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,.■'■'( 


THE 

HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS, 

From  the  Earliest  Times  to  the  Present  Day. 

BY 

JACOB   LARWOOD,  A' l  fo-^^  ^ 

AND 

JOHN    CAMDEN    HOTTEN. 

WITH  ONE  HUNDRED  ILLUSTRA  TIONS  IN  FACSIMILE 
BY  J.  LARWOOD, 

"  He  would  name  you  all  the  uigna  aa  be  went  along." 

BES  lOSaOS'B  BARTHOLOMEW  FAIR. 

"  Oppida  ctum  peragras  peragrauda  poeniata  spectes." 

BRUNKEN  BARNABV'S  TRAVEM 


Cock  and  Bottle. 


LONDON: 
JOHN  CAMDEN  HOTTEN,  PICCADILLY. 

1867. 


[All  riglits  reserved.] 


To 

Thomas   Wright,  Esq.,  M.A.,  F.S.A., 

the  Accomplished  Interpreter  of  English  Popular  Antiquities 

this 

l,ittlE  Uolume  ts  BeitcatfU 

by 
THE    A  UTHORS. 


PREFACE. 


The  field  of  history  is  a  wide  one,  and  when  the  beaten  tracks  have  been 
well  traversed,  there  wiU  yet  remain  some  of  the  lesser  paths  to  explore. 
The  following  attempt  at  a  "  History  of  Signboards  "  may  be  deemed  the 
result  of  an  exploration  in  one  of  these  by-ways. 

Although  from  the  days  of  Addison's  Spectator  down  to  the  present 
time  many  short  articles  have  been  written  upon  house -signs,  nothing  like 
a  general  inquiry  into  the  subject  has,  as  yet,  been  pubhshed  in  this 
country.  The  extraordinary  number  of  examples  and  the  numerous  absurd 
combinations  afforded  such  a  mass  of  entangled  material  as  doubtless 
deterred  writers  from  proceeding  beyond  an  occasional  article  in  a  maga- 
zine, or  a  chapter  in  a  book, — when  only  the  more  famous  signs  would  be 
cited  as  instances  of  popular  humour  or  local  renown.  How  best  to  classify 
and  treat  the  thousands  of  single  and  double  signs  was  the  chief  difficulty 
in  compiling  the  present  work.  That  it  will  in  every  respect  satisfy  the 
reader  is  more  than  is  expected — indeed  much  more  than  could  be 
hoped  for  under  the  best  of  circumstances. 

In  these  modern  days,  the  signboard  is  a  very  unimportant  object :  it 
was  not  always  so.  At  a  time  when  but  few  persons  could  read  and  write, 
house-signs  were  indispensable  in  city  life.  As  education  spread  they  were 
less  needed ;  and  when  in  the  last  century,  the  system  of  numbering  houses 
was  introduced,  and  every  thoroughfare  had  its  name  painted  at  the  begin- 
ning and  end,  they  were  no  longer  a  positive  necessity — their  original  value 
was  gone,  and  they  lingered  on,  not  by  reason  of  their  usefulness,  but  as 
instances  of  the  decorative  humour  of  our  ancestors,  or  as  advertisements 
of  established  reputation  and  business  success.  For  the  names  of  many  of 
our  streets  we  are  indebted  to  the  sign  of  the  old  inn  or  public-house,  which 
frequently  was  the  first  building  in  the  street — commonly  enough  suggest- 
ing its  erection,  or  at  least  a  few  houses  by  way  of  commencement.  The 
huge  "  London  Directory  "  contains  the  names  of  hundreds  of  streets  in 
the  metropolis  which  derived  their  titles  from  taverns  or  public-houses  in 
the  immediate  neighbourhood.  As  material  for  the  etymology  of  the 
names  of  persons  and  places,  the  various  old  signs  may  be  stucUed  with 
advantage.  In  many  other  ways  the  historic  importance  of  house-signs 
could  be  shown. 

Something  like  a  classification  of  our  subject  was  found  absolutely  neces- 


vi  P REIT  ACM. 

sary  at  the  outset,  although  from  the  indefinite  nature  of  many  signs  the 
divisions  "  Historic,"  "  Heraldic,"  "  Animal,"  &c. — ^under  which  the  various 
examples  have  been  arranged — must  be-regarded  as  purely  arbitrary,  for  in 
many  instances  it  would  be  impossible  to  say  whether  such  and  such  a 
sign  should  be  included  under  the  one  head  or  imder  the  other.  The 
explanations  offered  as  to  origin  and  meaning  are  based  rather  upon  con- 
jecture and  speculation  than  upon  fact — as  only  in  very  rare  instances 
reliable  data  could  be  produced  to  bear  them  out.  Compound  signs  but 
increase  the  difBculty  of  explanation :  if  the  road  was  uncertain  before, 
almost  all  traces  of  a  pathway  are  destroyed  here.  When,  therefore,  a  solu- 
tion is  offered,  it  must  be  considered  only  as  a  suggestion  of  the  posdble 
meaning.  As  a  rule,  and  unless  the  symbols  be  very  obvious,  the  reader 
would  do  well  to  consider  the  majority  of  compound  signs  as  quarteiings 
or  combinations  of  others,  without  any  hidden  signification.  A  double 
signboard  has  its  parallel  in  commerce,  where  for  a  common  advantage, 
two  merchants  will  unite  their  interests  under  a  double  name  ;  but  as  in 
the  one  case  so  in  the  other,  no  rule  besides  the  immediate  interests  of 
those  concerned  can  be  laid  down  for  such  combinations. 

A  great  many  signs,  both  single  and  compound,  have  been  omitted.  To 
have  included  all,  together  with  such  particulars  of  their  history  as  could 
be  obtained,  would  have  required  at  leaat  half-a-dozen  folio  volumes. 
However,  but  few  signs  of  any  importance  are  known  to  have  been  omitted, 
and  care  has  been  taken  to  give  fair  samples  of  the  numerous  varieties  of 
the  compound  sign.  As  the  work  progressed  a  large  quantity  of  material 
accumulated  for  which  no  space  could  be  found,  such  aa  "  A  proposal  to  the 
Hoiise  of  Commons  for  raising  above  half  a  million  of  money  per  annum, 
vAth  a  great  ease  to  the  subject,  by  a  tax  upon  sighs,  London,  1695,"  a  very 
curious  tract ;  a  political  jevrd'esprit  from  the  Harleian  MSS.,  (5953,)  en- 
titled "  The  Civill  Warres  of  the  Citie,"  a  lengthy  document  prepared  for 
a  journal  in  the  reign  of  William  of  Orange  by  one  "  E.  I.,"  and  giving 
the  names  and  whereabouts  of  the  principal  London  signs  at  that  time. 
Acts  of  Parliament  for  the  removal  or  limitation  of  signs  ;  and  various 
religious  pamphlets  upon  the  subject,  such  as  "Helps  for  Spiritual  Medi- 
tation, earnestly  Recommended  to  the  Perusal  of  all  those  who  desire  to 
have  their  Hearts  much  with  God,"  a  chap-book  of  the  time  of  Wesley 
and  Whitfield,  in  which  the  existing  "  Signs  of  London  are  Spiritualized, 
with  an  Intent,  that  when  a  person  walks  along  the  Street,  instead  of  hav- 
ing their  Mind  fiU'd  with  Vanity,  and  their  Thoughts  amus'd  with  the 
trifiing  Things  that  continually  present  themselves,  they  may  be  able  to 
Think  of  something  Profitable." 

Anecdotes  and  historical  facts  have  been  introduced  with  a  double  view  ; 
first,  as  authentic  proofs  of  the  existence  and  age  of  the  sign  ;  secondly,  in 
the  hope  that  they  may  afford  variety  and  entertainment.  They  wiU  call  up 
many  a  picture  of  the  olden  time  ;  many  a  trait  of  bygone  manners  and 
customs — old  shops  and  residents,  old  modes  of  transacting  business,  in  short, 
much  that  is  now  extinct  and  obsolete.  There  is  a  peculiar  pleasure  in 
pondering  over  these  old  houses,  and  picturing  them  to  ouraelves  as  again 
inhabited  by  the  busy  tenants  of  former  years ;  in  meeting  the  great 
names  of  history  in  the  hours  of  relaxation,  in  calling  up  the  scenes  which 

must  have  been  often  witnessed  in  the  haunt  of  the  pleasure-seeker, the 

tavern  with  its  noisy  company,  the  coffee-house  with  its  politicians  and 


PREFACE.  vn 

Bmiirt  beaux  ;  and,  on  the  other  hand,  the  quiet,  unpretending  shop  of  the 
ancient  bookseller  filled  with  the  monuments  of  departed  minds.  Such 
scraps  of  history  may  help  to  picture  this  old  London  as  it  appeared  dur- 
ing the  last  three  centuries.  For  the  contemplative  mind  there  is  some 
charm  even  in  getting  at  the  names  and  occupations  of  the  former  inmates 
of  the  houses  now  only  remembered  by  their  signs  ;  in  tracing,  by  means 
of  these  house  decorations,  their  modes  of  thought  or  their  ideas  of 
humour,  and  in  rescuing  from  oblivion  a  few  little  anecdotes  and  minor 
facts  of  history  connected  with  the  house  before  which  those  signs  swung 
in  the  air. 

It  is  a  pity  that  such  a  task  as  the  following  was  not  undertaken  many 
years  ago  ;  it  would  have  been  much  better  accomplished  theu  than 
now.  London  is  so  rapidly  changing  its  aspect,  that  ten  years  hence  many 
of  the  particulars  here  gathered  could  no  longer  be  collected.  Already,  dur- 
ing the  printing  of  this  work,  three  old  houses  famous  for  their  signs  have 
been  doomed  to  destruction — the  Mitre  in  Fleet  Street,  the  Tabard  in 
Southwark,  (where  Chaucer's  pilgrims  lay,)  and  Don  Saltero's  house  in 
Cheyne  Walk,  Chelsea.  The  best  existing  specimens  of  old  signboards  may 
be  seen  in  our  cathedral  towns.  Antiquaries  cling  to  these  places,  and  the 
inhabitants  themselves  are  generally  animated  by  a  strong  conservative  feel- 
ing. In  London  an  entire  street  might  be  removed  with  far  less  of  public 
discussion  than  would  attend  the  taking  down  of  an  old  decayed  sign  in  one 
of  these  provincial  cities.  Does  the  reader  remember  an  article  in  Punch, 
about  two  years  ago,  entitled  "  Asses  in  Canterbury !"  It  was  in  ridicule  of 
the  Canterbury  Commissioners  of  Pavement,  who  had  held  grave  delibera- 
tions on  the  well-known  sign  of  Sir  John  Falstaff,  hanging  from  the  front 
of  the  hotel  of  that  name, — a  house  which  has  been  open  for  public  enter- 
tainment these  three  hundred  years.  The  knight  with  sword  and  buckler 
(from  "  Henry  the  Fourth,")  was  suspended  from  some  ornamental  iron- 
work, far  above  the  pavement,  in  the  open  thoroughfare  leading  to  the 
famous  Westgate,  and  formed  one  of  the  most  noticeable  objects  in  this 
part  of  Canterbury.  In  1787,  when  the  general  order  was  issued  for  the 
removal  of  all  the  signs  in  the  city — many  of  them  obstructed  the  thor- 
oughfares— this  was  looked  upon  with  so  much  veneration  that  it  was 
allowed  to  remain  until  1863,  when  for  no  apparent  reason  it  was  sen- 
tenced to  destruction.  However,  it  was  only  with  the  greatest  difficulty 
that  men  could  be  found  to  pull  it  down,  and  then  several  cans  of  beer 
had  first  to  be  distributed  amongst  them  as  an  incentive  to  action — in  so 
great  veneration  was  the  old  sign  held  even  by  the  lower  orders  of  the 
place.  Eight  pounds  were  paid  for  this  destruction,  which,  for  fear  of  a 
riot,  was  effected  at  three  in  the  morning,  "amid  the  groans  and  hisses  of  the 
assembled  multitude,"  says  a  local  paper.  Previous  to  the  demolition  the 
greatest  excitement  had  existed  in  the  place ;  the  newspapers  were  filled 
with  articles;  a  petition  with  400  signatures — including  an  M.P.,  the  pre* 
bends,  minor  canons,  and  clergy  of  the  cathedral — sprayed  the  local  "com- 
missioners "  that  the  sign  might  be  spared ;  and  the  whole  community  was 
in  an  uproar.  No  sooner  was  the  old  portrait  of  Sir  John  removed  than 
another  was  put  up  ;  but  this  representing  the  knight  as  seated,  and  with 
a  can  of  ale  by  his  side,  however  much  it  may  suit  the  modern  publican's 
notion  of  mihtary  ardour,  does  not  please  the  owner  of  the  property,  and  a 
facsimile  of  the  time-honoured  original  is  in  course  of  preparation. 


via  PBEFACE. 

Concerning  the  internal  arrangement  of  the  following  work,  a  few  ex- 
planations seem  necessary. 

Where  a  street  is  mentioned  without  the  town  being  specified,  it  in  all 
cases  refers  to  a  London  thoroughfare. 

The  trades  tokens  so  frequently  referred  to,  it  will  be  scarcely  neces 
sary  to  state,  were  the  brass  farthings  issued  by  shop  or  tavern  keepers, 
and  generally  adorned  with  a  representation  of  the  sign  of  the  house. 
Nearly  all  the  tokens  alluded  to  belong  to  the  latter  part  of  the  seventeenth 
century,  mostly  to  the  reign  of  Charles  II. 

As  the  work  has  been  two  years  in  the  press,  the  passing  events 
mentioned  in  the  earlier  sheets  refer  to  the  year  1864 

In  a  few  instances  it  was  found  impossible  to  ascertain  whether  certain 
signs  spoken  of  as  existing  really  do  exist,  or  whether  those  mentioned 
as  things  of  the  past  are  in  reality  so.  The  wide  distances  at  which  they 
are  situated  prevented  personal  examination  in  every  case,  and  local  his- 
tories fail  to  give  such  small  particulars. 

The  rude  unattractive  woodcuts  inserted  in  the  work  are  in  most 
instances  facsimiles,  which  have  been  chosen  aa  genuine  examples  of  the 
style  in  which  the  various  old  signs  were  represented.  The  blame  of  the 
coarse  and  primitive  execution,  therefore,  rests  entirely  with  the  ancient 
artist,  whether  sign  painter  or  engraver. 

Translations  of  the  various  quotations  from  foreign  languages  have  been 
added  for  the  following  reasons  : — It  was  necessary  to  translate  the  nume- 
rous quotations  from  the  Dutch  signboards  ;  Latin  was  Englished  for  the 
benefit  of  the  ladies,  and  Italian  and  French  extracts  were  Anglicised  to 
correspond  with  rest. 

Errors,  both  of  fact  and  opinion,  may  doubtless  be  discovered  in  the 
book.  If,  however,  the  compilers  have  erred  in  a  statement  or  an  explana- 
tion, they  do  not  wish  to  remain  in  the  dark,  and  any  light  thrown  upon 
a  doubtful  passage  will  be  acknowledged  by  them  with  thanks.  Numerous 
local  signs — ^famous  in  their  own  neighbourhood — will  have  been  omitted, 
(generally,  however,  for  the  reasons  mentioned  on  a  preceding  page,)  whilst 
many  curious  anecdotes  and  particulars  concerning  their  history  may  be 
within  the  knowledge  of  provincial  readers.  For  any  information  of  this 
kind  the  compilers  will  be  much  obliged  ;  and  should  their  work  ever  pass 
to  a  second  edition,  they  hope  to  avail  themselves  of  such  friendly  contri- 
butions. 


LoKDON,  June  1863. 


CONTENTS. 


PAOE 

CHAPTER  I. 

OBNEEAL  SCKVKT  OF  SIGNBOAltl)  HISTORY,        ....  1 

CHAPTER  II. 

HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE  SIGNS,  ....  45 

CHAPTER  III. 

HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC  SIGNS,      .....  101 

CHAPTER  IV. 

SIGNS  OP  ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS,        .  .  .  .  ,150 


CHAPTER  V, 

BIRDS  AND  EOWLS,         .... 

CHAPTER  VI. 

FISHES  AND  INSECTS, 


199 


225 


CHAPTER  VII. 
FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.,  .....  233 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  SIGNS,  .....  253 

CHAPTER  IX. 

BAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.,  ......  279 


CON  TEN' TS. 


CHAPTER  X, 

DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS, 


CHAPTER  XI. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE, 


CHAPTER  Xri. 

DRESS  ;  PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL, 

CHAPTER  XIII. 

GEOORAPHT  AND  TOPOGRAPHY, 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC, 


PUNS  AND  REBUSES,     . 


mSOELLANEOUS  SIGNS, 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


CHAPTER  XV. 


CHAPTER  XVT. 


APPENDIX. 

BONNELL  Thornton's  signboard  exhibition, 


305 


373 


399 


414 


437 


469 


476 


51 : 


INDEX  OE  ALL  THE  SIGNS  MENTIONED  IN  THE  ■WORK, 


PIATE  I. 


BAKES. 
(Pompeii,  4.D.  70.) 


BAIKT. 
(Pompeii,  A.D.  70.) 


WINE  MERCHANT. 
(Pompeii,  A.D.  70.) 


SHOEMAKEK. 
(llerculaneum.) 


TWO  JOILT  BREWERS. 
(BankB's  BillB,  1770.) 


CHAPTER   I. 
GENEEAL  SURVEY  OF  SIGNBOARD  HISTORY. 

In  the  cities  of  the  East  all  trades  are  confined  to  certain  streets, 
or  to  certain  rows  in  the  various  bazars  and  wekalehs.  Jewel- 
lers, silk-embroiderers,  pipe-dealers,,  traders  in  drugs, — each  of 
these  classes  has  its  own  quarter,  wJiere,  in  little  open  shops,  the 
merchants  sit  enthroned  upon  a  kind  of  low  counter,  enjoying 
their  pipes  and  their  cofi^ee  with  the  otium  cum  dignitate  char- 
acteristic of  the  Mussulman.  The  purchaser  knows  the  row  to  go 
to ;  sees  at  a  glance  what  each  shop  contains ;  and,  if  he  be  an 
habitue,  will  know  the  face  of  each  particular  shopkeeper,  so  that, 
under  these  circumstances,  signboards  would  be  of  no  use. 

With  the  ancient  Egyptians  it  was  much  the  same.  As  a  rule, 
no  picture  or  description  affixed  to  the  shop  announced  the  trade 
of  the  owner ;  the  goods  exposed  for  sale  were  thought  sufficient 
to  attract  attention.  Occasionally,  however,  there  were  inscrip- 
tions denoting  the  trade,  with  the  emblem  which  indicated  it  ;* 
whence  we  may  assume  that  this  ancient  nation  was  the  first  to 
appreciate  the  benefit  that  might  be  derived  from  signboards. 

What  we  know  of  the  Greek  signs  is  very  meagre  and  indefi- 
nite. Aristophanes,  Lucian,  and  other  writers,  make  frequent 
allusions,  which  seem  to  prove  that  signboards  were  in  use  with 
the  Greeks.  Thus  Aristotle  says  :  uain^  svi  rut  xairrtXim  yoaipo- 
/iiioi,  '/JjIx^oi  iJ,h  ilai,  (pahowai  &  e^ome  'jrAarrj  xal  I3a6ri.f  And 
Athenseus  :  h  v^ori^oTi  6fi%ri  S/6a(rxaX/))v.J  But  what  their  signs 
were,  and  whether  carved,  painted,  or  the  natural  object,  is  en- 
tirely unknown. 

With  the  Romans  only  we  begin  to  have  distinct  data.  In  the 
Eternal  City,  some  streets,  as  in  our  mediaeval  towns,  derived  their 
names  from  signs.  Such,  for  instance,  was  the  vicus  Ursi  Pileati, 
(the  street  of  "  The  Bear  with  the  Hat  on,")  in  the  Esquilise. 
The  nature  of  their  signs,  also,  is  well  known.  The  Bush,  their 
tavern-sign,  gave  rise  to  the  proverb,  "Vino  vendibUi  suspensa 
hedera  non  opus  est ;"  and  hence  we  derive  our  sign  of  the  Bush, 

*  Sir  Gardiner  Wilkinson's  Ancient  Egyptians,  vol  iii.  p.  158.  Also,  Rosellinl 
Monumenti  dell'  Egitto  e  della  Nubia. 

t  Ai'istotle,  Problematum  x.  14 :  "As  with  the  things  drawn  above  the  shops,  which, 
though  they  are  small,  appear  to  have  breadth  and  depth." 

;  "He  hung  the  well-known  sign  in  the  front  of  his  house." 

A 


2  THE  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOAEDS. 

and  our  proverb,  "Good  Wine  needs  no  Busk"  An  ansa,  or  handle 
of  a  pitcher,  was  the  sign  of  their  post-houses,  (stathmoi  or 
allagce,)  and  hence  these  establishments  were  afterwards  denomi- 
nated anscB*  That  they  also  had  painted  signs,  or  exterior  deco- 
rations which  served  their  purpose,  is  clearly  evident  from  various 
authors  : — 

"  Quum  vioti  Mures  Mustelarum  exercitu 
(Historia  quorum  in  tabemis  pmgitur.)"+ 

PHiBDEOS,  lib.  iv.  fab.  vL 

These  Eoman  street  pictures  were  occasionally  no  mean  works 
of  art,  as  we  may  learn  from  a  passage  in  Horace  : — 

"  Contento  poplite  miror 
Proelia,  rubrico  picta  aut  carbone ;  velut  si 
Ee  vera  pugnent,  feriant  vitentque  moventes 
Arma  viri."  + 
Cicero  also  is  supposed  by  some  scholars  to  allude  to  a  sign 
when  he  says  : — 

"  Jam  ostendamcujus  modi  sia  :  quum  ille  '  ostende  quseao '  demonstravi 
digito  pictum  Galium  in  Mariano  scute  Cimbrico,  sub  Novis,  distortum 
ejects,  linguS,,  buoois  fluentibus,  risus  est  commotus."  § 

Pliny,  after  saying  that  Lucius  Mummius  was  the  first  in  Borne 
who  affixed  a  picture  to  the  outside  of  a  house,  continues  : — 

"  Deinde  video  et  in  foro  positaa  vulgo.  Hine  enim  Crassi  oratoris  lepos, 
[here  fallows  the  anecdote  of  the  Cock  of  Mariua  the  Cimberiau]  ...  In 
lore  fuit  et  ilia  pastoris  senis  cum  baeulo,  de  qua  Teutonorum  legatua  re- 
spondit,  interrogatus  quanti  eum  eestimaret,  sibi  donari  nolle  talem  vivutu 
verumque."  || 

Fabius  also,  according  to  some,  relates  the  story  of  the  cock, 
and  his  explanation  is  cited : — "  Tabema  autem  erant  circa  Forum, 
ac  scutum  illud  signi  gratia  positum."ir 

But  we  can  judge  even  better  from  an  inspection  of  the  Roman 

*  Hearne,  Antiq.  Disc,  i.  39. 

t  "When  the  mice  were  conquered  by  the  army  of  the  weasels,  (a  story  wliich  we  sea 
painted  on  the  taverns.)" 

t  liib.  ii.  sat.  vii. :  "I  admire  the  position  of  the  men  that  are  fighting,  painted  in 
red  or  in  blacic,  as  if  they  were  really  alive ;  striking  and  avoiding  each  other's  weapons^ 
as  if  they  were  actually  moving." 

i  De  Oratore,  lib.  ii.  ch.  71:  "Now  I  shall  shew  you  how  you  are,  to  which  he  answered, 
'  Do,  please.'  Then  I  pointed  with  my  finger  towards  the  Cock  painted  on  the  signboard 
of  Marius  the  Cimberian,  on  the  New  Foi-um,  distorted,  with  his  tongue  out  and  hanging 
cheeks.    Everybody  began  to  laugh." 

II  Hist.  Nat.,  XXXV,  ch.  8  ;  "  After  this  I  find  that  they  were  also  commonly  placed  on 
the  Forum.  Hence  that  joke  of  Crassus,  the  orator.  ...  On  the  Forum  was  also  that 
of  an  old  shepherd  with  a  staff,  concerning  which  a  German  legate,  being  asked  at  how 
much  he  valued  it,  answered  that  he  would  not  care  to  have  such  a  man  given  to  him  as 
a  present,  even  if  he  were  real  and  alive." 

II  "  There  were,  namely,  taverns  round  about  the  Forum,  and  that  picture  [the  Cock] 
had  been  put  up  as  a  sign." 


ANCIENT  SIGNS  AT  POMPEII.  3 

signs  themselves,  as  they  Lave  come  down  to  us  amongst  the  ruins 
of  Hercnlaneum  and  PompeiL  A  few  were  painted  ;  but,  as  a 
rule,  they  appear  to  have  been  made  of  stone,  or  terra-cotta 
relievo,  and  let  into  the  pUasters  at  the  side  of  the  open  shop- 
fronts.  Thus  there  have  been  found  a  goat,  the  sign  of  a  dairy ; 
a  rnvZe  driving  a  mill,  the  sign  of  a  baker,  (plate  1.)  At  the  door 
of  a  schoolmaster  was  the  not  very  tempting  sign  of  a  boy  re- 
ceiving a  good  birching.  Very  similar  to  our  Two  Jolly  Brewers, 
carrying  a  tun  slung  on  a  long  pole,  a  Pompeian  public- house 
keeper  had  two  slaves  represented  above  Ms  door,  carrying  an  am- 
phora ;  and  another  wine-merchant  had  a  painting  of  Bacchus 
pressing  a  bunch  of  grapes.  At  a  perfumer's  shop,  in  the  street  of 
Mercury,  were  represented  various  items  of  that  profession — viz., 
four  men  carrying  a  box  with  vases  of  perfume,  men  occupied  in 
laying  out  and  perfuming  a  corpse,  &c.  There  was  also  a  sign 
similar  to  the  one  mentioned  by  Horace,  the  Two  Gladiators, 
under  which,  in  the  usual  Pompeian  cacography,  was  the  follow- 
ing imprecation  : — Abiat  Veneebm  Pompeiianama  ieadam  qui 
HOC  L.a;sEEiT,  i.e.,  Hdbeat  Venerem  Pompdanam  iratam,  &c. 
Besides  these  there  were  the  signs  of  the  Anchor,  the  Ship,  (perhaps 
a  ship-chandler's,)  a  sort  of  a  Cross,  the  Chequers,  the  Phallus  on 
a  baker's  shop,  with  the  words,  Hjc  habitat  felicitas  ;  whilst 
in  Herculaneum  there  was  a  very  cleverly  painted  Amorino,  or 
Cupid,  carrying  a  pair  of  ladies'  shoes,  one  on  his  head  and  the 
other  in  his  hand. 

It  is  also  probable  that,  at  a  later  period  at  all  events,  the  va- 
rious artificers  of  Eome  had  their  tools  as  the  sign  of  their  house, 
to  indicate  their  profession.  We  find  that  they  sculptured  them 
on  their  tombs  in  the  catacombs,  and  may  safely  conclude  that 
they  would  do  the  same  on  their  houses  in  the  land  of  the  living. 
Thus  on  the  tomb  of  Diogenes,  the  grave-digger,  there  is  a  pick- 
axe and  a  lamp  ;  Bauto  and  Maxima  have  the  tools  of  carpenters, 
a  saw,  an  adze,  and  a  chisel ;  Veneria,  a  tire-woman,  has  a  mirror 
and  a  comb  : — ^then  there  are  others  who  have  wool-combers'  im- 
plements ;  a  physician,  who  has  a  cupping-glass ;  a  poulterer,  a 
case  of  poultry  ;  a  surveyor,  a  measuring  rule ;  a  baker,  a  bushel, 
a  miUstone,  and  ears  of  corn  ;  in  fact,  almost  every  trade  had  its 
symbolic  implements.  Even  that  cockney  custom  of  punning  on 
the  name,  so  common  on  signboards,  finds  its  precedent  in  those 
mansions  of  the  dead.  Owing  to  this  fancy,  the  grave  of  Dracon- 
tius  bore  a  dragon  ;  Onager,   a  wild  ass ;   Umbricius,  a  shady 


4  THE  HISTORY  OF  SiaNBOARDS. 

tree  ;  Leo,  a  lion  ;  Doleus,  father  and  son,  two  casks ;  Herbacia, 
two  baskets  of  herbs ;  and  Porcula,  a  pig.  Now  it  seems  most 
probable  that,  since  these  emblems  were  used  to  indicate  where  a 
baker,  a  carpenter,  or  a  tire-woman  was  buried,  they  would  adopt 
similar  symbols  above  ground,  to  acquaint  the  public  where  a 
baker,  a  carpenter,  or  a  tire-woman  Uved. 

We  may  thus  conclude  that  our  forefathers  adopted  the  sign- 
board from  the  Komans  ;  and  though  at  first  there  were  certainly 
not  so  many  shops  as  to  require  a  picture  for  distinction, — as  the 
open  shop-front  did  not  necessitate  any  emblem  to  indicate  the 
trade  carried  on  within, — yet  the  inns  by  the  road-side,  and  in  the 
towns,  would  undoubtedly  have  them.  There  was  the  Roman 
bush  of  evergreens  to  indicate  the  sale  of  wine  ;*  and  certain  de- 
vices would  doubtless  be  adopted  to  attract  the  attention  of  the 
difiFerent  classes  of  wayfarers,  as  the  Cross  for  the  Christian  cus- 
tomer,t  and  the  Sun  or  the  Moon  for  the  pagan.  Then  we  find 
various  emblems,  or  standards,  to  court  respectively  the  custoiD 
of  the  Saxon,  the  Dane,  or  the  Briton.  He  that  desired  the  pa- 
tronage of  soldiers  might  put  up  some  weapon  ,■  or,  if  he  sought 
his  customers  among  the  more  quiet  artificers,  there  were  the 
various  implements  of  trade  with  which  he  could  appeal  to  the 
different  mechanics  that  frequented  his  neighbourhood. 

Along  with  these  very  simple  signs,  at  a  later  period,  coats  of 
arms,  crests,  and  badges,  would  gradually  make  their  appeajance 
at  the  doors  of  shops  and  inns.  The  reasons  which  dic^ted  the 
choice  of  such  subjects  were  various.  One  of  the  principal  was 
this.  In  the  Middle  Ages,  the  houses  of  the  nobility,  both  in 
town  and  country,  when  the  family  was  absent,  were  used  as  hos- 
telries  for  travellers.  The  family  arms  always  hung  in  front  of 
the  house,  and  the  most  conspicuous  object  in  those  arms  gave  a 
name  to  the  establishment  amongst  travellers,  who,  unacquainted 
vTith  the  mysteries  of  heraldry,  called  a  lion  gules  or  azure  by  tlie 
vernacular  name  of  the  Red  or  Blue  Lion.X  Such  coats  of  arms 
gradually  became  a  very  popular  intimation  that  there  was — 

*  The  Bush  cerbliQly  must  be  counted  amongst  the  most  ancient  and  popular  of  signs. 
Traces  of  Its  use  are  not  only  found  among  Roman  and  other  old-world  remains,  but  during 
the  Middle  Ages  we  have  evidence  of  its  display.  Indications  of  it  are  to  be  seen  in  the 
Bayeux  tapestry,  in  that  partwhere  a  house  is  set  on  fire,  with  the  inscription,  Hie  domut 
fruxnOitur,  next  to  which  appears  a  large  building,  from  which  projects  something  very 
like  a  pole  and  a  bush,  both  at  the  front  and  the  back  of  the  building. 

t  In  Cajdmon's  Metrical  Paraphrase  of  Scripture  History,  (circa  A.n.  1000,)  in  the 
drawings  relatmg  to  the  history  of  Abraham,  there  are  distinctly  represented  certain 
crucifoi-m  ornaments  painted  on  the  walls,  which  might  serve  the  puipose  of  signs.  (See 
npon  this  subject  under  "Rbligiois  SlONs.") 

t  The  palace  of  St  Laurence  Poulteney,    the   town  residence   of  Charles  Brandon. 


SYMBOLS  OF  TRADES.  5 

"  Good  entertainment  for  all  that  paases, — 
Horses,  mares,  men,  and  asses;" 

and  innkeepers  began  to  adopt  them,  hanging  out  red  lious  and 
green  dragons  as  the  best  way  to  acquaint  the  public  that  they 
offered  food  and  shelter. 

Still,  as  long  as  civilisation  was  only  at  a  low  ebb,  the  so-called 
open-houses  few,  and  competition  trifling,  signs  were  of  but  little 
use.  A  few  objects,  typical  of  the  trade  carried  on,  would  suffice  ; 
a  knife  for  the  cutler,  a  stocking  for  the  hosier,  a  hand  for  the 
glover,  a  pair  of  scissors  for  the  tailor,  a  bunch  of  grapes  for  the 
vintner,  fully  answered  public  requirements.  But  as  luxury  in- 
creased, and  the  number  of  houses  or  shops  dealing  in  the  same 
article  multiplied,  something  more  was  wanted.  Particular  trades 
continued  to  be  confined  to  particular  streets ;  the  desideratum 
then  was,  to  give  to  each  shop  a  name  or  token  by  which  it  might 
be  mentioned  in  conversation,  so  that  it  could  be  recommended , 
and  customers  sent  to  it.  Beading  was  still  a  scarce  acquirement ; 
consequently,  to  write  up  the  owner's  name  would  have  been  of 
little  use.  Those  that  could,  advertised  their  name  by  a  rebus ; 
thus,  a  hare  and  a  bottle  stood  for  Harebottle,  and  two  cocks  for 
Cox.  Others,  whose  names  no  rebus  could  represent,  adopted 
pictorial  objects;  and,  as  the  quantity  of  these  augmented,  new 
subjects  were  continually  required.  The  animal  kingdbm  was 
ransacked,  from  the  mighty  elephant  to  the  humble  bee,  from^he 
eagle  to  the  sparrow ;  the  vegetable  kingdom,  from  the  palm-tree"-^ 
and  cedar  to  the  marigold  and  daisy ;  everything  on  the  earth, 
and  in  the  firmament  above  it,  was  put  under  contribution.  Por- 
traits of  the  great  men  of  all  ages,  and  views  of  towns,  both 
painted  with  a  great  deal  more  of  fancy  than  of  truth ;  articles  of 
dress,  implements  of  trades,  domestic  utensils,  things  visible  and 
invisible,  ea  quae  sunt  tamquam  ea  guoe  non  sunt,  everything  was 
attempted  in  order  to  attract  attention  and  to  obtain  publicity. 
Finally,  as  all  signs  in  a  town  were  painted  by  the  same  small 
number  of  individuals,  whose  talents  and  imagination  were  limited, 

Duke  of  Suffolk,  and  also  of  the  Dukes  of  Buckingham,  was  called  the  Rose,  from  that 
badge  being  hung  up  in  front  of  the  house  ; — 

"  The  DuJie  being  at  the  Rose,  within  the  parish 

Of  St  Laurence  Poultney." — Henry  VIII. ^  a.  L  s.  2. 

"  A  house  in  the  town  of  Lewes  was  foi-merly  known  as  The  Three  Pei.ioans,  the  fact 

of  those  birds  constituting  tire  arms  of  Pelham  having  been  lost  sight  of.    Another  is 

still  called  The  Oats,"  which  is  nothing  more  than  *'the  arms  of  the  Dorset  family, 

whose  supporters  are  two  leopards  argent,  spotted  sable." — Lower,  Curiosities  of  Her- 


6  THE  HISTOR  Y  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

it  followed  tliat  the  same  subjects  were  naturally  often  repeated, 
introducing  only  a  change  in  the  colour  for  a  difference. 

Since  aU  the  pictorial  representations  were,  then,  of  much  the 
same  quality,  rival  tradesmen  tried  to  outvie  each  other  in  the 
size  of  their  signs,  each  one  striving  to  obtrude  his  picture  into 
public  notice  by  putting  it  out  further  in  the  street  than  his 
neighbour's.  The  "Liber  Albus,"  compiled  in  1419,  names  this 
subject  amongst  the  Inquisitions  at  the  Wardmotes  :  "  Item,  if 
the  ale-staie  of  any  tavern  is  longer  or  extends  further  than  ordi- 
nary."    And  in  book  iii.  part  ui.  p.  389,  is  said  : — 

"  Also,  it  was  ordained  that,  whereas  the  ale-stakes  projecting  in  front  of 
taverns  in  Chepe,  and  elsewhere  in  the  said  city,  extend  too  far  over  the 
King's  highways,  to  the  impeding  of  riders  and  others,  and,  by  reason  of 
their  excessive  weight,  to  the  great  deterioration  of  the  houses  in  which 
they  are  fixed ; — to  the  end  that  opportune  remedy  might  be  made  thereof, 
it  was  by  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  granted  and  ordained,  and,  upon  sum- 
mons, of  all  the  taverners  of  the  said  city,  it  was  enjoined  upon  them,  under 
pain  of  paying  forty  pence*  unto  the  Chamber  of  the  GuUdhaU,  on  every 
occasion  upon  which  they  should  transgress  such  ordinance,  that  no  one 
of  them  in  future  should  have  a  stake,  bearing  either  his  sign,  or  leaves,  ex- 
tending or  lying  over  the  King's  highway,  of  greater  length  than  seven  feet 
at  most,  and  that  this  ordinance  should  begin  to  take  effect  at  the  Feast  of 
Saint  Michael,  then  next  ensuing,  always  thereafter  to  be  valid  and  of  full 
effect." 

The  booksellers  generally  had  a  woodcut  of  their  signs  for  the 
colophon  of  their  books,  so  that  their  shops  might  get  known  by 
the  iaspeetion  of  these  cuts.  For  this  reason,  Benedict  Hector, 
one  of  the  early  Bolognese  printers,  gives  this  advice  to  the 
buyers  in  his  "  Justinus  et  Florus  :" — 

"  Emptor,  attende  quando  vis  emere  libros  formates  in  officina  mea  ex- 
oussoria,  inspice  signum  quod  in  liminari  pagina  est,  ita  numquam  fallens. 
Nam  quidam  malevoli  Impressores  libris  suis  inemendatis  et  maculosis 
apponunt  nomeu  meum  ut  fiant  vendibiliores."f 

Jodocus  Badius  of  Paris,  gives  a  similar  caution  : — 
"  Oratum  facimus  leotorem  ut  signum  inspiciat,  nam  sunt  qui  titulum 
nomenque  Badianum  mentiantur  et  laborem  suffurentur.":|: 

Aldus,  the  great  Venetian  printer,  exposes  a  similar  fraud,  and 
points  out  how  the  pirate  had  copied  the  sign  also  in  his  colo- 
phon ;  but,  by  inadvertency,  making  a  slight  alteration  : — 

»  Bather  a  heavy  fine,  as  the  best  ale  at  that  time  was  not  to  be  sold  for  more  than 
fchree-halfpence  a  gallon, 

t  "  Purchaser,  be  aware  when  yon  wish  to  buy  books  issued  from  my  printing-office 
Look  at  my  sign,  which  is  repiesented  on  the  title-page,  and  you  can  never  be  mistaken 
For  some  evil-disposed  printers  have  afSxed  my  name  to  their  uncorrected  and  faulty 
works,  in  order  to  secure  a  better  sale  for  them." 

t  "  We  beg  the  reader  to  notice  the  sign,  f»r  there  arc  men  who  have  adopted  the  same 
title,  and  the  name  of  Badius,  and  so  fllch  our  laboui'  " 


ORNAMENTAL  IRONWORK.  J 

"  Extremum  est  ut  admoneamus  Btudiasissimum  quemque,  Florentinoa 
quosdam  impressorea,  cum  videriut  se  diligentiam  nostram  in  caatigando  et 
imprimendo  non  posse  assequi,  ad  artes  conf  ugisse  solitas ;  hoc  est  Oram- 
maticis  Institutionibus  Aldi  in  sua  officina  formatis,  notam  Delphini 
Auohorae  Involuti  nostram  appoeuisse ;  sed  ita  egerunt  ut  quivis  niediocriter 
versatus  in  libria  impressionis  nostras  animadvertit  iUos  impudenter  fecisse. 
Nana  rostrum  Delphini  in  partem  slnistram  vergit,  cum  tamen  nostrum  in 
dexteram  totum  demittatur."  * 

No  wonder,  then,  that  a  sign  was  considered  an  heirloom,  and 
descended  from  father  to  son,  like  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  nobility, 
wMch  was  the  case  with  the  Brazen  Serpent,  the  sign  of  Reynold 
Wolfe.  "  His  trade  was  continued  a  good  while  after  his  demise 
by  his  wife  Joan,  who  made  her  will  the  1st  of  July  1574, 
whereby  she  desires  to  be  buried  near  her  husband,  in  St  Faith's 
Church,  and  bequeathed  to  her  son,  Eobert  Wolfe,  the  chapel- 
house,  [their  printing-office,]  the  Brazen  Serpent,  and  all  the 
prints,  letters,  furniture,"  &c. — Dibdin's  Typ.  Ant.,  vol.  iv.  p.  6. 

As  we  observed  above,  directly  signboards  were  generally 
adopted,  quaintness  became  one  of  the  desiderata,  and  costliness 
another.  This  last  could  be  obtained  by  the  quaUty  of  the 
picture,  but,  for  two  reasons,  was  not  much  aimed  at — ^firstly, 
because  good  artists  were  scarce  in  those  days  ;  and  even  had  they 
obtained  a  good  picture,  the  ignorant  crowd  that  daily  passed 
underneath  the  sign  would,  in  all  probability,  have  thought  the 
harsh  and  glaring  daub  a  finer  production  of  art  than  a  Holy 
Virgin  by  EafaeUe  himself.  The  other  reason  was  the  instability 
of  such  a  work,  exposed  to  sun,  wind,  rain,  froi?''^  :_2  'SLe  nightly 
attacks  of  revellers  and  roisters.  Greater  care,  therefore,  was 
bestowed  upon  the  ornamentation  of  the  ironwork  by  which  it 
was  suspended ;  and  this  was  perfectly  in  keeping  with  the  taste 
of  the  times,  when  even  the  simplest  lock  or  hinges  could  not  be 
launched  into  the  world  without  its  scrolls  and  strapwork. 

The  signs  then  were  suspended  from  an  iron  bar,  fixed  either 
in  the  wall  of  the  house,  or  in  a  post  or  obelisk  standing  in  front 
of  it ;  in  both  cases  the  ironwork  was  shaped  and  ornamented 
with  that  taste  so  conspicuous  in  the  metal-work  of  the  Renaissance 
period,  of  which  many  churches,  and  other  buildings  of  that 

*  "Lastly,  I  must  draw  the  attention  of  the  student  to  the  fact  that  some  Florentine 
printers,  seeing  that  they  could  not  equal  cur  diligence  in  correcting  and  printing,  have 
resorted  to  their  usual  artifices.  To  Aldus's  Institutiones  Grammaticge,  printed  in  their 
ofSces,  they  have  affixed  our  well-known  sign  of  the  Dolphin  wound  round  the  Anchor, 
But  they  hare  so  managed,  that  any  person  who  is  in  the  least  acquainted  with  the  books 
of  our  production,  cannot  fail  to  observe  that  this  is  an  impudent  fraud.  For  the  head 
of  the  Dolphin  is  turned  to  the  left,  whereas  that  of  oui-s  is  well  known  to  be  turned  to 
tlie  right." — Pr^axe  to  Aldus^s  Livy,  1518. 


8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOJRDS. 

period,  still  bear  witness.  In  provincial  towns  and  villages,  where 
there  was  sufficient  room  in  the  streets,  the  sign  was  generally 
suspended  from  a  kind  of  small  triumphal  arch,  standing  out  in 
the  road,  partly  wood,  partly  iron,  and  ornamented  with  all  that 
carving,  ^ding,  and  colouring  could  bestow  upon  it,  (see  descrip- 
tion of  White-Hart  Inn  at  Scole.)  Some  of  the  designs  of  this 
class  of  ironwork  have  come  down  to  us  in  the  works  of  the  old 
masters,  and  are  indeed  exquisite. 

Painted  signs  then,  suspended  in  the  way  we  have  just  pointed 
out,  were  more  common  than  those  of  any  other  kind  ;  yet  not  a 
few  shops  simply  suspended  at  their  doors  some  prominent  article 
in  their  trade,  which  custom  has  outlived  the  more  elegant  sign- 
boards, and  may  be  daily  vsdtnessed  in  our  streets,  where  the  iron- 
monger's frying-pan,  or  dust-pan,  the  hardware-dealer's  teapot,  the 
grocer's  tea^canister,  the  shoemaker's  last  or  clog,  with  the  Golden 
Boot,  and  many  similar  objects,  bear  witness  to  this  old  custom. 

Lastly,  there  was  in  London  another  class  of  houses  that  had  a 
peculiar  way  of  placing  their  signs — ^viz.,  the  Stews  upon  the  Bank- 
side,  which  were,  by  a  proclamation  of  37  Hen.  VIII.,  "  whited 
and  painted  with  signs  on  the  front,  for  a  token  of  the  said 
houses."  Stow  enumerates  some  of  these  symbols,  such  as  the 
Cross- Keys,  the  Gun,  the  Castle,  the  Crane,  the  Cardinal's  Hat, 
the  Bell,  the  Swan,  &c. 

Still  greater  variety  in  the  construction  of  the  signs  existed  in 
France;  for  besides  the  painted  signs  in  the  iron  frames,  the 
shopkeepers  in  Paris,  according  to  H.  Sauval,  ("  Antiquitfe  de  la 
Ville  de  Paris,")  had  anciently  banners  hanging  above  their  doors, 
or  from  their  windows,  with  the  sign  of  the  shop  painted  on 
them ;  whilst  in  the  sixteenth  century  carved  wooden  signs  were 
very  common.  These,  however,  were  not  suspended,  but  formed 
part  of  the  wooden  construction  of  the  house ;  some  of  them  were 
really  chefs-d'ceuvres,  and  as  careful  in  design  as  a  carved  cathe- 
dral staU.  Several  of  them  axe  stUl  remaining  in  Eouen  and 
other  old  towns ;  many  also  have  been  removed  and  placed  in 
various  local  museums  of  antiquities.  The  most  general  rule, 
however,  on  the  Continent,  as  in  England,  was  to  have  the  painted 
signboard  suspended  across  the  streets. 

An  observer  of  James  I.'s  time  has  jotted  down  the  names 
of  all  the  inns,  taverns,  and  side  streets  in  the  line  of  road  be- 
tween Charing  Cross  and  the  old  Tower  of  London,  which  docu- 
ment lies  now  embalmed  amongst  the  HarL  MS.,  6850,  foL  81. 
In  imagination  we  can  walk  with  him  through  the  metropolis  : — 


TUJi  WATER-POET'S  CATALOGUE  OF  TAVERNS.       9 

"  On  the  way  from  Whitehall  to  Charing  Cross,  we  pass :  the  White 
Hart,  the  Bed  Lion,  the  Mairmade,  iij.  Tuns,  Salutation,  the  Graihound, 
the  BeU,  the  Golden  Lyon.  In  sight  of  Charing  Crosse  :  the  Garter,  the 
Crown,  the  Bear  and  Bagged  Staffs,  the  Angel,  the  King  Harry  Head. 
Then  from  Charing  Cross  towards  ye  oittie  :  another  White  Hart,  the  Eagle 
and  Child,  the  Helmet,  the  Swan,  the  BeU,  King  Harry  Head,  the  Flower-de- 
luce,  Angel,  the  Holy  Lambe,  the  Bear  and  Harroe,  the  Plough,  the 
Shippe,  the  Black  Bell,  another  King  Harry  Head,  the  Bull  Head,  the 
Golden  Bull,  'a  sixpenny  ordinarye,'  another  Flower-de-luoe,  the  Bed 
Lyon,  the  Horns,  the  White  Hors,  the  Prince's  Arms,  Bell  Sayadge's  In,  the 
S.  John  the  Baptist,  the  Talbot,  the  Shipp  of  War,  the  S.  Dunstan,  the 
Hercules  or  the  Owld  Man  Tavern,  the  Mitar,  another  iij.  Tunnes  Inn,  and 
a  iij.  Tunnes  Tavern,  and  a  Graihound,  another  Mitar,  another  King  Harry 
Head,  iij.  Tunnes,  and  the  iij.  Cranes." 

Having  walked  from  Wlitechapel  "  straight  forward  to  the 
Tower,"  the  good  citizen  got  tired,  and  so  we  hear  no  more  of 
him. 

In  the  next  reign  we  find  the  following  enumerated  by  Taylor 
the  water-poet,  in  one  of  his  facetious  pamphlets  : — 5  Angels,  4 
Anchors,  6  Bells,  5  Bullsheads,  4  Black  Bulls,  4  Bears,  5  Bears  and 
Dolphins,  10  Castles,  4  Crosses,  (red  or  white,)  7  Three  Crowns, 
7  Green  Dragons,  6  Dogs,  5  Fountains,  3  Fleeces,  8  Globes,  5 
Greyhounds,  9  White  Harts,  4  White  Horses,  5  Harrows,  20 
King's  Heads,  7  King's  Arms,  1  Queen's  Head,  8  Golden  Lyons, 
6  Ked  Lyons,  7  Halfmoons,  10  Mitres,  33  Maidenheads,  10 
Mermaids,  2  Mouths,  8  Nagsheads,  8  Prince's  Arms,  4  Pope's 
Heads,  13  Suns,  8  Stars,  &c.  Besides  these  he  mentions  an 
Adam  and  Eve,  an  Antwerp  Tavern,  a  Cat,  a  Christopher,  a 
Cooper's  Hoop,  a  Goat,  a  Garter,  a  Hart's  Horn,  a  Mitre,  &c. 
These  were  all  taverns  in  London  ;  and  it  wiU  be  observed  that 
their  signs  were  very  similar  to  those  seen  at  the  present  day — 
a  remark  applicable  to  the  taverns  not  only  of  England,  but  of 
Europe  generally,  at  this  period.  In  another  work  Taylor  gives 
us  the  signs  of  the  taverns  *  and  alehouses  in  ten  shires  and 
counties  about  London,  aU  similar  to  those  we  have  just  enumer- 
ated ;  but  amongst  the  number,  it  may  be  noted,  there  is  not 
one  combination  of  two  objects,  except  the  Eagle  and  Child,  and 
the  Bear  and  Bagged  Staff.  In  a  black-letter  tract  entitled 
"  Newes  from  Bartholomew  Fayre,"  the  following  are  named  : — 

"  There  has  been  great  sale  and  utterance  of  Wine, 
Besides  Beer,  Ale,  and  Hippocrass  fine. 
In  every  Country,  Eegion,  and  Nation, 
Chiefly  at  Billingsgate,  at  the  Salutation  ; 

•  The  number  of  taverns  in  these  ten  sHires  was   -686,  or  thereabout?*-" 

B 


lO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

And  Boreshead  near  London  Stone, 
The  Swan  at  Bowgate,  a  tavern  well  knowne ; 
The  Mitre  in  Cheap,  and  the  Bullhead, 
And  many  like  places  that  make  noses  red ; 
The  Boreshead  in  Old  Fish  Street,  Three  Cranes  in  the  Vintree, 
And  now,  of  late,  Saint  Martin's  in  the  Sentree ; 
The  "Windmill  in  Lothbury,  the  Ship  at  the  Exchange, 
King's  Head  in  New  Fish  Street,  where  Eoysters  do  range ; 
The  Mermaid  in  Comhill,  Ked  Lion  in  the  Strand, 
Three  Tuns  in  Newgate  Market,  in  Old  Fish  Street  the  Swan." 
Dranken  Bamaby,  (1634,)  in  Ms  travels,  called,  at  several  of  the 
London  taverns,  which  he  has  recorded  in  his  vinous  flights  : — - 
'    "  Country  left  I  in  a  fury, 

To  the  Axe  in  Aldermanbury 

First  arrived,  that  place  slighted, 

I  at  the  Rose  in  Holbom  lighted. 

From  the  Rose  in  Flaggons  sail  I 

To  the  Griffin  i'  th'  Old  BaQey, 

Where  no  sooner  do  I  waken, 

Than  to  Three  Cranes  I  am  ^ken. 

Where  I  lodge  and  am  no  starter. 


Yea,  my  merry  mates  and  I,  too. 

Oft  the  Cardinal's  Hat  do  fly  to. 

There  at  Hart's  Horns  we  carouse,"  &c. 
Already,  in  very  early  times,  publicans  were  compelled  by  law 
to  have  a  sign;  for  we  find  that  in  the  16  Richard  II.,  (1393,) 
Florence  North,  a  brewer  of  Chelsea,  was  "  presented"  "  for  not 
putting  up  the  usual  sign."*  In  Cambridge  the  regulations  were 
equally  severe ;  by  an  Act  of  Parliament,  9  Henry  VI.,  it  was 
enacted:  "Quicunq;  de  villa  Cantebrigg 'braciaverit  ad  vendend' 
exponat  signum  suum,  aUoquin  omittat  cervisiam." — RoUs  of 
Parliament,  voL  v.  fol.  426  a.t  But  with  the  other  trades  it 
was  always  optional.  Hence  Charles  I.,  on  his  accession  to  the 
throne,  gave  the  inhabitants  of  London  a  charter  by  which, 
amongst  other  favours,  he  granted  them  the  right  to  hang  out 
signboards : — 

"  And  further,  we  do  give  and  grant  to  the  said  Mayor,  and  Commonalty, 
and  Citizens  of  the  said  city,  and  their  successors,  that  it  may  and  shall  be 
lawful  to  the  Citizens  of  the  same  city  and  any  of  them,  for  the  time 
being,  to  expose  and  hang  in  and  over  the  streets,  and  ways,  and  alleys  of 
the  said  city  and  suburbs  of  the  same,  signs,  and  posts  of  signs,  affixed  to 
their  houses  and  shops,  for  the  better  finding  out  such  citizens'  dwellings, 

•  "  The  original  court  voll  of  this  presentation  is  still  to  be  founil  amongst  the  records 
of  the  Dean  and  Chapter  of  Westminster."— Lysos's  Bm>.  o}  London,  vol.  iii.  p.  74, 

t  "Wliosoever  shall  brew  ale  in  the  town  of  Cambridge,  with  intention  of  selling  it, 
must  hang  out  a  sign,  otherwise  he  shall  forfeit  his  ale." 


SIGNBOARD  REGULATIONS  IN  FRANCE.  1 1 

shops,  arts,  or  occupations,  without  impediment,  molestation,  or  interrup- 
tion of  his  heirs  or  successors." 

In  France,  the  innkeepers  were  under  tlie  same  regulations  as 
in  England  ;  for  ttere  also,  by  the  edict  of  Moulins,  in  1567,  all 
innkeepers  were  ordered  to  acquaint  the  magistrates  with  their 
name  and  address,  and  their  "  afifectes  et  enseignes ; "  and  Henri 
III.,  by  an  edict  of  March  1577,  ordered  that  aU  innkeepers 
should  place  a  sign  on  the  most  conspicuous  part  of  their  houses, 
"  aux  lieux  les  plus  apparents  ; "  so  that  everybody,  even  those 
that  could  not  read,  should  be  aware  of  their  profession.  Louis 
XIV.,  by  an  ordnance  of  1693,  again  ordered  signs  to  be  put  up, 
and  also  the  price  of  the  articles  they  were  entitled  to  sell : — 

"  Art.  XSIII. — Taverniers  metront  enseignes  et  bouohons.  .  .  .  Nul 
ne  pourra  tenir  taveme  en  cette  dite  ville  et  faubourgs,  sans  mettre  enseigne 
et  bouchon,"  * 

Hence,  the  taking  away  of  a  publican's  licence  was  accompanied 
by  the  taking  away  of  his  sign  : — 

"  For  this  gross  fault  I  here  do  damn  thy  licence, 
Forbidding  thee  ever  to  tap  or  draw ; 
For  instantly  I  will  in  mine  own  person. 
Command  the  constables  to  pull  down  thy  sign.'' 

Massiwgsek,  a  New  Way  to  Pay  Old  Debts,  iv.  2. 

At  the  time  of  the  great  Civil  War,  house-signs  played  no  in- 
considerable part  in  the  changes  and  convulsions  of  the  state,  and 
took  a  prominent  place  in  the  politics  of  the  day.  We  may  cite 
an  earlier  example,  where  a  sign  was  made  a  matter  of  high 
treason — ^namely,  in  the  case  of  that  unfortunate  fellow  in  Cheap- 
side,  who,  in  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.,  kept  the  sign  of  the 
Crown,  and  lost  his  head  for  saying  he  would  "  make  his  son 
heir  to  the  Crown."  But  more  general  examples  are  to  be  met 
with  in  the  history  of  the  Commonwealth  troubles.  At  the  death 
of  Charles  I,  John  Taylor  the  water-poet,  a  Royalist  to  the  back- 
bone, boldly  shewed  his  opinion  of  that  act,  by  taking  as  a  sign 
for  his  alehouse  in  Phoenix  Alley,  Long  Acre,  the  Mourning 
Crown ;  but  he  was  soon  compelled  to  take  it  down.  Richard 
Flecknoe,  in  his  ".Enigmatical  Characters,"  (1665,)  tells  us  how 
many  of  the  severe  Puritans  were  shocked  at  anything  smeUing  of 
Popery : — "  As  for  the  signs,  they  have  pretty  weU  begun  their 
reformation  already,  changing  the  sign  of  the  Salutation  of  Our 
Lady  into  the  Souldier  and  Citizen,  and  the  Catherine  Wheel 

*  "  Art.  XXIII. — Tavemkeepers  must  put  up  signboards  and  a  bush.  .  .  .  Nobody 
shall  be  allowed  to  open  a  tarem  in  the  Said  city  and  its  suburbs  without  haring  a  sigu 
lujd  a  bush." 


12  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

into  the  Cat  and  "Wheel ;  such  ridiculous  work  they  make  of  this 
reformation,  and  so  jealous  they  are  against  all  mirth  and  joUity, 
as  they  would  pluck  down  the  Cat  and  Fiddle  too,  if  it  durst  but 
play  so  loud  as  they  might  hear  it."  No  doubt  they  invented 
very  godly  signs,  but  these  have  not  come  down  to  us. 

At  that  time,  also,  a  fashion  prevailed  which  continued,  indeed, 
as  long  as  the  signboard  was  an  important  institution — of  using 
house-signs  to  typify  political  ideas.  Imaginary  signs,  as  a  part 
of  secret  imprints,  conveying  most  unmistakably  the  sentiments 
of  the  book,  were  often  used  in  the  old  days  of  political  plots  and 
violent  lampoons.     Instance  the  following  : — 

"  Vox  BOBEALIS,  or  a  Northeme  Discoverie,  by  Way  of  Dialogue,  between 
Jamie  and  WiUie.  Amidst  the  Babylonians — printed  by  Margery  Marpre- 
late,  in  Thwack  Coat  Lane,  at  the  sign  of  the  CraJ>-Tree  Cvdgell,  without 
any  privilege  of  the  Cateroaps.     1641." 

"  Abiioles  07  HiQH  Treason  made  and  enacted  by  the  late  Half  quarter 
usurping  Convention,  and  now  presented  to  the  publick  view  for  a  general 
satisfaction  of  all  true  Englishmen.  Imprinted  for  Erasmus  Thorogood, 
and  to  be  sold  at  the  signe  of  the  Roasted  Rvmp.     1659." 

"  A  Catalogue  oe  Books  of  the  Newest  Fashion,  to  be  sold  by  auction 
at  the  Whigs'  Coffeehouse,  at  the  sign  of  the  Jachama/pa  in  Prating  Alley, 
near  the  Deanery  of  Saint  Paul's." 

"The  Censure  ot  the  Eota  upon  Mr  Milton's  book,  entitled  'The 
Beady  and  Easy  Way  to  Establish  a  Free  Commonwealth,'  &c.  Printed  at 
London  by  Paul  Giddy,  Printer  to  the  Rota,  at  the  sign  of  the  Windndll, 
in  Turn-again  Lane.     1660." 

"  An  Addbess  from  the  Ladies  of  the  Provinces  of  Munster  and  Lein- 

ster  to  their  Graces  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  D ^t,  Lord  G ,  and 

Caiaphas  the  High  Priest,  with  sixty  original  toasts,  drank  by  the  Ladies 
at  their  last  Assembly,  with  Love-letters  added.  London ;  Printed  for 
John  Pro  Patria,  at  the  sign  of  Ywat  Rex.     1754." 

"  Chivalry  no  Trifle,  or  the  Knight  and  his  Lady  :  a  Tale.  To  which 
is  added  the  Hue  and  Cry  after  Touzer  and  Spitfire,  the  Lady's  two  lap- 
dogs.     Dublin :  Printed  at  the  sign  of  Sir  Tadqfa  Press,  etc     1754." 

"  An  Address  from  the  Influential  Electors  of  the  County  and  City  of 
Galway,  with  a  Collection  of  60  Original  Patriot  Toasts  and  48  Munster 
Toasts,  with  Intelligence  from  the  Kingdom  of  Eutopia.  Printed  at  the 
sign  of  the  Pirate's  Sword  in  the  Captain's  Scaibard.     London,  1754." 

"  The  C t's  Apology  to  the  Freeholders  of  this  Kingdom  for  their 

conduct,  containing  some  Pieces  of  Humour,  to  which  is  added  a  Bill  of 

C 1  Morality.    London  :  Printed  at  the  sign  of  Betty  Ireland,  d — d  of  a 

Tyrant  in  Purple,  a  Monster  in  Black,  etc." 

In  the  newspapers  of  the  eighteenth  century,  we  find  that 
signs  were  constantly  used  as  emblems  of,  or  as  sharp  hits  at,  the 
politics  of  the  day  ;  thus,  in  the  Weekly  Journal  for  August  17, 
1718,  allusions  are  made  to  the  sign  of  the  Salutation,  in  New- 
gate Street,   by  the   opposition  party,   to  which  the  Original 


SIGNS  HUNG  IN  MOURNING.  13 

Weekly  Journal,  tte  week  after,  retaliates  by  a  description  and 
explanation  of  an  indelicate  sign  said  to  be  in  King  Street,  West- 
minster. In  1763,  tbe  following  pasquinade  went  the  round  of 
the  newspapers,  said  to  have  been  sent  over  from  Holland  : — 

"  HOTELS  POUB  LES  MINISTKES  DES  COURS  ETKA.NGEEES  AC  FUTUB  CONGRESS. 

De  I'Empereur, 

A  la  Bonne  Volenti  ;  rue  d'lmpuissance. 

De  Bussie, 

Au  Chimfere ;  rue  des  Caprices. 

De  France, 

Au  Coq  deplume ;  rue  de  Canada. 

^  D'Autriohe, 

A  la  Mauvaiee  Alliance,  rue  des  Invalides. 

D'Angleterre, 

A  la  Fortune,  Place  des  Viotoires,  rue  des  Subsides. 

De  Prusse, 

Anx  Quatre  vents,  rue  des  Renarda,  prea  la  Place  des  Guindes. 

De  Suede, 

Au  Passage  des  Courtisans,  rue  des  Visionaires. 

De  Pologne, 

Au  Sacrifice  d' Abraham,  rue  des  Innocents,  pres  la  Place  des  DevSts. 

Des  Princes  de  I'Empire, 

Au  Roitel6t,  pres  de  I'HSpital  des  Incurables,  rue  des  Charlatans. 

De  Wirtemberg, 

Au  Don  Quichotte,  rue  des  Fantomes  prSs  de  la  Montague  en  Couohe. 

D'HoUande, 
A  la  Baleine,  sur  le  March^  aux  Fromages,  pres  du  Grand  Observatoire." 

On  the  morning  of  September  28,  1736,  all  the  tavern-signs  in 
London  were  in  deep  mourning;  and  no  wonder,  their  dearly 
beloved  patron  and  friend  Gin  was  defunct, — killed  by  the  new  Act 
against  spirituous  liquors  !  But  they  soon  dropped  their  mourn- 
ing, for  Grin  had  only  been  in  a  lethargic  fit,  and  woke  up  much 
refreshed  by  his  sleep.  Fifteen  years  after,  when  Hogarth  painted 
his  "  Gin  Lane,"  royal  gin  was  to  be  had  cheap  enough,  if  we 
may  believe  the  signboard  in  that  picture,  which  informs  us  that 
"  gentlemen  and  others"  could  get  "  drunk  for  a  penny,"  and 
"  dead  drunk  for  twopence,"  in  which  last  emergency,  "  clean 
straw  for  nothing  "  was  provided. 

Of  the  signs  which  were  to  be  seen  in  London  at  the  period  of 
the  Kestoration, — to  return  to  the  subject  we  were  originally  con- 
sidering,— ^we  find  a  goodly  collection  of  them  in  one  of  the 
"Koxburghe  Ballads,"  (vol.  i.  212,)  entitled  :— 

"  .LONDON'S  OKDINAKIE,   OB  EVERT  MAN  IN  HIS   HUMOUR. 

THROUGH  the  Royal  Exchange  as  I  walked. 
Where  Gallants  in  sattin  doe  shine. 


14  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOABDS. 

At  midst  of  the  day,  they  parted  away, 

To  seaverall  places  to  dine. 
The  Gentrie  went  to  the  King's  Head, 
.     The  Nobles  unto  the  Oromne : 
The  Knights  went  to  the  Golden  Fleece, 

And  the  Ploughmen  to  the  Clovme. 
The  Cleargie  will  dine  at  the  Miter, 

The  Vintners  at  the  Three  Tunnel, 
The  Usurers  to  the  Demll  will  goe. 

And  the  Fryers  to  the  Nunnei. 
The  Ladyes  will  dine  at  the  Feathers, 

The  Gloie  no  Captaine  will  scome, 
The  Huntsmen  will  goe  to  the  Orayhound  below. 

And  some  Townes-men  to  the  Home. 

The  Plummera  will  dine  at  the  Fountaine, 

The  Cookes  at  the  Holly  Lemibe, 
The  Drunkerds  by  noone,  to  the  Mam,  in  the  Moont, 

And  the  Cuckholdes  to  the  Sam/me. 

The  Roarers  will  dine  at  the  I/yom, 

The  Watermen  at  the  Old  Swan  ; 
And  Bawdes  wiU  to  the  Negro  goe, 

And  Whores  to  the  Naked  Man. 

The  Keepers  will  to  the  White  Ha/rt, 

The  Marchants  unto  the  Shippe, 
The  Beggars  they  must  take  their  way 

To  the  Eggeihell and  the  Whippe. 

The  Farryers  will  to  the  Horse, 

The  Bhi^kesmith  unto  the  Locke, 
The  Butchers  unto  the  BvU  wiU  goe. 

And  the  Carmen  to  Bridewell  Cloche. 

The  Fishmongers  unto  the  Dolphin, 

The  Barbers  to  the  Cheat  Loafe,* 
The  Turners  unto  the  Ladle  will  goe. 

Where  they  may  merrylie  quafie. 

The  Taylors  will  dine  at  the  Sheeres, 

The  Shooemakers  will  to  the  Boote, 
The  Welshmen  they  will  taie  their  way. 

And  dine  at  the  signe  of  the  Gote. 

The  Hosiers  will  dine  at  the  Legge, 
The  Drapers  at  the  signe  of  the  Brush, 

The  Fletchers  to  Robin  Hood  will  goe, 
And  the  Spendthrift  to  Beggar's  Bush. 

The  Pewterers  to  the  Quarte  Pot, 

The  Coopers  will  dine  at  the  Hoope, 
The  Coblers  to  the  Last  will  goe, 
And  the  Bargemen  to  the  Sloope. 
**A  Cheat  loaf  wus  a  household  loaf,  wheaten  seconds  bread."— Narkb's  CToMory 


THE  BALLAD  OF  THE  LONDON  ORDINARIE.       1 5 

The  Carpenters  will  to  the  Axe, 

The  Colliers  will  dine  at  the  Sacke, 
Tour  Fruterer  he  to  the  Cherry-Tree, 

Good  fellowes  no  liquor  wUl  laoke. 

The  Goldsmith  wiU  to  the  Three  Cups, 

For  money  they  hold  it  as  drosse ; 
Tour  Puritan  to  the  Pewter  Canne, 

And  your  Papists  to  the  Crosse. 

The  Weavers  will  dine  at  the  Shutile, 

The  Glovers  will  unto  the  Glove, 
The  Maydens  all  to  the  Mayden  Head, 

And  true  Louers  unto  the  Done. 

The  Sadlers  will  dine  at  the  Saddle, 
The  Painters  will  to  the  Greene  Dragon, 

The  Dutchmen  will  go  to  the  Froe,* 

Where  each  man  will  drinke  his  Flagon. 

The  Chandlers  will  dine  at  the  Shales, 

The  Salters  at  the  signe  of  the  Bagge  ; 
The  Porters  take  pain  at  the  Ldbamr  in  Taint, 

And  the  Horse-Courser  to  the  White  Nagge. 

Thus  every  Man  in  his  humour. 

That  comes  from  the  North  or  the  South, 

But  he  that  has  no  money  in  his  purse. 
May  dine  at  the  signe  of  the  Mouth. 

The  Swaggerers  will  dine  at  the  Fencers, 

But  those  that  have  lost  their  wits  : 
With  Bedlam  Tom,  let  that  be  their  home, 

And  the  Drumme  the  Drummers  best  fits. 

The  Cheter  will  dine  at  the  Checker, 

The  Picke-pockets  in  a  blind  alehouse, 
Tel-  on  and  tride  then  up  Holbome  they  ride. 

And  they  there  end  at  the  GaUowes." 

Thomas  Heywood  introduced  a  similar  song  in  his  "  Bape  of 
Lucrece."  This,  the  first  of  the  kind  we  have  met  with,  is  in  all 
probability  the  original,  unless  the  baUad  be  a  reprint  from  an 
older  one  ;  but  the  term  Puritan  used  in  it,  seems  to  fix  its  date 
to  the  seventeenth  century. 

"  rpHE  Gintry  to  the  Kin^^e  Head, 
JL     The  Nobles  to  the  Crown, 
The  Knights  unto  -^he  Golden  Fleece, 
And  to  the  Plougn,  the  Clowne. 

The  Churchmen  to  the  Mitre, 

The  Shepheard  to  the  Star, 
The  Gardener  hies  him  to  the  Fose, 

To  the  Drum  the  Man  of  War. 
*  Froe — i.e.,  Vrouw,  woman. 


i6  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  Huntsmen  to  the  White  Ha/i% 

To  the  Ship  the  Merchants  goe. 
But  you  that  doe  the  Muses  love, 

The  sign  called  Eiwer  Po. 

The  Banquerout  to  the  WorlWi  End, 

The  Fool  to  the  Forinmt  hie, 
Unto  the  Mouth  the  Oyster-wife, 

The  Fiddler  to  the  Pie. 

The  Punk  unto  the  Cockatrice* 

The  Drunkard  to  the  Yvne, 
The  Begger  to  the  Bmh,  there  meet. 

And  with  Duke  Humphrey  dine."  + 

After  the  great  fire  of  1666,  many  of  the  houses  that  were  re- 
built, instead  of  the  former  wooden  signboards  projecting  in  the 
streets,  adopted  signs  carved  in  stone,  and  generally  painted  or 
gilt,  let  into  the  front  of  the  house,  beneath  the  first  floor  win- 
dows. Many  of  these  sigas  are  still  to  be  seen,  and  will  be 
noticed  in  their  respective  places.  But  in  those  streets  not 
visited  by  the  fire,  things  continued  on  the  old  footing,  each  shop- 
keeper being  fired  with  a  noble  ambition  to  project  his  sign  a  few 
Laches  farther  than  his  neighbour.  The  consequence  was  that, 
what  with  the  narrow  streets,  the  penthouses,  and  the  signboards, 
the  air  and  light  of  the  heavens  were  well-nigh  intercepted  from 
the  luckless  wayfarers  through  the  streets  of  London.  We  can 
picture  to  ourselves  the  unfortunate  plumed,  feathered,  silken  gal- 
lant of  the  period  walking,  in  his  low  shoes  and  silk  stockings, 
through  the  Ul-paved  dirty  streets,  on  a  stormy  November  day, 
when  the  honours  were  equally  divided  between  fog,  sleet,  snow, 
and  rain,  (and  no  umbrellas,  be  it  remembered,)  with  flower-pots 
blown  from  the  penthouses,  spouts  sending  down  shower-baths 
from  almost  every  house,  and  the  streaming  signs  swinging  over- 
head on  their  rusty,  creaking  hinges.  Certainly  the  evil  was 
great,  and  demanded  that  redress  which  Charles  11.  gave  in  the 
seventh  year  of  his  reign,  when  a  new  Act  "  ordered  that  in  all 
the  streets  no  signboard  shall  hang  across,  but  that  the  sign  shall 
be  fixed  against  the  balconies,  or  some  convenient  part  of  the  side 
of  the  house." 

The  Parisians,  also,  were  sufiering  from  the  same  enormities ; 
everything  was  of  Brobdignagian  proportions.  "  tTai  vu,"  says  an 
essayist  of  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century,  "  suspendu  aux 
boutiques  des  volants  de  six  pieds  de  hauteur,  des  perles  grosses 

*  Thia  was  in  those  days  ft  slang  term  for  a  mistress. 
t  i.e.  Walk  about  in  St  Paul's  during  the  dinner  hour. 


BUSH. 

(MS.  of  the  lith  century.) 


PLATE  II. 


BUSH. 
{Bayeux  tapestry,  11th  cent,} 


CROSS. 
(Luttrell  Psalter,  14th  century.) 


ALE-POLE. 
(Picture  of  Wouwverman,  17th  cent.) 


BLACK  JACK  AHD  PEWTEK  PLATTEE. 
(Print  by  Schavelin,  1480.) 


NAG  S  HEAD. 
(Cheapside,  1610.) 


BUSH. 
(MS.  of  the  15th  cent) 


I'ARISIAN  SIGNBOARD  ENORMITIEf!.  I  7 

comme  des  tonneaux,  des  plumes  qui  allaient  au  troisilme  Stage."  * 
There,  also,  tte  scalpel  of  the  law  was  at  last  applied  to  the  evil  ; 
for,  in  1669,  a  royal  order  was  issued  to  prohibit  these  monstrous 
signs,  and  the  practice  of  advancing  them  too  far  into  the  streets, 
"  which  made  the  thoroughfares  close  in  the  daytime,  and  pre- 
vented the  lights  of  the  lamps  from  spreading  properly  at  night." 
StOl,  with  all  their  faults,  the  signs  had  some  advantages  for 
the  wayfarer ;  even  their  dissonant  creaking,  according  to  the  old 
weather  proverb,  was  not  without  its  use  : — 

"  But  when  the  swinging  signs  your  ears  offend 
With  creaking  noise,  then  rainy  floods  impend." 

Gat's  Trima,  canto  i. 
This  indeed,  from  the  various  allusions  made  to  it  in  the 
literature  of  the  last  century,  was  regarded  as  a  very  general  hint 
to  the  lounger,  either  to  hurry  home,  or  hail  a  sedan-chair  or  a 
coach.  Gay,  in  his  didactic^^dneMr — ^poem,  points  out  another 
benefit  to  be  derived  from  the  signboards  : — 

"  If  drawn  by  Eus'ness  to  a  street  unknown, 
Let  the  sworn  Porter  point  thee  through  the  town ; ' 
Be  sure  ohserve  the  Signs,  for  Signs  remain 
Like  faithful  Landmarks  to  the  walking  Train." 

Besides,  they  offered  constant  matter  of  thought,  speculation, 
and  amusement  to  the  curious  observer.  Even  Dean  Swift,  and 
the  Lord  High  Treasurer  Harley, 

"  Would  try  to  read  the  lines 
Writ  underneath  the  country  signs." 

And  certainly  these  productions  of  the  country  muse  are  often 
highly  amusing.  Unfortunately  for  the  compilers  of  the  present 
work,  they  have  never  been  collected  and  preserved  ;  although 
they  would  form  a  not  unimportant  and  characteristic  contribution 
to  our  popular  literature.  Our  Dutch  neighbours  have  paid  more 
attention  to  this  subject,  and  a  great  number  of  their  signboard 
inscriptions  were,  towards  the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
gathered  in  a  curious  little  12mo  volume,t  to  which  we  shall  often 
refer.  Nay,  so  much  attention  was  devoted  to  this  branch  of 
literature  in  that  country,  that  a  certain  H.  van  den  Berg,  in 
1693,  wrote  a  little  volume,J  which  he  entitled  a  "Banquet," 
giving  verses  adapted  for  all  manner  of  shops  and  signboards  ; 

*  "  I  have  seen,  hanging  from  the  shopa,  shuttlecocks  six  feet  high,  pearls  as  large 
as  a  hogshead,  and  feathers  reaching  up  to  the  third  story." 

t  "Hoddige  en  ernstige  opschriften  op  Luiffels,  wagens,  glazen,  uitliangborden  en 
andere  tafereelen  door  Jeroen  Jeroense.    Amsterdam,  1682." 

{  '*Het  gestoffeerde  Winkelen  en  Luifelen  Banquet.  H.  van  den  Batg,  Amster- 
dam, 1693." 


1 8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

so  that  a  shopkeeper  at  a  loss  for  an  inscription  had  only  to  open 
the  book  and  make  his  selection ;  for  there  were  rhymes  in  it 
both  serious  and  jocular,  suitable  to  everybody's  taste.  The 
majority  of  the  Dutch  signboard  inscriptions  of  that  day  seem 
to  have  been  eminently  characteristic  of  the  spirit  of  the  nation. 
No  such  inscriptions  could  be  brought  before  "a  discerning 
public,"  without  the  patronage  of  some  holy  man  mentioned  in 
the  Scriptures,  whose  name  was  to  stand  there  for  no  other  pur- 
pose than  to  give  the  Dutch  poet  an  opportunity  of  making  a 
jingling  rhyme  ;  thus,  for  instance, — 

"  Jacob  was  David's  neef  maar  't  waren  geen  Zwagers. 
pier  slypt  men  allerhande  Barbiers  gereedschappen,  ook  voor 
vischwyven  en  slagers."* 

Or  another  example  : — 

"  Men  visehte  Moses  uit  de  Biezen, 
Hier  trekt  men  tanden  en  Kiezen."t 
In  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  we  find  the 
following  signs  named,  which  puzzled  a  person  of  an  inquisitive 
turn  of  mind,  who  wrote  to  the  British  Apollo, %  (the  meagre 
Notes  and  Queries  of  those  days,)  in  the  hope  of  eliciting  an  ex- 
planation of  their  quaint  combination : — 

"  I  'm  amazed  at  the  Signs 
As  I  pass  through  the  Town, 
To  see  the  odd  mixture  : 
A  Magpie  and  Crown, 
The  Whale  and  the  Crow, 
The  Bazor  and  Hen, 
The  Leg  and  Seven  Stars, 
The  Axe  and  the  Bottle, 
The  Tun  and  the  Lute, 
The  Eagle  and  Child, 
The  Shovel  and  Boot." 

AU  these  signs  are  also  named  by  Tom  Brown  :  § — "  The  first 
amusements  we  encountered  were  the  variety  and  contradictory 
language  of  the  signs,  enough,  to  persuade  a  man  there  were  no 
rules  of  concord  among  the  citizens.  Here  we  saw  Joseph's  Dream, 
the  Bull  and  Mouth,  the  Wiale  and  Crow,  the  Shovel  and  Boot, 
the  Leg  and  Star,  the  Bible  and  Swan,  the  Frying-pan  and  Drum, 

*  "Jacob  was  David's  nephew,  but  not  his  brother-in-law. 

All  sorts  of  barbers'  tools  ground  here,  also  fishwives*  and  butchers'  knives." 
t  "  Moses  was  pick'd  up  among  the  rushes. 

