - with the sign of the ‘WHALEBONE,’ which my coachman said used to be - the resort of the many highwaymen that once infested Chadwell Heath - close by. He spoke of his being told when a boy that the bones had - been there from the time of Cromwell.” - -From the foregoing, it is clear that there were formerly _two_ pairs of -bones set up near together; indeed, Mr. J. Perry distinctly says there -were. One pair has now entirely disappeared. The other pair still stand -(although S. P. seems to have overlooked them), as described, over the -entrance of an adjoining house, known to this day as “Whalebone House” -or “Lodge,” and marked as such in local directories. There is also in -the immediate vicinity a “Whalebone Farm,” as well as a “Whalebone -Lane.” The bones (of which an illustration is here given) are of the -following dimensions:-- - - Feet. Inches. - Height out of ground (along curve) 15 6 - Circumference (at base) 3 3½ - “ (near top) 2 0 - Breadth at base (flat inner side) 1 5 - “ (round outer side) 1 10½ - -[Illustration: GATEWAY AT WHALEBONE HOUSE. - -(_Chadwell Heath._)] - -If, as seems probable, the bones are those of the Greenland whale -(_Balœna mysticetus_), it is extremely unlikely that the creature -which owned them was ever stranded in the Thames. The following letter -from Prof. W. H. Flower, F.R.S., is of much interest. He says-- - - “Pairs of the lower jawbones of the Greenland whale, erected - usually as gate-posts, occur in many parts of the eastern counties, - especially in the neighbourhood of the old whaling-ports--the - Thames, Yarmouth, Hull, Whitby, &c. They have all been brought from - the Arctic Seas by whalers, at any time since 1611, when the first - ships left England for the Spitzbergen whaling, which (with the - Baffin’s Bay whaling) has been carried on with more or less success - ever since, though now confined to Peterhead and Dundee. I very - much doubt Defoe’s ‘28 feet long.’ Twenty feet, following the - curve, is the maximum of the Greenland whale, and no other whale - has such large jaws. I also doubt the story of the creature being - stranded, because, if so, it cannot have been a Greenland whale--a - species which never visits our shores.” - -Larwood and Hotten, in common with nearly all heraldic writers, -innocently treat of whales and dolphins as _fishes_, as they were -commonly supposed to be in the Middle Ages. A writer in _All the Year -Round_, so lately as the year 1879, commits the same absurd error. - -It will here be necessary to ask pardon of modern men of science for -discussing, under the heading “Zoology,” certain monstrous beasts which, -though unknown to us in these enlightened times, were accredited with a -material existence by the ancient heralds, and others who wrote in the -dark days of several centuries ago. Such imaginary creatures as dragons, -griffins, unicorns, and the like, are, of course, here referred to. - -[Illustration: DRAGON.] - -The DRAGON in his own proper colour (whatever that may be) does not -occur in the county; but we have four examples of the GREEN DRAGON, -situated respectively at Shenfield, Black Notley, *Saffron Walden, and -Waltham Abbey. Sixty years ago there were also GREEN DRAGONS at -*Colchester and elsewhere. It is very easy to account for the origin of -the use of the Dragon as a sign, but it is not so easy to say why he -should so often be green. The GREEN DRAGON, however, has been a common -sign for over two centuries. As the badge and supporter of the arms of -many of our sovereigns, he was generally red, though occasionally black -or golden. The Dragon appeared on the standard of the Saxons, and was -used as a badge by several early Princes of Wales. It formed one or -other of the supporters of the arms of Henry VII., and of all the Tudor -sovereigns except Queen Mary. It appears also in the heraldic bearings -of many private families. There can, therefore, be very little doubt as -to its heraldic derivation, although it was formerly used as a chemist’s -sign, in which case its origin was probably non-heraldic. Perhaps, as -the Rev. H. L. Elliot writes, the strange colour in which this monster -usually appears on sign-boards is due to the fact that a Green Dragon, -holding in his mouth a bloody hand, was a badge of William Herbert, Lord -Steward, created Earl of Pembroke in the time of Edward VI. The GEORGE -AND DRAGON is a sign which occurs eight times in Essex. This very -common sign has increased greatly in popularity since the institution of -the Order of the Garter, of which a representation of St. George killing -a dragon forms the pendant; but the fact that several of our recent -kings have borne the name of George has no doubt had a good deal to do -with its adoption. The legendary act of St. George, the patron-saint of -England, is alluded to in the following amusing little rhyme:-- - - “To save a mayd, St. George the Dragon slew-- - A pretty tale, if all that’s told be true. - Most say there are no dragons, and ’tis sayd - There was no George;--let’s hope there was a mayd.” - -A representation of St. George killing the Dragon appears on the token -issued by J. Lark of Coggeshall in 1667.[69] - -There are also in Essex three examples of the sign of the GRIFFIN, -situated respectively at Great Canfield, Halstead, and Danbury. The -GRIFFIN at Danbury, an ancient and well-known inn, is mentioned in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ on May 9, 1788. It is also several times -prominently alluded to (ii. p. 174, iii. pp. 130 and 144, and iv. p. 66) -in Mr. Joseph Strutt’s Essex and Herts Romance of _Queenhoo Hall_, -published in 1808. Although in former ages people firmly believed in the -existence of griffins, the animal has never yet been seen except in -Heraldry. Consequently it is only natural to assign the origin of its -use as a sign to that art; but griffins appear upon the escutcheons of -so many families that it is now quite impossible to say in whose honour -it made its first appearance upon the sign-board. - -[Illustration: GRIFFIN.] - -The UNICORN appears as a public-house sign at West Ham and at Romford. -At the latter place the house is situated in Hare Street, and is at -least a century old, as it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ -for March 2, 1787. A _unicorn rampant_ is depicted on the farthing -tokens of William Alldred of Colchester, and a _unicorn passant_ on -those of “Will. Anger of Mvch Clafton [? Clacton] in Esex, 1654.” The -original use of the UNICORN as an inn-sign may be attributed to the fact -that it was formerly a common chemist’s sign, and is one of the -supporters of the arms of the Apothecaries’ Company, or to the fact that -it now forms the sinister supporter of the Royal Arms. Much interesting -information as to the ancient belief in its existence, and the power of -its horn as an antidote to all poison, is given in the _History of -Sign-boards_. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER IV. - -_ORNITHOLOGICAL SIGNS._ - - -Ornithological signs stand next in turn for notice. They are fairly -numerous, and many are of strictly heraldic derivation. - -[Illustration: SPREAD EAGLE.] - -The Eagle appears in one form or another on nineteen Essex sign-boards. -On seven occasions a simple EAGLE is intended. Twenty years ago, -however, there were but three. Ten times the sign of the SPREAD EAGLE -occurs, and the same device is depicted on the tokens issued by John -Millbank of Colchester in 1665, and by Samuel Wall of Witham in 1668. -The SPREAD EAGLE at Harwich, which is a house still extant, is referred -to in the issue of the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for March 31, 1786. At -Little Bardfield a carved and gilded SPREAD EAGLE is set up on the top -of a post before the inn. The sign is truly heraldic, inasmuch as the -bird does not seem to require to use its legs, but stands upon its tail. -In the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for March 2, 1787, there appears an -advertisement stating that a “Main of Cocks” was to be fought on the 7th -of that month at the *SPREAD EAGLE in Prittlewell, between the Gentlemen -of that place and the Gentlemen of Great Wakering. Eagles occur so -frequently in Heraldry that there can be no doubt whence the sign of the -EAGLE is derived; and the fact that the bird is, more often than not, -described as “spread,” goes far to confirm its heraldic derivation. An -eagle was displayed upon the ensign of the Roman emperors, and has since -formed one of the chief - -[Illustration: EAGLE AND CHILD.] - -cognizances of the sovereigns of Germany, Russia, Prussia, Austria, -France, &c. Edward III. bore a crowned eagle as his crest, and Henry IV. -adopted a spread eagle as one of his badges. The bird is also of very -frequent occurrence in the armorial bearings of private families. The -EAGLE at Snaresbrook is a well-known old hostelry, and is a very -favourite Bank Holiday resort of “‘Arry and ‘Arriet” from the East End -of London. The EAGLE AND CHILD, which is to be seen at Shenfield and -Forest Gate, is not uncommon elsewhere, and will be at once recognized -as the crest of the Stanleys, Earls of Derby, which represents an eagle -carrying off a child, as told in the well-known legend,[70] and as here -depicted. In a curious collection of miscellanea relating to signs -formed by a Mr. G. Creed, and now preserved in the British Museum, it is -stated that in the parlour of the last-named inn there is (or was in -1850) framed “a MS. bit of Doggrell,” commencing as follows:-- - - _The Essex Flats too Knowing for the Yorkshire Sharps._ - - “An Essex Landlord of some fame, - Whose honesty deserves a name, - Near to the Forest hangs his sign, - A house well known for Bowls of wine. - It represents a lovely boy, - Such as would give a father joy; - Beside him (don’t say ’tis absurd) - Stands the majestic kingly Bird, - And both are named and known together, - As birds are known that’s of one feather.” - -The rest of the poem, which is long, does not merit reproduction. This -house is marked on Jean Roque’s _Map of Ten Miles round London_, -published in 1741. The FALCON occurs three times, namely, at Southend, -Littlebury, and Wivenhoe. Twenty years ago one of these figured in the -list as the NEW FALCON, and sixty years since there was another in the -High Street at *Braintree. A farthing token showing a bird holding a -sceptre, and issued by “John Parker at the Falken in Wevenhoe,” is -described by Boyne. Taylor (see p. 28) also mentions this Parker in -1636. As the sign of the FALCON still exists at Wivenhoe it is probably -the same house kept more than two centuries ago by John Parker, -especially as the same house is mentioned again in an advertisement in -the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 13, 1786. At the end of last -century there was an inn with the sign of the FALCON close against the -Cross at Waltham. Two illustrations of it, published respectively in -1787 and 1791, are preserved in Mr. Creed’s collection. They show the -sign-board (a pictorial one, inscribed with the name of the -landlord--Sibley) suspended from a beam which extends across the road. -Above this beam is hung a bunch of grapes within an iron frame, as here -shown. The sign has now been altered to that of the GREAT EASTERN. - -[Illustration: FALCON. - -(_At Waltham Cross in 1787._)] - -The OLD FALCON Inn, which formerly existed at Castle Hedingham, though -now reduced to a mere beer-shop, was once evidently a very good house. -Its beams and rafters are very massive, and bear the crest and badge of -the Earls of Oxford, like not a few other old houses in the vicinity. -The sign is probably identical with that of the HAWK, which occurs at -Battles Bridge. Its origin may have been the ancient sport of hawking; -but, more probably, it has an heraldic derivation. A _falcon volant_ -forms part of the arms of the Stationers’ Company, and it was probably -adopted by booksellers on this account. Both Edward III. and Richard II. -used a falcon as one of their badges, and the FALCON HOLDING A SCEPTRE, -which, as just mentioned, existed at Wivenhoe in the seventeenth -century, was presumably derived from one of the badges of Queen -Elizabeth, _a falcon crowned, holding a sceptre_. It is, however, by no -means improbable that the particular instance of the sign of the FALCON -in Falcon Square, Castle Hedingham (which happens to be _triangular_!), -may be a relic of the ancient family of the Hawkwoods, who resided in -the adjoining parish of Sible Hedingham. Sir John Hawkwood, the famous -soldier who became so prominent in the Italian wars of the fourteenth -century, was buried in Florence, but upon the beautiful crocketted -canopy of the monument erected to him in the south aisle of Sible -Hedingham Church, his badge (?), a Hawk or Falcon, is carved several -times, with other devices. - -[Illustration: WHITE SWAN. - -(_The Badge of the De Bohuns._)] - -The Swan, including several variations in colour, &c., is a very common -Essex sign, and appears in thirty-eight different places; while, forty -or fifty years ago, it seems to have been even commoner. Thirty-two -times he occurs as a simple SWAN; at Harwich he appears as a NEW SWAN; -at Rayne and Roydon (where he is at least one hundred years old) as a -BLACK SWAN; at Chelmsford as an OLD SWAN; and at Epping and West Ham as -a WHITE SWAN. The SWAN now existing at Brentwood is, apparently, at -least a century old, as it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on -March 24, 1786. The fondness of the bird for liquid (though of a purer -kind than that usually supplied at public-houses) is said to have been -the reason for its very common adoption as a public-house sign; but the -custom is equally likely to have had an heraldic origin. Kings Henry IV. -and V. both used a swan among other badges, and the same device formed -part of the coat of arms of the De Bohun and other families. The annexed -wood-cut of the _swan proper, ducally gorged and chained or_, which -formed the badge of the De Bohuns, is taken from the central spandrel of -the canopy of the brass in Westminster Abbey to Alianore De Bohun, -Duchess of Gloucester, who died in 1399. It is also very probable that -the white swan which formed the badge of the great De Mandevilles, once -Earls of Essex, has had something to do with the abundance of this sign -in the county. In _Tavern Anecdotes_ (p. 241) it is stated that in 1825 -the landlord of the *SWAN at Stratford recommended the charms of his -house in the following poetic strain:-- - - “At the Swan Tavern kept by Lound - The best accommodation’s found,-- - Wine, Spirits, Porter, Bottled Beer, - You’ll find in high perfection here. - If in the garden with your lass - You feel inclined to take a glass, - There Tea and Coffee of the best - Provided is, for every guest. - And, females not to drive from hence, - The charge is only fifteen pence. - Or, if disposed a Pipe to smoke, - To sing a song or crack a joke, - You may repair across the Green, - Where nought is heard, though much is seen; - There laugh and drink, and smoke away, - And but a moderate reckoning pay, - Which is a most important object - To every loyal British subject. - In short, the best accommodation’s found - By those who deign to visit Lound.” - -In Mr. Chas. Golding’s _List of Essex Tokens_,[71] pieces inscribed -“Abel Bond at y^{e} WHITE [SWAN] in Stratford, His Halfe Penny,” and -“John Chandler [a SWAN] in Stratford, J. C.” are mentioned. The -still-existing SWAN at Baythorn End, Birdbrook, appears to be over two -centuries old. In the parish register is the following entry: “Martha -Blewitt, y^{e} wife of nine husbands successively, buried eight of y^m, -but last of all y^{e} woman dy’d allsoe, was bury’d May 7th, 1681.” A -slab in the Church shows that Martha Blewitt was landlady of the above -inn. - -In Cromwell’s _Excursions through Essex_ (i. p. 17) it is stated that -“The SWAN, a very large and famous inn, anciently stood in the road near -the farm called Shakestones.” The view of Romford given in Wright’s -_History of Essex_ (1831, ii. p. 435) shows the graven sign of the WHITE -SWAN Inn, projecting from the front of the building exactly as it does -now. It appears from an old Manor Roll[72] that in 1572 there was a -“tenement called the SWAN”--not necessarily an inn--in Coggeshall. The -sign still exists there--namely, in East Street--though possibly not at -the same house. It is, however, again mentioned in 1678 in _Bufton’s -Diary_.[73] Mr. King finds mention in ancient deeds of a SWAN--either -inn, shop, or tenement--at Prittlewell in 1652. In the _Records of the -House of Gurney_ (p. 539) there is mention of “a messuage or tenement -heretofore called or known by the name or sign of the SWAN, situate in -the parish of St. Mary, Maldon,” in the seventeenth century. Perhaps the -*SWAN Inn still existing in the High Street is the same house. In 1678 -there was a BLACK SWAN at or near Audley End. Poor Robin (see p. 66) -mentions it in his _Perambulation from Saffron Walden to London_. After -his acquaintances had drunk heavily with him at the ROSE AND CROWN, -Saffron Walden, whence he started, he says-- - - “Yet would my jovial friends on me attend, - Part of my Journey unto Audley End, - By them called Ninevah, but no great city, - Though too much sin may be there, more’s the pity. - There at the sign (of such a thing, I think, - As never swam on pond or river’s brink) - Of a Black Swan, I entered in. - - * * * * * - - Yet although of this sign there’s no such thing, - It was a sign there was good drink within.” - -Of the well-known OLD FOUR SWANS at Waltham Cross Mr. E. Walford, in -_Greater London_ (vol. i. p. 393), writes as follows:-- - - “It is undoubtedly an old building; but it is questionable whether - it can properly lay claim to the antiquity that is locally assigned - to it; for in it, according to tradition, the body of Queen Eleanor - remained for the night preceding its solemn entry into London. - Salmon considers this inn to have been the original manor-house of - the honour of Richmond; and Gough says that it ‘bears marks of - great antiquity in the forms of its chimneys, and the quantity of - chestnut timber employed about it.’ A large signboard, supported on - tall posts, placed on the opposite sides of the way, swings across - the road, having on it the inscription, ‘Ye Olde Foure Swannes - Hostelrie, 1260.’” - -David Hughson, in his work on _London_ (vol. ii. p. 339), says of this -house, that in 1805 it was a good specimen of the old style of house, -“consisting of three sides, sometimes of four, with an entrance by a -square aperture in the front, into the quadrangle.... It is the -manor-house of the manor of Theobalds, and was formerly the residence of -a natural son of Henry VIII., whom he created Earl of Richmond.” In the -parish register of Waltham Holy Cross, or Waltham Abbey, there is the -following entry: “Julii, 1612, Margarett, the daughter of Edward -Scarlett of Cestrehunt, was buried 26 daye, dwelling at the signe of Ye -Old Swanne in Waltham Cross.” In days gone by this inn was a well-known -posting-house, and more recently it numbered Charles Lamb among its -patrons. The SWAN WITH TWO NECKS was formerly the sign of a private -house in Head Street, Colchester, once occupied by Miles Gray, the -celebrated bell-founder. In his day he was quite the head of his craft. -Bells founded either by him or his son and successor Miles, who died in -1686, are still found in many belfries throughout Essex. In his will, -dated May 17, 1649,[74] he bequeaths unto his wife Dorothy all the -“rents, issues, p’fits, cominge, growinge, and arisinge out of the east -end of the capitall messuage or tenement, lately burned downe, scituate -and beinge below Head Gate, in Colchester aforesayd, commonly called or -knowne by the name of the Swann w^{th} two Neckes,” &c. It is commonly -supposed that the word “necks” has been corrupted from “nicks,” swans -having formerly been marked by nicks or notches on the bill. The Rev. -Stephen Weston, in the _Archæologia_ for 1812, states that the king’s -swans were formerly marked by _two nicks_, as shown in the two -illustrations given below, which represent the royal swan-marks of Henry -VIII. and Edward IV. respectively. These, he says, were not afterwards -understood, and the double-headed two-necked swan was invented. Larwood -and Hotten, however, doubt this derivation, chiefly because the nicks -would have been so small when represented on the sign-board as to be of -no practical use as a distinctive sign. - -[Illustration: SWAN BILLS WITH TWO NICKS. - -(_After Yarrell._)] - -[Illustration: SWAN WITH TWO NECKS. - -(_After Larwood and Hotten._)] - -The COCK is a very ancient and very common sign. Larwood and Hotten say -that it was already in use in the time of the Romans. We have no less -than eighteen examples of the simple COCK, and an OLD COCK occurs at -Sheering. The ancient and well-known COCK Hotel at Epping finds frequent -mention in the numbers of the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for the year 1786. -Taylor (see p. 28) also mentions it by name as long ago as 1636. It is a -very old house, though now re-fronted with brick. The Rev. Wm. Cole, in -his voluminous MSS. in the British Museum, says that on the 26th of -October, 1774, he “arrived at Epping in the dusk of the evening, and -lodged and dined late at the COCK Inn.” The COCK Inn still existing at -Stock is several times mentioned in the parish registers, namely, in -1634, 1639, and 1693. On the latter occasion, “a stranger who died at -the Cock, being a poor man, was buried by the constables, November 20.” -The COCKE Inn at Great Coggeshall (not now existing) was once a house of -good standing. In 1614 James I. granted it to Henry Eades, and in 1616 -to Peregrine Gastrell and Ralph Lounds.[75] Not improbably in this case -the sign was derived from the arms of the Abbey of Coggeshall.[76] The -COCK, near the Church at Waltham Abbey, is a very ancient inn. It finds -frequent mention in the old parish registers. The marriage of John -Broadly, of the COCK Inn, is recorded as early as February, 1599. In -1662 there was a COCK at Chelmsford, which does not appear to be in -existence now. It is mentioned as being “on the hither side of the -bridge” (_i.e._, the side nearest to Romford) in the _Account of the -Murder of Thomas Kidderminster_, already referred to. This was probably -the same inn mentioned by Foxe in his _Book of Martyrs_ when he says -that “one Richard Potto the elder, an inn-holder, dwelling at the sign -of the Cocke, did much trouble” George Eagles, who was martyred in 1557. -For the prevalence of this sign we have probably to thank the barbarous -old custom of cock-fighting, as is obvious in the case of the sign of -the FIGHTING COCKS, which occurs at Little Sampford and Wendens Ambo, -and the GAME COCK at Chadwell Heath. But the cock is also by no means an -uncommon heraldic bearing, and several combinations into which the bird -enters have probably had an heraldic origin. For instance, the sign of -the COCK AND CROWN, which existed at Colchester forty years back, may -have represented one of the badges of Henry VIII., which was a _white -cock crowned, with the cypher H.R._ The same king also often used a -_white cock crowned_, as one of his supporters. At the same time it may -simply have been an impaled sign of very modern date. In any case it is -very rare. The COCK AND BELL, which appears at High Easter, Writtle, and -*Romford, is an apparently meaningless sign, and is probably an -impalement. The last-named example seems, however, to have been in -existence for at least a century, as it is mentioned in an advertisement -in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for September 14, 1764. In Wright’s -_History of Essex_ the inn itself is depicted. Taylor, too, probably -refers to this house in his _Catalogue of Tavernes_ when he mentions a -COCK at Romford in 1636. The example at Writtle has an old pictorial -sign-board representing a resplendent, though faded, cock, with a bell -over his head. The COCK AND MAGPIE, which has existed since 1789 at -least on Epping Green, is probably called after a celebrated London -tavern of the same name. The sign is identical in its origin with that -of the COCK AND PIE. By the latter name is known some wine and spirit -vaults of repute which for over a century have been established on -*North Hill, Colchester. Several more or less likely meanings for the -sign have been suggested, but the authors of the _History of -Sign-boards_ consider it to be a corrupted sign. They believe that it -originally represented the PEACOCK PIE, formerly a very favourite dish. -When the dish went out of fashion the sign became abbreviated into the -COCK AND PIE; and as that appeared meaningless, it was in time corrupted -into the COCK AND MAGPIE, in both of which forms we still have it. Forty -years ago the sign of the MAGPIE existed at Great Warley, and there is -now a PEACOCK at Canning Town. A rebus upon the name of the issuer, -Richard Cock of Colchester, occurs on a farthing token dated 1658. The -RAVEN as a sign is found at Berden. It was a badge of the old Scotch -kings, and may have been set up as a Jacobite symbol. The BLACKBIRDS, -which occurs at Bulmer, and the THREE BLACKBIRDS, which occurs at -Leyton, are, doubtless, two signs which were identical in their origin, -and are probably connected with the RAVEN, the THREE RAVENS, the THREE -CROWS, and the THREE CHOUGHS, all of which are fairly common in other -counties, and are supposed by Larwood and Hotten to typify Charles, -James, and Rupert. It is, however, just as likely that they represent -the modern version of some family coat of arms. Many such coats bear -three birds, which might, with almost equal correctness, be referred to -any of the species just mentioned. Various doves and pigeons have -already been spoken of (p. 38), but there still remains to be mentioned -the curious sign of the RAINBOW AND DOVE, which is to be found at North -Weald. In the list of signs in 1789 (p. 7) it appears as the RAINBOW -merely. The sign is apparently quite