Teeth  and  grinders  drawn  hei-e." 
;  The  British  Ayollo,  1710,  vol,  iii.  p.  34. 
{  Amusements  for  the  Meridian  of  London,  1708,  p.  72, 


ThJl  OLD  COMBINATIONS  OF  SIGNS.  19 

the  Lute  and  Tun,  the  Hog  in  Armour,  and  a  thousand  others 
that  the  wise  men  that  put  them  there  can  give  no  reason  for." 

From  this  enumeration,  we  see  that  a  century  had  worked 
great  changes  in  the  signs.  Those  of  the  beginning  of  the 
seventeenth  century  were  all  simple,  and  had  no  combiQations. 
But  now  we  meet  very  heterogeneous  objects  joined  together. 
Various  reasons  can  be  found  to  account  for  this.  First,  it  must 
be  borne  in  mind  that  most  of  the  London  signs  had  no  inscrip- 
tion to  teU  the  public  "  this  is  a  lion,"  or,  "  this  is  a  bear ;" 
hence  the  vulgar  could  easily  make  mistakes,  and  call  an  object 
by  a  wrong  name,  which  might  give  rise  to  an  absurd  combination, 
as  in  the  case  of  the  Leg  and  Star;  which,  perhaps,  was  nothing 
else  but  the  two  insignia  of  the  order  of  the  Garter  ;  the  garter 
being  represented  in  its  natural  place,  on  the  leg,  and  the  star  of 
the  order  beside  it.  Secondly,  the  name  might  be  corrupted 
through  faulty  pronunciation ;  and  when  the  sign  was  to  be 
repainted,  or  imitated  in  another  street,  those  objects  would 
be  represented  by  which  it  was  best  known.  Thus  the  Shovel 
and  Boot  might  have  been  a  corruption  of  the  Shovel  and  Boat, 
since  the  Shovel  and  Ship  is  still  a  very  common  sign  in  places 
where  grain  is  carried  by  canal  boats ;  whilst  the  Bull  and  Mouth 
is  said  to  be  a  corruption  of  the  Boulogne  Mouth — the  Mouth 
of  Boulogne  Harbour.  Finally,  whimsical  shopkeepers  would 
frequently  aim  at  the  most  odd  combination  they  could  imagine, 
for  no  other  reason  but  to  attract  attention.  Taking  these 
premises  into  consideration,  some  of  the  signs  which  so  puzzled 
Tom  Brown  might  be  easily  accounted  for ;  the  Axe  and  Bottle, 
in  this  way,  might  have  been  a  corruption  of  the  Battle-axe. 
The  Bible  and  Swan,  a  sign  in  honour  of  Luther,  who  is  generally 
represented  by  the  symbol  of  a  swan,  a  figure  of  which  many 
Lutheran  Churches  have  on  their  steeple  instead  of  a  weather- 
cock ;  whilst  the  Lute  and  Tun  was  clearly  a  pun  on  the  name 
of  Luton,  similar  to  the  Bolt  and  Tun  of  Prior  Bolton,  who 
adopted  this  device  as  his  rebus. 

Other  causes  of  combinations,  and  many  very  amusing  and 
instructive  remarks  about  signs,  are  given  in  the  following  from 
the  Spectcaor,  No.  28,  April  2,  1710:— 

"  There  is  nothing  like  sound  literature  and  good  sense  to  be 
met  with  in  those  objects,  that  are  everywhere  thrusting  them- 
selves out  to  the  eye  and  endeavouring  to  become  visible.  Our 
streets  are  filled  with  blue  hoars,  black  swans,  and  red  lions,  not 


20  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

to  mention  flying-pigs  and  hogs  in  armour,  with  many  creatures 
more  extraordinary  than  any  in  the  deserts  of  Africa.  Strange 
that  one,  who  has  all  the  birds  and  beasts  in  nature  to  choose  out 
of,  should  hve  at  the  sign  of  an  ens  rationis. 

"  My  first  task,  therefore,  should  be  Uke  that  of  Hercules,  to 
clear  the  city  from  monsters.  In  the  second  place,  I  should 
forbid  that  creatures  of  jarring  and  incongruous  natures  shoidd 
be  joined  together  in  the  same  sign ;  such  as  the  Bell  and  the 
Neat's  Tongue,  the  Bog  and  the  Gridiron.  The  Fox  and  the 
Goose  may  be  supposed  to  have  met,  but  what  has  the  Fox  and 
the  Seven  Stars  to  do  together  ?  And  when  did  the  Lamb  and 
Dolphin  ever  meet  except  upon  a  signpost  ?  As  for  the  Cat  and 
Fiddle,  there  is  a  conceit  in  it,  and  therefore  I  do  not  intend 
that  anything  I  have  here  said  should  aflfect  it.  I  must,  however, 
observe  to  you  upon  this  subject,  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  com- 
mitted over  our  heads ;  and,  as  I  am  informed,  first  occasioned 
the  Three  Nuns  and  a  Hare,  which  we  see  so  frequently  joined 
together.  I  would  therefore  establish  certain  rules  for  the  deter- 
mining how  far  one  tradesman  may  give  the  sign  of  another,  and 
in  what  case  he  may  be  allowed  to  quarter  it  with  his  own. 

"  In  the  third  place,  I  would  enjoin  every  shop  to  make  use 
of  a  sign  which  bears  some  affinity  to  the  wares  in  which  it  deals. 
What  can  be  more  inconsistent  than  to  see  a  bawd  at  the  sign 
of  the  Angel,  or  a  tailor  at  the  lAon  ?  A  cook  should  not  live  at 
the  Boot,  nor  a  shoemaker  at  the  Roasted  Pig ;  and  yet,  for 
want  of  this  regulation,  I  have  seen  a  Goat  set  up  before  the 
door  of  a  perfumer,  and  the  French  King's  Head  at  a  sword- 
cutler's. 

"  An  ingenious  foreigner  observes  that  several  of  those  gentle- 
men who  value  themselves  upon  their  families,  and  overlook 
such  as  are  bred  to  trades,  bear  the  tools  of  their  forefathers  in 
their  coats  of  arms.  I  wUl  not  examine  how  true  this  is  in  fact ; 
but  though  it  may  not  be  necessary  for  posterity  thus  to  set  up 
the  sign  of  their  forefathers,  I  think  it  highly  proper  that  those 
who  actually  profess  the  trade  should  shew  some  such  mark  of  it 
before  their  doors. 

"  When  the  name  gives  an  occasion  for  an  ingenious  signpost. 


THE  " SPECTATOR"  ON  SIGNS.  21 

I  would  likewise  advise  the  owner  to  take  that  opportunity  of  let- 
ting the  world  know  who  he  is.  It  would  have  been  ridiculous 
for  the  ingenious  Mrs  Salmon  to  have  lived  at  the  sign  of  the  trout, 
for  which  reason  she  has  erected  before  her  house  the  figure  of  the 
fish  that  is  her  namesake.  Mr  Bell  has  likewise  distinguished 
himself  by  a  device  of  the  same  nature.  And  here,  sir,  I  must 
beg  leave  to  observe  to  you,  that  this  particular  figure  of  a  Bell 
has  given  occasion  to  several  pieces  of  wit  in  this  head.  A  man 
of  your  reading  must  know  that  Abel  Drugger  gained  great 
applause  by  it  in  the  time  of  Ben  Jonson.  Our  Apocryphal 
heathen  god  is  also  represented  by  this  figure,  which,  in  conjunc- 
tion with  the  Dragon,*  makes  a  very  handsome  picture  in  several 
of  our  streets.  As  for  the  Bell  Savage,  which  is  the  sign  of  a 
savage  man  standing  by  a  bell,  I  was  formerly  very  much 
puzzled  upon  the  conceit  of  it,  till  I  accidentally  fell  into  the 
reading  of  an  old  romance  translated  out  of  the  French,  which 
gives  an  account  of  a  very  beautiful  woman,  who  was  found  in  a 
wilderness,  and  is  called  la  Belle  Sauvage,  and  is  everywhere 
translated  by  our  countrymen  the  Bell  Savage.'^  This  piece  of 
philology  will,  I  hope,  convince  you  that  I  have  made  signposts 
my  study,  and  consequently  qualified  myself  for  the  employment 
which  I  solicit  at  your  hands.  But  before  I  conclude  my  letter, 
I  must  communicate  to  you  another  remark  which  I  have  made 
upon  the  subject  with  which  I  am  now  entertaining  you — 
namely,  that  I  can  give  a  shrewd  guess  at  the  humour  of  the 
inhabitant  by  the  sign  that  hangs  before  his  door.  A  surly, 
choleric  fellow  generally  makes  choice  of  a  Bear,  as  men  of 
milder  dispositions  frequently  Hve  at  the  Lamb.  Seeing  a  Punch- 
bowl painted  upon  a  sign  near  Charing  Cross,  and  very  curiously 
garnished,  with  a  couple  of  angels  hovering  over  it  and  squeezing 
a  lemon  into  it,  I  had  the  curiosity  to  ask  after  the  master  of 
the  house,  and  found  upon  inquiry,  as  I  had  guessed  by  the 
little  agremens  upon  his  sign,  that  he  was  a  Frenchman." 

Another  reason  for  "  quartering  "  signs  was  on  removing  from 
one  shop  to  another,  when  it  was  customary  to  add  the  sign  of 
the  old  shop  to  that  of  the  new  one. 

WHEREAS  Anthony  Wilton,  who  lived  at  the  Green  Cross  publiok- 
house  against  the  new  Turnpike  on  New  Crosa  Hill,  has  been 
removed  tor  two  years  past  to  the  new  boarded  house  now  the  sign  of  the 

*  Bell  and  the  Dragon,  still  to  be  met  on  the  signboard. 

t  Addison  is  wrong  in  this  derivation,  (see  under  Miscellaneous  Signs,  at  the  end.) 


2  2  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Green  Cross  and  Kkoss  Ketes  on  the  same  hill,"  &c. — Weekly  Journal, 

November  22,1718. 

"  r  I IHOMAS  BLACKALL  and  Francis  Ives,  Mercers,  are  removed  fi-om 

JL     the  Seven  Stars  on  Ludgate  Hill  to  the  Black  Lion  and  Seven 
Stars  over  the  way." — Daily  Courant,  November  17, 1718. 
"  T)ETER  DUNCOMBE  and  Saunders  Dancer,  who  lived  at  the  Naked 

JL      Boy  in  Great  Russell  Street,  Covent  Garden,  removed  to  the  Naked 
BoT  AND  Mitre,  near  Sommerset  House,  Strand,"  &c. — Postboy,  January 
2-4,  1711. 
"  "p  ICHAED  MEARES,  Musical  Instrument  maker,  is  removed  from 

X\i  y  Golden  Viol  in  Leaden  Hall  Street  to  y'  North  side  of  St  Paul's 
Churchyard,  at  y'  Golden  Viol  and  Hautboy,  where  he  sells  all  sorts  of 
musical  instruments,"  &c. — [Bagford  bUls.] 

To  increase  this  complexity  stUl  more,  came  the  comiption  of 
names  arising  from  pronunciation ;  thus  Mr  Bum,  in  his  intro- 
duction to  the  "  Beaiifoy  Tokens,"  mentions  the  sign  of  Pique  and 
Carreau,  on  a  gambling-house  at  Newport,  Isle  of  Wight,  which 
was  Englished  into  the  Pig  and  Carrot ;  again,  the  same  sign  at 
Godmanchester  was  stiU  more  obliterated  into  the  Pig  and 
Checkers.  The  sign  of  the  Island  Queen  I  have  frequently  heard, 
either  in  jest  or  in  ignorance,  called  the  Iceland  Queen.  The 
editor  of  the  recently-published  "  Slang  Dictionary  "  remarks  that 
he  has  seen  the  name  of  the  once  popular  premier,  George  Can- 
ning, metamorphosed  on  an  alehouse-sign  into  the  Gteorge  and 
Cannon ;  so  the  Golden  Farmee  became  the  JoUy  Farmer ; 
whilst  the  Four  Alls,  in  Whitechapel,  were  altered  into  the  Four 
Awls.  Along  with  this  practice,  there  is  a  tendency  to  translate 
a  sign  into  a  sort  of  jocular  slang  phrase ;  thus,  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  the  Blackmooeshead  and  Woolpack,  in  Pimlico,  was 
called  the  Devil  and  Bag  of  Nails  by  those  that  frequented 
that  tavern,  and  by  the  last  part  of  that  name  the  house  is  still 
called  at  the  present  day.  Thus  the  Elephant  and  Castle  is  vul- 
garly rendered  as  the  Pig  and  Tinderbox ;  the  Bear  and  Bagged 
Staff,  the  Angel  and  Flute;  the  Eagle  and  Child,  the  Bird  and 
Bantling ;  the  Hog  in  Armour,  the  Pig  in  Mise)-y ;  the  Pig  in 
the  Pound,  the  Gentleman  in  Trovhle,  &c. 

Some  further  information,  in  illustration  of  the  different  sign- 
boards, is  to  be  obtained  from  the  Adventurer,  No.  9,  (1752:) — 

"  It  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  signs  were  intended  originally 
to  express  the  several  occupations  of  their  owners,  and  to  bear  some 
affinity  in  their  external  designations  with  the  wares  to  be  dis- 
posed of,  or  the  business  carried  on  v^ithin.  Hence  the  Hand 
and  Shears  is  justly  appropriated  to  tailors,  and  the  Hand  and 


THE  "ADVENTURER"  ON  SIGNS.  23 

Pen  to  writing-masters ;  though  the  very  reverend  and  right 
worthy  order  of  my  neighbours,  the  Meet-parsons,  have  assumed 
it  to  themselves  as  a  mark  of  '  marriages  performed  without  im- 
position.' The  Woolpack  plainly  points  out  to  us  a  wooUen 
draper ;  the  Naked  Boy  elegantly  reminds  us  of  the  necessity  of 
clothing ;  and  the  Golden  Fleece  figuratively  denotes  the  riches 
of  our  staple  commodity ;  but  are  not  the  Hen  and  Chickens  and 
the  Three  Pigeons  the  unquestionable  right  of  the  poulterer,  and 
not  to  be  usurped  by  the  vender  of  silk  or  linen  ? 

"  It  would  be  useless  to  enumerate  the  gross  blunders  committed 
in  this  point  by  almost  every  branch  of  trade.  I  shall  therefore 
confine  myself  chiefly  to  the  numerous  fraternity  of  pubKcans, 
whose  extravagance  in  this  affair  calls  aloud  for  reprehension  and 
restraint.  Their  modest  ancestors  were  contented  with  a  plaip 
Bough  stuck  up  before  their  doors,  -whence  arose  the  wise  proverb, 
'  Good  Wine  needs  no  Bush ; '  but  how  have  they  since  deviated 
from  their  ancient  simplicity !  They  have  ransacked  earth,  air, 
and  seas,  called  down  sun,  moon,  and  stars  to  their  assistance, 
and  exhibited  all  the  monsters  that  ever  teemed  from  fantastic 
imagination.  Their  Hogs  in  Armour,  their  Blue  Boars,  Black 
Bears,  Green  Dragons,  and  Golden  Lions,  have  already  been  suf- 
ficiently exposed  by  your  brother  essay-writers  : — 
'  Sub  horridua,  atraque  Tigris, 
Squamosusque  Draco,  et  fuLva  cerrice  Lesena.' 

ViBon. 
'  With  foamy  tusks  to  seem  a  bristly  boar, 

Or  imitate  the  lion's  angry  roar ; 

Or  kiss  a  dragon,  or  a  tiger  stare.' — Detdbn. 

It  is  no  wonder  that  these  gentlemen  who  indulged  themselves  in 
such  unwarrantable  liberties,  should  have  so  little  regard  to  the 
choice  of  signs  adapted  to  their  mystery.  There  can  be  no  ob- 
jection made  to  the  Bunch  of  Grapes,  the  Rummer,  or  the  Tuns ; 
but  would  not  any  one  inquire  for  a  hosier  at  the  Leg,  or  for  a 
locksmith  at  the  Cross  Keys  ?  and  who  woxild  expect  anything 
but  water  to  be  sold  at  the  Fountain?  The  Turkshead  may 
fairly  intimate  that  a  seraglio  is  kept  within ;  the  Hose  may  be 
strained  to  some  propriety  of  meaning,  as  the  business  transacted 
there  may  be  said  to  be  done  '  under  the  rose ; '  but  why  must 
the  Angel,  the  Lamb,  and  the  Mitre  be  the  designations  of  the 
seats  of  drunkenness  or  prostitution  ? 

"  Some  regard  should  likewise  be  paid  by  tradesmen  to  their 
situation ;  or,  in  other  words,  to  the  propriety  of  the  place ;  and 


24  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

in  this,  too,  the  publicans  are  notoriously  faulty.  The  King's 
Arms,  and  the  Star  and  Garter,  are  aptly  enough  jJaced  at  the 
court  end  of  the  town,  and  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  royal 
palace ;  Shakespeare's  Head  takes  his  station  by  one  playhouse, 
and  Ben  Jonson's  by  the  other ;  Hell  is  a  public-house  adjoining 
to  Westminster  Hall,  as  the  Devil  Tavern  is  to  the  lawyers'  quar- 
ter in  the  Temple  :  but  what  has  the  Crown  to  do  by  the  'Change, 
or  the  Gun,  the  Ship,  or  the  Anchor  anywhere  but  at  Tower  Hill, 
at  Wapping,  or  Deptford  ? 

"  It  was  certainly  from  a  noble  spirit  of  doing  honour  to  a  supe- 
rior desert,  that  our  forefathers  used  to  hang  out  the  heads  of 
those  who  were  particularly  eminent  in  their  professions.  Hence 
we  see  Galen  and  Paracelsus  exalted  before  the  shops  of  chemists ; 
and  the  great  names  of  Tully,  Dryden,  and  Pope,  &c.,  immortal- 
ised on  the  rubric  posts*  of  booksellers,  while  their  heads  denom- 
inate the  learned  repositors  of  their  works.  But  I  know  not 
whence  it  happens  that  publicans  have  claimed  a  right  to  the 
physiognomies  of  kings  and  heroes,  as  I  cannot  find  out,  by  the 
most  painful  researches,  that  there  is  any  alliance  between  them. 
Lebec,  as  he  was  an  excellent  cook,  is  the  fit  representative  of 
luxury;  and  Broughton,  that  renowned  athletic  champion,  has  an 
indisputable  right  to  put  up  his  own  head  if  he  pleases ;  but  what 
reason  can  there  be  why  the  glorious  Duke  William  should  draw 
porter,  or  the  brave  Admiral  Vernon  retail  flip  1  Why  must 
Queen  Anne  keep  a  ginshop,  and  King  Charles  inform  us  of  a 
skittle-ground?  Propriety  of  character,  I  think,  require  that 
these  illustrious  personages  should  be  deposed  from  their  lofty 
stations,  and  I  would  recommend  hereafter  that  the  alderman's 
effigy  should  accompany  his  Intire  Butt  Beer,  and  that  the  comely 
face  of  that  public-spirited  patriot  who  first  reduced  the  price  of 
punch  and  raised  its  reputation  Pro  Bono  Publico,  should  be  set 
up  wherever  three  penn'orth  of  warm  rum  is  to  be  sold. 

"  I  have  been  used  to  consider  several  signs,  for  the  &«quency 
of  which  it  is  difficult  to  give  any  other  reason,  as  so  many  hiero- 
glyphics with  a  hidden  meaning,  satirising  the  foUies  of  the 
people,  or  conveying  instruction  to  the  passer-by.  I  am  afiraid 
that  the  stale  jest  on  our  citizens  gave  rise  to  so  many  Horns  in 
public  streets ;  and  the  number  of  Castles  floating  with  the  wind 

*  From  Martial  and  other  Latin  poets,  we  learn  that  it  was  usual  for  the  bibliopoles  of 
those  days  to  advertise  new  works  by  affixing  copies  of  the  title-pa^es  to  a  post  outside 
their  shops  ;  but  whether  this  method  obtained  in  the  last  century,  the  histoiy  of  Patei^ 
noster  ^w  does  not  inform  us. 


THE  '' ADVENTURER"  ON  SIGNS.  25 

was  probably  designed  as  a  ridicule  on  those  erected  by  soaring 
projectors.  Tumbledown  Dick,  in  the  borough,  of  Southwark,  is 
a  fine  moral  on  the  instability  of  greatness,  and  the  consequences 
of  ambition ;  but  there  is  a  most  ill-natured  sarcasm  against  the 
fair  sex  exhibited  on  a  sign  in  Broad  Street,  St  Giles's,  of  a  head- 
less female  figure  caUed  the  Good  Woman. 

'  Qimle  portentum  neque  militaris 

Daunia  in  latie  alit  esculetis. 

Nee  Jubse  tellus  generat,  leonum 

Arida  Nutrix.' — Hob^cb. 
'  No  beast  of  such  portentous  size 

In  warlike  Daunia's  forest  lies, 

Nor  such  the  tawny  lion  reigns 

Fierce  on  his  native  Afrio's  plains.' — Francis. 

"  A  discerning  eye  may  also  discover  in  many  of  our  signs  evi- 
dent marks  of  the  religion  prevalent  amongst  us  before  the  Ee- 
formation.  St  George,  as  the  tutelary  saint  of  this  nation,  may 
escape  the  censure  of  superstition;  but  St  Dunstan,  with  his 
tongs  ready  to  take  hold  of  Satan's  nose,  and  the  legions  of 
Angels,  Nuns,  Crosses,  and  Holy  Lambs,  certainly  had  their 
origin  in  the  days  of  Popery. 

"  Among  the  many  signs  which  are  appropriated  to  some  parti- 
cular business,  and  yet  have  not  the  least  connexion  with  it,  J 
cannot  as  yet  find  any  relation  between  blue  balls  and  pawnbrokers. 
Nor  could  I  conceive  the  intent  of  that  long  pole  putting  out  at 
the  entrance  of  a  barber's  shop,  till  a  friend  of  mine,  a  learned 
etymologist  and  glossariographer,  assured  me  that  the  use  of  this 
pole  took  its  rise  from  the  corruption  of  an  old  English  word. 
'  It  is  probable,'  says  he,  '  that  our  primitive  tonsors  used  to 
stick  up  a  wooden  block  or  head,  or  poll,  as  it  was  called,  before 
their  shop  windows,  to  denote  their  occupation ;  and  afterwards, 
through  a  confounding  of  different  things  with  a  like  pronuncia- 
tion, they  put  up  the  parti-coloured  staff  of  enormous  length, 
which  is  now  called  a  pole,  and  appropriated  to  barbers.'  "* 

The  remarks  of  the  Adventurer  have  brought  us  down  to  the 
middle  of  the  eighteenth  century,  when  the  necessity  for  signs 
was  not  so  great  as  formerly.  Education  was  spreading  fast,  and 
reading  had  become  a  very  general  acquirement ;  yet  it  would 
appear,  that  the  exhibitors  of  signboards  wished  to  make  up  in 
extravagance  what  they  had  lost  in  use.     "  Be  it  known,  however, 

*  Pov  the  Three  Bails  of  the  Pawnbrokers,  see  under  Mwcellaneous  Signs ;    for  the 
Barber's  Pole,  under  Trades'  Signs, 


26  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

to  posterity,"  says  a  writer  in  the  GentlemarHs  Magazine,  "  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  in  the  house,  so  as  to 
project  nearly  in  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  on  the  sign  of  the  Queen's  Head,  as  would 
have  gone  a  good  way  towards  decorating  the  original  for  a  birth- 
day." Misson,  a  French  traveller  who  visited  England  in  1719, 
thus  speaks  about  the  signs  : — 

"  By  a  decree  of  the  police,  the  signs  of  Paris  must  be  small,  and  not  too 
far  advanced  from  the  houses.  At  London,  they  are  commonly  very  large, 
and  jut  out  so  far,  that  in  some  narrow  streets  they  touch  one  another ; 
nay,  and  run  across  almost  quite  to  the  other  side.  They  are  generally 
adorned  with  carving  and  gilding ;  and  there  are  several  that,  with  the 
branches  of  iron  which  support  them,  cost  above  a  hundred  guineas.  They 
seldom  write  upon  the  signs  the  name  of  the  thing  represented  in  it,  so 
that  there  is  no  need  of  MoliSre's  inspector.  But  this  does  not  at  aU  please 
the  German  and  other  travelling  strangers ;  because,  for  want  of  the  things 
being  so  named,  they  have  not  an  opportunity  of  learning  their  names  in 
England,  as  they  stroll  along  the  streets.  Out  of  London,  and  par- 
ticularly in  villages,  the  signs  of  inns  are  suspended  in  the  middle  of  a 
great  wooden  portal,  which  may  be  looked  upon  as  a  kind  of  trium|)hal 
arch  to  the  honour  of  Bacchus." 

M.  Grosley,  another  Frenchman,  who  made  a  voyage  through 
England  in  1765,  makes  very  similar  remarks.  As  soon  as  he 
landed  at  Dover,  he  observes, — 

"  I  saw  nothing  remarkable,  but  the  enormous  size  of  the  public-house 
signs,  the  ridiculous  magnificence  of  the  ornaments  with  which  they  are 
overcharged,  the  height  of  a  sort  of  triumphal  arches  that  support  them, 
and  most  of  which  cross  the  streets,"  &e.  Elsewhere  he  says,  "  In  fact 
nothing  can  be  more  inconsistent  than  the  choice  and  the  placing  of  the 
ornaments,  with  which  the  signposts  and  the  outside  of  the  shops  of  the 
citizens  are  loaded." 

But  gaudy  and  richly  ornamented  as  they  were,  it  would  seem 
that,  after  all,  the  pictures  were  bad,  and  that  the  absence  of 
inscriptions  was  not  to  be  lamented,  for  those  that  existed  only 
"made  fritters  of  English."  The  Tatler,  No.  18,  amused  his 
readers  at  the  expense  of  their  spelling  : — "  There  is  an  ofence  I 
have  a  thousand  times  lamented,  but  fear  I  shall  never  see 
remedied,  which  is  that,  in  a  nation  where  learning  is  so  frequent 
as  in  Great  Britain,  there  should  be  so  many  gross  errors  as  there 


THE  "  TATLER"  ON  SIGNS.  2"] 

arCj  iu  the  very  direction  of  things  wherein  accuracy  is  necessary 
for  the  conduct  of  life.  This  is  notoriously  observed  by  aU  men 
of  letters  when  they  first  come  to  town,  (at  which  time  they  are 
usually  curious  that  way,)  in  the  inscriptions  on  signposts.  I 
have  cause  to  know  this  matter  as  well  as  anybody,  for  I  have, 
when  I  went  to  Merchant  Taylor's  School,  sufi'ered  stripes  for 
spelling  after  the  signs  I  observed  in  my  way ;  though  at  the 
same  time,  I  must  confess,  staring  at  those  inscriptions  first  gave 
me  an  idea  and  curiosity  for  medals,  in  which  I  have  since  arrived 
at  some  knowledge.  Many  a  man  has  lost  his  way  and  his  dinner, 
by  this  general  want  of  skill  in  orthography;  for,  considering 
that  the  paintings  are  usually  so  very  bad  that  you  cannot  know 
the  animal  under  whose  sign  you  are  to  live  that  day,  how  must 
the  stranger  be  misled,  if  it  is  wrong  spelled  as  well  as  Ul  painted? 
I  have  a  cousin  now  in  town,  who  has  answered  under  bachelor 
at  Queen's  College,  whose  name  is  Humphrey  Mopstaff,  (he  is 
akin  to  us  by  his  mother;)  this  young  man,  going  to  see  a 
relation  in  Barbican,  wandered  a  whole  day  by  the  mistake  of 
one  letter;  for  it  was  written,  'This  is  the  Beer,'  instead  of 
'  This  is  the  Bear.'  He  was  set  right  at  last  by  inquiring  for 
the  house  of  a  fellow  who  could  not  read,  and  knew  the  place 
mechanically,  only  by  having  been  often  drunk  there.  ...  I 
propose  that  every  tradesman  in  the  city  of  London  and  West- 
minster shall  give  me  a  sixpence  a  quarter  for  keeping  their 
signs  in  repair  as  to  the  grammatical  part ;  and  I  wiU.  take  into 
my  house  a  Swiss  count  *  of  my  acquaintance,  who  can  remember 
all  their  names  without  book,  for  despatch'  sake,  setting  up  the 
head  of  the  said  foreigner  for  my  sign,  the  features  being  strong 
and  fit  to  hang  high." 

Had  the  signs  murdered  only  the  king's  English,  it  might  have 
been  forgiven ;  but  even  the  lives  of  his  majesty's  subjects  were 
not  secure  from  them ;  for,  leaving  alone  the  complaints  raised 
about  their  preventing  the  circulation  of  fresh  air,  a  more  serious 
charge  was  brought  against  them  in  1718,  when  a  sign  in  Bride's 
Lane,  Fleet  Street,  by  its  weight  dragged  down  the  front  of  the 
house,  and  in  its  fall  killed  two  young  ladies,  the  king's  jeweller, 
and  a  cobbler.  A  commission  of  inquiry  into  the  nuisance  was 
appointed ;  but,  like  most  commissions  and  committees,  they 
talked  a  great  deal  and  had  some  dinners  ;  in  the  meantime  the 

*  Probably  John  James  Heidegger,  director  of  the  Opera,  a  very  ugly  man 


28  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

public  interest  and  excitement  abated,  and  matters  remained  as 
they  were. 

In  the  year  1762  considerable  attention  was  directed  to  sign- 
boards by  Bonnell  Thornton,  a  clever  wag,  who,  to  burlesque  the 
exhibitions  of  the  Society  of  Artists,  got  up  an  Exhibition  of 
Signboards.  In  a  preliminary  advertisement,  and  in  his  pub- 
lished catalogue,  he  described  it  as  the  "Exhibition  of  the 
Society  of  Sign-paintees  of  aU  the  curious  signs  to  be  met 
with  in  town  or  country,  together  with  such  original  designs  as 
might  be  transmitted  to  them,  as  specimens  of  the  native  genius 
of  the  nation."  Hogarth,  who  understood  a  joke  as  well  as  any 
man  in  England,  entered  into  the  spirit  of  the  humour,  was  on 
the  hanging  committee,  and  added  a  few  touches  to  heighten  the 
absurdity.     The  whole  affair  proved  a  great  success.* 

This  comical  exhibition  was  the  greatest  glory  to  which  sign- 
boards were  permitted  to  attain,  as  not  more  than  four  years 
after  they  had  a  fall  from  which  they  never  recovered.  Educa- 
tion had  now  so  generally  spread,  that  the  majority  of  the  people 
could  read  sufficiently  weU  to  decipher  a  name  and  a  number. 
The  continual  exhibition  of  pictures  in  the  streets  and  thorough- 
fares consequently  became  useless;  the  information  they  con- 
veyed could  be  imparted  in  a  more  convenient  and  simple 
manner,  whilst  their  evils  could  be  avoided.  The  strong  feeling 
of  corporations,  too,  had  set  in  steadily  against  signboards,  and 
henceforth  they  were  doomed. 

Paris,  this  time,  set  the  example  :  by  an  act  of  September  17, 
1761,  M.  de  Sartines,  Lieutenant  de  Police,  ordered  that,  in  a 
month's  time  from  the  publication  of  the  act,  all  signboards  in 
Paris  and  its  suburbs  were  to  be  fixed  against  the  walls  of  the 
houses,  and  not  to  project  more  than  four  inches,  including  the 
border,  frame,  or  other  ornaments  ; — also,  all  the  signposts  and 
sign  irons  were  to  be  removed  from  the  streets  and  thoroughfares, 
and  the  passage  cleared. 

London  soon  followed  :  in  the  Daily  News,  November  1762, 
we  find  : — "  The  signs  in  Duke's  Court,  St  Martin's  Lane,  were 
all  taken  down  and  affixed  to  the  front  of  the  houses."  Thus 
Westminster  had  the  honour  to  begin  the  innovation,  by  pro- 
curing an  act  with  ample  powers  to  improve  the  pavement,  &c., 
of  the  streets ;  and  this  act  also  sealed  the  doom  of  the  sign- 

•  For  a  fuU  account  of  the  ' '  Exhibition,"  see  in  the  Supplement  at  the  end  of  this 


ACTS  OF  PAHLJAMENT  TO  REMOVE  SIGNS.        29 

boards,  ■which,  as  in  Paris,  were  ordered  to  be  affixed  to  the 
houses.  This  was  enforced  by  a  statute  of  2  Geo.  III.  c.  21, 
enlarged  at  various  times.  Other  parishes  were  longer  in  mak- 
ing up  their  mind ;  but  the  great  disparity  in  the  appearance  of 
the  streets  westward  from  Temple  Bar,  and  those  eastward,  at 
last  made  the  Corporation  of  London  follow  the  example,  and 
adopt  similar  improvements.  Suitable  powers  to  carry  out  the 
scheme  were  soon  obtained.  In  the  6  Geo.  III.  the  Court  of 
Common  CouncU  appointed  commissions,  and  in  a  few  months 
aU  the  parishes  began  to  clear  away :  St  Botolph  in  1767  ;  St 
Leonard,  Shoreditch,  in  1768  ;  St  Martin's-le-Grand  in  1769  ; 
and  Marylebone  in  1770.*    By  these  acts — 

"  The  commissioners  are  empowered  to  take  down  and  remove  all  signs 
or  other  emblems  used  to  denote  the  trade,  occupation,  or  calling  of  any 
person  or  persons,  signposts,  signirons,  balconies,  penthouses,  showboards, 
spouts,  and  gutters,  projecting  into  any  of  the  said  streets,  &c.,  and  all  other 
encroachments,  projections,  and  annoyances  whatsoever,  within  the  said 
cities  and  liberties,  and  cause  the  same,  or  such  parts  thereof  as  they  think 
fit,  to  be  affixed  or  placed  on  the  fronts  of  the  houses,  shops,  warehouses,  or 
buildings  to  which  they  belong,  and  return  to  the  owner  so  much  as  shall 
not  be  put  up  again  or  otherwise  made  use  of  in  such  alterations ;  and  any 
person  having,  placing,  erecting,  or  building  any  sign,  signpost,  or  other 
post,  signirons,  balcony,  penthouse,  obstruction,  or  annoyance,  is  subject  to 
a  penalty  of  £5,  and  twenty  shillings  a  day  for  continuing  the  same."  t 

With  the  signboards,  of  course,  went  the  signposts.  The  re- 
moving of  the  posts,  and  paving  of  the  streets  with  Scotch 
granite,  gave  rise  to  the  following  epigram : — 

"  The  Scottish  new  pavement  well  deserves  our  praise ; 
To  the  Scotch  we  're  obliged,  too,  for  mending  our  ways ; 
But  this  we  can  never  forgive,  for  they  say 
As  that  they  have  taken  our  posts  all  away." 

After  the  signs  and  posts  had  been  removed,  we  can  imagine 
how  bleak  and  empty  the  streets  at  first  appeared ;  how  silent 
in  the  night-time ;  what  a  difficulty  there  must  have  been  in 
finding  out  the  houses  and  shops ;  and  how  everybody,  particu- 
larly the  old  people,  grumbled  about  the  innovations. 

Now   numhers  appeared  everywhere.     As   early  as   1512  an 

*  The  last  streets  that  kept  them  swinging  were  Wood  Street  and  Whitecross  Street, 
where  they  rema'ned  till  1773  ;  whilst  in  Holywell  Street,  Strand,  not  more  than  twenty 
years  ago,  some  were  still  dangling  above  the  shop  dO'  rs.  In  the  suburbs  many  may 
be  observed  even  at  the  present  day. 

t  Laws,  Customs,  Usages,  ami  Begulati.ns  of  the  City  and  Port  of  London.  By  Alex- 
ander Pulling.     Lon  Ion,  1854. 

Under  the  72d  section  of  the  67  Geo.  III.  ch.  29,  post.  316,  Mr  Ballantine,  some 
years  .igo,  decided  against  a  pawnbroker's  sign  being  ■  onsidered  a  nuisance,  notwith- 
standing it  projected  over  the  footway,  unless  it  obstructed  the  circulation  of  light  and 
air,  or  was  inconvenient  or  incommodious. 


30  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

attempt  had  been  made  in  Paris  at  numbering  sixty-eight  new 
houses,  built  in  that  year  on  the  Pont  !N'6tre-Dame,  which  were 
all  distinguished  by  1,  2,  3,  4,  &c.  ;  yet  more  than  two  centuries 
elapsed  before  the  numerical  arrangement  was  generally  adopted. 
In  1787  the  custom  in  France  had  become  abnost  universal, 
but  was  not  enforced  by  police  regulations  until  1805.  In 
London  it  appears  to  have  been  attempted  in  the  beginning  of 
the  eighteenth  century  ;  for  in  Hatton's  "  New  View  of  London," 
1708,  we  see  that  "in  Prescott  Street,  Goodman's  Fields,  instead 
of  signs  the  houses  are  distinguished  by  numbers,  as  the  stair- 
cases in  the  Inns  of  Court  and  Chancery."  In  all  probability 
reading  was  not  sufficiently  widespread  at  that  time  to  bring 
this  novelty  into  general  practice.  Yet  how  much  more  simple 
is  the  method  of  numbering,  for  giving  a  clear  and  unmistakable 
direction,  may  be  seen  from  the  means  resorted  to  to  indicate  a 
house  under  the  signboard  system  ;  as  for  instance  : — 
"  r  110  BE  LETT,  Newbury  House,  in  St  James's  Park,  next  door  but  one  to 

J-     Lady  Oxford's,  having  two  balls  at  the  gate,  and  iron  rails  before 
the  door,"  &c.,  &c. — Advertisement  in  the  original  edition  of  the  Specta- 
tor, No.  207. 
"AT  HER  HOUSE,  the  Red  Ball  and  Acorn,  over  against  the  Globs 

XjL     Tavern,   in  Queen  Street,  Cheapaide,    near  the  Three   Crowns, 
liveth  a  Gentlewoman,"  &c. 

At  night  the  difficulty  of  finding  a  house  was  greatly  increased, 
for  the  light  of  the  lamps  was  so  faint  that  the  signs,  generally 
hung  rather  high,  could  scarcely  be  discerned.  Other  means, 
therefore,  were  resorted  to,  as  we  see  from  the  advertisement  of 
"  Doctor  James  Tilbrogh,  a  German  Doctor,"  who  resides  "  over 
against  the  New  Exchange  in  Bedford  Street,  at  the  sign  of  the 
Peacock,  where  you  shall  see  at  night  two  candles  burning 
within  one  of  the  chambers  before  the  balcony,  and  a  lanthom 
with  a  candle  in  it  upon  the  balcony."  And  in  that  strain  ail 
directions  were  given  :  over  against,  or  next  door  to,  were  among 
the  consecrated  formulae.  Hence  many  dispensed  with  a  picture  of 
their  own,  and  clung,  hke  parasites,  to  the  sign  opposite  or  next 
door,  particularly  if  it  was  a  shop  of  some  nota  Others  resorted 
to  painting  their  houses,  doors,  balconies,  or  doorposts,  in  some 
striking  colour ;  hence  those  Red,  Blue,  or  White  Houses  still  so 
common ;  hence  also  the  Blue  Posts  and  the  Green  Posts.  So 
we  find  a  Dark  House  in  Chequer  Alley,  Moorfields,  a  Green 
Door  in  Craven  Building,  and  a  Blue  Balcony  in  Little  Queen 
Street,    all  of  which  figiu-e  on   the  seventeenth  century  trades 


HOUSES  DISTINGUISHED  BY  COLOUR.  3 1 

tokens.*  Those  who  did  much  trade  by  night,  as  coffee-houses, 
quacks,  &c.,  adopted  lamps  with  coloured  glasses,  by  which  they 
distinguished  their  houses.  This  custom  has  come  down  to  us, 
and  is  stiU  adhered  to  by  doctors,  chemists,  public-houses,  and 
occasionally  by  sweeps. 

Yet,  though  the  numbers  were  now  an  established  fact,  the 
shopkeepers  still  clung  to  the  old  traditions,  and  for  years  con- 
tinued to  display  their  signs,  grand,  gorgeous,  and  gigantic  as 
ever,  though  affixed  to  the  houses.  As  late  as  1803,  a  traveller 
thus  writes  about  London  : — "  As  it  is  one  of  the  principal 
secrets  of  the  trade  to  attract  the  attention  of  that  tide  of  people 
which  is  constantly  ebbing  and  flowing  in  the  streets,  it  may 
easily  be  conceived  that  great  pains  are  taken  to  give  a  striking 
form  to  the  signs  and  devices  hanging  out  before  their  shops. 
The  whole  front  of  a  house  is  frequently  employed  for  this  pur- 
pose.    Thus,  in  the  vicinity  of  Ludgate  Hill,  the  house  of  S , 

who  has  amassed  a  fortune  of  £40,000  by  selling  razors,  is 
daubed  with  large  capitals  three  feet  high,  acquainting  the  public 
that  '  the  most  excellent  and  superb  patent  razors  are  sold  here.' 
As  soon,  therefore,  as  a  shop  has  acquired  some  degree  of  repu- 
tation, the  younger  brethren  of  the  trade  copy  its  device.  A 
grocer  in  the  city,  who  had  a  large  Beehive  for  his  sign  hanging 
out  before  his  shop,  had  allured  a  great  many  customers.  No 
sooner  were  the  people  seen  swarming  about  this  hive  than 
the  old  signs  suddenly  disappeared,  and  Beehives,  elegantly  gUt, 
were  substituted  in  their  places.  Hence  the  grocer  was  obliged 
to  insert  an  advertisement  in  the  newspapers,  importing  'that 
he  was  the  sole  proprietor  of  the  original  and  celebrated  Beehive.'' 

A  similar  accident  befell  the  shop  of  one  E in  Cheapside, 

who  has  a  considerable  demand  for  his  goods  on  account  of  their 
cheapness  and  excellence.  The  sign  of  this  gentleman  consists 
in  a  prodigious  Grasshoppei;  and  as  this  insect  had  quickly  pro- 
pagated its  species  through  every  part  of  the  city,  Mr  E has 

in  his  advertisements  repeatedly  requested  the  public  to  observe 
that  '  the  genuine  Grasshopper  is  only  to  be  found  before  his 
warehouse.'  He  has,  however,  been  so  successful  as  to  persuade 
several  young  beginners  to  enter  into  engagements  with  him,  on 
conditions  very  advantageous  to  himself,  by  which  they  have 
obtained  a  licence  for  hanging  out  the  sign  of  a  Grasshopper 

*  Trades  tokens  were  brass  farthings  issued  by  shopkeepers  in  the  sevi  nteenth  cen- 
tury, and  stamped  with  the  sign  of  the  shop  and  the  name  of  its  owner. 


32  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

before  their  shops,  expressly  adding  this  clause  in  large  capitals, 
that  '  they  are  genuine  descendants  of  the  renowned  and  match- 
less Grasshopper  of  Mr  E in  Cheapside.'"* 

Such  practices  as  these,  however,  necessarily  gave  the  deathblow 
to  signboards  ;  for,  by  reason  of  this  imitation  on  the  part  of  rival 
shopkeepers,  the  main  object — distinction  and  notoriety — ^was 
lost.  How  was  a  stranger  to  know  which  of  those  innumerable 
Beehives  in  the  Strand  was  the  Beehive  ;  or  which  of  aJl  those 
"  genuine  Grasshoppers"  was  the  genuine  one  t  So,  gradually, 
the  signs  began  to  dwindle  away,  first  in  the  principal  streets, 
then  in  the  smaller  thoroughfares  and  the  suburbs ;  finally,  in 
the  provincial  towns  also.  The  publicans  only  retained  them, 
and  even  they  in  the  end  were  satisfied  with  the  name  without 
the  sign,  vox  et  prceterea  nihil. 

In  the  seventeenth  century  signs  had  been  sung  in  sprightly 
ballads,  and  often  given  the  groundwork  for  a  biting  satire. 
They  continued  to  inspire  the  popular  Muse  until  the  end,  but 
her  latter  productions  were  more  like  a  waU  than  a  ballad. 
There  is  certainly  a  rollicking  air  of  gladness  about  the  following 
song,  but  it  was  the  last  flicker  of  the  lamp  : — 

"  THE  MiJL-COACH  GUARD. 

At  each  inn  on  the  road  I  a  welcome  could  find  : — 

At  the  Fleece  I  'd  my  skin  full  of  ale ; 
The  Two  Jolly  Brewers  were  just  to  my  mind  ; 

At  the  Dolphin  I  drank  like  a  whale. 
Tom  Tun  at  the  Hogshead  sold  pretty  good  stuff; 

They  'd  capital  flip  at  the  Boar  ; 
And  when  at  the  Angel  I  'd  tippled  enough, 

I  went  to  the  DemiX  ioT  more. 
Then  I  'd  always  a  sweetheart  ao  snug  at  the  Car  ; 

At  the  Rose  I  'd  a  lily  so  white ; 
Few  planets  could  equal  sweet  Nan  at  the  Star, 

No  eyes  ever  twinkled  so  bright. 
I  've  had  many  a  hug  at  the  sign  of  the  Bein/r  ; 

In  the  Snin  courted  morning  and  noon ; 
And  when  night  put  an  end  to  my  happiness  there, 

I'd  a  sweet  little  girl  in  the  Moom. 
To  sweethearts  and  ale  I  at  length  bid  adieu, 

0£  wedlock  to  set  up  the  sign  : 
Hand4n-hcmd  the  Good  Woman  I  look  for  in  you. 

And  the  Horns  I  hope  ne'er  will  be  mine. 
Once  guard  to  the  mail,  I  'm  now  guard  to  the  fair ; 

But  though  my  commission  's  laid  down, 
Yet  while  the  King's  Arms  I  'm  permitted  to  bear, 

Like  a  Lion  I  '11  fight  for  the  Crown." 
*  Afemorials  of  Nature  and  Ait  collected  on  a  Journey  in  Great  Britain  during  the 
Years  1802  and  1803.     By  0.  A.  G.  Geede.     Loudon,  1808.     Vol.  i,  p.  68. 


PLATE  III. 


MERMAID. 
(Clieapside,  1640.) 


ALB-GABLAHD. 
(Wouwverman,  17th  cent.) 


ris/n-cinics 


CRISPIN  AHl)  CRISPLiS. 
(Roxburghe  Ballatls,  17th  century.) 


TRUSTY  SERVANT. 
(Circa  1700.) 


HOG  IN  ARSIOl'R. 


L0VE-8I6N8  AT  OXFORD.  33 

This  was  written  in  the  beginning  of  the  century,  when  eighteen 
hundred  was  still  in  her  teens.  A  considerable  falling  off  may  be 
observed  in  the  following,  contributed  by  a  correspondent  of 
William  Hone : — 

"  BIONS     OF    LOVE    AT     OXFOBD. 
By  an  Inn-consolahle  Lover. 
Slie  's  as  light  as  The  Oreyhonmd,  as  fair  as  The  Angel, 
Her  looks  than  The  Mitre  more  sanctified  are ; 
But  she  flies  like  The  BoeTmch,  and  leaves  me  to  range  ill, 
Still  looking  to  her  as  my  true  polar  Stwr. 
New  /jm-ventions  I  try,  with  new  art  to  adore, 
But  my  fate  is,  alas,  to  be  voted  a  Boar  ; 
My  Goats  I  forsook  to  contemplate  her  charms. 
And  must  own  she  is  fit  for  our  noble  King's  Arms  ; 
Now  Cros^d,  and  now  Jookey'd,  now  sad,  now  elate, 
The  Checquers  appear  but  a  map  of  my  fate ; 
I  blush'd  like  a  Blue  Cur,  to  send  her  a  Pheasant, 
But  she  call'd  me  a  Twrlc,  and  rejected  my  present ; 
So  I  moped  to  The  Barley  Mow,  grieved  in  my  mind. 
That  The  Ark  from  the  Mood  ever  rescued  mankind ! 
In  my  dreams  Lions  roar,  and  The  Green  Dragon  grins, 
And  fiends  rise  in  shape  of  The  Seven  Deadly  Sins, 
When  I  ogle  The  Bells,  should  I  see  her  approach, 
I  skip  like  a  Nag  and  jump  into  The  Coach. 
She  is  crimson  and  wMte  like  a  Shmdder  of  Mutton, 
Not  the  red  of  The  Ox  was  so  bright  when  first  put  on ; 
Like  The  Holly-iush  prickles  she  scratches  my  liver, 
While  I  moan  and  die  like  a  Swam,  by  the  river." 

But  tame  as  this  last  performance  is,  it  is  "  merry  as  a  brass 
band"  when  compared  with  a  ballad  sung  in  the  streets  some 
twenty  years  later,  entitled,  "  Laughable  and  Interesting  Picture 
of  Drunkenness."  Speaking  of  the  publicans,  who  call  them- 
selves "  Lords,"  it  says  : — 

"  If  these  be  the  Lords,  there  are  many  kinds, 

For  over  their  doors  you  will  see  many  signs ; 

There  is  The  King,  and  likewise  The  Crown, 

And  beggars  are  made  in  every  town. 

There  is  The  Queen,  and  likewise  her  Head, 

And  many  I  fear  to  the  gaUows  are  led ; 

There  is  The  Angel,  and  also  The  Deer, 

Destroying  health  in  every  sphere. 

There  is  The  Lamb,  likewise  The  Fleece, 

And  the  fruit's  bad  throughout  the  whole  piece; 

There  is  The  White  Hart,  also  The  Cross  Keys, 

And  many  they  've  sent  far  over  the  seas. 

There  is  The  Bull,  and  likewise  his  Head, 

His  Horns  are  so  strong,  they  will  gore  you  quite  dead ; 

V. 


34  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDa. 

There  'b  The  Hare  a/nd  Hounds  that  never  did  run, 
And  many 's  been  hung  for  the  deeds  they  Ve  done. 
There  are  Two  Fighting  Cocks  that  never  did  crow, 
Where  men  often  meet  to  break  God's  holy  vow  ; 
There  is  The  New  Inn,  and  the  Rodney  they  say, 
Which  send  men  to  jail  their  debts  for  to  pay. 
The  Hope  and  The  Anchor,  The  Twrh  and  his  Head, 
Hundreds  they  've  caused  for  to  wander  for  bread  ; 
There  is  The  White  Horse,  also  The  Woolpaek, 
Take  the  shoes  off  your  feet,  and  the  clothes  off  your  back. 
The  Axe  and  the  Cleaver,  The  Jockey  and  Horse, 
Some  they  've  made  idle,  some  they  've  made  worse ; 
The  Qeorge  and  the  Dragon,  and  Nelson  the  brave. 
Many  lives  they  've  shorten'd  and  brought  to  the  grave. 
The  Fox  and  the  Goose,  and  The  Guns  put  across. 
But  all  the  craft  is  to  get  hold  of  the  brass ; 
The  Bird  in  the  Cage,  and  the  sign  of  The  Thrush, 
But  one  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in  the  bush." 

There  is  an  unpleasant  musty  air  about  this  ballad,  a  taint  of 
Seven  Dials,  an  odour  of  the  ragged  dresscoat,  and  the  broken,  ill- 
used  hat.  The  gay  days  of  signboard  poetry,  -when  sparks  in 
feathers  and  ruffles  sang  their  praises,  are  no  more.  Our  fore- 
fatbers  were  content  to  buy  "  at  the  Golden  Frying-pan,"  but  we 
must  needs  go  to  somebody's  emporium,  mart,  repository,  or 
make  our  purchases  at  such  grand  places  as  the  Pantocapelleion, 
Pantometallurgicon,  or  PankUbanon.  The  corruptions  and  mis- 
applications of  the  old  pictorial  signboards  find  a  parallel  in  the 
modem  rendering  of  our  ancient  proverbs  and  sayings.  When 
the  primary  use  and  purpose  of  an  article  have  fallen  out  of 
fashion,  or  become  obsolete,  there  is  no  knowing  how  absurdly  it 
may  not  be  treated  by  succeeding  generations.  We  were  once 
taken  many  miles  over  fields  and  through  lanes  to  see  the  great 
stone  coffins  of  some  ancient  Bomans,  but  the  farmer,  a  sulky 
man,  thought  we  were  impertinent  in  wishing  to  see  his  pig- 
troughs.  In  Haarlem,  we  were  once  shewn  the  huge  cannon-ball 
which  killed  Heemskerk,  the  discoverer  of  Nova  Zembla.  When 
not  required  for  exhibition,  however,  the  good  man  in  charge 
found  it  of  great  use  in  grinding  his  mustard-seed.  Amongst  the 
middle  classes  of  to-day,  no  institution  of  ancient  times  has  been 
more  corrupted  and  misappKed  than  heraldry.  The  modem 
"  Forrester,"  or  member  of  the  "  Ancient  Order  of  Druids,''  is 
scarcely  a  greater  burlesque  upon  the  original  than  the  beer" 
retailers'  "  Arms  "  of  the  present  hour 


MOD  ESN  CORRUPTIONS  OF  THE  ANTIQUE.       35 

Good  wine  and  beer  were  formerly  to  be  had  at  the  Boar's 
Head,  or  the  Three  Tuns ;  but  those  emblems  will  not  do  now, 
it  must  be  the  "  Arms "  of  somebody  or  something ;  whence  we 
find  such  anomalies  as  the  Angel  Arms,  (Clapham  Road ;)  Dun- 
stan's  Arms,  (City  Road ;)  Digger's  Arms,  (Pet worth,  Surrey ;) 
Farmer's  Arms  and  Gardener's  Arms,  (Lancashire ;)  Grand,  Junc- 
tion Arm^,  (Praed  Street,  London;)  Griffin! s  Arms,  (Warrington  ;) 
Mount  Pleasant  Arms,  Paragon  Arms,  (Kingston,  Surrey;)  St 
PauFs  Arms,  (Nevfca.st\e  j)  Portcullis  ArTns,  (Ludlow  i)  Puddler's 
Arms,  (Wellington,  Shropshire  ;)  Railway  Arms,  (Ludlow ;)  Sol's 
Arms,  (Hampstead  Row  ;)  the  Vulcan  Arm,s,  (Sheffield ;)  General! s 
Arms,  (Little  Baddon,  Essez ;)  the  Waterloo  Arms,  (High  Street, 
Marylebone,)  &c.  Besides  these,  a  quantity  of  newfangled,  high- 
sounding,  but  unmeaning  names  seem  to  be  the  order  of  the  day 
with  gin-palaces  and  refreshment-houses,  as,  Perseverance,  Enter- 
prise.  Paragon,  Gtiterion. 

Notwithstanding  these  innovations,  the  majority  of  the  old 
objects  stiU  survive,  in  name  at  least,  on  the  signboards  of  ale- 
houses and  taverns.  Their  use  may  stiU.  be  regarded  as  a  rule 
with  publicans  and  innkeepers,  although  they  have  become  the 
exception  in  other  trades.  Occasionally,  also,  we  may  still  come 
upon  a  painted  signboard,  but  these  are  daily  becoming  scarcer. 
Not  so  in  France ;  there  the  good  old  tradition  of  the  painted 
signboard  is  yet  kept  up.  We  get  a  good  glimpse  of  this  subject 
in  the  following  :  * — "  But  it  is  the  signs  that  so  amuse  and  abso- 
lutely arrest  a  stranger.  This  is  a  practice  that  has  grown  into  a 
mania  at  Paris,  and  is  even  a  subject  for  the  ridicule  of  the  stage, 
since  many  a  shopkeeper  considers  Ms  sign  as  a  primary  matter, 
and  spends  a  little  capital  in  this  one  outfit.  Many  of  them 
exhibit  figures  as  large  as  life,  painted  in  no  humble  or  shabby 
style ;  while  history,  sacred  and  classical,  religion,  the  stage,  &c., 
furnish  subjects.  You  may  see  the  Horatii  and  Curiatii — a 
scene  from  the  '  Fourberies  de  Scapin '  of  Moliere — a  group  of 
French  soldiers,  with  the  inscription,  A  la  Valeur  des  Soldats 
Frangais,  or  a  group  of  children  inscribed  &  la  reunion  des  Bons 
Enfants,\ — or  A  la  Baigneuse,  depicting  a  beautiful  nymph  just 
issuing  from  the  bath  ;  ox  cbla  Somnambule,  a  pretty  girl  walking 
in  her  sleep  and  nightdress,  and  followed  by  her  gallant.  J 

*  Mementos,  Historical  and  Classical,  of  a  Tour  through  part  of  France,  Switzerland, 
nnd  Italy,  in  the  Years  1821  and  1822.    London,  182i. 
t  Un  boti  enfant  is  in 'Erench  "a  jolly  gooifellow,"  as  well  as  a  "good  child,' 
t  Taken  from  the  Opera  "La  Somnambula." 


36  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"  In  ludicrous  thinga,  a  barber  will  write  under  Ms  sigii : — 

•  La  Nature  donne  barte  et  cheveux, 
Et  moi,  je  les  coupe  toua  les  deux.'  * 

'  A  toutes  les  figures  d^diant  mes  rasoirs, 
Je  nargue  la  censure  des  fidfeles  miroirs.'t 
"  Also  a  frequent  inscription  with  a  barber  is,  '  Ici  on  rajeunit.' 

A   breeches-maker  writes  up,   M ,   Culottier  de  Mme.  la 

Duehesae  de  Devonshire.  A  perribquier  exhibits  a  sign,  very  well 
painted,  of  an  old  fop  trying  on  a  new  wig,  entitled,  Au  ci-devant 
jeune  homme.  A  butcher  displays  a  bouquet  of  faded  flowers, 
with  this  inscription,  Au  tendre  Souvenir.  An  eating-house  ex- 
hibits a  punning  sign,  with  an  ox  dressed  up  with  bonnet,  lace  veil, 
shawl,  &c.,  which  naturally  implies,  Boeuf  &-la-mode.  A  pastry- 
cook has  a  very  pretty  little  girl  climbing  up  to  reach  some  cakes 
in  a  cupboard,  and  this  sign  he  calls,  A  la  petite  Gourmande. 
A  stocking-maker  has  painted  for  him  a  lovely  creature,  trying 
on  a  new  stocking,  at  the  same  time  exhibiting  more  charms  than 
the  occasion  requires  to  the  young  feUow  who  is  on  his  knees  at 
her  feet,  with  the  very  significant  motto,  A  la  belle  occasion."  J 

Though  it  is  forty  years  since  these  remarks  were  written,  they 
still,  mutatis  mutandis,  apply  to  the  present  day.  Even  the 
greatest  and  most  fashionable  shops  on  the  Boulevards  have  their 
names  or  painted  signs ;  the  subjects  are  mostly  taken  from  the 
principal  topic  of  conversation  at  the  time  the  establishment 
opened,  whether  politics,  literature,  the  drama,  or  fine  arts  :  thus 
we  have  a  la  Prisidence ;  au  Frophete;  au  Palais  dl In- 
dustrie ;  aux  Enfants  d'Edovofrd,  (the  Princes  in  the  Tower ;) 
au  Golosse  de  Rhodes ;  h  la  Tour  de  Malalcoff;  d,  la  Tour  de 
Nesles,  (tragedy ;)  au  Sonneur  de  St  Paul,  (tragedy ;)  &  la 
Dame  Blanche  ;  h  la  Bataille  de  Solferino  ;  au  Trois  Afous- 
quetaires;  au  Lingot  d'Or,  (a  great  lottery  swindle  in  1852  j)  d 
la  Seine  Blanche,  &c.§  Some  of  these  signs  are  remarkably  well 
painted,  in  a  vigorous,  bold  style,  with  great  bravura  of  brush ; 
for  instance,  les  Noces  de  Vulcain,  on  the  Quad  aux  Fleurs,  is 
painted.in  a  style  which  would  do  no  discredit  to  the  artist  of 
les  Bomains  de  la  Decadence.     Roger  Boniemps  is  still  frequent 

*  ♦'  Natm-e  provides  man  with  hair  and  beard, 

But  I  cut  them  both." 
f  "  1  devote  my  razors  to  all  faces, 

And  defy  the  criticism  of  faithful  mirrors." 
J  A  sort  of  pun,  *'la  bdle  occasion"  Implying  the  same  idea  that  our  shopkeepers  ex- 
press by  their  "  Now  is  your  time,"  and.similar  pulTs. 

8  Similar  instances  may  also  be  occasionally  met  with  in  London ;  for  instance,  the 
Cvrsican  Brothtrg,  (Coffee-house,  Fulham  Road.) 


MAROHANDS  DE  VINS.  37 

oil  the  French  signboard,  where  he  is  represented  as  a  jolly 
rubicund  toper,  cro'wned  with  vine-leaves  and  seated  astride  a 
tun,  with  a  brimming  tumbler  in  his  hand ;  this  is  a  favourite 
sign  with  publicans.  At  the  tobacconist's  door  we  may  see  a  sign 
representing  an  elderly  Paul  Pry-looking  gentleman  enjoying  a 
pinch  of  snuff.  The  Bureaux  des  Remplacements  Militaires  par- 
ticularly excel  in  a  gaudy  display  of  military  subjects,  where  the 
various  passages  of  a  soldier's  life  are  represented  with  all  the 
romance  of  the  warriors  of  the  comic  opera.  Here  can  be  seen 
the  gallant  troopers  now  courting  Jeanette  or  Fanohon  ;  now 
charging  Russians,  Cabyles,  or  Austrians,  according  to  the  date  of 
the  picture.  Elsewhere  a  lancer  on  a  fantastic  vrild  horse  ;  a 
guide,  walking  with  a  pretty  vivandiere,  or  an  old  grenadier 
with  the  Legion  of  Honour  upon  his  breast ; — "  all  the  glorious 
pomp  and  circumstance  of  war"  portrayed  to  entice  the  French 
clodhopper  to  sell  himself  "  to  death  or  to  glory."  More  pacific 
pictures  may  be  observed  at  the  door  of  the  midwife  ;  there  we 
see  a  sedate-looking  matron  in  ecstasy  over  the  interesting  young 
stranger  she  has  just  ushered  forth  into  the  world,  whilst  pater- 
familias stands  with  a  triumphant  look  in  the  background.  Then 
there  is  the  Herculean  coalheaver  at  the  door  of  the  auvergnat, 
who  sells  coals  and  firewood ;  and  landscapes  with  cattle  at  the 
dairyshops.  But  amongst  the  best  painted  are  those  at  the  doors 
of  the  marchands  de  vins  ei  de  eomestiUes,  where  we  see  fre- 
quently bunches  of  fruit,  game,  flowers,  glasses,  hams,  fowls,  fish, 
all  cleverly  grouped  together,  and  painted  in  a  dashing  style. 
There  is  one,  for  instance,  in  the  Rue  Bellechasse,  and  another  in 
the  Rue  St  Lazare,  that  are  well  worth  inspection.  These  paint- 
ings are  generally  on  the  door-posts  and  window-frames;  they 
are  painted  on  thin  white  canvas,  fixed  with  varnish  at  the  back 
of  a  thick  piece  of  plateglass,  and  so  let  into  the  woodwork. 

And  now  a  few  words  concerning  the  painters  of  signs.  Their 
head-quarters  were  in  Harp  Alley,  Shoe  Lane,  where,  until  lately, 
gilt  grapes,  sugar-loaves,  lasts,  teapots,  &c.,  (fee,  were  displayed 
ready  for  the  market.  Here  Messrs  Barlow,  Craddock,  and 
others,  whose  names  are  now  as  completely  lost  as  their  works, 
had  their  studios,  and  produced  some  very  creditable  signs,  both 
carved  and  painted.  A  few,  however,  were  the  productions  of  no 
mean  artists.     The  Spectator,  January  8,  1743,  No.  744,  says: — 

"  The  other  day,  going  down  Ludgate  Street,  several  people  were  gaping 
at  a  very  splendid  sign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  which  by  far  exceeded  all  the 


38  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

other  signs  in  the  street,  the  painter  having  shewn  a  masterly  judgment, 
and  the  carver  and  gilder  much  pomp  and  splendour.  It  looked  rather 
like  a  capital  picture  in  a  gallery  than  a  sign  in  the  street." 

Unfortunately  the  name  of  the  artist  who  painted  this  has  not 
come  down  to  us. 

Those  who  produced  the  best  signs,  however,  were  not  exactly 
the  Harp  Alley  sign-painters,  but  the  coach-painters,  who  often 
united  these  two  branches  of  art.  In  the  last  century,  both  the 
coaches  and  sedans  of  the  wealthy  classes  were  walking  picture 
galleries,  the  panels  being  painted  with  all  sorts  of  subjects.* 
And  when  the  men  that  painted  these  turned  their  hands  to  sign- 
painting,  they  were  sure  to  produce  something  good.  Such  was 
Clarkson,  to  whom  J.  T.  Smith  ascribed  the  beautiful  sign  of 
Shakespeare  that  formerly  hung  iu  Little  EusseU  Street,  Drury 
Lane,  for  which  he  was  paid  £500. — John  Baker,  (06.  1771,) 
who  studied  under  the  same  master  as  Catton,  and  was  made 
a  member  of  the  Eoyal  Academy  at  its  foundation. — Charles 
Catton  {oh.  1798)  painted  several  very  good  signs,  particularly  a 
Lion  for  his  friend  Wright,  a  famous  coachmaker,  at  that  time 
living  in  Long  Acre.  This  picture,  though  it  had  weathered 
many  a  storm,  was  stiU  to  be  seen  in  J.  T.  Smith's  time,  at  a 
coachmaker's  on  the  west  side  of  Well  Street,  Oxford  Street.  A 
Turk's  head,  painted  by  him,  was  long  admired  as  the  sign  of  a 
mercer  in  York  Street,  Covent  Garden. — John  Baptist  Cipriani, 
{ph.  1785,)  a  Morentine  carriage-painter,  living  in  London,  also 
a  Royal  Academician. —  Samuel  Wale,  RA.  {oh.  1786)  painted  a 
celebrated  Falstafif  and  various  other  signs  ;  the  principal  one 
was  a  whole  length  of  Shakespeare,  about  five  feet  high,  which 
was  executed  for  and  displayed  at  the  door  of  a  pubKc-house 
at  the  north-west  corner  of  Little  Russell  Street,  Drury  Lane. 
It  was  enclosed  in  a  most  sumptuous  carved  gUt  frame,  and  was 
suspended  by  rich  ironwork.  But  this  splendid  object  of  attrac- 
tion did  not  hang  long  before  it  was  taken  down,  in  consequence 
of  the  Act  of  Parliament  for  removing  the  signs  and  other  obstruc- 
tions in  the  streets  of  London.  Such  was  the  change  in  the 
public  appreciation  consequent  on  the  new  regulations  in  signs, 
that  this  representation  of  our  great  dramatic  poet  was  sold  for 
a  trifle  to  Mason  the  broker  in  Lower  Grosvenor  Street,  where  it 
stood  at  his  door  for  several  years,  until  it  was  totally  destroyed 
by  the  weather  and  other  accidents,  t 

*  Two  or  three  good  examples  are  to  be  seen  in  the  South  Kensington  Museum 
t  Edwards's  Anecdotes  of  Painters,  1S08,  p.  11". 


HOGARTirS  MAN  LOADED  WITH  MISCHIEF.        39 

The  universal  use  of  signboards  famished  no  little  employment 
for  the  inferior  rank  of  painters,  and  sometimes  even  to  the  supe- 
rior professors.  Among  the  most  celebrated  practitioners  in  this 
branch  was  a  person  of  the  name  of  Lamb,  who  possessed  con- 
siderable ability.  His  pencil  was  bold  and  masterly,  and  well 
adapted  to  the  subjects  on  which  it  was  generally  employed. 
There  was  also  Gwjrnne,  another  coach-painter,  who  acquired 
some  reputation  as  a  marine  painter,  and  produced  a  few  good 
signs.  Robert  Dalton,  keeper  of  the  pictures  of  King  George  III, 
had  been  apprenticed  to  a  sign  and  coach-painter ;  so  were  Ealph 
Kirby,  drawing-master  to  George  IV.  when  Prince  of  Wales, 
Thomas  Wright  of  Liverpool,  the  marine  painter,  Smirke,  R.A., 
and  many  artists  who  acquired  considerable  after-reputation. 

Peter  Monamy  {oh.  1749)  was  apprenticed  to  a  sign  and  house- 
painter  on  London  Bridge.  It  was  this  artist  who  decorated  the 
carriage  of  Admiral  Byng  with  ships  and  naval  trophies,  and 
painted  a  portrait  of  Admiral  Vernon's  ship  for  a  famous  public- 
house  of  the  day,  well  known  by  the  sign  of  the  Portobello,  a  few 
doors  north  of  the  church  in  St  Martin's  Lane.* 

Besides  these,  we  have  the  "  great  professors,"  as  Edwards 
caUs  them,  who  occasionally  painted  a  sign  for  a  freak.  At  the 
head  of  these  stands  Hogarth,  whose  Man  loaded  with  Mischief 
is  still  to  be  seen  at  414  Oxford  Street,  where  it  is  a  fixture  in 
the  alehouse  of  that  name. 

Eichard  Wilson,  E.A.,  {6b.  1782,)  painted  the  Three  Logger- 
heads for  an  alehouse  in  North  Wales,  which  gave  its  name  to 
the  village  of  Loggerheads,  near  the  town  of  Mould.  The  paint- 
ing was  stiU  exhibited  as  a  signboard  in  1824,  though  little  of 
Wilson's  work  remained,  as  it  had  been  repeatedly  touched  up. 

George  Morland  painted  several;  the  Goat  in  Boots  on  the 
Fulham  Eoad  is  attributed  to  him,  but  has  since  been  painted 
often  over ;  he  also  painted  a  White  Lion  for  an  inn  at  Padding- 
ton,  where  he  used  to  carouse  with  his  boon  companions,  Ibbetson 
and  Eathbone  ;  and  in  a  small  public-house  near  Chelsea  Bridge, 
Surrey,  there  was,  as  late  as  1824,  a  sign  of  the  Cricketers 
painted  by  him.  This  painting  by  Morland,  at  the  date  mentioned, 
had  been  removed  inside  the  house,  and  a  copy  of  it  hung  up 
for  the  sign  ;  unfortunately,  however,  the  landlord  used  to  travel 
about  with  the  original,  and  pu1;  it  up  before  his  booth  at  Stainea 
and  Egham  races,  cricket  matches,  and  similar  occasions. 

*  J.  T.  Smith's  Nollekens  and  his  Times,  vol.  i.  p.  26 


40 


THM  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


Ibbetson  painted  a  sign  for  the  village  alehouse  at  Troutbeck, 
near  Ambleside,  to  settle  a  bill  run  up  in  a  sketching,  fishing, 
and  dolce-far-niente  expedition ;  the  sign  represented  two  faces, 
the  one  thin  and  pale,  the  other  jolly  and  rubicund ;  under  it 
was  the  following  rhyme  : — 

"  Thou  mortal  man  that  liVst  by  bread, 
What  made  thy  face  to  look  so  red? 

Thou  silly  fop,  that  looks  so  pale, 
'Tis  red  with  Tommy  Burkett's  ale."  * 

David  Cox  painted  a  Eoyal  Oak  for  the  alehouse  at  Bettws-y- 
Coed,  Denbighshire ;  fortunately  this  has  been  taken  down,  and 
is  now  preserved  behind  glass  inside  the  inn. 

The  elder  Crome  produced  a  sign  of  the  Sawyers  at  St  Martins, 
Norwich ;  it  was  afterwards  taken  down  by  the  owner,  framed, 
and  hung  up  as  a  picture. 

At  New  Inn  Lane,  Epsom,  Harlow  painted  a  front  and  a  back 
view  of  Queen  Charlotte,  to  settle  a  bill  he  had  run  up  ;  he  imi- 
tated Sir  Thomas  Lawrence's  style,  and  signed  it  "T.  L.,"  Greek 
Street,  Soho.  When  Lawrence  heard  thia,  he  got  in  a  terrible 
rage  and  said,  if  Harlow  were  not  a  scoundrel,  he  would  kick 
him  from  one  street's  end  to  the  other ;  upon  which  Harlow  very 
coolly  remarked,  that  when  Sir  Thomas  should  make  up  his 
mind  to  it,  he  hoped  he  would  choose  a  short  street. 

In  his  younger  days  Sir  Charles  Eoss  painted  a  sign  of  the 
Magpie  at  Sudbury,  and  the  landlady  of  the  house,  with  no  small 
pride,  gave  the  informant  to  understand  that,  more  than  thirty 
years  after,  the  aristocratic  portrait-painter  came  in  a  carriage  to 
her  house,  and  asked  to  be  shewn  the  old  sign  once  more. 

Herring  is  said  to  have  painted  some  signs.  Amongst  them 
are  the  Flying  Dutchman,  at  Cottage  Green,  Camberwell,  and  a 
White  Lion  at  Doncaster ;  underneath  the  last  are  the  words, — 
"  Painted  hy  Herring." 

Millais  painted  a  Saint  George  and  Dragon,  with  grapes  round 
it,  for  the  Vidler's  Inn,  Hayes,  Kent ;  and  we  learn  that  a  sign 
at  Singleton,  Lancashire,  was  painted  by  an  E.A.  and  an  E.S., 
each  painting  one  side  of  it ;  on  the  front  was  represented  a 
wearied  pilgrun,  at  the  back  the  same  refreshed,  but  the  sign  was 
never  hung  up. 

Great  men  of  former  ages,  also,  are  known  to  have  painted  signs  j 

*  Tommy  Burkett  was  the  name  of  mine  host  The  painting  is  now  gone,  but  the 
perses  remain. 


HOLBEIN,  OOBBJUOGIO,   WATTMAU.  41 

in  the  museum  at  Basle,  in  Switzerland,  there  are  two  pictures 
of  a  school,  painted  by  Holbein  when  fourteen  years  old,  for  a 
sign  of  the  schoolmaster  of  the  town.  The  Mule  and  Muleteer 
in  the  Sutherland  collection,  is  said  to  have  been  painted  by 
Correggio  as  a  sign  for  an  inn  ;  a  similar  legend  is  told  about  the 
Young  Bull  of  Paul  Potter,  in  the  museum  of  the  Hague,  in 
Holland,  which  is  reported  to  have  been  painted  for  a  butcher's 
signboard.  The  Chaste  Susannah  (la  chaste  Susanne)  was  for- 
merly a  fine  stone  bas-relief  in  the  Eue  aux  FSves,  Paris ;  it  was 
attributed  to  Goujon,  and  bought  as  such  by  an  amateur.  A 
plaster  cast  of  it  now  occupies  its  place.  Watteau  executed  a 
sign  for  a  miUiner  on  the  Pont  N6tre-Dame,  which  was  thought 
sufficiently  good  to  be  engraved.  Horace  Vernet  has  the  name 
of  having  produced  some  signs  in  his  younger  days ;  and  there  is 
stUl  at  the  present  time  a  sign  of  the  White  Horse,  in  one  of  the 
villages  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Paris,  which  is  pointed  out  as  3 
work  of  GuSricault. 

Besides  these,  there  are,  and  have  been  at  various  times,  excel- 
lent signboards  in  Paris,  the  artists  of  which  are  not  known. 
Thus  there  was,  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  a  sign 
at  the  foot  of  the  Pont  Neuf,  called  le  Petit  Dunherque,  which 
was  greatly  admired ;  and  in  the  reign  of  Louis  XV.  an  armourer 
on  the  Pont  Saint  Michel  had  a  sign,  which  was  so  fine  a  work 
of  art  that  it  was  bought  as  a  cabinet  picture  by  a  wealthy 
citizen.  In  the  beginning  of  this  century  there  was  a  much 
admired  sign  on  the  shutters  of  a  glass  and  china  shop  in  the  Eue 
Eoyale  St  Honor6,  which  unfortunately  was  destroyed  during 
some  repairs  that  took  place  upon  the  building  passing  into  other 
hands.  In  1808,  the  sign  of  la  Fille  mal  gardke,  (a  vaudeville,) 
at  a  mercei's,  attracted  great  attention.  About  this  period  the 
Eue  Vivienne  was  very  rich  in  good  signboards ;  there  were  la 
Toison  de  Cachemire ;  les  Trois  SuUanes ;  le  Couronnement  de 
la  Bosiere,  and  la  Joconde,  all  very  good  works  of  art.  There 
was  a  gay  Comte  Ory  on  the  Boulevard  des  Italiens,  and  la 
Blanche  Margmnte,  most  comely  to  look  upon,  in  the  Eue  Mont- 
martre.  All  these  are  now  gone,  but  many  good  specimens  of 
French  signboard  painting  may  yet  be  met  with. 

Before  closing  this  general  survey  of  signboard  history,  we 
must  direct  attention  to  the  number  of  streets  named  after  signs, 
both  in  England  and  abroad,  A  walk  down  Fleet  Street  will 
give,  in  a  small  compass,  as  many  illustrations  as  are  to  be  met 


42  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOABDS. 

with  in  any  other  thoroughfare  in  town,  for  there  nearly  all  the 
courts  are  named  after  signs  that  were  either  hung  within  them, 
or  at  their  entrance.  Not  only  streets,  but  families  also  have  to 
thank  signs  for  their  names. 

"  Many  names  that  seem  unfitting  for  men,  as  of  brutish  beasts,  etc., 
come  from  the  very  signes  of  the  houses  where  they  inhabited ;  for  I  hare 
heard  of  them  which  sayd  they  spake  of  knowledge,  that  some  in  late  time 
dwelling  at  the  eigne  of  the  Dolphin,  BuU,  White  Horse,  Backet,  Pea- 
cocke,  etc.,  were  commonly  called  Thomas  at  the  Dolphin,  WiU  at  the  Bull, 
George  at  the  White  Horse,  Robin  at  the  Backet,  which  names,  as  many 
other  of  like  sort,  with  omitting  at  the,  became  afterwards  hereditary  to 
their  children." — Camden's  Semaines,  p.  102. 

As  examples  of  such  names  we  have,  "  Arrow,  Axe,  Barrell, 
Bullhead,  Bell,  Block,  Board,  Banner,  Bowles,  Baskett,  Cann, 
Coulter,  Chisell,  Clogg,  Crosslceys,  Crosier,  Funnell,  Forge,  Fire- 
brand, Grapes,  Griffin,  Horns,  Hammer,  Hamper,  Hodd,  Harrow, 
Image,  (the  sign  originally  in  honour  of  some  saint  perhaps,) 
Jugg,  Kettle,  Knife,  Lance,  Mallet,  Maul,  Mattock,  Needle,  Pail, 
Pott,  Potts,  Plowe,  Plane,  Pipes,  Pottle,  Patten,  Posnet,  (a  purse 
or  money-bag,)  Pitcher,  Eule,  Eainbow,  Sack,  Saw,  Shovel, 
Shears,  Scales,  SUverspoon,  Swords,  Tankard,  Tabor,  (a  drum,) 
Trowel,  Tubb  and  Wedge,  and  a  good  many  others."  * 

And  now,  having  taken  a  passing  glance  at  signboard  history, 
from  the  earKest  times  down  to  the  present  day,  we  may  not  im- 
properly conclude  this  chapter  with  an  enumeration  of  the  inn, 
tavern,  and  public-house  signs  which  occur  most  frequently  in 
London,  in  this  present  year  of  grace,  1864  : — 

12  Adam  and  Eves,  13  Albions,  5  Alfred's  Heads,  13  Anchor 
and  Hopes,  18  Angels,  8  Angels  and  Crowns,  3  Antigallicans, 
5  Artichokes,  13  Barley  Mows,  9  Beehives,  31  Bells,  7  Ben 
Jonsons,  6  Birds  in  Hand,  5  Black  Boys,  16  Black  Bulls,  5  Black 
Dogs,  29  Black  Horses,  10  Black  Lions,  6  Black  Swans,  19  Blue 
Anchors,  5  Blue  Coat  Boys,  6  Blue  Lasts,  14  Blue  Peters,  27 
Bricklayers' Arms,  5  Bridge  Houses,  22  Britannias,  15  Brown  Bears, 
8  Builders'  Arms,  17  Bulls,  (some  combined  with  Bells,  Butchers, 
&c.,)  22  Bull's  Heads,  4  Camden  Heads,  6  Capes  of  Good  Hope, 
14  Carpenters' Arms,  19  Castles,  6  Catherine  Wheels,  7  Champions, 
5  Chequers,  5  Cherry-trees,  8  Cheshire  Cheeses,  11  City  Arms, 
18  Cities  of  London,  and  other  cities,  (as  Canton,  Paris,  Quebec, 
&c.,)  52  Coach  and  Horses,  12  Cocks,  16  Cocks  in  combination 
with  Bottles,  Hoops,  Lions,  Magpies,  &c.,  6  Constitutions,  17 

*  M.  A.  Lower's  Essay  on  Family  Nomenclature,  Tol  i.  p.  201. 


LONDON  SIGNS  IN  1864.  43 

Coopers'  Arms,  7  Crooked  Billets,  5  Cross  Keys,  61  Crowns,  18 
Crown  and  Anchors,  5  Grown  and  Cushions,  11  Crown  and 
Sceptres,  17  Crowns,  combined  with  other  objects,  as  Anvils, 
Barley  Mows,  Thistles,  Dolphins,  &c.,  (in  all,  112  Crowns; 
certamly  we  are  a  loyal  nation  !)  12  Devonshire  Arms,  2  Devon- 
shire Castles,  10  Dolphins,  6  Dover  Castles,  34  Dukes  of 
Wellington,  32  Dukes  of  York,  6  Dukes  of  Sussex,  16  Dukes  of 
Clarence,  7  Dukes  of  Cambridge,  26  other  Dukes,  (including 
Albemarle,  Argyle,  Bedford,  Bridgewater,  Gloucester,  &c.,)  7 
various  Duchesses,  (as  Kent,  York,  Oldenburgh,  &c.,)  14  Duke's 
Heads,  18  Earls,  (Aberdeen,  Cathcart,  Chatham,  Durham,  Essex, 
&o.,)  6  Edinburgh  Castles,  5  Elephants  and  Castles,  9  Falcons, 
21  Feathers,  4  Fishmongers'  Arms,  4  Five  BeUs,  5  FJeeces,  6 
Flying  Horses,  5  Fortunes  of  War,  24  Fountains,  8  Foxes,  12 
Foxes,  combined  with  Grapes,  Hounds,  Gfeese,  &c.,  8  Freemasons' 
Arms,  8  various  Generals,  (EUiott,  HUl,  Aberorombie,  Picton, 
Wolfe,  &c.,)  52  Georges,  14  George  and  Dragons,  19  George  the 
Fourths,  31  Globes,  6  Gloster  Arms,  7  Goats,  5  Golden  Anchors, 
5  Golden  Fleeces,  15  Golden  Lions,  6  Goldsmith's  Arms,  66  Grapes, 
15  Green  Dragons,  4  Green  Gates,  24  Green  Men,  9  Greyhounds, 

7  Griffins,  5  Grosvenor  Arms,  8  Guns,  4  Guy  of  Warwicks,  6 
Half-moons,  4  Hercules,  2  Hercules  Pillars,  5  Holes  in  the  Wall, 
5  Hoop  and  Grapes,  4  Hop-poles,  12  Hopes,  11  Horns,  21 
Horses  and  Grooms,  7  Horseshoes,  6  Horseshoe  and  Magpies,  6 
Jacob's  Wells,  5  John  Bulls,  16  various  "Jolly"  people,  as  Jolly 
Anglers,  Caulkers,  Gardeners,  &c.,  12  Kings  of  Prussia,  10  Kings 
and  Queens,  89  King's  Arms,  63  King's  Heads,  (loyalty  again!) 

8  Lambs,  3  Lambs  and  Flags,  4  Lion  and  Lambs,  55  different 
Lords,  amongst  which,  23  Lord  Nelsons,  4  Magpie  and  Stumps, 

3  Mail-coaches,  3  Men  in  the  Moon,  2  Marlborough  Arms,  6 
Marlborough  Heads,  18  Marq^uis  of  Granbys,  6  Mapj[uis  of 
ComwalUses,  14  various  Marquises,  9  Masons'  Arms,  17  Mitres, 

4  Mulberry-trees,  16  Nag's  Heads,  3  Nell  Gwynns,  7  Noah's 
Arks,  7  Norfolk  Arms,  4  North  Poles,  9  Northumberland  Arms, 
3  Old  Parr's  Heads,  6  Olive  Branches,  6  Oxford  Arms,  10  Pea- 
cocks, (1  Peahen,)  5  Perseverances,  5  Pewter  Platters,  10  Phoe- 
nixesj  3  Pied  Bulls,  5  Pine  Apples,  9  Pitt's  Heads,  15  Ploughs,  6 
Portland  Arms,  5  Portman  Arms,  19  Prince  Alberts,  6  Princa 
Alfreds,  3  Prince  Arthurs,  15  other  Princes,  (mostly  of  the  Eoyal 
Family,)  43  Princes  of  Wales,  12  Prince  Eegents,  6  Princess 
Eoyals,  3  Princess  Victorias,  and  a  few  of  the  younger  Princesses, 


44  TBE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

2  Punchbowls,  3  Queens,  3  Queen  and  Prince  Alberts,  17  Queen 
Victorias,  23  Queen's  Arms,  49  Queen's  Heads,  8  Railway  Taverns, 

8  Red  Cows,  4  Red  Crosses,  73  Red  Lions,  26  Rising  Suns,  9 
Robin  Hoods,  5  Rodney  Heads,  10  Roebucks,  14  Roses,  48  Rose 
and  Crowns,  4  Royal  Alberts,  28  various  Royal  personages  and 
objects,  as  Champions,  Cricketers,  Crowns,  Dukes,  Forts,  &c.,  8 
Royal  Georges,  26  Royal  Oaks,  13' Royal  Standards,  7  Running 
Horses,  23  Saints,  (3  Saint  Andrews,  4  St  Georges,  3  St  Jameses, 

3  St  Johns,  2  St  Luke's  Heads,  2  St  Martins,  2  St  Pauls,  <fec.,) 
5  Salisbury  Arms,  2  Salmons,  4  Salutations,  6  Scotch  Stores,  4 
Seven  Stars,  8  Shakespeare  Heads,  2  Shepherds  and  Hocks,  2 
Shepherds  and  Shepherdesses,  53  Ships,  (23  in  combination,  on 
launch,  aground,  &c.,)  3  Ship  and  Stars,  2  Ships  and  Whales, 
19  Sirs,  (including  4  Falstaffs,  Sir  John  Barleycorn,  Middleton, 
Newton,  Wren,  Abercrombie,  Pindar,  Peel,  Raleigh,  Walworthj 
&c.,)  5  Skinners'  Arms,  4  Southampton  Aims,  4  Sportsmen,  3 
Spotted  Dogs,  14  Spread  Eagles,  3  Stags,  3  Staghounds,  11 
Stars,  17  Star  and  Garters,  8  Sugar-loaves,  19  Suns,  19  Swans, 

9  Talbots,  4  Telegraphs,  3  Thatched  Houses,  5  Thistles  and 
Crowns,  21  Three  Compasses,  8  Three  Crowns,  3  Three  Cranes, 
3  Three  Cups,  3  Three  Kings,  19  Three  Tuns,  8  Tigers,  (1  Tiger 
Cat,)  10  Turk's  Heads,  28  Two  Brewers,  5  Two  Chairmen,  4 
Unicorns,  10  Unions,  2  Union  Flags,  11  Victories,  5  Vines,  3 
Waggon  and  Horses,  10  Watermen's  Arms,  9  Weavers'  Arms, 
3  Westminster  Arms,  20  Wheat  Sheaves,  15  White  Beats,  63 
White  Harts,  44  White  Horses,  25  White  Lions,  35  White 
Swans,  3  Whittington  and  Cats,  (1  Whittington  and  Stone,)  16 
WUliam  the  Fourths,  11  Windmills,  12  Windsor  Castles,  4  Wood- 
men, 8  Woolpacks,  10  York  Arms  and  York  Minster,  12  York- 
shire Greys. 


CHAPTEK   II. 

HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE  SIGNS, 

The  Greeks  honoured  their  great  men  and  successful  command- 
ers by  erecting  statues  to  them ;  the  Eomans  rewarded  their 
popular  favourites  with  triumphal  entries  and  ovations ;  modern 
nations  make  the  portraits  of  their  celebrities  serve  as  signs  for 
public-houses. 

"  Vernon,  the  Butcher  Cumberland,  Wolfe,  Hawke, 

Prince  Ferdinand,  Granby,  Burgoyne,  Keppel,  Howe, 
Evil  and  good  have  had  their  tithe  of  talk, 

And  fill'd  their  signpost  then,  like  Wellesley  now." 

As  Byron  hints,  popular  admiration  is  generally  very  short- 
lived ;  and  when  a  fresh  hero  is  gazetted,  the  next  new  alehouse 
wiU  most  probably  adopt  him  for  a  sign  in  preference  to  the  last 
great  man.  Thus  it  is  that  even  the  Duke  of  WeUington  is  now 
neglected,  and  in  his  place  we  see  General  Havelock,  Sir  Colin 
Campbell,  Lord  Pahnerston,  and  Mr  Gladstone,  the  Chancellor  of 
the  Exchequer,  not  omitting  the  fair  Princess  of  Denmark.  We 
will  not  now  dwell  upon  these  modem  celebrities,  but  rather 
direct  our  attention  to  those  illustrious  dead  upon  whom  the 
signboard  honours  were  bestowed  in  bygone  ages. 

Many  signboards  have  an  historic  connexion  of  some  sort  with 
the  place  where  they  are  exhibited.  Thus  the  Alfred's  Head, 
at  Wantage,  in  Berkshire,  was  in  aU  probability  chosen  as  a  sign 
because  Wantage  was  the  birthplace  of  King  Alfred.  So  the 
Canute  Castle,  at  Southampton,  owes  its  existence  to  a  local 
tradition  j  whilst  admiration  for  the  great  Scotch  patriot  made 
an  innkeeper  in  Stowell  Street,  Newcastle,  adopt  Sie  William 
Wallace's  Aems.  The  O^sae's  Head  was,  in  1761,  to  be  seen 
near  the  New  Church  in  the  Strand,*  and,  in  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  was  the  sign  of  a  tavern  in  Soho,  which  afterwards 
removed  to  Great  Palace  Yard,  Westminster.  Even  at  the  pre- 
sent day,  his  head  may  be  seen  outside  certain  village  alehouses ; 
but  this  we  may  attribute  to  that  provincial  popularity  which  the 
Roman  hero  shares  with  Oliver  Cromwell ;  for  as  the  Protector 
gets  the  blame  of  having  made  nearly  aU  the  ruins  which  are  to 
be  found  in  the  three  kingdoms,  so  Caesar  is  generally  named  by 
country  people  as  the  builder  of  every  old  wall  or  earthwork  the 
origin  of  which  is  unknown. 

•  Lloyd's  Evening  Post,  February  11-18,  1761. 


46  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 

Notwithstanding  the  popular  censure,  Ceomwbll  is  still  hon- 
oured with  signboards  in  places  where  his  memory  has  lingered, 
as  at  Kate's  Hill,  near  Dudley. 

In  most  cases,  however,  signboard  popularity  is  rather  short- 
lived ;  "  dulcique  animos  novitate  toiebo  "  seems  to  be  essentially 
the  motto  of  those  that  choose  popular  characters  for  their  sign. 
Had  this  modem  tribute  of  admiration  been  in  use  at  the  time  of 
the  Preacher,  it  might  have  afforded  him  one  more  illnstration  of 
the  vanity  of  vanities  to  be  f  oimd  in  aU  sublunary  things.  Horace 
Walpole  noticed  this  fickleness  of  signboard  fame  in  one  of  his 
letters : — 

"I  was  yesterday  out  of  town, -and  the  very  signs,  as  I  passed  through 
the  villages,  made  me  make  very  quaint  reflections  on  the  mortality  of 
fame  and  popularity.  I  observed  how  the  Duke's  Head  had  succeeded 
almost  universally  to  Admiral  Vernon's,  as  his  had  left  but  few  traces  of 
the  Duke  of  Ormond's.  I  pondered  these  things  in  my  breast,  and  said  to 
myself,  '  Surely  all  glory  is  but  as  a  sign  I'  "  • 

Some  favourites  of  the  signboard  have,  however,  been  more 
fortunate  than  others.  Henry  VIIL,  for  instance,  may  still  be 
seen  in  many  places ;  indeed,  for  more  than  two  centuries  after 
his  death,  almost  every  King's  Head  invariably  gave  a  portrait 
of  Bluff  Harry. 

Older  kings  occasionally  occur,  but  their  memories  seem  to 
have  been  revived  rather  than  handed  down  by  successive  inn- 
keepers. If  we  are  to  believe  an  old  Chester  legend,  however, 
The  King  Edgae  Inn,  in  Bridge  Street  of  that  city,  has  existed 
by  the  same  name  since  the  time  of  the  Saxon  king.  The  sign 
represents  King  Edgar  rowed  down  the  river  Dee  by  the  eight 
tributary  kings.  The  present  house  has  the  appearance  of  being 
buUt  anterior  to  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  and  the  sign  looks  almost 
as  old,  but  it  would  be  unwise  to  give  the  place  or  the  sign  a 
much  higher  antiquity.  King  John  is  the  sign  under  whose 
auspices  Jem  Mace,  the  pugilist,  keeps  a  public-house  in  Holywell 
Lane,  Shoreditch.  The  same  king  also  figures  in  Albemarle  Street 
and  in  Bermondsey ;  whilst  the  great  event  of  his  reign.  Magna 
Chaeta,  is  a  sign  at  New  Holland,  HulL  John  of  Gaunt  may 
be  seen  in  many  places ;  and  we  may  surmise  that  his  upholders 
are  stanch  Protestants,  who  value  his  character  as  a  reformer  and 
supporter  of  Wicliffe.  The  Black  Prince  may  not  unlikely 
have  come  down  to  us  in  an  uninterrupted  line  of  signboards ;  so 
little  was  his  identity  sometimes  understood,  that  there  is  a  shop- 

*  Hora,ce  Walyole'a  Letters,    Thirteenth  Letter  to  Mr  Conway,  April  16, 1747. 


mSTORIO  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  47 

bin  in  the  "  Banks  Collection"  *  on  which  this  hero  is  represented 
as  a  negro ! 

There  is  a  Queen  Eleanor  in  London  Fields,  Hackney,  pro- 
bably the  beautiful  and  affectionate  queen  of  Edward  I.,  buried  in 
Westminster  Abbey,  1290,  in  honour  of  whom  Charing  Cross, 
Cheapcross,  and  seven  other  crosses,  were  erected  on  the  places 
where  her  body  rested  on  its  way  to  the  great  Abbey.  What 
prompted  the  choice  of  this  sign  it  is  hard  to  say. 

At  Hever,  in  Kent,  a  rude  portrait  of  Henry  VIII.  may  be 
seen.  Near  this  village  the  BoUeyn  or  Bullen  family  formerly 
held  large  possessions ;  and  old  people  in  the  district  yet  shew 
the  spot  where,  as  the  story  goes,  King  Henry  often  used  to  meet 
Sir  Thomas  BoUeyn's  daughter  Anne.  Be  this  as  it  may,  years 
after  the  unhappy  death  of  Anne,  the  village  alehouse  had  for  its 
sign,  Bullen  Butchered  ;  but  the  place  falling  into  new  hands, 
the  name  of  the  house  was  altered  to  the  Bull  and  Butcher, 
which  sign  existed  to  a  recent  date,  and  would  probably  have 
swung  at  this  moment,  but  for  a  desire  of  the  resident  clergyman 
to  see  something  different.  He  suggested  the  King's  Head  ;  and 
the  village  painter  was  forthwith  commissioned  to  make  the  alter- 
ation. The  latter  accepted  the  task,  drew  the  bluff  features  oi 
the  monarch,  and  represented  it  as  other  King's  Heads,  but  in 
his  hands  placed  a  large  axe,  which  signboard  exists  to  this  day. 

As  for  Queen  Elizabeth,  she  was  the  constant  type  of  the 
Queen's  Head,  as  her  father  was  of  the  King's  Head ;  and,  like 
him,  she  may  still  be  seen  in  many  places.  It  is  somewhat  more 
difficult  to  ascertain  who  is  meant  by  the  Queen  Catherine  in 
Brook  Street,  EatcUffe  Highway ;  whether  it  be  Queen  Catherine 
of  Aragon,  or  Queen  Catherine  of  Braganza.  Queen  Anne,  in 
South  Street,  Walworth,  has  evidently  come  down  to  us  as  the 
token  of  that  house  since  the  day  of  its  opening,  just  as  the  Queen 
OF  Bohemia,  who,  until  about  fifty  years  ago,  continued  as  a  sign 
in  Drury  Lane,  t  This  was  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  I,,  mar- 
ried to  Frederic  V.,  Elector-Palatine,  who,  after  her  husband's 
death,  lived  at  Craven  House,  Drury  Lane,  and  died  there, 
February  13,  1661,  having  been  privately  married,  it  is  thought, 
to  Lord  Craven,  who  was  foremost  in  fighting  the  battles  of  her 
husband. 

Of  King's  Heads,  Henry  VIII.  is  the  oldest  on  authentic  re- 

*  In  the  Print-room  of  the  British  Museum. 
t  Pennant's  History  of  London,  vol.  i.  p,  99. 


48  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

cord.     But  tliis  does  not  prove  that  he  was  the  first ;  for,  as  there 
lived  great  men  before  Agamemnon,  so  most  kings  during  their 
reign  will,  in  all  probability,  have  had  their  signs.      Among 
Henry's  successors,  we  find  the  head  of  Edward  VI.  on  a  trades 
token ;  whilst  Chakles  the  First's  Head  was  the  portrait  hang- 
ing from  the  house  of  that  scoundrel  Jonathan  WUd,  in  the  Old 
Bailey.     Even  at  the  present  day  there  is  a  sign  of  Charles  the 
First  at  Goring  Heath,  Beading.   The  Martyr's  Head  in  Smith- 
field,  1710,  seems  also  to  have  been  a  portrait  of  Charles  I. ;  so, 
at  least,  the  following  allusion  gives  us  to  understand  : — 
"  May  Hyde,  near  Smithfield,  at  the  Martyr's  Head, 
Who  charms  the  nicest  judge  with  noble  red. 
Thrive  on  by  drawing  wines,  which  none  can  blame, 
But  those  who  in  his  sign  behold  their  shame ; "  * 
which   seems  to  be  an  allusion  to  Puritanical  water-diinkers. 
To  this  unfortunate  king  belongs  also  the  sign  of  the  Mourning 
Bush,  set  up  by  Taylor  the  water-poet  over  his  tavern  in  Phoenix 
Alley,  Long  Acre,  to  express  his  grief  at  the  beheading  of  Charles  I. ; 
but  he  was  soon  compelled  to  take  it  down,  when  he  put  up  the 
Poet's  Head,  his  own  portrait,  with  this  inscription  : — 
"  There  is  many  a  head  hangs  for  a  sign  ; 
Then,  gentle  reader,  why  not  mine  ? " 

This  "  Poeta  Aquaticus,"  as  he  sometimes  called  himself,  was 
a  boatman  on  the  Thames,  and  alehouse-keeper  by  profession, 
besides  being  the  author  of  fourscore  books  of  very  original 
poetry.  At  the  same  time  that  he  put  up  his  new  sign  of  the 
Poet's  Head,  he  issued  a  rhyming  pamphlet,  in  which  occur  the 
following  lines : — 

"  My  signe  was  once  a  Crovme,  but  now  it  ia 
Changed  by  a  sudden  metamorphosis. 
The  crowne  was  taken  downe,  and  in  the  stead 
Is  placed  John  Taylor's,  or  the  Poet's  Head. 
A  painter  did  my  picture  gratis  make. 
And  (for  a  signe)  I  hang'd  it  for  his  sake. 
Now,  if  my  picture's  dra?ring  can  prevayle, 
'TwUl  draw  my  friends  to  me,  and  I'll  draw  ale. 
Two  strings  are  better  to  a  bow  than  one ; 
And  poeting  does  me  small  good  alone. 
So  ale  alone  yields  but  smaU  good  to  me, 
Except  it  have  some  spice  of  poesie. 
The  fruits  of  ale  are  unto  drunkards  such, 
To  make  'em  sweare  and  lye  that  drinke  too  much. 
But  my  ale,  being  drunk  with  moderation, 
•  "  The  Quiick  Vintners,  1710,"  a  tract  written  against  Brooke  and  Hilliers,  the  ramoiu 
win&-myrchant3  of  that  time,  frec^uently  mentioned  by  the  Spectatm; 


EAGLE  AND  CHai). 
(Banks's  Bills,  circa  ITso.) 


ROBIN  HOOD  AND  LITTLE  JOHN. 
(BoxburgheEiJlals,  leoo.) 


GRIFFIN  AND  CHAIR. 
(Biiiiks's  Billu,  1790.) 


EOLT-IN-TUN. 
(Fleet  Street,) 


BOAKS  HEAD. 
(Etistcheap.) 


BULLS  HEAD. 
(Loiighlwrongh,  Line,  1806 


HISTORia  AND  OOMMEMORA  TJ  VE.  4  9 

Will  quench  thirst,  and  make  merry  recreation. 
My  book  and  signe  were  puUish'd  for  two  ends, 
T'  invite  my  honest,  civill,  sober  friends. 
From  such  as  are  not  such,  I  kindly  pray. 
Till  I  send  for  'em,  let  'em  keep  away. 
From  Phcenix  Alley,  the  Globe  Taveme  neare. 
The  middle  of  Long  Acre,  I  dwell  there. 

"  John  Taylok,  Poeta  Aquaticus." 

The  Mourning  Ceown  was  afterwards  revived,  and  in  tlie  last 
century  it  was  the  sign  of  a  tavern  in  Aldersgate,  where,  on  Satur- 
days, when  Parliament  was  not  sitting,  the  Duke  of  Devonshire, 
the  Earls  of  Oxford,  Sunderland,  Pembroke,  and  Winchelsea,  Mr 
Bagford  the  antiquary,  and  Britton  the  musical  small-coalman, 
used  to  refresh  themselves,  after  having  passed  the  forepart  of 
the  day  in  hunting  for  antiquities  and  curiosities  in  Little  Britain 
and  its  neighbourhood. 

Not  only  was  the  Crown  put  in  mourning  at  the  death  of 
Charles  I.,  but  also  the  Mitee.  Hearne  has  an  anecdote  which 
he  transcribed  from  Dr  Richard  Eawlinson  : — "  Of  Daniel  Rawlin- 
son,  who  kept  the  Mitre  Tavern  in  Fenchurch  Street,  and  of 
whose  beiug  sequestered  in  the  Kump  time,  I  have  heard  much. 
The  Whigs  tell  this,  that  tipon  the  king's  murder  he  hung  his  sign 
in  mourning.  He  certainly  judged  right ;  the  honour  of  the  mitra 
was  much  eclipsed  through  the  loss  of  so  good  a  parent  of  the 
Church  of  England.  Those  rogues  say,  this  endeared  him  so 
much  to  the  Churchmen  that  he  soon  throve  amain,  and  got  a 
good  estate." 

Charles  the  Second's  Head  swung  at  the  door  of  a  "  music- 
house"  for  seafaring  men  and  others,  in  Stepney,  at  the  end  of  the 
seventeenth  century  In  a  great  room  of  this  house  there  was  an 
organ  and  a  band  of  fiddles  and  hautboys,  to  the  music  whereof 
it  was  no  unusual  thing  for  parties,  and  sometimes  single  per- 
sons,— and  those  not  of  very  inferior  sort, — ^to  dance.  At  the  pre- 
sent day,  that  king's  memory  is  still  kept  alive  on  a  signboard  in 
Herbert  Street,  Hoxton,  under  the  name  of  the  Merry  Monarch. 

To  his  miraculous  escape  at  Boscobel  we  owe  the  Royal  Oak, 
which,  notwithstanding  a  lapse  of  two  centuries  and  a  change  of 
dynasty,  stiU.  continues  a  very  favourite  sign.  In  London  alone 
it  occurs  on  twenty-sis  public-houses,  exclusive  of  beerhouses, 
coffee-houses,  <fec.  Sometimes  it  is  called  King  Charles  in  the 
Oak,  as  at  WUlen  Hall,  Warwickshire.  The  Royal  Oak,  soon 
after  the  Restoration,  became  a  favourite  with  the  shops  of 


50  THM  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

London ;  tokens  of  some  half  a  dozen  houses  bearing  that  sign 
are  extant.  What  is  rather  curious  is  that,  not  many  years  since, 
one  of  the  descendants  of  trusty  Dick  Pendrell  kept  an  inn  at 
Lewes,  in  Sussex,  called  the  Eoyal  Oak. 

There  is  a  trades  token  of  "  William  Hagley,  at  the  Eestoea- 
TiON,  in  St  George's  Fields ;"  but  how  this  event  was  represented 
does  not  appear.  At  Charing  Cross  it  was  commemorated  by 
the  sign  of  the  Pageant  Tavern,  which  represented  the  triimiphal 
arch  erected  at  that  place  on  occasion  of  the  entry  of  Charles  II., 
and  which  remained  standing  for  a  year  after.  This  was  evi> 
dently  the  same  house  which  Pepys  calls  the  Triumph.  It  seems 
to  have  been  a  fashionable  place,  for  he  went  there,  on  the  25th 
May  1662,  to  see  the  Portuguese  ladies  of  Queen  Catherine. 
"They  are  not  handsome,"  says  he,  "and "their  fardingales  a 
strange  dress.  Many  ladies  and  persons  of  quality  come  to  see 
them.  I  find  nothing  in  them  that  is  pleasing ;  and  I  see  they 
have  learned  to  kiss  and  look  freely  up  and  down  already,  and,  I 
believe,  will  soon  forget  the  recluse  practice  of  their  own  country. 
They  complain  much  for  lack  of  good  water  to  drink."  The 
Triumph  is  stiU  the  sign  of  a  public-house  in  Skinner  Street, 
Somers  Town. 

Queen  Mary  was  in  her  day  a  very  popular  sign,  as  may  be 
gathered  from  many  of  the  shop-biUs  in  the  Banks  Collection ; 
whilst  William  and  Maey  are  stUl  to  be  seen  in  Maiden  Cause- 
way, Cambridge.  The  accession  of  the  house  of  Brunswick  pro- 
duced the  Brunswick,  still  very  common,  particularly  in  the 
West  Eiding  of  Yorkshire.  Then  come  the  Georges,  of  whom 
George  III.  and  George  IV.  still  survive  in  nearly  as  many 
instances  as  their  successor,  William  IV. ;  with  them  a  few  of 
the  royal  Dukes  of  Clarence,  Suffolk,  and,  above  all,  "the 
Butcher  Cumberland  ;"  until  at  length  we  come  to  Princess 
Victoria,  and,  finally,  the  Queen  Victoria,  the  British  Queen, 
Island  Queen,  &c.  Under  one  of  her  signs  at  Coopersale,  m 
Essex,  is  the  following  inscription  : — 

"  The  Queen  some  day 

May  pass  this  way, 

And  see  our  Tom  and  Jerry. 

Perhaps  she'll  stop. 

And  stand  a  drop, 

To  make  her  subjects  merry." 

Among  the  foreign  kings  and  potentates  who  Lave  figured  in 

9ur  open-air  walhalla,  the  Turkish  sultans  seem  to  have  stood 


HISTORIC  Al^D  COMMMMORATIVE.  51 

foremost.  Moeat  (Amurat)  and  Soliman  were  constant  coffee- 
house signs  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Trades  tokens  are  extant, 
in  the  Beaufoy  and  other  collections,  of  a  cofifee-house  in  Exchange 
Alley,  the  sign  of  Morat,  with  this  distich: — 

"MoRAT  .  Y"  .  Great  .  Men  .  Did  .  Mee  .  Call 
Where  .  Ere  .  I  .  Came  .  I  .  Conquee'd  .  All." 
On  the  reverse  :  "  Coffee,  tobacco,  sherhett,  tea,  and  chocolat  retaVd 
in  Exchange  Alley."    The  same  house  figures  in  advertisements  of 
the  time,  giving  the  prices  of  those  various  articles  : — 

"  AT  IHE  Coffee-house  in  Exchange  Alley  is  sold  by  Retail  the  right 
Xl.  Coffee-powder,  from  4s.  to  6s.  per  pound,  as  in  goodness :  that 
pounded  in  a  mortar  at  3s.  per  pound ;  also  that  termed  the  right  Turkie 
Berry,  well  garbled,  at  3s.  per  pound — the  ungarbled  for  less ;  that  termed 
the  East  India  Berry  at  20d.  per  pound,  with  directions  gratis  how  to  make 
and  use  the  same.  Likewise,  there  you  may  have  Tobacco,  Verinas  and 
Virginia,  Chocolatta — the  ordinary  pound-boxes  at  2s.  per  pound;  also 
Sherbets  (made  in  Turkie)  of  Lemons,  Roses,  and  Violets  perfumed;  and 
Tea  according  to  its  goodness,  from  6s.  to  60s.  per  pound.  For  all  of  which, 
if  any  Gentleman  shall  write  or  send,  they  shall  be  sure  of  the  best  as  they 
shall  order ;  and  to  avoid  deceit,  warranted  under  the  House  Seal — yiz,, 
Moeat  the  Gkeat,"  &o. — Mercurms  PvbUcvs,  March  12-19, 1662. 

The  Great  Mogol  also  had  his  share  of  signboards,  of  which 
a  few  still  survive ;  one,  for  instance,  in  New  Bartholomew 
Street,  Birmingham.  Kouli  Khan  we  find  only  in  one  instance, 
(though  there  were  probably  many  more,)  namely,  on  the  sign  of 
a  tavern  by  the  Quayside,  Newcastle,  in  1746.*  This  house  had 
formerly  been  called  the  Crown,  but  changed  its  sign  in  honour 
of  Thomas  Nadir  Shah,  or  Kouh.  Khan,  who,  from  having  been 
chief  of  a  band  of  robbers,  at  last  sat  himself  on  the  throne  of 
Persia.  He  was  killed  in  1747.  One  of  the  reasons  of  his  popu- 
larity in  this  country  was  the  permission  he  granted  to  the  Eng- 
lish nation  to  trade  with  Persia,  the  most  chimerical  ideas  being 
entertained  of  the  advantages  to  be  derived  from  that  commerce. 
Hanway,  the  philanthropist,  was  for  some  time  concerned  in  it, 
but  died  before  he  could  carry  out  the  scheme ;  ultimately,  the 
death  of  Nadir  Shah  himself  put  an  end  to  it. 

The  Indian  King,  which  we  meet  with  so  frequently,  is  an 
extremely  vague  personage,  which  various  Indian  potentates  might 
take  for  themselves  as  the  cap  fitted.  It  was  generally  set  up 
when  some  king  from  the  far  East  visited  the  metropolis,  and  for 
a  short  time  created  a  sensation.  Thus,  in  1710,  there  were  four 
Indian  kings  from  "  states  between  New  England,  New  York 

*  Newcastle  Journal',  June  28, 174&. 


52  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

and  Canada,"  who  had  audiences  with  Queen  Anne,  and  seems  to 
have  been  a  good  deal  talked  about.     {See  Spectator,  No.  50.) 

Again,  in  1763,  London  was  honoured  with  the  visit  of  a 
Cherokee  king,  and  thus  many  before  and  after  him  have  created 
their  nine  days'  wonder. 

Visits  of  European  monarchs  were  also  commemorated  by 
complimentary  signs.  One  of  the  oldest  was  the  King  of  Den- 
MABK,  and  few  kings  better  than  he  deserved  the  exalted  place  at 
the  alehouse  door ;  yet,  such  is  the  ingratitude  of  the  world,  that 
he  seems  now  completely  forgotten.  The  sign  originated  in  the 
reign  of  James  I.,  who  married  a  daughter  of  Christian  IV.,  King 
of  Denmark.  In  July  1606,  the  royal  father-in-law  came  over 
on  a  visit,  when  the  two  kings  began  "  bousing "  and  carousing 
right  royaUy,  the  court,  of  course,  duly  following  the  example. 
"  I  came  here  a  day  or  two  before  the  Danish  king  came,"  says 
Sir  John  Harrington,  "  and  from  that  day  he  did  come  till  this 
hour,  I  have  been  well-nigh  overwhelmed  with  carousal  and 
sport  of  aU  kinds.  I  think  the  Dane  has  strangely  wrought  on 
our  English  nobles ;  for  those  whom  I  could  never  get  to  taste 
good  liquor,  now  follow  the  fashion  and  wallow  in  beastly  delights. 
The  ladies  abandon  their  society,  and  are  seen  to  roU  about  in 
intoxication,"  &c.*  So  late  as  thirty  years  ago,  not  less  than 
three  of  these  signs  were  left,  the  most  notorious  being  in  the 
Old  Bailey.  It  used  to  be  open  all  night  for  the  sale  of  creature 
comforts  to  the  drunkard,  the  thief,  the  nightwalker,  and  profli- 
gates of  every  description.  Slang  was  the  language  of  the  place, 
and  doubtless  the  refreshments  were  mostly  paid  for  with  stolen 
money.  On  execution  nights,  the  landlord  used  to  reap  a  golden 
harvest;  then  there  were  such  scenes  of  drunkenness  as  must 
have  done  the  old  king  on  the  signboard  good  to  siu^ey,  and 
made  him  wish  to  be  inside.  The  visit  of  another  crowned  votary 
of  JBacchus  is  commemorated  by  the  sign  of  the  CziE's  Head, 
Great  Tower  Street : — 

"  Peter  the  Great  and  his  companions,  having  finished  their  day's  work, 
used  to  resort  to  a  public-house  in  Great  Tower  Street,  close  to  Tower 
Hill,  to  smoke  their  pipes  and  drink  beer  and  brandy.  The  landlord  had 
the  Czar  of  Muscovy's  Head  painted,  and  put  it  up  for  his  sign,  which  con- 
tinued tin  the  year  1808,  when  a  person  of  the  name  of  Waxel  took  a  fancy 
to  the  old  sign,  and  offered  the  then  occupier  of  the  house  to  paint  him 
a  new  one  for  it.  A  copy  was  accordingly  made  of  the  original,  which 
maintains  its  station  to  the  present  day  as  the  Czar  of  Muscovy."  f 

»  Nuga  Anttquso,  vol.  i,  p.  848.  f  BaiTow'a  Life  of  Peter  the  Great 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  53 

Tie  sign  is  now  removed,  but  the  public-house  still  bears  the 
same  name.  Pbince  Eugene  also  was  at  one  time  a  popular 
tavern  portrait  in  England,  more  particularly  after  his  visit  to  this 
country  in  January  1712.  It  is  named  as  one  of  the  signs  in 
Norwich  in  1750,*  but  is  now,  we  believe,  completely  extinct  in 
England ;  in  Paris  there  is  still  one  surviving  on  the  Boulevard 
St  Martin. 

The  Gkave  MAtTKiOB  is  of  very  old  standing  in  London,  being 
named  by  Taylor  the  water-poet  as  an  inn  at  Knightsbridge  in 
1636;  at  present  there  are  two  left,  one  in  Whitechapel  Eoad, 
the  other  in  St  Leonard's  Eoad.  Who  this  Grave  Maurice  was 
is  not  quite  clear.  Grave  {Ger.  Graf,  Butch  Graaf,  i.e.  Count,) 
Maurice  of  Nassau,  afterwards  Maurice,  Prince  of  Orange,  was, 
on  account  of  his  successful  opposition  to  the  Spanish  domination 
in  the  Netherlands,  very  popular  in  this  country.  In  Baker's 
Chronicles,  anno  1613,  we  read  that : — "Upon  St  Thomas-day, 
the  Paltzgrave  and  Grave  Maurice  were  elected  Knights  of  the 
Garter ;  and  the  27  th  of  December,  the  Paltzgrave  was  betrothed 
to  the  Lady  Elizabeth.  On  Sunday  the  7th  of  February,  the 
Paltzgrave  in  person  was  installed  a  Knight  of  the  Garter  at 
Windsor,  and  at  the  same  time  was  Grave  Maurice  installed  by 
his  deputy,  Count  Lodewick  of  Nassau."  The  Garter  conferred 
on  the  Grave  Maurice  was  that  which  had  been  previously  worn 
by  Henri  Quatre,  Kiag  of  France  and  Navarre.  The  Palzgrave 
was  Grave  Maurice's  nephew,  the  Palatine  Count  Frederick,  by 
whose  marriage  with  King  James's  daughter  were  bom  the  bro- 
thers Eupert  and  Maurice,  (the  latter  in  1620,)  who  distinguished 
themselves  in  England  during  the  civil  wars.  It  was  this  Prince 
Maurice's  great  uncle,  the  Grave  Maurice  of  Nassau,  whose  coun- 
terfeit presentment  stiU  gives  a  name  to  two  of  our  taverns. 
Another  Maurice,  about  this  period,  was  very  popular  in  England 
— ^viz.,  Maurice  Landgrave  of  Hesse-Cassel,  who  "  carried  away 
the  palm  of  excellency  in  whatever  is  to  be  wished  in  a  brave 
prince."t  Peacham,  enumerating  this  prince's  qualifications,  says 
that  he  was  a  good  musician,  spoke  ten  or  twelve  languages,  was 
a  universal  scholar,  could  dispute,  "  even  in  boots  and  spurs,"  for 
an  hour  with  the  best  professors  on  any  subject,  and  was  the  best 
bone-setter  in  the  country.  He  gained,  too,  much  of  his  popu- 
larity by  his  adherence  to  the  Protestant  religion  during  the 
Thirty  Years'  War. 

•  Gent.  Mag.,  March  1842. 

t  Peacham's  Compleat  Gentleman,  p.  79. 


54  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  Paitsgeave  became  a  popular  sign  at  the  marriage  of 
Frederick  Oasimir  V.,  Elector  and  Count  Palatine  of  the  Ehine, 
King  of  Bohemia,  with  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  I.  Trades 
tokens  are  extant  of  a  famous  tavern,  the  sign  of  the  Palsgeave's 
Head,  without  Temple  Bar,*  which  gave  its  name  to  Paltsgrave 
Court,  whilst  the  Palatine  Head  was  an  inn  near  the  French 
'Change,  Soho.  Peince  Eupeet,  the  Palsgrave's  son,  who  be- 
haved so  gallantly  in  many  of  the  fights  during  the  Civil  War,  was 
no  doubt  a  favourite  sign  after  the  Eestoration.  We  have  an  in- 
stance of  one  on  the  trades  token  of  Jacob  Eobins,  in  the  Strand. 

One  of  the  last  foreign  princes  to  whom  the  signboard  honour 
was  accorded,  was  the  King  of  Peussia.  This  stiU  occurs  in 
many  places.  After  the  battle  of  Eosbach,  Frederick  the  Great, 
our  ally,  became  the  popular  hero  in  England.  Ballads  were 
made,  in  which  he  was  caUed  "  Frederick  of  Prussia,  or  the  Hero." 
"  Portraits  of  the  hero  of  Eosbach,  with  his  cocked  hat  and  long 
pigtail,  were  in  every  house.  An  attentive  observer  wiU  at  this 
day  find  in  the  parlours  of  old-fashioned  inns,  and  in  the  port- 
folios of  printseUers,  twenty  portraits  of  Frederick  for  one  of 
George  II.  The  sign-painters  were  everywhere  employed  in 
touching  up  Admieal  Vernoit  into  the  King  of  PEtrssiA.t " 

These  words  of  Macaulay  remind  us  of  a  passage  in  the  Mirror, 
No.  82,  Saturday,  February  19,  1780,  bearing  on  the  same  sub- 
ject. In  1739,  after  the  capture  of  PortobeUo,  Admiral  Vernon's 
"  portrait  dangled  from  every  signpost,  and  he  may  be  figuratively 
said  to  have  sold  the  ale,  beer,  porter,  and  purl  of  England  for 
six  years.  Towards  the  close  of  that  period,  the  admiral's  favour 
began  to  fade  apace  with  the  colours  of  his  uniform,  and  the 
battle  of  CuUoden  was  total  annihilation  for  him.  .  .  .  The 
Dtjke  of  Cumbeeland  kept  possession  of  the  signboard  a  long 
time.  In  the  beginning  of  the  last  war,  our  admirals  in  the 
Mediterranean,  and  our  generals  in  North  America,  did  nothing 
that  could  tend  in  the  least  degree  to  move  his  Eoyal  Highness 
from  his  place ;  but  the  doubtful  battle  of  HameUan,  followed 
by  the  unfortunate  convention  of  Stade,  and  the  rising  fame  of 

*  The  taverns  of  the  seventeenth  century  appear  in  many  instances  to  have  been  up- 
stairs, above  shops.  In  1679,  there  was  a  "  Mr  Crutch,  goldsmith^  near  Temple  Bar,  at 
the  Palsgrave  Mead."  In  a  similar  way,  a  bookseller  lived  at  the  sign,  of  the  HainboWj 
at  thft  same  time  as  one  Parr,  who  opened  this  place  as  a  cofifee-house.  Another  bookseller, 
James  Roberts,  who  printed  most  of  the  satires,  epigrams,  and  other  wasp-stings  against 
Pope,  lived  at  the  Oxford  Arms,  a  caiTiei-s'  inn  in  Warwick  Lane.  Finally,  Isaac  Wal- 
ton sold  his  " Complete  Angler"  "at  his  shoppin  Fleet  Street,  under  the  Kini/s  Head 
Tavern." 

t  Macaulay's  Biographical  Essays,  Frederick  the  Great. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  55 

the  King  of  Prussia,  obliterated  the  glories  of  the  Duke  of  Cum- 
beriaud  as  effectually  as  his  Koyal  Highness  and  the  battle  of 
Culloden  had  effaced  the  figure,  the  memory,  and  the  renown  of 
Admiral  Vernon.  The  duke  was  so  completely  displaced  by  his 
Prussian  majesty,  that  we  have  some  doubts  whether  he  met  with 
fair  play.  One  circumstance,  indeed,  was  much  against  him ;  his 
figure  being  marked  by  a  hat  with  the  Kevenhuller  cock,  a  mili- 
tary uniform,  and  a  very  fierce  look,  a  slight  touch  of  the  painter 
converted  him  into  the  King  of  Prussia.  But  what  crowned  the 
success  of  his  Prussian  majesty,  was  the  title  bestowed  upon  him 
by  the  brothers  of  the  brush,  '  The  Glorious  Protestant  Hero,' 
words  which  added  splendour  to  every  signpost,  and  which  no 
British  hero  could  read  without  peculiar  sensation  of  veneration 
and  of  thirst. 

"  For  two  years,  '  the  glorious  Protestant  hero '  was  unrivalled  ; 
but  the  French  being  defeated  at  Minden,  upon  the  1st  of  August 
1759,  by  the  army  under  Prince  Frederick  of  Brunswick,  the 
King  of  Prussia  began  to  give  place  a  little  to  two  popular 
favourites,  who  started  at  the  same  time ;  I  mean  Prince 
Ferdinand,  and  the  Marquis  or  Geanby.  Prince  Ferdinand  was 
supported  altogether  by  his  good  conduct  at  Minden,  and  by  his 
high  reputation  over  Europe  as  a  general.  The  Marquis  of 
Granhy  behaved  with  spirit  and  personal  courage  everywhere ; 
but  his  success  on  the  signposts  of  England  was  very  much  owing 
to  a  comparison  generally  made  between  him  and  another  British 
general  of  higher  rank,  but  who  was  supposed  not  to  have  be^ 
haved  so  well.  Perhaps,  too,  he  was  a  good  deal  indebted  to 
another  circumstance — to  wit,  the  baldness  of  his  head." 

That  crowned  heads,  as  well  as  other  human  beings,  were  sub- 
ject to  the  law  of  change  on  the  signboard,  is  amusingly  illustrated 
in  an  anecdote  told  by  Goldsmith  : — 

"  An  alehouse  keeper  near  Islington,  who  had  long  lived  at  the  sign  of 
the  French  King,  upon  the  commencement  of  the  last  war,  pulled  down 
his  old  sign,  and  put  up  that  of  th?  Quebh  or  HnuoAET.  Under  the 
influence  of  her  red  nose  and  golden  sceptre,  he  continued  to  sell  ale,  till 
she  was  no  longer  the  favourite  of  his  customers ;  he  changed  her  therefore, 
some  time  ago,  for  the  King  of  Prussia,  who  may  prohahly  he  changed  in 
turn  for  the  next  great  man  that  shall  be  set  up  for  vulgar  admiration."* 

Of  all  great  men,  "bene  meriti  de  patria,"  mihtaiy  men 
appear  at  all  times  to  have  captivated  the  popular  favour  much 
more  than  those  men  who  promoted  the  welfare  of  the  country  in 

*  goldsmith's  Essaj  on  the  Versatility  of  Popular  Favour. 


56  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 

the  Cabinet,  or  who  made  themselves  famous  by  the  arts  of  peace, 
and  the  more  quiet  productions  of  their  genius.  We  find  hundreds 
of  admirals  and  generals  on  the  signboard,  but  we  are  not  aware 
that  there  is  one  Watt,  or  one  Sir  Walter  Scott ;  yet,  what  glory 
and  pleasure  has  the  nation  not  derived  from  their  genius !  Book- 
sellers formerly  honoured  the  heads  and  names  of  great  authors 
with  a  signboard ;  but  that  custom  fell  into  disuse  when  signs 
became  unnecessary.  At  present,  the  publicans  only  have  signs, 
and  they  and  their  customers  can  much  better  appreciate  "  the 
glorious  pomp  and  pageantry  of  war,"  than  a  parliamentary  de- 
bate. A  victory,  with  so  many  of  the  enemy  kiUed  and  wounded, 
and  so  many  colours  and  stands  of  arms  captured,  awakens  much 
more  thrilling  emotions  in  their  breasts  than  the  most  useful  in- 
vention, or  the  most  glorious  work  of  art. 

The  sea  being  our  proper  element,  admirals  have  always  had 
the  lion's  share  of  the  popular  admiration,  and  their  fame  appears 
more  firmly  rooted  than  that  of  generals.  Signs  of  Admirai 
Drake,  Sie  Fkancis  Drake,  or  the  Drake  Aems,  so  common 
at  the  water-side  in  our  seaports,  shew  that  the  nation  has  not  yet 
forgotten  the  bold  navigator  of  good  Queen  Bess.  Sir  Waiter 
Ealeigh  has  not  been  quite  so  fortunate ;  for  though  he  also 
came  in  for  a  great  share  of  signboard  honour,  yet  it  was  less 
owing  to  his  qualities  as  a  commander,  than  to  his  reputation  of 
having  introduced  tobacco  into  England,  whence  he  became  a 
favourite  tobacconist's  sign  ;  and  in  that  quality,  we  find  ViiTti  on 
several  of  the  shop-bills  in  the  Banks  Collection.  Signs  being 
frequently  used  in  the  last  century  for  political  pasquinades,  ad- 
vantage was  taken  of  a  tobacconist's  sign  for  the  following  sharp 
hit  at  Lord  North  : — 

"  To  the  Printer  of  the  General  Advertiser : — 

"  Sie, — Being  a  smoaker,  I  take  particular  notice  of  the  devices  used  by 
different  dealers  in  tobacco,  by  way  of  ornament  to  the  papers  in  which 
that  valuable  plant  is  enclosed  for  sale ;  and  that  used  by  the  worthy 
Alderman  in  Ludgate  Street,  has  often  given  me  much  pleasure,  it  having 
the  head  of  Sir  Walter  Baleigh,  and  the  following  motto  round  it : — 
'  Great  Britain  to  great  Raleigh  owes 
This  plant  and  country  where  it  grows.' 
To   which  I   offer  the  following  lines  by  way  of  contrast;    the  truth 
thereof  no  one  can  doubt : — 

To  Eubicon  and  North,  old  England  owes 

The  loss  of  country  where  tobacco  grows. 

"  I  suppose  no  dealer  will  ohuse  to  adopt  so  unfortunate  a  subject  for 


HISTORia  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  57 

their  insignia;  but  perhaps,  when  you  have  a  spare  corner  in  your 
General  Advertiser,  it  may  not  be  inadmissible,  which  will  oblige. — Tours, 
Ac,  A  Smoaker. 

"  Feb.  1, 1783.  General  Advertiser,  March  13,  1784." 

Brave  old  Admieal  Benbow,  who  held  up  the  honour  of  the 
British  flag  in  the  reign  of  William  III.,  is  still  far  from  uncommon. 
Admieal  Duncan,  Howe,  and  Jeevis  stiU  preside  over  the  sale 
of  many  a  hogshead  of  beer  or  spirits  ;  whUst  Admieal  Vernon 
seems  to  have  secured  himself  an  everlasting  place  on  the  front 
of  the  alehouse,  by  reason  of  his  dashing  capture  of  Poetobbllo  ; 
the  name  of  that  town,  or  sometimes  the  Poetobello  Aems,  being 
also  frequently  adopted,  instead  of  the  admiral's  name.  Admieal 
Keppel  is  another  great  favourite.  There  is  a  public-house  with 
that  sign,  on  the  Fulham  Road,  where,  some  years  ago,  the  por- 
trait of  the  admiral  used  to  court  the  custom  of  the  passing 
traveller,  by  a  poetical  appeal  to  both  man  and  beast : — 
"  Stop,  brave  boys,  and  quench  your  thirst ; 
If  you  won't  drink,  your  horses  murst." 

But,  above  all,  Admieal  Rodney  seems  to  have  obtained  a 
larger  share  of  popularity  than  even  Nelson  himself.  In  Boston 
there  is  the  Rodney  and  Hood  ;  and  in  Creggin,  Montgomery- 
shire, the  Rodney  Pillae  Inn,  with  the  following  Anacreontic 
effusion  on  a  double-sided  signboard : — 

"  Under  these  trees,  in  sunny  weather, 
Just  try  a  cup  of  ale,  however ; 
And  if  in  tempest  or  in  storm, 
A  couple  then  to  make  you  warm  ; 
But  when  the  day  is  very  cold, 
Then  taste  a  mug  a  twelvemonth  old." 
-  On  the  reverse  : — 

"Rest  and  regal  yourself,  'tis  pleasant ; 
Enough  is  all  the  present  need. 
That 's  the  due  of  the  hardy  peasant 
Who  toils  all  sorts  of  men  to  feed. 
Then  muzzle  not  the  ox  when  he  treads  out  the  com. 
Nor  grudge  honest  labour  its  pipe  and  its  horn." 
The  last  addition  to  this  portrait  gallery,  before  Sie  Chables 
Napiee,  was  the  head  of  the  gallant  besieger  of  Algiers,  Loed 
ExMOUTH.     In  1825,  there  was  one  at  Barnstaple,  in  Devon,  with 
the  following  address  to  the  wayfarer  : — 

"  All  you  that  pace  round  field  or  moor. 
Pray  do  not  pass  John  Armstrong's  door ; 
There 's  what  will  cheer  man  in  his  course. 
And  entertainment  for  hie  horse." 

H 


58  THE  HISTORY  OF  8IQNB0ASDS. 

Finally,  there  is  still  one  sign  left  in  honour  of  that  deserving 
but  unfortunate  commander,  Captain  Cook,  murdered  by  the 
natives  of  Owhyhee  in  1779.  His  name  is  preserved  as  the  sign 
of  an  alehouse  in  Mariner  Street,  London. 

Though  the  fame  of  generals  seems  to  be  more  short-lived  than 
that  of  admirals,  yet  a  few  ancient  heroes  stiE  remain.  Amongst 
these,  Genekal  Elliott,  or  Loed  Heathfield,  the  defender  of 
Gibraltar,  seems  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  favourites ;  perhaps  his 
popularity  in  London  was  not  a  little  increased  by  the  present 
which  he  made  to  Astley,  of  his  charger  named  Gibraltar  ;  who, 
performing  every  evening  in  the  ring,  and  shining  forth  in  the 
circus  bills,  would  certainly  act  as  an  excellent  puff  for  the 
general's  glory.  This  hero's  popularity  is  only  surpassed  by  that 
of  the  Makquis  of  Geanby.  Though  nearly  a  century  has  elapsed 
since  the  death  of  the  latter,  (Oct.  19,  1770,)  his  portrait  is  still 
one  of  the  most  common  signs.  In  London  alone,  he  presides  over 
eighteen  public-houses,  besides  numerous  beerhouses.  The  first 
one  is  said  to  have  been  hung  out  at  Hounslow,  by  one  Sumpter, 
a  discharged  trooper  of  the  regiment  of  Horse  Guards,  which  the 
Marquis  of  Granby  had  commanded  as  colonel. 

Among  the  generals  of  a  later  period,  are  General  Taeleton, 
(or,  as  he  is  called  on  a  sign  in  Clarence  Street,  Newcastle,  Colonei, 
Taelton,)  Geneeal  Wolfe,  Geneeal  Mooee,  and  Sie  Kalph 
Abeeceombie.  At  a  tavern  of  this  last  denomination  in  Lombard 
Street,  some  thirty-five  or  forty  years  ago,  the  "  House  of  Lords' 
Club  "  used  to  meet,  not  composed,  as  might  be  expected  from  the 
name,  of  members  of  the  peerage,  but  simply  of  the  good  citizens 
of  the  neighbourhood,  each  dubbed  with  a  title.  The  president 
was  styled  Lord  Chancellor  ;  he  wore  a  legal  wig  and  robes,  and  a 
mace  was  laid  on  the  table  before  him.  The  title  bestowed  upon 
the  members  depended  on  the  fee — one  shilling  constituted  a 
Baron,  two  shillings  a  Viscount,  three  shiULngs  an  Earl,  four 
shillings  a  Marquis,  and  five  shillings  a  Duke  ;  beyond  that  rank 
their  ambition  did  not  reach.  This  club  originated  early  in  the 
eighteenth  century,  at  the  Fleece  in  Comhill,  but  removed  to  the 
Theee  Tuns  in  Southwark,  that  the  members  might  be  more  re- 
tired from  the  bows  and  compliments  of  the  London  apprentices, 
who  used  to  salute  the  noble  lords  by  their  titles  as  they  passed 
to  and  fro  in  the  streets  about  their  business.  One  of  their  last 
houses  was  the  Yoekshiee  Geey,  near  Eoll's  Buildings.  At 
present  they  are,  we  believe,  extinct.  In  Newcastle,  also,  there  w»s 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  59 

a  House  of  Lords,  of  which  Bewick  the  wood-engraver  was  a 
member.  They  used  to  hold  their  meetings  in  the  Groat  Market 
of  that  town. 

The  Duke's  Head,  and  the  Old  Dtjke,  are  signs  that,  for  the 
last  two  or  three  centuries,  have  always  been  applied  to  some 
ducal  hero  or  other,  for  the  time  being  basking  himself  in  the 
noontide  sun  of  fame.  One  of  the  first  to  whom  it  was  applied, 
was  Monck,  Duke  of  Albemakle  after  the  Restoration ;  then 
came  Oemond,  Maelbokough,  Cumberland,  York,  and,  at 
present,  Wellington  and  the  Duke  op  Cambridge.  The  Duke's 
Head  in  Upper  Street,  corner  of  Gad's  Eow,  Islington,  was  the 
sign  of  a  pubUc-honse  kept  by  Thomas  Topham,  the  strong  man, 
who,  in  1741,  in  honour  of  Admiral  Vernon's  birthday,  lifted 
three  hogsheads  of  water,  weighing  1859  lb.,  in  Coldbath 
Fields.* 

The  Duke  of  Albemarle  figured  on  numberless  signboards 
after  the  Restoration ;  but  at  the  same  period,  there  existed  still 
older  signs,  on  which  his  grace  was  simply  called  Monck  ;  as  for 
instance,  that  hung  out  by  "  WUl.  Kidd,  suttler  to  the  Guard  at 
St  James's,"  t  which  was  the  Monck's  Head.  Kidd  had 
probably  followed  the  army  in  many  a  campaign  in  former  years, 
and  was  much  more  accustomed  to  the  name  of  General  Monck 
than  that  of  his  Grace  the  Duke  of  Albemarle.  Of  the  Duke  of 
Ormond  there  is  still  one  instance  remaiaing  in  Longstreet,  Tet- 
bury,  Gloucester,  under  the  name  of  the  Ormond's  Head.  A 
very  few  Dukes  of  Marlborough  are  also  left.  In  the  beginning 
of  the  eighteenth  century,  the  Duke  op  Marlborough's  Head 
in  Fleet  Street,  was  a  tavern  used  for  purposes  very  similar  to 
those  which  we  are  accustomed  now-a-days  to  behold  at  the  St 
James'  and  the  Egjrptian  Halls.  Among  the  Bagford  Bills,  and 
in  the  newspapers  of  the  time,  it  is  constantly  mentioned  as  the 
place  where  something  wonderful  or  amusing  was  to  be  seen — 
panoramas,  dioramas,  moving  pictures,  marionnettes,  curious  pieces 
of  mechanism,  &c.,  &c.J 

The  Lord  Craven  was  once  a  very  popular  sign  in  London. 
It  occurs  amongst  the  trades  tokens  of  Bishopsgate  Street  Without, 
and  even  at  present  there  is  a  Craven  Head  and  two  Craven 

*  For  more  particulars  about  Topham,  sefi  p.  88. 

+  Trades  tokens  in  tlie  Beaufoy  Collection. 

;  For  several  centuries.  Fleet  Street  was  the  head-quarters  for  shows  and  exhibitions 
out  of  foir-time.  Ben  jonson  speaks  of  "  the  City  of  Nineveh  at  Fleetbridge."  This  was 
in  the  reign  of  James  I.  Mra  Salmon's  waxworks  were  among  the  last  remaining  lights 
in  that  locality. 


6o  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Arms  in  London.  These  signs  were  in  honour  of  William  Craven, 
eldest  son  of  Sir  WUliam  Craven,  knt.,  (Sheriff  of  London  temp. 
Queen  Elizabeth.)  This  nobleman  passed  the  greater  part  of  his 
life  abroad,  serving  the  Protestant  cause  in  Holland  and  in 
Germany.  During  the  Civil  War,  he  at  various  times  gave 
pecuniary  assistance  to  King  Charles  IL,  who  at  the  Eestoration 
created  Mm  Viscount  Craven  of  Uffington,  &e.  He  is  said  to 
have  been  privately  married  to  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  L,the 
Queen  of  Bohemia.  He  died,  AprE  19,  1697.  Though  his 
public  and  military  career  had  certainly  been  brilliant,  yet  he 
owed  his  popularity  probably  more  to  lus  civic  virtues,  shewn 
during  the  plague  period,  when  he  and  General  Monck  were 
almost  the  only  men  of  rank  that  remained  in  town  to  keep  order. 
He  even  erected  a  pesthouse  at  his  own  expense  in  Pesthouse 
Field,  Camaby  Market,  (now  Marshall  Street,  Golden  Square.) 
His  assistance  during  the  frequent  London  fires,  also  tended  to 
make  him  a  favourite  with  the  Londoners. 

"  Lord  Craven,  in  the  time  of  King  Charles  II.,  was  a  constant  man  at  a 
fire ;  for  which  purpose  he  always  had  a  horse  ready  saddled  in  his  stables, 
and  rewarded  the  first  that  gave  him  notice  of  such  an  accident.  It  was  a 
good-natured  fancy,  and  he  did  a  good  deal  of  service  ;  but  in  that  reign 
everything  was  turned  to  a  joke.  The  king  being  told  of  a  terrible  fire 
that  was  broke  out,  asked  if  Lord  Craven  was  there  yet.  '  Oh !'  says  some- 
body by,  '  an't  please  your  majesty,  he  was  there  before  it  began,  waiting 
for  it,  he  has  had  two  horses  burnt  under  him  already.'*  On  such  occasions 
he  usually  rode  a  white  horse,  well  known  to  the  London  mob,  which  was 
said  to  smeU  the  fires  from  afar  off." 

The  Eael  of  Essex,  Elizabeth's  quondam  favourite,  might  have 
been  met  with  on  many  signs  long  after  the  Eestoration.  There 
are  trades  tokens  of  a  shop  or  tavern  with  such  a  sign  on  the 
Baukside,  Southwark,  and  tokens  are  extant  of  two  other  shops 
that  had  the  Essex  Arms.  In  the  last  century  there  was  an 
Essex  Head  in  Essex  Street ;  in  this  tavern  the  Eobin  Hood 
Society,  "  a  club  of  free  and  candid  inquiry,"  used  to  meet.  It 
was  originally  established  in  1613,  at  the  house  of  Sir  Hugh 
Middleton,  the  projector  of  the  New  Eiver  for  supplying  London 
with  water.  Its  first  meetings  were  held  at  the  houses  of  mem- 
bers, but  afterwards,  the  numbers  increasing,  they  removed  to 
the  above  tavern,  and  its  name  was  altered  into  the  "  Essex 
Head  Society."  In  1747  it  removed  to  the  Eobin  Hood  in 
Butcher  Eow,  near  Temple  Bar.  The  society  attained  a  position 
of  so  much  importance,  that  a  history  of  its  proceedings  was  pub- 

,"  RichardsoDiana,  p.  140. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMOBATIVM.  6l 

lished  in  1764,  giving  an  account  of  the  subjects  debated,  and  re 
ports  of  some  of  tte  speeches.  Seven  minutes  only  were  allowed 
to  each  speaiker,  at  the  expiration  of  which  the  Baker,  or  president, 
summed  up.    Many  a  young  politician  here  winged  his  first  flight.* 

In  1784,  the  year  of  his  death,  Dr  Johnson  instituted  at  this 
house  a  club  of  twenty-four  members,  in  order  to  insure  him- 
self society  for  at  least  three  days  in  the  week.  He  composed  the 
regulations  himself,  and  wrote  above  them  the  following  motto 
from  Milton : — 

"  To-day  deep  thoughts  with  me  resolve  to  drench 
In  mirth  which  after  no  repenting  draws." 

The  house  at  that  time  was  kept  by  Samuel  Greaves,  an  old 
servant  of  Mrs  Thrale.  Each  night  of  non-attendance  was  visited 
on  the  members  by  a  fine  of  threepence.  Members  were  to  spend 
at  least  sixpence,  besides  a  penny  for  the  waiter.  Each  member 
had  to  preside  one  evening  a  month. 

That  the  Earl  of  Essex,  who  had  taken  up  arms  against  his 
queen,  should  have  continued  more  than  a  century  after  his  death, 
is  easily  accounted  for  by  the  immense  popularity  he  enjoyed,  ex- 
ceeding that  of  any  of  his  cotemporaries.  More  difficult  to  explain 
is  the  presence  on  English  signboards  of  the  Dutch  Admiral  van 
Teomp  ;  yet  we  find  him  in  Church  Street,  Shoreditch,  and  in  St 
Helen's,  Lancashire.  His  countryman.  Mynheer  van  Donck,  would 
certainly  make  a  much  more  appropriate  public-house  sign. 

Names  of  battles  and  glorious  faits  d'  armes  have  also  been 
much  used  as  signs, — thus,  Gibraltar,  Poetobello,  the  Battle 
OF  THE  Nile,  the  Mouth  op  the  Nile,  Trapalgae,  the  Battle 
OF  Waterloo,  the  Battle  op  the  Pyramids,  are  all  more  or 
less  common.  The  Bull  and  Mouth  is  said  to  have  a  similar 
origin,  being  a  corruption  of  Boulogne  Mouth,  the  entry  to 
Boulogne  Harbour,  which  grew  into  a  popular  sign  after  the  cap- 
ture of  that  place  by  Henry  VIII.  The  first  house  with  this  sign 
is  said  to  have  been  an  inn  in  Aldgate.  In  less  than  a  century 
the  name  was  already  corrupted  into  the  "  Bull  and  Mouth,"  and 
the  sign  represented  by  a  black  buU  and  a  large  mouth.  Thus  it 
appears  on  the  trades  tokens,  and  also  in  a  sculpture  in  the  fagade 
of  the  Queen's  Hotel,  St  Martin's-le-Grand,  formerly  the  Bull 
and  Mouth  Inn.     Of  the  same  time  also  dates  the  Bull  and 

*  Grosley,  in  hia  Tour  to  London,  1772,  vo!  i.  p.  150,  mentions  this  society,  whicli 
at  that  period  was  held  at  the  Robin  Hood,  and  says  it  was  a  semi-public  club,  into 
which  all  sorts  of  peopl«  were  admitted,  and  all  sorts  of  topics,  religious  as  wpU  as  politi- 
cal, were  discussed.  He  makes  an  odd  mistake,  however,  when  he  says  that  the 
president  ,fas  a  baker  by  trade. 


62  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Gate,  a  corruption  of  the  Boulogne  Gates,  whicli  Henry  VIIL 
ordered  to  be  taken  away,  and  transported  to  Hardes,  in  Kent, 
where  they  still  (?)  remain.  The  Bull  and  Gate  was  a  noted  inn 
in  the  seventeenth  century  in  Holbom,  where  Fielding  makes  his 
hero  Tom  Jones  put  up  on  his  arrival  in  London.  It  is  stiQ  in 
existence  under  the  same  name,  though  much  reduced  in  size. 
There  is  another  in  New  Chapel  Place,  Kentish  Town;  and  a 
few  imitations  of  it  were  carried  to  distant  provincial  towns  by 
the  coaches  of  old  times. 

Another  sign  of  the  same  period,  although  not  commemorative 
of  a  battle,  was  the  Golden  Field  Gate,  mentioned  by  Taylor 
the  water-poet,  in  1632,  as  the  sign  of  an  inn  at  the  upper  end 
of  Holborn.  It  was  put  up  in  honour  of  the  Champ  du  Drap 
d'Or,  where  Henry  VIII.  and  Francis  I., 

"  Those  suns  of  glory,  those  two  lights  of  men, 
Met  in  the  vale  of  Arde." — Henry  VIII.,  a.  i.  b.  1. 

The  signs  of  great  men  who  have  distinguished  themselves  in 
the  civil  walks  of  life  are  much  more  scarce.  Archimedes  we 
meet  with  as  an  optician's  sign.  He  had  been  adopted  by  that 
class  of  workmen  on  account  of  the  burning  lenses  with  which  he 
set  the  Eoman  fleet  on  fire  at  Syracuse.  Various  implements  of 
their  trade  were  added  as  distinctions  by  the  several  shops  who 
sold  spectacles  under  his  auspices,  such  as  Golden  Peospects  or 
Perspectives,  {i.e.,  spectacles  or  any  other  glass  that  assisted  the 
sight,)  Globes,  King's  Abms,  &c.  Among  the  Bagford  Bills  there 
is  one  of  John  Marshall,  optician  on  Ludgate  Hill,  "  at  the  sign 
of  the  Old  Archimedes  and  Two  Golden  Spectacles,  which 
represents  Archimedes  taking  astronomical  observations,  a  huge 
pair  of  spectacles  being  suspended  on  one  side  of  the  sign,  and  on 
the  other  a  lantern.*  Ajechimedes  and  Three  Paie  of  Golden 
Spectacles  was  the  sign  of  another  optician  in  Ludgate  Street, 
1697,  who  evidently  had  adopted  Marshall's  sign  with  the  addition 
of  one  pair  of  spectacles,  in  the  hope  of  filching  some  of  his  cus- 
tomers. Sir  Isaac  Newton  was  another  telescope-maker's  sign 
in  Ludgate  Street  circa  1795.  t  At  the  present  day  he  occurs 
on  a  few  public-houses  ;  but  it  is  somewhat  more  gratifying  for 
our  national  pride  to  see  a  coflFee-house  in  the  Kue  Arcade,  Paris, 

*  This  John  Marshall  afterwards,  when  he  was  appointed  the  king's  optician,  changed 
his  sign  into  the  Abohimedbs  ahd  Eii^g's  Aaus,  under  which  we  find  him,  in  1718,  adver- 
tising his  "chrystall  dressing-glasses  for  ladies,  which  shew  the  &08  as  nature  hath 
made  it,  which  other  looking-glasses  do  not." 

t  Banks's  Collection. 


mSTOSW  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  63 

named  after  Mm.  Loed  Bacon's  Head  was  the  sign  of  W. 
Bickerton,  a  bookseller,  witliout  Temple  Bar,  in  1735  ;  Locke's 
Head,  of  T.  Peele,  between  tlie  Temple  Gates,  1718  ;  James 
Ferguson  figured  at  the  door  of  an  optical  instrument  maker  in 
New  Bond  Street  in  1780.*  No  doubt  this  optician  was  a 
Scotchman,  who  had  given  preference  to  a  national  celebrity. 
Just  80,  Andrew  MiUer,  the  great  publisher  and  friend  of  Thom- 
son, Hume,  Fielding,  &c.,  took  the  Buchanan  Head  for  the  sign 
of  his  shop  in  the  Strand,  opposite  St  Catherine  Street,  the  house 
where  the  famous  Jacob  Tonson  had  Uved,  in  whose  time  it  was 
the  Shakespeare's  Head.  But  Miller  preferred  his  countryman, 
and  put  up  the  less  known  head  of  George  Buchanan,  (1525-1582.) 
Buchanan  was  author  of  a  version  of  the  Psalms,  and  at  various 
times  of  his  life  tutor  to  Queen  Mary  Stuart,  Moderator  of  the 
General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  Principal  of  St 
Leonard's,  preceptor  to  James  I.,  director  of  the  Chancery,  Privy 
Seal,  &c. 

Cardinal  Wolsey  occurs  in  many  places,  particularly  in  Lon- 
don, Windsor,  and  the  neighbourhood  of  Hampton  Court.  An- 
drew Marvel  is  still  commemorated  on  a  sign  in  Whitefriargate, 
HuU,  of  which  town  he  was  a  native.  Thomas  Geesham,  the 
founder  of  the  Eoyal  Exchange,  was  a  favourite  in  London  after 
the  opening  of  the  first  Exchange  in  1666 ;  and  Sir  Hugh 
MroDLETON,  the  projector  of  the  New  Kiver,  is  duly  honoured 
with  two  or  three  signs  in  Islington. 

There  exists  a  curious  alehouse  picture,  called  the  Three 
Johns,  in  Little  Park  Street,  Westminster,  and  in  White  Lion 
Street,  Pentonville.  The  same  sign,  many  years  ago,  might  have 
been  seen  in  Bennett  Street,  near  Queen  Square,  in  the  former 
locality.  It  represented  an  oblong  table,  with  John  Wilkes  in 
the  middle,  the  Rev.  John  Home  Tooke  at  one  end,  and  Sir  John 
Glynn  (sergeant-at-law)  at  the  other.  There  is  a  mezzotinto 
print  of  this  picture  (or  the  sign  may  be  from  the  print)  drawn 
and  engraved  by  Richard  Houston,  1769.  John  Wilkes,  on  whom 
the  popular  gratitude  for  writing  the  Earl  of  Bute  out  of  power 
conferred  many  a  signboard,  still  survives  in  a  few  spots.  In  a 
small  Staffordshire  town  called  Leek-with-Lowe,  there  is  a  stanch 
re-pubKcan,  who  to  this  day  keeps  the  Wilkes'-Head  as  his  sign , 
whilst  another  one  occurs  in  Bridges  Street,  St  Ives.  Sir  Francis 
BuRDETT  is  also  far  from  forgotten,  and  may  stiU  be  seen  "  hung 

•  Banks's  Collection. 


64  THE  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOARDS. 

in  effigy"  at  Castlegate,  Berwick,  in  Nottingham,  and  in  a  few 
other  places. 

In  1683,  we  find  Sie  Edmundbuey  Godfrey  on  the  picture- 
board  of  Langley  Curtis,  a  bookseller  near  Fleetbridge.  Being 
the  martyr  of  a  party,  he  undoubtedly  for  a  while  must  have  been 
a  popular  sign.  Lord  Anglesey  was,  in  1 679,  adopted  by  an  inn 
in  Drury  Lane.  This,  we  suppose,  was  Arthur,  second  Viscount 
Valentia,  son  of  Sir  Thomas  Annesley,  (Lord  Mountmorris,)  and 
elevated  to  the  British  peerage  by  the  title  of  Earl  of  Anglesey 
in  1661 ;  he  died  in  1686.  One  of  the  acts  which  probably  con- 
tributed most  to  his  popularity  was  that  he,  with  the  Lord  Caven- 
dish, Mr  Howard,  Dr  TiUotson,  Dr  Burnet,  and  a  few  others, 
appeared  to  vindicate  Lord  Russell  in  the  face  of  the  court,  and 
gave  testimony  to  the  good  life  and  conversation  of  the  prisoner. 

The  bulky  figure  of  Paracelsus,  or,  as  he  called  himself,  Philip- 
pus  Aureolus  Theophrastus  Paracelsus  Bombastus  von  Hohenheim, 
used  formerly  to  be  a  constant  apothecaries'  symboL  From  an 
advertisement  in  the  London  Gazette,  July  23-26,  1680,  about  a 
stolen  horse  "vrith  a  sowre  head,"  we  gather  that  there  was  at 
that  time  a  sign  of  Paeacelsus  in  Old  Fish  Street.  Informa- 
tion about  the  horse  with  "  the  sowre  head "  would  also  be  re- 
ceived at  a  house  in  Lambeth,  with  no  less  a  dignitary  for  its 
sign  than  the  Bishop  or  Canteebuet,  his  grace  having  been 
thus  honoured  from  a  neighbourly  feeling. 

Doctor  Butler,  (oh.  1617,)  physician  to  James  I.,  and,  accord- 
ing to  Fuller,  "  the  .iEsculapius  of  that  age,"  invented  a  kind  of 
medicated  ale,  called  Dr  Butler's  ale,  "which,  if  not  now,  (1784,) 
was,  a  few  years  ago,  sold  at  certain  houses  that  had  the  Butler's 
Head  for  a  sign."*  One  of  the  last  remaining  Butler's  Heads 
was  in  a  court  leading  from  Basinghall  into  Coleman  Street. 

That  singularly  successful  quack,  LUly,  though  he  ought  not 
to  be  placed  in  such  good  company  as  the  kin^s  physician,  was 
also  a  constant  sign,  in  the  last  century,  at  the  door  of  sham 
doctors  and  astrologers.  Not  unfrequently  they  combined  the 
Balls  (a  favourite  sign  of  the  quacks)  with  LUly's  head,  as  the 
Black  Ball  and  Lillyhbad,  the  sign  of  Thomas  Saffold,  "  an 
approved  and  licensed  physician  and  student  in  astrology :  he 
hath  practised  astronomy  for  twenty-four  years,  and  hath  had 
the  Bishop  of  London's  licence  to  practise  physick  ever  since  the 
4th  day  of  September  1674,  and  hath,  he  thanks  God  for  it, 

*  The  Angler.    Hawkins's  edition.    1784. 


PLATE  V. 


SPINNING  sow. 
(France,  1520.) 


TWO  STOKKS. 
(Antwerp,  1639.) 


THE  COMPLETE  ^KGLliK. 
(Banks's  Bills,  1780.) 


HELP  ME  THROnGH  THIS  WOKLB. 
(Banks's  Bills,  1812.) 


CROOKED  BILLET. 
(Harleian  Culleetion,  1710.) 


HISTOSIO  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  65 

great  experience  and  wonderful  success  in  those  arts."     He  pro» 
mised  to  perform  tte  usual  tours  deforce. 

"  foretell  what  s'ever  wan 

By  consequence  to  come  to  pass ; 

.A^  death  of  great  men,  alterations. 

Diseases,  battles,  inundations. 

Or  search'd  a  planet's  house  to  know 

Who  broke  and  robb'd  a  house  below. 

Examined  Venus  and  the  Moon 

To  find  who  stole  a  silver  spoon." 

Sutler's  ffudihra!. 
This  address  was  "  at  the  Black  BaU  and  Lilly  Head,  next  door 
to  the  Feather  shops  that  are  within  Blackfriars  gateway,  which 
is  over  against  Ludgate  Church,  just  by  Ludgate  in  London."  * 

Classic  authors  also  have  come  in  for  their  share  of  signboard 
popularity  in  this  country,  which,  at  the  time  they  flourished, 
was  about  as  little  civilized  as  the  Sandwich  Islands  in  the  days 
of  Captain  Cook.  These  signs  were  set  up  by  booksellers  ;  thus 
Homee's  Head  was,  in  1735,  the  sign  of  Lawton  GUliver,  against 
St  Dunstan's  Church,  publisher  of  some  of  Pope's  works,  and 
in  1761,  of  J.  Walker  at  Charing  Cross.  Cicero,  imder  the 
name  of  Tully's  Head,  hung  at  the  door  of  Eobert  Dodsley,  a 
famous  bookseller  in  PaU  Mall.  In  a  newspaper  of  1756,  ap- 
peared some  verses  "  on  Tully's  head  in  Pall  Mali,  by  the  Eev. 

Mr  G s,  of  which  the  following  are  the  first  and  the  last 

stanzas  : — 

"  Where  Tully's  bust  and  honour'd  name 
Point  out  the  venal  page, 
There  Dodsley  consecrates  to  fame 
The  classics  of  his  age. 

Persist  to  grace  this  humble  post. 

Be  Tully's  head  the  sign,     ■ 
TUl  future  bookseUers  shall  boast 

To  sell  their  tomes  at  thine." 

About  the  same  time,  the  favourite  Tully's  Head  was  also  the 
sign  of  T.  Becket,  and  P.  A.  de  Hondt,  booksellers  in  the  Strand, 
near  Surrey  Street.  Horace's  Head  graced  the  shop  of  J. 
White  in  Fleet  Street,  publisher  of  several  of  Joseph  Strutt's 
antiquarian  works;  and  Viegil's  Head  of  Abraham  van  den 
Hoeck  and  George  Kichmond,  opposite  Exeter  Change  in  the 
Strand,  in  the  middle  of  the  last  century.  Of  Seneca's  Head 
two  instances  occur,  J.  Round  in  Exchange  AUey  in  1711,  and 

*  Ba^ford  Bills,  Bib.  Harl.  6964. 


66  THE  HISTORY  OP  SIGN  BOARDS. 

Varenne,  near  Somerset  House,  in  the  Strand,  at  the  same 

psriod. 

A  few  of  our  own  poets  are  also  common  tavern  pictures.  As 
early  as  1655  we  find  a  (Ben)  Jonson's  Head  tavern  in  the 
Strand,  where  Ben  Jonson's  chair  was  kept  as  a  relic*  In  that 
same  year  it  was  the  sign  of  Robert  Pollard,  bookseller,  behind 
the  Royal  Exchange.  Ten  years  later  it  occurs  in  the  following 
advertisement ; — 
"   t  STHEREAS  Thomas  Williams,  of  the  society  of  real  and  well-mean- 

T  V  ing  Chy mists  hath  prepaired  certain  Medioynes  for  the  cure  and 
prevention  of  the  Plague,  at  cheap  rates,  without  Benefit  to  himself,  and 
for  the  publick  good.  In  pursuance  of  directions  from  authority,  be  it 
known  that  these  said  Medioynes  are  to  be  had  at  Mr  Thomas  Fidges,  in 
Fountain  Court,  Shoe  Lane,  near  Fleet  Street,  and  are  also  left  by  him  to 
be  disposed  of  at  the  Green  Ball,  within  Ludgate,  the  Ben  Jonson's 
Head,  near  Yorkhouse,"  &c.t 

There  is  still  a  Ben  Jonson's  Head  tavern  with  a  painted  por- 
trait of  the  poet  in  Shoe  Lane,  Fleet  Street ;  a  Ben  Jonson's  Inn 
at  Pemberton,  Wigan,  Lancashire  ;  and  another  at  Weston-on-the 
Green,  Bicester. 