meaningless, unless it typifies the -rainbow and dove which figure in the account of “the Flood” (Genesis, -chaps. viii. and ix.). The NIGHTINGALE at Wanstead is another inn-sign -which does not seem to be mentioned by Larwood and Hotten. It is at -least forty years old, and, doubtless, takes its name from, or gives its -name to, Nightingale Square, in which it stands. The sign of the OWL, -which has existed at High Beech since 1789 at least, is spoken of in the -_History of Sign-boards_ as occurring only once elsewhere, namely, at -Calverley, near Leeds. A bird (presumably a FINCH) occurs on the -halfpenny token of John Finch of Halstead, who was probably a maltster, -as the other side of his token bore the representation of a MALT-SCOOP. -The BIRD IN HAND occurs five times in Essex, namely, at Braintree, -Halstead (twice), Coggeshall, and *Stratford. There are also beer-houses -so called at Goldhanger and Chelmsford. Mr. G. F. Beaumont of Coggeshall -states that the *BIRD IN HAND at that place was formerly known as the -THOROUGH Inn, because there was a right of way or thoroughfare through -it from Earl Street to Church Street. He also mentions, as a curious -coincidence, that a short time since the name of the tenant was Joseph -_Bird_, and that of the owner Richard _Bird_ Holmes. The same gentleman -contributes to the _Coggeshall Almanac_ for the present year an -interesting “Programme of a Procession, exhibited by the Weavers of -Coggeshall, on Wednesday, the 15th of June, 1791,” and which was to “set -out precisely at eight o’clock from the BIRD IN HAND.” The idea of the -sign is suggested by the proverb-- - - “A bird in hand is better far, - Than two that in the bushes are.” - -The device is to be seen on some of the trade tokens of the seventeenth -century. The sign of the FEATHERS at Hatfield Broad Oak is clearly -identical with that of the PLUME OF FEATHERS at Loughton; indeed, the -former appears in Mr. Creed’s list (p. 7) as having been the PLUME OF -FEATHERS in 1789. The house at Loughton is also mentioned in the same -list, so that both are at least a hundred years old. Both, of course, -now at least represent the badge of our Princes of Wales. Ostrich -feathers have been among the devices of our kings and princes from very -early times; and the pretty tale of how the Black Prince took them from -the King of Bohemia, whom he killed in the battle of Creci, is a pure -delusion. As the Rev. H. L. Elliot points out, “Single feathers, -differenced in various ways, were used as badges by the kings and the -Beauforts before the Wars of the Roses. Henry VI. used two feathers in -saltire, the sinister argent, surmounted of the dexter or, as here -depicted, as one of his badges.” - -[Illustration: PLUME OF FEATHERS. - -(_Badge of the Prince of Wales._)] - -[Illustration: THE FEATHERS. - -(_Badge of Henry VI._)] - -Twenty years since a house at Stanstead bore the sign of the BELL AND -FEATHERS, which is a combination not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten. It -was probably merely an impaled sign, as it was formerly the BELL simply, -and has now returned to its old name, under which it will be hereafter -referred to. The sign of the PHŒNIX now only occurs at Rainham, -though there was another example at Billericay forty years since. The -sign was formerly often set up by chemists, but other tradesmen also -used it. The fact that a phœnix forms the crest of the Blacksmiths’ -Company (p. 32) has, perhaps, had something to do with bringing the bird -into favour as a sign. This completes our list of ornithological signs. - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER V. - -_PISCATORY, INSECT, AND REPTILIAN SIGNS._ - -... “Ye ale-house painted signs.” - SHAKESPEARE: _Titus Andronicus_, Act iv., Scene 3. - - -This class of signs--or rather combination of several small groups, -taken together for the sake of convenience--is, naturally, very far from -a large one. It contains, indeed, only four signs, all told. - -The FISH AND EELS, which is a very strange device appearing at Roydon, -is our only existing sign connected with fish, although TWO FISHES -appeared on the tokens of the two William Wildmans (father and son) of -Saffron Walden, issued in 1656 and 1667 respectively. The former spells -the name Saffron Wallding. The sign, perhaps, originated in the arms of -the Fishmongers’ Company.[77] Larwood and Hotten do not notice the Fish -and Eels, although this house has displayed the sign since 1789 at -least. It may be a meaningless impalement. - -Only two signs occurring in the county are in any way connected with -insects. These are the FLY AND BULLOCK, already described (p. 67), and -the BEEHIVE, which occurs five times, namely, at Great Baddow, Witham, -Horkesley, Ilford, and Lambourne. The sign is generally represented (as -at Witham and Baddow) by an old straw hive, or skep, with a great many -bees, _volant, counter-volant_ (as heraldic writers say), around it, -probably to indicate that a busy trade is carried on within. It is -recorded[78] in the Barking parish register, that in 1653, “Francis, the -sonne of an Ethiopian, born at the BEEHIVE,” was baptised. Under this -heading must be noticed a sign which, although it does not occur in -Essex, is, nevertheless, connected with the county. This sign is the -ESSEX SERPENT, which still exists in King Street, Covent Garden; and, -when Larwood and Hotten wrote, there was also another example in Charles -Street, Westminster. Those gentlemen think that it was, perhaps, -originally set up “in allusion to a fabulous monster recorded in a -catalogue of wonders and awful prognostications contained in a broadside -of 1704,[79] from which we learn that ‘Before Henry the second dyed, ... -a Dragon of marvellous bigness was discovered at St. Osyph in Essex.’ -Had we any evidence that it is an old sign, we might almost be inclined -to consider it as dating from the civil war, and hung up with reference -to Essex, the Parliamentary General; for, though we have searched the -chroniclers fondest of relating wonders and monstrous apparitions, we -have not succeeded in finding any authority for the St. Osyph Dragon, -other than the above-mentioned broadside.” Another reference to the same -unwelcome visitor is, however, to be found in Dr. Howell’s _Ancient and -Present State of England_ (1712), wherein it is recorded (p. 75) that -“At St. Osyphs in Essex was seen a dragon of marvellous bigness, which -by moving burned houses.” The dragon is also mentioned in Sir Richard -Baker’s _Chronicles of the Kings of England_, published in 1684. It is, -nevertheless, fairly certain that the sign has no reference to the St. -Osyth dragon; for there is a much more likely origin. In the British -Museum Library may be seen a highly remarkable tract of the year 1669, -entitled, _The Flying Serpent, or Strange News out of Essex: being a -true relation of a Monstrous Serpent which hath divers times been seen -at a parish called Henham on the Mount, within four miles of Saffron -Walden. Showing the length, proportion, and bigness of the - -[Illustration: THE FLYING SERPENT. - -(_Facsimile of Original._)] - -Serpent, the place where it commonly lurks, and what means hath been -used to kill it. Also a discourse of other Serpents, and particularly -of a Cockatrice killed at Saffron Walden_,” &c.[80] The truth of the -statements contained in the tract is attested by the Churchwarden, the -Constable, the Overseer of the Poor, and four Householders. The -title-page bears no author’s name, and the imprint of the copy in -question is partially destroyed; but there can be little doubt that it -is one of the many curious productions of “Poor Robin,” whose -_Perambulation from Saffron Walden to London_ has already been noticed -(p. 66).[81] In addition to an awe-inspiring portrait of the beast, here -reproduced, the tract contains a very amusing, though now highly absurd, -account of the first discovery of the serpent, the nature of its -habitat, the means taken to kill it, and other details, as set forth in -the title. Doubtless the appearance of the tract caused sufficient talk -and attracted enough attention to induce some enterprising publican or -other tradesman to set up the ESSEX SERPENT as a sign; or perhaps some -former GRIFFIN or GREEN DRAGON was rechristened under that name in order -to attract customers. That it is a fairly old sign is certain. Gough, in -his _British Topography_,[82] after alluding to the pamphlet just spoken -of, says: “Mr. Oldys [who died in 1761] says there is a public-house in -King Street, Covent Garden, called the Essex Serpent, and having a -serpent painted on its sign.” Sussex had a “strange and monstrous -Serpent (or Dragon)” in 1614, as may be learned from a very curious old -pamphlet of that date, entitled _True and Wonderful_, republished in the -_Harleian Miscellany_.[83] Essex can boast of a reptilian sign which -probably exists nowhere else, a beer-house keeper at Ingatestone having, -for some inscrutable reason, selected the VIPER--a device not noticed by -Larwood and Hotten. - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER VI. - -_BOTANICAL SIGNS._ - - -The next great class of signs which will be noticed includes those which -are derived from the Vegetable Kingdom. These may be called “Botanical -Signs.” Though not so numerous as the Zoological Signs, they are, -nevertheless, fairly common; but only a comparatively small number can -be traced back to an heraldic origin. - -Those signs will be noticed first which are obviously derived from some -prominent tree or trees growing close to the houses called after them. -These seem generally to be of very modern origin, as they figure but -sparsely in the list printed forty years ago. Most of them, it will be -noticed, are in the vicinity of London. There is a BAY TREE at -Stratford, a CHESTNUT TREE at Walthamstow, an ELMS at Leytonstone, a FIR -TREES at Wanstead, a FOUR ASHES at Takeley, a GROVE Tavern at -Walthamstow, a HOLLY BUSH at Leyton, and another at Loughton, a HOLLY -TREE at Forest Gate, and a MAY BUSH at Great Oakley. The sign of the -WILLOWS appears at Willingale Doe. There is also on the list a THREE -ASHES at Cressing, and another at Chelmsford, while forty years since -there was another at Rochford, a YEW TREE at Great Horkesley, and -another at Felstead (beer-house), a THREE ELMS at Chignal St. James -(which has three elm trees in front of it), and no less than seven -CHERRY TREES in different parts of the county, although forty years ago -only four were in existence. The THORN INN at *Mistley seems to have -been in existence since 1786 at least, as it is mentioned in an -advertisement in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for February 24th in that -year. Its sign is, obviously, connected with the old name of the place, -which was Mistley Thorn. In the _Very Young Lady’s Tour from London to -Aldborough and Back_ (1804, see p. 37) occurs the following: - - “Our first stage is to Mistley; we stop at the Thorn, - And shall see the fine sights which that village adorn.” - -There is a ROUND BUSH (beer-shop) at Purleigh. At Havering there is an -ORANGE TREE, and in the *Cattle Market at Braintree there is another -house with the same name. The latter has been in existence for at least -forty years. At Chelmsford, too, near the New London Road, there is a -beer-shop known as the ORANGE TREE. Inquiry has shown that the house was -built some years ago by a woman who had saved sufficient money for the -purpose out of dealing in oranges. She named her beer-shop the ORANGE -TREE, a name which it has since retained, though it has long since -passed out of her hands. There are WALNUT TREES at Little Horkesley and -Great Waltham (beer-house). In 1662 there was another house of the same -name at “Mile-end Green” (probably Mill Green, Writtle, or Mile End -Green, Great Easton), as mentioned in the _Account of the Murder of -Thomas Kidderminster_, already referred to (p. 56). There is some doubt -as to whether or not the sign of the OAK, which occurs three times, -namely, at Halstead, Messing, and Great Saling, and that of the OLD OAK, -which occurs at Romford, ought to be included in this catalogue. These -signs may be, and probably are, identical with that of the ROYAL OAK, -which occurs eighteen times in different parts of the county, and of -course commemorates the incident of King Charles II. hiding in an oak -tree, though it is certainly strange that this comparatively trivial -incident should have continued to be so long and so frequently -commemorated. It is also a very common beer-house sign. The OAK, too, is -put to the same use at Braintree. The following very unpoetical -production, by H. Jopson, the landlord, is displayed in the tap-room of -the ROYAL OAK at Saffron Walden: - - “As customers come, and I do trust them, - I lose my money, likewise my custom; - Though chalk is cheap, say what you will, - Chalk won’t pay the brewer’s bill; - So I must try to keep a decent tap, - For ready-money and no strap.” - -The THEYDON OAK at Theydon Garnon until last year bore upon one side of -its sign-board a very good representation of the fine old oak from which -it takes its name, and close to which it stands. The KING’S OAK at High -Beech is a sign which is probably quite distinct from the ROYAL OAK. The -author of _Nooks and Corners in Essex_ says that the house takes its -name “from an old stump near thereto, formerly called Harold’s Oak.” -This, however, is probably an error, as the large old oak which stands -on the green before the house has long been known as the “King’s Oak.” -Local tradition says that Henry VIII., while hunting in the forest on -the day on which Ann Boleyn was beheaded, rested under this tree while -waiting to hear the gun, fired from the Tower, which announced the death -of the Queen. Other localities also claim the oak under which the king -listened, but this is as likely as any other to be the right one. The -KING’S OAK is marked on Cary’s _Map of Fifteen Miles round London_ -(1786), and also on Andrew and Drury’s _Map of Essex_ (1777). There was -formerly an OAKS in Stifford. It now serves as three cottages, standing -opposite the school. At it, in the beginning of last century, the -churchwardens treated themselves to costly dinners. In 1712, for -instance, the records in the parish chest inform us that the “vestory -stood adjourned” to the OAKS. A TREE occurs upon the farthing token of -“W. Spiltimber of Hatfild Broad Oake,” doubtless in allusion both to the -name of the issuer and to the old oak, commonly called the “Doodle Oak,” -from which the village takes its name. At the same place a beer-house is -still known as the DOODLE OAK. - -A public-house on Shenfield Common has, for at least forty years, borne -the sign of the ARTICHOKE. This is one of the very last productions of -the vegetable kingdom which one would expect to find represented upon a -sign-board; but Larwood and Hotten, who think it originally found a -place there when first introduced, say that “it used to be a great -favourite, and still gives name to some public-houses.” Another very -extraordinary sign, unnoticed in the _History of Sign-boards_, is the -CAULIFLOWER, which appears at Great Ilford. Unless due merely to a -landlord’s caprice, it is difficult to suggest any possible origin for -it. The present landlord, in whose family the house has been for 120 -years, can give no information about the matter, further than that the -existing house was built forty-eight years ago, the old inn having been -pulled down to make room for the railway. There is also a beer-house so -called at Rainham. Of the BUSH, which, according to Larwood and Hotten -(p. 4), “must certainly be counted amongst the most ancient and popular -of signs,” Essex does not appear to have a single example. The same -authorities elsewhere (p. 233) declare it to be “the oldest sign -borrowed from the vegetable kingdom,” and state that it came originally -from the Romans, together with the common saying, “Good wine needs no -bush.” As late as the reign of James I. many inns used it as their sign. -At Bardfield, and probably other towns in the county, houses specially -licensed for the sale of liquor at fair time still fasten branches of -oak and other trees to their fronts as a sign, a custom which is not -unknown in other parts of the country. It is without doubt a modern form -of the ancient sign of the BUSH. It appears, too, in every way probable -that the curious besom-like ornaments so often to be seen upon the ends -of old sign-irons are also conventional representations of the same -venerable device. Examples are to be seen in the drawings of the -sign-irons of the SIX BELLS at Dunmow (p. 168), and the SUGAR LOAVES at -Sible Hedingham (p. 39). At Theydon Garnon there is a beer-house called -the GARNON BUSHES, so named doubtless after a part of Epping Forest, -which goes by that name. At Hornchurch there is a beer-shop known as -the FURZE, probable a unique sign. The TULIP at Springfield appears to -be also unique. Possibly the landlord who adopted the sign was a -cultivator of tulips. - -The BARLEY MOW, meaning a barley stack, is an ancient sign which still -occurs at Stanstead and at *Colchester. Doubtless it was first put up as -a sign in honour of John Barleycorn, just as the VINE, which occurs at -Great Bardfield and Black Notley (beer-house), and the GRAPES, which -occurs at Colchester (the latter being still the recognized sign of a -vintner), both undoubtedly found a place on the sign-board because they -helped to supply the wherewithal for the worship of Bacchus. Forty years -since there was another VINE Inn at Thaxted. The HOP-POLE, which is a -sign occurring at Good Easter, and the HOP-POLES, which is another -occurring at Great Hallingbury, both obviously found their place on the -sign-board for the same reason. There are also beer-houses with the sign -of the HOP-POLES at Little Hallingbury and Roydon, although the -cultivation of hops has now ceased at those places. Hop-growing once -flourished extensively in Essex, and these two signs are relics of the -now almost relinquished industry. At the beginning of this century they -were grown at the Hedinghams, the Maplesteads, the Colnes, Halstead, -Wethersfield, Finchingfield, Great Bardfield, and Shalford, as well as -at Moulsham, Good Easter, Roxwell, Chignal St. James, and other places -round Chelmsford. Fifty years earlier the cultivation of hops in the -county was spread over a wider area, though the number of acres grown -was about the same. At the present time the cultivation is all but -discontinued. Until the year 1883 there was a hop-ground adjoining -Skreen’s Park, Roxwell, but it is now devoted to other purposes. Round -the Hedinghams, however, hops are still grown, their cultivation having -been introduced by a former Mr. Majendie in 1792. Daniel Defoe says, in -his _Tour through Great Britain_, that in 1724, hops were brought direct -from Chelmsford for sale at the great Stourbridge Hop Fair. - -The description of the MAYPOLE at Chigwell, given by Dickens in _Barnaby -Rudge_, will occur to every one. It runs as follows:-- - - “In the year 1775, there stood upon the Borders of Epping Forest, - at a distance of about twelve miles from London--measuring from the - standard in Cornhill, or rather from the spot on or near to which - the standard used to be in days of yore--a house of public - entertainment called the Maypole; which fact was demonstrated to - all such travellers as could neither read nor write (and sixty-six - years ago a vast number, both of travellers and stay-at-homes, were - in this condition) by the emblem reared on the roadside over - against the house, which, if not of those goodly proportions that - maypoles were wont to present in olden times, was a fair young ash, - thirty feet in height, and as straight as any arrow that ever - English yeoman drew. - - “The Maypole--by which term henceforth is meant the house and not - its sign--the Maypole was an old building, with more gable ends - than a lazy man would care to count on a sunny day; huge zig-zag - chimneys, out of which it seemed as though even smoke could not - choose but come in more than naturally fantastic shapes, imparted - to it in its tortuous progress; and vast stables, gloomy, ruinous, - and empty. The place was said to have been built in the days of - King Henry the Eighth; and there was a legend not only that Queen - Elizabeth had slept there one night while upon a hunting excursion, - to wit in a certain oak panelled room with a deep bay-window, but - that next morning, while standing on a mounting-block before the - door with one foot in the stirrup, the virgin monarch had then and - there boxed and cuffed an unlucky page for some neglect of duty. - The matter-of-fact and doubtful folks, of whom there were a few - among the Maypole customers, as unluckily there always are in every - little community, were inclined to look upon this tradition as - rather apocryphal; but, whenever the landlord of that ancient - hostelry appealed to the mounting-block itself as evidence, and - triumphantly pointed out that there it stood in the same place to - that very day, the doubters never failed to be put down by a large - majority, and all true believers exulted, as in a victory. - - “Whether these, and many other stories of the like nature, were - true or untrue, the Maypole was really an old house, a very old - house, perhaps as old as it claimed to be, and perhaps older, which - will sometimes happen with houses of an uncertain, as with ladies - of a certain, age. Its windows were all diamond-pane lattices, its - floors were sunken and uneven, its ceilings blackened by the hand - of time and heavy with massive beams. Over the doorway was an - ancient porch, quaintly and grotesquely carved; and here on summer - evenings the more favoured customers smoked and drank--ay, and sang - many a good song too, sometimes--reposing on two grim-looking - high-backed settles, which, like the twin dragons of some fairy - tale, guarded the entrance to the mansion. - - “In the chimneys of the disused rooms, swallows had built their - nests for many a long year, and from earliest spring to latest - autumn whole colonies of sparrows chirped and twittered in the - eaves. There were more pigeons about the dreary stable-yard and - outbuildings than anybody but the landlord could reckon up. The - wheeling and circling flights of runts, fantails, tumblers, and - pouters, were perhaps not quite consistent with the grave and sober - character of the building, but the monotonous cooing, which never - ceased to be raised by some among them all day long, suited it - exactly, and seemed to lull it to rest. With its overhanging - storys, drowsy little panes of glass, and front bulging out and - projecting over the pathway, the old house looked as if it were - nodding in its sleep. Indeed it needed no very great stretch of - fancy to detect in it other resemblances to humanity. The bricks of - which it was built had originally been a deep dark red, but had - grown yellow and discoloured like an old man’s skin; the sturdy - timbers had decayed like teeth; and here and there the ivy, like a - warm garment to comfort it in its age, wrapped its green leaves - closely round the time-worn walls. - - “It was a hale and hearty age, though, still; and in the summer or - autumn evenings, when the glow of the setting sun fell upon the oak - and chestnut trees of the adjacent forest, the old house, partaking - of its lustre, seemed their fit companion, and to have many good - years of life in him yet.” - -The house indicated in the foregoing description still stands, much as -it was in the days of which Dickens wrote. It is, however, _not_ the -MAYPOLE at Chigwell. Dickens, to suit the purposes of his tale, made -free use of that license usually allowed to poets and writers of -fiction. His description, as above, gives a very fair idea of the fine -old hostelry known as the KING’S HEAD, situate opposite the church in -the village of Chigwell, where it has displayed the same sign since 1789 -at least. It was in what has since been known as the “Chester Room” in -this house, that a portion, at least, of _Barnaby Rudge_ was penned. On -the sign-board swinging over the door, there is a large portrait of King -Charles I., painted some years ago by Miss Herring. At Chigwell Row, -about two miles distant, there _is_ a MAYPOLE INN, with a maypole still -before the door, and on the site which Dickens indicates; but the -foregoing description is (as has been said) that of the KING’S HEAD. The -present MAYPOLE is an inn of no special pretensions, and is not the same -house that displayed the sign at least as early as 1789. A writer in -_Notes and Queries_,[84] says that the following was formerly to be seen -on the sign:-- - - “My liquor’s good, - My measure’s just, - Excuse me, sirs, - I cannot trust.” - -[Illustration: KING’S HEAD INN. - -(_At Chigwell._)] - -Over the fireplace was seen these lines:-- - - “All you who stand - Before the fire, - I pray sit down. - It’s my desire - That other folks - As well as you - May see the fire - And feel it too.” - -An inscription upon the stable-door ran as follows:-- - - “Whoever smokes tobacco here, - Shall forfeit sixpense to spend in beer. - Your pipes lay by when you come here, - Or fire to me may prove severe.” - -The only other sign of the kind now to be seen in Essex is the OLD -MAYPOLE at Barkingside. Andrews and Drury’s _Map of Essex_, however, -published in 1777, shows houses with this sign then existing at -Chigwell, Barking, and Collier’s Row. A writer in the _Gentleman’s -Magazine_, speaking of Maypoles, says, “The last in London was taken -down in 1717, and removed to Wanstead in Essex. It was more than 100 -feet high, and stood on the east side of Somerset House.” The custom of -celebrating Mayday has now almost died out in the county, except at -Saffron Walden, where, every “Garland Day,” it is customary to see the -High Street of the town crowded during the morning with children, each -bearing a “garland” more or less tastefully arranged upon a hoop, or in -some other way. They diligently visit all the houses asking for coppers, -which are generally given with liberality. The WHEATSHEAF, as already -stated (p. 33), appears as a sign no less than seven times in Essex. -Wheatsheaves form charges on the arms of at least three of the great -Trade Companies, namely, the Brewers’ (p. 32), the Bakers’ (p. 33), and -the Inn-holders’.