Shakespeare's  Head  is  to  be  seen  in  almost  every  town 
where  there  is  a  theatre.  At  a  tavern  with  that  sign  in  Great 
Russell  Street,  Covent  Garden,  the  Beefsteak  Society  (different 
from  the  Beefsteak  Club,)  used  to  meet  before  it  was  removed  to 
the  Lyceum  Theatre.  George  Lambert,  scene-painter  to  Covent 
Garden  Theatre,  was  its  originator.  Tins  tavern  was  at  one  time 
famous  for  its  beautifully  painted  sign.  The  weU-known  Lion's 
Head,  first  set  up  by  Addison  at  Button's,  was  for  a  time  placed 
at  this  house.  J  There  was  another  Shakespeare  Head  in  Wych 
Street,  Drury  Lane,  a  small  public-house  at  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  the  last  haunt  of  the  Club  of  Owls,  so  called  on 
account  of  the  late  hours  kept  by  its  members.     The  house  was 

*  "  On  the  chair  of  Ben  Johnson,  now  remaining  at  Robert  Wilson's,  at  the  sign  of 
the  Johnson's  Head,  in  the  Strand." — Wit  and  Drollery^  1655,  p.  79. 

t  The  Newes,  August  24, 1655.  This  may  have  been  the  above-mentioned  tavern,  as 
Tork  House  was  situated  in  the  Strand  on  the  site  of  the  present  York  Buildings. 

X  Addison's  Lion's  Head,  the  box  for  the  deposition  of  the  correspondence  of  the 
Guardian,  was  originally  placed  at  Button's,  over  against  Tom's  in  Great  Russell 
Street.  "After  having  become  a  receptacle  of  papers  and  a  spy  for  the  Guardian,  it 
was  moved  to  the  Shakespeare's  Head  Tavern,  under  the  Piazza  in  Covent  Garden, 
kept  by  a  person  named  Tomkins,  and  in  1751  was  for  a  short  time  placed  in  the  Bed- 
ford Coffeehouse,  immediately  adjoining  the  Shakespeare  Tavern,  and  there  employed 
as  a  medium  of  literaiy  communication  by  Dr  John  Hill,  author  of  the  '  Inspector.'  In 
1769,  Tomkins  was  succeeded  by  Jiis  waiter,  named  Campbell  as  proprietor  of  the 
tavern  and  Lion's  Head,  and  by  him  the  latter  was  retained  till  1804,  when  it  was  par- 
chased  by  the  late  Charles  Richal'dson,  after  whose  death  in  1S27  it  devolved  to  his  son, 
atad  has  since  become  the  property  of  hig  Grace  the  Duke  of  Bedford." — Till,  in  hia 
Preface  to  Descriptive  Catalogue  of  English  Medals. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  67 

then  kept  by  a  lady  under  the  protection  of  Dutch  Sam  the 
pugilist.  After  this  it  was  for  one  year  in  the  hands  of  the  well- 
known  Mr  Mark  Lemon,  present  editor  of  Punch,  then  just  newly 
married  to  Miss  Komer,  a  singer  of  some  renown,  who  assisted  him 
in  the  management  of  this  establishment.  The  house  was  chiefly 
visited  by  actors  from  Covent  Garden,  Drury  Lane,  and  the 
Olympic,  whilst  a  club  of  literati  used  to  meet  on  the  first  floor. 

Sir  John  Falstaff,  who  so  dearly  loved  his  sack,  could  not 
fail  to  become  popular  with  the  publicans,  and  may  be  seen  on 
almost  as  many  signboards  as  his  parent  Shakespeare. 

Milton's  Head  was,  in  1759,  the  sign  of  George  Hawkins,  a 
bookseller  at  the  comer  of  the  Middle  Temple  gate.  Fleet  Street ; 
at  present  there  are  two  Milton's  Head  public-houses  in  Notting- 
ham Dryden's  Head  was  to  be  seen  in  1761,  at  the  door  of 
H.  Payne  and  Crossley,  booksellers  in  Paternoster  Eow.  At 
Kate's  Cabin,  on  the  Great  Northern  Koad,  between  Chesterton 
and  Alwalton,  there  is  a  sign  of  Dryden's  head,  painted  by  Sir 
William  Beechey,  when  engaged  as  a  house-painter  on  the  decora- 
tion of  Alwalton  Hall.  Dryden  was  often  in  that  neighbourhood 
when  on  a  visit  to  his  kinsman,  John  Dryden  of  Chesterton. 

Pope's  Head  was  in  favour  with  the  booksellers  of  the  last 
century ;  thus  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  Sept.  1770,  mentions 
a  head  of  Alexander  Pope  in  Paternoster  Eow,  painted  by  an 
eminent  artist,  but  does  not  say  who  the  painter  was.  Edmund 
Curll,  the  notorious  bookseller  in  Eose  Street,  Covent  Garden, 
had  Pope's  head  for  his  sign,  not  out  of  affection  certainly,  but 
out  of  hatred  to  the  poet.  After  the  quarrel  which  arose  out  of 
Curlt's  piratical  publication  of  Pope's  literary  correspondence, 
Curll,  in  May  22,  1735,  addressed  a  letter  of  thanks  to  the  House 
of  Lorda,  ending  thus, — "  I  have  engraved  a  new  plate  of  Mr 
Popes  head  from  Mr  Jervas's  painting,  and  likewise  intend  to 
hang  him  up  in  effigy  for  a  sign  to  all  spectators  of  his  falsehood 
and  my  own  veracity,  which  I  will  always  maintain  under  the 
Scotch  motto,  '  Nemo  me  impune  lacessit.' "  E.  Griffiths,  a 
bookseller  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard  since  1750,  had  the  Dunciad 
for  his  sign.  He  was  agent  for  a  very  primitive  social-evil  move- 
ment ;  advertisements  emanating  from  this  "  sett  of  gentlemen 
sympathising  with  the  misfortunes  of  young  girls "  occur  in  the 
papers  of  June  and  July  1752.  One  of  the  regulations  was, 
"  ^fS'  None  need  to  apply  but  such  as  are  Fifteen  years  of  age, 
anid  not  above  Twenty-five ;  older  are  thought  past  being  re- 


68  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

claim'd,  unless  good  Recommendations  are  given.     Drinkers  of 
spirits  and  swearers  have  a  bad  chance." 

The  Man  of  Eoss  is  at  the  present  day  a  signboard  at  Wye 
Terrace,  Ross,  Herefordshire  ;  the  house  in  which  John  Kyrle,  the 
Man  of  Ross,  dwelt,  was,  after  his  death,  converted  into  an  inn. 
Twenty  or  thirty  years  ago  the  following  poetical  effusion  was  to 
be  read  stuck  up  in  that  inn  : — 

"  Here  dwelt  the  Man  of  EosB,  0  traveller  here. 
Departed  merit  claims  the  rev'rent  tear. 
Friend  to  the  friendless,  to  the  sick  man  health. 
With  generous  joy  he  view'd  his  modest  wealth. 
If  'neath  this  roof  thy  wine-cheer'd  moments  pass. 
Fill  to  the  good  man's  name  one  grateful  glass. 
To  higher  zest  shall  memory  wake  thy  soul. 
And  virtue  mingle  in  th'  ennobled  bowl. 
Here  cheat  thy  cares,  in  generous  visions  melt. 
And  dream  of  goodness  thou  hast  never  felt." 
The  head  of  Rowb,  the  first  emendator,  corrector,  and  illus- 
trator of  Shakespeare,  was  in  1735  the  sign  of  a  bookseller  in 
Essex  Street,  Strand.     The  Camden  Head  and  Camden  Abms 
occur  in  four  instances  as  the  sign  of  London  pubUcans.     Cam- 
den TovTn,  however,  may  perhaps  take  the  credit  of  this  last  sign. 
Addison's  Head  was  for  above  sixty  years  the  sign  of  the  then 
well-known  firm  of  Corbett  &  Co. — ^first  of  C.  Corbett,  after- 
wards of  his  son  Thomas,  booksellers  in  Meet  Street  from  1740 
tin  the  beginning  of  this  century.     De  Johnson's  Head,  ex- 
hibiting a  portrait   of  the  great  lexicographer,   is  a  modem 
sign  in  Bolton  Court,  Fleet  Street,  opposite  to  where  the  great 
man  lived,  and  which  was  in  his  time  occupied  by  an  upholsterer. 
It  is  sometimes  asserted  to  be  the  house  in  which  the  Doctor 
resided,  but  this  statement  is  wrong,  for  the  house  in  which  he 
had  apartments  was  burned  down  in  1819.     Finally,  a  portrait 
of  Sterne,  under  the  name  of  the  Yoeick's  Head,  was  the  sign  of 
John  Wailis,  a  bookseller  in  Ludgate  Street  in  1795. 

Of  modem  poets  Lord  Byeon  is  the  only  one  who  has  been 
exalted  to  the  signboard.  In  the  neighbourhood  of  Nottingham  his 
portrait  occurs  in  several  instances  ;  his  Mazeppa  also  is  a  great 
favourite,  but  it  must  be  confessed  its  popularity  has  been  greatly 
assisted  by  the  circus,  by  sensational  engravings,  and,  above  all, 
by  that  love  for  horse  flesh  innate  to  the  British  character.  Don 
Juan  also  occurs  on  a  publican's  signboard  at  Cawood,  Selby, 
West  Riding ;  and  Don  John  at  Maltby,  Rotheram,  in  the  same 
county  ;  but  perhaps  these  are  merely  the  names  of  race  horses. 


inSTOBIG  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  69 

The  latest  of  all  literary  celebrities  who  attained  sufficient 
popularity  to  entitle  him  to  a  signboard  was  Sheridan  Knowlbs, 
who  was  chosen  as  the  sign  of  a  tavern  in  Bridge  Street,  Covent 
Garden,  facing  the  principal  entrance  to  Drury  Lane  Theatre, 
(now  a  nameless  eating-house.)  There  the  Club  of  Owls  used  to 
meet.  Sheridan  Knowles  was  one  of  the  patrons,  and  Augustine 
Wade,  an  author  and  composer  of  some  fame,  was  chairman  of 
the  dub  in  those  days.  Pierce  Egan  and  Leman  Kede  were 
amongst  its  members  ;  so  that  it  may  be  conjectured  that  the 
nights  were  not  passed  in  moping.* 

Mythological  divinities  and  heroes,  also,  have  been  very  fairly 
represented  on  our  signboards.  At  this  head,  of  course,  Bacchus 
(frequently  with  the  epithet  of  Jolly)  well  deserves  to  be  placed. 
In  the  time  when  the  Bush  was  the  usual  alehouse  sign,  or 
rather  when  it  had  swollen  to  a  crown  of  evergreens,  a  chubby 
little  Bacchus  astride  on  a  tun  was  generally  a  pendant  to  the 
crown.  In  Holland  and  Germany  we  have  seen  a  Beer  king,  (a 
modem  invention,  certainly,)  named  Oambrinus,  taking  the  place 
of  Bacchus  at  the  beer-house  door ;  but,  according  to  the  six- 
teenth century  notions,  Bacchus  included  beer  in  his  dominions. 
Hence  he  is  styled  "  Bacchus,  the  God  of  brew'd  wine  and  sugar, 
grand  patron  of  robpots,  upsey  freesy  tipplers,  and  supernaculum 
takers,  this  Bacchus,  who  is  head  warden  of  Vintner's  HaU,  ale 
connor,  mayor  of  all  victualling  houses,"  &c. — M  assinger's  Virgin 
Martyr,  a.  ii.  s.  1.  Next  to  Bacchus,  Apollo  is  most  frequent,  but 
whether  as  god  of  the  sun  or  leader  of  the  Muses  it  is  difficult  to 
say.  Sometimes  he  is  called  Gloeious  Apollo,  which,  in  heraldic 
language,  means  that  he  has  a  halo  round  his  head.t  In  the 
beginning  of  this  century  there  was  a  notorious  place  of  amuse- 
ment in  St  George's  Fields,  Westminster  Koad,  called  the  Apollo 
Gardens — a  Vauxhall  or  a  Eanelagh  of  a  very  low  description. 
It  was  tastefiiUy  fitted  up,  but  being  small  and  having  few  attrac- 
tions beyond  its  really  good  orchestra,  it  became  the  resort  of 
the  vulgar  and  the  depraved,  and  was  finally  closed  and  built 
over. 

Minerva  also  is  not  uncommon — probably  not  so  much  be- 
cause she  was  the  goddess  of  wisdom,  but  as  "  ye  patroness  of 
scholars,  shoemakers,  diers,"  &c.  J     Juno  has  a  temple  ia  Church 

*  Our  slang  friends  the  burlesque  writers  and  parodists,  would  probably  say  somethmg 
about  mopping, — Ed. 
t  An  "  Apolto  in  his  glory  "  is  a  charge  in  the  apothecarips'  arms, 
t  \ubrey,  Remains  of  Crentilisme  and  Judaism.     Lansdowne  MSS.  231,  d.  106. 


70  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Lane,  Hull,  and  Neptune  of  course  is  of  frequent  occurrence  in 
a  country  that  holds  the 

"  Imperium  pelagi  ssevumque  tridentem." 
The  smith  heing  generally  a  thirsty  soul,  his  patron  Vulcan 
constitutes  an  appropriate  alehouse  sign,  and  in  that  capacity  he 
frequently  figures,  particularly  in  the  Black  country.  Amongst 
the  quaint  Dutch  signboard  inscriptions  there  is  one  which,  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  was  written  under  a  sign  of  Vulcan 
lighting  his  pipe  : — 

"  In  Vulcanus.     Hy  steekt  zyn  pyp  op  aan't  vyer 
Die  goed  tabak  wil  hebben  die  komt  alhier. 
Je  krygt  een  gestopte  pyp  toe  en  op  kermis  een  glas  dik  bier."  * 

Vulcan,  as  the  god  of  fire,  without  which  there  is  no  smoke,  was 
a  common  tobacconist's  sign  in  Holland  two  hundred  years  agu. 
One  of  these  dealers  had  the  following  rhymes  afSxed  to  his 
Vulcan  sign : — 

"  Yulcan  die  lamme  smid  als  hy  was  moci  van  smeden 
Ging  hy  wat  zitten  neer  en  ruste  zyne  leden 
De  Goden  zagen  't  aan^  hy  haalde  nit  zyn  zak 
Zyn  pypye  en  zyn  doos  en  rookte  doen  tabak." + 

Meecuey,  the  god  of  commerce,  was  of  frequent  occurrence, 
as  might  be  expected.  Amongst  the  Eanks  collection  of  shop- 
bills  there  is  one  of  a  fanshop  in  Wardour  Street  with  the  sign  of 
the  Meecuey  and  Fan.  Both  Cupid  and  Flora  were  signs  at 
Norwich  in  1750,|  and  CoMUS  is  frequently  the  tutelary  god  of 
our  provincial  public-houses.  Castoe  and  Pollux,  represented 
in  the  dress  of  Eoman  soldiers  of  the  empire  standing  near  a  cask 
of  tallow,  was  the  sign  of  T.  &  J.  Bolt,  taUow-chandlers,  at  the 
corner  of  Berner  Street,  Oxford  Street,  at  the  end  of  the  last 
century,  for  the  obvious  reason  that,  like  the  Messrs  Bolt,  they 
were  two  brothers  that  spread  light  over  the  world.  Our  ad- 
miration for  athletic  strength  and  sports  suggested  the  sign  of 
Hekcules,  as  well  as  his  biblical  parallel  Samson. 

As  for  the  Heecules  Pillaes,  this  was  the  classic  name  for. 
the  Straits  of  Gibraltar,  which  by  the  ancients  was  considered 
the  end  of  the  world ;  in  the  same  classic  sense  it  was  adopted 
on  outskirts  of  towns,  where  it  is  more  common  now  to  see  the 

*  At  the  Vulcan.  He  lights  his  pipe  at  the  Are ;— whosoever  wants  t(>  boy  good 
tobacco  let  him  come  here  ; — ^you  will  get  a  pipe  filled  into  the  bargain,  asd  a  j^lass  of 
strong  beer  in  fair  time. 

t  Vulcan,  that  lame  blacksmith,  when  he  got  tired  over  his  work,  sal  do^m  a  while  to 
rest  his  limbs.  The  gods  saw  it ;  he  took  his  cutty  pipe  and  his  tobacco  box  out  of  bis 
pocket  and  smoked  a  pipe  of  tobacco, 

t  Omt.  Mag.,  March  1812. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  71 

World's  End.  In  1667  it  -was  the  sign  of  Kichard  Penck  in 
Pall  Mail,  and  also  of  a  public-house  in  Piccadilly,  on  the  site 
of  the  present  Hamilton  Place,  both  which  spots  were  at  that 
period  the  end  of  the  inhabited  world  of  London.  The  sign 
generally  represented  the  demi-god  standing  between  the  pUlars, 
or  puUing  the  pillars  down — a  strange  cross  between  the  biblical 
and  the  pagan  Hercules. 

The  Pillars  of  Hercules  in  Piccadilly  is  mentioned  by  Wycherley 
in  the  "  Plain  Dealer,"  1676  : — "  I  should  soon  be  picking  up  all 
our  own  mortgaged  apostle  spoons,  bowls,  and  beakers  out  of 
most  of  the  alehouses  betwixt  the  Hercules  Pillars  and  the  Boat- 
swain in  Wapping."  The  Marquis  of  Granby  often  visited  the 
former  house,  and  here  Fielding,  in  "  Tom  Jones,"  makes  Squire 
Western  put  up  : — "  The  Squire  sat  down  to  regale  himself  over 
a  bottle  of  wine  with  his  parson  and  the  landlord  of  the  Her- 
cules Pillars,  who,  as  the  Squire  said,  would  make  an  excellent 
third  man,  and  would  inform  them  of  the  news  of  the  town  ;  for, 
to  be  sure,  says  he,  he  knows  a  great  deal,  since  the  horses  of 
many  of.  the  quality  stand  at  his  house."*  In  Pepys'  time  there 
was  a  Hercules  PiQars  tavern  in  Fleet  Street.  Here  the  merry 
clerk  of  the  Admiralty  supped  with  his  wife  and  some  friends  on 
Feb.  6,  1667-8;  his  return  home  gives  a  good  idea  of  London 
after  the  fire  : — 

"Coming  from  the  Duke  of  York's  playhouse  I  got  a  coach,  and  a 
humour  took  us  and  I  carried  them  to  the  Hercules  Pillars,  and  there  did 
give  them  a  kind  of  supper  of  ahout  7s.  and  very  merry,  and  home  round 
the  town,  not  through  the  ruins.  And  it  was  pretty  how  the  coachman  by 
mistake  drives  us  into  the  ruins  from  London  Wall  unto  Coleman  Street, 
and  would  persuade  me  that  I  lived  there.  And  the  truth  is,  I  did  think 
that  he  and  the  linkman  had  contrived  some  roguery,  but  it  proved  only  a 
mistake  of  the  coachman ;  but  it  was  a  cunning  place  to  have  done  us  a 
mischief  in,  as  any  I  know,  to  drive  us  out  of  the  road  into  the  ruins,  and 
there  stop,  while  nobody  could  be  called  to  help  us.  But  we  came  home 
safe." 

Atlas  carrying  the  World  was  the  very  appropriate  sign  of 
the  map  and  chart  makers.  In  1674  there  was  one  in  Comhill,t 
and  under  a  print  of  Blanket  fair  (the  fair  held  on  the  Thames 
when  frozen  over)  occurs  the  following  imprint : — "  A  map  of 
the  river  Thames  merrily  called  Blanket-fair,  as  it  was  frozen  in 
the  memorable  year  1683-4,  describing  the  Booths,  Footpaths, 
Coaches,  Sledges,  Bull-baitings,  and   other  remarks.     Sold  by 

*  The  History  of  Tom  Jones,  book  xvi  ch.  ii. 
t  Land.  Guz.,  June  18-22, 1671. 


72  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOA RDfl. 

Joseph  Moxon  on  the  West  side  of  Fleet  ditch,  at  the  sign  of  the 
Atlas."  Equally  appropriate  was  Oephbus  as  the  sign  of  the 
music  shop  of  L.  Peppard,  next  door  to  BickerstaflFe's  coffee- 
house, Russell  Street,  Covent  Garden,  1711.  No  fault  either 
can  be  found  with  the  Golden  Fleece  as  the  sign  of  a  woollen 
draper — Jason's  golden  fleece  being  an  allegory  of  the  wool 
trade ;  but  at  the  door  of  an  inn  or  public-house  it  looks  very 
like  a  warning  of  the  fate  the  traveller  may  expect  withiu — ^in 
being  fleeced.  In  the  seventeenth  century  there  was  a  Fleece 
Tavern  in  St  James's  : — 

"  A  BABE  Consort  of  four  Trumpets  Marine,  never  heard  of  before  in 
J\.  England.*  K  any  person  desire  to  come  and  hear  it,  they  may 
repair  to  the  Fleece  Tavern  near  St  James's  about  2  o'clock  in  the  afternoon 
every  day  in  the  week  except  Sundays.  Every  consort  shall  continue  one 
hour  and  so  to  begin  again.  The  best  places  are  1  shilling,  the  others  six- 
pence."— London  Gazette,  Feb.  1-4, 1674. 

This  is  amongst  the  earliest  concerts  on  record  in  London. 
Another  example  of  this  sign  worth  mentioning  was  the  Fleece 
Tavern,  (in  York  Street,)  Covent  Garden,  which,  says  Aubrey, 
"  was  very  unfortunate  for  homicides ;  there  have  been  several 
killed — three  in  my  time.  It  is  now  (1692)  a  private  house. 
CUfton,  the  master,  hanged  himself,  having  perjured  himself." + 
Pepys  does  not  give  this  house  a  better  character  : — "  Decemb. 
1,  1660.  Mr  Flower  did  tell  me  how  a  Scotch  knight  was 
killed  basely  the  other  day  at  the  Fleece  in  Covent  Garden, 
where  there  had  been  a  great  many  formerly  kUled."  On  the 
Continent,  also,  this  symbol  was  used;  for  instance,  in  1687,  by 
Jean  Camusat,  a  printer  in  the  Rue  St  Jacques,  Paris  ;  his  colo- 
phon represented  Jason  taking  the  golden  fleece  off  a  tree,  with 
the  motto — "  Tegit  et  quos  tangit  inaurat." 

Another  sign,  of  which  the  application  is  not  very  obvious,  is 
Pegasus  or  the  Flying  Hoese,  unless  it  refers  to  this  rhyme  : — 

"  If  with  water  you  fill  up  your  glasses. 
You'  U  never  write  anything  wise ; 
For  wine  is  the  horse  of  Parnassus, 
Which  hurries  a  bard  to  the  skies.'' 

"John  Gay,  at  the  Flying  Horse,  between  St  Dunstan's  Church 

*  This  •was  not  true,  for  Pepys  went  (24tli  Oct.  1667)  to  hear  the  same  instrument 
played  by  a  Mr  Prin,  a  Frenchman,  "  which  he  do  beyond  belief,  and  the  truth  is,  it  do 
80  far  outdo  a  trumpet  as  nothing  more,  and  he  do  play  anything  very  true.  The  instru- 
ment is  open  at  th  e  end  I  discovered,  but  he  would  not  let  me  look  into  it."  Philips,  in 
his  "New  World  of  Words,"  1696,  describes  it  as  "an  instrument  with  a  bellows,  re- 
sembling a  lute,  having  a  long  neck  with  a  string,  which  being  struck  with  a  hairbow 
sounds  like  a  trumpet." 

f  Aubrey,  Miscellanies  upon  various  subjects. 


niSTOEIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  73 

and  Chancery  Lane,  1680,"  is  an  imprint  under  many  ballads. 
John  Gay  undoubtedly  had  adopted  this  sign  as  a  compKment  to 
the  Templars,  in  whose  vicinity  he  lived,  and  vphose  arms  are  a 
Pegasus  on  a  field  arg.  As  for  the  poor  balladmongers,  whose 
works  Gay  printed,  they  certainly  put  Pegasus  too  much  to  the 
plough,  to  imagine  that  he  alluded  to  theirs  as  a  Flying  Horse 
Instead  of  the  Flying  Horse,  a  facetious  innkeeper  at  Eogate 
Petersfield,  has  put  up  a  parody  in  the  shape  of  the  Flying  Bull 
The  Hope  and  the  Hope  and  Anchoe  are  constant  signb 
with  shop  and  tavern  keepers.  Pepys  spent  his  Sunday,  the 
23d  September  1660,  at  the  Hope  Tavern,  in  a  not  very  godly 
manner ;  and  his  account  shews  the  curious  business  manage- 
ment of  the  taverns  in  the  time  : — 

"  To  the  Hope  and  sent  for  Mr  Chaplin,  who  with  Nicholas  Osborne  and 
one  Daniel  come  to  us,  and  we  drank  of  two  or  three  quarts  of  wine,  which 
was  very  good ;  the  drawing  of  our  wine  causing  a  great  quarrel  in  the 
house  between  the  two  drawers  which  should  draw  us  the  beet,  which 
caused  a  great  deal  of  noise  and  falling  out,  till  the  master  parted  them, 
and  came  up  to  us  and  did  give  us  a  long  account  of  the  liberty  he  gives 
his  servants,  all  alike,  to  draw  what  wine  they  will  to  please  his  customers  ; 
and  we  eat  above  two  hundred  walnuts." 

In  consequence  of  these  excesses  Master  Pepys  was  very  ill 
next  day,  but  the  particulars  of  the  illness,  though  very  graphi- 
cally entered  into  the  diary,  are  "  unfit  for  publication.'' 

The  FoETUNB  was  adopted  from  considerations  somewhat 
similar  to  those  that  prompted  the  choice  of  the  Hope.  It 
occurs  as  the  sign  of  a  tavern  in  Wapping  in  1667.  The  trades 
tokens  of  this  house  represent  the  goddess  by  a  naked  figure 
standing  on  a  globe,  and  holding  a  veU  distended  by  the  wind, — 
a  delicate  hint  to  the  customers,  for  it  is  a  well-known  fact  that 
a  man  who  has  "  a  sheet  in  the  wind "  is  as  happy  as  a  king. 
Doubtless  the  name  of  the  Elysium,  a  public-house  m  Drury  Lane 
about  thirty  years  ago,  had  also  been  adopted  as  suggestive  of 
the  happiness  in  store  for  the  customers  who  honoured  the  place 
by  their  company. 

Ballads,  novels,  chapbooks,  and  songs,  have  also  given  their 
contingent.  Thus,  for  instance,  the  Blind  Beggae  of  Bethnal 
Geebn — still  a  public-house  in  the  Whitechapel  Road — has  deco- 
rated the  signpost  for  ages.  The  ballad  was  written  in  the  reign 
of  Queen  Elizabeth  ;  but  the  legend  refers  to  Henry  de  Montfort, 
son  of  the  Earl  of  Leicester,  who  was  supposed  to  have  fallen  at 
the  battle  of  Evesham  in  the  reign  of  Henry  III.     Not  only  was 


74  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

the  Beggar  adopted  as  a  sign  "by  publicans,  but  he  also  figured  on 
the  staff  of  the  parish  beadle ;  and  so  convinced  were  the  Bethnal 
Green  folks  of  the  truth  of  the  story,  that  the  house  called  Kirby 
Castle  was  generally  pointed  out  as  the  Blind  Beggar's  palace,  and 
two  turrets  at  the  extremity  of  the  court  wall  as  the  place  where 
he  deposited  his  gains. 

Still  more  general  all  over  England  is  Gut  of  Warwick,  who 
occurs  amongst  the  signs  on  trades  tokens  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury :  that  of  Peel  Beckford,  in  Field  Lane,  represents  him  as  an 
armed  man  holding  a  boar's  head  erect  on  a  spear.  The  wondrous 
strange  feats  of  this  knight  form  the  subject  of  many  a  ballad. 
In  the  Koxburgh  Collection  there  is  one  headed,  "  The  valiant 
deads  of  chivaby  atchieved  by  that  noble  knight.  Sir  Guy  of 
Warwick,  who,  for  the  love  of  fair  PhiUis,  became  a  hermit,  and 
dyed  in  a  cave  of  a  craggy  rock  a  mUe  distant  from  Warwick. 
In  Normandy  stoutly  won  by  fight  the  Emperor's  daughter  of 
Almayne  from  many  a  valiant,  worthy  knight."*  His  most 
popular  feat  is  the  slaying  of  the  Dun  Cow  on  Dunsmore  Heath, 
which  act  of  valour  is  commemorated  on  many  signs, 
"  By  gallant  Guy  of  Warwick  slain 

Was  Colbrand,  that  gigantick  Dane. 

Nor  could  this  desp'rate  champion  daunt 

A  dun  cow  bigger  than  elephaunt. 

But  he,  to  prove  his  courage  sterling, 

His  wlunyard  in  her  blood  embrued ; 

He  cut  from  her  enormous  side  a  sirloin. 

And  in  his  porridge-pot  her  brisket  stew'd, 

Then  butcher'd  a  wild  boar,  and  eat  him  barbicu'd." 

Huddersford  Wiccamical  Chaplet. 

A  public-house  at  Swainsthorpe,  near  Norwich,  has  the  follow- 
ing inscription  on  his  sign  of  the  Dun  Cow  : — 
"  Walk  in,  gentlemen,  I  trust  you'll  find 
The  Dun  Cow's  milk  is  to  your  mind." 
Another  on  the  road  between  Durham  and  York : — 
"  Oh,  come  you  from  the  east. 
Oh,  come  you  from  the  west. 
If  ye  will  taste  the  Dun  Cow's  mUk, 
Te'll  say  it  is  the  best." 

The  King  and  Miller  is  another  ballad-sign  seen  in  many 
places.     It  alludes  to  the  adventure  of  Henry  II.  with  the  Miller 

•  See  in  Bib.  Top.  Brit.,  vol,  iv.,  a  Critical  Memoir  on  the  Story  of  Guy  of  Warwick, 
by  the  Rev.  Samuel  Pegga.  who  supposes  that  Guy  lived  in  Saxon  times,  and  was  the 
son  of  Simon,  Baron  of  Wallingford.  He  mai-ried  relicia,  (PhiUis,)  the  daughter  and 
heiress  of  Rohand,  Earl  of  Warwick,  who  fioui'ished  in  the  reign  of  Edward  the  Elder, 
and  eo  became  Earl  of  Warwick, 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  75 

of  Mansfield.*  Similar  stories  are  told  of  many  different  kings  : 
of  King  John  and  the  Miller  of  Charlton,  (from  whom  Cuckold's 
Point  got  its  name  ;)  of  King  Edward  and  the  tanner  of  Drayton 
Basset ;  of  Henry  VIII. ;  of  James  V.  of  Scotland,  (the  guidman 
of  Ballageich ;)  of  Henry  IV.  of  France  and  the  pig-merchant ; 
of  Charles  V.  of  Spain  and  the  cobbler  of  Brussels ;  of  Joseph  II. ; 
of  Frederick  the  Great ;  and  even  of  Haroun-al-Easchid,  who  used 
to  go  about  incognito  under  the  name  of  II  Bondocani. 

The  most  frequent  of  aU  ballad  signs  is  unquestionably  Robin 
Hood  and  Little  John,  his  faithful  accolyte.     Robin  Hood  has 
for  centuries  enjoyed  a  popularity  amongst  the  English  people 
shared  by  no  other  hero.     He  was  a  crack  shot,  and  of  a  manly, 
merry  temper,  qualities  which  made  the  mob  overlook  his  confused 
notions  about  mewm  and  tuum,  and  other  peccadilloes.     His  sign 
ia  frequently  accompanied  by  the  following  inscription  : — 
"  You  gentlemen,  and  yeomen  good. 
Come  in  and  drink  with  Robin  Hood. 
If  Robin  Hood  be  not  at  home. 
Come  in  and  drink  with  Little  John.'' 

Which  last  line  a  country  publican,  not  very  well  versed  in 
baUad  lore,  thus  corrected  : — 

"  Come  in  and  drink  with  Jemmie  Webster." 
At  Bradford,  in  Yorkshire,  the  following  variation  occurs  : — 
"  Call  here,  my  boy,  if  you  are  dry. 
The  fault's  in  you,  and  not  in  I. 
If  Robin  Hood  from  home  is  gone, 
Step  in  and  drink  with  Little  John." 
At  Overseal,  in  Leicestershire  : — 

"  Robin  Hood  is  dead  and  gone, 
Pray  call  and  drink  with  Little  John." 

Finally,  at  Turnham  Green  : — 

"  Try  Charrington's  ale,  you  will  find  it  good. 
Step  in  and  drink  with  Robin  Hood. 
If  Robin  Hood,"  &o. 

And  to  shew  the  perfect  application  of  the  rhyme,  mine  host 
informs  the  public  that  he  is  "  Little  John  from  the  old  Pack 
HoESB,"  (a  public-house  opposite.) 

One  of  the  ballads  in  Robin  Hood's  Garland  has  given  another 
signboard  hero,  namely,  the  Pindar  of  Wakefield,  t  George  a 
Green. 

*  In  Ritson's  Ancient  Songs  and  Ballads. 

t  The  "  pindar  "  was  the  man  who  took  care  of  stray  cattle,  which  he  kept  in  the  pinfold, 
or  pound,  until  it  was  claimed  and  the  expenses  paid. 


76  THE  HIHTOEY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"  In  Wakefielde  there  lives  a  joUy  Pindar, 
In  Wakefielde  all  on  the  greene. 
'  There  is  neither  knight  nor  squire,'  said  the  Pindar, 
'  Nor  baron  so  bold,  nor  baron  so  bold, 
Dares  make  a  trespass  to  the  town  of  Wakefielde, 
But  his  pledge  goes  to  the  Pinfold.' " 

Drunken  Bamaby  mentions  the  sign  in  Wakefield  in  1634  : — ■ 

"  Straight  at  Wakefielde  I  was  seen,  a', 
Where  I  sought  for  George-a-Green,  a'. 
But  could  find  not  such  a  creature. 
Yet  on  sign  I  saw  his  feature. 
Whose  strength  of  ale  had  so  much  stirr'd  me. 
That  I  grew  stouter  far  than  Jordie." 

There  was  formerly  a  public-house  near  St  Chad's  Well, 
Clerkenwell,  bearing  this  sign,  which  at  one  period,  to  judge  from 
the  following  inscription,  would  seem  to  have  been  more  famous 
than  the  celebrated  Bagnigge  Wells  hard  by.  A  stone  in  the 
garden-wall  of  Bagnigge  House  said  : — 

S.  T. 

This  is  Bagnigge 

House,   iteaeb 

THE  PiNDAB  A 

Wakispeildk 
1680. 
Among  the  more  uncommon  ballad  signs,  we  find  the  Babes 
in  the  Wood  at  Hanging   Heaton,   Dewsbury,  West   Eiding. 
Jane  Shore  was  commemorated  in  Shoreditch  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  as  we  see  from  trades  tokens.    Valentine  and  Okson  we 
find  mentioned  as  early  as  1711,*  as  the  sign  of  a  cofiee-house  in 
LongLane,  Bermondsey ;  and  there  they  remain  tiU.  the  present  day. 
Other  chapbook  celebrities  are  Mother  Shipton,  Kentish 
Town,  and  Low  Bridge,  Knaresboro' ;  which  latter  village  disputes 
with  Shipton,  near  Londesborough,  the  honour  of  giving  birth 
to  this  remarkable  character  in  the  month  of  July  1488.     The  fact 
is  duly  commemorated  under  her  signboard  in  the  former  place  : — 
"  Near  to  this  petrifying  wall  -f- 
I  first  drew  breath,  as  records  tell." 

Her  life  and  prophecies  have  at  all  times  been  a  favourite  theme 
in  popular  literature.     If  we  may  believe  her  biographers,  she 

•  Datty  rowrant,  Feb.  ]9, 1711. 

t  The  '*  Dropping  Well,"  one  of  the  most  noted  petrifying  springs  in  England,  and  so 
named  on  account  of  its  percolating  through  the  rock  that  hangs  over  it. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  J-J 

predicted  the  fall  of  Cardinal  Wolsey,  the  dissolution  of  the 
monasteries,  the  establishment  of  the  Protestant  religion  under 
Edward  "VI.,  the  cruelty  of  Queen  Mary,  the  glorious  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  the  defeat  of  the  Armada,  the  Plague  and  Great 
Fire,  and  many  things  not  yet  come  to  pass.  Like  the  Delphic 
oracles,  her  predictions  were  given  in  metre,  and  veiled  in  mystery. 
The  plague  and  lire,  for  instance,  are  thus  foretold  : — 
"  Triumphamt  death  rides  London  thro'. 
And  men  on  tops  of  houses  go." 
She  is  represented  as  of  a  most  unprepossessing  appearance  ; 
although  we  certainly  might  have  expected  better  from  the 
daughter  of  a  necromancer,  or  "the  phantasm  of  ApoUo,  or  some 
aerial  daemon  who  seduced  her  mother ;" — "  her  body  was  long, 
and  very  big-boned ;  she  had  great  goggling  eyes,  very  sharp  and 
fiery  ;  a  nose  of  unproportionable  length,  having  in  it  many  crooks 
and  turnings,  adorned  with  great  pimples,  and  which,  like  vapours 
of  brimstone,  gave  such  a  lustre  in  the  night,  that  the  nurse 
needed  no  other  light  to  dress  her  by  in  her  childhood."* 

Another  necromancer.  Merlin,  shares  renown  with  Mother 
Shipton,  both  in  chapbooks  and  on  signboards.  Merlin's  Cave 
is  the  sign  of  a  public-house  in  Great  Audley  Street,  and  in 
Upper  Eosomon  Street,  ClerkenweU,  in  which  places  he  doubtless 
still  plays  his  old  pranks,  of  changing  men  into  beasts.  In- 
numerable romances  and  histories  of  Merlin  were  printed  in  the 
middle  ages.  He  appears  in  Geoffrey  of  Monmouth  as  early 
as  the  twelfth  century,  and  Alain  de  I'lsle  gave  an  ample 
explanation  of  his  prophecies  in  seven  books,  printed  in  1608. 
"This  Merlin,"  says  M.  de  la  Monnoye,  "tout  magicien  et  fils 
du  diable  que  Ton  I'a  era,"  has  by  the  good  CarmeUte,  Baptiste 
Mantuanus,  been  metamorphosed  into  a  saint.  At  the  end  of  his 
"  Tolentinum,"  a  poem  in  three  books,  in  honour  of  St  Nicholas, 
(anno  1509,)  he  thus  speaks  of  Merlin  : — 

"  Vitse  venerabilis  oKm 

Vir  fuit  et  vates,  venturi  prsesoius  aevi, 

Merlinua,  laris  infando  de  semine  cretus. 

Hio  satus  infami  ooitu  pietate  refulsit 

Eximia  superum  factus  post  funera  consors." 

*  This  information  we  gather  from  a  chapbook  entitled  "  The  Strange  an  I  Wonderful 
History  and  Prophecies  of  Mother  Shipton,  by  Ferraby,  printer  on  the  Marliet  Place, 
Hull.  It  is  evidently  a  reprint  of  a  chapbook  of  the  time  of  Charles  II.,  as  appears  from 
many  allusions. 

t  Once  there  was  a  man  who  le.i  a  holy  life,  and  was  a  prophet,  who  could  see 
what  would  come  to  pass  ;  his  name  was  Merlin,  and  he  was  the  offspring  of  an  evil  and 
fiendish  spirit.  But  though  born  from  such  a  father,  he  shone  forth  in  virtue,  and  after 
his  death,  became  a  companion  of  the  saints. 


78  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

His  prophecies  were  also  translated  into  Italian,  and  printed  at 
Venice  in  1516.  llie  annotators  say  it  was  reported  that  Merlin, 
by  Ms  enchantments,  transported  from  Ireland  those  huge  stones 
found  in  Salisbury  plain.  His  cave  was  ia  ClerkenweU,  on  the 
site  where  the  alehouse  now  stands,  and  was  in  the  reign  of 
James  I.,  one  of  the  London  sights  strangers  went  to  see.* 

We  have  a  well-known  chapbook  hero  in  Jack  of  Newbuky, 
who  had  already  attained  to  the  signboard  honours  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  when  we  find  him  on  the  token  of  John 
Wheeler,  in  Soper  Lane  (now  Queen  Street,  Cheapside,)  whilst  at 
present,  he  may  be  seen  in  a  full-length  portrait  in  ChisweU  Street, 
Finsbury  Square.  This  Jack  of  Newbury,  alias  Winchcombe, 
alias  Smallwoode,  "  was  the  most  considerable  clothier  England 
ever  had.  He  kept  an  hundred  looms  in  his  house,  each  managed 
by  a  man  and  a  boy.  He  feasted  King  Henry  VIII.  and  his  first 
Queen  Catherine  at  his  own  house  in  Newbury,  now  divided  into 
sixteen  clothiers'  houses.  He  built  the  Church  of  Newbury, 
from  the  pulpit  westward  to  the  town."t  At  the  battle  oi 
Flodden  in  1513,  he  joined  the  Earl  of  Surrey  with  a  corps  of  one 
hundred  men,  well  equipped  at  his  sole  expense,  who  distin- 
guished themselves  greatly  in  that  fight.  He  is  buried  in  New- 
bury, where  his  brass  effigy  is  stUl  to  be  seen,  purporting  that  he 
died  February  15,  1519.  An  inn  bearing  his  sign  in  NeWbury,  is 
said  to  be  built  on  the  site  of  the  house  where  he  entertained 
King  Harry.  Thomas  Deloney,  the  ballad-writer,  wrote  a  tale 
about  him,  entitled,  "  The  pleasant  history  of  John  Winchcomb,  in 
his  younger  years  called  Jack  of  Newberry,  the  famous  and 
worthy  clothier  of  England,  declaring  his  life  and  love,  together 
with  his  charitable  deeds  and  great  hospitalitie.  Entered  in  the 
Stationers'  Book,  May  7,  1596." 

Whittington  and  his  Cat  is  stUl  very  common,  not  only  in 
London  but  in  the  country  also.  Sometimes  the  cat  is  repre- 
sented without  her  master,  as  on  the  token  of  a  shop  in  Long- 
acre,  1657,  and  on  the  sign  of  Vamey,  a  seal-engraver  in 

•New  Court,  Old  Bailey,  1783,  whose  shopbUlJ  represents  a 
large  cat  carved  in  wood  holding  an  eye-glass  by  a  chain.  The 
story  of  Whittington  is  stUl  a  favourite  chapbook  tale,  and  has 
its  parallel  in  the  fairy  tales  of  various  other  countries.  Strapa- 
rola,  in  his  "  Piacevole  Notte,"  is,  we  believe,  the  first  who  men- 

*  Henry  Peacham'3  Compleat  Gentleman. 

t  .John  Collet's  Historical  Anecdotes,  Add,  MSS  3S90,  p.  Hi 

t  In  the  Banks  Collection. 


HISTOBIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  79 

tions  it.  The  earliest  English  narrative  occurs  in  Johnson's 
"  Crown  Garland  of  Golden  Eoses,"  1612,  but  there  is  an  allu- 
sion to  "  Whittington  and  his  Puss"  in  the  play  of  "  Eastward 
Hoe  !"  1603.  For  more  than  a  century  it  was  one  of  the  stock 
pieces  of  Punch  and  his  dramatic  troop.  Sept.  21,  1688,  Pepys 
went  to  see  it :  "  To  Southwark  Fair,  very  dirty,  and  there  saw 
the  puppet-show  of  Whittington,  which  is  pretty  to  see  ;  and  how 
that  idle  thing  do  work  upon  people  that  see  it,  and  even  myself 
too."  Foote,  in  his  comedy  of  the  "  Nabob,"  makes  Sir  Matthew 
Mite  account  for  the  legend  by  explaining  the  cat  as  the  name 
of  some  quick-sailing  vessels  by  which  Whittington  imported 
coals,  which  should  have  been  the  source  of  the  Lord  Mayor's 
wealth.  In  the  Highgate  Koad  there  is  a  skeleton  of  a  cat  in  a 
public-house  window,  which  by  the  people  who  visit  there  is 
firmly  beheved  to  be  the  earthly  remains  of  Whittington's  identi- 
cal cat.  The  house  is  not  far  distant  from  the  spot  where  the 
future  Lord  Mayor  of  London  stopped  to  listen  to  the  city  beEa 
inviting  him  to  return.  It  is  now  marked  by  a  stone,  with  the 
event  duly  inscribed  thereon. 

King  Arthur's  Eounb  Table  is  to  be  seen  on  various  public- 
houses.  There  is  one  in  St  Martin's  Court,  Leicester  Square, 
where  the  American  champion,  Heenan,  put  up  when  he  came 
to  contest  the  belt  with  the  valiant  Tom  Sayers.  The  same 
sign  is  also  often  to  be  met  with  on  the  Continent.  In  the  seven- 
teenth century  there  was  a  famous  tavern  called  la  Table 
Roland  in  the  VaU6e  de  MisSre  at  Paris.  John-o'-Geoat's 
House  is  also  used  for  a  sign ;  there  was  one  some  years  ago 
in  Windmill  Street,  Haymarket ;  and  at  present  there  is  a  John- 
o'-Geoat's  in  Gray  Street,  Blackfriars  Eoad.  Both  these  and 
the  Eound  Table  contain,  we  conceive,  some  intimation  of  that 
even-handed  justice  observed  at  the  houses,  where  aU  comers  are 
treated  alike,  and  one  man  is  as  good  as  another. 

Daeby  and  John,  a  corruption  of  Darby  and  Joan,  and  bor- 
rowed from  an  old  nursery  fable,  is  a  sign  at  Crowle,  in  Lin- 
colnshire ;  and  Hob  in  the  Well,  with  a  similar  origin,  at  Little 
Port  Street,  Lynn ;  whilst  SiE  John  Baeleycoen  is  the  hero 
of  a  ballad  allegorical  of  the  art  of  brewing,  &c. 

A  favourite  ballad  of  our  ancestors  originated  the  sign  of  the 
London  Appeentice,  of  which  there  are  still  numerous  examples. 
How  they  were  represented  appears  from  the  Spectator,  No.  428, 
viz.,  "  with  a  lion's  heart  in  each  hand."     The  ballad  informs  u6 


80  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

that  the  apprentice  came  off  with  flying  colours,  after  endle&s 
adventures,  one  of  which  was  that  like  Richard  Coeur-de-Iion — 
he  "robbed  the  lion  of  his  heart."  The  ballad  is  entitled  "  The 
Honour  of  an  Apprentice  of  London,  wherein  he  declared  his 
matchless  manhood  and  brave  adventures  done  by  him  in  Turkey, 
and  by  what  means  he  married  the  king's  daughter  of  that  same 
country." 

The  Essex  Serpent  is  a  sign  in  King  Street,  Covent  Garden, 
and  in  Charles  Street,  Westminster,  perhaps  in  allusion  to  a  fabu- 
lous monster  recorded  in  a  catalogue  of  wonders  and  awful  prog- 
nostications contained  in  a  broadside  of  1704,*  from  which  we 
learn  that,  "  Before  Henry  the  Second  died,  a  dragon  of  marvel- 
lous bigness  was  discovered  at  St  Osyph,  in  Essex."  Had  we  any 
evidence  that  it  is  an  old  sign,  we  might  almost  be  inclined  to  con- 
sider 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  appari- 
tions, we  have  not  succeeded  in  finding  any  authority  for  the  St 
Osyph  Dragon,  other  than  the  above-mentioned  broadside. 

literature  of  a  somewhat  higher  class  than  street  baUads,  has 
likewise  contributed  material  to  the  signboards.  One  of  the  oldest 
instances  is  the  Luceecb,  the  chaste  felo-de-se  of  Roman  history, 
who,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  was  much  in  fashion  among  the 
poets,  and  was  even  sung  by  Shakespeare.  We  find  that  "  Thomas 
Berthelet,  prynter  unto  the  kynges  mooste  noble  grace,  dweUyngo 
at  the  sygne  of  the  Lucreoe,  in  Fletestrete,  in  the  year  of  our  Lordo 
1536."  In  1557,  it  was  the  sign  of  Leonard  AxteU,  in  St  Paul's 
Churchyard  ;  and  in  the  reign  of  Charles  L,  of  Thomas  Purfoot, 
in  New  Rents,  Newgate  Market,  both  booksellers  and  printers. 
The  Complete  Angler  was  the  usual  sign  of  fish-tackle  sellers  in 
the  last  century,  and  the  essays  of  the  Spectator  made  the  charac- 
ter of  SiK  Roger  de  Coverlby  very  popxilar  with  tobacconists. 

*  This  broadside  is  reprinted  in  Notes  and  Queries  for  January  15,  1859.  Sussex  had 
its  snake  as  late  as  1614.  There  is  a  pamphlet  m  the  Harl.  Collection,  entitled,  *'  True 
and  Wonderful — a  discourse  relating  a  strange  and  monstrous  serpent,  (or  dragon,) 
lately  discovered,  and  yet  living,  to  the  great  annoyance  and  divers  slaughter  both  of 
men  and  cattell,  by  his  strong  and  violent  Poyson,  in  Sussex,  two  miles  from  Horsam,  in 
a  woode  called  St  Leonard's  Forrest,  and  thirtie  miles  from  London,  this  present  month 
of  August  1614."  That  this  Sussex  snake  caused  a  great  sensation,  appears  from  the 
fact  that  seventeen  years  after,  it  is  alluded  to  in  "  Whimsies:  or,  A  New  Cast  of  Cha- 
racters," 1631 ;  "  Nor  comes  his  [the  ballad-monger's]  invention  far  short  of  his  imagin- 
ation. For  want  of  truer  relations  for  a  neede,  he  can  find  you  out  a  Sussex  draeon, 
some  sea  or  inland  monster,  drawn  out  by  some  Shoe  Lane  man,  [t.  e.,  a  sign-painter ; 
they  all  lived  in  Harp  Alley,  Shoe  Lane,]  in  Gorgon-like  features,  to  enforce  more  horror 
in  the  beholder." 


PLATE  VI. 


THREE  SQUIRRELS. 
(Fleet  Street,  circa  1668.) 


HAND  AND  STAR. 
(1550.) 


CHESHIRE  CHEESE. 
(Modem  sign,  Aldennanbury,  City.) 


P  A. 

ER. 

ms  Port 


And 

■iUWAR.P 


KING  S  PORTER  AND  DWARF. 
(2srewgatc  Street,  circa  1666.) 


ROIAL  OAK. 
[Roxbui^he  Ballads,  ] 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  8 1 

Doctor  Syntax  tangs  at  the  door  of  many  public-houses,  as  at 
Preston,  Oldham,  Newcastle,  Gateshead,  &c. ;  the  Lady  of  thb 
Lake  at  Lowestoft ;  Dandie  Dinmont  at  West  Linton,  Carlisle ; 
Pickwick  in  Newcastle ;  the  Red  Eovee,  Barton  Street,  Glou- 
cester ;  *  Tam  o'  Shantee,  Laurence  Street,  York,  and  various 
other  towns ;  Eobin  Adaie,  Benwell,  Newcastle.  Popular  songs 
also  belong  to  this  class,  as  the  Lass  o'  Goweie,  Sunderland  and 
Durham;  Atod  Lang  Syne,  Preston  Street,  Liverpool;  Tulloch- 
GoEUM  and  Looh-na-Gak,  both  in  Manchester ;  Eob  Eoy,  Tithe- 
bum  Street,  Liverpool ;  Plowees  of  the  Forest,  Blackfriars 
Eoad.  On  the  whole,  however,  this  class  of  names  is  much  more 
prevalent  in  the  northerly  than  in  the  southerly  districts  of  Eng- 
land. Li  the  south,  if  we  except  Thjs  Old  English  Gentleman, 
who  occurs  everywhere,  the  great  Jm  Grow  is  almost  the  only 
instance  of  the  hero  of  a  song  promoted  to  the  signboard.  Robin- 
son Ceusoe  is  common  to  all  the  seaports  of  the  kingdom,  whilst 
Uncle  Tom,  or  Uncle  Tom's  Cabin,  is  to  be  found  everywhere, 
not  only  in  England,  but  also  on  the  Continent.  Any  little  un- 
derground place  of  refreshment  or  beer-house  difficult  of  access,  is 
considered  as  fittingly  named  by  Mrs  Beecher  Stowe's  novel. 

A  very  appropriate,  and  not  uncommon  public-house  sign  is 
the  Toby  Philpott.  That  he  well  deserves  this  honour,  appears 
from  the  following  obituary  notice,  (in  the  Gent.  Mag.,  Dec. 
1810:)— 

"  At  the  Ewes  farm-house,  Yorkshire,  aged  76,  Mr  Paul  Parnell,  farmer, 
grazier,  and  maltster,  who,  during  his  lifetime,  drank  out  of  one  silver  pint 
cup  upwards  of  £2000  sterling  worth  of  Yorkshire  Stingo,  being  remark- 
ably attached. to  Stingo  tipple  of  the  home-brewed  best  quality.  The  cal- 
culation is  taken  at  2d.  per  cupful.  He  was  the  bon-vivant  whom  O'Keefe 
celebrated  in  more  than  one  of  his  Bacchanalian  songs  under  the  appella- 
tion of  Toby  Philpott." 

Between  St  Albans  and  Harpenden,  there  was,  some  years  ago, 
and  perhaps  there  is  stUl,  a  public-house  called  the  Old  Eoson. 
This  name  also  appears  to  be  borrowed  from  the  well-known  song, 
•'  Old  Rosin  the  Beau,"  beginning  thus  : — 

"  I  have  travell'd  this  wide  world  over, 
And  now  to  another  I'll  go, 

*  The  title  of  Cooper's  novel  seems  to  have  takea  hold  of  the  popular  fancy  to  an  as- 
tonishing degree :  not  onlj  are  there  several  public-houses  who  have  adopted  it  as  their 
sign,  but  also  race-horses,  ships,  and  locomotive  engines  have  been  named  after  it. 
There  is  even  a  baked  potato-can  in  the  streets  of  London,  decorated  with  that  name ;  it 
is  built  in  the  shape  of  a  locomotive-engine,  japanned  red,  and  wheeled  about  the  streets 
by  an  old  woman.  The  name  on  a  brass  plate  is  screwed  to  the  can,  similar  to  the  names 
of  locomotive-engines. 

L 


82  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

I  know  that  good  quarters  are  waiting 

To  welcome  old  Rosin  the  Beau  (ter.) 
'  When  I  am  dead  and  laid  out  on  the  counter, 

A  voice  you  wUl  hear  from  below, 
Singing  out  brandy  and  water 

To  drink  to  old  Rosin  the  Beau  (ter.) 
You  must  get  some  dozen  good  fellows. 

And  stand  them  all  round  in  a  row. 
And  drink  out  of  half-gallon  bottles. 

To  the  name  of  old  Rosin  the  Beau,"  &o. 

These  stanzas,  and  one  or  two  more  to  the  same  import,  were 
quite  sufficient  to  make  the  old  Beau  a  fit  subject  for  the  sign- 
board, irrespective  of  his  other  amiable  qualities  held  forth  in  the 
song.  The  very  common  Old  House  at  Home,  too,  is  borrowed 
from  a  once-popular  ballad,  the  verse  of  which  is  too  weK  known 
to  need  quotation  here. 

The  equally  common  Heaety  Good  Fellow  is  adopted  from 
a  Seven  Dials  ballad  : — 

"  I  am  a  hearty  good  fellow, 
I  live  at  my  ease, 
I  work  when  I  am  willing, 
I  play  when  I  please. 

With  my  bottle  and  my  glass. 

Many  hours  I  pass, 
Sometimes  with  a  friend. 

And  sometimes  with  a  lass,"  &c. 

Of  signboards  portraying  artists,  but  few  instances  occur ;  and 
when  they  do,  they  are  almost  exclusively  the  property  of  print- 
sellers.  We  have  only  met  with  three :  Kembrandt's  Head,  the 
sign  of  J.  Jackson,  printseUer,  at  the  corner  of  Chancery  Lane, 
Fleet  Street,  1759 ;  and  of  Nathaniel  Smith,  the  father  (?)  of  J. 
T.  Smith,  in  Great  May's  Buildings,  St  Martin's  Lane.  Another 
member  of  that  family,  J.  Smith,  who  kept  a  printshop  in  Cheap- 
side,  where  several  of  Hogarth's  engravings  were  published, 
assumed  the  Hogarth's  Head  for  his  sign.  The  third  is  the 
Van  Dyke's  Head,  the  sign  of  C.  Philips,  engraver  and  print- 
publisher  in  Portugal  Street,  in  1761.  Hogarth  also  had  a  head 
of  Van  Dyke  as  his  trade  symbol,  made  from  small  pieces  of  cork, 
but  being  gilt,  he  called  it  the  Golden  Head,  (see  under  Miscel- 
laneous Signs.) 

In  old  times,  more  than  at  present,  music  was  deemed  a  neces- 
sary adjunct  to  tavern  hospitality  and  public-house  enterfciinment. 


HISTORIC  A  ND  COMMEMORA  TI VE.  8  3 

The  fiddlers  and  ballad  singers  of  the  "  tap  "  room,  however,  gave 
way  to  the  newer  brass  band  at  the  doors,  and  this,  in  its  turn,  is 
now  gradually  fading  before  the  "music  hall"  and  so-called 
"  concert "  arrangement.  Singing,  it  may  be  remarked,  is  one  of 
the  first  follies  iuto  which  a  man  falls  after  a  too  free  indulgence 
in  the  cup.  It  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  therefore,  that  musical 
signboards  should  have  swung  from  time  to  time  over  the  ale- 
house door.  Paganini,  who  contributed  so  much  to  the  popu- 
larity of  that  well-known  part  of  the  "  Carnival  de  Venise  " — still 
the  shibboleth  of  aU  fiddlers — is  of  very  common  occurrence. 

The  love  for  music  is  also  eloquently  expressed  by  the  sign  of 
the  Fiddler's  Arms,  G-omal  Wood,  Staffordshire.  Jbnny  Lind 
seems  to  be  the  only  musician  of  modem  times  who  has  found  her 
way  to  the  signboard.  In  the  last  century,  Handel's  Head 
was  common ;  but  at  the  present  moment,  no  instance  of  its  use 
remains.  The  Maid  and  the  Magpie,  a  very  common  tavern 
title,  is  believed  to  be  the  only  sign  borrowed  from  an  opera.  In 
Queen  Anne's  time,  there  was  a  Puecell's  Head  in  Wych  Street, 
Drury  Lane,  the  sign  of  a  music-house.  It  represented  that 
musician  in  a  brown,  full-bottomed  wig,  and  green  nightgown, 
and  was  very  well  painted.  Purcell,  who  died  in  1682,  greatly 
improved  English  melody;  he  composed  sonatas,  anthems,  and 
the  music  to  various  plays.  His  "  Te  Deum  "  and  "  Jubilate  "  are 
still  admired. 

Actors,  and  favourite  characters  from  plays,  have  frequently 
been  adopted  as  signs.  The  oldest  instance  we  find  is  Taeleton, 
or  Dick  Tarleton,  who,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  seems  to  have 
been  common  enough  to  make  Bishop  Hall  allude  to  him  in  hia 
"  Satyres,"  (b.  vi.,  s.  1)— 

"  0  honour  far  beyond  a  brazen  shrine. 
To  sit  with  Tarlton  on  an  ale-post's  sign.'' 
Tarleton  is  seen  on  the  trades  token  of  a  house  in  Wheeler  Street, 
Southwark ;  and  it  is  only  within  a  very  few  years  that  this  sign 
has  been  consigned  to  oblivion.  Eichard,  or  "  Dick "  Tarleton 
was  a  celebrated  low-comedy  actor,  born  at  Condover  in  Shrop- 
shire, and  brought  to  town  in  the  household  of  the  Earl  of  Lei- 
cester. He  first  kept  an  ordinary  in  Paternoster  Kow,  called  the 
Castle,  much  frequented  by  the  booksellers  and  printers  of  St 
Paul's  Churchyard.  Afterwards,  he  kept  the  Tabor,  in  Grace- 
church  Street.  He  was  one  of  Queen  Elizabeth's  twelve  player, 
in  receipt  of  wages,  and  was  at  that  time  living  as  one  of  the 


84  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

grooms  of  the  cliamber  at  Barn  Elms,  but  lost  his  situation  by 
reason  of  some  scurrilous  reflections  on  Leicester  and  Kaleigh. 
He  probably  also  performed  at  the  Curtain  in  Shoreditch,  in  which 
parish  he  was  buried,  September  3, 1588.     "  The  great  popularity 
which  Tarlton  possessed  may  be  readily  seen  from  the  numerous 
allusions  to  him  in  almost  all  the  writers  of  the  time,  and  few 
actors  have  been  honoured  with  so  many  practical  tokens  of 
esteem.      His  portrait  graced  the  ale-house,  game-cocks  were 
named  after  him,  and  a  century  after  his  death,  his  effigy  adorned 
the  Jakes."  *    The  portrait  of  this  famous  wit  is  prefixed  to  the 
edition  of  his  jests,  printed  in  1611,  where  he  is  represented  in 
the  costume  of  a  clown  playing  on  the  tabor  and  pipe.     Another 
portrait  of  him  occurs  as  an  accompaniment  to  the  letter  T,  in  a 
collection  of  ornamental  letters,t  with  the  following  rhymes  : — 
"  Thia  picture  here  set  down  within  his  letter  T, 
Aright  doth  shew  the  forme  and  shape  of  Tharleton  unto  thee. 
When  he  in  pleasaunt  wise  the  counterfeit  expreste. 
Of  clowne  with  cote  of  russet  hew,  and  startups  wUi  the  reste ; 
Who  merry  many  made  when  he  appear'd  in  sight. 
The  grave,  the  wise,  as  well  as  rude,  att  him  did  take  delight. 
The  partie  now  is  gone,  and  closlie  clad  in  claye  ; 
Of  all  the  jesters  in  the  lande,  he  bare  the  praise  awaie. 
Now  hath  he  plaied  his  parte,  and  sure  he  is  of  this. 
If  he  in  Christe  did  die  to  live  with  Him  in  lasting  bliss." 

Spillek's  Head  was  the  sign  of  an  inn  in  Clare  Market,  where 
one  of  the  most  famous  tavern  clubs  was  held.  This  meeting  of 
artists,  wits,  humorists,  and  actors  originated  with  the  per- 
formances at  Lincoln's  Inn,  about  the  year  1697.  They  counted 
many  men  of  note  amongst  their  members.  CoUey  Cibber  was 
one  of  the  founders,  and  their  best  president,  not  even  excepting 
Tom  d'Urfey.  James  Spiller,  it  should  be  stated,  was  a  celebrated 
actor  circa  1700.  His  greatest  character  was  "  Mat  o'  the  Mint," 
in  the  Beggar's  Opera.  He  was  an  immense  favourite  with  the 
butchers  of  Clare  Market,  one  of  whom  was  so  charmed  with 
his  performances,  that  he  took  down  his  sign  of  the  Bull  and 
BuTCHBE,  and  put  up  Spiller's  Head.  At  SpUler's  death, 
(Feb.  7,  1729,)  the  following  elegiac  verse  was  made  by  one  of 
the  butchers  in  that  locality : — 

"  Down  with  your  marrow-bones  and  cleavers  all. 
And  on  your  marrow-bones  ye  butchers  fall ! 
Eor  prayers  from  you  who  never  pra/d  before, 

*  Introduction  to  Tarlton's  Jests,  by  1.  0.  HalliwelL 
t  Han.  MSS.  38M. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  85 

Perhaps  poor  Jimmie  may  to  life  restore. 

'  What  have  we  done  ?'  the  wretched  bailiffs  cry, 

'  That  th'  only  man  by  whom  we  lived  should  die  !' 

Enraged  they  gnaw  their  wax  and  tear  their  writs, 

While  butchers'  wives  fall  in  hysteric  fits ; 

For,  sure  as  they're  alive,  poor  SpiUer's  dead. 

But,  thanks  to  jach  Legar  I  we  've  got  his  head. 

He  was  an  inoffensive,  merry  fellow, 

When  sober,  hipp'd,  blythe  as  a  bird  when  mellow." 

A  ticket  for  one  of  his  benefit  representations,  engraved  by 
Hogarth,  is  still  a  morceau  recherche  amongst  print  collectors, 
as  much  as  £12  having  been  paid  for  one.  "  SpiUer's  Life  and 
Jests"  is  the  title  of  a  little  book  published  at  that  time. 

Garrick's  Head  was  set  up  as  a  sign  in  his  lifetime,  and  in 
1768  it  hung  at  the  door  of  W.  GriflSths,  a  bookseller  of  Cathe- 
rine Street,  Strand.  It  is  still  common  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
theatres.  There  is  one  in  Leman  Street,  Whitechapel,  not  far 
from  the  place  of  his  first  successes,  where,  in  1742,  he  played 
at  the  theatre  in  Goodman's  Fields,  and  "  the  town  ran  horn-mad 
after  him,"  so  that  there  were  "  a  dozen  dukes  of  a  night  at 
Goodman's  Fields  sometimes."  * 

EoxELLANA  was,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the  sign  of 
Thomas  Lacy,  of  Cateaton  Street,  (now  Gresham  Street,)  City. 
It  was  the  name  of  the  principal  female  character  in  "  The  Siege 
of  Khodes,"  and  was  originally  the  favourite  part  of  the  hand- 
some Elizabeth  Davenport,  whose  sham  marriage  to  the  Earl  of 
Oxford,  (who  deceived  her  by  disguising  a  trumpeter  of  his  troop 
as  a  priest,)  is  told  in  De  Grammont's  Memoirs.  After  she  had 
found  out  the  Earl's  deception,  she  continued  under  his  protec- 
tion, and  is  occasionally  mentioned,  (always  under  the  name  of 
RozeUana,)  with  a  few  words  of  encomium  on  her  good  looks  by 
that  entertaining  gossip,  Pepys. 

Formerly  there  was  a  sign  of  Joey  Grimaldi  at  a  public-house 
nearly  opposite  Sadler's  Wells  Theatre ;  not  only  had  it  the  name, 
but  addidit  vultum  verbis,  in  the  shape  of  a  clown  with  a  goose 
under  his  arm,  and  a  string  of  sausages  issuing  from  his  pocket. 
Joey's  name  being  less  familiar  to  the  public  of  the  present  day, 
the  house  is  now  called  the  Clown.  This,  we  think,  is  the  List 
instance  of  an  actor  being  elevated  to  signboard  honours. 

Abel  Dktjgger  is  one  of  the  dramatis  personce  in  Ben  Jon- 
son's  comedy  of  the  Alchymist,  and  from  the  character  given 

*  Gray's  Letter  to  Chute.  Mitford,  iL  138. 


86  THE  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOARDS. 

him  by  his  friend  Captain  Face,  we  get  some  curious  information 
concerning  the  mysteries  of  the  tobacco  trade  of  that  day  : — 
"  This  is  my  friend  Abel,  an  honest  fellow, 

He  lets  me  hare  good  tobacco,  and  he  does  not 

Sophisticate  it  with  sack  lees  or  oil. 

Nor  washes  it  with  muscadel  and  grains, 

Nor  buries  it  in  gravel  underground, 

Wrapp'd  up  in  greasy  leather  or  p clouts. 

But  keeps  it  in  fine  lily  pots,  that  open'd 

Smell  like  conserve  of  roses,  or  French  beans. 

He  has  \aa  maple  block;  his  silver  tongs, 

Winchester  pipes,  and  fire  of  juniper. 

A  neat,  spruce,  honest  fellow,  and  no  goldsmith." 
This  worthy  was,  in  the  end  of  the  last  century,  the  sign  of 
Peter  Cockbum,  a  tobacconist  in  Fenchurch  Street,  formerly 
shopman  at  the  Sir  Eogee  db  Ooveelbt,  as  he  informs  the 
public  on  his  tobacco  paper.*  According  to  the  custom  of  the 
times,  and  one  which  has  yet  lingered  in  old-fashioned  neighbour- 
hoods, this  wrapper  is  adorned  with  some  curious  rhymes  : — 

"  At  Druggee's  Head,  without  a  puflf, 
You  '11  ever  find  the  best  of  snuff. 

Believe  me,  I  'm  not  joking ; 
Tobacco,  too,  of  every  kind. 
The  very  best  you  'U  always  find, 

For  chewing  or  for  smoaking. 
Tho'  Abel,  when  the  Humour 's  in, 
At  Drury  Lane  to  make  you  grin. 

May  sometimes  take  his  station  ; 
At  number  Hundred-Forty- Six, 
In  Fenchurch  Street  he  now  does  fix 

His  present  Habitation. 
His  best  respects  he  therefore  sends. 
And  thus  acquaints  his  generous  Friends, 

From  Limehouse  up  to  Holborn, 
That  his  rare  snuffs  are  sold  by  none. 
Except  in  Fenchurch  Street  alone. 
And  there  by  Peter  Cockbum." 
Falstaff,  whom  we  have  already  mentioned  when  speaking 
of  Shakespeare,  and  Patji  Pey,  are  both  very  common.    The  last 
is  even  of  more  frequent  occurrence  than  "  honest  Jack"  himself. 
Lower  down  in  the  scale  of  celebrities  and  public  characters, 
we  find  the  court-jester  of  Henry  VIII.,  Old  Will  Someks,  the 
sign  of  a  public-house  in  Crispin  Street,  Spittalfields,  at  the  pre- 
sent day.     He  also  occurs  on  a  token  issued  from  Old  Fish 
Street,  in  which  he  is  represented  very  much  the  same  as  in  his 

*  Banks's  Collpction. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  87 

portrait  by  Holbein,  viz.,  Tifearing  a  long  gown,  with  hat  on  his 
head,  and  blowing  a  horn.  Under  an  engraving  of  this  picture 
are  the  following  lines  : — 

"  What  though  thou  think'st  me  clad  in  strange  attire, 
Knowe  I  am  euted  to  my  own  deseire  ; 
And  yet  the  characters  described  upon  mee 
May  shew  thee  that  a  king  bestowed  them  upon  mee. 
This  horn  I  have  betokens  Sommers'  game, 
Which  sportive  tyme  wUl  bid  thee  reade  my  name, 
All  with  my  nature  well  agreeing  too, 
As  both  the  name,  and  tyme,  and  hal3it  doe." 
Formerly  there  used  to  be  in  the  town  a  wooden  figure  of 
Win  -with  rams'  horns  and  a  pair  of  large  spectacles ;  and  the 
story  was  told  that  he  never  would  believe  that  his  wife  had  pre- 
sented him  with  the  "  buU's  feather"  until  he  had  seen  it  through 
his  spectacles. 

Two  portraits  of  Sommers  are  preserved  at  Hampton  Court, 
one  in  a  picture  after  Holbein,  representing  Henry  VII.  with  his 
queen,  Elizabeth,  and  Henry  VIII.  with  his  queen,  Jane  Sey- 
mour. Win  is  on  one  side,  his  wife  on  the  other.  The  other 
portrait  is  by  Holbein,  three-quarter  life  size,  where  he  is  repre- 
sented looking  through  a  closed  window.*  Ho  also  figures  in 
Henry  VIII.'s  Uluminated  Psalter,  +  in  which  King  Henry's 
features  are  given  to  David,  and  those  of  WiU  Sommers  to  the 
fool  who  accompanies  him. 

Sommers  was  born  at  Eston  Neston,  Northamptonshire, 
where  his  father  was  a  shepherd.  His  popularity  arose  from  his 
frankness,  which  is  thus  eulogised  by  Ascham  in  his  "  Toxo- 
phUus  :" — "  They  be  not  much  unlike  in  this  to  WyU  Sommers, 
the  kingis  foole,  which  smiteth  him  that  standeth  alwayes  before 
his  face,  be  he  never  so  worshipful  a  man,  and  never  greatlye 
lokes  for  him  which  lurkes  behinde  another  man's  backe  that 
hurte  him  indeede." 

We  next  come  to  Beoughton,  the  champion  pugilist  of  Eng- 
land in  the  reign  of  George  II.  He  kept  a  public-house  in  the 
Haymarket,  opposite  the  present  theatre ;  his  sign  was  a  por- 
trait of  himself,  without  a  wig,  in  the  costume  of  a  bruiser. 
Underneath  was  the  following  line,  from  .^neid,  v  484  : — 
"  HlO  VIOTOB  cj;sTns,  artemqub  eepono." 
Numerous  public-houses  already  retail  their  good  things  under 

*  This  is  engraved  in  Caulfield's  Portraits  of  Remarkable  and  Eccentric  Characters,  as 
well  as  the  wooden  figure  in  the  Tower, 
t  MSS.  Reg.,  2  A.  xvi. 


88  THM  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

the  auspices  of  the  great  Tom  Sayees.  One  in  PLmlico, 
Brighton,  deserves  especial  mention,  as  it  is  reported  to  be  the 
identical  house  in  which  the  mighty  champion  made  his  entry 
on  the  stage  of  this  world,  for  the  noble  purpose  of  dealing  and 
receiving  the  blows  of  fistic  fortune.  But,  as  in  the  case  of 
Homer's  birthplace,  the  honour  is  contested ;  almost  every  house 
in  Pimlico  lays  claim  to  his  nativity,  and  unless  the  great  man 
writes  his  life  and  settles  this  mooted  point,  it  is  likely  to  give 
serious  trouble  to  future  historiographers. 

Another  athlete,  Topham,  "the  strong  man,"  had  also  his 
quantum  of  signboards.  "  The  public  interest  which  his  extra- 
ordinary exhibitions  of  strength  had  always  excited  did  not  die 
with  him.  His  feats  were  delineated  on  many  signs  which  were 
remaining  up  to  1800.  One  in  particular,  over  a  pubUo-house 
near  the  Maypole,  in  East  Smithfield,  represented  his  first  great 
feat  of  puUing  against  two  dray  horses."  * 

Thomas  Topham  was  born  in  London  in  1710.  His  strength 
almost  makes  the  feats  of  Homer's  heroes  credible,  for,  besides 
pulling  against  two  dray  horses,  in  which  he  would  have  been 
successful  if  he  had  been  properly  placed,  he  lifted  three  hogs- 
heads of  water,  weighing  1836  lbs,  broke  a  rope  two  inches  in 
circumference,  lifted  a  stone  roller,  weighing  800  lbs.,  by  a  chain 
with  Ms  hands  only,  lifted  with  his  teeth  a  table  six  feet  long, 
with  half  a  hundredweight  fastened  to  the  end  of  it,  and  held  it 
a  considerable  time  in  a  horizontal  position,  struck  an  iron  poker, 
a  yard  long  and  three  inches  thick,  against  his  bare  left  arm 
until  it  was  bent  into  a  right  angle,  placed  a  poker  of  the  same 
dimensions  against  the  back  of  his  neck,  and  bent  it  until  the 
ends  met,  and  performed  innumerable  other  remarkable  feats. 

In  Daniel  Lambert,  whose  portly  figure  acts  as  sign  to  a 
coffee-house  on  Ludgate  HiU,  and  to  a  public-house  in  the  High 
Street,  St  Martins,  Stannford,  Lincolnshire,  we  behold  another 
wonder  of  the  age.  This  man  weighed  no  less  than  52  stone  11 
lb.  (14  lbs.  to  the  stone.)  He  was  in  his  40th  year  when  he 
died,  and  the  circumstances  of  his  burial  give  a  good  idea  of  his 
enormous  proportions.  His  coflSn,  in  which  there  was  great 
difficulty  of  placing  him,  was  6  ft.  4  in.  long,  4  ft.  4  in.  wide, 
and  2  ft.  4  in.  deep.  The  immense  size  of  his  legs  made  it 
almost  a  square  case.  It  consisted  of  112  superficial  feet  of  ebn, 
and  was  built  upon  two  axletrees  and  four  clogwheels,  and  upon 

*  Vnirholt,  Remarkable  aod  Eccentric  Characters,  p  56. 


HISTORIC  AND  OOMMEMOBATIVE.  89 

then.  Lis  remains  were  rolled  into  the  grave,  a  regular  descent 
having  been  made  by  cutting  the  earth  away  for  some  distance 
slopingly  down  to  the  bottom.  The  window  and  part  of  the  wall 
had  to  be  taken  down  to  allow  his  exit  from  the  house  in  which 
he  died.     His  demise  took  place  on  June  21,  1809. 

Over  the  entrance  to  Bullhead  Court,  Newgate  Street,  there  is 
a  stone  bas-relief,  according  to  Horace  Walpole  once  the  sign  of 
a  house  caUed  The  King's  Porter  and  the  Dwarf,  with  the 
date  1660.  The  two  persons  represented  are  William  Evans 
and  Jeffrey  Hudson.  Evans  is  mentioned  by  FuUer.*  Jeffrey 
Hudson,  the  dwarf,  had  a  very  chequered  life.  He  was  born  in 
1609  at  Okeham  in  Rutlandshire,  from  a  stalwart  father,  keeper 
of  baiting-buUs  to  the  Duke  of  Buckingham.  Having  been  intro- 
duced at  court  by  the  Duchess,  he  entered  the  Queen's  service. 
On  one  occasion,  at  an  entertainment  given  by  Charles  I.  to  his 
queen,  he  was  served  up  in  a  cold  pie  ;  at  another  time  at  a  court 
ball,  he  was  drawn  out  of  the  pocket  of  Will  Evans,  the  huge 
door  porter,  or  keeper,  at  the  palace.  In  1630  he  was  sent  to 
France  to  bring  over  a  midwife  for  the  queen,  but  on  his  return 
was  taken  prisoner  by  Flemish  pirates,  who  robbed  him  of  £2500 
worth  of  presents  received  in  France.  Sir  John  Davenant  wrote 
a  comic  poem  on  this  occasion  entitled  "  Jeffereidos."  During  the 
civil  wars  Jeffrey  was  a  captain  of  horse  in  the  royal  army ;  he 
followed  the  queen  to  France,  and  there  had  a  duel  with  a  Mr 
Crofts  (brother  of  Lord  Crofts)  whom  he  shot,  for  which  mis- 
demeanour he  was  expelled  the  court.  Taken  prisoner  by  pirates 
a  second  time,  he  was  sold  as  a  slave  in  Barbary.  When  he  ob- 
tained his  liberty  he  returned  to  London,  but  got  into  prison  for 
participation  in  the  Titus  Oates  plot,  and  died  shortly  after  his 
release  in  1682.  Walter  Scott  has  introduced  him  in  his 
"  Peveril  of  the  Peak." 

Jeffrey  is  not  the  only  dwarf  who  has  figured  on  a  signboard, 
for  in  the  last  century  there  was  a  Dwarf  Tavern  in  Chelsea 
Fields,  kept  by  John  Coan,  a  Norfolk  dwarf.  It  seems  to  have  been 
a  place  of  some  attraction,  since  it  was  honoured  by  the  repeated 
visits  of  an  Indian  king.  "  On  Friday  last  the  Cherokee  king 
and  his  two  chiefs,  were  so  greatly  pleased  with  the  curiosities  of 
the  Dwarfs  Tavern  in  Chelsea  Fields,  that  they  were  there  again 
on  Sunday  at  seven  in  the  evening  to  drink  tea,  and  wiU.  be  there 
again  in  a  few  days." — Daily  Advertiaer,  July  12,  1762.     Two 

*  Puller's  Worthies,  voce  Monmouthshire. 
M 


go  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

years  after  we  find  the  following  advertisement: — "Yesterday 
died  at  the  Dwarf  Tavern  in  Chelsea  Fields,  Mr  John  Coan,  the 
unparalleled  Norfolk  Dwarf." — Daily  Advertiser,  March  17, 
1764. 