[85] Although the sign of the BAKERS’ ARMS now only -occurs once in Essex, two tokens issued in Chelmsford, one issued in -Braintree, and several issued in Colchester, bear the arms of the -Bakers’ Company; and as there are now houses displaying the sign of the -WHEATSHEAF in each of those places, and all of them have existed for at -least forty years, it is quite possible that they are the same -establishments kept, two centuries ago, by the issuers of the tokens. As -a beer-house sign, too, the WHEATSHEAF is still common. - -The CROWN AND THISTLE, which occurs at Great Chesterford, is a rather -uncommon sign. It, of course, represents the royal badge of Scotland, _a -thistle, imperially crowned_. - -[Illustration: ROSE AND THISTLE. - -(_Badge of James I._)] - -Few will be surprised to learn that the ROSE is very common as a sign. A -rose imperially crowned is now the national badge of England; white and -red roses formed the cognizances of the rival factions of York and -Lancaster in the “Wars of the Roses;” the same flower, under different -forms, served as the badge of nearly all the English sovereigns from -Edward I. to Anne; and it is one of the very commonest “vegetable” -charges known in Heraldry. The fact that, while the sign of a simple -ROSE occurs only three times in Essex, namely, at Southchurch, Peldon, -and West Mersea, the ROSE AND CROWN occurs as many as twenty-five times, -clearly shows the heraldic origin of the sign, most of our kings and -queens having worn the rose crowned. The Rose and the Thistle combined -together in a very absurd heraldic style, and crowned, were used as a -badge by James I. to typify the union of the two kingdoms of England and -Scotland. On the beautiful chapel of Henry VII. at Cambridge the rose -and crown are repeated innumerable times, together with the king’s other -badges, a portcullis and a fleur-de-lys, both of them crowned. A rose -crowned also appears on the token of “Iohn Freeherne iunior, in Witham, -1667.” The authors of the _History of Sign-boards_ say (p. 124): -“Hutton, in his _Battle of Bosworth_, says that ‘upon the death of -Richard III., and consequent overthrow of the York Faction, all the -sign-boards with white roses were pulled down, and none are to be found -at the present day.’ This last part of the statement, we believe, is -true.” The rose in the sign of the ROSE AND CROWN at Thaxted is, -nevertheless, painted white, though this is certainly unusual. On Cary’s -and other old maps of Essex, published about a century ago, may be seen -marked two houses, presumably inns, known as the WHITE ROSE and the RED -ROSE, situated near one another on the edge of Epping Forest. Neither of -these signs appear in Essex at the present day, nor do Larwood and -Hotten mention them. There is also a WHITE ROSE in Castle Street, -Leicester Square, London. The ROSE AND CROWN at Saffron Walden has long -been the principal inn in the town. One of the earliest references to it -in the Corporation records occurs in 1654, when 2s. were expended “For 1 -Quart of canary at the Rose when Moulton and Douglas suffered.” In 1660, -2s. 4d. was “Spent at the Rose and Crown when Captain Turner sent about -the town armes.” In the following year, and again in 1682, the name -appears again; while in the years 1689, 1704, 1709, and 1819, the -Corporation seems to have expended various sums at “the ROSE” -(undoubtedly the same house) upon certain special occasions. It was from -this house, too, that “Poor Robin” started on his _Perambulation from -Saffron Walden to London_ in 1678 (see p. 66), as shown by the following -extracts. He says:-- - - - * * * * * - - “Thus, having shown you _when_, in the next place - I’ll show you _whence_, my journey I did trace. - - * * * * * - - It was from the Rose and Crown, where Mr. Eve - Doth keep a house like to an Under Sheriff; - There is good Sack, good French wine and good Beer. - - * * * * * - - There, at my parting, some kind friends of mine, - Would needs bestow on me a quart of wine, - Where, with stout drinking, ere my parting hour, - That quart was made at least a three or four. - Yet would my jovial friends on me attend, - Part of my journey unto Audley End.” - -The Mr. Eve mentioned herein is undoubtedly the same landlord mentioned -in the Saffron Walden _Mayor’s Book_ in 1680, when the Corporation “Pd. -Mr. Eves for wine at - -[Illustration: ROSE INN AT PELDON (_after the earthquake_).] - -the Dinner, &c., when the King came to Audley End, when we delivered the -Address--£5 2s. 0d.” The ROSE at Peldon appears to be at least a century -old, as it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on May 5, 1786. -The inn plays a rather conspicuous part in the Rev. Baring-Gould’s -_Mehalah_, wherein (ii. p. 58) it is described as “an old-fashioned -house with a vine scrambling over the red tile roof, and an ancient -standard sign on the green before the door, bearing a rose painted the -size of a gigantic turnip.” Few houses suffered more severely from the -earthquake of April 22, 1884, than this. An illustration of its -appearance immediately after that event is here given. - -Mr. King finds mention in ancient deeds of a ROSE AND CROWN--either inn, -shop, or tenement--at Rochford in 1693. In the Stock parish registers it -is recorded that on August 23, 1676, “Richard Barnes, a citizen of -London, dwelling (as he sayd) in the Minories, taken sick in travell, -dyed in y^{e} highway neare y^{e} house called y^{e} Rose, and was -burried at y^{e} p’ishes charge.” Presumably this ROSE was not an inn. A -ROSE appears on the token, dated 1670, of Thomas Guyon of Coggeshall, -but no house with that sign now exists there. The ROSE AND CROWN at -Rochford is referred to in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ on April 14, 1786. -The sign of the _Rose of Denmark_ occurs at Canning Town. Its origin is -not obvious. Larwood and Hotten do not refer to the sign. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER VII. - -_HUMAN SIGNS._ - -... “And make my image but an ale-house sign.” - SHAKESPEARE: HENRY V., Part II., Act iii., Scene 2. - - -The next class of signs to be treated of is that which includes those -derived from “Man and His Parts,” as the old books on Heraldry have it. -Such signs may be styled “Human Signs.” They are numerous, though -usually of but very slight interest; and, as might be expected, very few -are of heraldic origin. In speaking of them it will not be necessary to -give much more than a mere list. The numerous “heads” obviously indicate -a portrait once to have been the sign; and most of these portraits -represent persons of very modern fame. Many Human Signs have already -been noticed under the heading “Arms,” and elsewhere, and it will be -quite unnecessary to refer to them again. - -By no means a few of our inns are named after personages who have made -themselves eminent either in the political, military, literary, or -social worlds. The mere mention of these will call to mind many -historical events of importance during the last two centuries. Thus our -six examples of the DUKE OF WELLINGTON, our two of the WELLINGTON, and -our six of the DUKE’S HEAD, remind us of the hero of Talavera and -Salamanca--_the_ Duke of his day--who died in 1852. A DUKE’S HEAD, -however, which existed at Hatfield Broad Oak in 1789, evidently -commemorated some other and earlier Duke, perhaps one of the Dukes of -York. There is also a DUKE OF WELLINGTON (beer-house) at Bocking. The -ADMIRAL ROUS at Galleywood, where Chelmsford Races are held, -commemorates the father of modern English racing, who died only a year -or two ago. The OLIVER TWIST at Leyton was doubtless set up in honour of -the popular Dickens, who well deserves further sign-board honours. The -same may be said of another great Englishman, who is commemorated only -by the SHAKESPEARE’S HEAD at Canning Town. In various parts of the -county we meet with two examples of the EARL OF ESSEX, one of the DUKE -OF NORFOLK, three of the GROSVENOR, one of the LORD HENNIKER, and one of -the CLIFTON, all of which were unquestionably set up in honour of great -titled families. Statesmen are represented by two examples of the EARL -OF DERBY, one of the LORD STANLEY, one of the LORD PALMERSTON, two of -the CLARENDON, and one of the PITT’S HEAD. LORD DENMAN alone seems to -have been selected to represent the legal profession. Among great -military commanders, we have the MARQUIS OF GRANBY (represented by three -examples), the LORD RAGLAN (by three), the LORD GOUGH (by one), the -MARLBOROUGH’S HEAD (by three--one of which is mentioned in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ in 1764, while another at Maldon, not now -existing, is mentioned in the same paper on March 2, 1787), and the -*BLUCHER’S HEAD (by one at Romford). The KING OF PRUSSIA still figures -as a sign at *Stratford. Prominent Indian officers seem to be well -represented. Thus we have a GENERAL HAVELOCK (very modern), a SIR COLIN -CAMPBELL, and a SIR JOHN LAWRENCE. Sign-writers seem to have been unable -to keep pace with the rapid promotion of these gentlemen. For instance, -the first became Sir Henry Havelock so long ago as 1857; the second -became Lord Clyde in the same year, and died in 1863; while the third -was created Lord Lawrence in 1869, and died in 1879. Eminent naval -commanders are commemorated by four examples of the LORD NELSON, one of -the NELSON’S HEAD, and one of the LORD NAPIER. Sixty years ago, too, -there was a *DUNCAN’S HEAD at Colchester. It was doubtless in honour of -Admiral Duncan, who died in 1804. Larwood and Hotten do not notice this -sign. The RODNEY at Little Baddow is a house well known to the -worshippers of “St. Lubbock” and to other holiday-keepers in the -neighbourhood of Chelmsford. It, of course, commemorates Admiral Lord -Rodney, who died in 1792. - -Mr. H. W. King writes: - - “The taking of Porto Bello in 1739, and the popularity of Admiral - Vernon at the time, caused many VERNON’S HEADS. One formerly - existing at *Rochford is now demolished and has ceased to be. - Either entirely new inns were thus named, or else old signs were - abolished to make way for the portrait of the new favourite. - Probably there were often similar changes for the sake of - popularity.” - -One of the most notable signs in the county belonging to this class is -the SIR WILFRID LAWSON at Woodford. It will be quite unnecessary to -state that this is not an ordinary inn-sign. A Conservative politician -would be more likely to deliver himself of an oration in praise of Mr. -Gladstone and his virtues, than a publican to erect a sign to the honour -of Sir Wilfrid Lawson. The house which exhibits this sign is a Coffee -Tavern erected by an ardent abstainer and opened by Sir Wilfrid in May, -1883. The following amusing lines were penned by a member of the company -present at the opening. They are, it is said, still to be seen in the -house. - - “All hops abandon, ye who enter here; - The wicked Wilfrid haunts this Watery Cavern; - No wine, no whisky, nor even bitter beer, - Flow through the channels of this Coffee Tavern. - The steaming coffee and the fragrant tea - Are ready, where each eye can plainly see ’em; - Tea-total, then, let each incomer be, - And while ‘Te-total’ let him sing Te Deum.” - -On the map of the road between London and Harwich, given in Ogilby’s -_Itinerarium Angliæ_, published in 1675, a house--presumably an -inn--called the MONK’S HEAD is shown on the east side of the road, -exactly opposite New Hall Park. There can be no doubt that this sign -represented, not the head of an ecclesiastic, but that of General Monk, -the great promoter of the Restoration, although he had been created Duke -of Albemarle some fifteen years before. After the Restoration, New Hall -was purchased by, or for, General Monk, and he lived there, as Morant -says, “in very great splendour, to the diminution of his estates.” He -died in 1670, and was succeeded by his son. Forty years ago there was a -FRIAR’S Inn in Fryer’s Street, Chelmsford, but it has now disappeared. -At Rayleigh there is a PAUL PRY (beer-house). At Widford a beer-house -keeper has adopted as his sign that modern, though distinguished, Essex -worthy, SIR EVELYN WOOD. Another at Waltham Abbey has selected the -SULTAN. Others, at Saffron Walden and Waltham Abbey respectively, do -honour to the OLD ENGLISH GENTLEMAN. Probably these latter have in their -minds the hero of the song, rather than any gentleman in particular. At -Theydon Garnon there is a MERRY FIDDLERS, which displays no less than -three sign-boards. At Becontree Heath there is a beer-shop with the same -sign. The landlord of the former states that, although he has -endeavoured to unearth the meaning of his sign, he has hitherto failed. -He adds, however, that, previous to his own occupation, the house had -been in one family for many generations, and that for long it displayed -a pictorial sign-board representing THREE FIDDLERS, but these have of -late given place to the present sign. What particular three fiddlers are -meant, is difficult to explain. The house bore merely its present name -of the MERRY FIDDLERS in 1789. Larwood and Hotten do not mention the -sign. At Abbots Roothing there is a COOPERS (beer-house), a sign which -is doubtless the same as that of the COOPERS’ Arms. At Willingale Doe -there is a FERRY MAN. Probably he has retired from business and settled -there, as it is hard to discover any ferry at that place. About -sixty-five years ago *BISHOP BLAYS, the patron saint of wool-combers, -appeared as a sign at Colchester. It was a most appropriate sign in that -town in the seventeenth century, when it was an important seat of the -woollen trade. *NEPTUNE appears beside his “native element” at the -Hythe, Colchester. Sixty years ago there was a *JOLLY SAILOR at Harwich, -a *SAILOR’S RETURN at Grays, and a *MARINER at Colchester. These signs -were all appropriate enough, being situated in maritime places, but the -same cannot be said of the *THREE MARINERS which appeared at Chelmsford -at the same period. Sixty years ago, too, there was to be seen at -Colchester the curious sign of the *SAILOR AND BALL, which Larwood and -Hotten do not mention. Probably it was not an impaled sign, but took its -name from some game of ball played by sailors. - -Numerous other signs are connected with Royalty. Thus we have two -examples of the ALBERT, one of the ROYAL ALBERT, one of the ALBERT -HOUSE, one of the KING OF PRUSSIA (formerly a very common sign), one of -the QUEEN ADELAIDE (which is at least forty years old), one of the QUEEN -ELIZABETH, four of the PRINCE ALFRED, one of the DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE, two -of the DUKE OF EDINBURGH (neither of which existed twenty years ago), -one of the CLARENCE (of course commemorating the DUKE OF CLARENCE, -afterwards King William IV.), three of the DUKE OF YORK (probably -commemorating the second son of George III., who died in 1827, though -one or more of the earlier Dukes of York may also be intended), five of -the ROYAL INN, one of the QUEEN, one of the QUEEN VICTORIA, ten of the -VICTORIA, one of the ROYAL SOVEREIGN, one of the ROYAL ARMS, one of the -ROYAL FOREST HOTEL, one ROYAL STEAMER, one ROYAL ESSEX ARMS, five of the -ROYAL HOTEL, eighteen of the ROYAL OAK, one of the OLD ROYAL OAK, one of -the KING’S OAK, four of the ROYAL STANDARD, three of the QUEEN’S ARMS, -nineteen of the QUEEN’S HEAD, seventeen of the KING’S ARMS, forty-nine -of the KING’S HEAD, one of the OLD KING’S HEAD, twelve of the PRINCE OF -WALES, one of the PRINCESS OF WALES, one of the PRINCE ALBERT VICTOR, -one of the PRINCESS ALICE, two of the PRINCESS ALEXANDRA, one of WILLIAM -THE CONQUEROR (at Widdington), two of WILLIAM THE FOURTH, and two of -KING WILLIAM THE FOURTH, one of which is placed at a “four-want-way” at -Leaden Roothing, and forms a landmark well known to every one who rides -to hounds or travels by road in “The Roothings.” The KING WILLIAM and -the KING WILLIAM IV. are both common beer-house signs, probably because -the act authorizing the opening of these houses was passed in his reign. -The beer-retailers of the time, when casting about for a sign, -naturally selected the sovereign of their day. In the first form the -sign occurs at Bocking, Springfield, &c., and under the latter at -Braintree, Chigwell, and elsewhere. The PRINCE OF WALES, too, is a very -common beer-house sign, as also the VICTORIA, the QUEEN VICTORIA, the -QUEEN’S HEAD, and the QUEEN’S ARMS. PRINCE ALFRED is commemorated on a -beer-house sign at Chigwell. At the same place is a BRITISH QUEEN -(beer-house), by which probably is intended Queen Boadicea, who received -her last overthrow in the neighbourhood. The PRINCE OF ORANGE still -figures as a beer-house sign at Chelmsford. The sign of PRINCE OF WALES’ -HEAD existed at Harwich in 1764, as it is mentioned in a number of the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ for that year; and a ROYAL MORTAR (whatever that -might be) was to be seen at Colchester twenty years ago. Messrs. Larwood -and Hotten mention the strange sign of the *THREE QUEENS, which was, -until lately, to be seen at Moulsham. They surmise that it was suggested -by the common sign of the THREE KINGS, of which we have no example in -Essex, unless the THREE TRAVELLERS, which occurs near Romford, and is -apparently unique, be another form of it. The three kings represent the -three wise men or Magi from the East. A writer in _Notes and Queries_ -(1st Series, vol. viii. p. 627) says that the following rhyme was -formerly appended to the sign of a VICTORIA beer-shop at Coopersale:-- - - “The Queen some day - May pass this way - And see our Tom and Jerry;[86] - Perhaps she’ll stop - And stand a drop - To make her subjects merry.” - -On the other side of the sign-board were some different lines which the -writer had forgotten. - -The sign of the KING’S HEAD is by no means of modern introduction. It -occurs on the seventeenth century tokens of Robert Adson of Colchester -in 1668, of Thomas Bribrist of Felstead (no date), and of Thomas -Livermer of Wethersfield, and it is mentioned in advertisements in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ for March 10, 1787, as then occurring at -Prittlewell and Stebbing. As the sign still exists at all these places, -except Felstead and Wethersfield, it is at least probable that the same -houses which were known by it in the seventeenth and eighteenth -centuries are known by it now. The famous KING’S HEAD, opposite the -church at Chigwell, so well described by Dickens in _Barnaby Rudge_ -under the name of the MAYPOLE, has been already spoken of (p. 113). It -is a long, large, plastered building, with many gables, and projecting -upper storeys--evidently dating from the era of the Stuarts or earlier. -Arthur Young, in 1771, declares that “of all the cursed roads that ever -disgraced this kingdom in the very ages of barbarism, none ever equalled -that from Billericay to the KING’S HEAD at Tilbury.” In 1678 a KING’S -HEAD at Rickling formed a house of call for Poor Robin on his -_Perambulation from Saffron Walden to London_. After recounting how he -fared at the BLACK BULL at Newport, he says-- - - “We having dined and joined a pint or two, - Then forwards on my journey I did go; - And first came unto a town called Rickling, - Where for to stay I made no stickling, - But presently at the King’s Head fell a tippling, - Where of Compounding Dick[87] I there heard tell.” - -The KING’S HEAD on the Balkern Hill, Colchester, is an ancient and -memorable inn, though the present house is not very old. At the time of -the surrender of the town to Fairfax, in 1648, it was a general -_rendezvous_ of the noblemen and gentry of the Royalist party. Foxe, -too, in his _Book of Martyrs_ mentions that “at the KINGE’S HEAD in -Colchester, and at other innes in the sayd towne, the afflicted -Christians had set places appointed for themselves to meet at.” Mr. H. -W. King has kindly informed the author that the KING’S HEAD, now -existing at Leigh, is not the same house as one which existed there -under the same name in the eighteenth century. The latter is traceable -(writes Mr. King) as a private house from 1671 to about 1720, being -described in 1702 as a “messuage and shop.” Between 1718 and 1723 it was -rebuilt, as in the latter year it is spoken of as a new house, and is -described as an inn with the sign of the QUEEN’S HEAD. In 1740 it is -described as “the ANGEL, heretofore the QUEEN’S HEAD.” In 1766 it is -described as “the KING’S HEAD, heretofore the QUEEN’S HEAD, afterwards -the ANGEL.” It then became a private house, as it has ever since -remained. It was probably soon after this, about 1766, that the present -KING’S HEAD at Leigh assumed that name. These three changes, all within -the short space of fifty years, or less, are very interesting. They seem -to suggest that the house was first named the QUEEN’S HEAD in honour of -Queen Anne; but that, when she died in 1714, the same sign (perhaps -slightly altered) was made to do duty for some time as an ANGEL, and -still later was changed to the KING’S HEAD, probably on the accession of -one of the Georges. At Harold Wood there is a KING HAROLD, which is no -doubt connected with the name of the place. At Nazing, which was one of -the estates with which Harold endowed the neighbouring Abbey of Waltham, -there has been for at least a century past a KING HAROLD’S HEAD. - -The GEORGE, which occurs seventeen times in Essex, is another royal -sign. In some instances it doubtless represents St. George, our patron -saint, disconnected from his dragon; but, more probably, it has usually -been set up--at least, of late--in honour of our Hanoverian kings. There -is, however, abundant evidence that even as early as the very beginning -of the seventeenth century, St. George, the Patron Saint of England, had -already appeared on the sign-board without his usual antagonist the -Dragon. Thus, “Blague, the merry host of the GEORGE at Waltham,” figures -prominently in _The Merry Divel of Edmonton_, published in 1617--a -curious play, which Kirkman attributed to Shakespeare. The scene is -partly laid in Waltham Forest. Poor Robin, too, in his _Perambulation_ -also mentions a GEORGE at Bishops Stortford in 1678. Mr. H. W. King also -finds evidence in ancient deeds that the GEORGE at Leigh was an inn as -early as 1680, but the house itself is probably somewhat earlier. In -1777 it is described as “now and for some time past known as the sign of -the George.” It had ceased to be an inn by 1801, though then and long -afterwards described as “a messuage called the George,” the words “known -by the sign of” being omitted. It was also a brewery. Mr. King also -finds evidence in other ancient deeds of the existence of a GEORGE at -Rayleigh in 1623, but whether an inn, shop, or private house, does not -appear. The *GEORGE at Epping (perhaps identical with the GEORGE AND -DRAGON which now occurs there) is mentioned in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ in 1764; while the GEORGE at Halstead and the *GEORGE at -Witham (perhaps both identical with the well-known houses now existing -under the same name at each of those places) are frequently referred to -in advertisements in the same paper for 1786, the latter as being then -to let. A small stone slab, let into the front of the GEORGE AND DRAGON -Inn at Wanstead, bears the following inscription:-- - - “_Restorat._ 1858. R. C.--In memory of y^{e} Cherrey Pey as cost ½ - a Guiney, y^{e} 17th of July, 1752. - - That day we had good cheer, - I hope to so do many a year.