The  name  of  Diety  Dice,  which  graces  a  public-house  in 
Bishopsgate  Without,  was  transferred  to  those  spirit  stores  from 
the  once  famous  Diety  Waeehousb  formerly  in  Leadenhall  Street, 
a  hardware  shop  kept  in  the  end  of  the  last  century  by  Eichard 
Bentley,  aliots  Dirty  Dick,  in  which  premises,  until  about  fifteen  or 
twenty  years  ago,  the  signboard  of  the  original  shop  was  still 
to  be  seen  in  the  window.  Bentley  was  an  eccentric  character,  the 
son  of  an  opulent  merchant,  who  kept  his  carriage  and  lived  in 
great  style.  In  his  early  life  he  was  one  of  the  beaux  in  Paris, 
was  presented  at  the  court  of  Louis  XVI.,  and  enjoyed  the  re- 
putation of  being  the  handsomest  and  best  dressed  Englishman 
at  that  time  in  the  capital  of  France.  On  his  return  to  London 
he  became  a  new,  though  not  a  better,  man.  Brooms,  mops,  and 
brushes  were  rigorously  proscribed  from  his  shop ;  all  order  was 
abolished,  jewellery  and  hardware  were  carelessly  thrown  together, 
covered  by  the  same  shroud  of  undisturbed  dust.  So  they  re- 
mained for  more  than  forty  years,  when  he  relinquished  business 
in  1804.  The  outside  of  his  house  was  as  dirty  as  the  inside,  to 
the  great  annoyance  of  his  neighbours,  who  repeatedly  offered 
Bentley  to  have  it  cleaned,  painted,  and  repaired  at  their  expense; 
but  he  would  not  hear  of  this,  for  his  dirt  had'  given  him  cele- 
brity, and  his  house  was  known  in  the  Levant,  and  the  East  and 
West  Indies,  by  no  other  denomination  than  the  "  Dirty  Ware- 
house in  Leadenhall  Street."  The  appearance  of  his  premises  is 
thus  described  by  a  contemporary  : — 

"  Who  tut  has  seen,  (if  he  can  see  at  all,) 
'Twixt  Aldgate's  well-known  pump  and  Leadenhall, 
A  curious  hardware  Bhop,  in  generall  full 
Of  wares  from  Birmingham  and  Pontipool  ? 
Begrimed  with  dirt,  behold  its  ample  front, 
With  thirty  years'  coUeoted  filth  upou't ; 
In  festoon'd  cobwebs  pendant  o'er  the  door, 
While  boxes,  bales,  and  trunks  are  strew'd  around  the  floor. 

•  ••*••• 

Behold  how  whistling  winds  and  driving  raia 
Gain  free  admission  at  each  broken  pane. 
Safe  when  the  dingy  tenant  keeps  them  out, 
With  urn  or  tray,  knife-case  or  dirty  clout  I 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMBMOBATIVE.  9 1 

i'  Here  snuffers,  waiters,  patent  screws  for  corks, 

There  castors,  cardracks,  cheesetrays,  knives  and  forks ; 
There  empty  cases  piled  in  heaps  on  high, 
There  packthread,  papers,  rope,  in  wild  disorder  lie." 
&c.  &c.  &c. 

The  present  Dirty  Dick  is  a  small  pubHc-house,  or  rather  a  tap 
of  a  wholesale  ■wine  and  spirit  business  in  Bishopsgate  Street 
Without.  It  has  all  the  appearance  of  one  of  those  establish- 
ments that  started  up  in  the  wake  of  the  army  at  Varna  and 
Balaclava,  or  at  newly-discovered  gold-diggings.  A  warehouse 
or  bam  without  floorboards ;  a  low  ceiling,  with  cobweb  festoons 
dangling  from  the  black  rafters  ;  a  pewter  bar  battered  and  dirty, 
floating  with  beer ;  numberless  gas-pipes,  tied  anyhow  along  the 
struts  and  posts,  to  conduct  the  spirits  from  the  barrels  to  the 
taps ;  sample  phials  and  labelled  bottles  of  wine  and  spirits  on 
shelves, — everything  covered  with  virgin  dust  and  cobweb, — in- 
deed, a  place  that  would  set  the  whole  Dutch  nation  frantic. 

Yet,  though  it  has  been  observed  that  cleanliness  of  the  body 
is  conducive  to  cleanliness  of  the  soul,  and  vice  versa,  the  regu- 
lations of  this  dirty  establishment,  (hung  up  in  a  conspicuous 
place,)  are  more  moral  than  those  of  the  cleaner  gin-palaces, 
—as,  for  instance: — "No  man  can  be  served  twice."*  "No 
person  to  be  served  if  in  the  least  intoxicated."  "  No  improper 
language  permitted."  "  No  smoMng  permitted ;"  whilst  the  last 
request,  for  fear  of  this  charming  place  tempting  customers  to 
lounge  about,  says,  "  Our  shop  being  small,  difficulty  occasionally 
arises  in  supplying  the  customers,  who  wiU  greatly  oblige  by  bear- 
ing in  mind  the  good  old  maxim  : — 

'  When  you  are  in  a  place  of  business, 
Transact  your  business 
And  go  about  your  business.'  " 

By  a  trades  token  we  see  that  Old  Pakr's  Head  was  already 
in  the  seventeenth  century  the  sign  of  a  house  in  Chancery  Lane. 
Circa  1825,  a  publican  in  Aldersgate  put  up  the  old  patriarch, 
with  the  following  medical  advice  : — 
"  Your  head  cool. 
Tour  feet  warm, 
But  a  glass  of  good  gin 
Would  do  you  no  harm." 

*  This  is  an  old  "dodge,"  mentioned  long  ago  by  Decker  in  his  "Seven  Deadly  Sins, 
seven  times  pressed  to  Death,"  &c.  : — *'  Then  you  have  another  brewing  called  Huff's  ale, 
at  which,  because  no  man  must  have  hut  a  pot  at  a  iittmOt  and  so  be  gone,  the  restraint 
makes  them  more  eager  to  come  in,  so  that  by  this  policie  one  may  huffe  it  four  or  five 
times  a  dav." 


92  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Thomas  Parr  was  born  in  1483,  and  dying  November  15,  1636, 
at  tte  age  of  152,  had  lived  in  the  reigns  of  ten  several  princes, — 
viz.,  Edward  IV.,  Edward  V.,  Eichard  III,  Henry  VII.,  Henry 
VIII.,  Edward  VI.,  Queen  Mary,  Queen  Elizabeth,  James  I,  and 
Charles  I.  He  was  not  the  only  one  of  the  family  who  attained 
to  a  great  age,  for  the  London  Evening  Post,  August  24,  1757, 
has  the  following  note  : — "  Last  week  died  at  Kanne,  in  Shrop- 
shire, Eobert  Parr,  aged  124.  He  was  great-grandson  of  old 
Thomas  Parr,  who  died  in  the  reign  of  King  Charles  I.,  and  lies 
buried  in  Westminster  Abbey.  What  is  very  remarkable  is,  that 
the  father  of  Eobert  was  109;  the  grandfather  113;  and  the 
great-grandfather,  the  said  Thomas,  is  weU  known  to  have  died 
at  the  age  of  152."  Signs  of  old  Parr  are  still  remaining  at 
Gravesend  and  at  Eochester. 

Thomas  Hobson,  (Hobson's  Choice,)  the  benevolent  old  carrier, 
is  the  sign  of  two  public-houses  in  Cambridge, — the  one  called  Old 
HoSsoN,  the  other  Hobson's  House.  His  own  inn  in  London 
was  the  Bull  Inn  in  Bishopsgate  Street,  where  he  was  repre- 
sented in  fresco,  having  a  £100  bag  under  his  arm,  with  the 
words,  "  The  fruitful  mother  of  an  hundred  more."  Here  is  an 
engraving  of  him  by  John  Payne,  his  contemporary,  which  also 
represents  him  holding  a  bag  of  money.  Under  it  are  these 
lines : — 

"  Laugh  not  to  see  so  plaine  a  man  va.  print ; 
The  shadow 's  homely,  yet  there 's  something  in 't. 
Witness  the  Bagg  he  wears,  (though  seeming  poore,) 
The  fertile  Mother  of  a  thousand  more. 
He  was  a  thriving  man,  through  lawful  gain. 
And  wealthy  grew  by  warrantable  faime. 
Men  laugh  at  them  that  spend,  not  them  that  gather, 
Like  thriving  sonnes  of  such  a  thrifty  father." 

The  print  also  informs  us  that  he  died  at  the  age  of  eighty-six, 
in  the  year  1630.  Milton,  who  wrote  two  epitaphs  upon  him, 
says,  that  "  he  sibkened  in  the  time  of  his  vacancy,  being  forbid 
to  go  to  London  by  reason  of  the  plague." 

Among  this  class  of  minor  celebrities  we  may  also  place  those 
who  put  up  their  own  head  for  signs.  Taylor,  the  water  poet, 
(see  Mourning  Crown,  pp.  49,)  was  one  of  the  first.  Next  to  him 
followed  Pasqua  Eosee  ;  according  to  his  handbiU,  "  the  first 
who  made  and  publicly  sold  coflfee-drink  in  England."  His 
establishment  was  "  in  St  Michael's  Alley,  in  CornhiU,  at  the 
sign  of  his  own  head."  This  handbill  largely  enters  into  the  vir- 
tues of  the  "  coffep-drink,"  gives  the  natural  history  of  the  plant. 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMOEATIVX.  93 

prescribes  how  to  make  the  drink,  and  advises  that  "  it  is  to  be 
dnlnk,  fasting  an  hour  before,  and  not  eating  an  hour  after,  and 
to  be  taken  as  hot  as  possibly  can  be  endured ;  the  which  will 
never  fetch  the  skin  off  the  mouth,  or  raise  any  blisters  by  reason 
of  that  heat."  The  next  enters  upon  a  glowing  description  of  all 
the  evils  cured  by  that  drink,  as  fumes,  headaches,  defluxions  of 
rhumes,  dropsy,  gout,  scurvy,  king's-evil,  spleen,  hypochondriac, 
winds,  stone,  &c.     This  coffee-house  was  opened  in  1652. 

Lebbck's  Head  was  another  instance  of  the  owner  setting  up 
his  own  head  as  a  sign ;  and  though  his  name  has  not  filled  the 
trumpet  of  fame,  yet  had  he  many  times  bravely  stood  the  fire, 
and  filled  the  mouths  of  his  contemporaries,  for  he  kept  an  ordi- 
nary (about  1690)  at  the  north-west  corner  of  HaH-moon  Passage, 
(since  called  Bradford  Street.)  The  sign  seems  to  have  found 
imitators  at  the  time,  and  is  even  yet  kept  up  by  tradition. 
There  is  Lebeck's  Head  in  Shadwell,  High  Street ;  a  Lebeck's 
Inn  and  Lebeck's  Tavern  in  Bristol ;  and  a  Lebeck  and  Chaff- 
cutter  at  a  village  in  Gloucestershire. 

A  stiU  more  famous  house  was  the  Pontack's  Head,  formerly 
called  the  White  Beae,  in  Christ  Church  Passage,  (leading  from 
Newgate  Street  to  Christ  Church.)  This  tavern  having  been  de- 
stroyed by  fire,  Pontack,  the  son  of  a  president  of  the  parliament 
of  Bordeaux,  opened  a  new  establishment  on  its  site,  and  assum- 
ing his  father's  portrait  as  its  sign,  called  it  the  Pontack's  Head. 
It  was  the  first  fashionable  eating-house  in  London,  was  opened 
soon  after  the  Restoration,  and  continued  in  favour  until  about  the 
year  1780,  when  it  was  puUed  down  to  make  room  for  the  building 
of  the  vestry  haU  of  Christ  Church.  De  Foe  describes  it  as  "  a  con- 
stant ordinary  for  all  comers  at  very  reasonable  prices,  where  you 
may  bespeak  a  dinner  from  four  or  five  shillings  a  head  to  a  guinea, 
or  what  sum  you  please."  *  In  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century  the  dinners  had  become  proverbially  extravagant  : — 
"  Now  at  Pontack's  we  '11  take  a  bit, 

Shall  quicken  Nature's  appetite. 

Here,  shew  a  room !  wliat  have  you  got  ? 

The  waiter  (cries)  What  have  we  not  ? 

All  that  the  season  can  afford, 

Fresh,  fat,  and  fine,  upon  my  word 

A  Guinea  ordinary,  sir.'' 
This  Guinea  ordinary  was  : — 

" every  way  compleaii, 

Adom'd  and  beautifully  dress'd. 

But  what  it  was  could  not  be  guess'd." 
*  Journey  through  England,  vol.  i.  p.  176. 


94  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 

The  waiter,  however,  gives  the  menu,  which  contains — Bird's 
nest  soup  from  China ;  a  ragout  of  fatted  snails ;  bantam  pig, 
but  one  day  old,  stufifed  with  hard  row  and  ambergris ;  French 
peas  stewed  in  gravy,  with  cheese  and  garlick  ;  an  incomparable 
tart  of  frogs  and  forced  meat ;  cod,  with  shrimp  sauce  ;  chickens 
en  surprise,  (they  had  not  been  two  hours  from  the  shell,)  and 
similar  dainties.*  Pontack  contributed  much  towards  bringing 
the  French  wines  in  fashion,  being  proprietor  of  some  of  the 
Bordeaux  vineyards  which  bore  his  name. 

About  the  same  time  another  tavern  flourished,  with  its  mas- 
ter's head  for  sign  ;  this  was  Cavbac's,+  celebrated  for  wine ;  of 
him  Amhurst  sang  : — 

"  Now  sumptuously  at  Caveac's  dine. 
And  drink  the  very  best  of  wine." 

Though  it  cannot  be  said  that  Don  Saiteeo  put  up  his  por- 
trait for  a  sign,  yet  his  coffee-house  was  named  after  him,  and  is 
stUl  extant  under  the  same  denomination  in  Cheyne  Walk,  Chel- 
sea. This  house  was  opened  in  1695  by  a  certain  Salter,  who  had 
been  servant  to  Sir  Hans  Sloane,  and  had  accompanied  him  on  his 
travels.  Chelsea  at  that  time  was  a  village,  full  of  the  suburban 
residences  of  the  aristocracy,  and  the  pleasant  situation  of  Salter's 
house  soon  made  it  the  resort  of  merry  companions,  on  their  way 
to  or  from  friends'  villas,  or  Vauxhall,  Jenny  Whin's,  and  other 
places  of  pubhc  resort  in  the  neighbourhood.  Vice-Admiral 
Mundy,  on  his  return  from  the  coast  of  Spain,  amused  with  the 
pedantic  dignity  of  Salter,  christened  hiTn  Don  Saltero,  and  under 
that  name  the  house  has  continued  till  this  day. 

From  his  connexion  with  the  great  Sir  Hans  Sloane,  and  the 
tradition  of  a  descent  from  the  Tradescants,  Salter  was  of 
course  in  duty  bound  to  have  a  museum  of  curiosities,  which,  by 
gifts  from  Sir  Hans  and  certain  aristocratic  customers  in  the 
army  and  navy,  soon  became  sufficiently  interesting  to  constitute 
one  of  the  London  sights.  It  existed  more  than  a  century,  and 
was  at  last  sold  by  auction  in  the  summer  of  1798.  From  his 
catalogue  %  (headed  with  the  words,  "  O  Eaee  !")  we  gather  that 
the  curiosities  fully  deserved  that  name,  for  amongst  them  we 
find  :  "  a  piece  of  St  Catherine's  skin  ;"  "  a  painted  ribbon  from 
Jerusalem,  with  which  our  Saviour  was  tied  to  the  pillar  when 

*  Metamorphosis  of  the  Town  ;  or,  a  View  of  the  Present  Tashions.  London  :  Printed 
for  J.  Wilford  at  the  Threb  Plowbr  de  Luobs,  behind  the  Chapter  House  in  St  Paul's 
Churchyard,  1730. 

t  Oddly  enough,  both  Cave  and  Ponto  are  terms  of  some  games  at  cards. 

t  There  is  a  copy  in  the  British  Museum. 


BISTOBIC  AND  COMMF.MOEATIVE.  95 

scourged,  witli  a  motto;"*  "a  very  curious  young  mermaid- 
fish  ;"  "  manna  from  Canaan,  it  drops  from  the  clouds  twice  a 
year,  in  May  and  June,  one  day  in  each  month ;"  "a  piece  of 
nun's  skin  ;"  "  a  necklace  made  of  Job's  tears  ;"  "  the  skeleton 
(sic)  of  a  man's  finger  ;"  "  petrified  rain ;"  "  a  petrified  lamb,  or  a 
stone  of  that  animal ;"  "  a  starved  cat  in  the  act  of  catching  two 
mice,  found  between  the  walls  of  Westminster  Abbey  when  re- 
pairing ;"  "  Queen  Elizabeth's  chambermaid's  hat,"  &c.  t 

A  most  amusing  paper  in  the  TaMer,  No.  34,  gives  a  full- 
length  portrait  of  Salter,  who  appears  to  have  been  an  "  original" 
Music  was  his  besetting  sin,  and  with  very  little  excuse  for  it. 
In  that  paper  the  museum,  too,  is  taken  to  task.  Eichard  Crom- 
well used  to  be  a  visitor  to  this  house,  where  Pennant's  father, 
when  a  child,  saw  him,  "  a  very  neat  old  man,  with  a  placid 
countenance."  Franklin  also,  when  a  printer's  apprentice,  "  one 
day  made  a  party  to  go  by  water  to  Chelsea  in  order  to  see  the 
college,  and  Don  Saltero's  curiosities." 

There  is  a  rather  amusing  advertisement  of  the  Don's  in  the 
Weekly  Journal  for  June  23,  1723  : — 

"  Sib,— Fifty  years  since  to  Chelsea  great, 
From  Kodnam  on  the  Irish  main, 
I  stroU'd  with  maggots  in  my  pate. 
Where  much  improved  they  still  remain. 
Through  yarious  employs  I  've  past, 

Toothdrawer,  trimmer,  and  at  last, 
I'm  now  a  gimcrack  whim-collector. 

Monsters  of  all  sorts  here  are  seen. 
Strange  things  in  nature  as  they  grew  so ; 

Some  relicks  of  the  Sheba  queen, 
And  fragments  of  the  famed  Bob  Cruso ; 

Knic^acks  to  dangle  round  the  wall. 
Some  in  glass  cases,  some  on  shelf ; 

But  what 's  the  rarest  sight  of  all, 
Tour  humble  servant  shows  himself. 

On  this  my  chiefest  hope  depends. 
Now  if  you  win  the  cause  espouse, 

*  Thismofto  was  :  "  Misura  della  Colonna  di  Christo  n'o,"  i-c,  Measure  of  the  colaiaa 
of  our  Saviour. 

f  A  brother  £oniface,  Adams,  *'  at  the  Eotal  Swait  in  Kingsland  Road,  leading  from 
Shoreditch  Church,"  (1756)  liad  also  a  hnackatory,  which,  from  his  catalogue,  looks  veiy 
like  a  parody  on  the  Don's.  He  exhibited,  for  instance,  "  Adam's  eldest  daughter's 
hat;"  "  the  heart  of  famous  Bess  Adams,  that  was  hanged  with  Lawyer  Carr,  January 
18, 1736.37  i"  "  the  Vicar  of  Bray's  clogs  ;"  "anengine  to  shell  green  peas  with;"  "teeth 
that  grew  in  a  fish's  belly;"  "Black  Jack's  ribs;"  "the  very  comb  that  Adam  combed 
his  son  Isaac's  and  Jacob's  head  with;"  "rope  that  cured  Captain  Lowry  of  the  head, 
ach,  earach,  toothach,  and  bellyach;"  "Adam's  key  to  the  fore  and  back  door  of  the 
garden  of  Eden,"  &c.,  &c.,  and  500  other  curiosities. 


96  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

In  journals  pray  direct  your  frienda 
To  my  Museum-Coffeehouse  ; 

And  in  requital  for  the  timely  fayour 
I  '11  gratis  bleed,  draw  teeth,  and  be  your  shaver. 
Nay,  that  your  pate  may  with  my  noddle  tally, 
And  you  shine  bright  as  I  do — marry  shall  ye. 

Freely  consult  my  revelation  MoUy ; 
Nor  shall  one  jealous  thought  create  a  huff, 
For  she  has  taught  me  manners  long  enough. 
"  Chelsea  Knadkatory.  Don  Salteeo." 

At  the  end  of  his  catalogue  a  list  of  the  donors  is  added,  most 
of  whom,  doubtless,  also  frequented  his  house.  Amongst  them 
the  following  names  appear  : — the  Duke  of  Buccleuch,  the  Earl 
of  Sutherland,  Sir  John  Balchen,  Sir  Eob.  Cotton,  Bart.,  Sir 
John  Cope,  Bart.,  Sir  Thomas  de  Veil,  Sir  Francis  Drake,  Lady- 
Humphrey,  Sir  Thomas  Littleton,  Sir  John  Molesworth,  the  Hon. 
Capt.  WiUiam  Montague,  Sir  Yelverton  Peyton,  George  Selwyn, 
the  Hon.  Mr  Vemey,  Sir  Francis  Windham,  &c.,  besides  numbers 
of  naval  and  military  officers. 

The  Mother  Eedcap  is  a  sign  that  occurs  in  various  places, 
as  in  Upper  HoUoway,  in  the  High  Street,  Camden  Town,  in 
Blackburn,  Lancashire,  in  Edmund's  Lowland,  Lincolnshire,  <fec. : 
whilst  there  is  a  Father  Eedcap  at  Camberwell  Green,  but  he 
is  merely  a  creature  of  the  publican's  fancy.  From  the  way  iji 
which  Brathwaite  mentions  this  sign  in  his  "  Whimsies  of  a  new 
Cast  of  Characters,"  1631,  it  would  seem  to  have  been  not 
uncommon  at  that  time.  "  He  [the  painter]  bestows  his  pencUe 
on  an  aged  piece  of  decayed  canvas,  in  a  sooty  alehouse  where 
Mother  Eedcap  must  be  set  out  in  her  colours."  Who  the 
original  Mother  Eedcap  was,  is  believed  to  be  unknown,  but  not 
unlikely  it  is  an  impersonification  of  Skelton's  famous  "  EUinor 
Eumming,"  the  alewife. 

The  Mother  Eedcap  at  Holloway  is  named  by  Drunken 
Bamaby  in  his  travels.  Formerly  the  following  verses  accom- 
panied this  sign : — 

"  Old  Mother  Bedoap,  according  to  her  tale, 

Lived  twenty  and  a  hundred  years  by  drinking  this  good  ale ; 

It  was  her  meat,  it  was  her  drink,  and  medicine  besides, 

And  if  she  still  had  drank  this  ale,  she  never  would  have  died." 

At  one  time  the  Mother  Eedcap,  in  Kentish  Town,  was  kept 

by  an  old  crone,  from  her  amiable  temper   surnamed   Mother 

Damnable.*     This  was  probably  the  same  person  we  find  else- 

•  Her  portrait,  with  a  poem  upon  her,  too  Iodj?  to  quote,  occurs  in  "  Portraits  and 
Lives  of  Remarkable  and  Eccentric  Characters,"  Westminster,  1819. 


PLATE  VIT. 


HEDGEHOG. 
(Bynnemjin's  sign,  1560.) 


BLUE  BOAR. 
(Bankfi'a  Collection,  1V65.) 


THE  VALIANT  LONDON  APPRENTICE. 
{Fi-oin  an  old  chapljuok,  l7th  cent.) 


* 


* 


THE  SUN. 
(Sig]i  of  Wynkyn  de  Worde,  1497.) 


THREE  PHEASANTS  AND  SCEPTRE. 
(Banks's  Bills,  1795.) 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  97 

where  alluded  to  under  the  name  of  Mother  HufiF,  as  in  Baker's 
"  Comedy  of  Hampstead  Heath,"  1706,  a.  ii.  s.  1.  "Arabella. — 
Well,  this  Hampstead 's  a  charming  place,  to  dance  all  night  at 
the  Wells,  and  be  treated  at  Mother  Huff's.^' 

Only  a  few  more  celebrities  now  remain  to  be  disposed  of;  but 
they  are  of  such  a  varied  character,  and  so  heterogeneous,  that 
they  can  scarcely  be  ranged  under  any  of  the  former  divisions  : 
thus  we  meet  with  the  stern  reformer,  Mblancthon's  Head,  as 
the  sign  of  an  orthodox  publican,  in  Park  Street,  Derby.  Pretty 
Nell  Gwynn  occurs  on  several  London  public-houses  :  one  in 
Chelsea,  where  she  must  have  been  well  known,  since  her  mother 
resided  in  that  neighbourhood,  and  popular  tradition  allows  Nell 
to  have  been  one  of  the  principal  promoters  of  the  erection  of  the 
famous  hospital  there.  Another  house,  named  after  Charles  II. 's 
favourite  mistress,  may  be  observed  in  Drury  Lane,  in  which 
street  she  Uved,  and  where  Pepys,  on  May-day,  1667,  saw  her 
"  standing  at  her  lodgings  door,  in  her  smock  sleeves  and  boddice," 
and  thought  her  "  a  mighty  pretty  creature." 

The  SiE  John  Oldcastle  was  a  tavern,  in  Coldbathfields,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  last  century ;  near  this  house,  Bagford  and 
a  Mr  Conyers,  an  antiquarian  apothecary  of  Fleet  Street,  dis- 
covered the  skeleton  of  an  elephant  in  a  gravel  pit.*  This  house 
is  also  named  in  the  following  bUl : — f 

"  All  gentlemen,  who  are  lovers  of  the  ancient  and  noble  exercise  of 
archery,  are  hereby  invited,  by  the  stewards  of  the  annual  feast  for  the 
Clerkenwell  Archers,  to  dine  with  them  at  Mrs  Mary  Barton's,  at  the  sign 
of  Sir  John  Oldcastle,  upon  Friday,  the  18th  day  of  July  1707,  at  one  of 
the  clock,  and  to  pay  the  bearer,  Thomas  Beaumont,  Master  of  the  Regi- 
ment of  Archers,  two  shillings  and  sixpence,  and  to  take  a  sealed  ticket, 
that  the  certain  number  may  be  known,  and  provision  made  accordingly. 

Nathaniel  Axtell,  Esq.       \  gi™,.^.. 

Edward  Bromwiok,  Gent,  j  ="^«''ai^'^- 

Opposite  this  house  stood  the  Loed  Cobham's  Head,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  Daily  Advertiser  for  August  9,  1742,  which  con- 
tains an  advertisement  puff  of  this  place,  praising  its  beer  at  3d. 
a  tankard,  and  mentioning  the  concert  and  illuminations.  The 
correspondent  concludes  his  letter  by  saying  :  "  Note. — In  seeing 
this  great  preparation,  I  thought  it  a  duty  incumbent  upon  me 
to  inform  my  fellow-citizens  and  others,  that  they  may  distinguish 
this  place  from  any  pretended  concerts,  which  are  nothing  but 

«  Harl.  MSS.  6900. 

t  Bagford  BiUs.    Hai-I.  MSS.  6962. 


98  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

noise  and  nonsense,  in  particular,  one  that  is  rightly-styled  the 
Hog-concert"  &c. 

Both  these  houses  were  named  after  "  the  Good  Lord  Cobham," 
— Sir  John  Oldcastle,  who  married  the  heiress  of  the  Cobham  family 
— ^the  first  author,  as  well  as  the  first  martyr  of  noble  family  in 
England.  Being  one  of  the  Lollards,  he  was  accused  of  rebellion, 
hanged  in  chains,  and  burned  alive  at  St  Giles  in  the  Fields,  in 
December  1417.  Lord  Oobham's  estates  were  close  to  the  site 
of  these  two  public-houses,  which  were  supposed  to  comprise  a 
part  of  the  ancient  mansion  of  that  nobleman. 

The  Sir  Paul  Pindar  public-house,  in  Bishopsgate  Street 
Without,  is  all  that  remains  of  the  splendid  mansion  of  the  rich 
merchant  of  that  name,  who  had  here  a  beautiful  park,  well 
stocked  with  game.  The  house  continues  almost  in  its  original 
state,  in  the  Cinque  Cento  style  of  ornament ;  the  best  part  of  it 
is  the  faQada  In  "  Londiniana,"  ii  p.  137,  is  an  engraving  of  a 
lodge,  standing  in  Half-Moon  Alley,  ornamented  with  figures, 
which  tradition  says  was  the  keeper's  lodge  of  Sir  Paul  Pindar's 
Park.  Mulberry  trees,  and  other  park-like  vestiges,  were  still 
within  memory  in  1829.  In  Pennant's  time  it  was  already  a 
public-house,  having  for  a  sign,  "  a  head,  called  that  of  the  ori- 
ginal owner."  Sir  Paul  was  a  contemporary  of  Gresham,  the 
founder  of  the  Exchange.  He  travelled  much,  and  by  that 
means  acquired  many  languages,  which,  at  that  time,  was  a  sure 
way  to  advancement.  James  I.  sent  him  as  ambassador  to  the 
Sujtan,  from  whom  he  obtained  valuable  concessions  for  the 
English  trade  throughout  the  Turkish  dominions.  After  his 
return,  he  was  appointed  farmer  of  the  customs,  and  frequently 
advanced  money  to  King  James,  and  afterwards  to  Charles  L 
In  1639  he  was  esteemed  worth  £236,000,  excluave  of  bad 
debts.  He  expended  £19,000  in  repairing  St  Paul's  Cathedral, 
and  contributed  large  sums  to  various  charities,  yet,  strange  to 
say,  died  insolvent,  Aug.  22,  1650,  the  year  after  his  royal  master 
had  been  beheaded.  JSis  executor,  William  Toomes,  was  so 
shocked  at  the  hopeless  state  of  Sir  Paul's  affairs,  that  he  com- 
mitted suicide,  and  was  buried  with  all  the  degrading  ceremonies 
oi  &  felo-de-se. 

The  Welch  Head  was  the  sign  of  a  low  public-house  in  Dyot 
Street,  St  Giles.  In  the  last  century  there  was  a  mendicants' 
club  held  here,  the  origin  of  which  dated  as  far  back  as  1660,  at 
which  time  they  used  to  hold  their  meetings  at  the  Three 


HISTORIC  AND  COMMEMORATIVE.  99 

Crowns  in  the  Poultry.  Saunders  Welch  was  one  of  the  justices 
of  the  peace  for  Westminster,  and  kept  a  regular  office  for,  the 
police  of  that  district,  in  which  he  succeeded  Fielding.  He  died 
Oct.  31,  1784,  and  lies  buried  in  the  church  of  St  George'?, 
Bloomsbury.  He  was  a  very  popular  magistrate  :  a  story  is 
told  that  in  1766  he  went  unattended .  mto  Cranboume  Alley,  to 
queU.  the  riotous  meetings  of  the  journeymen  shoemakers  there, 
who  had  struck  for  an  advance  of,  wages.  One  of  the  crow4 
soon  recognised  him,  when  they  at  once  mounted  him  on  a  beer 
barrel,  and  patiently  listened  to  all  that  be  had  to  say.  He 
quieted  the  rioters,  and  prevailed  upon  the  master  shoemakers  to 
grant  an  additional  allowance  to  the  workmen.  This  little  in- 
cident, joined  to  his  well-known  benevolence,  and  skill  in  captur- 
ing malefactors,  gave  him  that  popularity  which  rewards  by  a 
signboard  fame. 

The  Bedford  Hbad,  Covent  Garden,  represented  the  head  of 
one  of  the  Dukes  of  Bedford,  ground  landlords  of  that  district. 
Pope  twice  alludes  to  this  tavern,  as  a  place  where  to  obtain  a 
delicate  dinner.  This  house  Mr  Cunningham  *  suspects  to  have 
occupied  the  north-east  corner  of  the  Piazza,  and  there  it  appears 
in  a  view  of  old  Covent  Garden,  about  1,780,  preserved  in  the 
"  Cro'wle  Pennant,"  (viL  p.  25,)  There  was  another  Bedford 
Head  in  Southampton  Street,  which  was  kept  by  Wildman,  the 
brother-in-law  of  Home  Tooke.  A  Liberal  club  used  to  meet  at 
this  house,  of  which  Wilkes  was  a  member,  for  several  years. 
There  is  stUl  a  Bedford  Head  in  Maiden  Lane,  hard  by,  at  which 
the  Reunion  Literary  Club  is  held. 

Under  the  historical  signs  may  be  ranged  a  class  of  more 
modem  signs,  referring  to  local  celebrities, — "  mighty  hunters 
before  the  Lord "  probably — such  as  Captain  Harmee,  White 
Horse  Plain,  Yarmouth  j  Captain  Ross  on  Clinker,  at  Nat- 
land,  a  village  in  Westmoreland ;  Captain  Digby  (the  name  of 
a  vessel  wrecked),  at  St  Peter's,  Margate ;  Colonel  Linskill, 
Charlotte  Street,  North  Shields,  &c. 

The  Don  Cossack,  so  frequently  seen,  dates  from  the  celebrity 
acquired  by  those  troops  in  the  extermination  of  the  unfortunate 
half-starved  and  frozen  soldiers,  on  their  retreat  from  Moscow ; 
though  a  more  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  formidable  Cos- 
sacks, during  the  Crimean  campaign,  considerably  damaged  their 
ancient  reputation.     The  signs  of  the  Druid,  the  Druid's  Head. 

*  London,  Past  and  Present,  p.  43. 


lOO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDa. 

tlie  Dettid  and  Oak,  and  the  Eoyal  Aech  Deuid,  are  more  to 
be  attributed  to  various  kinds  of  masonic  brotherhoods,  than  as  a 
mark  of  respect  paid  to  our  aboriginal  clergy.  The  Union  origi- 
nated with  the  union  of  Ireland  with  this  Mngdom ;  the  Jubilee 
dates  from  the  centenary  of  the  revolution  of  1688,  held  with 
considerable  pomp  and  national  rejoicing,  in  1788.  The  Hero 
OP  Switzerland,  Loughborough  Eoad,  Brixton,  and  in  a  few 
other  places,  refers  to  William  Tell ;  and  the  Spanish  Patriot, 
(Lambeth  Lower  Marsh  and  White  Conduit  Street,)  dates  from 
the  excitement  of  our  proposed  intervention  in  the  Spanish  Suc- 
cession question,  in  1833.  The  Spanish  Galleon,  Church 
Street,  Greenwich,  simply  owes  its  origin  to  the  pictures  of  our 
naval  victories  in  the  Greenwich  Hospital 

These,  then,  are  some  of  the  principal  and  most  curious  historic 
signs.  From  the  perusal  of  this  catalogue,  we  can  draw  one  con- 
clusion— namely,  that  only  a  few  of  what  we  have  termed  "  his- 
torical signs,"  outlive  the  century  which  gave  them  birth.  If  the 
term  of  their  duration  extends  over  this  period,  there  is  some 
chance  that  they  will  remain  in  popular  favour  for  a  long  time. 
Thus,  in  the  case  of  most  heroes  of  the  last  century,  few  publicans 
certainly  will  know  anything  about  the  Marquis  of  Granby, 
Admiral  Eodney,  or  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  yet  their  names 
are  almost  as  familiar  as  the  Eed  Lion,  or  the  Green  Dragon,  and 
have  indeed  become  public-household  words.  Once  that  stage 
past,  they  have  a  last  chance  of  continuing  another  century  or 
two — ^namely,  when  those  heroes  are  so  completely  forgotten,  that 
the  very  mystery  of  their  names  becomes  their  recommendation ; 
such  as  the  Grave  Morris,  the  Will  Sommers,  the  Jack  of  New- 
bury, &c. 


CHAPTER  III. 

HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC  SIGNS. 

EoYALTY  stands  prominently  at  the  head  of  the  heraldic  signs 
in  its  triple  hieroglyphic  of  the  Crown,  (no  coronets  ever  occur,) 
the  King's  or  Queen's  Arms,  and  the  various  royal  badges. 

The  Oeown  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  Inn  at  Oxford  was  kept  by  Davenant,  (Sir  WiQiam 
Davenanfs  father.)  Shakespeare,  on  his  frequent  jonmeys 
between  London  and  his  native  place,  generally  put  up  at  this 
inn,  and  the  malicious  world  said  that  young  Davenant  (the 
future  Sir  William)  was  somewhat  nearer  related  to  him  than  as 
a  godson  only.  One  day,  when  Shakespeare  was  just  arrived, 
and  the  boy  sent  for  from  school  to  see  Mm,  a  master  of  one  of 
the  colleges,  pretty  well  acquainted  with  the  affairs  of  the  family, 
asked  the  boy  why  he  was  going  home  in  so  much  haste,  who 
answered,  that  he  was  going  to  see  his  godfather  Shakespeare. 
"  Fie,  chUd,"  said  the  old  gentleman,  "  why  are  you  so  super- 
fluous 1  Have  you  not  learnt  yet  that  you  should  not  use  the 
name  of  God  in  vain  V 

On  the  site  occupied  by  the  present  Bank  of  England  there 
used  to  stand  four  taverns ;  one  of  them  bore  the  sign  of  the 
Crown,  and  was  certainly  in  a  good  line  of  business,  for,  accord- 
ing to  Sir  John  Hawkins,*  it  was  not  unusual  in  those  toping 
days  to  draw  a  butt  (1 20  gallons)  of  mountain  in  half -pints  in 
the  course  of  a  single  morning. 

About  the  same  period  there  was  another  Crown  Tavern  in 
Duck  Lane,  W.  Smithfield.  One  of  the  rooms  in  that  house  was 
decorated  by  Isaac  Fuller  (ob.  1672)  with  pictures  of  the  Muses, 
Pallas,  Mars,  Ajax,  Ulysses,  &c.  Ned  Ward  praises  them  highly 
in  his  "  London  Spy."  "  The  dead  figures  appeared  with  such 
lively  majesty  that  they  begot  reverence  in  the  spectators  towards 
the  awful  shadows!"  Such  painted  rooms  in  taverns  were  not 
uncommon  at  that  period. 

*  History  of  Musick. 


102  THE  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOARDS. 

The  origin  of  the  sign  of  the  Three  Cbowns  is  thus  accounted 
for  by  Bagford  :* — "  The  mercers  trading  with  Collen  (Cologne) 
set  vp  ther  singes  ouer  ther  dores  of  ther  Houses  the  three  kinges 
of  Collen,  with  the  Armes  of  that  Citye,  which  was  the  Three 
Crouens  of  the  former  kinges,  in  memory  of  them^  and  by  those 
singes  the  people  knew  in  what  wares  they  deld  in,"  Afterwards, 
like  all  other  signs,  it  was  used  promiscuously,  and  thus  it  gave 
a  name  to  a  good  old-fashioned  inn  in  Lichfield,  the  property  of 
Dr  Johnson,  and  the  very  next  house  to  that  in  which  the  doctor 
was  bom. 

Frequently  the  Koyal  Crown  is  combined  with  other  objects,  to 
amplify  the  meaning,  or  to  express  some  particular  prerogative ; 
such  are  the  Ceown  and  Cushion,  being  the  Crown  as  it  is 
carried  before  the  king  in  coronation,  and  other  ceremonies.  We 
even  meet  with  the  Two  Ceowns  and  Cushions  ;  that  is,  the 
Crown  for  the  King  and  for  the  Queen,  which  was  the  sign  of  a 
Mr  Ame,  an  upholsterer  in  Covent  Garden,  the  hero  of  several 
Tatlers  and  Spectators,  and  father  of  the  celebrated  musician  and 
composer,  Dr  Ame.  This  political  upholsterer  also  figures  in  a 
farce  by  Murphy,  entitled  "The  Upholsterer;  or  what  news?" 
The  four  Indian  princes  referred  to  in  Toiler,  No.  155,  who  came 
to  England  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  to  implore  the  help  of 
the  British  Government  against  the  encroachments  of  the  French 
in  Canada,  seem  to  have  lodged  in  this  man's  house, — a  circum- 
stance frequently  alluded  to  in  the  papers  of  the  Tatler  and  other 
periodicals  of  the  time. 

The  Ceown  and  Glove  refers  to  the  well-known  ceremony  of 
the  lloyal  Champion  at  the  Coronation.  It  occurs  as  a  sign  at 
Stannington,  Sheffield,  Eastgate  Kow,  South  Chester,  &c  The 
EoYAL  Champion  himself  figures  in  George  Street,  Oxford.  In 
the  Gazetteer  for  August  20,  1784,  we  find  an  anecdote  recorded 
concerning  the  Koyal  Champion,  which  is  almost  too  good  to  be 
true  : — "  At  the  coronation  of  King  WiUiam  and  Queen  Mary, 
the  Champion  of  England  dressed  in  armour  of  complete  and 
glittering  steel ;  his  horse  richly  caparisoned,  and  himself,  and 
beaver  finely  capped  with  plumes  of  feathers,  entered  Westminster 
Hall  while  the  King  and  Queen  were  at  dinner.     And,  at  giving 

*  Harl.  MSS.  6910,  vol.  i.  fol.  193.  The  reader  will  be  amused  with  the  spelling  of 
tins  extract  from  the  original  manuscript,  written  when  Addison  was  penning  "  Spec- 
tators," and  many  classic  English  compositions  were  issuing  from  the  press.  Old  Mr 
Bagford  was  a  genuine  antiquary,  and  despised  new  hats,  new  coats,  and  anything 
approaching  the  new  style  of  spelling,  with  other  changes  then  keing  introduced. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATW.  103 

the  usual  challenge  to  any  one  that  disputed  their  majesties' 
right  to  the  crown  of  England,  (when  he  has  the  honour  to  drink 
the  Sovereign's  health  out  of  a  golden  cup,  always  his  fee,)  after 
he  had  flung  down  his  gauntlet  on  the  pavement,  an  old  woman, 
who  entered  the  hall  on  crutches,  (which  she  left  behind  her,) 
topk  it  up,  and  made  off  with  great  celerity,  leaving  her  own 
glpye,  with  a  challenge  in  it  to  meet  her  the  next  day  at  an 
appointed  hour  in  Hyde  Park  This  occasioned  some  mirth  at 
the  lower  end  of  the  haU  :  and  it  was  remarkable  that  every  one 
was  too  well  engaged  to  pursue  her.  A  person  in  the  same  dress 
appeared  the  nezt  day  at  the  place  appointed,  though  it  was 
generally  supposed  to  be  a  good  swprdsman  in  that  disguise. 
Hpwever,  the  Champion  of  England  politely  declined  any  contest 
of  that  nature  with  the  fair  sex,  and  never  made  his  appear- 
ance." 

The  CEO'vra'  and  Sceptre,  another  of  the  royal  insignia,  is 
named  by  Misson*  in  the  following  incident : — "  Butler,  the 
keeper  of  the  Crown  and  Sceptre  tavern,  in  St  Martin's  Lane, 
told  me  that  there  was  a  tun  of  red  port  drunk  at  his  wife's 
burial,  besides  mulled  white  wine.  Note. — No  men  ever  goe  to 
WQpien's  burials,  nor  the  women  to  the  men's  ;  so  that  there 
were  none  but  women  at  the  drinking  of  Butler's  wine.  Such 
women  in^  England  will  hold  it  out  with  the  men,  when  they 
have  a  bottle  before  them,  as  well  as  upon  th'  other  occasion,, 
and  tattle  infinitely  better  than  they.'' 

The  Ceown  and  Mitkb,  indicative  of  royalty  and  the  church, 
is  the  sign  of  a  High  Church  publican  at  Taunton;  and  the 
BiBLB  AND  Ceown  has  for  more  than  a  century  and  a  half  been 
the  siga  of  Eivingtons  the  publishers.  (See  under  Eeligious 
Signs,).  The  King  and  Parliament  are  represented  by  the  well- 
known  Ceown  and  Woolpack,  which  at  Gedney  Holbeach,  in 
Lincolnshire,  has  been  corrupted  into  the  Geown  and  Wood- 
PECKBE.  The  Ceown  and  To  wee,  at  Taunton,  may  refer  to  the 
regalia  kept  in  the  Tower,  or  to  the  king  being  "a  tower  of 
strength."  A  similar  symbol  seems  to  be  intended  in  the 
Ckown  and  Column,  Ker  Street,  Devonport,  perhaps  implying 
the.  strength  of  loyalty  when  supported  by  a  powerful  and  united 
nation. 

The  Ceown  and  Anchoe,  the  well-known  badge  of  the  Navy, 
is  a  great  favourite.     One  of  the  most  famous  taverns  with  tlus 

*  Hisson'B  Memoirs  and  Observations  in  his  Travels  over  England.   London,  1719. 


I04  TUB  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

sign  was  in  tte  Strand,  where  Dr  Johnson  often  Used  to  "  make  a 
night  of  it."  "Soon  afterwards,"  says  Boswell,  "in  1768,  he 
supped  at  the  Crown  and  Anchor  in  the  Strand,  with  a  company 
whom  I  collected  to  meet 'him.  There  were  Dr  Percy,  now 
bishop  of  Dromore ;  Dr  Douglas,  now  bishop  of  Salisbury ;  Mr 
Langton ;  Dr  Kobertson,  the  historian ;  Dr  Hugh  Blair,  and  Mr 
Thomas  Davis."  On  this  occasion  the  great  doctor  was  unusually 
colloquial,  and  according  to  his  amiable  custom  "  tossed  and 
gored  several  persons." 

The  famous  "  Crown  and  Anchor  Association "  against  so- 
called  Republicans  and  Levellers — as  the  reformers  were  styled  by 
the  ministerial  party  in  1792 — owed  its  name  to  this  tavern. 
Its  rise  and  progress  is  rather  curious  :  it  was  undertaken  at  the 
instance  of  Pitt  and  Dundas,  by  John  Reeves,  a  barrister.  Eeeves, 
at  first,  could  get  no  one  to  join  Mm,  but,  to  meet  the  wishes  of 
his  employers,  used  to  go  to  the  Crown  and  Anchor,  draw  up 
some  resolutions,  pass  them  nem.  con.,  and  sign  them  John  Reeves, 
chairman  :  thus  being  in  his  own  person,  meeting,  chairman,  and 
secretary.  In  this  way  they  were  inserted  in  all  the  papers  of 
the  three  kingdoms,  the  expense  being  no  object  to  the  persons 
concerned.  Meetings  of  the  counties  were  advertised,  but  the 
first,  second,  and  third  consisted  of  Eeeves  alone,  and  it  was  not 
till  the  fourth  meeting  that  he  had  any  coadjutors.  The  poKtical 
effervescence  created  by  this  society,  its  imitations  and  branches, 
form  part  of  the  history  of  the  nation. 

In  the  year  1800  the  Farming  Society  proposed  to  have  an 
experimental  dinner  in  order  to  ascertain  the  relative  qualities 
of  the  various  breeds  of  cattle  in  the  kingdom  ;  the  dinner  was 
planned  and  patronised  by  Sir  John  Sinclair,  and  the  execution 
intrusted  to  Mr  Simpkins,  landlord  of  the  Crown  and  Anchor, 
who  sent  a  tender  of  the  most  Brobdignagian  dinner  probably 
ever  heard  of.  Twelve  kinds  of  oxen  and  sheep  of  the  most 
famous  breed,  eight  kinds  of  pork,  and  various  specimens  of 
poultry,  were  to  bleed  as  victims  in  this  holocaust  to  the  devil 
of  gluttony ;  the  fish  was  only  to  be  from  fresh  waters,  such  as 
were  "entitled  to  the  attention  of  British  farmers;"  there  were 
various  kinds  of  vegetables,  nine  sorts  of  bread,  besides  veal,  lamb, 
hams,  poultry,  tarts  and  puddings,  all  of  which  were  to  be  washed 
down  by  a  variety  of  strong  and  mild  ales,  stout,  cider,  Perry, 
and  "  British"  spirits.     Tickets  one  guinea  each.* 

*  England  is  the  country,  par  excellence,  for  gigantic  dinners,  amongst  which  agri- 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  105 

The  Anchor  and  Ckown  was  also  tlie  sign  of  the  great  booth 
at  Greenwich  fair ;  it  was  323  feet  long,  and  60  feet  wide,  was 
used  for  dancing,  and  could  easily  accommodate  2000  persons  at  a 
time.  The  other  booths  also  had  signs  ;  amongst  them  were  the 
Royal  Standard,  the  Lads  of  the  Village,  the  Black  Boy 
AND  Cat,  the  Mooneakees,  and  others. 

The  Ceown  and  Dove,  BrideweU  Street,  Bristol,  may  refer 
to  the  order  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  or  may  have  been  suggested  by 
the  Three  Pigeons  and  Sceptre. 

Objects  of  various  trades,  with  a  crown  above  them,  were  very 
common :  the  Crown  and  Fan  was  an  ordinary  fan-maker's  sign.* 
The  Crown  and  Easp,  belonging  to  snuff-makers,  occurs  as  the 
sign  of  Fribourg  and  Treyer,  tobacconists,  at  the  -upper  end  of 
PaU  Mall,  near  the  Haymarket,  in  1781 :  it  is  stUl  to  be  seen  on 
the  fagade  of  the  house.  The  oldest  form  of  taking  snuff  was  to 
scrape  it  with  a  rasp  from  the  dry  root  of  the  tobacco  plant ; 
the  powder  was  then  placed  on  the  back  of  the  hand  and  so 
snuffed  up ;  hence  the  name  of  rdp&  (rasped)  for  a  kind  of 
snuff,  and  the  common  tobacconist's  sign  of  la  oaeotte  d'oe, 
(the  golden  root,)  in  France.  The  rasps  for  this  purpose  were 
carried  in  the  waistcoat  pocket,  and  soon  became  articles  of 
luxury,  being  carved  in  ivory  and  variously  enriched.  Some  of 
them,  in  ivory  and  inlaid  wood,  may  be  seen  at  the  H6tel  Cluny 
in  Paris,  and  an  engraving  of  such  an  object  occurs  in  "Archse- 
ologia,"  vol:  xiii.  One  of  the  first  snuffboxes  was  the  so-called 
r4p6,  or  grivoise  box,  at  the  back  of  which  was  a  little  space  for 
a  piece  of  the  root,  whUst  a  small  iron  rasp  was  contained  in  the 
middle.  When  a  pinch  was  wanted,  the  root  was  drawn  a  few 
times  over  the  iron  rasp,  and  so  the  snuff  was  produced  and 
could  be  offered  to  a  friend  with  much  more  grace  than  under  the 
above-mentioned  process  with  the  pocket  grater. 

The  Crown  and  Last  originated  with  shoemakers,  but  the 
gentle  craft  having  the   reputation   of  being   thirsty  souls,^  it 

cultural  repasts  stand  foremost ;  even  that  nuptial  dinner  of  Camacho,  at  which  honest 
Sancho  Fanza  did  such  execution,  would  scarcely  rank  as  a  lunch  beside  the  Homeric 
dinners  of  our  faimeTS.  In  our  times  we  have  seen  Soyer  roast  a  whole  ox  for  the 
Agricultural  Society  at  Exeter ;  the  details  of  this  culinai-y  feat  are  somewhat  interest- 
ing ;  it  was  called  a  "baron  with  saddle  back  of  beef  d  la  magna  charta,  weighing  535 
Iba.,  the  joints  being  the  whole  length  of  the  ox,  rumps,  rounds,  loins,  ribs,  and  shoulders 
to  the  neck.  It  was  roasted  in  the  open  air  within  a  temporary  enclosure  of  brick 
work,  the  monster  joint  steaming  and  fiizzling  away  over  216  jets  of  gas  from  pipes  of 
an  inch  diameter,  the  whole  being  covered  in  with  sheet  iron ;  when  in  fi  hoars  the 
beef  was  dressed  for  5  shillings." — Hints  for  the  Table 
*  Various  examples  of  it  occur  in  the  Banks  Bills. 

0 


I06  THUS  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

was  also  adopted  as  an  alehoiise  sign  :   we  find  it  as  sucli  in 
1718:— 

"  /^^  Easter  Monday,  at  the  Crown  and  Last  at  Primlioo  (ik)  in  C!hel- 
kJ  sea  road,  a  silver  watch,  value  30  sh.,  is  to  be  bowled  for ;  three 
bowls  for  six  pence,  to  begin  at  Eight  of  the  clock  in  the  morning  and 
continues  till  Eight  in  the  evening.  N.B. — They  that  win  the  watch  may 
have  it  or  308."  * 

The  Ckown  and  Halbeet  was,  in  1790,  the  sign  of  a  cutler 
in  St  Martin's  Churchyard ;  t  the  Ceown  and  Can  occurs  in 
St  John  Street ;  and  the  Ceown  and  Teumpet  at  Broadway, 
Worcester :  this  last  may  either  allude  to  the  trumpet  of  the 
royal  herald,  or  simply  signify  a  crowned  trumpet. 

Of  the  King's  Aems,  and  the  Queen's  Aems,  there  are  in- 
numerable instances ;  they  are  to  be  found  in  almost  every  town 
or  village.  The  story  is  told  that  a  simple  clodhopper  once 
walked  ever  so  many  nules  to  see  King  George  TV.  on  one  of 
his  journeys,  and  came  home  mightily  disgusted,  for  the  king 
had  arms  like  any  other  man,  while  he  had  always  understood 
that  his  majesty's  right  arm  was  a  Hon  and  his  left  arm  a  uni- 
corn. 

Grinling  Gibbons,  the  celebrated  carver  and  sculptor,  lived  at 
the  sign  of  the  King's  Arms  in  Bow  Street,  from  1678  until 
1721,  when  he  died.  This  house  is  aUuded  to  in  the  Postman, 
January  24,  1701-2  :— 

"  On  Thursday,  the  house  of  Mr  Gibbons,  the  carver  in  Bow  Street,  fell 
down,  but  by  special  providence  none  of  the  family  were  killed ;  but,  'tis 
said,  a  young  girl  which  was  playing  in  the  court  being  missed,  is  sup- 
posed to  be  buried  in  the  rubbish." 

At  the  Haymarket,  corner  of  PaU  Mali,  stood  the  Queen's 
Aems  tavern,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  At  the  accession  of 
George  I.  it  was  called  the  King's  Arms,  and  there,  in  1734,  the 
Whig  party  used  to  meet  to  plan  opposition  to  Sir  Kobert  WaJ- 
pole.     This  club  went  by  the  name  of  the  Eump-steak  Club. 

Faulkner  J  says  that  at  the  King's  Arms,  in  the  High  Street, 
Fulham,  the  Great  Fire  of  London  was  annually  commemorated 
on  the  1st  of  September,  and  had  been  continued  without  inter- 
ruption until  his  time.  It  was  said  to  have  taken  its  rise  from  a 
number  of  Londoners  who  had  been  burnt  out,  and  who,  having 
no  employment,  stroUed  out  to  Fulham,  on  their  way  collecting 
a  quantity  of  hazel  nuts,  from   the  hedges,  with  which  they 

•  Original  Weekly  Journal,  March  W  to  April  3, 1718. 

t  Banks  Bills. 

J  Historical  and  Topographical  Account  of  the  Parish  of  Fulham,  1813,  p.  271. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 07 

resorted  to  this  house.  A  capital  picture  of  the  great  conflagra- 
tion used  to  be  exhibited  on  that  day. 

In  1568  the  prizes  of  the  first  lottery  held  in  England  were 
exhibited  at  the  Queen's  Arms  in  Cheapside,  the  house  of  Mr 
Dericke,  goldsmith  to  Queen  Elizabeth.  There  were  no  blanks, 
and  the  prizes  consisted  of  ready  money,  and  "  certain  sorts  of 
merchandises  having  been  valued  and  prized."  It  had  400,000 
lots  of  10s.  each,  and  the  profits  were  to  go  towards  repairing  the 
havens  of  the  kingdom.  The  drawing  was  at  first  intended  to 
have  taken  place  at  Dericke's  house,  but  finally  was  done  at  the 
west  door  of  St  Paul's.  The  programme  of  tlus  lottery,  printed 
by  Binneman,  was  exhibited  to  the  Antiquarian  Society  by  Dr 
Rawlinson  in  1748.  The  next  lottery  was  in  1612.  It  was 
drawn  on  the  same  plan,  and  granted  by  King  James,  as  a  special 
favour,  for  the  establishment  of  English  colonies  in  Virginia. 
Thomas  Sharpley,  a  tailor,  had  the  chief  prize,  which  consisted  of 
£4000  of  "  fair  plate." 

"On  Friday,  April  6,"  (1781)  says  Boswell,*  "Dr  Johnson 
carried  me  to  dine  at  a  club,  which,  at  his  desire,  had  been  lately 
formed  at  the  Queen's  Arms  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard.  He  told 
Mr  Hoole  that  he  wished  to  have  a  City-club,  and  asked  him  to 
collect  one  ;  but,  said  he,  don't  let  them  be  patriots.  The  com- 
pany were  that  day  very  sensible  well-behaved  men."  This  same 
tavern  was  also  patronised  by  Garrick.  "  Garrick  kept  up  an 
interest  in  the  city  by  appearing  about  twice  in  a  winter  at 
Tom's  coffeehouse  in  Comhill,  the  usual  rendezvous  of  young 
merchants  at  Changetimes  ;  and  frequented  a  club  established  for 
the  sake  of  his  company  at  the  Queen's  Arms  Tavern  in  St 
Paul's  Churchyard,  where  were  used  to  assemble  Mr  Samuel 
Sharpe,  the  surgeon ;  Mr  Paterson,  the  City  solicitor ;  Mr  Draper, 
the  bookseller ;  Mr  Clutterbuck,  a  mercer ;  and  a  few  others  : 
they  were  none  of  them  drinkers,  and  in  order  to  make  a  reckon- 
ing, called  only  for  French  wines.  These  were  his  standing 
counsel  in  theatrical  affairs."  + 

Sometimes  we  meet  with  the  King's  or  Queen's  Arms  in  very 
odd  combinations  ;  thus  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne  there  was 
a  Queen's  Arms  and  Corncuttek  J  in  Kiiig  Street,  West- 
minster ;  the  sign  of  Thomas  Smith,  who,  according  to  his  hand- 

*  BoswelVs  Johnson,  vol.  iv,  p.  60. 
t  Hawkins's  Life  of  Dr  Johnson,  p.  433. 

X  This  corncutter  was  probably  the  antique  statue  of  the  boy  piclsing  ft  thorn  out  of 
his  foot,  and  was  usual  with  pedicures.    See  under  the  sign  "  Old  pick  my  toe." 


Io8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

bill,  (in  the  Bagford  collection,)  had,  "by  experience  and  ingenuity 
learnt  the  art  of  taking  out  and  curing  all  manner  of  corns 
without  any  pain ;"  he  also  sold  "  the  famoustest  ware  in  all 
England,  which  never  fails  curing  the  toothache  in  half  an  hour." 
Tt  was  customary  with  those  who  were  "  sworn  servants  to  his 
Majesty," — i.e.,  who  had  the  lord  chamberlain's  diploma,  to  set 
up  the  royal  arms  beside  their  sign.  The  said  Thomas,  however, 
does  not  appear  to  have  had  this  honour,  for  not  a  word  about 
it  is  mentioned  in  his  bill,  so  that  he  must  have  set  up  the 
Queen's  Arms  merely  to  blind  the  public.  The  name  of  the 
person  who  fiUed  the  important  office  of  comcutter  to  Queen 
Anne,  I  am  afraid  is  lost  to  posterity,  but,  en  revanche,  we 
know  who  drew  King  Charles  II.'s  teeth,  for  the  Rev.  John 
Ward  has  recorded  in  his  Diary.*  "  Upon  a  sign  about  Fleet- 
bridge  this  is  written, — '  Here  lives  Peter  de  la  Roch  and  George 
Goslin,  both  which,  and  no  others,  are  sworn  operators  to  the 
king's  teeth.'" 

Eoyal  badges,  and  the  supporters  of  the  arms  of  various  kings, 
were  in  former  times  largely  used  as  signs.  The  following  is  ;i 
list  of  the  supporters  : — 

Richard  II.,  Two  Angels,  (blowing  trumpets.) 

Henry  IV.,  Swan  and  Antelope. 

Henry  V.,  Lion  and  Antelope. 

Henry  VI.,  Two  Antelopes. 

Edward  IV.,  Lion  and  Bull. 

Edward  V.,  Lion  and  Hind. 

Richard  III.,  Two  Boars. 

Henry  VII.,  Dragon  and  Greyhound. 

Henry  Vllt,  Lion  and  Dragon. 

Edward  VI.,  Lion  and  Dragon. 

Mary,  Eagle  and  Lion. 

Elizabeth,  Lion  and  Dragon. 

James  I.,  Lion  and  Unicorn,  which  have  continued  ever  since. 

Of  early  royal  badges  an  interesting  list  occurs  in  Harl.  MS., 
304,  f.  12  :— 

"  King  Edward  the  first  after  the  Conquest,  sonne  to  Henry  the  third, 
gave  a  Eose  gold,  the  stalke  vert. 

"  King  Edward  the  iij  gave  a  lyon  in  his  proper  conlor,  armed  azure 
langued  or.  The  ouatrioh  fether  gold,  the  pen  gold,  aud  a  faucou  in  hia 
proper  coulor  and  the  Sonne  Rising. 

"  The  prince  of  Wales  the  ostrich  fether  pen  and  all  arg. 

*  Diary  of  the  Rev.  John  Wara,  M.  A.,  164S-1679.    Loudon,  1839. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  109 

"  Queen  Philipe,  wyff  of  Edward  the  iij^  gave  the  whyte  hynd. 

"  Edmond,  Duk  of  York,  sonne  of  Edward  the  iij,  gave  the  Paucon  arg. 
and  the  Fetterlock  or. 

"  Richard  the  second  gave  the  White  hart,  armed,  homed,  crowned  or, 
and  the  golden  son. 

"  Henry,  Bouue  to  the  Erl  of  Derby,  first  Duk  of  Lancaster,  gave  the  red 
rose  uncrowned,  and  hia  ancestors  gave  the  Pox  tayle  in  his  prop,  ooulor 
and  the  ostrich  fether  ar.  the  pen  ermyn. 

"  Henry  the  iiij  gave  the  Swan  ar.  and  the  antelope. 

"  Henry  the  v  gave  the  Antelope  or,  armed,  crowned,  spotted  (?)  and 
homed  gold  and  the  Red  Rose  oncrowned  and  the  Swan  silver,  crown  and 
collar  gold,  by  the  Erldom  of  Herford. 

"  Henry  the  vi  gave  the  same  that  his  father  gave. 

"  Edward  the  iiij  gave  the  Whyte  Lyon  and  the  Whyte  Rose  and  the 
Blak  Bull  uncrowned. 

"  Richard  the  iij  gave  the  Whyte  Boar  and  the  Whyte  Rose,  the  olayes 
gold. 

"  Henry  the  seventh  gave  the  hawthorn  tree  vert  and  the  Porte  Cullya 
and  the  Red  Rose  and  the  Whyte  Crowned. 

"  The  Ostrych  fether  silver,  the  pen  gobone  sylver  and  azur,  is  the 
Duk  of  Somerset's  bage. 

"  The  Shypmast  with  the  tope  and  sayle  down  is  the  bage  of    .    .     . 

"  The  Cresset  and  burnyng  fyer  is  the  bage  of  the  Admyralyte. 

"  The  Egle  Russet  with  a  maydenshead,  abowt  her  neke  a  Crowne  gold, 
is  the  bage  of  the  manner  of  Conysborow. 

"  The  Duk  of  York's  bage  is  the  Paucon  and  the  Fetterlock. 

"  The  Whyte  Rose  by  the  Castell  of  Clyfford. 

"  The  Black  Dragon  by  the  Erldom  of  Ulster. 

"  The  Black  Bull  horned  and  clayed  gold  by  the  honor  of  Clare.  ' 

"  The  Whyte  Hynd  by  the  fayre  mayden  of  Kent. 

"  The  Whyte  Lyon  by  the  Brldom  of  Marohe. 

"  The  ostrych  fether  silver  and  pen  gold  ys  the  kinges. 

■*  The  ostrych  fether  pen  and  all  sylver  ys  the  Prynces. 

"  The  ostrych  fether  sylver,  pen  ermyn  is  the  Duke  of  Lancasters. 

"  The  ostrych  fether  sylver  and  pen  gobone  is  the  Duke  of  Somersets." 

Many  of  these  badges,  as  will  be  seen  afterwards,  have  come 
down  on  signboards  even  to  the  present  day.  Equally  common 
are  the  Stuart  badges,  which  were  : — 

The  red  rose  of  Lancaster  and  the  white  rose  of  York  frequently 
placed  on  sunbeams ;  sometimes  the  red  rose  charged  with  the 
white. 

The  rose  dimidiated  with  the  pomegranate,  symbolical  of 
the  connexion  between  England  and  Spain  by  the  marriage  of 
Catherine  of  Arragon  ;  for  the  same  reason  the  castle  of  Castille, 
and  the  sheaf  of  arrows  of  Granada,  occur  amongst  their  badges. 
The  portcuUis,  borne  by  the  descendants  of  Johu  of  Gaunt,  who 
was  born  in  Beaufort  Castle,  whence,  pars  pro  toto,  the  gate  was 
used  to  indicate  the  castle. 


I  lO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  falcon  and  fetterlock,  badge  of  Henry  VII.,  on  account  of 
his  descent  from  Edmond  of  Langley,  Duke  of  York. 

The  red  dragon,  the  ensign  of  the  famous  Cadwaller,  the  last 
of  the  British  Mngs,  from  whom  the  Tudors  descended. 

The  hawthorn  bush  crowned,  which  Henry  VII.  adopted  in 
allusion  to  the  royal  crown  of  Eichard  III.  having  been  found 
hidden  in  a  hawthorn  bush  after  the  battle  of  Bosworth. 

The  white  falcon  crowned  and  holding  a  sceptre  was  the  badge 
of  Queen  Anna  Boleyn,  and  of  Queen  Elizabeth  her  daughter. 

The  phcenix  in  flames  was  adopted  by  Edward  VI.  in  allusion 
to  his  birth,  having  been  the  cause  of  hLs  mother's  death ;  after- 
wards he  also  granted  this  badge  to  the  Sejonour  family. 

In  pondering  over  this  class  of  signs  great  difficulty  often  arises 
from  the  absence  of  all  proof  that  the  object  under  considera- 
tion 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  Eichard  II.  gave  rise  to  it,  or  whether  it  repre- 
sents Fame.  Various  examples  of  it  stiU  occur,  and  a  very 
good  carved  specimen  may  be  seen  above  a  draper's  shop  in  Ox- 
ford Street.  It  is  also  the  name  of  alehouses  in  King  Street, 
Holbom,  and  in  Stepney,  High  Street,  &c. 

The  Antelope  is  not  very  common  now,  although  in  1664  there 
was  a  tavern  with  this  sign  in  W.  Smithfield,  the  trades  token  of 
this  house  bearing  the  following  legend  : — ^Bibis  .  Vinum  .  Saluta  . 
Antelop.  The  Eev.  John  Ward  tells  a  very  feeble  college  joke 
concerning  the  Antelope  Tavern  in  Oxford  : — 

"  I  have  heard  of  a  fellow  at  Oxford,  one  Ffrank  Hil  by  name,  who  kept 
the  Antelope ;  and  if  one  yawned,  hee  could  not  ohuse  but  yawne,  that 
vppon  a  time  some  schollars  hawing  stohi  his  ducks,  hee  had  them  to  the 
Vice  ohancelor,  and  one  of  the  scholars  got  behind  the  Vice  chancelor,  and 
when  the  fellow  beganne  to  speak  hee  would  presently  fall  a  yawning,  in- 
somuch that  the  Vice  chancelor  turned  the  fellow  away  in  great  indig- 
nation." * 

Macklin,  the  centenarian  comedian,  who  died  in  1797,  used 
for  thirty  years  and  upwards  to  visit  a  public-house  called  the 
Antelope  in  White  Hart  yard,  Covent  Garden,  where  his  usual 

•  Diary  of  Rev.  John  Ward,  M.A.,  1648-1679,  p.  122. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  I  1 1 

beverage  was  a  pint  of  stout  made  hot  and  sweetened  almost  to  a 
syrup.  This,  he  said,  balmed  his  stomach,  and  kept  him  from 
having  any  inward  pains.*  He  died  at  the  age  of  upwards  of 
107,  a  proof  that  if,  as  the  teetotallers  inform  us,  fermented 
liquors  be  a  poison,  it  is  certainly  a  slow  one. 

The  Dkagon  appears  to  have  been  one  of  the  oldest  heraldic 
charges  of  this  kingdom.  It  was  the  standard  of  the  West 
Saxons,  and  continued  so  until  the  arrival  of  William  the  Con- 
queror, for  in  the  Bayeux  tapestry  a  winged  dragon  on  a  pole  is 
constantly  represented  near  the  person  of  King  Harold.  It  was 
likewise  the  supporter  of  the  royal  arms  of  Henry  VII.  and  all 
the  Tudor  sovereigns  except  Queen  Mary.  Before  that  time  it 
had  been  borne  by  some  of  the  early  Piinces  of  Wales,  and  also 
by  several  of  the  kings.  Thus  it  is  recorded,  28  Hen.  III.,  the 
king  ordered  to  be  made — 

"  Unum  draconem  in  modum  uuius  vexilli  de  quodam  rubro  sanulo,  qui 
ubique  sit  de  auro  extensillatus,  cujus  lingua  sit  facta  tamquam  ignis  com- 
burens  et  continue  appareat  moveatur,  et  ejus  oculi  fiant  de  sapphiris  vel 
de  aliis  lapidibus  eidem  convenientibus."  + 

At  the  battle  of  Lewes,  1264,  the  chronicler  says  that — 

"  The  king  sohewed  forth  his  schild  his  Dragon  full  austere."  % 

In  that  time,  however,  it  appears  not  to  have  been  the  royal 
standard,  but  it  was  borne  along  with  it,  for  Matthew  of  West- 
minster says,  "  Eegius  locus  erat  inter  Draconem  et  standardum."  § 
Edward  III.,  at  the  battle  of  Crescy,  also  had  a  standard  "  with 
a  dragon  of  red  silk  adorned  and  beaten  with  very  broad  and  fair 
lilies  of  gold."  Then,  again,  it  occurs  on  a  coin  struck  in  the 
reign  of  Henry  VI.,  and  was  also  one  of  the  badges  of  Edward  IV. 

The  Geeen  Dragon  was  of  very  frequent  occurrence  on  the 
signboard.  When  Taylor,  the  water  poet,  wrote  his  "  Travels 
through  London,"  there  were  not  less  than  seven  Green  Dragons 
amongst  the  metropolitan  taverns  of  that  day.  One  of  these  is 
still  in  existence,  the  well-known  Green  Dragon  in  Bishopsgate 
Street,  for  nearly  two  centuries  one  of  the  most  famous  coach  and 
carriers'  inns.  At  present  it  is  simply  a  public-house.  The  Eed 
Dragon  is  much  less  common,  whilst  the  White  Deagon  occurs 

*  Memoirs  of  Charles  Macklin,  Esq,    By  J  P.  Kirkman.    Vol.  ii.  p.  419. 

t  "  A  dragon  in  the  manner  of  a  banner,  of  a  certain  red  silk  embioidered  with  gold; 
its  tongue  like  a  flaming  fire  must  always  seem  to  be  moving ;  its  eyes  must  be  mad  e  of 
sapphire,  or  of  some  other  stone  suitable  for  that  purpose." 

t  Peter  Langtoffe's  Chronicle  of  Eobert  of  Bi-unne,  p.  217. 

g  »  The  kin^s  place  was  between  the  Dragon  and  the  standard." 


1 1  2  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

on  a  trades  token  of  Holbom,  representing  p,  dragon  pierced 
with  an  arrow,  evidently  some  family  crest. 

The  White  Hart  was  the  favourite  badge  of  Eichard  II. 
At  a  tournament  held  in  Smithfield  in  1390,  in  honour  of  the 
Count  of  St  Pol,  Count  of  Luxemburg,  and  the  Count  of  Ostre- 
vant,  eldest  son  of  Albert,  Count  of  Holland  and  Zealand, 
who  had  been  elected  members  of  the  garter,  "  all  the  kynges 
house  were  of  one  sute ;  theyr  cotys,  theyr  arrays,  theyr  sheldes, 
and  theyr  trappours,  were  browdrid  aU  with  whyte  hertys,  with, 
crownes  of  gold  about  their  neck,  and  cheynes  of  gold  hanging 
thereon,  whiche  hertys  was  the  kynges  leverye  that  he  gaf  to 
lordes,  ladyes,  knyghtes,  and  squyers,  to  knowe  his  household 
people  from  others."  * 

The  origin  of  this  White  Hart,  with  a  coUar  of  gold  round  its 
neck,  dates  from  the  most  remote  antiquity.  Aristotle  t  reports 
that  Diomedes  consecrated  a  white  hart  to  Diana,  which,  a  thou- 
sand years  after,  was  killed  by  Agathocles,  king  of  Sicily.  Pliny f 
states  that  it  was  Alexander  the  Great,  who  caught  a  white  stag 
and  placed  a  collar  of  gold  round  its  neck.  This  marvellous 
story  highly  pleased  the  fancy  of  the  mediEeval  writers,  always  in 
quest  of  the  wonderful.  They  substituted  Julius  Csesar  for 
Alexander  the  Great,  and  transplanted  the  fable  to  western 
regions,  in  consequence  of  which  various  countries  now  claim  the 
honour  of  having  produced  the  white  hart,  collared  with  gold. 
One  was  said  to  have  been  caught  in  Windsor  Forest,  another 
on  Kothwell  Haigh  Common,  in  Yorkshire,  a  third  at  Senlis,  in 
France,  and  a  fourth  at  Magdeburg.  This  last  was  killed  by 
Charlemagne.  The  same  emperor  is  also  reported  to  have  caught 
a  white  stag  in  the  woods  of  Holstein,  and  to  have  attached  the 
usual  golden  collar  round  its  neck.  More  than  three  centuries  after, 
in  1172,  this  animal  was  killed  by  Henry  the  Lion,  and  the 
whole  story  is,  to  this  day,  recorded  in  a  Latin  inscription  on  the 
walls  of  Lubeck  Cathedral. 

Amongst  the  oldest  inns  which  bore  this  sign,  the  White  Hart, 
in  the  High  Street,  Borough,  ranks  foremost  in  historical  interest. 
Here  it  was  that  Jack  Cade  established  his  headquarters,  July  1, 
1450.  "  And  you,  base  peasants,  do  ye  believe  him  ?  Will  you 
needs  be  hanged  with  your  pardons  about  your  necks  ?  Hath 
my  sword  therefore  broken  through  London  gates,  that  ye  should 

*  Caxton's  Chronicle  at  the  end  of  Polychronicon,  lib.  ult,  chap.  vi. 

t  Hist.,  lib.  ix.  cap.  vi. 

i  Nat,  Hist.,  lib.  viii.  cap.  ii. 


PLATE  VIII. 


TWO  SPIES. 
(Banks's  Collectioji.  1730.) 


>.i^ 


THREE  KEATS    TONGUES. 
(Harleiaii  Collection,  1708.) 


MAN  IN  THE  MOON. 
(Banks's  Collection.  1760.) 


y*«ea^ 


BULL  AND  MOUTH. 
(St  Martm's-le.Granrl,  1833.) 


BULL  AND  MOUTH. 
(Angel  St.,  St  Martin's-le-Grand,  circa  1800.) 


HERA  IDIC  AND  EMBLEM  A  TIC.  I  1 3 

leave  me  at  the  WMte  Hart  in  Southwark." — Henry  YI.,  p.  ii. 
a.  1.  s.  8.  In  the  yard  of  that  inn  he  beheaded  "  one  Hawaydyne 
of  Sent  Martyris."  *  Many  and  wild  must  have  been  the  scenes 
of  riot  and  debauchery  enacted  in  this  place  during  the  stay  of 
the  reckless  rebel  The  original  inn  that  had  sheltered  Cade 
and  his  followers,  remained  standing  till  1676,  when  it  was  burnt 
down  in  the  great  fire  that  laid  part  of  Southwark  in  ashes.  It 
was  rebuilt,  and  the  structure  is  still  in  existence ;  in  Hatton's 
time  (1708)  it  could  boast  of  the  largest  sign  in  London  except 
one,  which  was  at  the  Castle  Tavern  in  Fleet  Street.  Charles 
Dickens  has  immortalised  the  White  Hart  Inn,  by  a  most  lifelike 
description  in  his  "  Pickwick  Papers." 

The  White  Hart  Tavern,  in  Bishopsgate,  is  also  of  very  re- 
spectable antiquity.  It  has  the  date  1480  in  the  front.  Standing 
on  the  boundary  of  the  old  hospital  of  Bethlehem,  it  is  probable 
that  this  building  formed  part  of  that  religious  house.  Doubtless 
it  was  the  hostelry  or  inn  for  the  entertainment  of  strangers, 
which  was  a  usual  outbuilding  belonging  to  the  great  hospitals 
in  those  days. 

In  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  there  was  a  White  Hart  Inn 
in  the  Strand,  mentioned  in  a  copy  of  an  indenture  of  lease, 
from  the  Earl  of  Bedford  to  Sir  WUliam  Cecil  (7th  September 
1570)  of  a  portion  of  pasture  in  Covent  Garden,  "  beinge  thereby 
devyeded  from  certayne  gardens  belonginge  to  the  Inne  called  the 
Whyte  Heart,  and  other  Tenements  scituate  in  the  high  streate 
of  Westm'  comunly  called  the  Stronde."  It  is  not  improbable 
that  this  inn  gave  its  name  to  Hart  Street  and  WMte  Hart 
Yard,  in  that  neighbourhood. 

There  was  another  inn  of  this  name  in  Whitechapel,  connected 
with  the  name  of  a  rather  curious  character,  Mrs  Mapp,  the 
female  bone-setter.  "  On  Friday,  several  persons  whx)  had  the 
misfortune  of  lameness,  crowded  to  the  White  Haet  Inn  in 
Whitechapel,  on  hearing  Mrs  Mapp,  the  famous  bonesetter,  was 
there.  Some  of  them  were  admitted  to  her,  and  were  relieved  as 
they  apprehended.  But  a  gentleman  who  happened  to  come  by 
declared  Mrs  Mapp  was  at  Epsom,  on  which  the  woman  thought 
proper  to  move  off."t  The  genuine  Mrs  Sarah  Mapp  was  a 
female  bone-setter,  or  "  shape  mistress,"  the  daughter  of  a  bone- 
setter  of  Hindon,  Wilts.      Her  maiden  name  was  Wallis.     It 

•  ChroDicle  of  the  Grey  FryaJfS,  Camden  Society,  p.  19. 
t  Grub  Street  Jmirnal,  Sept.  2,  1739. 


I  14  THE  HISTORY  OF  SJGNBOAUDSI. 

appears  that  she  made  some  successful  cures  before  Sir  Hans 
Sloane,  in  the  Grecian  Coffee-house.  For  a  time  she  was  in 
affluent  circumstances,  kept  a  carriage  and  four,  had  a  plate  of 
ten  guineas  run  for  at  the  Epsom  races,  where  she  lived,  fre- 
quented theatres,  and  was  quite  the  lion  of  a  season.  Ballads 
were  made  upon  her,  songs  were  introduced  on  the  stage,  in 
which  the  "  Doctress  of  Epsom "  was  exalted  to  the  tune  of 
Derry  Down  ;  in  short,  she  was  called  the  "  Wonder  of  the  Age." 
But,  alas  !  the  year  after  all  this  &clat,  we  read  in  the  same  Grub 
Street  Journal,  that  had  recorded  aU  her  greatness — "  December 
22,  1737.  Died  last  week  at  her  lodgings,  near  the  Seven  Dialls, 
the  much-talked  of  Mrs  Mapp,  the  bonesetter,  so  miserably  poor, 
that  the  parish  was  obliged  to  bury  her."  Sic  transit  gloria 
mundi ! 

Lastly,  we  must  mention  the  White  Hart,  at  Scole,  in  Norfolk, 
as  most  of  all  bearing  upon  our  subject,  for  that  inn  had  certainly 
the  most  extensive  and  expensive  sign  ever  produced.  It  is 
mentioned  by  Sir  Thomas  Brown,  March  4,  166f — '■  About 
three  miles  further,  I  came  to  Scoale,  where  is  a  very  handsome 
inne,  and  the  noblest  sighnepost  in  England,  about  and  upon  which 
are  carved  a  great  many  stories  as  of  Charon  and  Cerberus, 
Actseon  and  Diana,  and  many  others  ;  the  signe  itself  is  a  White 
Hart,  which  hanges  downe  carved  in  a  stately  wreath."  A  cen- 
tury later,  it  is  again  mentioned.  Speaking  of  Osmundestone, 
or  Scole,  Blomefield  says — "  Here  are  two  very  good  inns  for 
the  entertainment  of  travellers.  The  White  Hart  is  much  noted 
in  these  parts,  being  called  by  way  of  distinction  Scole  Inn  ;  the 
house  is  a  large  brick  building  adorned  with  imagery  and  carved 
work  in  several  places,  as  big  as  the  life  ;  it  was  built  in  1655 
by  James  Peck,  Esq.,  whose  arms  impaling  his  wife's  are  over  the 
porch  door.  The  sign  is  very  large,  beautified  all  over  with  a 
great  number  of  images  of  large  stature  carved  in  wood,  and  was 
the  work  of  Fairchild;  the  arms  about  it  are  those  of  the  chief 
towns  and  gentlemen  in  the  county."  "  There  was  lately  a  very 
round  large  bed,  big  enough  to  hold  15  or  20  couples,  in  imitation 
(I  suppose)  of  the  remarkable  great  bed  at  Ware.  The  house  was 
in  all  things  accommodated  at  first  for  large  business ;  but  the 
road  not  supporting  it,  it  is  much  in  decay  at  present."  A  cor- 
respondent in  Notes  and  Queries  says  : — "  I  think  the  sign  was  not 
taken  down  till  after  1795,  as  I  have  a  recollection  of  having 
passed  under  it  when  a  boy,  in  going  from  Norwich  to  IpswicL" 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 1 5 

We  obtain  full  details  of  this  •wonderful  erection  from  an  engrav- 
ing made  in  1740,  entitled  : — 

"  The  North  East  side  of  y"  sign  of  y»  White  Heart  at  Sohoale  Inn  in 
Kcrfolli,  built  in  the  year  1655  by  James  Pecl<,  a  mercliant  of  Norwich, 
which  ci>st  £1057.  Hunih'y  Dedicated  to  James  Betts,  Geut.,  by  Lis  most 
ob'  serv',  Harwiu  Martin." 

The  sign  passed  over  the  road,  resting  on  one  side  on  a  pier  of 
brickwork,  and  joined  to  the  house  on  the  other;  its  height  was 
sufficient  to  allow  carriages  to  pass  beneath.  Its  ornamentation 
was  divided  into  compartments,  which  contained  the  following 
subjects  according  to  the  numbers  in  the  engraving  : — 1.  Jonah 
coming  out  of  the  fish's  mouth.  2.  A  Lion  supporting  the  arms 
of  Great  Yarmouth.  3.  A  Bacchus.  4.  Tlie  arms  of  Lindley. 
5.  The  arms  of  Hobart.  6.  A  Shepherd  playing  on  his  pipe.  7. 
An  Angel  supporting  the  arms  of  Mr  Peck's  lady.  8.  An  Angel 
supporting  the  arms  of  Mr  Peck.  9.  A  White  Hart  [the  sign 
itself]  with  this  motto, — "Implentur  veteris  Bacchi  pin- 
GUiscjUE  FEEING.  Anno  DOM.  1635."  10.  The  arms  of  the 
Earl  of  Yarmouth.  11.  The  arms  of  the  Duke  of  Norfolk.  12. 
Neptune  on  a  Dolphin.  13.  A  Lion  supporting  the  arras  of 
Norwich.  14.  Charon  carrying  a  reputed  Witch  to  Hades.  15. 
Cerberus.  16.  A  Huntsman.  17.  Actseon  [addressing  his  dogs 
with  the  words  "Action  ego  sum,  dominum  cognoscite, 
VESTEUM.']  18.  A  White  Hart  cnuchaut  [underneath,  the 
name  of  the  maker  of  the  sign,  Johannes  Fairchilil,  strtixit.'\ 
19.  Prudence.  20.  Fortitude.  21.  Temperance.  23.  Justice. 
23.  Diana.  24.  Time  devouring  an  infant  [underneath,  "  Tempxts 
Edax  ebeum."]  25.  An  Astronomer,  who  is  seated  on  a  "  cir- 
cumferenter,  and  by  some  chymical  preparations  is  so  affected 
that  in  fine  weather  he  faces  that  quarter  from  which  it  is  about 
to  come."  There  is  a  ballad  on  this  sign  in  "  Songs  and  other 
Poems,"  by  Alexander  Brome,  Gent.     London,  1661,  p.  123. 

This  herd  of  white  harts  has  led  us  over  a  large  tract  of  ground, 
but  we  will  now  return  to  other  royal  badges,  and  note  the  Hawk 
AND  Buckle,  which  occurs  in  Wrenbury,  Nantwich,  Cheshire  ; 
Etwall,  Derby ;  and  various  other  places.  This  is  simply  a 
popular  rendering  of  the  Falcon  and  the  Fetterlock,  one  of  the 
badges  of  the  house  of  York.  The  Hawk  and  Buck,  which 
appears  to  be  only  another  version  of  the  last  corruption,  occurs 
at  Pearsly  Sutton  Street,  St  Helens,  Lancashire;  the  Eaicov 
AND  Hokse-shoe,  a  sign  in  Poplar  in  the  seventeenth  century, 


I  1 6  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

{see  Trades'  Tokens,)  may  have  had  the  same  origin,  whilst  the 
Bull  and  Stieeup,  in  Upper  Northgate,  Chester,  probably 
comes  from  the  Bull  and  Fetterlock,  another  combination  of 
badges  of  the  house  of  York. 

From  this  family  are  also  derived  the  Bltte  Boae  and  the 
White  Boae,  One  of  the  badges  of  Eichard,  Duke  of  York, 
father  of  Edward  IV.,  was  "  a  blewe  Bore  with  his  tuskis  and  his 
cleis  and  his  membres  of  gold."*  The  heraldic  origin  of  this 
sign,  of  which  there  are  stiQ  innumerable  instances  aU  over  Eng- 
land, is  now  so  completely  lost  sight  of,  that  in  many  places  it 
passes  under  the  ignoble  appellation  of  the  Blue  Pig. 

The  White  Boae  was  the  popular  sign  in  Eichard  the  Third's 
time,  that  king's  cognizance  being  a  boar  passant  argent,  whence 
the  rhyme  which  cost  William  CoUingborne  his  life  : — 
"  The  Cat,  the  Eat,  and  Lovell  our  Dogge, 
Bulen  all  England  vnder  an  Hogge."  T 

The  fondness  of  Eichard  for  this  badge  appears  from  his 
wardrobe  accounts  for  the  year  1483,  one  of  which  contains  a 
charge  "for  8000  bores  made  and  wrought  upon  fustian,"  and 
5000  more  are  mentioned  shortly  afterwards.  He  also  estab- 
lished a  herald  of  arms  called  Blanc  Sanglier,  and  it  was  this 
trusty  squire  who  carried  his  master's  mangled  body  from  Bos- 
worth  battle-field  to  Leicester. 

After  Eichard's  defeat  and  death  the  White  Boars  were  changed 
into  Blue  Boars,  this  being  the  easiest  and  cheapest  way  of  chang- 
ing the  sign  ;  and  so  the  Boar  of  Eichard,  now  painted  "  true 
blue,"  passed  for  the  Boar  of  the  Earl  of  Oxford,  who  had  largely 
contributed  to  place  Henry  VII.  on  the  throne.  Even  the  Wliite 
Boar  Inn  at  Leicester,  in  which  Eichard  passed  the  last  night  of 
his  royalty  and  of  his  life,  followed  the  general  example,  and 
became  the  Blue  Boar  Inn,  under  which  sign  it  continued  until 
taken  down  twenty-five  or  thirty  years  ago.  The  bed  in  which 
the  king  slept  was  preserved,  and  continued  for  many  generations 
one  of  the  curiosities  shewn  to  strangers  at  Leicester.  It  was 
said  that  a  large  sum  of  money  had  been  discovered  in  its  double 
bottom,  which  the  landlord  himself  quietly  appropriated.  The 
discovery,  however,  got  wind,  and  his  widow  was  killed  and 
robbed  by  some  of  her  guests,  in  connivance  with  a  maid-servant. 

•  Badges  of  Cosrnizance  of  Richard,  DuTte  of  Toik,  written  on  a  blank  leaf  at  the  b«- 
j:ifliiing  6f  Digby  MS.  82.    Bbilleian  Library,  Oxford.     Archaologia  .wii.    1814. 

,♦  The  Cat,  William  Catesby;  the  Rat,  Sir  Richard  RntclifTe  ;  Lovell  our  doc.  Lord 
Lovel. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 1 7 

They  carried  away  seven  horse-loads  of  treasure.     This  murder 
was  committed  in  1605.* 

The  sign  of  the  White  Boar,  however,  did  not  become  quite  ex- 
tinct with  the  overthrow  of  the  York  faction,  for  we  find  it  still  in 
1542,  as  appears  from  the  following  title  of  a  very  scarce  book  : — 

"  David's  Harp  full  of  most  delectable  harmony  newly  strung  and  set  in 
Tune  by  ThoB.  Basille  y'  Lord  Cobham.  Imprinted  at  London  in  Buttolp 
lane  at  y,  sign  of  y°  White  Soar  ly  John  Mayler  for  John  Gough,  1542."  + 

The  FiEBBEACON,  a  sign  at  Fulston,  Lincolnshire,  was  a  badge 
of  Edward  IV.,  and  also  of  the  Admiralty. 

The  Hawthokn,  Or  Hawthornbush,  which  we  meet  in  so 
many  places,  may  be  Henry  VII. 's  badge,  but  various  other 
causes  may  have  contributed  to  the  popularity  of  that  sign,  such 
as  the  custom  of  gathering  bunches  of  hawthorn  on  the  first  of 
May.  Magic  powers,  too,  are  attributed  to  this  plant.  "  And 
now,"  says  Keginald  Scott,  "  to  be  delivered  from  witches  them- 
selves they  hange  in  their  entrees  an  hearb  called  pentaphyUon, 
cinquefole,  also  an  oliue  branch,  also  franckincense,  myrrh,  vale- 
rian veruen,  palme,  anterihmon,  &c.  ;  also  Haytliarne,  otherwise 
whitethorne,  gathered  on  Maiedaie,"  &c.J 

The  GiJN,  or  Cannon,  was  the  cognizance  of  King  Edward  VI., 
Queen  Mary,  and  Queen  Elizabeth.  In  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century  it  was  of  such  frequent  occurrence  that  the 
Craftsman,  No.  638,  observed — "  Nothing  is  more  common  in 
England  than  the  sign  of  a  cannon."  Sarah  Milwood,  the  "  wan- 
ton" who  led  George  Barnwell  astray,  lived,  according  to  the 
ballad,  in  Shoreditch,  "  next  door  unto  the  Gun."  At  the  pres- 
ent day  it  is  still  a  great  favourite.  In  the  neighbourhood  of 
arsenals  its  adoption  is  easily  explained. 

About  eighty  years  ago  there  was  a  famous  Cannon  Coffee- 
house at  the  corner  of  Trafalgar  Square,  at  the  end  of  Whitcombe 
Street  or  Hedgelane  ;  its  site  is  now  occupied  by  the  Union 
Club.  From  this  coffeehouse  Hackman  saw  Miss  Ray  drive  past 
on  her  way  to  Covent  Garden  Theatre,  when  he  followed  and 
shot  her  as  she  was  entering  her  coach  after  the  performance. 
The  Gun  was  also  a  sign  with  many  booksellers,  as  in  the  case  of 

*  Sir  Roger  Twisden's  Commonplace  Books,  1653,  as  quoted  in  exlenso  in  Notet  and 
Queries,  Aug.  8.  1857.  Mr  James  Thompson,  in  his  *'  History  of  Leicester."  informs  us 
ttiat  one  man  was  hanged  and  a  woman  burned  for  this  cnme,  and  not  seven  persons 
capitally  executed,  according  to  the  popular  tradition. 

t  Harl.  MS.  6910 ;  of  this  printer  Bagford  says ;  **  X  do  not  find  he  prented  many 
books,  or  at  lest  few  of  them  have  come  to  my  hand." 

1  Reginald  Scot,  The  Discovery  of  Witchcraft,  b.  xii.  ch.  xviii.  p.  268,  1584. 


I  1 8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Edward  White  at  the  Little  North  Door  of  St  Paul's  Church, 
1579  ;  Thomas  Ewster  in  Ivy  Lane,  1649 ;  Henry  Brome,  at 
the  West  End  of  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  1678,  and  various  others. 
.  The  Swan  was  a  favourite  badge  of  several  of  our  kings,  as 
Henry  IV.,  Edward  III.  At  a  tournament  in  Smithfield  the 
last  king  wore  the  following  rather  profane  motto  : — 
"  Hay,  hay,  the  wyth  Swan, 
By  God's  soule  I  am  thy  man." 

Thomas  Woodstock,  Duke  of  Gloucester,  used  the  same  cog- 
nizance ;  whence  Gower  styles  him  "  cignus  de  corde  benign  us  ;" 
whilst  CecUy  Nevil,  Duchess  of  York,  mother  of  Edward  IV.  and 
Eichard  III.,  likewise  had  a  swan  as  supporter  of  her  arms. 

The  sign  of  the  Swan  and  Maidenhead,  at  Stratford-on- 
Avon,  may  have  originated  in  one  of  the  royal  badges ;  for  we 
find  that  in  1375  the  Black  Prince  bequeathed  to  Ms  son  Richard 
his  hangings  for  a  hall,  embroidered  with  mermen,  and  a  border 
of  red  and  black  empaled,  embroidered  with  swans  having  ladiei 
heads*  The  Swan  and  Falcon  (two  badges  of  Edward  III.) 
was  a  sign  in  Hereford,  in  1775,  as  appears  from  the  following 
advertisement : — 

"HEREFORD  MACHINE. 
"  TK  a  Day  and  a  Half  twice  a  week,  eontumes  flying  from  the  Swan 

JL  and  Falcon,  in  Hereford,  Monday  and  Thursday  mornings  ;  and  from 
the  B)lt-in-Tun,  in  Fleet  Street,  London,  Monday  and  Thursday  evenings. 
Fare  I9s. ;  outsides  half." — Hereford  Journal,  January  12,  1775. 

The  Swan  and  White  Hart  may  have  been  originally  the 
Swan  and  Antelope,  supporters  of  the  arms  of  Henry  IV.,  but  as 
it  at  present  stands  two  distinct  royal  badges  are  represented. 
This  sign  occurs  on  a  trades-token  of  St  Giles  in  the  Fields,  in 
the  second  half  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  Rising  Sun  was  a  badge  of  Edward  III.,  and  forms  part 
of  the  arms  of  Ireland ;  but  the  Sun  Shining  was  a  cognizance  of 
several  kings.  Various  other  causes  m.ay  have  led  to  the  adop- 
tion of  that  luminary  as  a  sign.     (See  Miscellaneous  Signs.) 

Lions  have  been  at  aU  times,  and  stUl  continue,  greater  sign- 
board favourites  than  any  other  heraldic  animals.  The  lion  ram- 
pant most  frequently  occurs,  although  in  late  years  naturalism  has 
crept  in,  and  the  felis  leo  is  often  represented  standing  or  crouch- 
ing, quite  regardless  of  his  heraldic  origin.  The  lion  of  the  sign- 
board being  seldom  seen  passmit,  it  is  more  than  probable  that  it 
was  not  derived  from  the  national  coat  of  arms,  but  rather  from 

*  ArchmolOKia.  vol.  xxix.  1840. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 19 

some  badge,  either  that  of  Edward  III.  or  from  the  White  Lion 
of  Edward  IV.  Though  silver  in  general  was  not  used  on  Eng- 
lish signboards  yet,  the  White  Lion  was  anything  but  uncommon. 
Several  examples  occur  amongst  early  booksellers.  Thus  in 
1604  the  "  Shepherd's  Calendar"  was  "printed  at  London  by  G. 
Elde,  for  Thomas  Adams,  dwelling  in  Paule's  Churchyarde,  at 
the  signe  of  the  White  Lion."  In  1652  we  meet  with  another 
bookseller,  John  Fey,  near  the  New  Exchange ;  and  about  the 
same  period  John  Andrews,  a  ballad  printer,  near  Pye  Comer, 
who  both  had  the  sign  of  the  White  Lion.  For  inns,  also,  it  was 
not  an  uncommon  decoration.  Thus  the  White  Lion  in  St 
John's  Street,  Clerkenwell,  was  originally  an  inn  frequented  by 
cattle-drovers  and  other  wayfarers  connected  with  Smithfield 
market.  Formerly  it  was  a  very  extensive  building,  two  of  the 
adjoining  houses  and  part  of  White  Lion  Street,  aU  being  built 
on  its  site.  The  house  now  occupied  by  an  oilshop  was  in  those 
days  the  gateway  to  the  inn-yard,  and  over  it  was  the  sign,  in 
stone  relief,  a  hon  rampant,  painted  white,  inserted  in  the  front 
wall.  It  still  remains  in  its  original  position,  with  the  date 
1714,  when  it  was  probably  renewed.  Pepys's  cousin,  Anthony 
Joyce,  drowned  himself  in  a  pond  behind  this  inn.  He  was  a 
tavern-keeper  himself,  and  kept  the  Three  Stags  at  Holborn,  (a 
house  of  which  tokens  are  extant.)  Heavy  losses  by  the  fire  of 
1666  preyed  upon  his  mind.  He  imagined  that  he  had  not 
served  God  as  he  ought  to  have  done,  and  in  a  moment  of 
despair  committed  the  rash  act.  We  have  another,  and  not 
uninteresting  instance,  of  this  sign.  "  Sir  Thomas  Lawrence's 
father  kept  the  Wliite  Lion  Hotel  at  Bristol.  He  afterwards 
removed  to  the  Bear,  at  Devizes,  where  he  failed  in  business.  It 
seemed  that  it  was  this  last  speculation  in  hotel-keeping  which 
ruined  him,  viith  reference  to  which  local  wits  used  to  say,  "  It 
was  not  the  Lion  but  the  Bear  that  eat  him  up." — Bristol  Times, 
June  4,  1859. 

Since  pictorial  or  carved  signs  have  fallen  into  disuse,  and 
only  names  given,  the  Silver  Lion  is  not  uncommon,  though 
in  all  probability  simply  adopted  as  a  change  from  the  very 
frequent  Golden  Lion.  Thus  there  is  one  in  the  High  Street, 
Poplar ;  in  the  London  Road,  and  Midland  Road,  Derby ;  in  the 
Lilly  Road,  Luton,  Herts,  &c.  The  Red  Lion  is  by  far  the  most 
common ;  doubtless  it  originated  with  the  badge  of  John  of 
Gaunt,  Duke  of  Lancaster,  married  to  Constance,  daughter  of 


I  20  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Don  Pedro  the  Cruel,  king  of  Leon  and  Castille.  The  duke  bore 
the  lion  rampant  gules  of  Leon  as  his  cognizance,  to  represent  his 
claim  to  the  throne  of  Castille,  when  that  was  occupied  by 
Henry  de  Transtamare.  In  after  years  it  may  often  have  been 
used  to  represent  the  lion  of  Scotland. 

The  Red  Lion  Inn  at  Sittingbourne  is  a  very  ancient  estab- 
lishment. A  new  landlord,  who  entered  ch'ca  1820,  issued  the 
following  advertisement : — 

"  "f  TTM.  WHITAKER  having  taken  the  above  house,  raoat  respectfully 
VV     solicits  the  custom  and  support  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  &c.,  &c. 

"  The  antiquity  of  the  inn,  and  the  respectable  character  which  it  has  in 
history  are  recorded  as  under : — 

"  Sittingbourne,  in  Kent,  is  a  considerable  thoroughfare  on  the  Dover 
Road,  where  there  are  several  good  inns,  particularly  the  Red  Lion,  which 
is  remarkable  for  an  entertainment,  made  by  Mr  John  Norwood,  for  King 
Henry  the  Fifth,  as  he  returned  from  the  battle  of  Agincourt,  in  Prance,  in 
the  year  1415,  the  whole  amounting  to  no  more  than  Nine  Shillings  and 
Ninepence.  Wine  being  at  that  time  only  a  penny  a  pint,  and  all  other 
things  being  proportionably  cheap. 

P.S. — The  same  character  in  a  like  proportionate  degree  Wm.  Whitaker 
hopes  to  obtain  by  his  moderate  charges  at  the  present  time." 

Red  Lion  Square,  Holborn,  was  called  after  an  inn  known  as 
the  Red  Lion.  "  Andrew  Marvell  lies  interred  under  ys  pews  in 
the  south  side  of  St  Giles  church  in  y«  Fields,  imder  the  window 
wherein  is  painted  on  glasse,  a  red  lyon,  (it  was  given  by  the 
Inneholder  of  the  Red  lyon  Inne,  Holborn.)"* 

Another  celebrated  tavern  was  the  Old  Red  Lion,  St  John's 
Road,  Islington, — which  has  been  honoured  by  the  presence  of 
several  great  literary  characters.  Thomson,  of  the  "  Seasons,"  was 
a  frequent  visitor  ;  Paine,  the  author  of  the  "  Rights  of  Man," 
lived  here ;  and  Dr  Johnson,  with  his  friends,  are  said  often  to 
have  sat  in  the  parlour.  Hogarth  introduced  its  gable  end  in 
his  picture  of  Evening. 

TJie  Black  Lion  is  somewhat  uncommon ;  it  may  have  been 
derived  from  the  coat  of  arms  of  Queen  Philippa  of  Hainault, 
wife  of  Edward  Ill.t  We  find  an  example  of  it  iu  the  following 
advertisement : —  J 

T  THE  XJhion  Society  at  the  Black  Lion  against  Short's  Garden  in 
Drury  Lane,  a  Linen  Draper's,   on  Thursday  the  21st  past,  uxts 

*  Aubrey,  iii.  438. 

t  Owen  Olendower  also  bore  a  lion  rampant  sable,  "the  black  lion  of  P<wyss;"  his 
arms  were  Paly  of  eight,  arg.  and  gules,  over  all  a  lion  sable.  The  black  lion  was  the 
royal  ensign  of  his  father  Madoc  ap  Meredith,  last  sovereign  prince  of  Powyss  ;  he  died 
at  Winchester  in  1160.  The  black  lion  consequently  might  sometimes  be  set  up  by 
Welshmen. 
,  t  Daily  Cmiranl,  January  1,  1711. 


"A' 


BERALDIO  AND  EMBLEM  A  TIC.  I  2  I 

opened  three  offices  of  Insurance  on  the  birth  of  Children,  by  way  of 
dividend.     At  the  same  place  there  ia  two  offices  for  marriages,"  &c. 

In  tliis  advertisement  we  toucli  upon  the  joint-stock  mania 
then  raging.  Newspapers  of  the  time  teemed  with  advertise- 
ments of  insurance  companies  of  all  sorts  :  the  above  paper, 
with  less  than  a  dozen  advertisements,  offers  four  schemes,  by 
which  on  payment  of  10s.  per  week  £1000  were  eventually  to  be 
received ! 

Among  the  badges  of  the  Tudors,  Henry  VII.  and  Henry 
VIII.  left  us  the  stiJl  common  sign  of  the  Portcullis. 

"  A  portcullis,  or  porte-eoulisse,  is  French  for  that  wooden  instrument  or 
machine,  plated  over  with  iron,  made  in  the  form  of  a  harrow  or  lozenge, 
hung  up  with  pullies  in  the  entries  of  gates  or  castles,  to  be  let  down  upon 
any  occasion." — Anstis  Garter. 

It  is  the  principal  charge  in  the  arms  of  the  city  of  West- 
minster, and  is  to  be  seen  everywhere  within  and  without  the 
beautiful  chapel  of  Henry  VII.,  whose  favourite  device  it  was 
as  importing  his  descent  from  the  house  of  Lancaster.  It  was 
also  one  of  the  badges  of  Henry  VIII.,  with  the  motto,  Securitas 
Altera,  and  occurs  on  some  of  his  coins. 

To  this  same  family  we  also  owe  the  KosE  and  Ceown,  which 
sign,  at  the  present  day,  may  be  observed  on  not  less  than  forty-eight 
public-houses  in  London  alone,  exclusive  of  beer-houses.  One  of 
the  oldest  is  in  the  High  Street,  Knightsbridge,  which  has  been 
licensed  above  three  hundred  years,  though  not  under  that  name, 
for  anciently  it  was  called  the  Oliver  Cromwell.  The  Protec- 
tor's bodyguard  is  said  to  have  been  quartered  here,  and  an  in- 
scription to  that  effect  was  formerly  painted  in  front  of  the  house, 
accompanied  by  an  emblazoned  coat  of  arms  of  Cromwell,  on  an 
ornamental  piece  of  plaster  work,  which  last  is  all  that  now 
remains  of  it.  It  is  the  oldest  house  in  Brompton,  was  formerly 
its  largest  inn,  and  not  improbably  the  house  at  which  Sir  Thomas 
Wyatt  put  up,  while  his  Kentish  followers  rested  on  the  adjacent 
green.  Corbould  painted  this  inn  under  the  title  of  "  The  Old 
Hostelrie  at  Knightsbridge,"  exhibited  in  1849,  but  he  trans- 
ferred its  date  to  1497,  altering  the  house  according  to  his  own 
fancy. 

During  the  persecutions,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  of 
booksellers  suspected  as  publishers  of  the  mysterious  Martin  Mar- 
prelate  tracts,  we  find  one  Bogue,  at  the  loyal  sign  of  the  Rose 
and  Crown,  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  who  fell  into  the  category 

Q 


12  2  THE  HTSTORT  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

of  the  suspected,  and  •who  was  so  severely  persecuted  that  he  was 
almost  ruined  by  it. 

One  more  royal,  or  rather  princely  badge  remains  to  be  men- 
tioned,— The  Feathers,  Prince  of  Wales'  Feathers,  occasion- 
ally varied  to  the  Prince  of  Wales'  Arms.  Ostrich  feathers  were 
from  a  very  early  period  among  the  devices  of  our  kings  and 
princes.  King  Stephen,  for  instance,  according  to  GuUlim,  bore 
a  plume  of  ostrich  feathers  with  the  motto  : — vi  nulla  inverti- 
TTTR  ORDO,  No  force  alters  their  fashion,  meaning  that  no  wind 
can  ruffle  a  feather  into  lasting  disorder.  Not  only  the  Black 
Prince,  but  also  Edward  III.,  himself  and  his  sons,  bore  ostrich 
feathers  as  their  cognizances,  each  with  some  distinction  in  colour 
or  metaL  The  badge  originally  took  the  form  of  a  single  feather. 
John  Ardem,  physician  to  the  Black  Prince,  who  is  the  first 
to  mention  the  derivation  of  the  feathers  from  the  King  of 
Bohemia,  says : — 

"  Et  nota  quod  talein  pennam  albam  portabat  Edwardna  primogenitus 
filius  Edwardi  regis  super  crestam  suam,  et  illam  pennam  conquisivit  de 
rege  Boemise,  quern  interfeoit  apud  Cresse  in  Francia,  et  sic  assumpsit  sibi 
Ulam  pennam  quae  dioitur  ostrich  feather,  quam  prius  dictus  rex  nobilia- 
simus  portabat  super  crestam."  * 

The  feather,  also,  is  drawn  in  the  margin  of  the  MS.  as  single, 
and  in  that  shape,  too,  it  is  represented  on  the  Black  Prince's 
tomb.  This  feather,  however,  appears  only  to  have  been  an 
ornament  on  the  helmet  of  King  John  of  Bohemia.  A  contem- 
porary Flemish  poem,  quoted  by  Baron  van  B^iffenberg,  thus 
describes  his  heraldic  crest : — 

"  Twee  ghiervogelen  daer  aen  geleyt 

Die  al  vol  bespringelt  zyn 

Met  Linden  bladeren  giilt  fyn, 

Deze  is,  as  in  merken  kan 

Van  Bohemen  Koninck  Jan."  i" 

And  in  that  shape  it  also  occurs  on  the  King's  seal  More 
difficulties  are  offered  by  the  motto  :  Hou  moet  ich  dien,  for  so 
it  is  in  ftiU, — the  Black  Prince  himself  wrote  it  after  this  fashion 
in  a  letter  dated  April  25,  1370.  The  last  two  words  in  Ger- 
man mean  "I  serve,"  but  no  explanation  is  given  of  the  remainder, 
"Hou  moet."     Since  no  mottos  in  two  languages  occur,  we  must 

*  "And  observe  that  such  &  white  feather  was  borne  on  his  crest  by  Edward  the  eldest 
son  of  K.  Edward ;  and  this  feather  he  conquered  from  the  King  of  Bohemia  whom  he 
lEilled  at  Gressy  in  France,  and  so  he  assumed  the  feather,  called  the  ostrich  feather, 
which  that  most  noble  king  had  formerly  worn  on  bis  crest." — Sloane  MSS.  No.  66. 

t  Added  to  this  were  two  vultures,  sprinkled  all  over  with  finely-gilt  linden  leaves 
Therefore  I  know  this  is  King  John  of  Bohemia. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBI4EMA  TIC.  1 2  3 

look  for  a  language  ■which  can  account  for  both  parts  of  the 
motto;  and  thus  in  Flemish  we  find  these  words  to  mean,  "  Keep 
courage,  I  serve,"  or,  in  less  concise  language,  "  Keep  courage,  I 
serve  with  you,  I  am  your  companion  in  arms  ; "  and  though  no 
parentage  has  as  yet  been  found  for  this  motto,  it  may  not  im- 
probably have  been  derived  from  the  Black  Prince's  maternal 
family,  since  his  mother,  Queen  Philippa  of  Hainault,  was  a 
Flemish  princess. 

Amongst  the  many  shops  which  took  the  feathers  for  their 
sign  we  find  the  following  noted  in  an  advertisement : — 

"  rriHE  Late  Countess  of  Kent's  powder  has  been  lately  experimented 
J_  upon  divers  infected  persons  with  admirable  success.  The  virtues 
of  it  against  the  Plague  and  all  malignant  distempers  are  sufficiently  known 
to  all  the  Physicians  of  Christendom,  and  the  Powder  itself  prepared  by 
the  only  person  living  that  has  the  true  Beceipt,  is  to  be  had  at  the  third 
part  of  the  ordinary  price  at  Mr  Calvert's,  at  the  Feathers  in  the  old  Pall 
Mall  near  St  James's,"  &c. 

This,  and  other  advertisements  announcing  equally  eflScacious 
panacea,  appeared  daily  in  the  London  papers  during  the  plague 
of  1665.  De  Foe,  in  his  little  chronicle  of  the  plague,  often 
speaks  of  these  quack  medicines. 

Less  dismal  images  are  called  up  by  "the  Feathers  at  the 
side  of  Leicester  Fields,"  which  sign  was  evidently  complimentary 
to  its  neighbour  Frederick,  Prince  62  Wales,  son  of  George  II., 
who  lived  at  Leicester  House,  "  the  pouting  house  of  princes," 
when  on  bad  terms  with  his  father,  and  died  there  in  1751. 
The  back  parlour  of  this  tavern  was  for  some  years  the  meeting- 
place  of  a  club  of  artists  and  well-known  amateurs,  amongst 
whom  Stuart,  the  Athenian  traveller  ;  Scott,  the  marine  painter ; 
Luke  SuUivan,  the  miniature  artist,  engraver  of  the  March  to 
Finchley ;  burly  Captain  Grose,  author  of  the  "Antiquities  of 
England,"  and  the  greatest  wit  of  his  day;  Mr  Heame,  the 
antiquary ;  Nathaniel  Smith,  the  father  of  J.  T.  Smith ;  Mr 
John  Ireland,  then  a  watchmaker  in  Maidenlane,  and  afterwards 
editor  of  Boydell's  edition  of  Dr  Trusler's  "  Hogarth  Moralised," 
and  several  others.  When  this  house  was  taken  down  to  make 
way  for  Dibdin's  theatre,  called  the  Sans-souci,  the  club  ad- 
journed to  the  Coach  and  Hosses,  in  Castle  Street,  Leicester 
Fields.  But,  in  consequence  of  the  members  not  proving  cus- 
tomers sufficiently  expensive  for  that  establishment,  the  landlord 
one  evening  venturing  to  let  them  out  with  a  farthing  candle,  they 
betook   themselves  to  Gerard  Street  and  thence   to  the  Blujs 


I  24  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Posts  in  Dean  Street,  where  the  club  dwindled  to  two  or 
three  members  and  at  last  died  out. 

An  amusing  anecdote  is  told  about  the  Feathers,  Grosvenor 
Street  West.  A  lodge  of  Oddfellows  was  held  at  this  house, 
into  the  private  chamber  of  which  George,  Prince  of  Wales,  one 
night  intruded  very  abruptly  with  a  roystering  friend.  The 
society  was,  at  the  moment,  celebrating  some  of  its  awful  mys- 
teries, which  no  uninitiated  eye  may  behold,  and  these  were 
witnessed  by  the  profane  intruders.  The  only  way  to  repair  the 
sacrilege  was  to  mate  the  Prince  and  his  companion  "  Odd- 
fellows," a  title  they  certainly  deserved  as  richly  as  any  members 
of  the  club.  The  initiatory  rites  were  quickly  gone  through,  and 
the  Prince  was  chairman  for  the  remainder  of  the  evening.  In 
1851  the  old  public-house  was  pulled  down  and  a  new  gin  palace 
built  on  its  site,  in  the  parlour  of  which  the  chair  used  by  the 
distinguished  Oddfellow  is  still  preserved,  along  with  a  portrait 
of  his  Royal  Highness  in  the  robes  of  the  order. 

Among  the  badges  and  arms  of  countries  and  towns,  the 
national  emblem  the  Rose  is  most  frequent,  and  has  been  so  for 
centuries.  Bishop  Earle  observes,  "  If  the  vintner's  Rose  be  at 
the  door  it  is  sign  sufficient,  but  the  absence  of  this  is  supplied 
by  the  ivy-bush."  Hutton,  in  his  "  Battle  of  Bosworth,"  says 
that  "  upon  the  death  of  Richard  III.,  and  the  consequent  over- 
throw of  the  York  faction,  all  the  signboards  with  white  roses 
were  pulled  down,  and  that  none  are  to  be  found  at  the  present 
day."  This  last  part  of  the  statement,  we  beheve,  is  true,  but 
that  the  White  Roses  were  not  all  immediately  done  away  with 
appears  from  the  fact  that,  in  1503,  a  White  Rose  Tavern  was 
demoUshed  to  make  room  for  the  building  of  Henry  VII.'s  chapel 
in  Westminster  ;  that  tavern  stood  near  the  chapel  of  Our  Lady, 
behind  the  high  altar  of  the  abbey  church.  At  present,  however, 
as  the  rose  on  the  signboard  represents  in  the  eye  of  the  public 
simply  the  Queen  of  Flowers, — its  heraldic  history  having  been 
forgotten  long  ago, — it  is  painted  any  colour  according  to  taste, 
or  occasionally  gUt.  Long  after  the  famous  battles  between  the 
White  and  Red  Roses  had  ceased,  the  custom  was  continued  of 
adding  the  colour  to  the  name  of  the  sign.  Thus,  in  Stow, 
"  Then  have  ye  one  other  lane  called  Rother  Lane,  or  Red  Rose 
Lane,  of  such  a  sign,"  &c.  In  Lancashire  we  meet,  in  one  or  two 
instances,  with  the  old  heraldic  flower,  as  at  Springwood,  Chad- 
derton,  Manchester,  where  the  Red  Rose  of  Lancaster  is  stiU 
in  fuU  bloom  on  a  publican's  signboard. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEM  A  TIC.  1 2  5 

Skelton's  "  Armony  of  Byrdes"  was  "  imprynted  at  Londo'  by 
John  Wygtt  dwellig  in  Poule's  Church  yarde  at  the  sygne  of  the 
Rose."  Machyn,  in  his  Diary,  mentions  many  instances  : — "  The 
vij  day  of  Aprill  (1563)  at  seintt  Katheryns  beyond  the  Toure, 
the  wyff  of  the  syne  of  the  Eose,  a  tavame,  was  set  on  the  pelere 
for  ettjmg  of  rowe  flesse  and  rostyd  boyth,"  which  in  our  modern 
English  means  that  she  was  put  in  the  pillory  for  breaking  fast 
in  Lent. 

The  Eose  Tavern  in  Eussell   Street,  Covent  Garden,  was  a 
noted  place  for  debauchery  in  the  seventeenth  century ;  constant 
allusions  are  made  to  it  in  the  old  plays.     "  In  those  days  a  man 
could  not  go  from  the  Eose  Tavern  to  the  Piazzi  once  but  he 
must   venture  his   life  twice." — Shadwell,  the  Scowrers,  1691. 
"  Oh  no,  never  talk  on't.     There  will  never  be  his  fellow.     Oh  ! 
had  you  seen  him  scower  as  I"  did  ;  oh  !  so  delicately,  so  like  a 
gentleman  !    How  he  cleared  the  Eose  Tavern  !" — Ibid.     In  this 
house,  November  14,  1712,  the  duel  between  the  Duke  of  Hamil- 
ton and  Lord  Mohun  was  arranged,  in  which  the  latter  was  killed. 
In  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne  the  place  was  still  a  great  resort  for 
loose  women  ;  hence  in  the  "Eake  Eeformed,"  1718 — 
"  Not  far  from  thence  appears  a  pendant  sign, 
"Whose  bush  declares  the  product  of  the  vine, 
Where  to  the  traveller's  sight  the  full-blown  Rose 
Its  dazzling  beauties  doth  in  gold  disclose, 
And  painted  faces  flock  in  tallied  cloaths." 
Hogarth  has  represented  one  of  the  rooms  of  the  house  in  his 
"Eake's  Progress."     In  1766  this  tavern  was  swallowed  up  in 
the  enlargements  of  Druiy  Lane  by  Garrick,  but  the  sign  was 
preserved  and  hung  up  against  the  front  wall,  between  the  first 
and  second  floor  windows;* 

Two  other  Eoses,  not  without  thorns,  are  mentioned  by  Tom 
Brown  : — 

"  Between  two  Roses  down  I  fell, 
As  'twixt  two  stools  a  platter ; 
One  held  me  up  exceeding  well, 
Th'  other  did  no  such  matter. 
The  Eose  by  Temple  Bar  gave  wine 
Exchanged  for  chalk,  and  filled  me, 
But  being  for  the  ready  coin, 
The  Rose  in  Wood  Street  killed  me." 

The  "  Eose  by  Temple  Bar"  stood  at  the  comer  of  Thanet  Place. 
Strjfpe  says  it  was  "  a  well  customed  house,  with  good  conveni- 
ences of  rooms  and  a  good  garden."     Walpole  mentions  a  painted 

♦  See  the  engi-aving  in  Pennant's  History  of  London,  vol.  i.  p.  100. 


126  THE  HI8T0MY  OF  SIGNB0ABD8. 

room  in  this  tavern  in  his  letters  of  January  26  and  March  1, 
1776.  The  Eose  in  Wood  Street  was  a  spunging-house  :  "I 
have  been  too  lately  under  their  [the  BayHflfs']  clutches,  to  desire 
any  more  dealings  with  them,  and  I  cannot  come  within  a  furlong 
of  the  Rose  spunging-houte  without  five  or  six  yellow  boys  in  my 
pocket  to  cast  out  those  devils  there,  who  would  otherwise  infal- 
libly take  possession  of  me."^Tom  BrowrCt  Works,  iii.  p.  24. 

Innumerable  other  Kose  inns  and  taverns  might  be  mentioned, 
but  we  wUl  conclude  with  noting  the  Kose  Inn  at  Wokingham, 
once  famous  as  the  resort  of  Pope  and  Gay.  There  was  a  room 
here  called  "  Pope's  room,"  and  a  chair  was  shown  in  which  the 
great  little  man  had  sat.  It  is  also  celebrated  in  the  well-known 
song  of  MoUy  Mog,  attributed  to  Gay,  and  printed  in  Swift's 
"  Miscellanies."  "  This  cruel  fair,  who  was  daughter  of  John 
Mog,  the  landlord  of  that  inn,  died  a  spinster  at  the  age  of  67. 
Mr  Standen  of  Arborfield,  who  died  in  1730,  is  said  to  have 
been  the  enamoured  swain  to  whom  the  song  alludes.  The 
current  tradition  of  the  place  js,  that  Gay  and  his  poetic  friends 
having  met  upon  some  occasion  to  dine  at  the  Rose,  and  being 
detained  within  doors  by  the  weather,  it  was  proposed  that  they 
should  write  a  song,  and  that  each  person  present  should  contri- 
bute a  verse  :  the  subject  proposed  was  the  Fair  Maid  of  the  Inn. 
It  is  said  that  by  mistake  they  wrote  in  praise  of  MoUy,  but  that 
in  fact  it  was  intended  to  apply  to  her  sister  Sally,  who  was  the 
greater  beauty.  A  portrait  of  Gay  stiU  remains  at  the  inn."* 
The  house  at  present  is  changed  into  a  mercer's  shop. 

Sometimes  the  Eose  is  combined  with  other  objects,  as  the 
EosE  AND  Ball,  which  originated  in  the  Eose  as  the  sign  of  a 
mercer,  and  the  BaU  as  the  emblem  or  device  which  sUk 
dealers  formerly  hung  at  their  doors  Hke  the  Berlin  wool  shops 
of  the  present  day.  (iSfee  under  Ball.)  The  Eose  aud  Key 
was  a  sign  in  Cheapside  in  1 682.t  This  combination  looks  like 
a  hieroglyphic  rendering  of  the  phrase,  "  under  the  rose,"  but  the 
key  is  of  very  common  occurrence  in  other  signs,  as  will  be  seen 
presently. 

The  Scotch  Thistle  and  Grown  is  another  not  uncommon 
national  badge,  adopted  mostly  by  publicans  of  North  British 
origin.  The  Ceown  and  Harp  is  less  frequent ;  there  is  one  at 
Bishop's  Cleeve,  Cheltenham.     Of  the  Crown  and  Leek  we 

*  Lyson's  Berkshire,  vol.  i.  p  442. 
i  London  Gazette,  Sept.  18-21,  1682. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 27 

know  only  one  example,  viz.,  in  Dean  Street,  Mile  End;  but 
since  both  the  rose  and  thistle  are  crowned,  why  not  the  leek 
also?  It  is  "a  wholesome  food,"  according  to  Fluellen,  and 
would  no  doubt  look  just  as  well  under  a  crown  as  in  a  Welsh- 
man's cap.  The  Shamrock  also  is  of  common  occurrence,  but 
we  have  never  seen  it  combined  with  the  Crown. 

Among  heraldic  signs  referring  to  towns  are  the  Bible  and 
Three  Ceowns,  the  coat  of  arms  of  Oxford,  which  was  not  un- 
common with  the  booksellers  in  former  times.  To  one  of  them, 
probably,  belonged  the  carved  stone  specimen  walled  up  in  a 
house  at  the  corner  of  Little  Distaff  Lane  and  St  Paul's  Church- 
yard. Such  a  sign  is  also  mentioned  in  a  rather  curious  adver- 
tisement in  the  Postboy,  September  27,  1711  : — 
"  r  I IHIS  IS  to  give  notice  That  ten  Sliillings  over  and  above  the  Market 

J.  price  will  be  given  for  the  Ticket  in  the  £1,500,000  Lottery,  No. 
132,  by  Ifath.  Cliff  at  the  Bible  and  Three  Crowns  in  Cheapside." 

The  Spectator  in  his  191st  number  took  occasion  from  this 
advertisement  to  write  a  very  amusing  paper  on  the  various  lot- 
tery superstitions  with  regard  to  numbers. 

There  is  also  an  Oxford  Arms  Inn  in  Warwick  Lane,  New- 
gate Street ;  a  fine,  old,  galleried  inn,  with  exterior  staircases 
leading  to  the  bed-rooms.     This  was  already  a  carriers'  inn  before 
'the  fire,  as  appears  from  the  following  advertisement : — 
'  rriHESB  ARE  to  give  notice  that  Edward  Barlet,  Oxford  Carrier,  hath 

_L  removed  his  Inn  in  London  from  the  Swan  at  Holborn  Bridge,  to 
the  Oxford  Arms  in  Warwick  Lane,  where  he  did  inne  before  the  fire.  His 
coaches  and  waggons  going  forth  on  their  usual  days,  Mondays,  Wednes- 
days, and  Fridays.  He  hath  also  a  hearse  with  all  tilings  convenient  to 
carry  a  corps  to  any  part  of  England."  * 

The  Buck  in  the  Park,  Curzon  Street,  Derby,  is  the  ver- 
nacular rendering  of  the  arms  of  that  town,  which  are — a  hart 
cumbant  on  a  mount,  in  a  park  paled,  all  proper.  The  Three 
Legs  was  the  sign  of  a  bookseller  named  Thomas  Cockerill,  over 
against  Grocer's  Hall,  in  the  Poultry,  about  1700.  Sometimes  his 
house  is  designated  on  his  publications  as  the  Three  Legs  and 
Bible.  These  three  legs  were  the  Manx  arms.  It  is  stUl  a  not 
uncommon  alehouse  sign.  There  is  one,  for  instance,  in  Call 
Lane,  Leeds,  which  is  known  to  the  lower  classes  under  the  jocular 
denomination  of  "  the  kettle  with  three  spouts." 

County  arms  also  are  sometimes  represented  on  the  signboards ; 
as  the  Fifteen  Balls,  (which  refer  to  the  Cornish  arms,  fifteen 

•  London  Gazette,  March  12, 1672-3. 


I  28  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

roundles  arranged  in  triangular  form)  at  Union  Street,  Bodmin, 
Cornwall ;  One  and  All,  the  motto  of  the  county  of  Cornwall, 
occurs  at  Cheapside,  St  SeHers,  Jersey;  and  in  Market  Jew 
Street,  Penzance.  This  motto  has,  besides  the  advantage  of 
being  a  hearty  appeal  to  all  the  thirsty  sons  of  Bacchus,  and  will 
call  to  the  mind  of  a  thoughtful  toper,  the  relative  position  of 
one  and  many,  or  all,  as  explained  by  the  al-fresco  artists,  who 
decorate  the  pavement  in  Piccadilly — "  Many  can  help  one,  one 
cannot  help  many."  The  Stappoedshiee  Knot  is  common  in 
the  pottery  districts ;  besides  these  almost  every  county  is  repre- 
sented by  its  own  arms,  such  as  the  Noethttmbbeland  Aems,  &c., 
but  about  these  nothing  need  be  said. 

The  Three  Balls  of  the  pawnbrokers  are  taken  from  the 
lower  part  of  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Dukes  of  Medici,  from 
whose  states,  and  from  Lombardy,  nearly  aU  the  early  bankers 
came.  These  capitalists  also  advanced  money  on  valuable  goods, 
and  hence  gradually  became  pawnbrokers.  The  arms  of  the 
Medici  family  were  five  bezants  azure,  whence  the  balls  formerly 
were  blue,  and  only  within  the  last  half  century  have  assumed  a 
golden  exterior,  evidently  to  gdd  the  piU  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. 

The  Lion  and  Castle,  of  which  there  are  a  few  instances, 
(Cherry  Garden  Stairs,  Eotherhithe,  for  example,)  need  not  be 
derived  from  royal  marriage  alliances  with  Spain,  as  it  may  simply 
have  been  borrowed  from  the  brand  of  the  Spanish  arms  on  the 
sherry  casks,  and  have  been  put  up  by  the  landlord  to  indicate  the 
sale  of  genuine  Spanish  wines,  such  as  sack,  canary,  mountain. 

The  Flower  de  Luce  was  a  frequent  English  sign  in  old 
times,  either  taken  from  the  quartering  of  the  French  arms  with 
the  English,  or  set  up  as  a  compliment  to  private  families  who 
bear  this  charge  in  their  arms  or  as  crest.  The  preface  of  "  Edyth, 
the  lying  widow,"  ends  with  these  words  : — 

"  In  the  cyte  of  Exeter  by  West  away  - 
The  time  not  passed  hence  many  a  day, 
There  dwelled  a  yoman  dieoret  and  wise. 
At  the  siggne  of  the  Flower  de  lyse 
Which  had  to  name  John  Hawkyn." 

Tokens  are  extant  of  an  inn  at  Dover,  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
with  the  sian  of  the  French  Aems,  a  tavern  name  suiEciently  com 


PLATE  IX. 


GOOSE  ANU  BRIDIKON. 
(St  Paul's  Churchyard,  circa  1800.) 


AKGEL  AKD  GLOVE. 
(Harleiau  Collection,  1710.) 


THKEE  KINGS. 
{Banks's  Collection,  1720.) 


'^^^ 


MARY  GOLD, 
CbUd's  Bank,  Fleet  Street,  circa  1670.) 


GUT  OF  WARWICK. 
{Roxburghe  BaUads,  circa  1650.) 


HERALDIC  A  ND  EMBLEM  A  TIC.  1 2  9 

mon  also  in  London  at  that  period  to  attract  the  travellers  from 
across  the  Channel.  Thus  James  Johnson  was  a  goldsmith,  "  that 
kept  running  cash," — i.e.,  a  banker, — ^in  Cheapside,  in  1677,  living 
at  the  sign  of  the  Theee  Flo'w^er  de  Luces.*  In  the  fifteenth 
century,  Gascon  merchants  and  other  strangers  in  London  were 
allowed  to  keep  hostels  for  their  countrymen,  and,  in  order  to  get 
known,  they  most  likely  put  up  the  arms  of  those  countries  as 
their  signs.  No  doubt  the  Theee  Feogs,  London  Koad,  Woking- 
ham, is  a  travesty  of  Johnny  Crapaud's  Arms. 

Boursault,t  in  his  letter  to  Bizotin,  has  a  burst  of  indignation 
at  a  "fournisseur  "  of  something  or  other  to  the  royal  family,  who 
had  adopted  as  his  sign  the  EifGEisH  Aems,  with  the  arms  of 
France  in  the  first  quarter,  and  endeavours  to  call  down  the  ire 
of  the  Parisian  police  iipon  the  head  of  the  unfortunate  shop- 
keeper who  had  committed  this  act  of  treason  : — 

"  Laissons  I'Angleterre  Be  repaitre  de  oliimeres,"  saith  he,  "et  s'imaginer 
que  ses  souverains  Boiit  Eois  de  France,  mais  que  des  Frangais  soyent  assez 
ignorants,  ou  assez  mauvais  sujets,  pour  mettre  les  armes  de  France  &ar- 
telea  dans  oellea  d'Angleterre,  c'est  ce  que  des  sujets  aussi  zelez  que  Mon- 
Bieur  d'Argenson  eb  les  autres  officiers  preposez  pour  la  police  ne  doiyent 
nullement  souffrir."  $ 

He  next,  in  a  threatening  manner,  reminds  the  poor  shopkeeper 
how,  according  to  "  Candem  \siG\  Historien  Angloys,"  Queen  Mary 
Stuart  was  beheaded  for  having  quartered  the  English  arms  with 
those  of  Scotland,  though  she  was  the  heir-presumptive  of  the 
English  throne  j  and  if  such  was  the  fate  of  that  queen,  what  then 
did  the  man  deserve  who  quartered  the  arms  of  his  sovereign  with 
those  of  a  foreign  king  ?  Indeed  he  deserved  the  same  fate  as 
the  arms. 

Another  sign,  apparently  of  French  origin,  is  the  Dolphiit  and 
Crown,  the  armorial  bearing  of  the  French  Dauphin,  and  the 
sign  of  B,.  Willington,  a  bookseller  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard 
circa  1700.  Some  years  after,  this  house  seems  to  have  been 
occupied  by  James  Young,  a  famous  maker  of  violins  and  other 
musical  instruments,  who  lived  at  the  west  comer  of  London 

*  Little  London  Directory  for  1677,  the  oldest  printed  lists  of  bankers  and  merchants 
in  London,  reprinted,  witli  historical  introduction  by  John  Camden  Hotten,  1863, 

t  A  very  amusing  French  author  of  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.,  celebrated,  for  his  witty 
letters. 

{  *'Let  England  amuse  herself  with  idle  fancies,  and  imagine  that  her  kings  are  kings 
of  France ;  but  that  there  be  Frenchmen  who  are  ignorant  enough,  or  bad  subjects 
enough,  to  quarter  the  arms  of  Prance  with  those  of  England,  that  is  a  thing  which 
such  zealous  subjects  as  M.  d'Argenson,  and  the  other  police  magistrates,  ought  by  no 
means  to  pei-mit" 

B 


I30 


THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


House  Yard,  St  Paul's  Churchyard.  On  this  man  the  following 
catch  appeared  in  the  Pleasant  Musicall  Gompanion,  1726  : — 

"  You  scrapers  that  want  a  good  fiddle  well  strung, 
Ton  must  go  to  the  man  that  is  old  while  he's  Young ; 
But  if  this  same  fiddle  you  fain  would  play  bold, 
Tou  must  go  to  his  son,  who's  Young  when  he's  old. 
There's  old  Young  and  young  Young,  both  men  of  renown  : 
Old  sells  and  young  plays  the  best  fiddle  in  town. 
Young  and  old  live  together,  and  may  they  live  long — 
Young  to  play  an  old  fiddle,  old  to  sell  a  new  song." 

This  Young  family  afterwards  removed  to  the  Queen's  Head 
Tavern  in  Paternoster  Kow,  where  in  a  few  years  they  grew  rich 
by  giving  concerts,  when  they  removed  to  the  Castle  in  the 
same  street.  The  Castle  concerts  continued  a  long  time  to  be 
celebrated. 

Many  signs  are  exceedingly  puzzling  under  the  name  by  which 
they  pass  with  the  public.  Such  was  that  of  "  Kowland  Hall,  dwell- 
ing in  Guttur  Lane,  at  the  sygne  of  the  Half  Eagle  aitd  Key." 
TMs  quaint  sign  is  no  other  than  the  arms  of  Greneva,  described 
in  the  non-heraldic  language  of  the  mob.  Rowland  Hall,  a 
bookseller  and  printer,  lived  as  a  refugee  in  Geneva  during  the 
reign  of  Queen  Mary ;  hence  on  his  return  to  London  he  set  up 
the  arms  of  that  town  for  his  sign,  as  a  graceful  compUment  to 
the  hospitality  he  had  received,  and  as  a  tribute  of  admiration  to 
stanch  Protestantism.  Hall,  at  other  periods  of  his  life,  lived 
at  the  Cradle  in  Lombard  Street,  and  at  the  Three  Arrows 
in  Golden  Lane,  Cripplegate.  In  1769  there  was  again  the 
Geneva  Arms  among  the  London  signs,  before  the  shop  of  Le 
Grand,  a  "  pastery-cook  and  cook,"  as  he  styled  himself,  in 
Church  Street,  Soho.  Formerly  most  pastry-cooks  and  con- 
fectioners were  Swiss,  and  many  from  that  country  still  follow 
those  professions  in  Italy,  Spain,  and  recently  in  England.  This 
last  sign  has  found  imitators  in  Soho  ;  for  at  the  present  day  it 
figures  at  a  public-house  in  Hayes  Court,  where  it  is  put  up,  no 
doubt,  in  honour  of  the  spirit  which  many  call  Geneva,  but 
which  we  may  name  Gin.  The  origin  of  this  name,  as  applied 
by  publicans,  is  not  a  little  curious.  In  HoUand  the  juniper- 
berry  is  used  for  flavouring  the  gin  or  hoUands  which  they 
distU  there,  and  this,  with  the  vulgar  in  that  country,  has 
gradually  become  corrupted  from  Juniper  to  Jenever,  the  latter 
term  being  stUl  further  corrupted  here  to  Geneva,  and  Gin. 


EtlRALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  131 

The  Cross  Keys  are  the  arms  of  the  Papal  See,  the  emblem  of 
St  Peter  and  hia  successors : — 

"  Two  massy  keys  he  bore,  of  metals  twain ; 
The  golden  opes,  the  iron  shuts  amaine." 

Milton. 

This  sign  was  frequently  adopted  by  innkeepers  and  other  tenants 
of  religious  houses,  even  after  the  Keformation ;  for  the  Cross 
Keys  figure  in  the  arms  of  the  Bishops  of  York,  Cashel,  Exeter, 
Gloster,  and  Peterborough.  At  the  Cross  Keys  in  Gracechurch 
Street,  where  Tarlton,  the  comic  actor,  went  to  see  fashions. 
Banks  used  to  perform  with  his  wonderful  bay  horse  before 
a  crowded  house.  This  was  in  the  days  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
when  the  inn  consisted  of  a  large  court  with  galleries  all  round, 
which,  like  many  other  old  London  inns,  was  often  used  as  an 
extempore  theatre  by  our  ancestors.  It  is  named  in  1681* 
amongst  the  carriers'  inns,  and  is  in  existence  at  the  present  day. 
The  Cross  Keys  was  the  sign  of  a  tavern  near  Thavies  Inn  in 
1712  :— 

"  May  the  Cross  Keys  near  Thavies  Inn  succeed, 
And  famous  grow  for  choicest  white  and  red ; 
That  aU  may  know,  who  view  that  costly  sign. 
Those  golden  keys  command  celestial  wine." 

■  T!ie  Quack  Vintners.    A  Satire,    1712. 

Besides,  it  is  famous  as  the  sign  of  Bernard  Lintot,  1736,  the 
publisher  of  Gay's  works,  and  many  other  popular  books  of  that 
day.  His  shop  was  situated  between  the  Temple  Gates,  in  Fleet 
Street.  The  Ckoss  Keys  and  Bible  was  the  sign  of  J.  Bell,  in 
Comhill,  1711. 

Most  numerous  among  heraldic  signs  were  the  crests,  arms, 
and  badges  t  of  private  families.     The  causes  which  dictated  the 

*  Thoa.  Delaune's  Present  State  of  London,  1681. 

t  These  badges  consisted  of  the  master's  arms,  crest,  or  device,  either  on  a  small 
silver  shield  or  embroidered  on  a  piece  of  cloth,  and  fastened  on  the  left  arm  of  sexvants. 
A  ballad  in  the  Boxburgh  collection  thus  alludes  to  this  custom :  * — 
"  The  nobles  of  our  Land 

were  much  delighted  then, 
To  have  at  their  command 

a  Crue  of  lustie  Men, 
Which  by  their  Coats  were  knowne, 

of  Tawnie,  Bed,  or  Blue  ; 
With  crests  on  their  sleeves  showne 
when  this  old  cap  was  new." 

*  "  Time's  alteration ; 
or. 
The  old  man's  rehearsall  what  brave  days  he  knew 
A  great  while  agone,  when  his  old  cap  was  new." 

Box.  Ball.,  i.  fol  407. 


X  3  2  THE  HISTOB  Y  OF  SIQNBOA  RD8. 

choice  of  such  subjects  were  various.     One  of  the  earliest  was 
this : — 

"  In  towns  the  hospitality  of  the  burghers  was  not  always  given  gratis, 
for  it  was  a  common  custom  even  amongst  the  richer  merchants  to  make  a 
profit  by  receiving  guests.  These  letters  of  lodgings  were  distinguished 
from  the  innteepera  or  Jwstelers  by  the  name  of  herbergeorg,  or  people  who 
gave  harbour  to  strangers,  and  in  large  towns  they  were  submitted  to 
municipal  regulations.  The  great  barons  and  knights  were  in  the  custom 
of  taking  np  their  lodgings  with  those  herbergeors  rather  than  going  to  the 
public  hostel,  and  thus  a  sort  of  relationship  was  formed  between  particu- 
lar nobles  or  tiugs  and  particular  burghers,  on  the  strength  of  which  the 
latter  adopted  ilic  arms  of  tlieir  habitual  lodgers  as  their  sign."  * 
This,  again,  led  to  the  custom  of  prefixing  to  inns  the  arms  of 
men  of  note  who  had  sojourned  in  the  house,  as  may  be  seen  in 
Madiyn's  Dipry : — "  Th.e  xxv  day  of  January  [1560]  toke  ys 
gorney  into  Transe,  inbassadur  to  the  Frenche  kyng,  the  yerle  of 
Bedford  and  he  had  iij  dozen  of  logyng  sicochycms"  ^odging 
escutcheons).  Thus,  on  the  road  from  London  to  Westchester 
the  coats  of  arms  of  several  of  the  lord-lieutenants  of  Ireland 
might  formerly  have  been  observed,  either  as  signs  to  inns  or 
else  framed  and  hang  in  the  best  rooms.  That  this  was  a 
general  custom  with  ambassadors  appears  from  Sir  Dudley 
Dlgge's  "  Compleat  Ambssador,"  1654;  who,  alluding  in  his 
preface  to  the  reserve  of  English  ambassadors,  observes  : — "  We 
have  hardly  any  notion  of  them  but  their  arms,  which  are  hung 
up  in  inus  where  they  passed."  Montaigne  also  mentions  this 
practice  as  usual  in  France  : — ''  A  PlombiSres  il  me  commanda  ^ 
la  favenr  de  sen  hostesse,  selon  Vhumeur  de  la  nation,  de  laisser 
un  escusson  de  ses  armes  en  bois,  qu'un  peintre  dudict  Ueu  fist 
pour  tin  escu;  et  le  fist  I'hostesse  curieusement  attacker  d,  la 
murailh  pas  deJmrs."f 

But  the  feudal  relations  between  the  higher  and  lower  classes 
contributed  above  all  to  the  adoption  of  this  description  of  signs. 
A  vassal,  for  instance,  would  set  up  the  arms  or  crest  of  his 

stow  gives  us  a  good  picture  of  a  great  nobleman's  retinue  in  the  good  old  time,  before 
the  nobility  took  to  liotftl-keeping : — "  The  k.te  JiJavl  of  Oxfor(i,  father  to  him  that  now 
liyeth,  has  been  noted  within  these  forty  years,  to  have  ridden  into  this  city  and  so 
to  his  lionse  by  l.ordon  Stouo,  with  eighty  gentlemen,  in  a  livery  of  Reading  tawny,  and 
chains  of  gold  about  tl>ej;-  necks,  before  him,  and  one  hundred  tall  yeomen  in  the  like 
livery  to  follov;  him,  without  chaius,  but  all  having  his  coi,nis,auce  cf  the  Uue  ioar 
embroidered  on  their  left  shoulder."  These  badges  fell  into  disuse  in  the  reign  of 
James  I. 

*  Wright's  Domestic  Manners  and  Sentiments  in  England  during  the  Middle  Ares, 
p.  333. 

t  "  At  Flombiei'es  he  ordered  mc  to  leave  with  his  hostess,  according  to  the  fiishion  of 
the  country,  an  escutcheon  of  his  arms  in  wood,  which  a  painter  of  that  town  made  for 
a  crown  •  and  the  hostess  had  it  carefully  hung  uDon  the  wall  outside  the  house." 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 33 

feudal  lord;  a  retired  soldier  the  arms  of  the  knight  under 
whose  banneret  he  had  gathered  both  glory  and  plunder ;  an  old 
servant  the  badge  he  had  worn  when  he  stood  at  the  trencher,  or 
followed  his  master  in  the  chase ;  and,  doubtless,  many  publicans 
adopted  for  their  sign  the  badge  of  the  neighbouring  wealthy 
noble,  in  order  to  court  the  custom  of  his  household  and  servants. 
Bagford,  in  his  MS.  notes  about  the  art  of  printing,*  has 
jotted  down  a  list  of  signs  originated  from  badges,  which  we  will 
transcribe  in  all  the  unrestrained  freedom  of  Bagford's  spelling, 
in  which,  as  weU  as  in  bad  writing,  he  surpassed  all  his  con- 
temporaries, (see  note,  p.  102  :) — 

"  Then  for  ye  original  of  Eignes  used  to  be  set  over  ye  doners  of  trades- 
men, as  Inkepers,  Taverns,  etc.,  thay  hauing  been  domestic  saruants  to 
some  nobleman,  thay  leaning  ther  Masters  saruis  toke  to  themselves  for 
ther  signes  ye  crest,  bag,+  or  ye  arms  of  ther  Ld.,  and  thes  was  a  destinc- 
sion  or  Mark  of  one  Manues  house  from  anouthor,  and  [not]  only  by 
printers  but  all  outher  trades  :  and  these  seruants  of  kinges,  queenes,  or 
noblemen,  being  ther  domestick  saruants,  and  wor  ther  LeuirsJ  and 
Bages,  as  may  be  sene  these  day  ye  mauer  of  the  Leuirs  and  Bagges  by  ye 
wattermen : — 
The  Aktelop  was  ye  bag  of  Kg.  Heneiy  ye  8,  as  wel  as  ye  porculouses  § 

and  ye  Eose  and  Crown. 
•  Ancoe,  Gould,  ye  Ld.  of  Linoolne  and  ye  Lord  High  Admiral] . 
BnLL,  Black,  with  gould  homes,  ye  House  of  Clarence. 
Boll,  Dun,   ye   Lcrd    Nevill,   Westmoreland,  Bui-gayne,   Latimer,   and 

Southamton. 
BouK :  White,  ye  Lord  Winsor;  Blea  with  a  MuUit,  ye  Earle  of  Oxford. 
Bucket  and  Chase,  ye  Lord  Wills. 
Baee  and  Ragged  Siatfe,  ye  Earle  of  Lester. 
Bare,  Black,  ye  Earle  of  Warwieke. 
Bake,  White,  ye  Earle  of  Kent. 
Beaks  Head  Muscled,  ye  Lord  Morley. 
EoE  Btick,  ye  Lord  Moutaoute. 

Bulls  head  erased :  White,  ye  Ld.  Wharton ;  Eed,  ye  Lord  Ogle. 
Cbesoekt  or  baleb  Moukb,  ye  Earle  of  Northumberland  and  ye  Tem 

poralati. 
CoNDY,  black,  ye  Ld.  Bray. 
Cat,  ye  Lord  Eaers ;  Cat  of  Mount  and  Leper,l|  Mar.  of  Worster  and  ye 

Ld.  Buckhurst. 
Cbosses   and  Mittees,  and   Ceoss    Ketes,  Archbishop  and  Bishopes, 

Abbots. 
Cabdetales  Capes  or  hat,  you  have  not  meney  of  them,  the  war  set  up 

by  sume  that  had  ben  seruants  to  Tho.  WoUsey. 
Dbagon  :  Black,  WilsherU  and  Clifford ;    Eed,  Cumberland ;    Greene,  ye 

Earle  of  Pembrocke. 

•  narl.  MSS.,  5910,  vol.  ii.  p.  167.  t  Badge.  J  Liveries. 

S  Portcullises.  II  Leopard.  ^  Wiltshire. 


134  fHE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

Eagle,  ye  Earle  of  Cambridge;  Eaqel  and  Childe,  ye  Earle  of  Derby ; 
Black,  ye  Lord  Norris. 

Eagle,  sprede,  ye  Emperour. 

Elsphaht,  Sr.  Ffranoes  Knowles,  (and  Henery  Wyke,  a  printer,  liuing  in 
Fletstrete,  1670,  was  saruant  to  Sr.  Pfr.  Knowles,  gaue  ye  Elephant 
for  his  signe,)  and  likwise  it  was  ye  bag  of  ye  Lord  Beamont  and  ye 
Ld.  Sandes. 

Phenix,  ye  Lord  Hertford,  and  ye  sign  tha.t Mansell  [set  up,]  Copper, 

etc.* 

Ffox,  Red,  Gloster  and  ye  Bishop  of  Winchester. 

Ffaloolne,  ye  Marquess  of  Winchester;  armed  and  collered,  ye  Ld.  St 
John  and  Ld.  Zouch. 

Gkipes  Ffoot,  ye  Ld.  Stanley. 

GoTTE,  ye  Earle  of  Bedford. 

Grathond,  ye  Ld.  Clenton,  Druery,  and  ye  Lord  Eich-f 

Gbifpen,  ye  Ld.  Wintworth. 

Habfe,  for  bland. 

Hedqb-Hoo,  Sr.  Henery  Sidney ;  Will.  Seeres  was  his  printeiS. 

Hind,  Sr.  Christopher  Haton;  Hen.  Beneyman  his  printer. 

Look,  ye  House  of  Suffolcke.    Such  a  sign  without  Temple  Bar. 

Lion,  Bleu,,  Denmarke. 

Lion,  Red,  Bampant,  Scotland. 

Lion,  White,  Pasant,  ye  Earl  of  March. 

Lion,  White,  Bampant,  ITorfolk  and  all  ye  Hawardes. 

Maiden  Head,  ye  Duck  of  Buckingam. 

POEICULLIS,  ye  Earle  of  Somerset,  Wayles,  and  ye  Lord  of  Worster. 

The  Pte,  ye  Ld.  Beuiers.j: 

Pelican,  ye  Lord  CromweU. 

Pecooke,  ye  Earle  of  Rutland. 

Plum  of  Pfeathers,  ye  Earle  of  Lincolne ;  azure,  ye  Lord  Scrope. 

Rauen,  White,  ye  Earle  of  Comberland. 

Bauen,  Blacke,  ye  King  of  Scots. 

SwANE,  ye  Ducke  of  Buckingham,  Gloster,  Hartford,  Hunsdon,  Staf- 
ford. 

SuNE,  ye  Spirituallaty,  ye  Lord  Willoby  and  York. 

Staffe  :  White  Ragged,  Warwick ;  Black,  Kent. 

Starke,  ye  Earle  of  Sussen  and  ye  Lord  Pfitzwalter. 

Sakason  Head,  ye  Ld.  Audley  and  ye  Ld.  Cobham. 

Talbot,  ye  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  and  ye  Lord  Mountagew. 

Tiger's  Head^  Sr.  Ffranois  Walsingam. 

Whbte-sheafe,  ye  Earle  of  Exeter,  ye  Lord  Hurley,  etc. 

Ape,  clogged,  ye  House  of  Suffolcke. 

Butterflie,  white,  ye  Lord  Audle. 

Camel,  ye  Earle  of  Worster. 

Ye  3  FLUER  DE  LirsES,  ye  King  of  Prance. 

Fooles  Head,  ye  Earle  of  Bath. 

Grathond,  ye  Ld.  Clinton ;  white,  ye  f ameley  of  ye  Druriea. 

*  A  transcript  adds  to  these  the  names  of  Archbishop  Parker  and  Jugge. 
t  This  statement  is  modified  lower  down.  J  Rivera. 


HEBA  LDIG  A  ND  EMBLEM  A  TIC.  1 3  5 

Grathondes  Head,  ye  Lord  Rich. 

Habt,  White,  Kg.  Kiohard  ye  2  and  Sir  Walter  Rowley.* 

Horse,  White,  ye  Earle  of  Arondele. 

HoRNES,  2  of  sduer,^  ye  Ld.  Cheney. 

MiLSAXE  or  WlNDMiL,  ye  Lord  Willobe. 

Rose  in  tb  Sunbeams,  ye  Ld.  Wardon  of  ye  8  ports. 

Spearhead,  Pembroke. 

Vnicorne,  White,  ye  Ld.  Windsor. 

The  arms  of  the  lord  of  the  manor  were  often  put  up  as  a  sign, 
— a  custom  that  has  continued  to  our  day,  particularly  in  villages, 
where  the  inn  invariably  displays  the  name  or  coat-armour  of  the 
ground-landlord,  whose  steward  once  or  twice  in  the  year  meets 
at  the  house  the  tenantry  with  their  rents  and  land  dues.  Should 
the  estate  pass  into  other  hands,  the  inn  will  most  probably  change 
its  sign  for  the  arms  of  the  new  purchaser.  The  house,  as  it 
were,  wears  the  livery  of  the  master,  although,  so  far  as  heralds' 
visitations  are  concerned,  this  may  be  as  unauthorised  as  many 
other  advertisements  of  noble  descent,  or  gentle  extraction,  in  use 
amongst  the  wealthy  and  the  proud. 

In  ancient  times,  as  we  have  seen,  the  great  landowners  per- 
formed the  duties  of  innkeepers,  and  their  arms  were  hung  or 
carved  at  the  entrances  to  the  castles,  as  indications  to  wayfarers 
who  was  the  lord  and  master  in  those  parts.  The  keep  in  those 
days  was  rarely  without  a  stranger  or  two,  either  travelling 
mechanics  or  persons  acquainted  with  mysteries, — as  trades  and 
professions  were  termed  in  those  days, — or  vagabond  soldiers  on 
the  tramp  for  a  new  master  to  fight  under.  Greater  people  were 
admitted  further  in  the  castle,  but  the  common  sort  fared  with 
the  servants.  According  to  the  good-nature  of  the  all-powerful 
lord  was  the  fare  good  or  bad,  plentiful  or  meagre.  It  was,  how- 
ever, generally  the  custom  in  those  early  times  to  be  profuse  in 
all  matters  of  food-bounty.  The  house-steward  made  charges  for 
any  extras,  and  the  comfort  obtainable  generally  depended  on  the 
liberality  or  greediness  of  these  personages.  As  population  in- 
creased, travellers  became  too  numerous  for  the  accommodation 
provided.  Stewards  also  became  old,  and  detached  premises  were 
given  or  built  for  them  to  carry  on  the  business  away  from  the 
castle  or  great  house.  The  arms  of  the  landlord  were  of  course 
put  up  outside  the  house,  and  on  occasion  of  predatory  excur- 
sions or  family  fights,  when  other  nobles  joined  their  troops  with 
those  of  the  kndlord,  the  soldiers  were  usually  quartered  at  the 

•  Baleigh.  f  SUver, 


1 36  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

inn  outside  the  castle.  As  in  all  cases  of  public  resort,  people 
soon  began  to  have  fancies,  and  this  Ked  Lion  and  that  Grey- 
hound became  famous  through  the  country  for  the  good  enter- 
tainment to  be  had  there.  In  this  manner  Eed  Lions  and 
Greyhounds  found  their  way  on  to  the  signboards  of  the  inns 
within  the  walled  cities.  The  men  of  the  castle,  too,  used  those 
houses  bearing  their  master's  arms  when  they  visited  the  town. 
It  will  be  readily  seen  that  the  name  of  a  favourite  tavern  would 
quickly  suggest  its  adoption  elsewhere,  and  in  this  way  the  heraldic 
emblem  of  a  family  might  be  carried  where  that  famUy  was 
neither  known  nor  feared. 

Latterly,  however,  as  all  traces  of  the  origin  and  meaning  of 
these  "  Arms  "  have  died  out,  or  become  removed  from  the  under- 
standing of  publicans  and  brewers,  the  uses  to  which  the  word 
has  been  applied  are  most  absurd  and  ridiculous.  Not  only  do 
we  meet  constantly  with  arms  of  families  nobody  ever  heard  of, 
nor  cares  to  hear  about,  but  all  sorts  of  impossible  "  Arms"  are 
invented,  as  Junction  Aems,  Griffin's  Asms,  Chaffcitttee's 
Akms,  Union  Aems,*  Geneeai's  Arms,  AcfiiGALLicAN  Aems, 
Faembes'  Aems,  Deovbes'  Aems,  &c.,  {see  Introduction.) 

In  tavern  heraldry  the  Adam's  Aems  ought  certainly  to  have 
the  precedence  :  the  publicans  generally  represent  these  by  a 
pewter  pot  and  a  couple  of  crossed  tobacco  pipes,  differing  in  this 
from  Sylvanus  Morgan,  a  writer  on  heraldry,  who  says  that 
Adam's  arms  were  "  Paly  Tranchy  divided  every  way  and  tinc- 
tured of  every  colour,  "t  The  shield  was  in  the  shape  of  a  spade, 
which  was  used 

"  When  Adam  delved  and  Eve  span," 
whilst  from  the  spindle  of  our  first  mother  the  female  lozenge- 
shaped  shield  is  said  to  be  derived. 

One  of  the  most  popular  heraldic  signs  is  the  Beab  and 
Ragged  Staff,  the  crest  of  the  Warwick  family  : — 

•  The  TTnioh  Asms  in  Fanton  Street,  Eiymarket,  was  the  pnbliohonse  of  Cribb,  the 
pugilist  champion,  a  fact  commemorated  by  a  poet  of  the  prize  ring,  in  all  probability 
a  better  "fist"  at  smashing  than  at  "wooing  the  Muses :" — 
"  The  champion  I  see  is  again  on  the  list, 
His  standard — the  TTniun  Arms. 
His  customers  still  he  will  serve  with  his  fis^ 

But  without  creating  alarms. 
Instead  of  a  fioorcr,  he  tips  them  a  glasa, 

Divested  of  joking  or  fib ; 
Then,  '  lads  of  the  fancy,'  don't  Tom's  house  pa39^ 
But  take  a  hand  at  the  game  of  Cr%i)b" 
t  Sylvanus  Morgan's  Sphere  of  Gentry.    Iiondon,  1661. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMA  TIC.  I  3 '/ 

"  War.  Now,  by  my  father's  badge,  old  Nevil's  crest,  - 
The  rampant  bear  chain'd  to  the  ragged  staff. 
This  day  I  '11  wear  aloft  my  burgonet." 

Henry  VI.,  Part  II.  a.  v.  s.  1. 

Arthgal,  the  first  Earl  of  Warwick,  in  the  time  of  King 
Arthur,  was  called  by  the  ancient  British  the  Bear,  for  having 
strangled  such  an  animal  in  his  arms ;  and  Morvidius,  another 
ancestor  of  this  house,  slew  a  giant  with  a  club  made  out  of 
a  young  tree ;  hence  the  family  bore  the  Bear  and  Eagged 
Staff. 

"When  Eobert  Dudley  was  governor  in  the  Low  Countries 
with  the  high  title  of  his  Excellencie,  disusing  his  own  coat  of 
the  Green  Lion  *  with  two  taUs,  he  signed  all  instruments  with 
the  crest  of  the  Bear  and  Bagged  Staff.  He  was  then  suspected 
by  many  of  his  jealous  adversaries  to  hatch  an  ambitious  design 
to  make  himself  absolute  commander  (as  the  lion  is  king  of 
beasts)  over  the  Low  Countries.  Whereupon  some — ^foes  to  his 
faction  and  friends  to  the  Dutch  freerlom — wrote  under  his  crest 
set  up  in  public  places  : — 

'  Ursa  caret  cauda,  non  queat  esse  leo.' 
'  The  Bear  he  never  can  prevail 
To  lion  it  for  lack  of  taU.' 

Which  gave  rise  to  a  Warwickshire  proverb,  in  use  at  this  day, — 
Tlie  Bear  wants  a  tail  and  cannot  he  a  Lionr\ 

The  Bear  and  Eagged  Staff  is  stUl  the  sign  of  an  inn  at  Cum- 
nor,  to  which  an  historic  interest  is  attached  owing  to  its  connexion 
with  the  dark  tragedy  of  poor  Amy  Eobsart,  who  in  this  very 
house  fell  a  victim  to  that  stony-hearted  adventurer,  Eobert 
Dudley,  Earl  of  Leicester.  Sir  Walter  Scott  has  introduced  the 
house  in  the  first  chapter  of  "  KenUworth."  The  power  the 
Warwick  family  once  enjoyed  gave  this  sign  a  popularity  which 
has  existed  to  the  present  day,  though  the  race  of  old  Nevil,  and 
the  kings  he  made  and  unmade,  have  each  and  all  passed  away. 
Its  heraldic  designation  has  been  better  preserved  than  is  the  case 
of  some  other  signs ;  only  in  one  instance,  at  Lower  Bridge  Street, 
Chester,  it  has  been  altered  into  the  Beau  and  Billet.  Some- 
times the  sign  of  the  Bear  and  Eagged  Staff,  we  may  inform  the 
reader,  is  jocularly  spoken  of  as  the  Angel  and  Flute. 