--David Jersey.” - -The GEORGE AND DRAGON also occurs eight times elsewhere in the county, -as well as on several beer-house signs. At Chelmsford there is an OLD -GEORGE (beer-house). Mr. H. W. King also finds mention in early deeds of -a house known as the GEORGE AND TANKARD at Shopland in 1579. It is not -stated that it was an inn, but from the sign there can be very little -doubt that it was. The appearance of an apparently impaled sign at so -early a date is certainly very remarkable. Larwood and Hotten do not -notice this device. - -Various military signs occur at places where there are barracks. For -instance, there are at Colchester houses with such signs as the BUGLE -HORN, the ARTILLERY-MAN, the RIFLEMAN, the DRAGOON, the *FENCERS (a sign -which is at least forty years old, though it is not mentioned by -Larwood - -[Illustration: GRENADIER.] - -and Hotten), an ORDNANCE ARMS, and a ROYAL ARTILLERY; whilst at Great -Warley there is a HORSE ARTILLERY and a SOLDIER’S HOTEL, which seems to -have been the SOLDIER’S HOPE forty years ago. At Waltham Abbey there is -a VOLUNTEER; there are RIFLEMEN at Colchester and Black Notley -(beer-house); at Kelvedon Hatch there is a GUARDSMAN, at Rettendon a -LIFE GUARDS, and at Leyton a GRENADIER. The figure of a Grenadier, here -reproduced, is taken from the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ for December, 1845 -(p. 591), to which it was contributed by the late Mr. J. A. Repton, -F.S.A., formerly of Springfield. A SOLDIER is represented on three -different farthing tokens issued by John Allen of Braintree, one of -which bears the date 1657. All bear his initials, but one has the -inscription, “Turne a penny,” in the place of the name of the issuer. On -these tokens the orthography is decidedly peculiar. Thus, Braintree is -twice spelled “Brantre” and once “Brantry,” while Essex is twice spelled -“Esex” and once “Esaxes.” - -Among the more miscellaneous of Human Signs we meet with a CROWN’S INN -at Ongar, a FORESTER at Coggeshall, a FORESTER’S INN at Plaistow, an -ANCIENT FORESTERS at Hatfield Broad Oak (all, of course, connected with -the “ancient order”), three FREEMASONS’ TAVERNS, several FREEMASONS’ -ARMS, a MERRY FIDDLERS at Theydon Garnon, eight examples of the -CRICKETERS (against five in 1862), two of the CRICKETERS’ ARMS, a JOLLY -CRICKETERS, a JOLLY FISHERMAN, a JOLLY SAILOR, a SAILOR’S RETURN, two -WELCOME SAILORS, an OLD WELCOME SAILOR, a THREE TRAVELLERS (perhaps -representing the three wise men from the East), and a MINERVA at -Southend, which, as Mr. H. W. King has ascertained, was recently -christened by its owner after a barge of the same name that he -possessed. At Chigwell there has been for at least a century past a -house with the sign of the THREE JOLLY WHEELERS (whatever they might -be). There are TRAVELLERS’ FRIENDS at Moulsham and Woodford Wells (the -former being at least forty years old), as well as a beer-house of the -same name at Epping; TRAVELLERS’ RESTS at Forest Gate and Wethersfield -(the latter being a beer-house); BRITANNIAS at Canning Town, Barking, -Southend, and Hornchurch (beer-house); and TWO BREWERS at *Stratford, -Springfield, High Ongar, and Chigwell (beer-house). This is a sign once -common, but now becoming rare. They were usually represented carrying a -barrel of beer between them, slung on a pole. There are WOODMEN at -Halstead, Elmdon, Waltham Abbey, Stanford Rivers, Thundersley, Romford, -&c., all but the first two being beer-houses. The THREE MARINERS is an -odd sign which occurs at Colchester and at Moulsham (Chelmsford). At the -latter place it seems to have existed for at least a century, being -referred to in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 27, 1786. In the -garden of the ADAM AND EVE at West Ham (p. 37) stands the remains of an -old stone arch, now almost the only remaining portion of the ancient -abbey of Stratford Langthorn. In the kitchen are (or were lately) a -coffin, a seal, some coins, and some urns dug up in an adjoining field -towards the end of last century. The ESSEX HEAD, in Essex Street, -Strand, London, W.C., probably commemorates the Earl of Essex, who was a -favourite of Queen Elizabeth, rather than the county of that name. It -clearly either takes its name from, or gives its name to, the street in -which it stands. The inn was established in the last century. On the -Forest, near High Beech, is a beer-shop known as the DICK TURPIN’S CAVE. -It clearly takes its name from a hole in the ground not far distant, -commonly spoken of as “Dick Turpin’s Cave.” The “cave” (if such it ever -was) is now thickly overgrown with trees and brushwood. It is well known -that Messrs. Dick Turpin and Co. especially haunted the neighbourhood of -Epping and Hainault Forests, and until the end of last century it was -not considered safe to traverse the roads thereabouts unless well armed. -It may very well be, therefore, that the famous highwayman did, at some -time or other, use this hole as a place of refuge. - -The HERCULES at Newport (the only example in Essex of this rather -uncommon sign) has already been mentioned (p. 65), also the tradition -that the BULL, which stood opposite to it, was by it compelled to close -its doors. With regard to this inn Mr. C. K. Probert of Newport sends an -interesting note. He says: - - “The HERCULES stands next to the old Vicarage. Now we know it was a - common custom among village clergymen to take their pipe and pot at - the village inn, as mentioned in the old song, which says: - - ‘At the sign of the Horse, - Old Spintext, of course, - Each night takes his pipe and his pot, - O’er a Jorum of “nappy,” - Contented and happy, - There sits this canonical sot,’ &c., &c. - - Further, it is my belief that the HERCULES was started in - opposition to the BULL, our Pastor (being the most learned - individual in the place at the period) probably suggesting the - classical name, in reference to the seventh labour of Hercules--the - slaying of the Cretan Bull.” - -Forty years ago there existed at Colchester a MALTSTER’S INN, a -MARINER’S INN, and a NEPTUNE; at Stratford a CHINAMAN, and at Tendring a -CROWN AND BLACKSMITH, the latter being, perhaps, an impaled sign -signifying that the landlord of the CROWN was also a blacksmith. - -It will be most convenient to treat of the sign of the ANGEL, which -occurs eleven times in Essex, among Human Signs, although an angel is -commonly accounted to be something more than human. An ANGEL occurs on -the seventeenth-century tokens of “Francis Aleyn at the Angell in -Brentwood,” of “Georg Silke at the Angell in Rvmford,” of Francis Dilke, -also of Rumford, of William Hartley of Colchester, and of George Taylor -of Ilford in 1665. As the sign still exists at the two last-named -places, the probabilities are that the two houses bearing it are -identical with those from which the tokens were issued a couple of -centuries ago. The ANGEL at Ilford was formerly a posting-house of great -importance; but, like its neighbour, the RED LION, and all the other -once-busy inns on this great highway from London into the Eastern -counties, it is now sadly decayed from its old importance, though still -a house of high standing. Its massive sign-post and ornamental sign-iron -date from at least a century ago. Probably it was at this house that, on -August 18, 1662, Pepys, “while dinner was getting ready, practised -measuring of the tables and other things, till [as he says] I did -understand measure of timber and board very well.” This he did that he -might know how to detect fraud on the part of those who bought timber -for the navy. Taylor (see p. 28) in 1636 mentions ANGELS at Romford and -Brentwood, which do not now exist. The *ANGEL in the High Street at -Colchester is, perhaps, the modern representative of the ANGEL mentioned -in one of the Corporation records (see p. 62) as being an “auncyent -inne” in 1603. There are beer-houses with the same sign at Braintree, -Bocking, and elsewhere. In the Corporation records of Saffron Walden for -the year 1645 it appears that the sum of 6s. 2d. was expended upon “a -pottle of sack, 3 qts. of claret and white wine burnt, for the -committee, when they sat at the ANGEL.” This is probably the same house -which continued to exist in Gould Street up to about fifty years ago, -when it was kept by one Butterfield, who was also a barber, and who -displayed the following rhyme upon his sign-board: - - “Rove not from pole to pole, but call in here, - Where nought exceeds the shaving, but the beer.” - -The pole referred to is, of course, the barber’s pole. The couplet was, -however, not original. The ANGEL, which still continues to exist at -Kelvedon, is referred to in an advertisement in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ for December 29, 1786. It is also stated in the Bufton -MSS.[88] that on the 20th of October, 1692, King William III. “stayed -and dined at the ANGELL,” at Kelvedon. Doubtless he was on his way to -Holland, _viâ_ Harwich. Larwood and Hotten say (p. 266) that this sign -“was derived from the Salutation; for, that it originally represented -the Angel appearing to the Holy Virgin at the Salutation or -Annunciation, is evident from the fact that, even as late as the -seventeenth century, on nearly all the trades-tokens of houses with this -sign, the Angel is represented with a scroll in his hands; and this -scroll we know, from the evidence of paintings and prints, to contain -the words addressed by the Angel to the Holy Virgin: _‘Ave Maria, gratia -plena, Dominus tecum_.’ Probably at the Reformation it was considered -too Catholic a sign, and so the Holy Virgin was left out, and the Angel -only retained.” The supporters of the arms of Richard II. were also two -angels, blowing trumpets. The ANGEL AND HARP at Church End, Dunmow, is a -strange sign which does not appear to be noticed by the authors so often -quoted. Probably it is a modern, though by no means inappropriate, -impalement, as it appears in the list of sixty years ago simply as the -*HARP. - -The sign of the BLACK BOY occurs seven times in the county, namely, at -Chelmsford, Wrabness, Bocking, Weeley, *Coggeshall, Wivenhoe, and Great -Bromley. At the latter place it seems to have existed since 1786, as a -sale is advertised to take place at the BLACK BOY in Great Bromley, in -the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for March 3rd in that year. There is also a -beer-house of this name at Danbury, and the large brick house in the -High Street at Epping, lately occupied by that eminent naturalist, Henry -Doubleday, was an inn with this sign before the Doubleday family -acquired it about 1770. The BLACK BOY now existing at Chelmsford is not -the same house that went under that name during the last and previous -centuries, though standing on the same site. The old inn ranked as a -coaching-inn of the first importance. It was pulled down in 1857, having -been fairly run off the road by the opening of the railway in 1843. Two -wooden bosses, taken from the ceiling of one of the rooms, and now to be -seen in the Chelmsford Museum, are carved, respectively, with the Blue -Boar of the De Veres (to which family the house probably once belonged), -and the red and white rose combined. Mr. John Adey Repton, F.S.A., -formerly of Springfield, writing to the _Gentleman’s Magazine_ in May, -1840, sends sketches of these two bosses, which were duly inserted. He -says: - - “There is a tradition that Richard III. was hunting in the forest, - and being missed by his courtiers was afterwards found at this - house.... The beam is massive, being not less than 16 inches wide. - The room, although only 9½ feet high, was originally a hall 28½ - feet long, but subsequently reduced to 18½ feet by a partition, - leaving a passage to the inn. Yet this partition, from the style - and character of the panels, appears to have been added so early as - the reign of Henry VIII. The doors to the buttery-hatch, &c., may - still be traced on the wall of the passage.” - -Writing again to the same Magazine in December, 1845, Mr. Repton says: - - “I send you a sketch of a Chambermaid. The figure is now at the - White Hart, Chelmsford, having been recently removed thither from - the Black Boy. It was formerly the custom in ancient family - mansions to introduce a painting which represents a housemaid - holding a broom in her hands, which was cut out of a board, and - generally placed in a passage or at the top of the stairs. The - earliest specimens I have seen are of the date of Charles I., or - the early part of Charles II.... The enclosed specimen is of a - later period, having the Fontaine head-dress which prevailed about - the time of William III. or Queen Anne.... Sometimes the figure of - a soldier, like a sentry, was exhibited in like manner.... Such a - figure is on the staircase of the Bull at Dartford. Another, of - which I send you a sketch [see p. 129], is at the Black Boy in - Chelmsford.” - -Mr. Chancellor of Chelmsford writes that-- - - “In 1424 [when Chelmsford Church was largely built] John De Vere, - 12th Earl of Oxford, was at the head of that family, having - succeeded to the title in 1415. From his known adherence to the - House of Lancaster, he may be presumed to have been a person of - some importance, and as a consequence in constant communication - with the Court. Undoubtedly, therefore, he would journey to and - from Hedingham Castle, his baronial seat, to London, many times in - the course of the year; and as it would appear that the old - hostelry, known as the Black Boy, in this town, belonged to the De - Vere family, it is a very fair presumption that Chelmsford was not - only a halting-place for the Earl and his retainers upon the - occasion of their journeys, but probably used as an occasional - residence; and as he lived in almost royal state, his comings to - and fro would be a matter of as much importance to the then - townsfolk as a visit of the sovereign in the present day.... We can - readily believe that so powerful and wealthy a man would be the - first applied to for aid. That he did assist, is proved by the fact - of his shield, charged with the mullet, being carved in the - spandrel of the west door of the tower; and his crest, the boar, - being introduced in the apex of the arch of the same door; this - latter corresponds with the carved boar which formed part of the - ceiling of an apartment in the old Black Boy [see p. 71]. For five - centuries did this mighty family rule it most royally over many - parts of the country, their riches being immense, and their power - and influence being second only to the sovereign; and yet now a - cubic foot of stone in our parish church, and a cubic foot of oak - deposited in our museum, are all that remain in this town to remind - us of the De Veres.” - -A good view of this famous old inn is given in Ryland’s view of -Chelmsford High Street, engraved in 1762, and reproduced as the -frontispiece of this volume. From it, in all probability, our six other -Essex Black Boys have taken their name, as the sign is unusually common -in the county. It stood at the corner of Springfield Lane and the High -Street. The _Ipswich Express_, in speaking of the closing of this -ancient house, which, as it remarked, had been “for centuries one of the -oldest inns on the road,” remarked as follows:-- - - “There are not only pleasant recollections of ‘slippered ease,’ but - historical associations, connected with the old Inn. Here royal - heads have rested, and warriors have halted as they hurried off to - draw the sword on fields of military renown. Within its rooms, - martyrs have passed the last night of life, in the fiery days of - religious persecution, on their way to the fatal stake. In the old - war, its roof often resounded with the mad jollity of prizemen and - privateers, who had just brought their rich booty into Harwich, - and, as they posted off to London, had halted at the well-known - hostelry to make merry with their gains. A quarter of a century - ago, between forty and fifty stage-coaches passed its door daily, - most of which pulled up, if they did not pause, to allow the - travellers to partake of the provision made for them; while - numberless pairs of post-horses stood saddled in its capacious - stables.” - -Dickens mentions this house in _Pickwick Papers_ (1st Edition, p. 161), -when Mr. Weller, Senior, relates how he transported Messrs. Job Trotter -and Charles Fitz-Marshall from “the Black Boy at Chelmsford ... right -through to Ipswich.” Mr. Chancellor has ascertained that, in a deed -dated 1642, this inn is described as “heretofore known by the name or -sign of the CROWN or NEW INN, or the KING’S ARMS, and later as the BLACK -BOY.” That it was the BLACK BOY in 1636 is certain, for Taylor, “the -Water Poet,” in his _Catalogue of Tavernes_, mentions it as one of the -chief inns in the town at that time. In 1660, the Rev. R. E. Bartlett -finds it recorded in the Chelmsford registers that “Andrew Speller, a -dumb man, who lived at the Black Boy in Chelmsford, was buried the 2 day -of August.” It has probably retained the same sign ever since. This -frequent change at so early a date is very interesting. It seems to -indicate (as Mr. Chancellor suggests) that, on the house passing out of -the hands of the De Veres, it became an inn, and that, although it may -have displayed the sign of the CROWN (see p. 166), it was commonly known -as the NEW INN. Afterwards, for some reason, it came to be styled the -KING’S ARMS, and still later the BLACK BOY, though why, it is not -apparent. At the time of his demise, this “Old Boy” (as he may be -familiarly styled) was, therefore, at least 250 years old. It might be -thought strange that having existed so long, and having begat the seven -sons already mentioned, he never grew into a “Black Man,” but died as he -had so long lived, a “Black Boy”! A BLACK BOY formerly existed in -Saffron Walden, as shown by the following entries in the Corporation -records:--“March 27th, 1682, ‘Spent at the Black Boy 12 pence,’” and a -little later 4s. 6d. was “spent at the Black Boy with the Chamberlains -when we assessed the fines on the Quakers.” In the Waltham Abbey parish -register is the following entry:--“Judith Sutton, from y^{e} Blacks, -Bur. May 26, 1740.” This was probably the BLACK BOY Inn that formerly -stood in Town-mead Lane. The BLACK BOY is a sign of venerable antiquity. -From the first it has been largely used as a tobacconist’s sign. The -crest of the Tobacco-pipe Makers’ Company, incorporated in 1663, was a -demi-Moor, while the supporters were _two young Moors proper, wreathed -about the loins with tobacco leaves vert_. A black Saracen’s head, too, -was the badge of Lord Cobham in the time of Edward IV., and also of Sir -John Harlwyn. - -Essex contains at the present time no less than twenty-seven houses -showing the sign of the GREEN MAN. The GREEN MAN at Leyton is mentioned -in the _Trials of Swan and Jeffries_ in 1752, while the GREEN MAN at -Leytonstone is mentioned by Daniel Defoe in his _Tour through Great -Britain_, first published in 1724, and is also marked on Roque’s _Map of -Ten Miles round London_, published in 1741. It is recorded in the -_Gentleman’s Magazine_ (vol. xxiii. p. 148) that Charles, Earl of -Tankerville, died of an apoplectic fit at the GREEN MAN on Epping Forest -on the 14th of March, 1753, as he was travelling to London. Old maps of -the latter half of last century show quite a number of GREEN MEN round -Epping and Hainault Forests, showing the connection even then existing -in the minds of men between the sign-board GREEN MEN and foresters. In -Mr. Creed’s list of signs round Epping in 1789, GREEN MEN are named at -the following places: Epping, Waltham Abbey, Moreton, Stanford Rivers, -Magdalen Laver, Harlow, and Roydon. Evidently this sign was very common -a century ago. Although this device has a two-fold origin, it is rather -difficult to account for its great prevalence in the present day. -Originally, no doubt, the sign represented the green-clad morris-dancers -that played an important part in the shows and pageants of mediæval -times; but, when these went out of date and were forgotten by the common -people, the sign was made to represent a forester in his coat of green. -As early as the seventeenth century the sign had come to be connected -with that celebrated forester, Robin Hood, as is shown by the designs on -many of the tokens, which represent the outlaw accompanied by his -friend Little John. At Elsenham and at High Beech the sign now takes -the name of the ROBIN HOOD, while ROBIN HOOD AND LITTLE JOHN occur in -combination at Brentwood, although in an advertisement in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 20, 1786, the house is spoken of -simply as the ROBIN HOOD. At High Beech, as is often the case, the -following couplet is appended to the sign:-- - - “If Robin Hood be not at home, - Step in and ask for Little John.” - -Mrs. F. B. Palliser says,[89] “Queen Anne bore, as one of the supporters -of her arms, one of the savage men, wreathed with ivy and bearing clubs, -of Denmark, since designated and adopted for an inn-sign as the GREEN -MAN.” This, however, is probably not the only origin of the sign. At the -present day the sign is generally represented on Essex signboards by a -gamekeeper in a green velveteen coat. At Grays there is a GREEN MAN AND -BELL (beer-house), which is doubtless an impaled sign. - -A beer-shop at Great Chesterford displays a pictorial sign--evidently of -some age--representing, apparently, the MAN AND PLOUGH. A rustic in a -green smock-frock stands at the handle of his plough, politely touching -his hat to passers-by. - -At Chelmsford and Dunmow the principal inn in each of the two towns has -for its sign the SARACEN’S HEAD. The former is mentioned in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 6, 1786. It is also many times named -in the _Trials of Swan and Jeffries_ in 1752, on account of a robbery -having been committed there. It also finds mention in Mr. Joseph -Strutt’s Essex and Herts romance, entitled _Queenhoo Hall_, published in -1808. The hero of the tale says (ii. p. 179) that “on my arrival at -Chelmsford, I went to one of the principal inns, distinguished by the -sign of the Saracen, or Man Quintain, where I took some small -refreshment.” Other examples, making five in all, occur at Danbury, -Braintree, and Thaxted. Though not described by Boyne, tokens, bearing -a representation of a Saracen’s head, and issued by John Havers at the -house of that name in Thaxted, are still extant, showing the house and -its sign to be of considerable antiquity. Mr. Joseph Clarke, F.S.A., of -Saffron Walden can recollect that, many years ago, the sign-board bore -the representation of a man’s head with a very ferocious countenance, -but the sign-board is not now pictorial. The sign owes its origin -(largely, at least) to the Crusades. It was formerly much more common -than now. - -The MAID’S HEAD at Thorpe-le-Soken is, in all probability, not a sign -put up by some enamoured publican. As a general rule the sign, wherever -it appears, has been derived from the arms of the Mercers’ Company, -already given (p. 33). Sir William Parr, K.G., and also his -grand-daughter, Queen Catherine Parr, both bore the same device as a -badge. But in the case of the example at Thorpe there can be little -doubt that the sign is a really ancient one, and that it represents the -crest of the D’Arcy family, Barons of Chiche,[90] to whom, in 1551, -Edward VI. granted the manor of Thorpe and neighbouring lands, which -long afterwards remained in the family. The same sign often occurs -elsewhere as the MAIDEN HEAD. There was apparently a house of this name -(not necessarily an inn) at Chelmsford in the seventeenth century, as -the Rev. R. E. Bartlett finds the following entry in the parish -registers:--“1620, Matthew Prentys of Chelmsford, husbandman and -householder at the Maidenhead in Chelmsford, was buried the xiiii. of -May, being Sunday.” The VILLAGE MAID, which occurs at Bradfield, is a -very modern sign, and is not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten. Probably -the landlord set it up in honour of some damsel of his acquaintance. - -The MERMAID, though only a semi-human sign, is most conveniently noticed -here. There is no example of it now existing in the county, though it -occurs on the farthing token of Michael Arnold of Colchester. As a sign -it used formerly to be not uncommon. - -The *SILENT WOMAN is the name of a public-house, with a truly pictorial -sign, at Widford. The signs of the GOOD WOMAN and the QUIET WOMAN, which -occur occasionally in other counties, are identical with this, and, all -alike, constitute a piece of unwarrantable slander on the fair sex, -being intended to convey the idea that a woman can only be silenced by -being deprived of her head. Larwood and Hotten say (p. 455): - - “There is a very curious example of this sign at Widford, near - Chelmsford, representing on one side a half-length portrait of - Henry VIII., on the reverse, a woman without a head, dressed in the - costume of the latter half of the last century, with the - inscription _Forte Bonne_. The addition of the portrait of Henry - VIII. has led to the popular belief that the headless woman is - meant for Anne Boleyn, though probably it is simply a combination - of the KING’S HEAD and GOOD WOMAN.” - -[Illustration: THE SILENT WOMAN AT WIDFORD.] - -The inscription on the sign-board is, presumably, intended to be the -French for “Very Good,” but it is spelled “_Fort Bon_,” and it has been -“_Fort Bone_.” - -A writer in _Once a Week_ (N. S., ii. p. 487) says: - - “The Essex tradition is that St. Osyth, when the convent was - attacked by the Danes [A.D. 635], fled down the park to a thicket, - since called ‘Nun’s Wood,’ where she was overtaken, and her head - cut off; and that on the spot where the head fell, a spring of - water burst forth, which flows to this day. Another local tradition - asserts that on one night in each year St. Osyth revisits the scene - of her former abode, walking with her head under her arm. It is - this legend which probably gave rise to the sign of the ‘Good - Woman,’ at Widford, near Chelmsford,--of whom, by the way, I may - remark that she is currently said to be the only good woman in - Essex.” - -Larwood and Hotten say that the sign was largely used by oilmen, which -makes it very probable that the device has some reference to the -“heedless virgins” who had no oil in their lamps when the bridegroom -came--_heed_ and _head_ having formerly been pronounced alike, according -to those authors. The sign is not uncommon on the Continent also. - -A writer in _Notes and Queries_ (Fifth Series, vol. iv. p. 337) very -ingeniously explains the origin of this sign. He says: - - “In the days of old it was _la bone fame_, with a meaning the same - as that of _la bonne renommée_ in later times. According to Virgil, - Fame walks on the earth while her head is concealed in the clouds-- - - ‘Ingrediturque solo, et caput inter nubila condit.’ - - Consequently _la bone fame_ was represented by a headless woman--at - times, no doubt, very roughly drawn. By degrees the word _fame_ - dropped out of the French language, and then people read _la bonne - femme_, correcting what they deemed an orthographical error. But - [then arose the question] why should the ‘good woman’ have no head? - The explanation was, of course, suggested by some hen-pecked cynic - at the wineshop.” - -On the high road between Braintree and Chelmsford, and in the parish of -Great Leighs, stands an inn with the strange sign of the ST. ANN’S -CASTLE. On the map of the road between Chelmsford and Bury, given in -Ogilby’s _Itinerarium Angliæ_, published in 1675, the words “St. Ann’s” -appear against a house beside the high road at Leighs and on the site of -the present inn. It appears from this that the word “Castle” is a modern -addition to the name, perhaps connected with the adjacent ruins of -Leighs Priory. The house is, however, marked as the ST. ANN’S CASTLE on -Greenwood’s map of Essex, published as long ago as 1824. In White’s -_Gazetteer of Essex_ it is stated that there formerly stood upon the -spot a hermitage, known as St. Ann’s, “where pilgrims rested on their -way to and from the shrine of St. Thomas à Becket. At the Dissolution, -in 1571, it was given to Thos. Jennings, and its site is now occupied by -an inn, called the St. Ann’s Castle, and said to be the oldest licensed -public-house in England.” Morant says of it in 1768, “‘Tis now converted -into an ale-house.” Probably it had become an inn much earlier, for -Taylor, in 1636, mentions one Will. Chandler as being a keeper of -“innes at Plashie and St. Annes.” - -According to G. W. Johnson’s _History of Great Totham_, it is stated -that a hill at that place “seems to have been dedicated to the Virgin -Mary, for at its base is a small public-house known now [1831], and as -far back as memory can go, as the VIRGIN’S TAVERN.” The sign is not now -in existence. - -In speaking of the LAME DOG, which does not occur as a sign in this -county, Larwood and Hotten say that it is sometimes accompanied by the -following couplet: - - “Stop, my friends, and stay awhile - To help the lame dog over the style.” - -They continue (p. 450): “Sometimes, as at Bulmer, Essex, we see a -somewhat similar idea expressed by a MAN STRUGGLING through a -globe--head and arms protruding on one side, his legs on the other--with -the inscription, ‘Help me through this world.’” This sign is not now to -be seen at Bulmer. - -A HAND occurs on the halfpenny token issued by Lawrence Brown, junior, -of Wickham, in 1669; a HAND AND GLOVE on that of Henry Cordall of -Chelmsford in 1658; a HAND AND PEN on that of Samuel Cox of Coggeshall; -and a HAND AND BALL on that of “D. G.” issued at “The Hand and Bowle in -Barking” in 1650. In 1675, a house of some kind displayed the sign of -the CROSS AND HAND at Marks Tey (see p. 163). Although the hand does not -now appear, either singly or in combination, on any Essex sign-board, it -is not uncommon in other counties. Its use is attributable to the fact -that early sign-painters often represented it issuing out of a cloud to -perform some action or support some object. This brings to a close the -list of human signs now occurring in the county of Essex. - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER VIII. - -_NAUTICAL SIGNS._ - - -The small class which will next receive notice contains what may be -called “Nautical Signs.” Essex supports quite a considerable fleet of -ships upon its sign-boards. These are of widely different builds, and -are very variously rigged. Most of them are, of course, situated near -the coast; but others are, strange to say, far inland. The author would -be guilty of great impropriety did he not speak first of NOAH’S ARK--the -greatest feat of early ship-building on record. As a sign, it was to be -seen at Kelvedon twenty years ago, but is now non-existent. _An ark or, -on the top a dove argent, holding in the beak an olive-branch vert_, -forms the crest of the Shipwrights’ Company, incorporated in 1605. As -already stated, no less than twenty-two SHIPS are to be found in -different parts of the county. The surmise that some of these are -intended to represent _sheep_ has been elsewhere advanced (p. 23). Mr. -King finds evidence in ancient deeds of no less than three different -houses at Leigh which have formerly borne the sign of the SHIP. The -existing example was probably converted into an inn about the end of -last century. It was a private house in the middle of the century. -Another inn is first spoken of as the Ship in 1728. In 1732, it was -“known by the sign of the Ship,” but before 1756, when it was spoken of -as “formerly known by the sign of the Ship,” it had ceased to be an inn. -The third and probably the earliest house of this name was a private -residence in 1756, having formerly been called the SHIP. A SHIP is -depicted on the tokens of “William Martin at the Key [? Quay] in -Barking,” and of “Thomas Pollard at the [Ship] in Plaistowe,” 1668, and -the SHIP at *Colchester is several times mentioned in the advertisements -appearing in the various numbers of the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ issued -during February, 1786. The first and last are, perhaps, identical with -the houses of the same name still existing at those places. In addition -to the foregoing we have five OLD SHIPS. If Mr. Plimsoll were informed -of this fact it would probably cause him some alarm; but he would be -reassured on learning that, with one exception, all are some distance -inland. They are situated respectively at West Thurrock, Debden, -Chelmsford, Aveley, and Rochford. The *OLD SHIP at the last-named place -must be in very unseaworthy condition, for it was described as _old_ in -an advertisement in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 27, 1786. -There is also a *NEW SHIP at Rochford--doubtless a house started in -opposition to the OLD SHIP at the same place. The sign of the *SHIP AND -ANCHOR, which occurs at Maldon, is a combination the meaning of which -will be at once apparent. The SHIP AND SHOVEL at Rippleside, Barking, is -at least forty years old. It is probably in some way connected with Sir -Cloudesley Shovel, as there is a portrait of that gentleman in the inn. -The sign also occurs elsewhere, namely, in Steel Yard, St. Thomas’ -Street, London, S.E. An old newspaper cutting says a house known as the -SHIP AND SHOVEL “is situated near to Dagenham Beach, in Essex, eleven -miles from London, where Parish and Hadbrook fought a hard battle of 41 -rounds, on the 13th of March, 1820, which terminated in favour of Parish -in thirty-eight minutes. The SHIP AND SHOVEL was the house of call for -that day.” There is a LOBSTER SMACK at Canvey Island, a FISHING SMACK at -Barking, an OYSTER SMACK at Burnham, and a SMACK at Leigh, concerning -which Mr. H. W. King writes, that it was no doubt so named when the -oyster-fishery flourished there in the last century. There is not now a -smack belonging to the port. The house itself was for centuries a -private residence of persons of good account. The sign of the PETER -BOAT, which also occurs at Leigh, is apparently unique. A peter-boat -was a sort of fishing-vessel, sharp both stem and stern, and -half-decked, with a spritsail, instead of a mainsail and boom. Mr. King -states that the inn derives its name from the fact that “all the -fishing-boats at Leigh were formerly peter-boats. But, out of a fleet of -120 or more fishing-boats here now, only one peter-boat, I am told, -remains, and that I have not seen. The house itself, of the descent of -which I have a complete record since 1645, is built of timber and is of -the middle of the seventeenth century or earlier. The present owners -have held it since 1662, the landlord who now keeps the inn being about -the sixth in direct descent. It is first mentioned as known by the sign -of the Peter-boat in 1757. The then owner had come into possession in -1739, and had so named the house between those years.” At Vange there is -a BARGE, at North Woolwich an OLD BARGE HOUSE, at Forest Gate a -STEAMSHIP, and at Chelmsford a ROYAL STEAMER (probably an impaled sign). -The Barge here mentioned was formerly the MAN WITH SEVEN WIVES, as Mr. -King can recollect. At the time it belonged to a man named _Wife_. -Presumably his family numbered seven individuals. There is also a -beer-house of the same name at Rettendon, up to which place the river -Crouch is navigable for barges. The PACKET occurs at *Harwich and -*Manningtree. Sixty years ago there was another example at *Colchester. -The sign of the FERRY-BOAT occurs at Walthamstow, North Fambridge, and -Canewdon. Another house of the same name has recently disappeared from -the county, as also a FERRY HOUSE. Sixty years ago the sign of the -WHERRY (not noticed by Larwood and Hotten) occurred at *Mistley. The -sign of the HOY still occurs at Tollesbury and at South Benfleet. Mr. -King remarks that one would naturally expect to find this sign at the -latter place, “as a long succession of hoymen carried on a lucrative -business there. The HOY is now pictorially represented on the sign-board -by a barge, though the house is still called the HOY; and a trade in -hay, straw, and corn is still carried on in two or three barges.” The -sign is not referred to in the _History of Sign-boards_. The following -epitaph upon a Hoyman appears in the churchyard at South Benfleet. -Though not a very scholarly production, it is said to be the work of a -former rector of the parish. - - “James Mathews, Ob. July 14, 1728. - Sixty-three years our Hoyman sailed merrily round, - Forty-four lived parishioner where he’s aground, - Five wives bare him thirty-three children--enough: - Land another as honest before he gets half.” - -A hoy was a one-masted, sloop-rigged coasting vessel, formerly much -used. It is extremely difficult to suggest any likely origin for the -sign of the PLOUGH AND SAIL, which occurs no less than four times in the -county, namely, at Tollesbury, East Hanningfield, Paglesham, and Maldon. -Larwood and Hotten do not allude to it. The two first are each at least -forty years old. At first one might suppose it a meaningless impalement -of two distinct signs, the PLOUGH and the SAIL, but it does not appear -that the latter figures as a sign, either singly or in combination with -any other article except a plough, in any part of England. Moreover, it -is hardly likely that the two signs would appear impaled four times in -Essex, while the combination is (with one exception) unknown in all -other counties of England. An examination of the lists of signs in -thirty of the principal counties of England will show that it does not -occur in any of them, with the exception of the adjoining county of -Suffolk, wherein the sign occurs twice. It appears probable, therefore, -that the sign has some local significance, though it is difficult to say -exactly what. Several gentlemen have offered suggestions as to its -origin. It has been thought to be a corruption of the “Plow and Flail” -(and therefore doubly agricultural), or a representation of the old -toast of “Agriculture and Commerce” (represented by a plough and a -ship), but the most likely suggestion seems to be one put forward by the -Rev. H. L. Elliot, who thinks it is intended as an appeal for the custom -of thirsty souls working both on land and sea. All our Essex examples, -except that at Hanningfield, are upon the coast. The same gentleman -suggests that the sign may be a corruption of the “Plough-tail” or -handle, which Edwards, in his _Words, Facts, and Phrases_, says is -probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon _stail_, a handle. The word is -still in use, meaning a handle, in Warwickshire and other parts of the -country. An appeal to the readers of _Notes and Queries_ has so far -thrown no light on the meaning of this sign. Forty years ago there was a -SHIP AND EXCISE OFFICE at Waltham Abbey and a PRIVATEER at Harwich. At -Wivenhoe there is a SHIP AT LAUNCH. Forty years ago it was known as the -SHIP LAUNCH. This large fleet of sign-board ships is, however, supplied -with only eighteen ANCHORS; and, as some of these may represent the -symbol of Hope, the supply must be regarded as very inadequate. One of -them, belonging to Barking, is described as a BLUE ANCHOR. Another of -the same description used formerly to exist on Canvey Island, but it -appears to have been lost in some storm during the last forty years; -while another at Mersey, which is mentioned in the Rev. Baring-Gould’s -_Mehalah_, has also disappeared, unless it be identical with the ANCHOR -still existing at that place. The ANCHOR at Canewdon seems to have -existed there since at least 1787, as it is mentioned in an -advertisement in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for the 5th of January in -that year. At Grays there is an ANCHOR AND HOPE. The CROWN AND ANCHOR, -the emblem of the Royal Navy, occurs at Aveley and Braintree; and the -SUN AND ANCHOR, which is probably nothing but an impaled sign, occurs at -Steeple. A token is extant bearing an ANCHOR, the initials “R. ^{S.} -I.,” and the inscription, “At the Anker, in Lee [Leigh], 1664.” Mr. H. -W. King writes:[91] “This is undoubtedly the token of Robert Sayer and -Joan his wife, shopkeepers, at this precise date. The ANCHOR was their -shop sign. There was no inn of that name. Joan Sayer survived her -husband and died in 1689.” Most of our ANCHORS are situated upon the sea -coast, but there are not a few inland--at Ingatestone, Chelmsford, -Abbots Roothing, &c. In 1789 there was one at Chipping Ongar. - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER IX. - -_ASTRONOMICAL SIGNS._ - - -Astronomical signs fall naturally into another small class, which will -be treated of next. In Essex we have six examples of the sign of the -HALF MOON, which may represent either crescents taken from some one’s -arms or else the emblem of temporal power. The HALF MOON at *Chelmsford, -a small, though ancient, house, possesses a quaint and truly pictorial -sign-board. At 94, Great Suffolk Street, London, S.E., there has been -for three-quarters of a century, at least, a house with the most -extraordinary sign of the MOONRAKERS. It is all but impossible to -conceive any origin for so strange a device. It is just possible, -however, that the sign may have some connection with a tale told of the -inhabitants of the town of Coggeshall, about whom so many similar -stories are told. One fine night, so says the tale, certain of the -natives of that celebrated town observed what they took to be a fine -round cheese floating on the surface of a pond. Thereupon, it is further -stated, they procured rakes and endeavoured to draw the supposed cheese -to land. Nor did they discover, until they had been some time so -engaged, that their cheese was merely the reflection of the moon in the -water! The SUN is met with twelve times and the RISING SUN nine times. -The use of the sun as a sign is very ancient, both in England and on the -Continent. A rising sun formed one of the badges of Edward III., and -shining suns were used as badges by several other English sovereigns. A -sun also - -[Illustration: SUN IN SPLENDOUR. - -(_Badge of Richard II._)] - -forms a prominent charge in the arms of the Distillers’ Company. The -_Sun in Splendour_, used as a badge by Richard II., is here shown. The -engraving is taken from an illuminated manuscript in the Harleian -Collection, wherein the badge is painted on the sail of a ship. Larwood -and Hotten suggest that the RISING SUN was, perhaps, adopted as a sign -“on account of the favourable omen it presents for a man commencing -business.” The SUN at *Thaxted seems to have existed since the year 1786 -at least, for it is mentioned in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January -20th in that year. The SUN Inn at Romford bears the monogram “T. ^{W.} -L.” and the date 1632. The SUN INN in Church Street, Saffron Walden, was -once a house of note, but is now a private residence. It was probably -built about 1625. The devices, more grotesque than elegant, which adorn -its many gables, make it one of the best remaining Essex examples of -houses adorned with parge work. In 1646, when it was probably the chief -inn in the town, it lodged no less important an individual than Oliver -Cromwell. His portrait, painted on the tiles at the side of a -fire-place, was found during some recent restorations, and is now in the -Museum. It was, doubtless, covered up at the Restoration.[92] Until -about forty years ago there stood beside the main road to Colchester, -just outside the parish of Kelvedon, an inn known as the SUN. It is -still a curious old house, worthy of notice from the passer-by, but up -to the date named it, and even the furniture it contained, exhibited all -the characteristics of a sixteenth century house. Its carved woodwork, -however, was sold and afterwards accidentally burned and its furniture -scattered. The pictorial sign-board of the RISING SUN at Castle -Hedingham is very grotesque. It is here represented - -[Illustration: RISING SUN. - -(_At Castle Hedingham._)] - -within the sign-iron of the BELL at the same place (p. 158). The RISING -SUN at Salcot is many times mentioned in the Rev. Baring-Gould’s -_Mehalah_. It is therein (ii. p. 4) thus described:--“At the end of the -village stands a low tavern, the Rising Sun, a mass of gables. Part of -it (the tavern drinking-room) is only one storey high, but the rest is a -jumble of roofs and lean-to buildings, chimneys and ovens--a miracle of -picturesqueness.” As previously stated (pp. 147 and 83) the sun enters -into two very absurd combinations, a SUN AND ANCHOR at Steeple, and a -SUN AND WHALEBONE at Latton. Both of these are, in all probability, -impaled signs. The STAR appears on Essex sign-boards eight times. Its -use is probably due to the fact that in mediæval times - -[Illustration: STAR.] - -[Illustration: MULLET.] - -it was the symbol of the Virgin Mary, and that it forms the crest of the -Innholders’ Company; but it is very probable that in Essex the sign of -the STAR often represents the _mullet argent_ which formed one of the -chief badges of the De Veres, Earls of Oxford, and also the most -prominent charge in the family arms (see p. 70).[93] It was probably -first adopted by Robert, the third Earl, who died in 1221. It appears on -his seals and on his monument at Hatfield Broad Oak. Thenceforth it was -borne by all his descendants. Mr. Elliot, in the interesting article -already quoted (p. 70), says that at the Battle of Barnet, in 1471, the -defeat of the Lancastrians is attributed to a mistake made by the Earl -of Warwick’s men; who, in the morning mist, took the badge of the Earl -of Oxford’s men for the Yorkist badge of the Sun in Splendour. They -accordingly shot at their friends, who, suspecting treachery, cried -“Treason!” and fled from the field. Mr. Elliot adds that “this badge is -frequently found on houses and churches in this county and Suffolk.” It -is in every way probable that it was often put upon the former as a -sign. In Heraldry the star, or _étoile_, is represented with six wavy -points and not pierced in the centre, as here shown, thus distinguishing -it from the mullet, which has five straight points and is usually -pierced. The latter is said originally to have represented, not a star, -but a spur-rowel. It appears from the parish registers,[94] that there -was also a STAR at Grays in 1724. At Ilford there is a coffee-shop with -the sign of the MORNING STAR, probably to indicate that it is open early -for working men. A beer-house at Witham, however, has the same sign. Mr. -King finds in ancient deeds mention of a STAR--either inn, shop, or -tenement--at Rochford in 1693. There are now beer-shops of the same name -at Ingatestone, Woodham Ferris, and elsewhere, while a NORTHERN STAR -exists at Romford. At Brightlingsea there is a STAR OF DENMARK -(whatever that might be), and an OLD STAR occurs at Good Easter. Twice, -also, as elsewhere mentioned (p. 79), we meet with the STAR AND FLEECE, -namely, at Kelvedon and Romford; while the STAR AND GARTER, representing -the Insignia of the Order of the Garter, occurs at Chelmsford and at -Newport. An advertisement in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for February 10, -1786, refers to the STAR at Writtle, and another in the same journal for -March 31st following refers to the STAR at Dunmow, at both of which -places the sign still exists. The STAR at Kelvedon, perhaps identical -with the STAR AND FLEECE now existing there, is mentioned in the issue -for the 29th of December in the same year. The *STAR AND ANCHOR which -appeared at Colchester sixty years ago was in all probability an -impalement. Mr. E. W. Bingham of Castle Hedingham is in possession of -documentary evidence showing that during the latter part of last century -the present vicarage at that place was known as the BLACK MULLET. It may -or may not have been an inn at the time. The sign may have been set up -originally as a contrast to the silver mullet of the De Veres. - -[Illustration] - - - - -[Illustration] CHAPTER X. - -_MISCELLANEOUS SIGNS._ - - -The signs which still remain to be treated of defy all efforts to -classify them. All classification, indeed, when applied to this subject, -is very vague and unsatisfactory. The following will, therefore, be -spoken of as “Miscellaneous Signs,” and will be taken in any order found -most convenient. Those already noticed under other headings will not be -referred to again, and many are not of sufficient interest to be worth -noticing. The great majority are uninteresting modern vulgarisms, while -very few are of heraldic origin. - -Many signs of this class are named after places or towns, or after -objects of local or general celebrity. Such are the ALBION, the BALMORAL -CASTLE, the WINDSOR CASTLE, the WALMER CASTLE, the TROSSACHS HOTEL, the -BRIDGE HOTEL, the GIBRALTAR TAVERN, the GRAVING DOCK TAVERN, the HIGHAM -HILL TAVERN, the HALLSVILLE TAVERN, the CAMBRIDGE HOTEL, the COMMON -GATE, the LONDON TAVERN, the DOCK HOUSE TAVERN, the FOREST GATE, the -FOREST GLEN, the TOWN OF AYR, the TRAFALGAR TAVERN, the *WATERLOO TAVERN -(at Colchester), the TIDAL BASIN TAVERN, the HALF-WAY TAVERN (at -Southchurch), the NORFOLK INN, the GROUND RENT TAVERN, the BRICK AND -TILE INN at Copford, two BRITISH INNS, two CANTEENS, two FLAGS, two -UNION FLAGS, two FOUNTAINS, the STORES at Willingale Doe (beer-house), -the GOLDEN HOUSE at Forest Gate, an IVY CHIMNEYS (beer-house) at Theydon -Bois, the RED HOUSE at Ilford, two GUNS, two HOPES (one at Southend -being at least sixty years old), the IMPERIAL TAVERN, the LOCOMOTIVE, -the NEW MILL, the OLD MILL, two PIER HOTELS, two PUNCH BOWLS, the QUART -POT, the RED TAPE TAVERN, several ROYAL STANDARDS, the TELEGRAPH, the -TEMPLE, the THATCHED HOUSE, the OLD THATCHED HOUSE (a very old inn at -Epping), the WARREN INN, the TOLLHOUSE, the WAGGON, and the WAGGON AND -HORSES, all of which are probably less than forty years old. It is -doubtful whether a single one of these signs could claim an heraldic -origin. Most of them lie upon the outskirts of London. There are now -four ALMA TAVERNS, though twenty years ago there was but one. The name, -of course, commemorates the battle of Alma, but why fresh inns should be -thus named so long after the event, is by no means obvious. There is a -BOWLING GREEN at Elmstead, near Colchester, and sixty years ago there -was another at Dunmow. - -The WINDMILL, which is an ancient sign, occurs no less than eight times -within the county. In most cases houses have adopted this sign on -account of there being a windmill adjacent to them. At Romford there has -been for at least sixty years an OLD WINDMILL AND BELLS, which is -doubtless an impaled sign. - -At Laindon there is a FORTUNE OF WAR, well known as a meet of the -Hounds. Larwood and Hotten do not notice the sign, though there are -several examples of it in London. The TITLE DEED TAVERN is a small house -of recent origin at Buckhurst Hill. Thirty years ago the ground on which -it stands was unenclosed forest. At Hornchurch there is an inn with the -strange sign of the GOOD INTENT, which is not mentioned by Larwood and -Hotten. It was opened as a beer-shop, some fifty years ago, by the -father of the present landlord, who had been so far an unfortunate man. -In opening his new house with good intentions for the future, he thus -appropriately named it, and his hopes appear to have been realized, as -his house still remains. There is a beer-house with the same name at -Waltham Holy Cross. At Springfield there is an ENDEAVOUR, which -presumably derived its name from some similar circumstance. There are -beer-houses with the motto LIVE AND LET LIVE at Little Canfield, -Theydon Bois, and Chadwell Heath. Another at Pitsea was, within the -recollection of Mr. King, thus inscribed: - - “Live and let live - Whod a though it;” - -which was intended to mean “who would have thought it?” but the -landlord’s orthographical knowledge was very imperfect. The HAVERING -BOWER Inn, situated in Ann Street, Shadwell, close to Bow Station, is a -house connected with, though not situated in, Essex. Why an inn of this -name should appear thus fifteen miles at least from the place from which -it takes its name, is not very clear. - -In the Roman Road at Colchester appears the sign of the ROMAN URN. One -would conclude that the house had been named after some Roman urn that -had been dug up on its site, did it not figure in the list years ago as -the ROMAN ARMS. Possibly, however, this is a misprint, although the sign -of the ROMAN ARMS does actually occur elsewhere, namely, in the Roman -Road, London, E. Mr. Walford, in _Greater London_ (vol. i. p. 385), says -that there is another example of the sign of the ROMAN URN just over the -county boundary at Cheshunt, in Hertfordshire. “It is to be seen -embedded in the front of the inn in Crossbrook Street. The urn was found -on the spot many years ago, but its date is far from certain.” Messrs. -Larwood and Hotten do not allude to the sign, which is certainly very -uncommon. - -One of our very strangest signs--that of the COAL HOLE--occurs at Leigh. -It has only appeared there within the last few years, and Mr. H. W. King -is of opinion that it is probably named after the once-well-known COAL -HOLE Tavern in the Strand. At the same place another beer-house is known -as the UNITED BRETHREN, probably after a Friendly Society there; but -their club-house is now the Crooked Billet. - -The sign of the NEW INN, which is the commonest sign in Devonshire, and -occurs no less than one hundred and four times in that county, is only -twice met with in Essex, but there is also a beer-house so called at -Romford. Evidently the Conservative nature of the majority of Essex folk -leads them to prefer things _old_, instead of new. At Plaistow there is -a GREEN GATE, and forty years since there was a *BLUE POSTS at Witham, -in both of which cases the colour of the portals probably served the -same office as a sign in distinguishing the house. Neither sign is -mentioned in the _History of Sign-boards_, though the former is -certainly a century old, as it is mentioned in an advertisement in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 5, 1787, and the latter is referred -to in another advertisement on the 23rd of the following month. It was -an old house of good standing, as it is also mentioned in the _Very -Young Lady’s Tour from London to