The  Eagged  Staff  figures  also  in  single  blessedness.     A  car- 

*  There  is  a  sign  of  the  Geees  Lion  in  Short  Street,  Cambridge,  the  only  one  I  have 
ever  seen, 
t  Fuller,  in  voce  Warwickshire.  - 


I  38  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

riers'  inn  in  West  Smitlifield  possessed  this  sign  in  1682.*  In 
tie  wall  of  a  house  at  the  comer  of  Little  St  Andrew  Street  and 
West  Street,  St  Giles,  there  is  still  a  stone  bas-relief  sign  of  two 
ragged  staves  placed  salterwise,  with  the  initials  S.  F.  6.,  and 
the  date  1691.  It  was  doubtless  put  there  as  a  compliment  to 
Eobert  Sydney,  Earl  of  Leicester,  who  in  the  reign  of  Charles  11. 
buUt  Leicester  House,  which  gave  a  name  to  Leicester  Fields,  now 
the  site  of  Leicester  Square.  Stow  mentions  that  the  king-maker, 
Eichard  Warwick,  came  to  town  for  the  convention  of  1458, 
accompanied  by  600  men,  all  in  red  jackets,  "  embroidered  with 
ragged  staves  before  and  behind." 

Equally  well  known  with  the  last  sign  is  that  of  the  Eagle 
AND  Child,  occasionally  called  the  Bled  and  Bantling,  to 
obtain  the  favourite  alliteration.  It  represents  the  crest  of  the 
Stanley  family,  and  the  following  legend  is  told  to  account  for 
its  origin  : — In  the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  Sir  Thomas  Latham, 
ancestor  of  the  house  of  Stanley  and  Derby,  had  only  one  legiti- 
mate child,  a  daughter  named  Isabel,  but  at  the  same  time  he 
had  an  illegitimate  son  by  a  certain  Mary  Oscatell.  This  child 
he  ordered  to  be  laid  at  the  foot  of  a  tree  on  which  an  eagle  had 
built  its  nest.  Taking  a  walk  with  his  lady  over  the  estate,  he 
contrived  to  bring  her  past  this  place,  pretended  to  find  the  boy, 
took  him  home,  and  finally  prevailed  upon  her  to  adopt  him  as 
their  son.  This  boy  was  afterwards  called  Sir  Oscatell  Latham, 
and  considered  the  heir  to  the  estates.  Compunction  or  other 
motive,  however,  made  the  old  nobleman  alter  his  mind  and  con- 
fess the  fraud,  and  at  his  death  the  greater  part  of  the  fortune 
was  left  to  his  daughter,  who  afterwards  married  Sir  John 
Stanley.  At  the  adoption  of  the  child,  Sir  Thomas  had  assumed 
for  crest  an  eagle  looking  backwards ;  this,  out  of  iU  feeling 
towards  Sir  Oscatell,  was  afterwards  altered  into  an  eagle  preying 
upon  a  child.  How  matters  were  afterwards  arranged  may  be 
seen  in  "  Memoirs  containing  a  Genealogical  and  Historical 
Account  of  the  House  of  Stanley,"  p.  22.  Manchester,  1767. 
Bishop  Stanley  made  an  historical  poem  upon  the  legend,  which 
is  not  without  parallel,  and  seems  to  be  either  a  corruption  of  or 
suggested  by  the  fable  of  Ganimede.  Edward  Stanley,  in  his 
"History  of  Birds,"  (vol.  i.  p.  119,)  cites  several  similar  stories. 
But  the  Stanley  family  is  not  the  only  one  that  bears  this  crest 
Handle  Holme  (b.  iii.  p.  403)  gives  the  arms  of  the  family  of 

*  Delaune'a  Present  State  of  London,  1682. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  139 

Ciilcheth  of  Culcheth  as  "  an  infant  in  swaddling-clothea  proper, 
mantle  gules,  swaddle  baud  or,  with  an  eagle  standing  upon  it, 
with  its  wings  expanded  sable  in  a  field  argent."     "  The  fause 
fable  of  the  Lo.  Latham"  is  also  told  at  length,  with  slight  varia- 
tions from  the  usual  story,  in  a  MS.  in  the  College  of  Arms  ;*  in 
this  version  the  foundling  is  made  the  son  of  an  Irish  king.     The 
Eagle  and  Child  occurs  as  the  sign  of  a  bookseller,  Thomas  Creede, 
in  the  old  Exchange,  as  early  as  1584.     Taylor  the  water-poet 
also  names  some  instances  of  the  sign  among  inns  and  taverns, 
and  particularly  extols  one  at  Manchester  : — 
"  I  lodged  at  the  Eagle  and  the  Child, 
Whereas  my  hostesse  (a  good  ancient  woman) 
Did  entertain  me  with  respect  not  common, 
She  caused  my  linnen,  shirts,  and  bands  be  washt. 
And  on  my  way  she  caused  me  be  refresht ; 
She  gave  me  twelve  silke  points,  she  gave  me  baken, 
Which  by  me  much  refused  at  last  waa  taken. 
In  troath  she  proued  a  mother  unto  me. 
For  which  I  ever  more  will  thankef  uU  be."  + 

Another  crest  of  the  Derby  family  also  occurs  as  a  sign — ^namely, 
the  Eagle's  Foot,  which  was  adopted  in  the  sixteenth  century 
by  John  Tysdall,  a  bookseller  at  the  upper  end  of  Lombard 
Street. 

The  frequency  of  eagles  in  -heraldry  made  them  very  common 
on  the  signboard,  although  it  is  now  impossible  to  say  whose 
armorial  bearings  each  particular  eagle  was  intended  to  represent. 
The  Spbbad  Eagle  occurs  as  the  sign  of  one  of  the  early  printers  and 
booksellers,  Gualter  Lynne,  who,  in  the  middle  of  the  sixteenth 
century,  had  two  shops  with  that  sign, — one  on  Sommer's  Key,  near 
BiUingsgate,  and  another  next  St  Paul's  Wharf.  In  1659  there 
was  a  Black  Spread  Eagle  at  the  west  end  of  St  Paul's,  which 
shop  was  also  a  bookseller's,  one  Giles  Calvert.  As  the  signs  in 
large  towns  and  cities  were  generally  not  altered  when  the  house 
changed  hands,  it  is  not  improbable  but  that  this  may  be  the 
same  Black  Eagle  mentioned  by  Stow  in  the  following  words : — 

"  During  a  great  tempest  at  sea,  in  January  1506,  Philip,  King  of  Castille, 
and  his  queen,  were  weather-driven  at  Falmouth.  The  same  tempest 
blew  down  the  Eagle  of  brass  off  the  spire  of  St  Paul's  Church  in  London, 
and  in  the  falling  the  same  eagle  broke  and  battered  the  Slack  Eagle  that 
hung  for  a  sign  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard." 

Milton's  father,  a  scrivener  by  trade,  lived  in  Bread  Street, 

*  Printed  in  the  Journal  of  Bjifc.  Archieolog.  Assoc,  vol.  vii.  p.  71. 
+  Taylor's  Pennjlisse  Pilgrimage.  1230. 


140  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Cheapside,  at  the  sign  of  the  Spread  Eagle,  which  was  his  own 
coat  of  arms,  and  in  this  house  the  great  author  of  "  Paradise 
Lost"  was  born,  December  9,  1608.  When  the  poet's  fame  had 
gone  forth,  strangers  used  to  come  to  see  the  house,  until  it  was 
destroyed  by  the  fire  of  1666.  Perhaps  its  memory  is  preserved 
in  Black  Spread  Eagle  Court,  which  is  the  name  of  a  passage  in 
that  locality. 

Another  Spread  Eagle  was  a  noted  "porter-house"  in  the 
Strand  at  the  end  of  the  last  century  : — 

"  And  to  some  noted  porter-house  repair ; 

The  several  streets  or  one  or  more  can  claim, 

Alike  in  goodness  and  alike  in  fame. 

The  Strand  her  Spreading  Eagle  justly  boasts. 

Facing  that  street  where  Venus  holds  her  reign. 
And  Pleasure's  daughters  drag  a  life  of  pain,* 
There  the  Spread  Eagle,  with  majestic  grace. 
Shows  his  broad  wings  and  notifies  the  place. 

There  let  me  dine  in  plenty  and  in  quiet."+ 
The  Geasshoppbes  on  the  London  signboards  were  aU  de- 
scendants of  Sir  Thomas  Gresham's  sign  and  crest,  which  is  stiU 
commemorated  by  the  weather-vane  on  the  Royal  Exchange,  of 
which  he  was  the  first  founder.  The  original  sign  appears  to 
have  been  preserved  up  to  a  very  recent  date. 

"  The  shop  of  the  great  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,"  says  Pennant,  "  stood  in 
this  [Lombard]  street :  it  is  now  occupied  by  Messrs  Martin,  bankers,  who 
are  still  in  possession  of  the  original  sign  of  that  illustrious  pereou— the 
Grasshopper.  Were  it  mine,  that  honourable  memorial  of  so  great  a  pre- 
decessor should  certainly  be  placed  in  the  most  ostentatious  situation  I 
could  find."  X 

The  ancients  used  the  grasshopper  as  a  fascinum,  (fascination, 
enchantment ;)  for  this  purpose  Pisistratus  erected  one  as  a 
xara;^)jk))  before  the  Acropolis  at  Athens ;  hence  grasshoppers,  in 

*  Catherine  Street,  in  the  Strand,  was  a  disreputable  thoroagbfare  in  the  last  centuiy. 
6»y  alludes  to  it  in  his  "  Trivia  :  "— 

**  Oh,  may  thy  virtue  guard  thee  through  the  roads 
Of  Drury's  mazy  courts  and  dark  abodes  1 
The  harlots'  guileful  path,  who  nightly  stand 
Where  Catherine  Street  descends  into  the  Strand. 
With  empty  bandbox  she  delights  to  range. 
And  feigns  a  distant  eiTand  from  the  'Change. 
Nay,  she  will  oft  the  Quaker's  hood  profane, 
And  trudge  demure  the  rounds  of  Druiy  Lane." 
Tom  Brown  describes,  con  amore,  the  wickedness  of  that  part  of  the  town,    Catherine 
Street  at  present  is  not  quite  so  bad  as  formerly,  but  tlie  hundred  of  Drury  Lane  cannot 
by  liny  means  be  called  the  most  virtuous  part  of  London. 

t  Art  of  Living  in  London.  Printed  for  William  Griffin,  at  the  Ganickshead,  in 
Ciitlierine  Street,  in  the  Strand,  1768. 

i  Pennant's  Account  of  London,  1813,  p.  618. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  141 

all  sorts  of  tuman' occupations,  were  worn  about  the  person  to 
bring  good  luck.  The  grasshopper  sign  certainly  seems  to  have 
been  a  lucky  one.  Charles  Buncombe  and  Richard  Kent,  gold- 
smiths, lived  at  the  Grasshopper  in  Lombard  Street,  (no  doubt 
Gresham's  old  house,)  in  1677,*  and  throve  so  well  under  its 
fascinum  that  Buncombe  gathered  a  fortune  large  enough  to  buy 
the  HeLmsley  estate  in  Yorkshire  from  George  ViUiers,  Buke  of 
Buckingham.  The  land  is  now  occupied  by  the  Earl  of  Fevers- 
ham,  (Buncombe's  descendant,)  under  the  name  of  Buncombe 
Park. 

It  is  impossible  to  determine  whether  the  Maidenhead  was 
set  up  as  a  compliment  to  the  Buke  of  Buckingham,  to  Catherine 
Parr,  or  to  the  Mercers'  Company,  for  it  is  the  crest  of  the  three. 
But  at  all  events  the  Mercers'  crest  had  the  precedence  as  being 
the  oldest.  Amongst  the  badges  of  Henry  VIII.  it  is  some- 
times seen  issuing  put  of  the  Tudor  Rose  : — 

"  Thia  combination,"  Willement  says,  "  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
an  entire  new  fancy,  but  to  have  been  composed  from  the  rose-badge  of 
King  Henry  VIII.,  and  from  one  previously  used  by  this  queen's  family. 
The  house  of  Parr  had  before  this  time  assumed  as  one  of  their  devices  a 
maiden's  head  couped  below  the  breast,  vested  in  ermine  and  gold,  the 
hair  of  the  head  and  the  temples  encircled  with  a  wreath  of  red  and  white 
roses  ;  and  this  badge  they  had  derived  from  the  family  of  Eos  of  Ken- 
dal." 

It  was  a  sign  used  by  some  of  the  early  printers.  On  the  last 
page  of  a  little  work  entitled  "Salus  Corporis,  Salus  Animse,"  we 
find  the  following  imprint : — 

"  Hos  erne  Bichardus  quoa  Fax  impressit  ad  unguem  caloographus 
summa  sedulitate  libros. 

Impressum  est  presens  opusoulum  londiniis  in  divi  pauli  semiterio  sub 
virginei  capitis  signo.  Anno  millesimo  quin  getesimo  none.  Mensis  vero 
Decembris  die  xii."  1" 

Thomas  Petit,  another  early  printer,  also  lived  "  at  the  sygne 
of  the  Maydenshead  in  Paulis  Churchyard,"  1541.  He  was 
probably  a  successor  of  Richard  Fax. 

An  amusing  anecdote  is  told  of  old  Hobson,  the  Londoner, 
with  regard  to  this  sign  : — 

"  Maister  Hobson  having  one  of  his  Prentices  new  come  out  of  his 
time,  and  being  made  a  free  man  of  London,  desired  to  set  up  for  himself ; 
so,  taking  a  house  not  far  from  St  Laurence  Lane,  furnished  it  with  store 

*  Little  London  Birectory  for  1677,  the  oldest  list  of  London  merchants. 

t  "  Buy  these  books,  which  Richard  Fax  the  printer  has  printed  with  the  wedge,  with 
the  greatest  care.  This  little  book  was  printed  at  London,  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  at 
the  Maidenhead,  in  the  year  1509,  on  the  12th  of  December."  The  printing  with-  the 
wedge  was  the  first  attempt  of  the  art,  whence  the  books  produced  in  this  manner  arc 
sometimes  called  incuwjMes. 


142  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

of  ware,  and  set  up  the  eigne  of  the  Maydenhead ;  hard  by  was  a  very  rich 
man  of  the  same  trade,  had  the  same  eigne,  and  reported  in  every  place 
where  he  came,  that  the  young  man  had  set  up  the  same  signe  that  he  had 
onely  to  get  away  his  customers,  and  daily  vexed  the  young  man  therewith- 
all,  who,  being  grieved  in  his  mind,  made  it  known  to  Maister  Hobson,  hia 
late  Maister,  who,  comming  to  the  rich  man,  said,  'I  marvell,  sir,'  (quoth 
Maister  Hobson,) '  why  you  wrong  my  man  so  much  as  to  say  he  seketh  to 
get  away  your  customers.'  '  Marry,  so  he  doth,'  (quoth  the  other,) '  for  he 
has  set  up  a  signe  called  the  Maidenhead,  and  mine  is.'  '  That  is  not  so,' 
(replied  Maister  Hobson,) '  for  his  is  the  widdoe's  head,  and  no  maydenhead, 
therefore  you  do  him  great  wrong.'  The  rich  man  hereupon,  seeing  himself 
requited  with  mocks,  rested  satisfied,  and  never  after  that  envied  Maister 
Hobson's  man,  but  let  him  live  quietly."  * 

This  sign  occurs  occasionally  as  the  Maid's  Head,  but  since 
Queen  Elizabeth's  reign  it  has  doubtless  frequently  referred  to 
the  virgin  queen. 

The  Cboss  Foxes — i.e., two  foxes  counter  saliant — is  a  conunon 
sign  in  some  parts  of  England.  It  is  the  sign  of  the  principal 
inn  at  Oswestry  in  Shropshire,  and  of  very  many  public-houses 
in  North  Wales,  and  has  been  adopted  from  the  armorial  bear- 
ings of  Sir  Watkin  WiUiams  Wynne,  Bart.,  whose  family  hold 
extensive  possessions  in  these  parts.  The  late  baronet,  too,  made 
himself  very  popular  as  a  patron  of  agricultural  improvements. 
Old  GmUim,  the  heraldic  writer's  remarks  upon  this  coat  of  arms, 
which  he  says  belongs  to  the  Kadrod  Hard  fanuly  of  Wales, 
are  quaint : — 

"  These  are  somewhat  unlike  Samson's  foxes  that  were  tied  together  by 
the  tails,  and  yet  these  two  agree  m  cUiquo  tertio :  They  came  into  the 
field  like  to  enemies,  but  they  meant  nothing  less  than  fight,  and  therefore 
they  pass  by  each  other,  like  two  crafty  lawyers,  which  come  to  the  Bar  as 
if  they  meant  to  fall  out  deadly  about  their  clients'  cause ;  but  when  they 
have  done,  and  their  clients'  purses  are  well  spunged,  they  are  better  friends 
than  ever  they  were,  and  laugh  at  those  geese  that  will  not  believe  them  to 
be  foxes,  till  they  (too  late)  find  themselves  f oxbitten."  f 

The  Tiger's  Head  was  the  sign  of  the  house  of  Christopher 
and  Eobert  Barker,  Queen  Elizabeth's  booksellers  and  printers, 
in  Paternoster  Row :  it  was  borrowed  from  their  crest ;  their 
shop  exhibited  the  sign  of  the  Grasshopper,  in  St  Paul's  Church- 
yard. They  came  of  an  ancient  family,  being  descended  from 
Sir  Christopher  Barker,  knight,  king-at-arms,  in  the  reign  of 
Henry  VIII.  Barker  is  said  to  have  printed  the  first  series  of 
EngUsh  news-sheets,  or,  as  we  now  call  them,  newspapers.     The 

*  Pleasant  Conceits  of  old  Hobson  the  Londoner,  1607.  Hobson's  answer  proves  th« 
truth  of  M  sson's  remark,  that  there  were  no  inscriptions  on  the  London  signs  to  telf 
what  they  represented,  otherwise  the  maid  could  not  have  been  passed  off  as  a  widow 

\  (^uillim's  Display  of  Heraldry,  folio,  p  197. 


HEBALDia  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 43 

earliest  of  those  which  remain  (copies  are  preserved  among  Dr 
Birch's  Historical  Collections  in  the  British  Museum,  No.  4106) 
relate  to  the  descent  of  the  Spanish  Armada  upon  the  English 
coasts;  but  as  they  are  numbered 50,  51,  and  54  in  the  corner 
of  their  upper  margins,  it  has  been  not  improbably  concluded 
that  a  similar  mode  of  publishing  news  had  been  resorted  to  con- 
siderably earlier  than  the  date  of  that  event,  though,  as  far  as  we 
know,  none  of  the  papers  have  been  preserved.  The  title  is  : — 
"rpHE  ENGLISH  MERCUSIE,  published  by  authoritie,  for  the  preven- 

J_  tion  of  false  reports;" 
and  the  last  number  contains  an  account  of  the  queen's  thanks- 
giving at  St  Paul's  for  the  victory  she  had  gaiaed  over  the 
enemies  of  England.  It  is  probable  that  when  the  great  alarm 
of  the  Armada  had  subsided,  no  more  numbers  were  published. 
The  colophon  runs  : — • 

"Imprinted  by  Christopher  Barker,  her  highnesse's  printer,  July  23, 1588." 
It  must  not  however  be  concealed  that  doubt  is  entertained  of 
the  genuineness  of  these  papers.  Two  of  them  are  not  of  the 
time,  but  printed  in  modem  type ;  and  no  originals  are  known  : 
the  third  is  in  manuscript  of  the  eighteenth  century,  altered  and 
interpolated  with  changes  in  old  language,  such  only  as  an  author 
would  make. 

The  punning  device,  or  printer's  emblem,  of  Barker  was  a  man 
barking  a  tree,  representations  of  which  may  be  seen  on  the  titles 
and  last  leaves  of  many  of  the  old  folio  and  quarto  Bibles  and 
New  Testaments  issued  from  his  press.  His  descendants  con- 
tinued booksellers  to  the  royal  farnily  until  January  12,  1645, 
when  Eobert  Barker,  the  last  of  the  family,  died  a  prisoner  for 
debt  in  the  King's  Bench.  His  misfortunes  were  probably  occa- 
sioned by  the  embarrassments  of  his  royal  master,  who  for  three 
years  had  been  at  war  with  the  Parliament  and  a  majority  of 
his  subjects. 

■  Various  other  booksellers  sold  their  books  under  the  sign  of 
the  Tiger's  Head  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard  :  apparently  they  suc- 
ceeded each  other  in  the  same  house.  Thus  we  find  "Toby  Cook, 
1579-1590 ;  Eelis  Kingston,  1599  ;  and  Henry  SeUe,  1634. 

At  Nortwich  and  Altringham,  Chester,  there  is  a  sign  called 
the  Bleeding  Wolf,  which  has  not  been  found  anywhere  else. 
Its  origin  is  difficult  to  explain,  and  the  only  explanation  that  can 
be  immediately  offered  for  it  is  the  crest  of  Hugh  Lupus  and 
Richard,  first  and  second  Earls  of  Chester,  which  was  a  wolfs 


144  ^^^-^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

head  erased ;  the  neck  of  the  animal  being  erased  may,  by  primi- 
tive sign-painters,  have  been  represented  less  conventionally  than 
is  done  now,  and  probably  exhibited  some  of  the  torn  parts, 
whence  the  name  of  the  Bleeding  Wolf.  As  for  the  use  of  the 
term  "  wolf,"  instead  of  "  wolfs  head,"  we  have  a  parallel  in- 
stance in  one  of  the  gates  of  Chester,  which,  from  this  crest,  was 
called  Wolfsgate  instead  of  Wolfshead  Gate.  There  is  another 
equally  puzzling  sign,  peculiar  to  this  county  and  to  Lancashire — 
namely,  the  Beak's  Paw.  Of  this  sign,  it  must  be  confessed  that 
no  explanation  can  be  oifered ;  it  certainly  looks  heraldic,  and 
lions  jambs  erased  are  the  crest  of  many  families. 

Easy  enough  to  explain  is  the  sign  of  Parta  Tueei,  (Cellar- 
head,  Staffordshire,)  which  is  the  motto  of  the  LUford  family : 
this  is  the  only  instance  as  yet  met  with  of  a  family  motto 
standing  for  a  sign  ;  though  in  Essex  a  public-house  sign,  repre- 
senting a  sort  of  Bacchic  coat  of  arms,  with  the  motto.  In  Vino 
Veritas,  may  be  seen.  The  Oakley  Aems,  at  Maidenhead, 
near  Bray,  deserves  passing  mention,  on  account  of  some  amusing 
verses  connected  with  the  place.  As  it  is  frequently  the  custom 
with  publicans  to  choose  for  their  sign  the  name  or  picture  of 
some  real  or  imaginary  hero  coimected  with  the  locality  in  which 
their  house  stands,  the  following  verses  were  written  on  the 
Oakley  Arms,  near  Bray  : — 

"  Friend  Isaac,  'tis  strange  you  that  Kve  so  near  Bray- 
Should  not  set  up  the  sign  of  the  Vicar.* 
Though  it  may  be  an  odd  one,  you  cannot  but  say 
It  must  needs  be  a  sign  of  good  liquor." 
Answer : 
"  Indeed,  master  Poet,  your  reason 's  but  poor. 
For  the  Vicar  would  think  it  a  sin 
To  stay,  like  a  booby,  and  lounge  at  the  door,— 
'Twere  a  sign  'twas  bad  liquor  within." 

The  Wentworth  Arms,  Kirby  Mallory,  Leicestershire,  may  also 
be  mentioned  on  account  of  its  peculiar  inscription,  which  has  a 
strange  moral  air  about  it,  as  if  a  pious  Boniface  drew  beer  and 
uncorked  wine,  and  wished  to  compromise  matters  on  high  moral 
grounds,  and  limit  with  puritanical  rigidity  the  government 
regulation  above  his  door,  "to  be  Drunk  on  the  Premises": — 
"  May  he  who  has  little  to  spend,  spend  nothing  in  drink ; 
May  he  who  has  more  than  enough,  keep  it  for  better  uses.'' 

*  The  Vicar  of  JBray,  the  hero  of  Butler's  comic  poem,  appears  to  have  been  a  certain 
Simon  Aleyn,  06, 1588;  he  was  by  turns,  and  as  tlie  times  suited,  Roman  Catholic  and 
Protestant,  in  the  times  of  Henry  VIII.,  EJwavd  VI,,  Queen  Mary,  and  Queen  Elizabeth. 


PLATE  X. 


GREEN  MAN. 
(Roxburghe  Ballads,  circa  1650.) 


ADAM  AND  EVE. 
(Newgate  Stieet,  1669.) 


TOBACCONIST  SION. 
(Banks'a  Collection,  1750.) 


HOG  S  HEAD  IN  POT. 
(Roxburghe  Ballads,  1665.) 


■WHISTLING  OYSTER. 
.Drury  Lane,  1B25.) 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 45 

May  he  who  goes  in  to  rest  never  remain  to  riot, 

And  he  who  fears  God  elsewhere  never  forget  him  here." 

Other  heraldic  animals,  different  from  those  just  mentioned, 
belong  to  so  many  various  families,  that  it  is  utterly  impossible 
to  say  ia  honour  of  whom  they  were  first  set  up  :  such,  for  in- 
stance, is  the  Geipfin,  the  armorial  bearing  of  the  Spencers,  and 
innumerable  other  houses.  Besides  being  an  heraldic  emblem, 
the  griffin  was  an  animal  in  whose  existence  the  early  naturalists 
firmly  believed.  Its  supposed  eggs  and  claws  were  carefully 
preserved,  and  are  frequently  mentioned  in  ancient  inventories 
and  lists  of  curiosities.  "They  shewed  me,"  [in  a  church  at 
Ratisbonne,]  says  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu,  in  one  of  hei 
letters,  "  a  prodigious  claw,  set  in  gold,  which  they  called  the 
claw  of  a  griffin ;  and  I  could  not  forbear  asking  the  reverend 
priest  that  shewed  it,  whether  the  griffin  was  a  saint  ?  The  ques- 
tion almost  put  him  beside  his  gravity,  but  he  answered,  '  They 
only  kept  it  as  a  curiosity.'"  The  supposed  eggs  (no  doubt 
ostrich  eggs)  were  frequently  made  into  drinking  cups.  The 
Tradescants  had  one  in  their  collection,  kept  in  countenance  by 
an  egg  of  a  dragon,  two  feathers  of  the  tail  of  a  phoenix,  and  the 
claw  of  a  ruck,  "  a  bird  able  to  trusse  an  elephant."  Sir  John 
MandeviUe  gives  the  natural  history  of  the  griffin,  in  his  "  Eight 
Merveylous  Travels,"  chap.  xxvi.  From  him  we  learn  that  the 
body  of  this  dreadful  beast  was  larger  and  stronger  than  "  8 
Hons  or  100  eagles,"  so  that  he  could  with  ease  fiy  off  to  his  nest 
with  a  great  horse,  or  a  couple  of  oxen  yoked  together,  "  for,'' 
says  he,  "  he  has  his  talouns  so  large  and  so  longe,  and  so  gret 
upon  his  feet  as  thowghe  thei  weren  homes  of  grete  oxen,  or  of 
bugles  or  of  kijgn." 

In  the  original  edition  of  the  Spectator,  No.  xxxiii.,*  the 
grifiBn  is  mentioned  as  the  sign  of  a  house  in  Sheer  Lane, 
Temple  Bar.  The  advertisement  begins  oddly  enough  : — "  Lost, 
yesterday,  hy  a  Lady  in  a  velvet  furbelow  scarf,  a  watch,"  &c. 
The  Golden  Griffin  was  a  famous  tavern  in  Holborn,  of  which 
there  are  trades  tokens  extant  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Tom 
Brown  talks  of  a  "fat  squab  porter  at  the  Griffin  Tavern,  in 
Fulwood's  rents,"  which  is  the  same  house,  as  appears  from 
Strype  : — "  At  the  upper  end  of  this  court  is  a  passage  into  the 
Castle  Tavern,  a  house  of  considerable  trade,  as  is  the  Golden 

*  The  original  edition  of  the  Spectator  contaiaed  bona  fide  adrertisemeiits  like  any 
other  newspaper. 


146  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Griffin  Tavern,  on  the  west  side,  ■wMch  has  a  passage  into  Ful- 
wood's  rents,"  (Book  ui,  p.  253.) 

The  variously-coloured  lions  come  under  the  same  category  of 
heraldic  animals.  Amongst  them  the  Golden  Lion  stands  fore- 
most. A  public-house  with  that  sign  in  Fulham  ought  not  to 
be  passed  unnoticed ;  it  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  houses  in  the 
village,  having  been  built  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VIL  The 
interior  is  not  much  altered;  the  chimney-pieces  are  in  their 
original  state,  and  in  good  preservation-  Formerly  there  were 
two  staircases  in  the  thick  walls,  but  they  are  now  blocked  up. 
Tradition  says  that  the  house  once  belonged  to  Bishop  Bonner, 
and  that  it  has  subterraneous  passages  communicating  with  the 
episcopal  palace.  When  the  old  hostelry  was  pulled  down  in 
1836,  a  tobacco-pipe  of  ancient  and  foreign  fashion  was  found 
behind  the  wainscot.  The  stem  was  a  crooked  bamboo,  and  a 
brass  ornament  of  an  Elizabethan  pattern  formed  the  bowl  of  the 
pipe.  This  pipe  Mr  Crofton  Croker*  tries  to  identify  as  the 
property  of  Bishop  Bonner,  who,  on  the  15th  June  1596,  died 
suddenly  at  Fulham,  "  whUe  sitting  in  his  chair  and  smoking 
tobacco."  K  Mr  Croker  be  right,  this  inn  should  also  have  been 
honoured  by  the  presence  of  Shakespeare,  Fletcher,  Henry 
Condell,  (Shakespeare's  feUow  actor,)  John  Norden,  (author  of 
A  Description  of  Middlesex  and  Hertfordshire,)  Florio,  the  trans- 
lator of  Montaigne,  and  divers  other  notabilities. 

The  Blue  Lion  is  far  from  uncommon,  and  may  possibly  have 
been  first  put  up  at  the  marriage  of  James  L  with  Anne  of  Den- 
mark. The  Purple  Lion  occurs  but  once — ^namely,  on  a  trades 
token  of  Southampton  Buildings. 

Signs  borrowed  from  Corporation  arms  form  the  last  sub- 
division of  this  chapter.  Such,  for  instance,  is  the  Theee  Com- 
passes, a  change  in  the  arms  of  both  the  carpenters  and 
masons.  This  sign  is  a  particular  favourite  in  London,  where 
not  less  than  twenty-one  public-houses  make  a  living  under  its 
shadow.  Perhaps  this  is  partly  owing  to  the  compasses  being  a 
masonic  emblem,  and  a  great  many  publicans  "  worthy  brethren." 
Frequently  the  sign  of  the  compasses  contains  between  the  legs 
the  following  good  advice  : — 

"  Keep  within  compass, 

.Aid  then  you  'II  be  sure, 

•  In  1847,  tf  r  Crofton  Croker  read  a.  paper  at  a  meeting  of  the  Brit  Arch.  Assoc, 
at  Warwick,  "  On  the  probability  of  the  Golden  Lion  Inn  at  Fnlham  having  been 
frequented  by  Shakespeare  about  the  year  1696  and  1696,"  in  which  the  sosBibla 
genealogy  of  this  pipe  is  giren.  "^ 


BERALDIG  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  147 

To  avoid  many  trouHes 
That  others  endure." 
Three  Compasses  were  a  frequent  sign  -witli  the  French,  Gennan, 
and  Dutch  printers  of  the  sixteenth  century.  The  Three  Com- 
passes, Grosvenor  Eow,  Pimlico,  a  well-known  starting  point  for 
the  Pimlico  omnibuses,  was  formerly  called  the  Goat  and 
Compasses,  for  which  Mr  P.  Cunningham  suggests  the  following 
origin : — 

"  At  Cologne,  in  the  church  of  S.  Maria  di  Capitolio,  is  a  flat  etone  ou 
the  floor,  professing  to  be  the  '  Grabstein  der  Bruder  und  Schwester  eines 
Ehrbahreu  Wein  und  Fass  Ampts,  Anno  1693.'  That  is,  as  I  suppose,  a 
vault  belonging  to  the  Wine  Cooper's  Company.  The  arms  exhibit  a 
shield  with  a  pair  of  compasses,  an  axe,  and  a  dray  or  truck,  with  goats  for 
supporters.  In  a  country  like  England,  dealing  so  much  at  one  time  in 
Rhenish  wine,  a  more  likely  origin  for  such  a  sign  could  hardly  be 
imagined." 

Others  have  considered  the  sign  a  corruption  of  a  puritanical 
phrase,  "  God  encompasseth  us."  But  why  may  not  the  Goat 
have  been  the  original  sign,  to  which  mine  host  added  his 
masonic  emblem  of  the  compasses,  a  practice  yet  of  frequent 
occurrence. 

The  Globe  and  Compasses  seems  to  have  originated  in  the 
Joiners'  arms,  which  are  a  chevron  between  two  pairs  of  compasses 
and  a  globe.  It  occurs,  amongst  other  instances,  as  the  sign  of  a 
bookseller,  in  the  following  quaint  title  : — 

"  Sin  discovered  to  be  worse  than  a  Toad ;  sold  by  Robert  Walton,  at  the 
Globe  and  Compasses,  at  the  West  end  of  Saint  Paul's  Church." 

The  Three  Goatsheads,  a  public-house  on  the  Wandsworth 
Boad,  Lambeth,  was  originally  the  Cordwainers'  (shoemakers) 
arms,  which  are  azure,  a  chevron  or,  between  three  goats'  heads, 
erased  argent.  Gradually  the  heraldic  attributes  have  fallen 
away,  and  the  goats'  heads  now  alone  remain.  As  there  were 
rarely  names  under  the  London  signs,  the  public  unacquainted 
with  heraldry  gave  a  vernacular  to  the  objects  represented. 
Thus  the  Theeb  Leopards'  Heads  is  given  on  a  token  as  the 
name  of  a  house  in  Bishopsgate  ;  yet  the  token  represents  a 
chevron  between  three  leopards'  heads,  the  arms  of  the  Weavers' 
Company.  The  sign  of  the  Leopard's  Head  was  anciently  called 
the  Lubber's  Head.  Thus  in  the  second  part  of  Henry  IV.,  ii.  1, 
the  hostess  says  that  Falstaflf  "is  indited  to  dinner  at  the 
Lubbar's  Head  in  Lumbert  Street,  to  Master  Smooth's  the  silk- 
man."  "Libbard,"  vulgo  "lubbar,"  was  good  old  English  foi 
"leopard." 


148  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  Geeen  Man  and  3till  is  a  common  sign.  There  is  one 
in  White  Cross  Street,  representing  a  forester  drinking  what  ia 
there  called  "drops  of  life"  out  of  a  glass  barrel.  This  is  a 
liberty  taken  with  the  Distillers'  arms,  which  are  a  fess  wavy  in 
chief,  the  sun  in  splendour,  in  base  a  stiU ;  supporters  two 
Indians,  with  bows  and  arrows.  These  Indians  were  trans- 
formed by  the  painters  into  wild  men  or  green  men,  and  the 
green  men  into  foresters ;  and  then  it  was  said  that  the  sign 
originated  from  the  partiality  of  foresters  for  the  produce  of  the 
stUL  The  "  drops  of  life,"  of  course,  are  a  transla,tion  of 
agua  vitae. 

The  Theee  Tuns  were  derived  from  the  Vintners,  or  the 
Brewers'  arms.  On  the  9th  of  May  1667,  the  Three  Tuns  in 
Seething  Lane  was  the  scene  of  a  frightful  tragedy  : — 

"  In  our  street,"  says  Pepys,  "  at  the  Three  Tuns  Tavern,  I  find  a  great 
hubhub ;  and  what  was  it  but  two  brothers  had  fallen  out,  and  one  killed 
the  other.  And  who  should  they  be  but  the  two  Fieldings.  One  whereof, 
Bazill,  was  page  to  my  Lady  Sandwich,  and  he  hath  killed  the  other,  him- 
self being  very  drunk,  and  so  is  sent  to  Newgate."* 

There  seems  to  have  been  a  kind  of  fatality  attached  to  this 
sign,  for  the  London  Gazette  for  September  15-18,  1679,  relates  a 
murder  committed  at  the  Three  Tuns,  in  Chandos  Street,  and  in 
this  same  house,  Sally  Pridden,  alias  Sally  Salisbury,  in  a  fit  of 
jealousy  stabbed  the  Honourable  John  Finch  in  1723.  Sally 
was  one  of  the  handsomest  "  social  evils "  of  that  day,  and  had 
been  nicknamed  Salisbury,  on  account  of  her  likeness  to  the 
countess  of  that  name.  For  her  attempt  on  the  life  of  Finch  she 
was  committed  to  Newgate,  where  she  died  the  year  after, 
"  leaving  behind  her  the  character  of  the  most  notorious  woman 
that  ever  infested  the  hundreds  of  old  Drury."  f  Her  portrait 
has  been  painted  by  Sir  Godfrey  Kneller. 

Sometimes  the  sign  of  the  One  Tun  may  also  be  seen.  It 
occurs  in  the  following  newspaper  item : — 

"  Last  Thursday  four  highwaymen  drinking  at  the  One  Tun  Tavern  near 
Hungerford  Market  in  the  Strand,  and  falling  out  about  dividing  their 
booty,  the  Drawer  overheard  them,  sent  for  a  constable,  and  secured  them, 
and  next  day  they  were  committed  to  Newgate." — Weekly  Journal,  Decem- 
ber 6,  1718. 

That  these  fellows  meant  mischief  is  evident  from  a  subsequent 

*  Pepys  here  makes  a  mistake,  for  he  tells  us  afterwards,  July  4,  when  he  went  to 
the  Session  House  to  hear  the  trial,  that  Basil  was  the  murdered  man. 

t  Caulfield's  Memoirs  of  Remarkable  Persons.  A  curious  epitaph  upon  her  occurs  in 
the  Weekly  Orade,  February  1,  1735 ;  unfortunately  it  is  too  highly  spiced  to  be  Intro- 
auced  here. 


HERALDIC  AND  EMBLEMATIC.  1 49 

article.  They  had  a  complete  arsenal  about  them,  viz.,  two  blun- 
derbusses, one  loaded  with  fifteen  balls,  the  other  with  seven, 
and  five  pistols  loaded  with  powder  and  shot. 

The  Golden  Cup,  from  the  form  in  which  it  was  generally 
represented,  seems  to  have  been  derived  from  the  Goldsmiths' 
arms,  which  are  quarterly  azure,  two  leopards'  heads  or,  (whence 
the  mint  mark,)  and  two  golden  cups  covered  between  two 
buckles  or.  It  was  a  sign  much  fancied  by  booksellers,  as  : 
Abel  Jeff's  in  the  Old  Bailey,  1564 ;  Edward  Allde,  Without 
Cripplegate,  from  1587  until  1600;  and  John  Bartlet  the 
Elder,  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard ;  wMst  the  Three  Cups  was  a 
famous  carriers'  inn  in  Aldersgate  in  the  seventeenth  century. 

The  Eam  and  Teazel,  Queenshead  Street,  Islington,  is  a  part 
of  the  Clothworkers'  arms,  which  are  sable,  a  chevron  ermine  be- 
tween two  habicks  in  chief  arg.,  and  a  teasel  in  base  or.  The 
crest  is  a  ram  statant  or  on  a  mount  vert. 

The  Hammer  and  Ceown  appears  from  a  trades  token  to 
have  been  tbe  sign  of  a  shop  in  Gutter  Lane,  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  It  was  a  charge  from  the  Blacksmiths'  arms  :  sable,  a 
chevron  between  three  hammers  crowned  or.  The  Lion  in  the 
Wood  was  a  tavern  of  some  note  a  hundred  years  ago  in  Salis- 
bury Court,  Fleet  Street.  It  seems  originally  to  have  been  the 
Woodmongers'  arms,  whose  crest  is  a  lion  issuing  from  a  wood. 
At  the  present  day  it  is  the  sign  of  a  public-house  in  the  same 
locality,  namely,  in  Wilderness  Lane,  Dorset  Street,  Fleet  Street. 

To  these  Corporation  arms  we  may  add  two  belonging  to 
companies.  During  the  South  Sea  mania  the  South  Sea  Arms 
was  a  favourite  sign ;  in  1718,  the  very  year  that  Queen  Anne 
had  established  the  company  and  granted  them  arms,  they  ap- 
peared as  the  sign  of  a  tavern  near  Austin  Friars :  they  are  a 
curious  heraldic  compound.  "Azure,  a  globe  representing  the 
Straights  of  Magellan  and  Cape  Horn,  aU  proper.  On  a  canton 
the  arms  of  the  United  Kingdoms  of  Great  Britain,  and  in  sinis- 
ter chief  two  herrings  salterwise  arg.,  crowned  or." 

The  Sol's  Arms,  Sol's  Kow,  Hampstead  Koad,  immortalised 
by  Dickens  in  "  Bleak  House,"  derives  its  name  from  the  Sol's 
Society,  who  were  a  kind  of  freemasons.  They  used  to  hold 
their  meetings  at  the  Queen  of  Bohemia's  Head,  Drury  Lane, 
but  on  the  pulling  down  of  that  house  the  society  was  dissolved. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

SIGNS  OP  ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS. 

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  equMS  caballus, 
or  the  White  Horse  of  the  Saxons,  and  that  of  the  House  of 
Hanover;  nor,  whether  the  White  Greyhound  represented  ori- 
ginally 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 
BuU  ;  all  other  animals  were  generally  represented  in  what  was 
meant  for  their  natural  colours.  The  heraldic  lions  have  already 
been  treated  of  in  the  last  chapter ;  but  sometimes  we  meet  with 
the  lion  as  a  fera  nafurce,  recognisable  by  such  names  as  the 
Beown  Lion,  the  Yellow  Lion,  or  simply  the  Lion.  There  is 
a  public-house  in  Philadelphia  with  the  sign  of  the  Lion,  having 
underneath  the  following  lines  : 

"  The  lion  roars,  but  do  not  fear. 
Cakes  and  beer  sold  here." 

Which  inscription  is  certainly  as  unnecessary  as  that  over  the 
nonfonnidable-lookuig  Kons  under  the  celebrated  fountain  in 
the  Spanish  Alhambra,  "  O  thou  who  beholdest  these  lions 
crouching,  fear  not,  life  is  wanting  to  enable  them  to  exhibit 
their  fury." 

Lions  occur  in  numerous  combinations  with  other  animals  and 
objects,  which  in  many  cases  seem  simply  the  union  of  two  signs, 
as  the  Lion  and  Dolphin,  Market  Place,  Leicester;  the  Xjon 
AND  Tdn,  at  Congleton  :  the  Lion  and  Swan  in  the  same  lo- 
cality may  owe  its  joint  title  to  the  name  of  the  street  in  which 
the  public-house  is  situated,  viz.,  Swanbank.  The  combination  of 
the  Lion  and  Pheasant,  Wylecop,  Shrewsbuiy,  seems  rather 
mysterious,  unless  the  Pheasant  has  been  substituted  for  the  Cock, 
just  as  in  the  Three  Pheasants  and  Sceptee,  they  were  sub- 
stituted for  the  Thbee  Pigeons  and  Sceptee.      As  for  the 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTBRS.  1 5 1 

Cock  and  Lion,  a  very  common  sign,  their  meeting,  if  we  may 
believe  ancient  naturalists,  is  anything  but  agreeable  to  the  lion. 

"  The  lyon  dreadeth  the  white  cocke,  hecause  he  breedeth  a  precious 
stone  called  allectricium,  like  to  the  stone  that  hight  Calcedonius.  And 
for  that  the  Cocke  heareth  such  a  stone,  the  Lyon  specially  abhorreth 
him."  • 

Some  more  information  about  this  stone  may  be  gathered  from  a 
mediaeval  treatise  on  natural  history  : 

"Allectorius  est  lapis  obscuro  oristallo  silis  e  vetriculo  galli  castrati 
trahitur  post  quartu  anS.  Ultima  eius  quatitas  e  ad  magnitudine  fabe — 
que  gladiator,  hns  in  ore  penanct.  iyictus  ac  sine  siti."  + 

The  Lion  and  Ball  owes  its  origin  to  another  mediaval 
notion : 

"  Some  report  that  those  who  rob  the  tiger  of  her  young  use  a  policy  to 
detaine  their  damme  from  following  them,  by  casting  sundry  looking- 
glasses  in  the  way,  whereat  she  useth  to  long  to  gaze,  whether  it  be  to 
beholde  her  owne  beauty  or  because  when  she  seeth  her  shape  in  the  glasse 
she  thinketh  she  seeth  one  of  her  young  ones,  and  so  they  escape  the 
swiftness  of  her  pursuit."  J 

The  looking-glass  thrown  to  the  tiger  was  spherical,  so  that 
she  could  see  her  own  image  reduced  as  it  rolled  under  her  paw, 
and  would  therefore  be  more  likely  to  mistake  it  for  her  cub. 
Lions  and  tigers  being  almost  synonymous  in  mediaeval  zoology, 
the  spherical  glass  was  generally  represented  with  both.  In 
sculpture  it  could  only  be  represented  by  a  ball,  which  afterwards 
became  a  terrestrial  globe,  and  the  lion  resting  his  paw  upon  it, 
passed  into  an  emblem  of  royalty. 

Li  the  last  century  an  innkeeper  at  Goodwood  put  up  as  his 
sign  the  Centurion's  Lion,  the  figure-head  of  the  frigate  Oen- 
turion,  in  which  Admiral  Anson  made  a  voyage  round  the  world. 
Under  it  was  the  following  inscription  : — 

"  Stay,  Traveller,  a  while  and  view 

One  that  has  travelled  more  than  you, 

Quite  round  the  Globe  in  each  Degree, 

Anson  and  I  have  plow'd  the  Sea ; 

Torrid  and  Frigid  Zones  have  pass'd. 

And  safe  ashore  arriv'd  at  last. 

In  Ease  and  Dignity  appear 

He  —  in  the  House  of  Lords,  I  —  here." 

*  3,  Bossewell,  Workes  of  Armourie,  London,  1597,  p.  97. 

t  "Allectorius  is  a  stone  similar  to  a  dark  crystal,  which  is  taken  from  the  stomach  of 
a  capon  when  it  is  four  years  old.  Its  utmost  size  is  that  of  a  bean.  Gladi&tors  take  it 
in  their  mouths  in  order  to  be  invincible,  and  not  to  suffer  from  thirst." — Tractatus  dt 
Anim^ibus  et  Lapidibus,  4to,  circa  1465-75. 
'  X  Guillim's  Display  of  Heraldry,  The  same  is  also  related  in  the  Latin  Bestiarium, 
Hai-1.  MSS.  4751 ;  and  by  Albertus  Magnus,  Camerarius,  &c. 


152  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 

When.  Anson  was  in  general  disfavour  about  the  Minorca  affair, 
the  following  biting  reply  to  this  inscription  went  the  round  of 
the  newspapers : — 

"  The  Traveller's  reply  to  the  Centurion's  Lion. 
"  0  King  of  Beasts,  what  pity  'twas  to  sever 

A  pair  whose  Union  had  been  just  for  ever  I 

So  diff 'rently  advanced  1  'twas  surely  wrong, 

When  you'd  been  fellow-travellers  so  long. 

Had  you  continued  with  him,  had  he  bom 

To  see  the  English  Lion  dragg'd  and  torn  ? 

Brittannia  made  at  every  vein  to  bleed, 

A  ravenous  Crew  of  worthless  Men  to  feed  ? 

No;  Anson  once  had  sought  the  Land's  Relief; 

Now  —  Ease  and  Dignity  have  banish'd  Grief. 

60,  rouse  him  then,  to  save  a  sinking  nation. 

Or  call  him  up,  the  partner  of  your  station. 

We  often  see  two  Monsters  for  a  sign. 

Inviting  to  good  Brandy,  Ale,  or  Wine." 

The  TiGEE  is  of  rare  occurrence  on  signboards;  there  is  a 
Golden  Tiger  in  Pilgrim  Street,  Newcastle,  and  a  bird-fancier 
on  Tower  Dock,  not  far  from  the  then  famous  menagerie  which 
attracted  crowds  to  the  Tower,  chose  the  Leopaed  xmn  Tigee 
for  his  sign.  In  1665  there  was  a  Leopaed  Tavern  in  Chancery 
Lane ;  the  same  animal  is  stiU  occasionally  seen  on  public-house 
signs.  Generally  speaking,  the  carnivorous  animals  are  not  great 
favourites,  and  those  named  above  are  almost  the  only  examples 
that  occur.  As  for  the  popularity  of  the  Brae,  it  is  entirely  to 
be  attributed  to  the  old  vulgar  pleasure  of  seeing  him  iU-treated, 
a  relic  of  the  once  common  amusements  of  bear-baiting  and  whip- 
ping. The  colours  in  which  he  is  represented  are  the  Black  Bear, 
the  Brown  Bbae,  the  White  Beae,  and  in  a  very  few  instances 
(as  at  Leeds)  the  Red  Beae. 

Besides  bear-whipping  and  bear-baiting,  another  barbarous 
fancy  led  sometimes  to  the  choice  of  this  animal  for  a  sign, — 
viz.,  the  lamentable  pun  which  the  publican  made  upon  the  article 
he  sold,  and  the  name  of  the  animaL  WUl.  Eose  of  Coleraine,  in 
Ireland,  for  instance,  issued  trades  tokens  with  a  bear  passant,  on 
the  reverse  Exchange.foe.a.can  (i.e.,  of  Bear !),  and  as  if  the 
pun  was  not  ridiculous  enough,  there  was  a  rose  as  a  rebus  for 
his  name.  Thomas  Dawson  of  Leeds  perpetrated  a  similar  pun 
on  his  token,  dated  1670 ;  it  says, — Bewaee.op.y=.Beaee,  evi- 
dently alluding  to  the  strength  of  his  beer.* 

*  "Boyne'8  and  Akerman's  Trades  Tokens  ot  the  171h  Centurv,"  in  England,  Ireland, 
and  Wales.  o        1  -i 


ANIMALS  AND  M0N8TEE8.  153 

Bears  used  often  to  be  represented  ■with  chains  round  their 
neck,  (as  on  the  stone  sign  in  Addle  Street,  with  the  date  1610.) 
This  led  to  the  following  amusing  rejoinder  : — It  happened  that 
a  pedestrian  artist  had  run  up  a  bill  at  a  road-side  inn  which  he 
was  unable  to  pay,  whereupon  the  landlord,  in  order  to  settle  the 
account,  commissioned  him  to  paint  a  bear  for  his  sign.  The 
painter,  wanting  to  make  a  little  besides,  suggested  that,  if  the 
bear  was  painted  with  a  chain  round  his  neck,  which  he  strongly 
advised  >iiTn  to  have,  it  would  cost  him  half-a-guinea  more,  on 
account  of  the  gold,  &c.  But  the  host  was  not  agreeable  to  this 
extra  expense ;  accordingly,  the  sign  was  painted,  (but  in  dis- 
temper,) and  the  painter  went  his  way.  Not  many  days  after  it 
began  to  rain,  and  the  bear  was  completely,  washed  from  the 
board.  The  first  time  the  landlord  met  the  painter,  he  accused 
him  in  great  dudgeon  of  having  imposed  upon  him,  for  that,  in 
less  than  a  month,  the  bear  had  gone  from  his  signboard.  "  Now, 
look  here,"  replied  the  painter ;  "  did  not  I  advise  you  to  have  a 
chain  put  about  the  bear's  neck?  but  you  would  not  hear  of  it ; 
had  that  been  done  he  could  not  have  run  away,  and  would  stiR 
be  at  your  door." 

Among  the  most  famous  Bear  inns  and  taverns  were, — the 
Bear  "  at  Bridgefoot,"  i.e.,  at  the  foot  of  London  Bridge,  on  the 
Southwark  side,  for  many  centuries  one  of  the  most  popular  Lon- 
don taverns ;  as  early  as  the  reign  of  Kichard  IIL  we  find  it  the 
resort  of  the  aristocratic  pleasure-seeker.  Thus,,  in  March  146|, 
it  was  repeatedly  visited  by  Jocky  of  Norfolk,  the  then  Sir  John 
Howard,  who  went  there  to  drink  wine  and  shoot  at  the  target, 
at  which  he  lost  20  pence.*  It  is  also  frequently  named  by  the 
writers  of  the  seventeenth  century.f  Pepys  mentions  it  April  3, 
1667.  "I  hear  how  the  king  is  not  so  well  pleased  of  this  marriage 
between  the  Duke  of  Kichmond  and  Mrs  Stuart,  as  is  talked ;  arid 
that  he  by  a  wUe  did  fetch  her  to  the  Bear  at  the  Bridgefoot, 
where  a  coach  was  ready,  and  they  are  stole  away  into  Kent  with- 
out the  king's  leave."  The  wine  of  this  establishment  did  not 
meet  with  the  approbation  of  the  fastidious  searchers  after  claret 
in  1691. 

"  ThrOMgli  stinks  of  all  sorts,  both  the  simple  and  compound, 
Which  through  narrow  alleys,  our  senses  do  confound, 
We  came  to  the  Bear,  which  we  now  understood 
Was  the  first  house  in  Southwark  buUt  after  the  flood  J 

*  Steward's  Accounts  of  Sir  John  Howard. 

t  See  Cunningham's  London  Fast  and  Present,  p.  41. 


1 5  4  THE  HI8T0R  Y  OF,  SIGNBOARDS. 

And  has  such  a  suoceaaion  of  vintners  known. 
Not  more  names  were  e'er  in  Welsh  pedigrees  shown ; 
But  claret  with  them  was  so  much  out  of  fashion, 
That  it  has  not  been  known  there  a  whole  generation.'' 

Lout  Search  after  Claret  in  Southvxirlc,  1691. 

This  old  tavern  was  pulled  down  in  1761,  at  the  removal  of  the 
houses  from  London  Bridge.  "  Thrasday  last  the  workmen  em- 
ployed in  pulling  down  the  Bear  Tavern,  at  the  foot  of  London 
Bridge,  found  several  pieces  of  gold  and  silver  coin  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  and  other  money,  to  a  considerable  value." — Public 
Advertiser,  Dec.  26,  1761.  Coins,  no  doubt,  dropped  between 
the  boards  by  the  revellers  of  bygone  generations. 

There  was  another  famous  Bear  Tavern  at  the  foot  of  Strand- 
bridge;  the  vicinity  of  the  "Bear"  and  "Paris  Gardens"  had 
evidently  suggested  the  choice  of  those  signs.  At  the  Bear 
Tavern  in  the  Strand,  the  earliest  meetings  of  the  Society  of  Anti- 
quaries took  place,  when  there  were  as  yet  only  three  members, 
Mr  Tahnan,  Mr  Bagford,  and  Mr  Wanley.  Their  first  meeting 
was  on  Friday,  Nov.  5, 1707  ;  subsequently  they  met  at  the  Young 
Devil  Tavern  in  Fleet  Street,  and  then  at  the  Fountain,  opposite 
Chancery  Lane.  Mr  Talman  was  the  first  president;  Mr  Wanley 
was  a  savant  of  considerable  acquirements.  It  was  he  who  pur- 
chased Bagford's  MS.  collection  for  the  Harleian  Library. 

The  White  Beak  at  Sopor's  Lane  End,  (now  Queen  Street,) 
Oheapside,  was  the  shop  in  which  Baptist  Hicks,  as  a  sDk  mercer, 
by  selling  sUks,  velvets,  lace,  and  plumes  to  the  courtiers  of  James 
L,  amassed  that  fortune  which  led  to  the  Peerage,  and  the  title  of 
Viscount  Campden.  There  was  another  White  Bear  Tavern  in 
Thames  Street,  of  which  the  sign  is  stiU.  extant,  a  stone  bas-relief 
with  the  date  1670,  and  the  initials  M.  K  In  1252,  Henry  m. 
received  a  white  bear  as  a  present  from  the  king  of  Norway;  and 
in  Bang  Edward  VI.'s  time,  May  29,  1549,  the  French  ambassa- 
dors, after  they  had  supped  with  the  Duke  of  Somerset  went 
to  the  Thames  and  saw  the  bear  bunted  in  the  river.*  Such  an 
occurrence  might  easily  lead  to  the  adoption  of  this  animal  as 
a  sign  in  that  locality.  The  following  little  fact  connected  with 
another  White  Bear  Inn  forcibly  calls  up  the  dark  ages  before 
gas  was  invented.  In  1656,  John  Wardall  gave  by  will  to  the 
Grocers'  Company  a  tenement  called  "  The  White  Bear  in  Wal- 

*  Burnet's  History  of  the  Beformation,  Lib.  il.,  vol.  ii.,  p.  14.  It  is  possible  also 
tnat  the  White  Bear  was  set  up  in  compliment  to  Anne,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  War- 
wick, queen  to  Kichard  III.,  who,  as  a  di£ference  from  her  father's  bear  and  ragged  sta£^ 
bad  adopted  the  White  Bear  as  a  badge. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  155 

brook,"  upon  condition  that  they  should  yearly  pay  to  the  church- 
wardens of  St  Botolph's,  Billingsgate,  £\  to  provide  a  lanthom 
with  a  candle,  so  that  passengers  might  go  with  more  security  to 
and  from  the  waterside  during  the  night.  This  lamp  was  to  be 
fixed  at  the  north-east  comer  of  the  parish  church  of  St  Botolph, 
from  St  Bartholomew's-day  to  Lady-day ;  out  of  this  sum  £,\ 
was  to  be  paid  to  the  sexton  for  taking  care  of  the  lanthom. 
The  annuity  is  now  applied  to  a  lamp  lighted  with  gas  in  the 
place  prescribed  by  the  will* 

The  White  Bear  Inn,  at  the  east  end  of  Piccadilly,  was  for 
more  than  a  century  one  of  the  busiest  coaching  houses.  In 
this  house  died  Luke  Sullivan,  engraver  of  some  of  Hogarth's 
works ;  also  Chatelain,  another  engraver,  the  last  in  such  pen- 
urious circumstances,  that  he  was  buried  at  the  expense  of  some 
friends  in  the  poor  ground  of  St  James's  workhouse.  It  was  in  this 
inn  that  West  passed  the  first  night  in  London  on  his  arrival  from 
America.  The  sign  of  the  White  Bear  is  still  common;  at  Spring- 
bank,  Hull,  there  is  one  called,  with  zoological  precision,  the 
Polar  Bear.     This  may,  however,  refer  to  the  constellation. 

The  Beak's  Head  occurs  in  Congleton,  Cheshire ;  probably  it 
is  a  family  crest,  the  same  as  the  Beae's  Paw, — both  of  which, 
it  is  believed,  occur  only  in  that  county  and  in  Lancashire.  The 
Bear  is  also  met  in  frequent  combinations ;  one  of  the  most  com- 
mon is  the  Beae  and  Bacchus,  which  looks  like  a  hieroglyphic 
rendering  of  the  words  Beer  and  Wine,  having  the  additional 
attraction  of  alliteration.  Siace  mythology  does  not  mention 
a  Beer-God,  the  animal  was  probably  chosen  as  a  rebus  for  the 
drink.  In  the  Bear  and  Kummer,  Mortimer  Street,  the  rummer 
implies  the  sale  of  liquors,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Punchbowl 
is  often  used.  The  Bear  and  Harrow  seems  to  be  a  union  of 
two  signs.  In  the  seventeenth  century  it  formed  the  house- 
decoration  of  an  ordinary  at  the  entrance  of  Butcher  Eow,  (now 
Picket  Street,  Strand.)  One  night  in  1692,  Nat  Lee,  the  mad 
poet,  in  going  home  drunk  from  this  house,  fell  down  in  the 
snow  and  was  sti&ed. 

The  Elephant,  in  the  middle  ages,  was  nearly  always  repre- 
Hented  with  the  castle  on  his  back.  For  instance,  in  the  Latin 
MS.,  Bestiarium  Harl.,  4751,  a  tower  is  strapped  to  him,  in 
which  are  seen  five  knights  in  chain-armour,  with  swords,  battle- 
axes,  and  cross-bows,  their  emblazoned  shields  hanging  round  the 

*  Timbs's  Flyleaves. 


156  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

battlements;  and,  in  the  description  of  the  animal,  it  is  said, 
"  In  eorum  dorsis,  P[er]  si  et  Indi  ligneis  turribus  coUocati  tam- 
quam  de  muro  jaculis  dimicant."  The  rook,  in  Chinese  chess- 
boards, still  represents  an  elephant  thus  armed. 

Cutlers  in  the  last  century  frequently  used  the  Elephant  and 
Oastie  as  their  sign,  on  account  of  it  being  the  crest  of  the 
Cutlers'  Company,  who  had  adopted  it  in  reference  to  the  ivory 
used  in  the  trade.  Hence  the  stone  bas-relief  in  Belle  Sauvage 
Yard,  which  was  the  sign  of  some  now  forgotten  shopkeeper,  who 
had  chosen  it  out  of  regard  to  his  landlords.  The  houses  in  the 
yard  are  the  property  of  the  Cutlers'  Company.  The  Elephant 
AND  Castle  public-house,  Newington  Butts,  was  formerly  a 
famous  coaching  inn,  but,  by  the  introduction  of  railways,  it  has 
dwindled  down  to  a  starting-point  for  omnibuses.  The  occasion 
of  this  sign  being  put  up  was  the  following  : — Some  time  about 
1714,  a  Mr  Conyers,  an  apothecary  in  Fleet  Street,  and  a  great 
collector  of  antiquities,  was  digging  in  a  gravel-pit  in  a  field  near 
the  Fleet,  not  far  from  Battle  Bridge,  when  he  discovered  the 
skeleton  of  an  elephant.  A  spear  with  a  flint  head,  fixed  to  a 
shaft  of  goodly  length,  was  found  near  it,  whence  it  was  con- 
jectured to  have  been  killed  by  the  British  in  a  fight  with  the 
Komans,*  though  now,  since  the  late  discoveries  concerning  the 
flint  implements,  very  different  conclusions  would  be  drawn  from 
this  fact.  But  be  this  as  it  may,  that  elephant,  whether  post- 
tertiary  or  Eoman,  gave  its  name  to  the  public-house  soon  after 
erected  in  that  locality;  and,  regardless  of  the  venerable  anti- 
quity of  this  origin,  it  is  often  now-a-days  jocularly  degraded 
into  the  Pig  and  Tindee-box. 

What  is  meant  by  the  whimsical  combination  of  the  Elephant 
AND  Fish,  at  Sandhill,  Newcastle,  is  hard  to  say,  unless  we  as- 
sume the  fish  originally  to  have  been  a  dragon.  Between  ele- 
phants and  dragons  there  was  supposed  to  be  a  deadly  strife, 
and  their  battles  are  recorded  by  Strabo,  Pliny,  jElianus,  and 
their  mediaeval  followers.  The  fight  always  ended  in  the  death 
of  both,  the  dragon  strangling  the  elephant  in  the  windings  of 
his  tail,  when  the  elephant,  falling  down  dead,  crushed  the  dragon 
by  his  weight. 

The  Elephant  and  Feiae,  in  Bristol,  may  possibly  have  ori- 
ginated from  the  representation  of  an  elephant  accompanied  by  a 

•  Bagford,  who  was  present  at  the  excaratlons,  relates  this  story  in  a  letter  prefixed 
to  leland's  Collectanea,  p.  Ixiii.,  1770.    See  also  Sir  John  Oldcastle. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  157 

man  in  Eastern  costume,  whose  flowing  garment  might  be  mis- 
taken for  the  gown  of  a  friar.  That  sign  would  have  admirably 
suited  the  fancy  of  the  landlord  of  the  Elephant  and  Castle,  for- 
merly in  Leeds ;  his  name  happening  to  be  Priest,  he  had  the 
following  inscription  above  his  door  : 

"  He  is  a  priest  who  lives  within, 
Gives  advice  gratis,  and  administers  gin." 

In  the  seventeenth  century,  the  Reindeer  began  to  make  its 
appearance  on  the  signboard,  where  it  has  kept  its  place  to  the 
present  day.  At  first  it  was  called  Rained  Deer,  as  we  see  from 
the  newspapers  of  that  period  : — "  Mr  John  Chapman,  York  car- 
rier in  HuU,  at  the  sign  of  the  Rained  Deer."  This  led  to  the 
answer  of  a  sailor  who  had  made  a  voyage  to  Lapland,  and  on 
his  return,  being  asked  if  he  had  seen  any  rained  deer  ?  "  No," 
answered  Jack,  "  I  have  seen  it  rain  cats,  dogs,  and  pitchforks, 
but  I  never  saw  it  rain  deer."  The  first  instance  we  find  of  this 
animal  on  the  signboards  of  London,  is  in  1682,  when  there  was 

"  Eight  Irish  Usquebaugh  to  be  sold  at  the  Eeindeer-  in  Tuttle  Street, 
■Westminster,  in  greater  or  smaller  quantities,  by  one  from  Ireland." — 
London  Gazette,  Nov.  23-27,  1682. 

Pepys  mentions  it  as  early  as  October  7,  1667,  at  Bishop 
Stortford,  as  the  sign  of  a  tavern  kept  by  a  Mrs  Elizabeth  Ayns- 
worth.  Of  this  woman  a  good  story  is  told  : — Mrs  A.  had  been 
a  noted  procuress  at  Cambridge,  for  which  reason  she  was  expelled 
the  town  by  the  University  authorities.  Subsequently  keeping 
the  Reindeer  at  Bishop  Stortford,  the  Vice-chancellor  and  some 
of  the  heads  of  colleges,  on  their  way  to  London,  had  occasion  to 
sleep  at  her  house,  little  thinking  under  whose  roof  they  were. 
She  received  them  nobly,  served  the  supper  up  in  plate,  and 
brought  forth  the  best  wine ;  but,  when  the  hour  of  reckoning 
came,  would  receive  no  money,  "  for,"  said  she,  "  I  am  too  much 
indebted  to  the  Vice-chancellor  for  expelling  me  from  Cam- 
bridge, which  has  been  the  means  of  making  my  fortune."  For 
all  this,  however,  she  does  not  seem  to  have  mended  her  evil 
courses,  for,  shortly  after,  she  was  implicated  in  the  murder  of 
a  Captain  Wood  in  Essex,  for  which  one  man  was  executed, 
whilst  Mrs  Aynsworth  was  only  acquitted  by  some  flaw  in  the 
evidence. 

Dragons,  when  apothecaries'  signs,  were  not  derived  from 
heraldry,  but  were  used  to  typify  certain  chemical  actions.     In 


1 5  8  THE  HISTOR  Y  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

an  old  German  work  on  Alchemy  *  one  of  the  plates  represents 
a  dragon  eating  his  own  tail ;  underneath  are  the  'words, — 
"  Das  ist  gros  Wunder  und  seltBam  List, 
Die  hochst  Artzney  im  Drachen  ist."  ■)■ 

In  mediaeval  alchemy,  the  dragon  seems  to  have  been  the  em- 
blem of  Mercury,  which  appears  from  these  words  on  the  same 
print :  "  Mercurius  recte  et  chs^mice  praecipitatus  vel  sublimatus 
in  sua  propria  aqua  resolutus  et  rursum  coagulatus."  J  To  which 
are  added  the  following  rhymes  : — 

"Ein  Drach  im  Walde  wohnend  ist, 

An  Gifft  demselben  nichts  gebrisst ; 

Wenn  er  die  Sonne  sieht  und  das  Fewr 

So  speusst  er  Gifffc  fleugt  ungehewr, 

Kein  Lebend  Thier  fiir  ihm  mag  gnesn 

Der  Basilisc  mag  ihm  nit  gleich  wesn. 

Wer  diesen  Wui-mb  wol  weiss  zu  todtn 

Der  kompt  auss  alien  seinen  Nothen. 

Sein  Farber  in  seinem  Todt  sich  vermehm ; 

Auas  seiner  Gifft  Artzney  thut  werden. 

Sein  Giffb  verzehrt  er  gar  und  gans 

TJnd  frisst  sein  eign  vergitten  Schwantz. 

Da  mus  er  in  sich  selbst  volbringen 

Der  edelst  Balsam  auss  ihm  thut  tringen, 

Solch  grosse  Tugend  wird  man  schawen 

Welches  alle  Weysn  sich  hoch  erfrawen."  § 

Hence  the  dragon  became  one  of  the  "  properties"  of  the  che- 
mist and  apothecary,  was  painted  on  his  drug-pots,  hung  up  as 
his  sign,  and  some  dusty,  stuffed  crocodile  hanging  from  the  ceil- 
ing in  the  laboratory  had  to  do  service  for  the  monster,  and 
inspire  the  vulgar  with  a  profound  awe  for  the  mighty  man  who 
had  conquered  the  vicious  reptile. 

The  Salamander  was  another  animal  of  the  same  class,  and 
also  represented  certain  chemical  actions,  owing  to  its  fabled 
powers  of  resisting  the  fire.  The  notions  of  early  naturalists 
concerning  this  creature  were  very  extraordinary.     A  Bestiarium 

*  "  Lambspring,  das  ist  ein  heTOlichen  Teutscher  Tractat  tod  Philosophischen  Steine, 
welchen  fiir  Jahren  ein  adelicher  Teutscher  Philosophus,  Lampert  Spring  geheissen  mit 
Gclione  Piguren  beschrieben  hat.    Frtrnhfort  am  Main,  1625." 

t  "  This  is  a  great  wonder,  and  very  strange  :  the  dragon  contains  the  greatest  medi- 
cament." 

X  "  Mercury  rightly  precipitated  or  sublimated  in  its  own  water  dissolved  and  again 
coagulated." 

§  "  There  is  a  dragon  lives  in  the  forest  who  has  no  want  of  poison ;  when  he  sees  the 
Bun  or  fire  he  spits  venom,  which  flies  about  fearfully.  No  living  animal  can  be  cured 
of  it ;  even  the  basilisk  does  not  equal  him.  He  who  can  properly  kill  this  serpent  has 
overcome  all  his  danger.  His  colours  increase  in  death  ;  physic  is  produced  from  his 
poison,  which  he  entirely  consumes,  and  eats  his  own  venomous  tail.  This  must  be  ac- 
complished by  him  in  order  to  produce  the  noblest  balm.  Such  great  virtue  as  will  point 
out  herein  that  all  the  learned  shall  rqjoice." 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  159 

in  tlie  Koyal  Library  of  Brussels,  No.  10074,  says  that  it  lives 
on  pure  fire,  and  produces  a  substance  wMch.  is  neither  sUt  nor 
linen,  nor  yet  wool,  of  which  garments  are  made  that  can  only  be 
cleaned  by  fire ;  and  that  if  the  animal  itself  falls  into  a  buridng 
fire,  it  would  at  once  extinguish  the  flames.  Bossewell,  besides 
incombustibility,  attributes  to  the  salamander  some  other  quali- 
ties fuUy  as  extravagant. 

"Among  all  venomenous  beastes  he  is  the  mightiest  of  poyson  and 
venyme.  For  if  he  creepe  upon  a  tree,  he  infeoteth  all  the  apples  or  other 
fruit  that  groweth  thereon  with  his  poyson,  and  kiUeth  them  which  eate 
thereof.  Which  apples,  also,  if  they  happen  to  faUe  into  any  pitte  of 
water,  the  strength  of  the  poyson  killeth  them  that  drinke  thereof."  * 

This  incombustibility  made  it  a  very  proper  sign  for  alchemists 
and  apothecaries,  and  with  the  last  it  still  continues  as  such,  at 
least  on  the  Continent.  Why  the  early  Venetian  printers  adopted 
it  as  a  sign  is  less  evident.  In  France  it  was  certainly  a  favourite 
sign  with  this  class  of  workmen ;  but  this  was  from  the  fact  of 
its  having  been  the  badge  of  Francis  I.,  a  liberal  patron  of  the 
arts  and  sciences. 

The  qualities  attributed  to  the  Unicoen  caused  this  animal  to 
be  used  as  a  sign  both  by  chemists  and  goldsmiths.  It  was  be- 
lieved that  the  only  way  to  capture  it  was  to  leave  a  handsome 
young  virgin  in  one  of  the  places  where  it  resorted.  As  soon  as 
the  animal  had  perceived  her,  he  would  come  and  lie  quietly 
down  beside  her,  resting  his  head  in  her  lap,  and  fall  asleep,  in 
which  state  he  might  be  surprised  by  the  hunters  who  watched 
for  him.  This  laying  his  head  in  the  lap  of  a  virgin  made  the 
first  Christians  choose  the  unicorn  as  the  type  of  Christ  bom  from 
the  Virgin  Mary.f  The  horn,  as  an  antidote  to  all  poison,  was 
also  believed  to  be  emblematic  of  the  conqueriag  or  destruction  of 
sin  by  the  Messiah.  Eeligious  emblems  being  in  great  favour  with 
the  early  printers,  some  of  them  for  this  reason  adopted  the  unicorn 
as  their  sign ;  thus  John  Harrison  lived  at  the  Unicoen  and 
Bible  in  Paternoster  Kow  1603.  Again,  the  reputed  power  of 
the  horn  caused  the  animal  to  be  taken  as  a  supporter  for  the 
apothecaries'  arms,  and  as  a  constant  signboard  by  chemists. 
Albertus  Magnus  says : — "  Comu  cerastis  sunt  qui  dicunt 
prsesenti  veneno  sudare  et  ideo  ferri  ad  mensas  nobilium,  et 
fieri  inde  manubria  cultellorum    quae  infixa    mensis  prodant 

*  Bossewell,  Workes  of  Armourie,  p.  61. 

t  Allusions  to  the  unicora  occur  frequently  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  commentators 
Inform  us  that  these  references  were  tj^lcal  of  the  coming  Saviour. 


l6o  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

presens  venenum.  Sed  hoc  non  satis  probatum  est."*  What- 
ever it  was  that  passed  for  unicorn's  horn,  (probably  the  horn  of 
the  narwal,)  it  was  sold  at  an  immense  price.  "  The  unicorn 
whose  horn  is  worth  a  city,"  says  Decker  in  his  GuU's  Hornbook; 
and  Andrea  Kacci,  a  Florentine  physician,  relates  that  it  had  been 
sold  by  the  apothecaries  at  £24  per  ounce,  when  the  current 
value  of  the  same  quantity  of  gold  was  only  £2,  3s.  6d.  In  a 
MS.  table  of  customs  entitled,  "  The  Book  of  Kates  in  y*^  first 
yeare  of  Queen  Mary  1531,"t  we  find  the  duty  paid  upon  "  comu 
unicomi  y=  ounce  20s."  An  Italian  author  who  visited  England 
in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.,  %  speaking  of  the  immense  wealth  of  the 
religious  houses  in  this  country  says : — "And  I  have  been  informed 
that,  amongst  other  things,  many  of  these  monasteries  possess  uni- 
corns' horns  of  an  extraordinary  size."  Hence  such  a  horn  was  fit 
to  be  placed  among  the  royal  jewels,  and  there  it  appears  at  the 
head  of  an  inventory  taken  in  the  first  year  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
and  preserved  in  Pepys's  library.§  "  Imprimis,  a  piece  of  unicorn's 
horn,"  which,  as  the  most  valuable  obiect,  is  named  first. 

This  was  no  doubt  the  piece  seen  by  the  Grerman  traveller 
Hentzner,  at  Windsor :  "  We  were  shown  here,  among  other 
things,  the  horn  of  a  unicorn  of  above  eight  spans  and  a  half  in 
length,  valued  at  above  £10,000." ||  Peacham  places  "  that  home 
of  Windsor  (of  an  unicorne  very  likely)  "  IT  amongst  the  sights 
worth  seeing.  Fuller  also  speaks  of  a  unicorn's  horn — "  in  my 
memory  shewn  to  people  in  the  Tower"** —  and  enters  on  a  long 
dissertation  about  its  virtues ;  but  it  seems  to  have  been  lost,  or 
at  least,  no  longer  exhibited  in  his  time. 

The  behef  in  the  efficacy  and  value  of  this  horn  continued  to 
the  close  of  the  seventeenth  century  ;  for  the  Rev.  John  Ward  in 
his  diary,  p.  172,  says  : — 

"  Mr  Hartmau  had  a  piece  of  unicorn's  horn,  which  one  Mr  Godeski  gave 
him ;  hee  had  itt  att  some  foraiue  prince's  court.  I  had  the  piece  in  my 
hand.  Hee  desired  Dr  Willis  to  make  use  of  itt  in  curing  his  ague ;  but 
the  Dr  refusd  because  hee  had  never  seen  itt  used.  Mr  Hartman  told  me 
the  forementioned  gentleman  has  as  much  of  itt  as  would  make  a  cup,  and 

*  "It  is  reported  that  the  unicorn's  hovn  sweats  when  it  comes  in  the  presence  of 
poison,  and  that  for  this  reason  it  is  laid  on  the  tables  of  the  great,  and  made  into 
knife-handles,  which,  when  placed  on  the  tables,  show  the  presence  of  poison.  But  this 
is  not  sufficietitly  proved." — Albertus  Magnus,  De  Animalibus,  Ub.  xxv. 

t  Bib.  Havl.  6953,  vol.  i.,  p.  403. 

X  Relation  of  the  Island  of  England,  published  by  the  Camden  Societv, 

8  See  Bib.  Haii.  6953,  vol.  i.,  p.  407. 

1  Hentzner's  Travels,  p.  64. 

\  Henry  Peacham's  Compleat  Gentleman. 
■*  Fuller's  Worthies,  voce  Middlesex* 


PLATE  XL 


HOLE  IN  THE  WALL. 
("Guide  for  Malt- Worms."    Circa  1720.) 


DOG  AKD  DUCK. 
(In  the  brick  wall  of 
Bethlehem  HoapitaL) 


BARLEY  MOW. 
[Hogarth's  print  of  Beer  St.) 