Aldborough and Back_ (1804, see p. 37). -The writer says: - - “Travellers frequently boast of the charms of an inn, - But the Blue Posts at Witham’s the best I have seen, - The rooms are so clean, so delicious the diet, - The landlord so civil, so spruce, and so quiet, - The servants all round so desirous to please, - That you find yourself here most completely at ease. - So we supp’d, and we slept, and we breakfasted too, - And then bid to Witham a parting adieu.” - -The house was closed as an inn some time since, and is now a china shop, -kept by a prominent Witham teetotal advocate. Its door-posts are still -painted blue. Sixty years ago there was another inn of this name at -*Colchester. No Essex inn now displays the sign of the GATE, but there -are beer-houses of that name at Saffron Walden, Bardfield, and Dagenham. -At the two last-named places the houses bear the following very unpoetic -couplet:-- - - “This Gate hangs high, and hinders none, - Refresh and pay and travel on.” - -At Wanstead there is a RED HOUSE, presumably so called from its colour. -In 1789 there was an EPPING PLACE Inn at Epping, and a BUSH-FAIR HOUSE -at Latton. The ESSEX INN, No 41, Aldgate High Street, London, E., is, -without doubt, so named because it forms the stopping-place of many -hay-carters and other travellers by road from Essex up to town. - -Railways are referred to thirty-one times in all on Essex sign-boards, -although, as might be expected, mention is very rarely made of railways -among the signs of forty years ago. Thus we have five examples of the -RAILWAY INN, one of the RAILWAY ARMS, two of the RAILWAY BELL, seven of -the RAILWAY HOTEL, and sixteen of the RAILWAY TAVERN. - -Twenty years ago there was an ABBEY GATE in Stanwell Street, Colchester, -doubtless named after the beautiful gateway of St. John’s Abbey, which -still stands. At the same time there was a BETTING-STAND at Galleywood, -where the Chelmsford Races are held, as well as an EXCHANGE INN and a -CHELMER INN, both at Heybridge. There is a MARK’S GATE in Markgate, -Dagenham; and a MARSH GATE at Stratford. Eight Essex inns are named -after the great GLOBE itself, while the WORLD’S END appears, at last, to -have been discovered near Tilbury Fort. This is a very proper name, if, -as has been thought, Tilbury is derived from two Saxon words, _Til_, -end, and _burgh_, city, _i.e._, the city at the end of the river road. A -beer-house keeper at Paglesham, however, seems also to consider that the -WORLD’S END is situated in the vicinity of his house. Probably both are -equally right and equally wrong. The GLOBE at *Epping is mentioned in -the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 13, 1786. At Bocking there is a -beer-house known as the DIAL, a device not named by Larwood and Hotten. -At the same place there is a PARK END beer-house, and at Felstead -another, known as the PYE’S BRIDGE tavern. A beer-house at Chigwell -styles itself the RETREAT. At Waltham Abbey is a FLOWER POT. A -beer-house at Inworth is known as the NEW TIMES, while another not far -off styles itself the OLD TIMES, probably out of rivalry. At Great -Baddow a beer-house appears as the NEW FOUND OUT. At Chelmsford there is -a UNITED beer-house, and a CORNUCOPIA at Southend. - -No less than forty-two Essex inns display the sign of the BELL. Bells -were set up as signs as early as the fourteenth century. The origin of -their use in this way is probably due largely to our national fondness -for bell-ringing, but partly also to the great veneration in which bells -were held in superstitious times. Advertisements which appeared in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ refer to the inns with the sign of the BELL at -Castle Hedingham, Sible Hedingham, and Purleigh on January 6th, July 21, -1786, and March 2, 1787, respectively. These houses all exist at the -present day. The BELL at *Saffron Walden, though it does not now exist, -must formerly have been a house of some standing, for it is fairly often -referred to in the records of the Corporation. It is mentioned, for -instance, in 1642, in 1645, and in 1650. In 1664 3s. was “paid at the -Bell when the Quakers were committed,” and in 1714 4s. 4d. was “spent at -the Bell when Lord Suffolk took the oaths.” Tokens are extant, issued by -“Will. Mason at the [BELL] in Thaxtead, 1662,” though the sign does not -now exist there. The BELL at Castle Hedingham, still a first-class -hostelry, was a house of considerable note in the old coaching days. It -was a stopping-place for the “Old Bury Coach,” which passed through the -town. The building is ancient and extensive, though now much cut up and -divided. The spacious kitchen is roofed with massive timber, black with -age. In the large room upstairs have been held for many years the annual -meetings of the once-famous Hinckford Hundred Conservative Club. In -times past these meetings regularly formed the subject of a leader in -the _Times_, and addresses were delivered by Disraeli and other -prominent Conservative statesmen, but the club has now lost its old -importance. The ornamental sign-iron is represented elsewhere (p. 150). -Of the BELL at Leigh, Mr. King writes that he has no particular account, -but he believes “it has been an inn for probably a century, and that it -was pulled down to make way for the railroad, but rebuilt on part of the -same site.” The present rectory at West Tilbury was once an inn with the -sign of the BELL. The house was built by a speculator about the year -1780, and opened as an hostelry for the accommodation of the gentry that -always crowded to the Fort during war time. Six years later, however, it -had to be closed, and about the beginning of this century it was -purchased for the sum of £700 by the Rev. Sir Adam Gordon, Bart., who -then held the living, and presented to the parish as a rectory. A -certain number of Bells frequently appear on a sign-board. In such -cases the peal of bells in an adjacent belfry is generally alluded to, -as may be seen on reference to the Rev. H. A. Cockey’s _List of Essex -Rings_. In 1662 there was a house with the sign of the ONE BELL at -Romford. It is mentioned in the _Account of the Murder of Thomas -Kidderminster_, already referred to (p. 56). Taylor also, in 1636, -mentions a BELL at Romford, probably the same house. The sign of the -FIVE BELLS occurs at Vange and Colne Engaine. At the latter place there -are five church bells, but at the former only one, although there may -formerly have been more. There was another example of the sign at -Bocking forty years ago, when perhaps there were only five bells there. -Now, however, there are _six_, and the sign of the SIX BELLS (probably -the same house) appears there, as also at Dunmow and Great Waltham. At -the former place there are six bells, but at the latter eight. At -Boreham a beer-house is known as the SIX BELLS, that being the number at -that place. At Mashbury is a cottage still known as the BELLS. In a MS. -dated 1761 it is spoken of as the FIVE BELLS, and was probably then an -inn with that sign, though no church in the immediate vicinity has that -number of bells. The sign of the EIGHT BELLS appears at *Saffron Walden, -Great Tey, Belchamp Walter, and Bures Hamlet, at all of which there seem -to be peals of eight bells. In addition to these, we have a NEW BELL at -Harwich, and two RAILWAY BELLS, one near the station at Maldon, and the -other in Trinity Street, Halstead. The bell also enters into numerous -combinations, most of which are impalements, and therefore quite -meaningless. Thus we have a BELL AND ANCHOR at Canning Town, a COACH AND -BELL (a sign not referred to in the _History of Sign-boards_) at -Romford, the OLD WINDMILL AND BELLS, also at Romford, and examples of -the COCK AND BELL at High Easter, Writtle, and Romford. The latter has -apparently been in existence since 1786, as it is mentioned in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ for January 13th in that year. Twenty years ago -there was a BELL AND FEATHERS at Stanstead, which seems now to have -returned to the use of its former sign, which was a BELL simply (see p. -102). Though the fact is not mentioned by Boyne, tokens with the -following inscriptions are extant: “George Perrin at y^{e} Bell in -Stanstead. His Half Peny. 1669.” The same house and the same landlord -are also mentioned in Poor Robin’s _Perambulation_, already referred to -(p. 66). The writer (one cannot say _poet_) says: - - “From Ugley I next way to Stanstead travell’d, - Upon a plain highway, well ston’d and gravelled. - This town of Stanstead, for distinction’s sake, - Doth unto itself the name Montfitchet take, - From the Montfitchets, once Lords of great fame, - And who erewhile were owners of the same. - There at the Bell, at my old friend George Perrin’s, - We drank and tippled like unto a herring; - For there is ale and stale beer, strong and mighty, - Will burn i’ the fire like unto _aqua vitæ_, - And that the reason is, as you may know, - That this Bell’s liquor makes men’s clappers go.” - -In 1868 there was a CLAPPER at Woodham which, perhaps, belonged to one -or other of the bells just mentioned. - -The CASTLE is a frequent Essex sign, occurring thirteen times in all. It -is an ancient sign, which is thought by Larwood and Hotten to have -originated in the fact that anciently entertainment was to be had at the -castles of the great, as at an inn. In later times the custom arose of -naming inns after particular castles, and it is easy to see that the -example of the sign now found at Hadleigh, and the two examples now -existing at **Colchester, originated in this way. Sixty years ago there -was another at *Saffron Walden, which was, of course, named after the -old castle there. Not improbably, in some cases, the sign may have been -derived from the arms of the Masons’ Company.[95] A castle is -represented on the seventeenth century token of Thomas Hewes of Castle -Hedingham--being, of course, the fine old castle of the De Veres at that -place. Mr. King finds mention in some old deeds dated 1693 of the CASTLE -AT TRIMME at Rochford in that day. This was probably an inn-sign, but -perhaps that of a shop or tenement. It was doubtless so called from the -ancient castle of the De Lacys, built in 1220, at Trim in Ireland, -which figured in the Civil War. As this castle does not appear to have -had any connection with Essex, the most probable conclusion is that the -sign was set up by some one who was present at the surrender of the -castle to Cromwell in 1649. The following advertisement appeared in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ on March 2, 1787: - - “COCKING. On Friday, March 9th, will be fought a Main of Cocks, at - the sign of the CASTLE, Great Oakley, for Two Guineas a Battle, and - Five the odds; where the company of all gentlemen and others will - be esteemed a favour, by their humble servant William Rayner. The - Cocks to be pitted at eleven o’clock, and a good ordinary to be - provided at two.” - -Mr. H. W. King writes: - - “The present CASTLE at Hadleigh changed its name (though remaining - at the same house) late in the last, or early in the present, - century. It was formerly the BLUE BOAR, and old people persistently - called it so within my memory, in spite of the change. I have also - found evidence of this change in some old Court Rolls. This kind of - change is not infrequent. I conceive that the BLUE BOAR may have - been the sign of the inn for centuries, but the CASTLE was, I - suppose, thought more attractive to the many visitors to the old - Castle.” - -The CHEQUERS is a sign of great interest and antiquity. It is very -common in Essex, as it appears no less than twenty times, including one -OLD CHEQUERS. It is equally common as a beer-house sign. Robt. Bowyer -kept the CHEQUERS at Bardfield in the seventeenth century, as shown by -his token, but no house now exists there under that name. Mr. Creed’s -list (p. 7) shows inns with this sign at Epping, Nazing, Waltham Abbey, -High Laver, and Nettleswell in 1789. The CHEQUERS at Roxwell seems to -have existed since 1787, as it is referred to in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ for February 2nd in that year. As a sign it is said to be -found even among the ruins of Pompeii, and, according to Larwood and -Hotten, it “is, perhaps, the most patriarchal of all signs.” The same -writers say (p. 488) that in England it is “said to represent the coat -of arms of the Earls de Warrenne and Surrey, who bore _chequy, or and -azure_, and in the reign of Edward IV. possessed the privilege of -licensing ale-houses.” The old money-changers used boards divided up -into squares like a modern chess-board, and the sign of the CHEQUERS may -have originated, partly, at least, in these “exchequers,” as they were -called, being hung up outside their places of business. Not improbably -the sign also represents the “chequer,” or board divided into squares, -and still used in some country inns for keeping a tally or record of the -amount drunk by each regular customer. As the sign is now painted it is -almost as often _lozengy_ as _chequy_. In the year 1764, according to an -advertisement of that date in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_, the present -IPSWICH ARMS at Ingatestone was impaled with a CHEQUERS, forming the -IPSWICH ARMS AND CHEQUERS. - -The sign of the COACH AND HORSES, which occurs thirteen times in the -county, has already been alluded to. As might be expected, it was -considerably commoner forty years ago than now. An inn of this name at -Chelmsford has a pictorial sign-board, representing a number of -gentlemen, in the costume of fifty or sixty years ago, riding on the top -of a coach. - -[Illustration: CROOKED BILLET. - -(_After Larwood and Hotten._)] - -Four houses in Essex, situated respectively at Leigh, Barking, Chadwell -Heath, and Nazing, now make use of the CROOKED BILLET as their sign. -Twenty years ago another did so, and there is still a beer-house so -styled at Felstead. There is also an OLD CROOKED BILLET at Walthamstow, -and a CROWN AND CROOKED BILLET (doubtless merely an impaled sign) at -Woodford Bridge. It is not by any means clear what this sign was derived -from. Larwood and Hotten confess that they “have not been able to -discover any likely origin; it may have been originally a ragged staff, -or a pastoral staff.... Frequently the sign is represented by an -untrimmed stick suspended above the door.” Mr. H. W. King writes that -the sign existed at Leigh in the earlier part of last century, being -used by a small house which still stands, but is not the inn now -displaying the sign in that town. He says: - - “The first mention I find of the existing inn is an admission dated - 1765, and referring to a certain tenement adjoining eastward to the - lane leading to the CROOKED BILLET. This previous house of the same - name is a small plaster cottage. It must have been a very mean - little public-house. At some period its sign was transferred to the - present house in the main street, which was formerly a gentleman’s - residence, and on the same property as the cottage.” - -Mr. King adds: - - “I incline to think that the CROOKED BILLET was originally a _fess - dancetté_ or a _chevron_--more probably the former--and that it is, - therefore, an heraldic sign. The sign in this town was originally a - pictorial one, and certainly it rudely represented the former. Now - that it is written a different origin is assigned to it here; but - there are so many others that I rather incline to the heraldic - origin. They said here formerly that faggots were shipped from the - wharf opposite the present house. But so they were from other - wharves.” - -The sign of the CROSS might, with equal probability, be ascribed either -to an ecclesiastical or an heraldic origin: in the one it is the symbol -of Christianity, and in the other it is a very common ordinary. It came -to be used very commonly as an heraldic charge at the time of the -Crusades. The house with this name at Mistley was, however, probably so -called on account of its being situated at a “four-want-way,” where two -roads cross. There is another example of the sign at Boxted, and in 1823 -there was a RED CROSS at *Colchester. On the map of the road between -London and Harwich, given in Ogilby’s _Itinerarium Angliæ_, published in -1675, a house--presumably an inn of importance--known as the CROSS AND -HAND, is shown at Marks Tey, and just forty-five miles from London. -Salmon (_History of Essex_, p. 69) quotes an ancient document, -describing the ceremonies connected with the annual making and -presenting of the Wardstaff in Ongar Hundred, in which another -house--probably an inn--with the sign of “the CROSS WITH A HAND at the -three wants in Fiffield” [Fyfield] is mentioned. In Essex, three or four -roads meeting are spoken of respectively as the three or four “wants.” -“The Cross [says Jewitt] whether golden, red, blue, or otherwise, was -formerly a much more common sign than now.” Several other Essex signs -are more or less ecclesiastical. For instance, the *MITRE at Colchester -is at least sixty years old. Very probably it was first so called after -one or other of the several well-known taverns of the same name which -formerly existed in London. Though it may have been derived from the -fact that the Abbot of St. John’s Abbey, at Colchester, was one of the -twenty-eight mitred abbots, and sat in the Upper House of Parliament. -The CARDINAL’S HAT, formerly a not uncommon sign, was displayed by a -house in Bocking forty years since, but has now disappeared. At -Coggeshall, one of the chief inns has long been known as the *CHAPEL -INN. Mr. G. F. Beaumont has kindly supplied the following information -concerning it: - - “In the will of Thomas Halle of Coksale, dated Jan. 15th, 1499, and - proved Feb. 5th following, is this Bequest:--’I bequeath towarde - the edifyng and making of a Chapell within the said towne of - Coksale XX^s, to be paid when the said Chapell is in werkyng.’ In - the _Certificate of Chantry Lands_ (1549) is the following under - Coggeshall:--’Item, one olde Chaple in the Street there, with a - little Garden, which is worth by the year 4s.’” - -Mr. Beaumont adds: “By deed, dated Oct. 7th, 1588, a messuage called the -old Chapel was conveyed to the fullers and weavers of Coggeshall. The -site of this building, which was pulled down in 1795, is now open -ground, on the west side of which is the CHAPEL Inn.” The sign is -probably unique. The CROSS KEYS, which represent the arms of the Papal -See, appear five times on Essex sign-boards, namely, at Saffron Walden, -*Colchester, White Notley, Dagenham, and Chadwell St. Mary, while there -is a beer-house so distinguished at North Weald. The Cross Keys have -survived the Reformation on account of their appearing also in the coats -of arms of several English sees, namely, York, Cashel, Exeter, -Gloucester, and Peterborough. Three pairs of keys crossed also form a -prominent charge in the arms of the Fishmongers’ Company (see p. 103). -Sometimes the CROSS KEYS was used as a locksmith’s sign, as may be -learned from the trade-tokens of the seventeenth century. Thus THREE -KEYS are represented on the farthing of “Thomas Haven, Locksmith, in -Chelmsford, 1669,” and the CROSSED KEYS on that of “Edward Keatchener -of Dunmow, Locksmith.” The sign of the CROWN is very common in Essex, -occurring twenty-eight times altogether. Judging from Mr. Creed’s list -(p. 7) it was equally common in Essex a century ago. There is also an -OLD CROWN at Sandon. As an emblem of Royalty, the badge of several of -our Kings and Queens, and as a very frequent heraldic bearing, the Crown -is in every way likely to be common. Larwood and Hotten (p. 101) say -that it “seems to be one of the oldest of English signs. We read of it -as early as 1467, when a certain Walter Walters, who kept the Crown in -Cheapside, made an innocent Cockney pun, saying he would make his son -heir to the Crown, which so displeased his gracious Majesty, King Edward -IV., that he ordered the man to be put to death for high treason.” The -CROWN at Romford, a once-famous hostelry, built about three centuries -ago, was demolished in the spring of 1881, when fine specimens of Tudor -work, and some massive beams beautifully carved, were brought to light. -It was once of large size, with frontages both to High Street and what -is now known as South Street. At the beginning of this century, however, -having declined before younger rivals, it was divided into shops. Later -a considerable portion was pulled down to make room for a new bank. This -demolition, and that of 1881, left nothing standing of the old house -except a portion which still remains between the Bank and the WHITE HART -Hotel. Mr. King learns from old deeds and from other sources that an inn -with the sign of the CROWN existed at Leigh in the time of Queen -Elizabeth, when it was known as the “Crown Brewery” or “Crown House,” -but it does not seem to have retained its existence later than the end -of last century or thereabouts. Mr. King believes that this was the inn -referred to by “Taylor the Water Poet,” in his _Catalogue of Tavernes_, -as being kept by a certain James Hare in 1636. No doubt it was an inn -also, for, as Mr. King remarks, “all, or nearly all, inns formerly -brewed their own beer.” He can trace it actually from 1619 and -practically from 1570. After it ceased to be an inn it was converted -into a private house and bought by a certain Francis Marriage, who -after several law-suits resold it. A CROWN also appears on the token, -dated 1667, of “Abra. Langley, iunior, of Colchester, Baymakr.” The -CROWN at *Billericay (a house not now existing) is referred to in the -_Chelmsford Chronicle_ for February 17, 1786, and the CROWN at -Chesterford is referred to in the same newspaper on the 2nd of March, -1787. Daniel Defoe, in his _Tour through Great Britain_, published in -1724, also mentions the CROWN at Chesterford. Probably this is the house -at Little Chesterford still known as the CROWN. The CROWN INN at -Brentwood, which was mentioned by Taylor in 1636, was closed many years -ago. In 1740, Salmon, who seldom noticed the inns, wrote of it as -follows in his _History and Antiquities of Essex_ (p. 262):-- - - “The Crown Inn here is very ancient, as appears from the buildings - of the back part of it. Mr. Symonds in his collection saith he was - informed from the Master (who had writings in custody to show it) - that it had been an Inn 300 years with this sign; that a family - named Salmon held it two hundred years; and that there had been - eighty-nine owners, amongst which [were] an Earl of Oxford and an - Earl of Sussex.” - -The CROWN at Ilford finds mention in the Barking parish register as -early as 1595.[96] Fox, in his _Book of Martyrs_, says that George -Eagles, who was martyred in 1557, “was carried to the new inn, called by -the sign of the CROWN, at Chelmsford” (see p. 136). The sign does not -now appear there. - -The _Builder_ of July 8, 1848, contains an illustration of a fine, old, -timber-roofed hall at Saffron Walden. Its interior, we are told, was “so -completely hidden by the subdivision of walls and ceilings within it, to -adapt it to the necessities of a dwelling-house, that until the -demolition of the buildings in the spring of the present year all that -could be seen were the carved heads of the ends of the hammer-beams. -These heads were beautifully and spiritedly carved, and, indeed, the -ornamentation of the entire hall was well and boldly cut. It was of -small dimensions.... The buildings with which it was connected were old, -but no record of the history or occupation of the place is known, except -that about two centuries ago it was an inn, the sign being the IRON -CROWN. The Hall appears to be of the time of Henry VII., judging from -its detail. It may have been the hall of some wealthy tradesman, for -Walden had many rich traders in the olden time.... The ancient hall, and -the buildings with which it was connected, have been pulled down in -order to construct a new market-place. The carved heads from the -hammer-beams (six in all) have been preserved by the Hon. R. C. Neville -(afterwards Lord Braybrooke) in his museum at Audley End.” The origin of -this sign is very doubtful. Larwood and Hotten do not notice it. -Goldsmith, in _The Traveller_, speaks of “Luke’s Iron Crown.” George and -Luke Doza were two brothers who led a revolt against the Hungarian -nobles at the beginning of the sixteenth century. They were defeated, -captured, and cruelly tortured. George, _not_ Luke (Goldsmith’s memory -must have been at fault), had, among other things, a red-hot iron crown -placed on his head. John of Leyden, an Anabaptist leader, was also -tortured to death in the same way in 1536, but it is difficult to -imagine any connection between these incidents and the inn at Saffron -Walden. What was known as the “Iron Crown of Lombardy,” was not a crown -of torture, but one of the nails used in the Crucifixion, beaten out -into a thin rim of iron, magnificently set in gold and adorned with -jewels. Charlemagne and Napoleon I. were both crowned with it, but it is -hard to see what this had to do with the inn at Saffron Walden. The sign -of the THREE CROWNS occurs at Rainham, Rowhedge, North Woolwich, and -*Halstead. The sign at the latter place was in existence forty years -ago, at which time another was also in existence. In 1668, Anne Ellis -kept the THREE CROWNS (not necessarily an inn) at Southminster, as shown -by tokens of hers, still extant. An OLD THREE CROWNS also existed in the -county in 1786 according to an advertisement in the _Chelmsford -Chronicle_ for the 5th of May in that year. There are several sources -from which the sign of the THREE CROWNS may have been derived. They -might be taken from the arms of the Essex family of Wiseman (_sable; a -chevron between three crowns argent_), or from the arms of Chich Priory -(_or; three ducal coronets, gules, two and one_), or from the arms of -the Drapers’ or the Skinners’ Companies, which have already been given. -The signs of the CROWN AND THISTLE, the CROWN AND CROOKED BILLET, and -the CROWN AND ANCHOR have all been previously noticed. The CROWN AND -SCEPTRE, which existed at Chelmsford in 1764, as we learn from an -advertisement in the _Chelmsford Chronicle_ for that year, was a sign -which was doubly emblematic of Royalty. It was, doubtless, merely an -impalement. Sixty years ago there was a *CROWN AND PUNCH BOWL at -Colchester. Doubtless, it too was merely an impaled sign. - -[Illustration: LEATHER BOTTLE. - -(_At Pleshey._)] - -Of the sign of the LEATHER BOTTLE we have three examples, situated -respectively at Little Laver, Blackmore, and Lexden. The first-named has -existed since 1789 at least. There is also a beer-house so called at -West Hanningfield. It is an old sign, taken from the “leathern bottels” -formerly used to hold liquor, and, as previously mentioned (p. 3), is -still to be seen on the cheques and over the door of Messrs. Hoare’s -Bank in Fleet Street. A beer-shop at Pleshey had on its sign-board until -recently a faded, but correct, representation of the LEATHER BOTTLE. -Under it, and on another board, is an inscription intimating that George -Philpott, the landlord, dispenses “fine Ale’s and beer at 4d. per Pott.” -The sign-board has recently been re-painted, and the bottle is not now -so well represented as formerly. Below is a figure of the old board -(with the sign-iron of the SIX BELLS at Dunmow (p. 159)), its faded -“bottle” having been restored from one of several still preserved in the -Museum at Saffron Walden. The example at Lexden had, but has not now, a -pictorial sign. The house is probably an old one under its present sign, -as it appears to have given the name of “Bottle End” to that part of the -parish in which it stands--a name it seems to have long had, it being -marked on an old map published in 1802. Mr. Thos. B. Daniell writes: - - “Not every one has formed an opinion as to what a leather bottle - was like. My father--now over eighty years of age--remembers the - pictorial sign of the LEATHER BOTTLE, and says that when a boy he - distinctly recollects a veritable leather bottle being purchased at - a sale by his father. It was a cylindrical belt of black leather, - very stout, with two circular ends (also of leather) sewn in, a - double thickness of the same material over the bung-hole (which - received a cork for stopper) and a short strap to carry it by. Its - capacity was about a gallon, and it was nothing like the skin - bottles of the East, as some might suppose.” - -Portions of the Rev. Baring-Gould’s _Mehalah_ are laid at the LEATHER -BOTTLE at Mersey--a fictitious name, unless there is a beer-house there -with that sign. - -At Bardfield there is a beer-house with the sign of the BOOT, so -distinguished unquestionably because the landlord is also a boot and -shoe maker, as a partly pictorial board over his door informs -passers-by. His pictorial sign-board is here depicted (p. 170) within -the old sign-iron of the BELL Inn at the same place. Immediately -opposite to the BOOT is another beer-house known as the THREE -HORSESHOES, because the landlord also carries on the trade of a farrier -and blacksmith. This is not an uncommon way of naming beer-houses and -small inns. The *EVENING GUN (which may be regarded as a military sign) -appeared at Colchester sixty years ago. - -[Illustration: BOOT. - -(_At Great Bardfield._)] - -In an agricultural county like Essex it is in no way surprising that as -many as eighteen inns should display the sign of the PLOUGH. At Great -Chishall a model of a plough, about half the usual size, set up on the -top of a pole, serves as a sign. The connection between the PLOUGH AND -HARROW, which are combined to form a sign at Leyton, is at once -apparent, but not so the connection between the PLOUGH AND SAIL, which -is an incomprehensible combination, occurring four times in the county, -and already treated of (p. 146). The sign of the HARROW occurs four -times, namely, at North Benfleet, Bulphan, *Stratford, and Hornchurch. -There is also a beer-house so called at Navestock. It may have had an -agricultural origin, but is equally likely to represent, in a corrupted -form, the portcullis, which was a favourite badge of Kings Henry VII. -and VIII., as already pointed out (p. 24). Another obviously -agricultural sign is that of the TWO HURDLES (beer-house) at Beauchamp -Roothing. The DRILL HOUSE (beer-shop) at Stanford Rivers, too, is -probably another agricultural sign. Doubtless there is, or used to be, -near it a house or shed in which a drill was kept. The DRILL INN at -Romford is, however, probably a military sign. At Boxted there is a -beer-house with the very strange and probably unique sign of the WIG AND -FIDGET. Inquiry has elicited the fact that the house was built about -forty years ago by a man who was a _Whig_ in his political views. His -neighbours regarded him also as a “fidgety man;” hence, when the house -was opened the people of the parish, having regard to its owner’s -peculiarities, named it the Whig and Fidget, otherwise the Fidgety Whig. -In Stapleford Tawney is a beer-shop with the sign of the MOLE TRAP. It -is probably unique. At Loughton is a beer-shop known as the BAG OF -NAILS. According to Larwood and Hotten, a bag of nails, with the spikes -of the nails sticking through it, was formerly a very common sign, and -may be seen on old tokens. The sign seems, in some cases at least, to -have been a corruption from the “Bacchanals.” - -[Illustration: THE PORTCULLIS. - -(_Badge of Henry VII._)] - -Of the sign of the HOOPS we have two examples, one at Littlebury, the -other at *Saffron Walden, while a beer-house at Buttsbury is so -designated. Anciently signs were not always painted on a sign-board, as -now, but were often carved in wood and suspended within a hoop, from -which custom many inns became known as the “Something-on-the-Hoop,” and -thus the sign of the HOOPS arose. - -The WELCH HARP at Waltham Abbey, probably taken from the arms of the -Principality of Wales, is presumably the modern form of the HARP, which -existed there in 1789 and long after. At the same time, and long after, -there was also a HARP at Epping, and twenty years since there was even a -JEW’S HARP at Waltham Abbey. - -The STILL, which has been used as a sign at Barking for many years, is -very appropriate for a spirit-merchant. It occurs on the arms of the -Distillers’ Company, and is also depicted on the tokens issued at -Thaxted in 1666 by William Purchas, and on those issued at Witham three -years later by George Robinson. The family of Purchas was well known in -Thaxted two centuries ago. Samuel Purchas, the author of the quaint, -though celebrated, book of travels known as _Purchas, His Pilgrimes_, -was born there in 1577. Another member of the family--very possibly a -son of the William mentioned above--came to a very bad end. He murdered -his mother in a fit of drunkenness, and was hung for it about the year -1635. His “Wofull Lamentation” on the occasion is to be found in a -quaint broadside of about that date preserved in the celebrated -collection known as the _Roxburghe Ballads_ in the British Museum. A -LAST occurs on the token issued at Braintree in 1670 by Thomas Mirrils, -who was doubtless a shoemaker. A PESTLE AND MORTAR are depicted on the -token issued at Felstead in 1669 by Henry Bigg, who was probably an -apothecary. A LIME-KILN is represented on the halfpenny issued at -“Pvrflet Limekill” in 1669 by Samuel Irons, who was without doubt a -lime-burner. THREE HATS are shown on the halfpenny tokens issued by -“Barge Allen at the [Three Hats] at Stebbing in Essex,” and a HAT on -those issued at Stebbing in 1668 by Richard Sayer, who doubtless kept -the same house. The Rev. W. H. Beckett of Stebbing has inquired of the -oldest inhabitants of the town (two of them being over ninety) without -being able to hear of any tradition as to these signs. Both Allen and -Sayer have been, but are no longer, Stebbing names. The TWO PIPES -crossed, which appear on the tokens of Samuel Leader of Saffron Walden -in 1653, of William Leader of “Safforn Wallding” in 1668, and of William -Martin of “Brayntry,” the THREE TOBACCO-PIPES, which are represented on -the tokens issued in 1666 by “Miles Hacklvitt in Bilrekey in Essex,” and -in 1668 by “Thomas Warrin of Waltham Abby,” and the ROLL OF TOBACCO, -which is depicted on the token of “Iohn King, grocer, in Cooldchester,” -were probably, all of them, more or less, tobacconists’ signs. The -latter, indeed, is a very common tobacconist’s sign at the present day. -A WOODEN PAIL occurs on the token issued in Moulsham in 1666 by Thomas -Joyce, who was perhaps a cooper, and a BUNDLE OF YARN on that of “Iohn -Hance of Kelvedon, clothier, 1669.” At Epping a large KETTLE, painted -red and suspended before a house, indicates that tea and hot water are -obtainable within. - -There still remain to be noticed several signs which are in use at the -present day, though they are not public-house signs. Several such have -already been alluded to, as, for instance, the BLACK BOY and the TOBACCO -ROLL for a tobacconist, and the BUNCH OF GRAPES for a vintner. The COW -or a CALF, too, forms the recognized sign of a dairyman. At Witham a -harness-maker displays a harnessed HORSE’S HEAD, life-size, as his sign. -Many similar instances of tradesmen, other than publicans, displaying -signs indicative of their trades might be named throughout the county. -Few public-house signs, however, are more familiar than the THREE GOLDEN -BALLS displayed by pawnbrokers. The device is a truly heraldic one, the -balls being taken, according to Messrs. Larwood and Hotten (p. 128), -from-- - - “The lower part of the coat of arms of the Dukes of Medici, from - whose states, and from Lombardy, nearly all the early bankers came. - These capitalists also advanced money on valuable goods, and hence - gradually became pawnbrokers. The arms of the Medicis family were - _five besants azure_, whence the balls formerly were blue, and only - within the last half century have assumed a golden exterior, - evidently to gild the pill for those who have dealings with ‘my - uncle’: as for the position in which they are placed, the popular - explanation is that there are two chances to one that whatever is - brought there will not be redeemed.” - -According to the same authors (p. 341), the BARBER’S POLE dates from the -time when barbers practised phlebotomy: the patient undergoing this -operation had to grasp the pole in order to make the blood flow more -freely. This use of the pole is illustrated in more than one illuminated -MS. As the pole was, of course, liable to be stained with blood, it was -painted red: when not in use barbers were in the habit of suspending it -outside the door with the white linen swathing-bands twisted round it; -this, in later times, gave rise to the pole being painted red and white, -or black and white, or even with red, white, and blue lines winding -round it. The POLE was also once a tooth-drawer’s sign. In some cases, -too, it is probable that it was intended punningly to indicate the fact -that the barber who displayed it attended to the needs of peoples’ -polls. Presumably it formed the sign of Roger Giles, who is said to have -circulated the following amusing advertisement in the neighbourhood of -Romford:-- - - “Roger Giles, Imperceptible Penetrator, Surgin, Paroch Clarke, - Etc:, Etc:, Romford, Essex, hinforms Ladis and Gentlemen that he - cuts their teeth and draws corns without waiten a moment. Blisters - on the lowest turms, and fysicks at a penny a peace. Sells - godfathers cordial and strap-ile, and undertakes to keep any Ladis - nales by the year, and so on. Young Ladis and Gentlemen tort the - heart of rideing, and the gramer language in the natest manner, - also grate Kare takein to himprove their morals and spelling, sarm - singing and whisseling. Teaches the jews-arp, and instructs young - Ladis on the gar-tar, and plays the ho-boy. Shotish poker and all - other reels tort at home and abroad. Perfumery in all its branches. - Sells all sorts of stashionary, barth bricks and all other sorts of - sweetmeats, including bees-wax, postage stamps and lusifers: - likewise taturs, roobub, sossages, and other garden stufs: also - fruits, such as hardbake, inguns, toothpicks, ile and tin ware, and - other eatables. Sarve, treacle, winegar, and all other hardware. - Further in particular, he has laid in a stock of tripe, china, - epsom salts, lollipops, and other pickles, such as oysters, apples, - and table beer, also silks, satins, and hearthstones, and all kinds - of kimistry, including waxdolls, rasors, dutch cloks, and - gridirons, and new laid eggs evry day by me Roger Giles. P.S.--I - lectures on joggrefy.” - -Two very quaint, though modern, tradesmen’s signs are now to be seen in -the town of Thaxted, one belonging to a sweep, the other to a farrier. -The former is situated at the end of the town nearest Dunmow, and -consists of a large picture representing a wide, empty street of houses. -A chimney belonging to one of these houses is belching forth flame and -smoke like a volcano, and a man is just giving the alarm with much -shouting and gesticulation. At the opposite end of the town a farrier -displays as his sign a device rudely cut out of tin or thin sheet-iron, -and representing a horse, held by a boy, and being shod by the man. The -affair evidently once formed a weather-cock, and its appearance in its -present position gives it a decidedly comical aspect. - -None of our Essex inns appear to have names quite as jocose as that of -a small public-house to be seen on an unusually long, straight, and -uninteresting road near the city of York. It is called the SLIP INN, and -probably a good many do “slip in” to relieve the weariness of the way. -Nor do our inn-keepers seem able to compete with one at Leigh in -Lancashire, who merely places over his door the pithy inscription:--“My -sign’s in the cellar.” - -With this we will conclude our examination of “The Trade Signs of -Essex.” All that it is now possible to do towards bringing to light -their much-obscured meanings and original significance, has been done, -and it only remains for the author to express the hope that the reader -will deem the result satisfactory. - -FINIS. - - - - -_A GLOSSARY OF THE PRINCIPAL HERALDIC TERMS USED IN THE FOREGOING -CHAPTERS._ - - - _Affrontée_, full-faced and fronting. - - _Argent_, silver or white. - - _Azure_, blue. - - _Badge_, see p. 15. - - _Besant_, a Byzantine coin, represented in Heraldry as a round flat - piece of gold, without impress. - - _Blazon_, the proper technical description of armorial bearings. - - _Charge_, an heraldic bearing or emblem. - - _Chequy_, a shield divided by horizontal and perpendicular lines - into equal square spaces, alternately tinctured. - - _Chevron_, a charge resembling the rafters of a house. - - _Colours_, azure, gules, vert, sable, or purpure. - - _Couchant_, an animal lying down. - - _Couped_, the head or limb of any animal cut off by an even line. - - _Crest_, see p. 15. - - _Dexter_, the right hand. - - _Escutcheon_, a shield of arms. - - _Escalop_, a fan-shell, the pilgrim’s badge. - - _Fess_, a broad horizontal bar across the centre of a shield. - - _Fess dancetté_, an indented or zig-zag fess. - - _Field_, the ground or surface of the shield. - - _Guardant_, full-faced. - - _Gules_, red. - - _Impaled_, side by side on the same shield. - - _Issuant_, coming out of. - - _Lozengy_, a shield divided by transverse diagonal lines into equal - lozenge-shaped spaces. - - _Metals_, or (gold) and argent (silver). - - _Or_, gold. - - _Ordinaries_, certain common heraldic charges, such as the fess, - the pale, the chevron, &c. - - _Pale_, a broad perpendicular bar down the centre of the shield. - - _Passant_, an animal walking past. - - _Proper_, of natural colour. - - _Quartered_, or _quarterly_, a shield divided into four quarters. - - _Reguardant_, looking back. - - _Sable_, black. - - _Saltire_, a broad cross of St. Andrew on the shield. - - _Sejant_, seated. - - _Sinister_, left hand. - - _Statant_, standing. - - _Supporters_, animals which support the shield (see p. 14). - - _Vert_, green. - - _Volant_, flying. - - - - -[Illustration] INDEX. - -NOTE.--_An asterisk indicates that the sign named is not noted as now -occurring or as having occurred, in Essex._ - - -Abbey Gate, 157. - -Adam and Eve, 37, 130. - -Admiral Rous, 121. - -_Agricultural Signs_, 170. - -Albert, 124. - -Albert House, 124. - -Albion, 153. - -Alma Arms, 44. - -Alma (Tavern), 154. - -Anchor, 7, 147. - -Anchor and Hope, 147. - -Ancient Foresters, 130. - -Angel, 2, 7, 67, 127, 132. - -Angel and Harp, 133. - -Angel and Trumpet,* 18. - -Apothecaries’ Arms, 39. - -Archer and Stag, 49. - -_Arms_, 14, 30. - -Artichoke, 110. - -Artillery-man, 128. - -_Astronomical Signs_, 148. - -Axe and Compasses, 35. - - -Babe and Tun,* 25. - -_Badges_, 15. - -Bag of Nails, 171. - -Bakers’ Arms, 33, 115. - -Bald-faced Stag, 7, 46. - -Bald Hind, 7, 46. - -Bald Stag, 7, 47. - -Balmoral Castle, 153. - -Barber’s Pole, 2, 173. - -Barber-Surgeons’ Arms, 38. - -Barge, 145. - -Barley Mow, 111. - -Bay Tree, 107. - -Bear, 81. - -Beavers, 24, 43. - -Beehive, 103. - -_Beer-house Signs_, 26. - -Bell, 7, 13, 102, 150, 157, 169. - -Bell and Anchor, 22, 159. - -Bell and Feathers, 102, 159. - -Bell and Neat’s Tongue,* 21. - -Berechurch Arms, 31. - -Betting Stand, 157. - -Bird in Hand, 101. - -Bishop Blays, 123. - -Blackbirds, 100. - -Black Boy, 2, 12, 71, 133, 173. - -Black Bull, 7, 65, 126. - -Black Dog, 75. - -Black Horse, 56. - -Black Lion, 7, 60. - -Black Mullet, 152. - -Blacksmiths’ Arms, 32. - -Black Swan, 7, 94. - -Blucher’s Head, 121. - -Blue Anchor, 147. - -Blue Boar, 5, 7, 13, 68, 69, 161. - -Blue Boar’s Head, 68, 70. - -Blue Lion, 13, 60. - -Blue Posts, 156. - -Boar’s Head, 34, 69, 70. - -_Booksellers’ Signs_, 2. - -Boot, 169. - -Borough Arms, 30. - -_Botanical Signs_, 107. - -_Bovine Signs_, 64. - -Bowling Green, 154. - -Brewers’ Arms, 32. - -Brick and Tile (Inn), 153. - -Bricklayers’ Arms, 34. - -Bridge (Hotel), 153. - -Britannia, 130. - -British (Inn), 153. - -British Lion, 59. - -British Queen, 125. - -Buck’s Horns, 50. - -Bugle Horn, 51, 128. - -Bull, 7, 64, 131. - -Bull and Butcher,* 23. - -Bull and Crown, 21, 65. - -Bull and Horseshoe, 21, 58, 65. - -Bullen Butchered,* 23. - -Bull’s Head, 7, 34, 65. - -Bunch of Grapes, 173. - -Bundle of Yarn, 173. - -Bush, 110. - -Bush Fair House, 7, 156. - -Butchers’ Arms, 34, 67. - - -Calf, 173. - -Cambridge Arms, 31. - -Cambridge (Hotel), 153. - -Camden Arms, 42. - -_Canine Signs_, 75. - -Canteen, 153. - -Cardinal’s Hat, 164. - -Carpenters’ Arms, 34. - -Cart and Horses, 57. - -Castle, 68, 160. - -Castle at Trimme, 160. - -Cat and Fiddle,* 21. - -Cauliflower, 110. - -_Cervine Signs_, 46. - -_Cetacean Signs_, 82. - -Chadwell Arms, 31. - -Chaise and Pair, 57. - -Chapel (Inn), 164. - -Chatsworth Arms, 44. - -Chelmer (Inn), 157. - -_Chelmsford High Street in 1762_, 12. - -Chequer, 7. - -Chequers, 161. - -Cherry Tree, 107. - -Chestnut Tree, 107. - -Chinaman, 131. - -Chobham Arms, 44. - -City Arms, 31. - -Clapper, 160. - -Clarence, 124. - -Clarendon, 121. - -Clifton, 121. - -Clothworkers’ Arms, 40. - -Coach and Bell, 22, 159. - -Coach and Horses, 7, 22, 27, 57, 162. - -Coal Hole, 155. - -Cock, 7, 98. - -Cock and Bell, 22, 99, 159. - -Cock and Crown, 99. - -Cock and Hoop,* 22. - -Cock and Magpie, 7, 100. - -Cock and Pie, 100. - -Colchester Arms, 30. - -Colne Valley Arms, 31. - -_Coloured Signs_, 16. - -Common Gate, 153. - -Compasses, 7, 35. - -Coopers, 123. - -Coopers’ Arms, 35, 123. - -Cornucopia, 157. - -_Corrupted Signs_, 22. - -Cow, 173. - -Cowley Arms, 42. - -_Crests_, 15. - -Cricketers, 130. - -Cricketers’ Arms, 41, 130. - -Crooked Billet, 162. - -Cross, 163. - -Cross and Hand, 22, 142, 163. - -Cross Keys, 13, 58, 164. - -Crown, 6, 7, 132, 136, 165. - -Crown and Anchor, 147, 168. - -Crown and Blacksmith, 22, 131. - -Crown and Crooked Billet, 22, 162, 168. - -Crown and Punchbowl, 168. - -Crown and Sceptre, 168. - -Crown and Thistle, 116, 168. - -Crown’s (Inn), 130. - -Cuckfield Arms, 31. - -Cups, 37. - - -Dartmouth Arms, 31. - -De Beauvoirs’ Arms, 24, 42, 43. - -_Decay of Inns_, 8. - -Denmark Arms, 31. - -Dial, 157. - -Dick Turpin’s Cave, 131. - -Dock House (Tavern), 153. - -Doe, 49. - -Dog, 75. - -Dog and Chain, 76. - -Dog and Gridiron,* 21. - -Dog and Partridge, 22, 75. - -Dog and Pheasant, 75. - -Dog’s Head in Pot, 76. - -Dolphin, 82. - -Doodle Oak, 109. - -Dorset Arms, 31. - -Dove and Olive-Branch, 38. - -Dragon, 88. - -Dragoon, 128. - -Drapers’ Arms, 39. - -Drill House, 170. - -Drill (Inn), 171. - -Drovers’ Arms, 41. - -Ducane Arms, 42. - -Duke of Cambridge, 124. - -Duke of Edinburgh, 124. - -Duke of Norfolk, 121. - -Duke of Wellington, 120. - -Duke of York, 124. - -Duke’s Head, 7, 120. - -Duncan’s Head, 121. - -Dun Cow, 66. - -Durham Arms, 31. - - -Eagle, 67, 91. - -Eagle and Child, 3, 21, 22, 92. - -Earl of Derby, 121. - -Earl of Essex, 121. - -Eight Bells, 16, 159. - -Elephant and Castle, 81. - -Endeavour, 154. - -Engineers’ Arms, 41. - -_Epping Inns in 1789_, 7. - -Epping Place (Inn), 7, 156. - -_Equine Signs_, 55. - -Escalop, 38. - -Essex Arms, 30, 31. - -Essex Head,* 131. - -Essex (Inn), 156. - -Essex Serpent, 104. - -_Essex Signs_, 25. - -Evening Gun, 169. - -Exchange (Inn), 157. - - -Falcon, 92. - -Falcon and Fetterlock,* 24. - -Falcon and Sceptre, 94. - -Falmouth Arms, 31. - -Feathers, 101. - -Fencers, 128. - -Ferry-boat, 145. - -Ferry House, 145. - -Ferryman, 123. - -Fighting Cocks, 99. - -Finch, 25, 101. - -Fir Trees, 107. - -Fish and Eels, 7, 103. - -Fishing Smack, 144. - -Five Bells, 16, 159. - -Flag, 153. - -Fleece, 78. - -Fleur-de-Lys, 13, 29. - -Flitch of Bacon, 73. - -Flitch of Dunmow, 73. - -Flower Pot, 157. - -Fly and Bullock, 34, 67, 103. - -Flying Bullock, 68. - -Flying Dutchman, 56. - -Flying Fox, 77. - -Flying Horse,* 67. - -Forester, 130. - -Foresters’ Arms, 42. - -Foresters’ (Inn), 130. - -Forest Gate, 153. - -Forest Glen, 153. - -Fortune of War, 154. - -Foundry Arms, 41. - -Fountain, 153. - -Four Alls,* 23. - -Four Ashes, 16, 107. - -Four Awls,* 23. - -Fox, 76. - -Fox and Goose, 21, 77. - -Fox and Hounds, 7, 76, 77. - -Fox and Seven Stars,* 21. - -Freemasons’ Arms, 41, 130. - -Freemasons’ (Tavern), 130. - -_French Signs_, 3. - -Friar’s (Inn), 123. - - -Game Cock, 99. - -Gardeners’ Arms, 33. - -Garnon Bushes, 110. - -Gate, 156. - -General Havelock, 121. - -General’s Arms, 43. - -George, 7, 127. - -George and Cannon,* 23. - -George and Dragon, 21, 22, 88, 128. - -George and Tankard, 128. - -George Canning,* 23. - -Gibraltar (Tavern), 153. - -Globe, 157. - -_Glossary_, 176. - -Goat and Boots, 24, 81. - -Goat and Compasses,* 82. - -Goat in Boots, 24, 81. - -Golden Fleece, 5, 78. - -Golden Horse, 56. - -Golden House, 153. - -Golden Lion, 59. - -Good Intent, 154. - -Good Woman,* 140. - -Grand Junction Arms,* 44. - -Grapes, 111. - -Graving Dock (Tavern), 153. - -Great Eastern, 93. - -Great White Horse, 56. - -Green Dragon, 2, 7, 13, 88, 106. - -Green Gate, 156. - -Green Man, 7, 61, 137, 138. - -Green Man and Bell, 138. - -Grenadier, 129. - -Greyhound, 7, 76. - -Griffin, 13, 89, 106. - -Grocers’ Arms, 38, 52. - -Grosvenor, 121. - -Ground-rent (Tavern), 153. - -Grove, 107. - -Guardsman, 129. - -Gun, 153. - - -Half Moon, 148. - -Half-way (Tavern), 153. - -Hallsville (Tavern), 153. - -Hambro’ Merchants’ Arms, 7, 41. - -Hammer and Pincers, 32. - -Hand, 142. - -Hand and Ball, 22, 142. - -Hand and Cock,* 25. - -Hand and Glove, 22, 142. - -Hand and Pen, 142. - -Hand and Scales, 33. - -Hand and Star,* 22, 28. - -Hare, 76. - -Hare and Hounds, 76, 77. - -Harp, 7, 133, 171. - -Harp and Lion,* 18. - -Harrow, 24, 170. - -Harwich Arms, 31. - -Hat, 172. - -Havering Bower (Inn),* 155. - -Hawk, 93. - -Hawk and Buck,* 24. - -Hawk and Buckle,* 24. - -Headley Arms, 42. - -Henley Arms, 42. - -_Heraldic Origin of Signs_, 13, 19. - -_Heraldic Signs_, 29. - -Hercules, 65, 131. - -Higham Hill (Tavern), 153. - -Holly Bush, 107. - -Holly Tree, 107. - -Hoop and Grapes,* 22. - -Hoop and Horseshoe,* 22. - -Hoops, 171. - -Hope, 153. - -Hop-pole, 111. - -Hop-poles, 5, 111. - -Horn, 51. - -Horn and Horseshoes, 27, 51. - -Horns, 50. - -Horns and Horseshoes, 7, 51. - -Horse, 57. - -Horse and Groom, 57. - -Horse and Well, 24, 57. - -Horse and Wheel, 24, 57. - -Horse Artillery, 129. - -Horse Shoe, 40, 58. - -Horse Shoes, 40, 58. - -Hoy, 145. - -_Human Signs_, 120. - -Huntsman and Hounds, 76. - -Hutton Arms, 31. - - -Iceland Queen,* 23. - -_Impaled Signs_, 19. - -Imperial (Tavern), 154. - -_Insect Signs_, 103. - -_Introduction_, 1. - -Ipswich Arms, 31. - -Ipswich Arms and Chequers, 162. - -Iron Crown, 167. - -Island Queen,* 23. - -Ivy Chimneys, 153. - - -Jew’s Harp, 171. - -Jolly Cricketers, 130. - -Jolly Fisherman, 130. - -Jolly Sailor, 123, 130. - -Joiners’ Arms, 42. - - -Kent Arms, 31. - -Kettle, 173. - -Kicking Dickey, 58. - -King Harold, 127. - -King Harold’s Head, 7, 127. - -King of Prussia, 121, 124. - -King’s Arms, 7, 14, 43, 124, 136. - -King’s Head, 7, 42, 43, 83, 113, 124, 125. - -King’s Oak, 109, 124. - -King William, 125. - -King William IV., 124. - - -Labourers’ Arms, 41. - -Lamb, 25, 80. - -Lame Dog,* 142. - -Last, 172. - -Laurie Arms, 42. - -Leather Bottle, 3, 7, 168. - -Lennard Arms, 42. - -_Leonine Signs_, 58. - -_Leporine Signs_, 77. - -Liberty Arms, 44. - -Libra Arms, 44. - -Life Guards, 129. - -Lilliput Arms, 31. - -Lime Kiln, 172. - -Lion, 12, 13, 59, 67. - -Lion and Boar, 21, 63, 73. - -Lion and Key, 21, 63. - -Lion and Dolphin,* 21. - -Lion and Lamb, 22, 63, 80. - -Live and Let Live, 155. - -Liverpool Arms, 31. - -Lobster Smack, 144. - -Locomotive, 154. - -_London Companies_, 27. - -London (Tavern), 153. - -Lord Denman, 121. - -Lord Gough, 121. - -Lord Henniker, 121. - -Lord Napier, 121. - -Lord Nelson, 121. - -Lord Palmerston, 121. - -Lord Raglan, 121. - -Lord Stanley, 121. - -Lord Western Arms, 42. - - -Magpie, 100. - -Maiden Head, 139. - -Maid’s Head, 139. - -Malt-scoop, 101. - -Maltsters’ Arms, 41. - -Maltsters’ (Inn), 131. - -_Mammalian Signs_, 46. - -Man and Plough, 138. - -Manby Arms, 42. - -Man with Seven Wives, 145. - -Mariner, 123. - -Mariners’ (Inn), 131. - -Mark’s Gate, 157. - -Marlborough’s Head, 121. - -Marquis of Granby, 7, 121. - -Marsh Gate, 157. - -Masons’ Arms, 33. - -May Bush, 107. - -Maynard Arms,* 49. - -May-pole, 7, 112, 126. - -Mechanics’ Arms,* 44. - -Mermaid, 139. - -Merry Fiddlers, 7, 123, 130. - -_Military Signs_, 128. - -Milton Arms, 42. - -Minerva, 130. - -_Miscellaneous Signs_, 153. - -Mitre, 164. - -Mole Trap, 171. - -Monk’s Head, 122. - -_Monsters_, 88. - -Moonrakers,* 148. - -Morning Star, 151. - -Moulders’ Arms, 41. - - -Nag’s Head, 7, 57. - -Napier’s Arms, 42. - -_Nautical Signs_, 143. - -Nelson’s Arms, 42. - -Nelson’s Head, 121. - -Neptune, 123, 131. - -Neville Arms, 42. - -New Bell, 159. - -New Falcon, 93. - -New Found-out, 157. - -New (Inn), 7, 136, 155. - -New Mill, 154. - -New Ship, 144. - -New Swan, 94. - -New Times, 157. - -Nightingale, 101. - -Noah’s Ark, 143. - -Norfolk (Tavern), 153. - -Northern Star, 151. - -Northumberland Arms, 31. - -_Numerical Signs_, 16. - - -Oak, 108. - -Oaks, 109. - -Odd Fellows’ Arms, 41. - -Odessa Arms, 31. - -Old Barge House, 145. - -Old Black Bull, 65. - -Old Boar’s Head, 69. - -Old Chequers, 161. - -Old Coach and Horses, 57. - -Old Cock, 98. - -Old Crooked Billet, 162. - -Old Crown, 165. - -Old Dog, 75. - -Old English Gentleman, 123. - -Old Falcon, 93. - -Old Four Swans, 97. - -Old George, 128. - -Old Greyhound, 76. - -Old King’s Head, 124. - -Old Maypole, 115. - -Old Mill, 154. - -Old Oak, 108. - -Old Royal Oak, 124. - -Old Ship, 144. - -Old Star, 152. - -Old Swan, 94. - -Old Thatched House, 154. - -Old Three Crowns, 167. - -Old Times, 157. - -Old Whalebone, 83. - -Old Welcome Sailor, 130. - -Old White Horse, 56. - -Old White Lion, 60. - -Old Windmill and Bells, 22, 154, 159. - -Oliver Twist, 121. - -One Bell, 159. - -Orange Tree, 108. - -Ordnance Arms, 44, 129. - -_Origin of Signs_, 1, 13. - -_Ornithological Signs_, 91. - -_Ovine Signs_, 78. - -Owl, 7, 101. - -Oxford Arms,* 2. - -Oyster Smack, 144. - - -Packet, 145. - -Pair of Scales, 33. - -Palace Arms,* 44. - -Park End (Beer-house), 157. - -Paul Pry, 123. - -Paviors’ Arms,* 44. - -Peacock, 100. - -Peacock Pie,* 100. - -Pestle and Mortar, 172. - -Peter Boat, 144. - -Peto Arms, 42. - -Petre’s Arms, 42. - -Phœnix, 102. - -_Pictorial Signs_, 6. - -Pier (Hotel), 154. - -Pig and Tinder-box,* 23. - -Pig and Whistle, 74. - -Pig in the Pound, 74. - -_Piscatory Signs_, 103. - -Pitt’s Head, 121. - -Plough, 24, 170. - -Plough and Harrow, 170. - -Plough and Sail, 22, 146, 170. - -Plume of Feathers, 7, 101. - -Pointer, 75. - -_Porcine Signs_, 68. - -Portcullis,* 25. - -Poulterers’ Arms, 36. - -Prince Albert Victor, 124. - -Prince Alfred, 124, 125. - -Prince of Orange, 125. - -Prince of Wales, 124, 125. - -Prince of Wales’ Head, 125. - -Princess Alexandra, 124. - -Princess Alice, 124. - -Princess of Wales, 124. - -Privateer, 147. - -Punch Bowl, 154. - -_Punning Signs_, 25. - -Pye’s Bridge (Tavern), 157. - - -Quart Pot, 154. - -Queen, 124. - -Queen Adelaide, 124. - -Queen Elizabeth, 124. - -Queen Victoria, 124, 125. - -Queen’s Arms, 43, 59, 124. - -Queen’s Head, 7, 43, 124, 125. - -Quiet Woman,* 140. - - -Rabbit,* 78. - -Rabbits, 77. - -Railway Arms, 44, 157. - -Railway Bell, 157, 159. - -Railway (Hotel), 157. - -Railway (Inn), 26, 157. - -Railway (Tavern), 26, 157. - -Rainbow, 7, 101. - -Rainbow and Dove, 22, 101. - -Ram, 80. - -Raven, 100. - -Rayleigh Arms, 42. - -_Rebus Signs_, 25. - -Red Bull, 65. - -Red Cow, 16, 66. - -Red Cross, 163. - -Red House, 16, 153, 156. - -Red Lion, 7, 13, 16, 60. - -Red Rose, 117. - -Red Tape (Tavern), 16, 154. - -Reindeer, 7, 48, 49. - -_Reptilian Signs_, 103. - -Rifleman, 128, 129. - -Rising Sun, 6, 148. - -Robin Hood, 138. - -Robin Hood and Little John, 138. - -Rod and Fish, 2. - -Rodney, 122. - -Roebuck, 7, 48. - -Roll of Tobacco, 172, 173. - -Roman Arms, 24, 44, 155. - -Roman Urn, 24, 44, 155. - -Romford Arms, 31. - -Rose, 116. - -Rose and Crown, 7, 13, 22, 96, 116. - -Rose of Denmark, 119. - -Round Bush, 108. - -Royal Albert, 124. - -Royal Arms, 30, 31, 43, 124. - -Royal Artillery, 129. - -Royal Essex Arms, 31, 124. - -Royal Forest (Hotel), 124. - -Royal (Hotel), 34, 124. - -Royal (Inn), 124. - -Royal Mortar, 125. - -Royal Oak, 108, 124. - -_Royal Signs_, 124. - -Royal Sovereign, 124. - -Royal Standard, 124, 154. - -Royal Steamer, 124, 145. - -Running Mare, 57. - - -Sail,* 146. - -Sailor and Ball, 124. - -Sailor’s Return, 123, 130. - -St. Ann’s Castle, 141. - -Saracen’s Head, 138. - -Sawyers’ Arms, 42. - -Scales and Wheatsheaf, 33. - -Sea Horse, 82. - -Shakespeare’s Head, 121. - -Shears, 5, 40, 79. - -Sheep, 24, 81. - -Sheep and Anchor,* 24. - -Shepherd and Dog, 75. - -Ship, 2, 7, 23, 81, 143. - -Ship and Anchor, 24, 144. - -Ship and Excise Office, 147. - -Ship and Shovel, 144. - -Ship at Launch, 147. - -Ship Launch, 147. - -Shoulder of Mutton, 81. - -Shuttle, 40. - -Sidney Arms, 42. - -_Sign Irons_, 12. - -Silent Woman, 140. - -Sir Colin Campbell, 121. - -Sir Evelyn Wood, 123. - -Sir John Lawrence, 121. - -Sir Wilfrid Lawson, 122. - -Six Bells, 6, 13, 16, 110, 159. - -Slaters’ Arms, 41. - -Slip (Inn),* 175. - -Smack, 144. - -Soldier, 129. - -Soldiers’ Hope, 129. - -Soldiers’ (Hotel), 129. - -Sol’s Arms,* 44. - -Spencers’ Arms, 42. - -Spotted Cow, 67. - -Spotted Dog, 6, 75. - -Spread Eagle, 91. - -Squirrel’s Head, 82. - -Stag, 49. - -Stag’s Head, 49. - -Star, 150. - -Star and Anchor, 152. - -Star and Fleece, 21, 79, 152. - -Star and Garter, 21, 152. - -Star of Denmark, 152. - -Steamship, 145. - -Still, 171. - -Stores, 153. - -Struggling Man, 142. - -Sultan, 123. - -Sun, 7, 148. - -Sun and Anchor, 22, 147, 150. - -Sun and Whalebone, 7, 22, 83, 150. - -Sunderland Arms, 24, 31. - -Sussex Arms, 31. - -Sutherland Arms, 24, 31. - -Sutton Arms, 42. - -Swan, 7, 94. - -Swan with Two Necks, 97. - - -Tabard,* 76. - -Tailors’ Arms, 42. - -Talbot, 76. - -_Taylor, the Water Poet_, 28. - -Telegraph, 154. - -Temple, 154. - -Thatched House, 7, 154. - -Thatchers’ Arms, 41. - -Theobald’s Arms, 42. - -Theydon Oak, 109. - -Thorn, 108. - -Thorough (Inn), 101. - -Three Ashes, 17, 107. - -Three Blackbirds, 16, 100. - -Three Choughs,* 100. - -Three Colts, 16, 57. - -Three Compasses, 16, 35. - -Three Conies, 25, 78. - -Three Crowns, 6, 13, 16, 40, 167. - -Three Crows,* 100. - -Three Cups, 16, 36. - -Three Elms, 17, 107. - -Three Fiddlers, 123. - -Three Fishes,* 25. - -Three Fleurs-de-lys, 2, 29. - -Three Goats’ Heads,* 82. - -Three Golden Balls, 2, 173. - -Three Hats, 172. - -Three Horse Shoes, 7, 16, 19, 40, 58, 169. - -Three Jolly Wheelers, 7, 17, 130. - -Three Kings,* 125. - -Three Mariners, 17, 123, 130. - -Three Pigeons, 16, 19, 38. - -Three Queens, 125. - -Three Rabbits, 78. - -Three Ravens,* 100. - -_“Three” Signs_, 16. - -Three Squirrels, 82. - -Three Stags’ Heads, 49. - -Three Sugar Loaves, 38, 110. - -Three Tobacco Pipes, 172. - -Three Travellers, 125, 130. - -Three Tuns, 7, 16, 19, 32. - -Tidal Basin (Tavern), 153. - -Title Deed (Tavern), 154. - -Tobacco Roll, 172, 173. - -_Tokens_, 27. - -Toll House, 154. - -Tower Arms, 42. - -Tower Hamlets Arms, 31. - -Town of Ayr, 153. - -Trafalgar (Tavern), 153. - -Travellers’ Friend, 130. - -Travellers’ Rest, 130. - -Tree, 25, 109. - -Trossachs (Hotel), 153. - -Trowel and Hammer, 36. - -Tulip, 111. - -Two Brewers, 7, 16, 130. - -Two Cocks,* 25. - -Two Fishes, 103. - -Two Hurdles, 170. - -Two Pipes Crossed, 172. - -Two Swords Crossed, 35. - - -Unicorn, 89. - -Union Flag, 153. - -United (Beer-house), 157. - -United Brethren, 155. - -_Ursine Signs_, 81. - - -Vernon’s Head, 122. - -Victoria, 124, 125. - -Victoria Arms, 43. - -Village Maid, 139. - -Vine, 111. - -Viper, 106. - -Virgin’s (Tavern), 142. - -Volunteer, 129. - -Volunteers’ Arms, 41, 44. - - -Waddington Arms, 42. - -Waggon, 154. - -Waggon and Horses, 57, 154. - -Wake Arms, 42. - -Walmer Castle, 153. - -Walnut Tree, 108. - -Warren (Inn), 154. - -Waterloo Arms,* 44. - -Waterloo (Tavern), 153. - -Waterman’s Arms, 35. - -Weavers’ Arms, 42. - -Welcome Sailor, 130. - -Wellington, 120. - -Welch Harp, 171. - -Western Arms, 42. - -Whalebone, 83. - -Wheatsheaf, 33, 115. - -Wheelers’ Arms, 33. - -Wherry, 145. - -White Bear, 7, 16, 81. - -White Boar,* 72. - -White Greyhound,* 2, 18. - -White Hart, 2, 7, 13, 16, 25, 52, 61, 165. - -White Heart, 25, 55. - -White Horse, 7, 16, 18, 56. - -White Lion, 6, 7, 16, 59, 60. - -White Rose, 117. - -White Swan, 16, 94. - -Wig and Fidget, 171. - -Wilkes Arms, 42. - -William IV., 124. - -William the Conqueror, 124. - -Willows, 107. - -Windmill, 154. - -Windsor Castle, 153. - -Wolf, 77. - -Woman Spinning, 40. - -Woodcutters’ Arms, 41. - -Wooden Pail, 172. - -Woodford Wells, 57. - -Woodman, 130. - -Woolpack, 5, 39, 79. - -World’s End, 157. - - -Yachtsman’s Arms, 41. - -Yorkshire Grey, 56. - -[Illustration] - -UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, CHILWORTH AND LONDON. - - * * * * * - -_In the Press, and shortly will be Published, Fcap. 8vo, about 225 -pages, semi-flexible scarlet cloth, 2s. 6d. nett._ - - -DURRANT’S - -HANDBOOK FOR ESSEX. - -A GUIDE TO - -The Principal Objects of Interest in each Parish in the County, for the -use of Tourists and others, - -WITH AN INTRODUCTION, - -Treating of its - -HISTORY, GEOLOGY, AREA, POPULATION, LITERATURE, ANTIQUITIES, WORTHIES, -NATURAL HISTORY, ETC., ETC., - -BY - -MILLER CHRISTY, - -Author of “The Trade Signs of Essex,” “Our Empire,” “The Genus Primula -in Essex,” “Manitoba Described.” - -_WITH A MAP AND PLANS._ - - * * * * * - -_The book will be supplied post free on receipt of 2s. in stamps to -subscribers who send in their names before Publication to the -Publishers, Messrs. E. Durrant and Co., 90, High Street, Chelmsford, who -will forward Prospectus and order form on application._ - - * * * * * - - Chelmsford: - EDMUND DURRANT AND CO., - 90, HIGH STREET. - - London: - SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, AND CO., - STATIONERS’ HALL COURT, E.C. - - * * * * * - - _To be issued by Subscription in the course of 1887._ - - The Ancient Sepulchral Monuments - of Essex. - - BY FRED. CHANCELLOR, ARCHITECT, F.R.I.B.A. - - -Under this title it is proposed to publish a Work containing -Illustrations, with descriptive text, of the principal Altar Tombs, -Effigies, Mural Tablets, and other Memorial Monuments of a date prior to -the year 1700, now to be found in the Parish Churches and other places -in the County of Essex. - -The Illustrations will all be drawn to scale from measurements taken on -the spot, with Plans, Elevations and Sections, and, where justified by -their importance, with details to a larger scale of the Mouldings and -Ornaments, and will include at least 150 Plates of Monuments to members -of the following Families:--De Vere, Bourchier, Botetort, Pointz, -Marney, Fitzwalter, Ratclifife, De Horkesley, Waldegrave, Mildmay, -Smyth, Swynborne, Salberghe, Wiseman, Fyndorne, Gilberd, Petre, -Cammocke, Hawkwood, Southcotte, Everard, D’Arcy, Cooke, Stanley, Merry, -Audley, Deane, Tryon, Sparrowe, Saunders, Harlakenden, Maynard, Guyon, -Freshwater, Wentworth, Northwood, Maxey, Rich, Bendish, Capel, Luckyn, -Honywood, Carew, Hervey, Conyers, Monox, Trafford, Tyrell, Cutte, -Middleton, Salusbury, Bramston, Rudd, Kempe, Berners, Nivell, Montague, -Bertie, Hicks, Webbe, Goring, &c., &c. - -The Letterpress of about 150 pages will include a description of each -Monument, and, when practicable, a short biographical sketch, with the -Family History, Heraldry (if any), and other curious information -relating to the person or persons to whom the Monument is erected, and -any other matter of Architectural or Antiquarian Interest connected -therewith. - -The Author has been led to undertake this work for the purpose of -preserving correct illustrations of the numerous highly interesting -Monuments which still remain scattered about the County of Essex in many -of the old Churches, and elsewhere. These old Monuments, from the nature -of their construction and materials, are necessarily of a perishable -character, and, as a matter of fact, we find that many of those which -are mentioned by Weever in his “Funeral Monuments” have disappeared -altogether; it is therefore important that an accurate record should be -taken of those which still remain without further delay. Many of them, -apart from their architectural beauty, are immensely interesting from -their historical associations; it is hoped, therefore, that this work -will commend itself to that increasing class who now make Archæology and -everything connected therewith a favourite study. - -The Volume will be published rather larger than Quarto Imperial, viz., -16 inches by 12 inches, on toned paper. The Illustrations will be Photo -lithographed from the original Drawings, and the Letterpress printed in -large clear type. The price of the Book to Subscribers will be £3 3s. A -limited number of copies will be printed. Immediately after publication -the price will be raised to £4 4s. - -_For Prospectus and order forms apply to the Author, or to Messrs. -Edmund Durrant & Co., Publishers, Chelmsford._ - - * * * * * - - _To be published by Subscription early in the year 1887._ - - RAYS OF LIGHT, - - FOR SICK AND WEARY ONES. - -“Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing - in his wings.”--MAL. iv. 2. - - I’ve found a joy in sorrow, - A secret balm for pain, - A beautiful to-morrow, - Of sunshine after rain. - - COMPILED BY EDITH L. WELLS. - - With a Preface - - BY THE REV. PREBENDARY HUTTON. - -Messrs. Edmund Durrant & Co. have the honour to announce that they will -publish early in 1887 a devotional book, consisting of portions of -Scripture, and suitable Prayers and Hymns very carefully selected from -the works of many of our best known authors, both ancient and modern; -the work has been compiled with great care by Mrs. H. C. WELLS, of -Broomfield Lodge, Chelmsford. - -The book will be well printed in clear type, on good paper, and strongly -bound, and will comprise about 416 pages. - -The price of the book will be 6s., but it will be supplied to -subscribers who send in their names to the publishers, Messrs. Edmund -Durrant & Co., High Street, Chelmsford, before publication, at 4s. 6d. -per copy. _A specimen page and order form will be sent post free on -application._ It is earnestly hoped that all who can will subscribe for -one or more copies. - -Unless liberal support be given it is almost impossible to publish works -of this character without pecuniary loss. A limited number of copies -only will be printed. Early application is therefore very necessary. -Immediately after publication the price will be raised to 6s. - - * * * * * - -MESSRS. 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PACKE, M.A., Vicar of Feering. 6d. sewed. - - =CONFIRMATION; or, Laying on of Hands upon= those that are Baptized. - New Edition, 1d. sewed. - - =DURRANT’S HANDY FARM LABOUR BOOK.= New Edition, with Daily Diary - (commencing either Monday or Saturday). 3s. 6d. bound. - - =FORMS AND SERVICES USED IN THE DIOCESE= OF ST. ALBANS. Published by - Authority. Lists on application. - - * * * * * - -EDMUND DURRANT & CO., 90, HIGH ST., CHELMSFORD. - - -FOOTNOTES: - - [1] _The History of Sign-boards, From the Earliest Times to the - Present Day._ By Jacob Larwood and John Camden Hotten. London, - 1867. In this otherwise excellent work there is, unfortunately, no - connection between the illustrations and the letterpress. - - [2] Vol. viii. No. 27, p. 175 _et seq._ - - [3] Reprinted in 1872 from the _Transactions of the Devonshire - Association for the Advancement of Literature, Science, and Art_. 93 - pp. 8vo. - - [4] Geneva: Grosset et Trembley, 1878, 8vo, 542 pp. - - [5] Edited by le Bibliophile Jacob, with appendix, frontispiece, 84 - wood-engravings, and a Map of Paris in the Fifteenth Century. Paris: - E. Dentu, 1884. - - [6] Paris and Rouen, 1852, 8vo, 131 pp. - - [7] India proofs have also been struck off, and may be obtained - separately, price 1s., from Messrs. Edm. Durrant & Co., Chelmsford. - - [8] For an explanation of this, and all other heraldic terms - hereafter, see the Glossary of such terms, given as an Appendix, at - the end. - - [9] “Supporters,” as explained in the Glossary at the end, are the - animals represented as holding up or _supporting_ the shields of arms - of royal and other distinguished personages. They are referred to in - an amusing manner by the inimitably comic Dickens, who, in _Little - Dorrit_, puts into the mouth of his by no means pleasant character, - Flora Finch, the description of them quoted at the head of the - following chapter. - - [10] _Historic Devices, Badges, and War Cries_, p. 2. - - [11] _Tokens Issued in the Seventeenth Century_, &c. By William Boyne, - F.S.A. London, 1858. - - [12] Quarterly: first and fourth, gules; three lions passant guardant - in pale, or, for England, &c. - - [13] These are commonly blazoned as follows, but they belong equally - to Middlesex, and in reality no county possesses arms:--Gules, three - seaxes proper, hilts and pomels or, points to sinister. - - [14] Gules; two staves raguly and couped, one in pale surmounted by - another in fess, both argent, between two ducal coronets in chief or, - and the bottom of the staff enfiled with another of the last. - - [15] Azure; three lions passant, regardant, in pale or. - - [16] Azure; three roses, two and one, in base, or; in chief as many - lilies, argent, stalked and leaved vert; all within a bordure gules - charged with eight plates. - - [17] Gules; a portcullis with chains pendant, or, nailed and pointed - azure. - - [18] Argent; a cross of St. George; cantoned in the first quarter, a - dagger erect, gules. - - [19] Sable; a chevron or, between three hammers argent, handled of the - second, ducally crowned of the last. - - [20] Gules; on a chevron argent between three pair of barley garbs in - saltire or, three tuns sable, hooped of the third. - - [21] Sable; a chevron between three tuns argent. - - [22] Gules; a balance between three garbs or; on a chief, a hand - supporting the balance, &c. - - [23] Gules; a demi-virgin couped below the shoulders, issuing from - clouds all proper, vested or, crowned with an eastern crown of the - last, her hair dishevelled and wreathed around the temples with roses - of the second, all within an orle of clouds proper. - - [24] Azure; on a chevron between three towers argent, a pair of - compasses open sable. - - [25] A landscape, the base variegated with flowers, a man proper, - vested round the loins with linen argent, digging with a spade, all of - the first. - - [26] Gules; a chevron between three wheels, or, on a chief argent, an - axe lying fessways proper. - - [27] Azure; a chevron or; in chief a fleur-de-lys argent between two - brick axes paleways of the second; in base a bundle of laths of the - last. - - [28] _More about Stifford_, p. 95. - - [29] Azure; two slaughter axes indorsed in saltire argent, handled - or, between three bulls’ heads couped of the second, two in fess, one - in base; on a chief argent, a boar’s head couped, gules, between two - block-brushes vert. - - [30] Argent; a chevron engrailed between three pairs of compasses, - extended, sable. - - [31] Gyronny of eight, gules and sable; on a chevron between three - annulets or, a grose between two adzes azure; on a chief vert, three - lilies slipped, stalked and leaved argent. - - [32] Gules; three pairs of swords in saltire argent, hilts and pomels - or, two pair in chief and one in base. - - [33] Barry-wavy of six, argent and azure; on the middle bar a boat, - or; on a chief of the second two bars in saltire, of the third, - between two cushions of the first, tasselled or. - - [34] Argent; on a Chevron between three storks gules, as many swans - proper. - - [35] Azure; on a chevron engrailed or, between two plasterers’ hammers - and a trowel argent in chief and a flat brush in base, a rose, &c. - - [36] Per chevron, azure and gules; three covered sprinkling-salts - argent. - - [37] Journal of a very young Lady’s Tour from Canonbury to Aldborough, - through Chelmsford, Sudbury, and Ipswich, and back through Harwich, - Colchester, &c., September 13-21, 1804. Only 24 copies printed. 16 - pp., 8vo. - - [38] Azure; on a mount in base vert, the tree of paradise environed - with the serpent between Adam and Eve, all proper. - - [39] Per fess, azure and argent; a pale counter-changed; three doves - of the last, each holding in the beak an olive-branch or. - - [40] Quarterly; first and fourth sable; a chevron between three fleams - argent; second and third per pale, argent and vert, &c. - - [41] Argent; a chevron gules between nine cloves sable, three, three - and three. - - [42] Gules; a woolpack argent. - - [43] Azure; Apollo proper, a bow in left hand and an arrow in the - right or, supplanting a serpent argent. - - [44] Azure; three clouds proper, radiated in base, or each surmounted - with a triple crown or. - - [45] Ermine; on a chief gules, three princes’ crowns composed of - crosses pattée and fleurs-de-lys or. - - [46] Argent; three horseshoes sable, pierced of the field. - - [47] Sable; a chevron ermine between two habicks in chief argent and a - teazle in base, slipped, or. - - [48] Azure; on a chevron argent between three leopards’ heads, each - having in the mouth a shuttle or, as many roses gules, seeded of the - third, barbed vert. - - [49] _Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, vol. v. p. 77. - - [50] A once-famous coaching house mentioned by Dickens in _Pickwick_. - - [51] Dale’s _Annals of Coggeshall_, p. 261. - - [52] Ibid. p. 265. - - [53] Barry nebulée of six, argent and azure; on a bend gules, a lion - passant guardant or. - - [54] Argent; three lions rampant azure, armed and langued gules. Crest - and supporters, the same device in different positions. - - [55] _Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, N. S., vol. i. p. 153. - - [56] Only a single copy is now known to exist of this remarkable - production of the effusive Walden poet and would-be wit, Robert - Winstanley. - - [57] It is interesting, too, to note that tokens are still in - existence, inscribed “Henry Woodley, 1657, at Newport Pond, H. W.” - This, in all probability, was the “Mr. Woo ...” mentioned by Poor - Robin. - - [58] _Arms_ (see p. 34). _Crest_: On a wreath a Flying Bull argent, - wings endorsed or, armed and hoofed of the last, over the head a - small circle of glory, proper. _Supporters_: Two Flying Bulls argent, - winged, armed and hoofed or, over each head a small circle of glory, - proper. - - [59] Fifth Series, vol. xii. p. 328. - - [60] _Trans. Essex Archæological Soc._, N. S., vol. ii. part iv. p. - 335. - - [61] See _post_. - - [62] _Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, vol. ii. p. 128. - - [63] Azure; a fleece or; on a chief of the last, three mullets of five - points of the first. - - [64] Dale’s _Annals of Coggeshall_, p. 267. - - [65] A mount vert, thereon a ram statant. - - [66] Argent; a royal tent between two parliament robes gules, lined - ermine; on a chief azure, a lion passant guardant or. _Crest_: On a - mount vert, a lamb passant argent, holding a banner of the last, staff - proper, on the banner a cross pattée gules within a glory of the third. - - [67] An elephant argent, armed or, on his back a tower of the first, - the trappings, &c., of the second. - - [68] Azure; a chevron or, between three goats’ heads erased argent. - - [69] It is worth mention here that in the _Account of the Trials of - John Swan and Elizabeth Jeffries_, published in 1752, reference is - made (p. 10) to a certain “John Mills [who resided] at the WHY NOT - BEAT DRAGON? at Mile End.” This most extraordinary sign, however, is - just outside Essex. Larwood and Hotten do not allude to it. - - [70] On a chapeau gules, turned up ermine, an eagle, wings extended - or, preying on an infant in its cradle proper, swaddled gules, the - cradle laced gules. - - [71] Lowestoft, 1867. - - [72] Dale’s _Annals of Coggeshall_, p. 160. - - [73] Ibid. p. 261. - - [74] _Vide Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, N. S., vol. iii. part i. p. 74. - - [75] Dale’s _Annals of Coggeshall_, p. 79. - - [76] Three Cocks. - - [77] Azure; three crowned dolphins in pale between two pairs of - crowned lucies saltire; on a chief, three pairs of keys in saltire. - - [78] _Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, vol. ii. p. 128. - - [79] Reprinted in _Notes and Queries_ for January 15, 1859. - - [80] This amusing and curious tract has since been reproduced in - facsimile, illustration and all, with an introduction by the author - of this work. It may be obtained from Mr. Wm. Masland, Bookseller, of - Saffron Walden, price 6d. - - [81] See a list of many of his effusions, by Mr. H. Ecroyd Smith, in - _Notes and Queries_ for April 28, 1883 (p. 321). - - [82] 1780, vol. i. p. 355. - - [83] Vol. iii. p. 109. - - [84] First Series, vol. x. p. 32. - - [85] Azure; a chevron, per pale and per chevron, gules and argent - counterchanged, between three garbs or; on a chief argent, a St. - Julian’s cross sable. - - [86] The use of the term “Tom and Jerry” has already been mentioned - (p. 26). - - [87] A usurer. - - [88] _Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, vol. i. p. 125. - - [89] _Historic Devices, Badges_, &c., p. 386. - - [90] A demi-woman, hair flowing proper, vested gules holding in the - dexter hand three roses, slipped and leaved vert. - - [91] _Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, N. S., vol. ii. part iv. p. 400. - - [92] A view of the house is given in Lord Braybrooke’s _History of - Audley End and Walden_ (p. 153). - - [93] Quarterly, gules and or; in the first quarter a mullet argent. - - [94] Palin’s _Stifford_, p. 82. - - [95] Sable; on a chevron between three castles argent, a pair of - compasses of the first. - - [96] _Trans. Essex Arch. Soc._, vol. ii. p. 128. - - - - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's The Trade Signs of Essex, by Miller Christy - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE TRADE SIGNS OF ESSEX *** - -***** This file should be named 51885-0.txt or 51885-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/1/8/8/51885/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow, Chuck Greif and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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