FLYING  HORSE. 
("GuideforMalt-Worms."    Circa  1720. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  l6l 

he  intended  to  make  one  of  itt.  It  approved  ittself  as  a  true  one,  as  he 
said  by  this :  if  one  drew  a  circle  with  itt  about  a  spider,  she  would  not 
move  out  off  itt."  * 

The  great  value  set  upon  unicorns'  horn  caused  the  goldsmiths 
to  adopt  this  animal  as  their  sign.  There  is  one  recorded  in 
Machyn's  Diary:  the  first  of  May  1561,  "at  afternone  dyd 
Mastyr  Godderyke's  sune  the  goldsmyth  go  hup  into  hys  father's 
gyldyng  house,  toke  a  bowe-strynge,  and  hanged  ymseylff  at  the 
syne  of  the  Unycome  in  Chepesyd."  In  1711  the  Unicoen  and 
Dial  was  the  sign  of  a  watchmaker  near  the  Strand  Bridge.+ 

Another  fabulous  animal  that  formerly  (though  rarely)  occurred 
on  signboards  was  the  Cockatrice,  which  was  the  sign  of  a  place 
of  amusement  in  Highbury  circa  1611.  The  "  Bestiaria,"  or 
ancient  natural  histories,  give  most  extraordinary  particulars 
about  the  birth  of  this  creature  : — 

"  When  the  cock  is  past  seven  years  old  an  egg  grows  in  his  belly,  and 
when  he  feels  this  egg,  he  wonders  very  much,  and  sustains  the  greatest 
anxiety  any  animal  can  suffer.  He  seeks,  privately,  a  warm  place  on  a 
dunghill  or  in  a  stable,  and  scratches  with  his  feet,  until  he  has  formed  a 
hole  to  lay  his  egg  in.  And  when  the  cock  has  dug  his  hole  he  goes  ten 
times  a  day  to  it,  for  all  day  he  thinks  that  he  is  going  to  be  delivered. 
And  the  nature  of  the  toad  is  such  that  it  smells  the  venom  which  the 
cock  carries  in  his  belly,  consequently  it  watches  him,  so  that  the  cock 
cannot  go  to  the  hole  without  being  seen  by  it.  And  as  soon  as  the  cock 
leaves  the  place  where  he  has  to  lay  his  egg,  the  toad  is  immediately  there 
to  see  if  the  egg  has  been  laid ;  for  his  nature  is  such,  that  he  hatches  the 
egg  if  he  can  obtain  it.  And  when  he  has  hatched  it,  until  it  is  time  to 
open,  it  produces  an  animal  that  has  the  head,  and  neck,  and  breast  of  a 
cock,  and  from  thence  downwards,  the  body  of  a  serpent." — Trandati/m 
from  the  MS.  Bestiarium,  Bib.  Roy.  Brussels,  No.  10074. 

That  cocks,  sometimes  in  the  middle  ages,  forgot  themselves  so 
far  as  to  lay  eggs,  appears  from  a  lawsuit  which  poor  chanticleer 
had  at  Basle  in  1474,  when  he  was  convicted,  condemned,  and, 
with  his  egg,  burned  at  the  stake  for  a  sorcerer,  with  as  much  pomp 
and  ceremony  as  if  he  had  been  a  Protestant  or  other  heretic. 

The  Ape  was,  in  bygone  times,  the  sign  of  an  inn  in  Philip  Lane, 
near  London  wall ;  all  that  now  remains  of  this  ancient  hostelry 
is  a  stone  carving  of  a  monkey  squatted  on  its  haunches,  and  eat- 
ing an  apple;  under  it  the  date  1670,  and  the  initial  B.     The 

*  "  It  is  rather  peculiar  that  the  same  superstitious  notions  should  be  found  in  India  In 
connexion  with  the  horn  of  the  rhinoceros,  whom  some  consider  as  the  febled  unicorn 
divested  of  his  romantic  garb.  His  horn,  too,  was  thought  useful  in  diseases,  and  for 
the  purpose  of  discovering  poisons." — Calme£s  Dictionary  of  the  Bible.  "The  fine 
shavings  were  supposed  to  cure  convulsions  and  spasms  in  children.  Goblets  made  of 
these  would  discover  a  poisonous  draught  that  was  poured  into  them,  by  making  the 
liquor  ferment  till  it  ran  quite  out  of  the  goblet." — TKwriberg^n  Jvwtneg  to  Ci^raria. 

t  Daily  Courantf  February  2, 1711. 

X 


1 62  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

courtyard,  where  the  lumbering  coaches  used  to  arrive  and  depart, 
is  now  an  open  space,  round  which  houses  are  built.  The 
Racoon  is  a  painted  sign  at  Dalston,  but  a  hyaena  seems  to  have 
sat  for  the  portrait ;  the  Hippopotamus  occurs  in  New-England 
Street,  Brighton;  the  Ibex  at  Chadelworth,  Wantage;  the 
Ckocodilb  in  Higham  Street,  Norwich ;  the  CameIi  may  be  met 
with  in  a  few  instances,  and  at  Weston  PevereU,  Plymouth,  there 
is  the  sign  of  the  Camel's  Head.  FinaUy,  there  is  the  Kan- 
garoo, of  which,  occasionally,  an  example  may  be  seen,  set  up 
probably  by  some  landlord  who  had  tried  his  luck  in  Australia. 
The  CrvET  is  common  all  over  Europe  as  a  perfumer's  sign,  as 
it  was  said  to  produce  musk  A  Dutch  perfumer  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  wrote  under  his  sign  : — 
"  Dit  'a  in  de  Civet  kat,  gelyk  gy  kunt  aanschouwen, 
Maar  komt  hier  binnen,  hier  zyn  parfuimen  voor  maniien  en  vrouwen."  * 

The  Hedgehog  was  never  very  common.  In  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth  it  was  the  sign  of  William  Seeres,  bookseller,  in 
St  Paul's  Churchyard,  who  put  it  up,  according  to  Bagford,  on 
account  of  its  being  the  badge  of  lus  former  master  Sir  Henry 
Sydney,  t  Apparently  this  same  house  was  concerned  in  the 
following  strange  affair  : — 

"  By  a  lettere  dated  London,  11  May  1555,  it  appears  that  in  Powles 
Churchyearde  at  the  sign  of  the  Hedgehog,  the  goodwife  of  the  house  was 
brought  to  bed  of  a  manchild,  being  of  the  age  of  6  dayes  and  dienge  the 
7"'  daye  foUowinge ;  and  half  an  hour  before  it  departed  spake  these  words 
foUowinge  :  (rise  and  pray)  and  so  continued  half  an  houre  in  thes  words 
and  then  ciyinge  departed  the  worlde.  Hereupon  the  Bishope  of  London 
examined  the  goodman  of  the  house  and  other  credible  persones  who 
affirmed  it  to  be  true  and  will  dye  uppon  the  same."  % 

The  Hedgehog  is  now  very  scarce  on  signboards ;  at  Dadling- 
ton,  near  Market  Bosworth,  there  is  a  Dog  and  Hedgehog, 
doubtless  borrowed  from  the  well-known  engraving  of  "  A  Hough 
Customer." 

Signs  relating  to  sport  or  the  chase  are  comparatively  common; 
thus  we  have  the  Eat  and  Feeeet  at  Wilson,  near  Ashby  de  la 
Zouch ;  the  Three  Conies,  or  rabbits,  figure  on  an  old  trades 

*  "  This  Is  the  Civet,  as  you  may  see  ;  but  enter.  Perfumes  sold  here  for  men  ana 
women," 

t  The  reason  why  the  hedgehog  was  generally  represented  with  apples  stuck  on  his 
quills,  appears  from  the  following  words  in  Bossewell,  (p.  61,)  — "  He  clymeth  upon  a  Tine  or 
an  apple-tree  and  biteth  off  their  brauhches  and  twigges,  and  when  they  [the  apples]  be 
fallen  downe,  he  waloweth  on  them,  and  so  they  sticke  on  his  prickes,  and  he  beareth 
them  unto  a  hollow  tree  or  some  other  hole."  The  early  naturalists  also  said  that  if, 
when  he  was  so  loaded,  one  of  the  apples  happened  to  drop  off,  he  would  throw  all  Che 
others  down  in  anger  and  return  to  the  tree  for  a  new  load. 

X  Harl.  MSS.  863,  fol.  lis. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTHRS.  1 63 

token  of  Blackman  Street ;  tlie  Hare,  on  the  token  of  John 
Perns  in  the  Strand,  1666;  and  Nicholas  Warren,  in  Alders- 
gate.*  Warren  evidently  made  a  cockney  mistake,  thinking  that 
hares,  instead  of  rabbits,  lived  in  warrens.  Another  Hare  was 
the  sign  of  Philip  Hause  in  Walbrook  in  1682.t  The  Haee  and 
Squirrel  occur  together  on  a  sign  at  Nuneaton;  what  the 
combination  means  it  is  difficult  to  surmise. 

"  Cages  with  cUm'bing  Squibkels  and  bells  to  them  were  formerly  the 
indispensable  appendages  of  the  outside  of  a  Tinman's  shop,  and  were,  in 
fact,  the  only  live  sign.  One,  we  believe,  still  (1826)  hangs  out  on  Holborn ; 
but  they  are  fast  vanishing  with  the  good  old  modes  of  our  ancestors."  J 

The  Three  Squirrels  was  the  sign  of  an  inn  at  Lambeth, 
mentioned  by  Taylor  the  Water  poet  in  1636  j  and  from  a  trades 
token  it  appears  that  in  the.  seventeenth  century  there  was  a 
similar  sign  in  Meet  Street.  Probably  it  was  the  same  house 
which,  in  167f,  was  occupied  by  Gosling  the  banker,  "over 
against  St  Dunstan's  Church,"  where  the  triad  of  squirrels  may 
still  be  seen  in  the  iron-work  of  the  vpindows.  Gosling's  was  one 
of  the  leading  banking  establishments  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II. 
Among  the  curiosities  of  this  old  firm  is  a  bill  for  £640,  8s., 
paid  out  of  the  secret  service  money  for  gold  lace  and  silver  lace, 
bought  by  the  Duchess  of  Cleveland  for  the  wedding  clothes  of 
the  Lady  Sussex  and  Litchfield. 

The  Hare  and  Hounds  are  very  common ;  some  fifty  years 
ago  it  was  the  sign  of  a  notorious  establishment  in  St  Giles's,  one 
of  those  places  associated  with  "the  good  old  customs  of 
our  ancestors."  As  the  few  houses  of  this  character  that  remain 
are  difficult  of  access,  a  description  of  this  place  may  not  be  un- 
interesting. 

"  The  Hare  and  Hounds  was  to  be  reached  by  those  going  from  the  west 
end  towards  the  city,  by  going  up  a  turning  on  the  left  hand,  nearly  oppo- 
site St  Giles's  churchyard.  The  entrance  to  this  turning  or  lane  was  ob- 
structed or  defended  by  posts  with  cross  bars,  which  being  passed,  the  lane 
itself  was  entered.  It  extended  some  twenty  or  thirty  yards  towards  the 
north,  through  two  rows  of  the  most  filthy,  dilapidated,  and  execrable 
buildings  that  could  be  imagined ;  and  at  the  top  or  end  of  it  stood  the 
citadel,  of  which  '  Stunning  Joe '  was  the  corpulent  castellan  ; — I  need  not 
say  that  it  required  some  determination  and  some  address  to  gain  this  strange 
place  of  rendezvous.  Those  who  had  the  honour  of  an  introduction  to 
the  great  man  were  considered  safe,  wherever  his  authority  extended,  and  in 

*  London  Gmxtte,  No.  368. 

t  London  Gazette,  Sept.  18-21,  1682,  I  am  confident  the  newspapers  made  a  misprint, 
and  that  the  man's  name  was  Haose,  Dutch  or  German,  for  the  Hare  ho  represented  on 
his  sign. 

t  Hone's  Every-Day  Booli,  Oct.  17,  fol.  1. 


164  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

this  locality  it  was  certainly  very  extensive.  He  occasionally  condes- 
cended to  act  as  a  pilot  through  the  navigation  of  the  alley  to  persons  of 
aristocratic  or  wealthy  pretensions,  whom  curiosity,  or  some  other  motive 
best  known  to  themselves,  led  to  his  abode.  Those  who  were  not  under 
his  safe  conduct  frequently  found  it  very  unsafe  to  wander  in  the  intricacies 
of  this  region.  In  the  salon  of  this  temple  of  low  debauchery  were 
assembled  groups  of  all '  unutterable  things,'  aU  that  class  distinguished 
in  those  days,  and,  I  believe,  in  these,  by  the  generic  term  '  cadgers.' 

Hail  cadgers,  who  in  rags  array'd. 

Disport  and  play  fantastic  pranks  ; 

Bach  Wednesday  night  in  full  parade. 

Within  the  domicile  of  Bank's. 
A  '  lady '  presided  over  the  revels,  collected  largess  in  a  platter,  and,  at 
iutervsJs,  amused  the  company  vrith  specimens  of  her  vocal  talent. 
Dancing  was  '  kept  up  till  a  late  hour,'  with  more  vigour  than  elegance, 
and  many  terpsichorean  passages,  which  partook  rather  of  the  animation 
of  the  '  Nautch '  than  the  dignity  of  the  minuet,  increased  the  interest  of 
the  performance.  It  may  be  supposed  that  those  who  assembled  were  not 
the  sort  of  people  who  would  have  patronised  Father  Matthew  had  he  visited 
St  Giles's  in  those  times.  There  was  indeed  an  almost  incessant  com- 
plaint of  drought,  which  seemed  to  be  increased  by  the  very  remedies  ap- 
plied for  its  cure ;  and  had  it  not  been  for  the  despotic  authority  with 
which  the  dispenser  of  the  good  things  of  the  establishment  exercised  his 
rule,  his  liberality  in  the  dispensation  would  certainly  have  led  to  very 
vigorous  developments  of  the  reprobation  of  man  and  of  woman  also.  In 
the  lower  tier,  or  cellars,  or  crypt  of  the  edifice,  beds  or  berths  were  pro- 
vided for  the  company,  who,  packed  in  bins  after  the  '  fitful  fever '  of  the 
evening,  slept  well,"  * 

In  1750  there  was  a  sign  of  the  Haee  and  Cats  at  Norwich,t 
which  was  clearly  a  travesty  of  the  Hare  and  Hounds. 

The  Stag  may  in  early  times  have  been  put  up  as  a  religious 
type.  As  such  it  is  of  constant  occurrence  in  the  catacombs 
and  in  early  Christian  sculptures,  in  allusion  to  Psalm  xlii., 
"  Lite  as  the  hart  desireth  the  water  brook,  so  longeth  my  soul 
after  thee,  O  God  !"J  The  Stag  is  stUl  a  very  common  sign. 
A  publican  on  the  Fulham  Eoad  has  put  up  the  sign  of  the  Stag, 
and  added  to  this  on  the  tympanum :  "  Kex  in  regno  suo  non 
habet  parem,"  the  application  of  which  is  best  known  to  mine 
host  himself. 

The  Baij)faced  Stag  is  seen  in  many  places :  baldfaced  is  a 
term  applied  to  horses  who  have  a  white  strip  down  the  forehead 
to  the  nose.    At  Chigwell  in  Essex  there  is  a  Bald  Hind,  and 

*  Rev.  J.  Eiohardson,  LL.B.,  Becollections  of  the  Last  Half  Century.  See  also 
under  Stuhniho  Joe  Bakes  in  the  Slang  Biotionaiy,  recently  issued  by  the  publisher 
of  this  work. 

t  Gentleman's  Magazine,  March  1842. 

i  See  under  Religious  Siqns. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  1 65 

in  the  High  Street,  Eeading,  a  Baxd  Face,  both  evidently  de- 
rived from  the  last-named  stag. 

Various  combinations  also  occur,  as  the  Stag  and  Castle,  at 
Thornton,  near  Hinckly ;  the  Stag  and  Pheasant,  rather  com- 
mon ;  both  these,  doubtless,  aUude  to  the  game  seen  in  parks,  or 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  noblemen's  seats ;  the  Stag  and  Oak, 
the  Cape,  Warwickshire,  points  towards  a  similar  origin,  but  the 
Stag  and  Thorn  at  Traffick  Street,  Derby,  seems  to  be  a 
union  of  two  signs,  for  the  Thoen  appears  in  the  same  street  on 
another  public-house.  There  is,  however,  a  sort  of  tree  called 
the  Buck-Thorn,  which  possibly  may  have  been  corrupted  into 
the  Buck  and  Thorn,  and  hence  the  Stag  and  Thorn.  The 
EisiNG  Deek  (Brampton-en-le-Morthen,  Yorkshire)  and  the 
Kising  Buck  (Sheinton,  Shropshire)  have  a  decided  deer-stalking 
smack  about  them,  affording  us  a  glimpse  of  the  cautious  stag 
rising  from  the  heather,  pricking  his  ears  and  sniffing  the  wind. 

The  Eanged  Deer  was  the  sign  of  the  King's  gunsmith  in 
the  Minories,  1673.*  At  that  period  this  street  was  full  of 
smiths : 

"  The  Muloibera  who  in  the  Minories  sweat 
And  massive  bars  on  stubborn  anvils  beat, 
Deform'd  themselves,  yet  forge  those  stays  of  steel 
Which  arm  Aurelia  with  a  shape  to  kill." — Congreve. 

This  ranged  deer  was  simply  intended  for  the  Eeindeer, 
which  animal  had  then  just  newly  come  under  the  notice  of 
the  public  j  their  knowledge  of  it  was  stUl  confused,  and  its 
name  was  spelled  in  various  ways,  such  as :  rain-deer,  rained- 
deer,  range-deer,  and  ranged-deer. 

The  Eoebuck  is  equally  common  with  the  Stag ;  the  Golden 
Buck,  near  St  Dunstan,  was  the  shop  of  P.  Overton,  publisher 
of  "  i'he  Cries  of  the  City  of  London,  consisting  of  74  copper- 
prints,  each  figure  drawn  after  the  hfe,  by  the  famous  Mr  Laron." 
The  Buck  an^d  Bell  is  a  sign  at  Long  Itchington  :  the  beU  was 
frequently  added  to  the  signs  of  public-houses  in  honour  of  the 
bell-ringers,  who  were  in  the  habit  of  refreshing  themselves  there. 
Hence  we  have  the  Bull  and  Bell,  Briggate,  Leeds;  the  Eaven 
and  Bell,  at  Shrewsbury,  Wolverhampton,  and  Newport ;  the 
Bell  and  Talbot,  at  Bridgenorth ;  the  Dolphin  and  Bell  on 
the  token  of  John  Warner,  Aldersgate,  1668;  the  Fish  and 
Bell,  (evidently  the  same  sign,)  Charles  Street,  Sohoj  the  Three 

*  London  Gaxette,  Oct.  2-6, 1673. 


1 66  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Swans  and  Peal  at  Walsall ;  the  Nelson  and  Peal,  and  many 
others. 

Among  the  taverns  with  the  sign  of  the  Koebuck  that  have 
become  famous,  the  house  in  Cheapside  may  be  mentioned  as  a 
notorious  place  during  the  Whig  riots  in  1715. 

Not  only  the  Deer  tribe  themselves,  but  their  Hoens  also 
make  a  considerable  figure  on  the  signboard.  It  is  probably  to 
the  sign  of  the  Horns  that  allusion  is  made  in  the  roU  of  the 
Pardoner,  "  Cocke  LoreH's  Bote  :" — 

"  Here  is  Maryone  Marchauntea  at  AUgate 
Her  Husbode  dwells  at  ye  siggne  of  ye  Gokddes  Pate!' 
The  Hoens  was  a  tavern  of  note  in  Fleet  Street  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth : 

"  The  XTJ  day  of  September  (1557),  cam  owt  of  Spayn  to  the  Quens 
Cowrt  in  post  Mouser  Begamus,  gorgyafy  apparelled,  with  divers  Spane- 
ardes,  and  with  grett  cheynes,  and  their  hats  sett  with  stones  and  perlles, 
and  sopyd  [supped],  and  by  vij  of  the  cloke  were  again  on  hoisSbake,  and 
so  thrugh  Flet  Strett,  and  at  the  Hobnes  they  dronke,  and  at  the  GbaT' 
EONnB,  and  so  thrugh  Chepeayde,  and  so  over  the  bryge,  and  so  rod  aJl 
nyght  toward  Dover." — MachyrCi  Diary. 

Sometimes  the  Horns  are  specified  as  the  Haet's  Hoens  Inn, 
Smithfield,  near  Pie  Corner,  one  of  the  houses  in  the  yard  of 
which  Joe  MUler  used  to  play  during  Bartholomew  Fair  time, 
when  he  was  associated  with  Pinkethman  at  the  head  of  a  troop 
of  actors.  The  London  Daily  Post  for  August  24,  &c.,  1721, 
contains  several  advertisements  of  his  troop,  and  the  parts  played 
by  himself. 

What  most  contributed  to  the  popularity  of  this  sign  in  the 
environs  of  London  was  the  custom  alluded  to  by  Byron  : 
"  And  many  to  the  steep  of  Highgate  hie. 
Ask  ye,  Boeotian  shades !  the  reason  why, 
'Tis  to  the  worship  of  the  solemn  horn, 
Grasp'd  in  the  holy  hand  of  mystery, 
In  whose  dread  name  both  men  and  maida  are  sworn. 
And  consecrate  the  oath  with  draught  and  dance  till  mom."  * 
Highgate  was  the  headquarters  for  this  swearing  on  the  horn. 
Hone  gives  the  oath  in  the  following  form  : — 

"  An  old  and  respectable  inhabitant  of  the  village  says,  that  60  years 
ago,  upwards  of  80  stages  stopped  every  day  at  the  Ked  Lion,  and  that  out 
of  every  5  passengers  3  were  sworn.  The  oath  was  delivered  standing, 
and  ran  thus :  '  Talee  notice  what  I  now  say  unto  you,  for  that  is  the  first 
word  of  your  oath — mind  that  I  You  must  acknowledge  me  to  be  your 
adopted  father,  I  must  acknowledge  you  to  be  my  adopted  son  (or  daughter). 
If  you  do  not  call  me  father,  you  forfeit  a  bottle  of  wine.  If  I  do  not  call 
*  Childe  Harold,  canto  I.  Ixx. 


ANIMALS  AND  M0N8TEE8.  1 67 

you  son,  I  forfeit  the  same.  And  now,  my  good  son,  if  you  are  travelling 
through  thia  village  of  Highgate,  and  you  have  no  money  in  your  pocket, 
go  call  for  a  hottle  of  wine  at  any  house  you  think  proper  to  go  into,  and 
book  it  to  your  father's  score.  If  you  have  any  friends  with  you  you  may 
treat  them  as  well,  but  if  you  have  money  of  your  own  you  must  pay  for 
it  yourself.  For  you  must  not  say  you  have  no  money  when  you  have, 
neither  must  you  convey  the  money  out  of  your  own  pockets  into  your 
friends'  pockets,  for  I  shall  search  you  as  well  as  them ;  and  if  it  is  found 
that  you  or  they  have  money,  you  forfeit  a  bottle  of  wine  for  trying  to 
cozen  and  cheat  your  poor  old  ancient  father.  You  must  not  eat  brown 
bread  while  you  can  get  white,  except  you  like  the  brown  the  beat ;  you 
must  not  drink  small  beer  while  you  can  get  strong,  except  you  like  the 
small  the  best.  You  must  not  kiss  the  maid  while  you  can  kiss  the  mis- 
tress, except  you  like  the  maid  the  best,  but  sooner  than  lose  a  good 
chance  you  may  kias  them  both.  And  now,  my  good  son,  for  a  word  or 
two  of  advice :  keep  from  all  houses  of  ill  repute,  and  every  place  of 
public  resort  for  bad  company.  Beware  of  false  friends,  for  they  will  turn 
to  be  your  foes,  and  inveigle  you  into  houses  where  you  may  lose  your 
money  and  get  no  redress.  Keep  from  thieves  of  every  denomination. 
And  now,  my  good  son,  I  wish  you  a  aafe  journey  through  Highgate  and 
this  life.  I  charge  you,  my  good  son,  that  if  you  know  any  in  this  com- 
pany who  have  not  taken  the  oath  you  must  cause  them  to  take  it,  or 
make  each  of  them  forfeit  a  bottle  of  wine,  for  if  you  fail  to  do  so  you  will 
forfeit  a  bottle  of  wine  yourself.  So  now  my  good  son,  God  bless  you. 
Kiss  the  horns  or  a  pretty  girl,  if  you  see  one  here  which  you  like  best,  and 
80  be  free  of  Highgate.' " 

After  that,  the  new-made  member  became  fully  acquainted 
with  the  privileges  of  a  freeman,  which  consisted  in  : 

"  If  at  any  time  you  are  going  through  Highgate,  and  want  to  rest  your- 
self, and  you  see  a  pig  lying  in  the  ditch,  you  have  liberty  to  kick  her 
out  and  take  her  place ;  but  if  you  see  three  lying  together,  you  must  only 
kick  out  the  middle  one  and  lie  between  the  other  two." 

These  last  liberties,  however,  are  a  later  addition  to  the  oath 
introduced  by  a  blacksmith,  who  kept  the  Coach  xkd  Hoeses. 
Nearly  every  inn  in  Highgate  used  to  keep  a  pair  of  horns  for 
this  custom.  In  Hone's  time  the  principal  inn,  the  Gatehouse, 
had  stag -horns : — 

The  Mitre,  stags'-homs.     The  Eed-Lion,  rams'-    The  Angel,  rams'-homs. 
The  Green  Dragon,  do.        horns.  The  Bull,  stags'-homs. 

The  Red  Lion  and  Sun,    The  Coopers'  Arms,  do.     The  Wrestlers,  do. 

bullocks'-homs.  The  Fox  and  Hounds,     The  Lord  Nelson,  do. 

The  Bell,  stags'-homs.         rams'-homs.  The  Duke  of  Wellington, 

The  Coach  and  Horses,     The  Flask,  do.  stags'-homs. 

rams'-homs.  The  Rose  and  Crown,     The  Crowne,  do. 

The  Castle,  do.  stags'-homs.  The  Duke's  Head,  do. 

Hone  supposes  the  custom  to  have  originated  in  a  sort  of 
graziers'  club.*    Highgate  being  the  place  nearest  London  where 

*  Hone's  Eveiy  Day  Book,  Jan.  17,  vol.  ii. 


1 68  THM  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

cattle  rested  on  their  way  from  tlie  north,  certain  graziers  were 
accustomed  to  put  up  at  the  Gatehouse  for  the  night.  But  as 
they  could  not  wholly  exclude  strangers  who,  like  themselves, 
were  travelling  on  business,  they  brought  an  ox  to  the  door,  and 
those  who  did  not  choose  to  kiss  its  horns,  after  going  through 
the  ceremony  described,  were  not  deemed  fit  members  of  their 
society.  Similar  customs  prevailed  in  other  places,  as  at  Ware, 
at  the  Griffin  in  Hoddesdon,  &c. 

On  the  Continent  the  sign  of  the  Horns  was  formerly  equally 
common,  often  accompanied  with  some  sly  allusion  to  what  Othello 
calls  "  the  forked  plague."  Thus  in  the  Kue  Bourg  Chavin,  in 
Lyons,  there  is  now  a  pair  of  horns  with  the  inscription  "  Sunt 
siMixiA  TUis ;"  and  a  Dutch  shopkeeper  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury wrote  under  Ms  sign  of  the  Horns — 
"  Ik  draag  Hoomen  dat  ider  ziet, 
Maar  menig  draagt  Hoomen  en  weet  het  niet."  * 

The  Fox,  as  might  be  expected,  is  to  be  seen  in  a  great  many 
places;  there  is  one  at  Frandley,  Cheshire,  with  the  following 
rhymes : — 

"  Behold  the  Fox,  near  Frandley  stocks, 
Pray  catch  him  when  you  can. 
For  they  sell  here,  good  ale  and  beer, 
To  any  honest  man." 
A  stiU  more  absurd  inscription  accompanies  the  sign  of  the 
Fox  at  Folkesworth,  near  StUton,  Hunts  : — 

"  I  .  HAM  .  A  .  CUNEN  .  FOX 
You  .  SEE  .  THEK  .  HIS  . 
No  .  HAEM  .  ATCHED  . 

To  .  Me  .  it  .  is  .  my  .  Mrs 
Wish  .  to  .  place  .  me 

HeEE  .  TO  .  LET  .  TOTJ  .  NO  . 
He  .  SELLS  .  GOOD  .  BEEEE  ." 

Formerly  there  used  to  be  a  sign  of  the  Three  Foxes  in 
Clement's  Lane,  Lombard  Street,  carved  in  stone,  representing 
three  foxes  sitting  in  a  row.  But  a  few  years  ago  the  house 
came  into  the  possession  of  a  legal  firm,  who,  no  doubt  afraid  of 
the  jokes  to  which  the  sign  might  lead,  thought  it  advisable  to 
do  away  with  the  carving  by  covering  it  over  with  plaster. 

One  of  the  most  favourite  combinations  is  the  Fox  and 
Goose,  represented  by  a  fox  currant,  with  the  neck  of  the  goose 
in  his  mouth  and  the  body  cast  over  his  back.     It  seems  sug- 

*  "  I  wear  horns,  which  everybody  sees, 

But  many  a  one  wears  hoiiis  and  does  not  know  it," 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  1 69 

gested  by  an  incident  in  the  old  tale  of  "  Eeynard  the  Fox," 
and  was  a  subject  which  mediseval  artists  were  never  tired  of 
representing  ;  it  occurs  in  stall  carvings,  as  in  Gloucester  Cathe- 
dral ;  in  the  border  of  the  Bayeux  tapestry,  and  in  endless  MS. 
illuminations.  It  is,  or  was,  a  coat  of  arms  borne  by  the  families 
of  Foxwist  and  Foxfeld.  Derived  from  this  sign  are  the  Fox 
AND  Duck,  (two  in  Sheffield,)  and  the  Fox  and  Hen,  of  which 
there  is  an  example  at  Long  Itchington.  Keynard's  predatory 
habits  are  further  illustrated  by  the  Fox  and  Lamb,  in  Pilgrim 
Street,  Newcastle,  in  Allendale,  &c.,  and  the  Fox  and  Gkapes, 
borrowed  from  the  fable.  From  the  same  well-known  source 
also  arose  the  sign  of  the  Fox  and  Ckanb.  But  we  see  the 
punishment  of  all  Reynard's  misdemeanours  in  the  Fox  AND 
Hounds,  a  sign  of  old  standing,  as  there  is  one  in  Putney  on  a 
house  which  professes  to  have  been  "  established  above  three 
hundred  years."  The  Fox  and  Owl  at  Nottinghain,  seems  to 
owe  its  origin  to  a  curious  qui  pro  quo  in  language.  A  bunch  of 
ivy,  or  ivy  tod,  was  generally  considered  the  favourite  haunt  of  an 
owl;  but  a  tod  also  signifies  a  fox ;  and  so  the  owl's  nest,  owls- 
tod,  may  have  led  to  the  owl  and  tod,  the  fox  and  owL  The 
Owl's  Nest  is  stiU  a  sign  at  St  Helen's,  Lancashire.  See  under 
Bird  Signs. 

In  the  sign  of  the  Fox  and  Bull,  at  Knightsbridge,  the  buU 
has  been  added  of  late  years.  About  fifty  years  ago  a  magistrate 
used  to  sit  once  a  week  at  this  public-house  to  settle  the  small 
disputes  of  the  neighbouring  inhabitants.  At  that  period  Knights- 
bridge was  still  in  such  a  benighted  condition  that  neither  a 
butcher's  nor  draper's  shop  was  to  be  found  between  Hyde  Park 
Corner  and  Sloane  Street;  and  the  whole  locality  could  only 
boast  of  one  stationer  where  note-paper  and  newspapers  could  be 
obtained.  The  voyage  to  London  in  those  days  was  performed 
in  a  sort  of  lumbering  stagecoach,  over  an  ill-paved  and  dimly- 
lighted  road.  To  this  Fox  Inn,  by  a  very  old  wooden  gate  at  the 
back,  the  bodies  of  the  drowned  in  the  Serpentine  used  to  be 
conveyed,  to  the  care  of  the  Eoyal  Humane  Society,  who  had  a 
receiving-house  here.  Among  the  many  unhappy  young  and  fan- 
ones  who  were  carried  through  that  "  Lasciate-ogni-speranza" 
gate,  was  Harriet  Westbrook,  the  first  wife  of  Shelley  the  poet, 
who  had  drowned  herself  in  the  Serpentine  upon  hearing  that 
her  husband  had  run  oflf  to  Italy  with  Mary,  the  daughter  of 
William  Godwin,  bookseller  and  philosopher  of  Snow  Hill.     The 


170  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

ancient  inn  remained  much  in  its  Elizabethan  condition  till  the 
year  1799,  when  certain  alterations  cleared  away  the  old-fashioned 
fire-places,  chimney-pieces,  and  dog-irons,  by  which  had  sat  the 
weather-beaten  soldiers  of  CromweU,  the  highwaymen  lying  in 
ambush  for  the  mall  coaches,  and  the  fair  London  ladies  out  on  a 
sly  trip. 

Some  other  combinations  are  not  so  easily  explained,  such  as 
the  Fox  AND  Cap,  Long  Lane,  Smithfield :  but  when  we  see  the 
biU  of  this  shop*  the  mystery  is  explained  ;  it  was  the  sign  of 
Tho.  Trousdale,  a  capmaker,  and  represented  a  fox  running,  with 
a  cap  painted  above  him,  to  intimate  the  man's  business.  The 
Fox  AND  Ceown,  Nottingham  and  Newark,  is  evidently  a  com- 
bination of  two  signs.  The  Fox  and  Knot,  Snow  TTill,  seems 
to  be  of  old  standing,  as  it  has  given  its  name  to  a  court  close 
by.  Its  origin,  doubtless,  is  exactly  similar  to  that  of  the  Fox 
and  Cap;  the  knot  or  top-knot  being  a  head-dress  worn  by  ladies 
in  the  last  century.  The  Flying  Fox  at  Colchester,  may  either 
allude  to  some  kind  of  bat  or  flying  squirrel  (?)  thus  denomi- 
nated, or  is  a  landlord's  caprice. 

It  is  certainly  somewhat  strange  that  in  this  sporting  country 
the  sign  of  the  Brush  or  the  Fox's  TaU  should  be  so  rare ;  in 
fact,  no  instance  of  its  use  is  now  to  be  found,  although,  beside 
the  interest  attached  to  it  in  the  hunting  field,  it  had  the  honour 
of  being  one  of  the  badges  of  the  Lancaster  family.  "What  is  stUl 
more  surprising  is,  that  the  Fox's  Tail  shoiild  have  been  the 
sign  of  a  Parisian  bookseller,  Jean  KueUe,  in  1540 ;  but  what 
prompted  him  to  choose  this  sign  is  now  rather  difficult  to  guess. 


DOMESTIC  ANIMALS. 

Notwithstanding  the  ballad  of  the  "  Vicar  and  Moses,"  which 
says, 

"  At  the  sign  of  the  Horse  old  Spiutext  of  course 
Each  night  took  his  pipe  and  his  pot," 

the  horse  rarely  or  never  occurs  without  a  distinctive  adjective 
to  determine  its  colour,  action,  or  other  attribute.  All  natural 
colours  of  the  horse,  and  some  others,  are  found  on  the  signboard 
— ^black,  white,  bay,  sorrel,  (rare,)  pied,  spotted,  red,  sometimes 
golden,  and  in  one  instance,  at  Qrantham,  a  Blxte  Horse  is  met 

*  Bagford  Bills.    Bib.  Harl.  69S2. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  1  7 1 

with.      Frequently  the  sign  of  the  Horse  is  accompanied  by  the 
following  hippoplule  advice  : — 

"  Up  hill  hurry  me  not ; 

Down  hiU  trot  me  not ; 

On  level  ground  spare  me  nol^ ; 

And  in  the  stable  I  'm  not  forgot." 

Many  years  ago,  at  Greenwich,  there  was  a  public-house  with 
the  sign  of  a  Horse.  Behind  the  house  was  a  large  grass  field, 
to  which  referred  the  following  notice,  painted  under  the  sign  : — 
"  Good  Grass  for  Horses.  Lono  Tails  three  shillings  and  sis- 
pence  per  week."  An  inquisitive  person  passing  that  way,  and 
not  understanding  the  meaning  of  the  notice,  went  in  and  ques- 
tioned the  landlord,  who  informed  him  that  a  difference  was  made 
for  the  bob-tailed  horses  ;  "  for,"  said  he,  "  long-tailed  horses  can 
whisk  off  the  flies,  and  eat  at  their  leisure ;  but  bob-tails  have  to 
shake  their  heads  and  run  about  from  morning  till  night,  and  so 
do  eat  much  less." 

The  Eed  Horse  is  now  almost  extinct ;  it  occurs  as  the  sign 
of  a  house  in  Bond  Street,  in  an  advertisement  about  a  spaniel 
lost  by  the  Duke  of  Grafton.*    By  the  term  red  was  not  meant 
vermilion ;  at  that  time  it  was  the  accepted  word  for  what  we 
now  call  roan.     The  Bay  Hoesb  is  a  great  favourite  in  York- 
shire ;  in  1861  there  were,  in  the  West  Biding  alone,  not  less 
than  seventy-seven  inns,  taverns,  and  pubUo-houses,  with  such  a 
sign,  besides  innumerable  ale-houses.      One  would  expect  the 
YoRKSHiEE  Geey  more  indigenous  to  that  county.    The  Dapple 
Grey  is  apparently  a  tribute  of  gratitude  of  the  publicans  to  the 
"  Dapple  Grey"  of  the  nursery  rhyme — 
"  I  had  a  little  bonny  nag, 
His  name  was  Dapple  Grey, 
And  he  would  bring  me  to  an  ale-house 
A  mile  out  of  the  way." 

Dappled  grey,  too,  was  the  fashionable  colour  of  horses  in  the 
last  century ;  thus  Pope's  mercenary  Duchess — 
"  The  gods,  to  curse  Pamela  with  her  prayers, 
Gave  her  gilt  coach  and  dappled  Flanders  mares." 
Of  the  White  Horse  innumerable  instances  occur,  and  many 
are  connected  with  names  known  in  history.     At  the  White 
Horse,  near  Burleigh-on-the-HUl,  the  noted  ViUiers,  Duke  of 
Buckingham,  spent  the  last  years  of  his  life,  and  died. 
"The  Duke  of  Queensbury  being  present  at  his  death,  knowing  the 
•  Postman,  February  1-3, 1711. 


172  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

Duke  to  be  a  dissenter,  and  thinking  he  must  be  a  Catholic,  oSfered  to  send 
for  a  Catholic  priest,  to  which  the  Dake  answered,  'No,'  said  he,  'those 
rascals  eat  God ;  but  if  you  know  of  any  set  of  fellows  that  eat  the  devil, 
I  should  be  obliged  to  you  if  you  would  send  for  one  of  them  I '  " 

All  of  a  piece  !     So  ended 

"That  life  of  pleasure,  and  that  soul  of  whim."  * 

At  tte  WHte  Horse  in  Kensington,  Addison  wrote  several  of  his 
Spectators.  His  favourite  dinner,  when  he  stayed  at  this  honse, 
was  fiUet  of  veal  and  a  bottle  of  claret.  The  old  inn  remained  in 
its  original  state  till  about  forty  years  ago,  when  it  was  pulled 
down,  and  the  name  changed  to  the  Holland  Aems  ;  but  the 
sign  is  stiU  preserved  in  the  parlour  of  the  new  establishment. 

Edinburgh  also  has  its  famous  White  Horse;  in  a  close  in  the 
Canongate,  an  inn  dating  from  the  time  of  Queen  Mary  Stuart, 
and  which  Scott  has  introduced  in  one  of  his  novels,  may  stiU  be 
seen.  It  was  weU-known  to  runaway  couples,  and  hundreds  have 
been  made  happy  or  unhappy  for  life  "  at  a  moment's  notice,"  in 
its  large  room,  in  which,  as  weU  as  in  the  White  Hart  in  the 
Qrassmarket,  these  impromptu  marriages  were  as  regularly  per- 
formed as  at  Gretna  Green.  The  White  Horse  Cbllae,  Picca- 
dilly, now  a  tame  omnibus  office,  was  for  more  than  a  century 
one  of  the  bustling  coaching  inns  for  the  West.  "  Some  persons 
think  the  subUmest  object  in  nature  is  a  ship  launched  on  the 
bosom  of  the  ocean ;  but  give  me,  for  my  private  satisfaction,  the 
mail  coaches  that  pour  down  Piccadilly  of  an  evening,  tear  up 
the  pavement,  and  devour  the  way  before  them  to  the  Land's- 
End." — Hazlitt.  This  place  calls  up  pleasant  fancies  of  travel- 
ling by  the  maU,  through  merry  roads,  with  blooming  hawthorn 
and  chestnut  trees,  larks  singing  aloft,  the  village  bells,  and  the 
blacksmith's  hammer  tinkling  in  the  distance;  but  another  White 
Horse  Inn  shows  the  dark  side  of  the  picture — ^the  unsaf ety  of  the 
roads,  for  the  White  Horse,  corner  of  Welbeck  Street,  Cavendish 
Square,  was  long  a  detached  public-house,  where  travellers  cus- 
tomarily stopped  for  refreshment,  and  to  examine  their  firearms 
before  crossing  the  fields  to  lisson  Green.t  The  last  White 
Horse  we  shall  mention  was  in  Pope's  Head  Alley,  the  sign  of 
John  Sudbury  and  George  Humble,  the  first  men  that  opened  a 
printshop  in  London,  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century. 
Peacham,  in  his  "  Compleat  Gentleman,"  says  that  Goltzius'  en- 

*  Richardsoniaua,  p.  168. 

\  Timbs,  Curiosities  of  lAndon,  p.  402. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  I  73 

graviuga  were  commonly  to  be  had  in  Pope's  Head  Alley.  There 
also,  m  1611,  the  first  edition  of  Speed's  "  Great  Britain"  was 
published. 

At  a  certain  place  in  Warwickshire  a  fellow  started  a  public- 
house  near  four  others,  with  signs  respectively  of  the  Bear,  the 
Angel,  the  Ship,  and  the  Three  Cups.  Yet  quite  undaunted  at 
his  neighbours,  he  put  up  the  White  Horse  as  his  sign,  and 
under  it  wrote  the  following  spirited  and  prophetic  rhymes  : — 

"  My  White  Horse  sliall  bite  the  Bear, 
And  make  the  Angel  fly ; 
Shall  turn  the  Ship  her  bottom  up, 
And  drink  the  Three  Cwpa  dry." 
And  so  it  did ;  the  lines  pleased  the  people,  the  other  houses 
soon  lost  their  custom,  and  tradition  says  that  the  fellow  made  a 
considerable  fortune. 

The  KdNNiNG  Horse  or  the  Gailobing  Hoese — ^perhaps 
originally  the  horse  of  Hanover — is  also  very  common.  In  the 
London  Gazette,  Feb.  12-15,  1699,  a  horse  race  is  advertised  at 
LiUy  Hoo,  in  Hertford ;  the  advertisement  concludes  :  "  and  on 
the  same  day  a  smock  worth  £3  will  be  run  for,  besides  other 
encouragements  for  those  that  come  in  2d.  or  3d.  Any  woman 
may  run  gratis,  that  enters  her  name  at  the  Running  Horse, 
where  articles  may  be  seen,"  &c.  Eaces  by  women  were  not  un- 
common in  those  days,  and  instances  may  yet  occasionally  be 
heard  of,  particularly  in  the  east  end  of  London,  where  every 
great  match  generally  concludes  with  a  race  among  the  free  and 
easy  ladies  of  the  neighbourhood. 

The  combinations  in  which  we  meet  with  the  Horse  are  all 
very  plain,  and  require  no  explanation.  The  Hoese  and  Geoom, 
and  the  Hoese  and  Jockey,  are  the  most  prevalent.  Eacing, 
from  time  immemorial,  has  been  a  favourite  English  sport. 
Fitzstephen  mentions  the  races  in  the  days  of  Henry  II.,  and 
in  the  ballad  of  Syr  Bevys  of  Hampton,*  fuU  details  are  given. 
"  In  somer  at  Whitsontide, 

Whan  knighten  most  on  horseback  ride, 

A  course  let  they  make  or  adaye 

Steedes  and  Palfraye  for  to  assaye ; 

Which  horse  that  best  may  ren, 

Three  miles  the  cours  was  then, 

Who  that  might  ride  them  shoulde 

Have  forty  pounds  of  redy  golde," 

In  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  races  were  much  in  vogue, 

*  As  quoted  by  Sti-utt  in  "  tHiggam,''  ac. 


1 74  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOASDS. 

and  betting  carried  to  great  excess.  The  famous  George  Earl 
of  Cumberland  is  recorded  to  have  wasted  more  money  than  any 
of  his  ancestors,  chiefly  by  racing  and  tilting.  In  1599,  private 
matches  by  gentlemen  who  rode  their  own  horses  were  of  fre- 
quent occurrence.  In  the  reign  of  James  I.  public  races  were 
celebrated  at  various  places,  under  much  the  same  regulations  as 
now.  The  most  celebrated  were  called  Bellcourses.  In  the 
latter  part  of  the  reign  of  Charles  I.  there  were  races  in  Hyde  Park 
as  well  as  at  Newmarket.  Charles  IL  was  very  fond  of  this  diver- 
sion, and  appointed  meetings  at  Datchet  Mead  when  he  resided 
at  Windsor.  Gradually,  however,  Newmarket  became  the  prin- 
cipal place.  The  king,  a  constant  attendant,  established  a  house 
for  his  own  accommodation,  and  entered  horses  in  his  royal  name. 
Instead  of  bells,  he  gave  a  silver  bowl  or  a  cup,  value  100  guineas, 
on  which  the  exploit  and  pedigree  of  the  winning  horse  were 
generally  engraved.  William  III.  and  Queen  Anne  both  added 
to  the  plate.  George  I.,  towards  the  end  of  his  reign,  discon- 
tinued the  plate  and  gave  100  guineas  instead ;  George  IL  made 
several  racing  regulations,  about  the  age  of  horses,  the  weight  of 
iockeys,  &c.  Already,  in  1768,  the  horses  had  obtained  great 
swiftness  ;  for  Misson,  in  his  "  Travels,"  mentions  one  that  ran  20 
mUes  in  55  minutes  upon  uneven  ground,  which  for  those  times 
was  certainly  a  remarkable  feat. 

The  Bell  and  Hobse  is  an  old  and  still  frequent  sign;  it 
occurs  on  trades  tokens;  as  John  Harcourt  at  the  Bell  and 
Black  Horse  in  Finsbury,  1668,  and  on  various  others  ;  whilst 
at  the  present  day  it  may  be  seen  at  many  a  roadside  alehouse. 
Bells  were  a  favourite  addition  to  the  trappings  of  horses  in  the 
middle  ages.     Chaucer's  abbot  is  described  : — 

"  When  lie  rode  men  hia  bridle  hear, 
Gingling  in  a  whistling  wind  as  clere, 
And  eke  aa  loud  as  doth  a  chapel  beU." 

In  a  MS.  in  the  Cottonian  Library  *  relating  the  journey  of  Mar- 
garet of  England  to  Scotland,  there  to  be  married  to  King  James, 
we  find  constant  mention  of  these  bells.  The  horse  of  Sir  WU- 
liam  Ikarguil,  companion  of  Sir  William  Conyars,  sheriff  of  York- 
shire, is  described  as  "  his  Hors  Harnays  full  of  campanes  [beUs]  of 
silver  and  gylt."  WhUst  the  master  of  the  horse  of  the  Duke  of 
Northumberland  was  "  monted  apon  a  gentyU  horse,  and  cam- 

*  Printed  in  Leland's  Collectanea,  pp.  270,  272. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  I  75 

panes  of  silver  and  gylt."  And  a  company  of  knights  is  intro- 
duced, "  some  of  their  hors  hames  was  full  of  campanes,  sum  of 
gold  and  sylver,  and  others  of  gold."  This  led  to  the  custom  of 
giving  a  golden  bell  as  the  reward  of  a  race.  In  Chester,  such  a 
beU  was  run  for  yearly  on  St  George's  day ;  it  was  "  dedicated 
to  the  kinge,  being  double  gilt  with  the  Kynges  Armes  upon  it,'' 
and  was  carried  in  the  procession  by  a  man  on  horseback  "  upon 
a  septer  in  pompe,  and  before  him  a  noise  of  trumpets  in  pompe."* 
This  custom  of  racing  for  a  bell  led  to  the  adoption  of  the  still 
common  phrase,  hearing  off  the  beli» 

Names  of  celebrated  race  horses  are  found  on  signboards  as 
well  as  human  celebrities.  Such  are  Bay  Childees  at  Dronfield, 
Derby ;  Flying  Childees  at  Melton  Mowbray ;  Wild  Dayeell, 
Oldham ;  Filho  da  Pitta,  Nottingham  ;  and  Filho  tavern,  Man- 
chester. Blink  Bonny  is  common  in  Northumberland ;  Flying 
Dutchman  occurs  in  various  places  ;  and  the  Arabian  Hokse  at 
Aberford,  in  Yorkshire,  may  perhaps  represent  the  great  Arabian 
Godolphin,  the  sire  of  all  our  famous  racers. 

The  HoESE  and  Tigee,  at  Kotherham,  is  said  to  refer  to  the 
accident  in  a  travelling  menagerie  which  took  place  many  years 
ago,  when  the  tiger  broke  loose  and  sprang  upon  the  leaders  of  a 
passing  mail  coach,  although  visitors  from  London  generally  sup- 
pose the  "  tiger "  to  mean  the  spruce  groom,  or  horse  attendant, 
coming  from  the  country  to  London  in  such  numbers.  Even  that 
poor  hack,  the  Manage  Hoese,  is  not  forgotten,  as  he  may  be 
seen  going  through  his  paces  before  a  public-house  in  Cottles 
Lane,  Bath.  In  one  of  the  turnings  in  Cannon  Street,  City,  there 
is  an  old  sign  of  the  Hoese  and  Doesitee,  which  is  simply  an 
old  rendering  of  the  more  common  Pack  Hoese,  formerly  the 
usual  sign  of  a  posting  inn.  No  doubt  the  Feighted  Hoese, 
which  occurs  in  many  places,  belongs  to  this  class  of  horses, — 
the  expression  "  flight "  being  a  corruption  of  freight.  Some 
publicans  who,  with  their  trade  combine  the  calling  of  farrier, 
set  up  the  sign  of  the  Hoese  and  Faeeiee, — in  Ireland  ren- 
dered as  the  Bleeding  Hoese.  A  Dutch  farrier  in  the  village 
of  Sohagen,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  put  up  the  sign  of  the 
White  Hoese,  and  wrote  under  it  the  following  very  philosophi- 
cal verse  : — 

"  In't  witte  Paard  worden  de  paarden  haar  voeten  me  tyzer  beslagen 

"  A  MS.  of  the  sixteenth  century,  Bib.  Harl.  2150,  fol.  356,  gives  full  particulars  ot 
this/e£e  and  procession. 


1  76  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Dat  men  de  menschen  dat  mee  kon  doen  zy  hoefden  dan  geen  schoenen 
te  dragen."* 

The  HoKSE  AND  Stag,  (Finningley,  Nottinghamshire,)  and  the 
HoESE  AND  Gate,  are  hoth  hunting  signs  ;  yet  the  last  may  have 
been  suggested  by  the  Bull  and  Gate.  The  Hoese  and  Tktjm- 
PET  is  a  very  common  sign,  illustrating  the  war  horse ;  the 
Hoese  and  Chaise  (or  shaze,  as  it  is  spelled)  in  the  Broad 
Gentry,  (sanctuary,)  Westminster,  is  hamed  in  an  advertisement  in 
the  Postboy,  Jan.  23-25,  1711 ;  whilst  the  Chaise  and  Pair  is 
stiU  to  be  seen  at  NorthUl,  Colchester. 

The  Nag's  Head — ^which  only  in  one  instance  is  varied  by  the 
Hoese's  Head,  namely,  at  Brampton  in  Cumberland — ^is  a  sign 
that  has  become  famous  in  history ;  it  is  represented  on  the  print 
of  the  entry  of  Queen  Marie  de'  Medici  on  her  visit  to  her  daughter 
Henriette  Marie,  Queen  of  Charles  I.,  being  the  sign  of  a  notori- 
ous tavern  opposite  the  Cheapside  Cross.  It  is  suspended  from 
a  long  square  beam,  at  the  end  of  which  a  large  crown  of  ever- 
greens is  seen.  As  none  of  the  other  houses  are  decked  with 
greens,  this  apparently  represents  the  Bush.t  This  tavern  was 
the  fictitious  scene  of  the  consecration  of  the  Protestant  bishops 
at  the  accession  of  Queen  Elizabeth  in  1559.  It  was  pretended 
by  the  adversaries  of  the  Protestant  faith,  that  a  certain  number 
of  ecclesiastics,  in  a  hurry  to  take  possession  of  the  vacant  sees, 
assembled  here ;  where  they  were  to  undergo  the  ceremony  from 
Antony  Kitchen,  alias  Dunstane,  Bishop  of  Llandaff,  a  sort  of 
occasional  Nonconformist,  who  had  taken  the  oath  of  supremacy 
to  Elizabeth ;  Bonner,  Bishop  of  London,  (then  confined  in  the 
Tower,)  hearing  of  it,  sent  his  chaplain  to  Kitchen,  threatening 
ViiTn  with  excommunication  in  case  he  proceeded.  On  this  the 
prelate  refused  to  perform  the  ceremony ;  whereupon,  according 
to  Catholics,  Parker  and  the  other  candidates,  rather  than  defer 
possession  of  their  dioceses,  determined  to  consecrate  one  another, 
which  they  did,  without  any  sort  of  scruple.  Scorey  began  with 
Parker,  who  instantly  rose  Archbishop  of  Canterbury.  The  re- 
futation of  this  tale  may  be  read  in  Strype's  life  of  Archbishop 
Parker.  J 

A  curious  anecdote  is  told  concerning  the  sign  of  a  Gelding. 

*  "At  the  White  Horse,  horses  are  shod  with  iron, 

Pity  the  same  cannot  be  done  to  men,  for  then  they  would  need  no  shoes." 

I  Crowns  exactly  similar  to  this,  made  of  box,  tinsel,  and  coloured  paper,  are  yearly 
hung  out  by  the  fishmongers  in  Holland  on  the  first  arrival  of  the  salt  herring  after  the 
summer  fishery, 

}  Pennant's  Account  of  London,  p.  423. 


PLATE  XII. 


QRINDINS   OlD    INTO    TOUNQ. 
(From  an  old  woodcut,  circa  1720.) 


pp*^°"^^i||r^'"'^||||||p^  ^'"'llilf^  ^ 


I  PRAY  FOR  ALL   I  PLEAD  FOR  ALL  1  MAINTAIN  ALL    I  FIGHT  FOR  ALL    I  TAKE   ALL 


(From  au  old  print  by  Kay.  Tlie  figures  represent  Dr  Hunter,  a  famous  Scotch  clergyman  ;  Erskine 
the  lawyer;  a  farmer ;  His  Sacred  Majesty  George  III. ;  and  the  gentleman  whose  name  should 
never  be  mentioned  to  ears  poUte,) 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  J  "jy 

Grolden  Square,  it  appears,  was  originally  called  Gelding  Square, 
from  the  sign  of  a  neigibouring  inn ;  but  the  inhabitants,  indignant 
at  the  vulgarity  of  the  name,  changed  it  to  its  present  title. 

Some  publicans  appear  to  be  of  opinion  that  the  Grey  Mare 
is  the  best  horse  for  their  signboards ;  in  Lancashire,  especially, 
this  sign  abounds.  Others  put  up  the  Mare  and  Foal  ;  but 
they  are  evidently  not  very  well  acquainted  with  the  old  ballad 
of  the  "  Mare  and  Foal  that  went  to  church,"  for  there  the  Mare 
says : — 

"  Oh  !  to  pray  for  those  publicans  I  am  very  loath, 
They  fill  their  pots  fuU  of  nothing  but  froth. 
Some  fill  them  half  full,  and  others  the  whole  ; 
May  the  devil  go  with  them  ! — Amen,  says  the  foal. 
Derry  down,"  &c. 

Besides  the  Mare  and  Foal,  there  is  the  Cow  and  Calf,  which 
is  very  common.  A  still  more  happy  mother,  the  Cow  and  Two 
Calves,  was,  in  1762,  a  sign  near  Chelsea  Pond;  whilst  a  touching 
picture  of  paternal  bliss  might  have  been  seen  on  a  sign  in  Isling- 
ton in  the  last  century,  viz.,  the  Bull  and  Three  Calves  ;  that 
animal,  doubtless,  was  placed  there  in  the  company  of  his  offspring, 
to  illustrate  the  homely  old  proverb,  "  He  that  bulls  the  cow 
must  keep  the  calf."  The  Goat  and  Kid  was  a  sign  at  Nor- 
wich in  1711  ;*  the  Sow  and  Pigs  is  common ;  and  the  Ewe  and 
Lamb  occurs  on  a  trades  token  of  Hatton  Garden  in  1668,  and 
may  still  be  seen  in  many  places.  A  practical  traveller  in  the 
coaching  days,  staying  at  the  Ewe  and  Lamb  in  Worcester,  wrote 
on  a  pane  of  glass  in  that  inn  the  following  very  true  remark  : — 

"  If  the  people  suck  your  ale  no  more 
Than  the  poor  Lamb,  th'  Ewe  at  the  door, 
You  in  some  other  place  may  dwell. 
Or  hang  yourself  for  aU  you  '11  sell." 
The  Cat  and  Kittens  was,  about  1823,  a  sign  near  East- 
cheap  ;  it  may  have  come  from  the  publican's  slang  expression, 
cat  and  kittens,  as  applied  to  the  large  and  small  pewter  pots.    In 
the  police  courts  it  is  not  uncommon  to  hear  that  such  and  such 
low  persons  have  been  "  had  up  "  for  "  cat  and  kitten  sneaking," 
i.e.,  stealing  quart  and  pint  pots. 

So  much  for  quadrupeds.  Happy  families  of  birds  are  equally 
abundant ;  there  was  the  Sparrow's  Nest  in  Drury  Lane,  of 
which  trades  tokens  are  extant ;  the  Throstle  Nest,  (a  not  in- 
appropriate name  for  a  free-and-easy  singing  club  !)  is  the  sign  of 

*  Gentleman's  Magazine,  Mai'ch  1842;  and  London  Gazette,  Dec,  SO,  17I8. 

Z 


I  78  THE  HISTORY  OF  8IQNB0AEDS. 

a  public-house  at  Buglawton,  near  Congleton ;  the  Martin's  Nest, 
at  Thornhill  Bridge,  Normanton ;  the  Kite's  Nest,  (an  unpro- 
mising name  for  an  inn,  if  there  be  anything  in  a  name,)  at 
Stretton,  in  Herefordshire ;  and  finally,  the  Brood  Hen,  or  Hex 
AND  Chickens,  which  latter  is  more  common  than  any  of  the 
former.  Not  improbably  it  originated  -with  the  sign  of  the 
Pelican's  Nest,  to  which  several  of  the  above-named  nests  may  be 
referred.  Under  the  name  of  the  "  Brood  Hen,"  it  occurs  on  a 
trades  token  of  Battle  Bridge,  Southwark ;  as  the  "  Hen  and 
Chickens,"  it  was  also  known  in  the  seventeenth  century,  for  there 
are  tokens  of  John  Sell  "  at  y«  Hen  and  Chickens  on  Hammond's 
Key ; "  it  is  likewise  mentioned  in  the  following  daily  occurrence 
of  the  good  old  times  : — 

"  Wednesday  night  last,  Captain  Lambert  was  stopt  by  three  footpads 
near  the  Hen  and  Chickens,  between  Peckham  and  Camberwell,  and  robbed 
of  a  sum  of  money  and  his  gold  watch."  * 

The  prevalence  of  this  sign  may  be  accounted  for  by  the 
kindred  love  for  the  harleycom  in  the  human  and  gallinaceous 
tribes.  It  was  also  used  as  a  sign  by  Paulus  Sessius,  a  book- 
seller of  Prague,  in  1606,  who  printed  some  of  Kepler's  astrono- 
mical works  ;  above  his  colophon,  representing  the  hen  and  her 
offspring,  is  the  motto  :  "  geana  dat  a  fimo  scktjtans,"  the 
application  of  which  is  not  very  obvious. 

Speaking  of  birds'  nests  figuring  as  signs,  we  may  mention  that, 
at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  the  small  shops  under 
the  tree  at  the  comer  of  Milk  Street,  City,  used  to  describe  them- 
selves "  as  under  the  Crow's  Nest,  Cheapside."  An  old-fashioned 
snuff  shop,  still  in  existence,  issued  its  tobacco  papers  in  this 
way,  and  the  small  bookshop  there  at  present  advertises  itself  as 
"  under  the  tree,"  although  it  was  only  very  recently  that  the 
crow  ceased  to  visit  and  repair  his  nest  here. 

The  Three  Colts,  in  Bride  Lane,  1652,  is  represented  on  a 
trades  token  by  three  colts  running ;  such  a  sign  gave  its  name 
to  a  street  in  Limehouse.  The  Horseshoe  is  a  favourite  in 
combination  with  other  subjects.  Aubrey,  in  his  "  Miscellanies," 
p.  148,  says  : — 

"  It  is  a  very  common  thing  to  nail  horseshoes  on  the  thresholds  of  doors, 
which  is  to  hinder  the  power  of  witches  that  enter  into  the  house.     Most 
houses  of  the  West  End  of  London  have  the  horseshoe  on  the  threshold ; 
It  should  be  a  horseshoe  that  one  finds." 
Elsewhere  he  says  : — 

"  Under  the  Porch  of  Staninfield  Church  in  Suffolk,  I  saw  a  tile  with  a 
♦  Lloyd's  Mvtning  Post,  Jan.  16-19,  1761. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  I  79 

horsealioe  upon  it  placed  there  for  this  purpose,  though  one  would  imagine 
that  the  holy  water  would  have  been  sufficient." 

Concerning  the  same  superstition  Brand  observes  : — 

"  I  am  told  there  are  many  other  similar  instances.  In  Monmouth  Street 
(probably  the  part  aJIuded  to  by  Aubrey)  many  horseshoes  nailed  to  the 
threshold  are  still  to  be  seen.  In  1813  not  less  than  17  remained,  nailed 
against  the  steps  of  doors.  The  bawds  of  Amsterdam  believed  in  1687, 
that  a  horseshoe  which  had  either  been  found  or  stolen  placed  on  the 
hearth  would  bring  good  luck  to  their  houses."  * 

The  charm  of  the  horseshoe  hes  in  its  being  forked  and  present- 
ing two  points ;  thus  Herriok  says  : — 

"  Hang  up  hoolcs  and  sheers,  to  scare 

Hence  the  hag  that  rides  the  mare ; 

Till  they  be  aU  over  wet 

With  the  mire  and  the  sweat, 

This  observ'd  the  manes  shall  be 

Of  your  horses  all  knot-free." + 

Any.  forked  object,  therefore,  has  the  power  to  drive  witches  away. 
Hence  the  children  in  Italy  and  Spain  are  generally  seen  with 
a  piece  of  forked  coral  (coral  is  particularly  efficacious)  hung 
round  their  necks,  whilst  even  the  mules  and  other  cattle  are 
armed  with  a  small  crescent  formed  by  two  boars'  tusks,  or  else  a 
forked  piece  of  wood,  to  avert  the  spells  of  what  Macjieth  calls 
"  the  juggMng  fiends."  Even  the  two  forefingers  held  out  apart 
are  thought  sufficient  to  avert  the  evil  eye,  or  prevent  the 
machinations  of  the  lord  and  master  of  the  nether  world.  Great 
power  also  lies  in  the  pentagram  and  Solomon's  seal,  which, 
being  composed  of  two  triangles,  present  not  less  than  six  forked 
ends.  Both  these  figures  are  much  used  by  the  Moors,  with  the 
same  object  in  view  as  the  horseshoe  by  western  nations.  In 
this  country,  at  the  present  day,  scarcely  a  stable  can  be  seen 
where  there  is  not  a  horseshoe  nailed  on  the  door  or  lintel ;  there 
is  one  very  conspicuous  at  the  gate  of  Meux's  brewery  at  the 
corner  of  'Pottenham  Court  Eoad,  and  conspicuous  on  the  horse 
trappings  of  this  establishment  the  shoe  in  polished  brass  may 
be  seen ;  in  fact,  it  has  become  the  trade-mark  of  the  firm,  the 
same  as  the  red  triangle  which  distinguishes  the  pale  ale  of  the 
Burton  brewers.  The  iron  heels  of  workmen's  boots  are  also 
frequently  seen  fixed  against  the  doorpost,  or  behind  the  door,  of 
houses  of  the  lower  classes. 

The  HoESESHOE,  by  itself,  is  comparatively  a  rare  sign.   There 
is  a  Horseshoe  Tavern,  mentioned  by  Aubrey  in  connexion  with  . 

*  Bnmd's  Popular  Superstitions.  t  Rob'si-t  Herrick,  Hesperides,  p.  y34. 


l8o  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOABDS. 

one  of  those  reckless  deeds  of  bloodshed  so  common  in  the  six- 
teenth and  seventeenth  centuries  : — 

"  Captain  Carlo  Fantom,  a  Croatian,  spake  13  languages,  was  a  captain 
under  the  Erie  of  Essex.  He  had  a  world  of  cuts  about  his  body  with 
swords  and  was  very  quairelsome  and  a  great  ravisher.  He  met  coming 
late  at  night  out  of  the  Horseshoe  Tavern  in  Drury  Lane  with  a  lieutenant  of 
Colonel  Rossiter,  who  had  great  jingUng  spurs  on.  Said  he,  the  noise  of 
your  spurrs  doe  offend  me,  you  must  come  over  the  kennel  and  give  me 
satisfaction.  They  drew  and  passed  at  each  other,  and  the  lieutenant  was 
runne  through  and  died  in  an  hour  or  two,  and  it  was  not  known  who 
killed  him."  * 

This  tavern  was  still  in  existence  in  1692,  as  appears  from  the 
deposition  of  one  of  the  witnesses  in  the  murder  of  Mountfort 
the  actor  by  Captain  Hill,  who,  with  his  accomplice,  Lord 
Mohun,  whilst  they  were  laying  in  wait  for  Mrs  Bracegirdle, 
drank  a  bottle  of  canary  which  had  been  bought  at  the  Horse- 
shoe Tavern. 

The  Thkbb  Hoeseshoes  are  not  uncommon ;  and  the  single 
shoe  may  be  met  with  in  many  combinations,  arising  from  the 
old  behef  in  its  lucky  influences  :  thus  the  Hokse  and  Hoese- 
BHOE  was  the  sign  of  William  Warden,  at  Dover,  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  as  appears  from  his  token.  The  Sun  and  Hoese- 
BHOE  is  still  a  public-house  sign  in  Great  Tichfield  Street,  and  the 
Magpie  and  Hoesbshob  may  be  seen  carved  in  wood  in  Fetter- 
lane  ;  the  magpie  is  perched  within  the  horseshoe,  a  bunch  of  grapes 
being  suspended  from  it.  The  Hoens  and  Hoeseshoe  is  repre- 
sented on  the  token  of  William  Grainge  in  Gutterlane,  1666, — a 
horseshoe  within  a  pair  of  antlers.  The  Lion  and  Hoeseshoe 
appears  in  the  following  advertisement  of  a  shooting  match  : — 

"  /^^  Fkidat  the  16th  of  this  instant,  at  two  in  the  afternoon,  will  be 
\J  a  plate  to  be  (sic)  shot  for,  at  twenty-five  guineas  value,  in  the 
Artillerie  Ground  near  Moorfields.  No  gun  to  exceed  four  feet  and  a  half 
in  the  barrel,  the  distance  to  be  200  yards,  and  but  one  shot  a  piece,  the 
nearest  the  centre  to  win.  No  person  that  shoots  to  be  less  than  one 
guinea,  but  as  many  more  as  he  pleases  to  compleat  the  sum.  The  money 
to  be  put  in  the  hands  of  Mr  Jones,  at  the  Lion  and  Horseshoe  Tavern,  or 
Mr  Turog,  gunsmith  in  the  Minories.  Note,  that  if  any  gentleman  has  a 
mind  to  shoot  for  the  whole,  there  is  a  person  will  ^oot  with  him  for 
it,  being  left  out  by  mistake  in  our  last."  + 

The  Hoop  AND  Hoeseshoe  on  TowerhiQ,  was  formerly  called 
the  Horseshoe.  This,  like  every  old  tavern,  has  its  murder  to 
record : — 

"  The  last  week  one  Colonel  John  Soott  took  an  occasion  to  kill  one 
*  Aubrey,  Anecdotes  and  Traditions,  p.  8.  f  Pcutman,  June  1703. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  iSl 

John  Buttler,  a  hackney  Coachman,  at  the  Horse  Shoe  Tavern  on  Tower 
Hill,  without  any  other  provocation  'tis  said,  but  refusing  to  carry  him 
and  another  gentleman  pertaining  to  the  law,  from  thence  to  Temple  Bar 
for  Is.  6d.  Amongst  the  many  pranks  that  he  hath  played  in  other 
countries  'tis  believed  this  is  one  of  the  very  worst.  He  is  a  very  great  Vindi- 
cator of  the  Salamanca  Doctor.     He  is  a  lusty,  tall  man,  squint  eyed,  thin 

faced,  wears  a  peruke  sometimes  and  has  a  very  h look.    All  good 

people  would  do  well  if  they  can  to  apprehend  him  that  he  may  be 
brought  to  justice."  * 

The  Horseshoe  and  Ceown  is  named  in  the  following  hand- 
bill, which  is  too  characteristic  to  curtail : — 

"  Datjohtek  of  a  Seventh  daughteb. 
Removed  to  the  Biaif  of  the  Horseshoe  ahd  Ckown  in  Castle  Street, 

NEAE  THE  7  Dials  in  St  Giles. 
Lmeth  a  Genikwoman,  the  Dcmghter  of  a  Seventh  Daughter,  who  far  exceeds 
all  her  sex,  her  hudness  being  very  great  amongst  the  quality,  hMS  now 
thought  fit  to  maJee  hersdf  known  to  the  benefit  of  the  Pvhliek. 
.  She  resolves  these  questions  following : — As  to  Life  whether  happy  or 
unhappy?  the  best  time  of  it  past  or  to  come  ?  Servants  or  lodgers  if 
honest  or  not  ?  To  marry  the  person  desir'd  or  who  they  shall  marry  and 
when !  A  Friend  if  real  or  not  ?  a  Woman  with  child  or  not,  or  ever 
likely  to  have  any !  A  friend  absent  dead  or  alive,  if  alive  when  return  ? 
Journey  by  Land  or  voyages  by  Sea,  the  Success  thereof.  Lawsuits,  which 
shall  gain  the  better  ?  She  also  Interprets  Dreams.  These  and  all  other 
lawful  questions  which  for  brevity  sake  are  omitted,  she  fully  resolves. 

Her  hours  are  from  7  in  the  Morning  till  12,  and  from  1  tiU  8  at 
Night."+ 

These  quack  "  gentlewomen "  were  as  much  the  order  of  that 
day  as  the  broken-down  clergymen  who  advertise  medicines  for 
nervous  and  rheumatic  complaiilts  are  in  our  own  time.  Heywood, 
in  his  play  of  "  the  Wise  Woman  of  Hogsden,"  enumerates  the 
following  occupations  as  their  perquisites  : — 

"  Let  me  see  how  many  trades  have  I  to  live  by ;  First,  I  am  a  wise 
woman  and  a  fortuneteller,  and  imder  that  I  deale  in  physick  and  fore- 
Bpeakiug,  in  palmestry  and  things  lost.  Next  I  undertake  to  cure  madd 
folks ;  'Then  I  keepe  gentleworiien  lodgers,  to  furnish  such  chambers  as  I 
let  out  by  the  night ;  Then  I  am  provided  for  bringing  young  wenches  to 
bed ;  and  for  a  need  you  see  X  can  play  the  matchmaker." 

Generally  they  proclaimed  themselves  the  seventh  daughter  of 
a  seventh  daughter,  a  relationship  that  is  stiU  thought  to  be  ac- 
companied by  powers  not  vouchsafed  to  ordinary  mortals.  This 
belief  in  the  virtue  of  the  number  7  doubtless  originated  from 
the  Old  Testament,  where  that  number  seems  in  greater  favour 
than  all  others.  The  books  of  Moses  are  full  of  references  to  it : 
the  creation  of  the  world  in  7  days,  sevenfold  vengeance  on  who- 

•  Intelligencer,  May  30,  1681,  1  Bagford  Bills.     Bib.  Earl.  6964 


1 82  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARUS. 

soever  slayeth  Cain ;  Noah  had  to  take  7  males  and  females  of 
every  clean  beast,  7  males  and  females  of  every  fowl  of  the  air, 
for  in  7  days  it  would  begin  to  rain  ;  the  ark  rested  in  the  7  th 
month,  &c.,  &c.  From  this  the  middle  ages  borrowed  their  pre- 
dilection for  this  number,  and  its  cabalistic  power.* 

Homed  cattle  are  just  as  common  as  horses  on  the  signboards ; 
the  Bull,  in  particular,  is  a  favourite  with  the  nation,  whether  as 
a  namesake — so  much  so,  indeed,  as  to  have  given  it  a  popular 
name  abroad — or'  as  the  source  of  the  favourite  roast-beef,  or 
from  the  ancient  sport  of  bull-baiting,  it  is  difficult  to  say.  From 
Ben  Jonson  we  gather  that  there  was  another  reason  which  some- 
times dictated  the  choice  of  this  animal  on  the  signboard.  In  the 
"Alchymist "  he  introduces  a  shopkeeper,  who  wishes  the  learned 
Doctor  to  provide  him  vpith  a  sign. 

"  Face.  What  Bay  you  to  his  Constellation,  Doctor,  the  Balance  f 
Sub.  No,  that  is  stale  wnd  common  : 

A  Townsman  bom  in  Taurus  gives  the  Bull 

Or  the  Bull's  head :  in  Aries,  the  Sam, 

A  poor  device," — Alohtmist,  a.  ii.  s.  i. 

Newton  dates  a  letter  from  "  the  BuU,"  at  Shoreditch,  Septem- 
ber 1693 ;  it  is  addressed  to  Locke,  and  a  curious  letter  it  is, 
containing  an  apology  for  having  wished  Locke  dead. 

The  BuU  is  generally  represented  in  his  natural  colour,  blad:, 
white,  grey,  pied,  "  spangled  "  (in  Yorkshire,)  and  only  rarely  red 
and  bhie  ;  yet  these  two  last  colours  may  simply  imply  the  natural 
red,  brown,  and  other  common  hues,  for  newspapers  of  the  six- 
teenth and  seventeenth  centuries  often  contain  advertisements 
about  blue  dogs ;  and  whatever  shade  that  was  intended  for,  it 
may  certainly  with  as  much  justice  be  applied  to  a  bull  as  to  a 
dog.  The  Chained  Bull  at  North  AUerton,  Leeds,  and  the  Bull 
AND  Chain,  Langworthgate,  Lincoln,  doubtless  refer  to  the  old 
cruel  pastime  of  buU-baitings.  Occasionally  we  meet  also  with  a 
Wild  Bull,  as  at  Gisburn,  near  Skipton. 

Leigh  Hunt  observes : — "  London  has  a  modem  look  to  the 
inhabitants  ;  but  persons  who  come  from  the  country  find  as  odd 
and  remote-looking  things  in  it  as  the  Londoners  do  in  York  and 
Chester ;  and  among  these  are  a  variety  of  old  iims  with  corri- 
dors running  round  the  yard.  They  are  well  worth  a  glance  from 
anybody  who  has  a  respect  for  old  times."     Such  a  one  is  the 

*  Hence  we  have  7  ages,  7  churches,  7  champions,  7  penitential  psalms,  7  sleepers  of 
Epliesus,  7  years'  apprenticeship,  7  cardinal  virtues  and  deadly  sins,  7  make  a  gallows- 
ful,  boots  of  7  leagues,  7  liberal  arts,  and  innumerable  ather  instances. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  183 

Bull's  Inn  in  Bishopsgate  Street,  where  formerly  plays  were  acted 
by  Burbadge,  Shakespeare's  fellow-comedian,  and  Tarlton  in  good 
Queen  Bess's  time  amused  our  forefathers  on  summers'  afternoons 
with  his  quaint  jokes  and  comic  parts.*  This  inn  is  also  cele- 
brated as  the  London  house  of  the  famous  Hobson,  (Hobson's 
choice,)  the  rich  Cambridge  carrier.  Here  a  painted  figure  of 
him  was  to  be  seen  in  the  eighteenth  century,  with  a  hundred 
pound  bag  under  his  arm,  on  which  was  the  following  inscrip- 
tion : — "  The  fruitful  Mother  of  a  Hundred  More."  +  At  the 
Bull  pubKc-house  on  Towerhill,  Thomas  Otway,  the  play  writer, 
died  of  want  at  the  age  of  33,  on  the  14th  of  Apnl  1685, 
having  retired  to  this  house  to  escape  his  creditors.  J 

The  Bull,  at  Ware,  obtained  a  celebrity  by  its  enormous  bed. 
Taylor,  the  Water  poet,  in  1636  remarked,  "Ware  is  a  great 
thorowfare,  and  hath  many  fair  innes,  with  very  large  bedding, 
and  one  high  and  mighty  Bed  called  the  Great  Bed  of  Ware  ;  a 
man  may  seeke  aU  England  over  and  not  find  a  married  couple 
that  can  fill  it."  Nares,  in  his  "  Glossary,"  quotes  Chaunceys, 
Hertfordshire ;  for  a  story  of  twelve  married  couple  who,  laid 
together  in  the  bed,  each  pair  being  so  placed  at  the  top  and 
bottom  of  the  bed,  that  the  head  of  one  pair  was  at  the  feet  of 
another.  Shakespeare  alludes  to  it  in  "  Twelfth  Night,"  where  Sir 
Toby  Belch  in  his  drunken  humour  advises  Aguecheek  to  write  : 
"  as  many  lies  as  wUl  lie  in  this  sheet  of  paper,  though  the  sheet 
were  big  enough  for  the  Bed  of  Ware  in  England,"  (a.  iii.  s.  2.) 
Where  the  "  high  and  mighty  Bed  "  was  located,  seems  a  mooted 
point ;  some  say  at  the  Bull,  others  at  the  Crown,  and  Clutter- 
buck  places  it  at  the  Saracen's  Head,  where  there  is  or  was  a  bed 
of  some  twelve  feet  square,  in  an  Elizabethan  style  of  carved  oak, 
but  with  the  date  1463  painted  on  the  back.  Tradition  says  that 
it  was  the  bed  of  Warwick  the  king-maker,  and  was  bought  at  a 
sale  of  furniture  at  Ware  Park.  Recently  it  has  been  sold,  and 
Charles  Dickens  is  now  said  to  be  its  possessor. 

The  Bull  Inn  at  Buckland,  near  Dover,  deserves  to  be  men- 
tioned for  its  comical  caution  to  the  customers  : 
"  The  Bull  is  tame  so  fear  hlni  not, 
All  the  while  you  pay  your  shot. 

*  Collier's  Annals,  vol.  iii.  p.  271,  and  Halllwell's  Introduction  to  Tarlion's  Jests, 
p.  16. 

t  Spectator,  No.  509. 

X  "He  went  about  almost  naked  in  the  rage  of  hunger,"  says  Dr  Johnson,  "and  finding 
It  gentleman  in  a  neighbouring  coffeehouse  asked  him  for  a  shilling ;  and  Otway  going 
<LWay  bought  a  roll  and  was  choked  with  the  first  mouthful," 


184  1'HE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

When  money's  gone,  and  credit's  bad, 
It's  that  which  makes  the  Bull  run  mad." 

The  famous  Old  Pied  Bun  Inn,  Islington,  was  pulled  down 
drca  1827,  tte  house  having  existed  from  the  time  of  Queen 
Elizabeth.  The  parlour  retained  its  original  character  to  the 
last.  There  was  a  chimney-piece  containing  Hope,  Faith,  and 
Charity,  with  a  border  of  cherubims,  fruit  and  foliage,  whilst  the 
ceiling  in  stucco  represented  the  five  senses.  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh 
is  said  to  have  been  an  inhabitant  of  this  house. 

"  This  conjecture  is  somewhat  strengthened  by  the  nature  of  the  border 
[in  a  stained  glass  window,]  which  was  composed  of  seahorses,  mermaids, 
parrots,  &c.,  forming  a  most  appropriate  allusion  to  the  character  of  Galeigh, 
as  a  great  navigator,  and  discoverer  of  xmknown  countries ;  and  the  bunch 
of  green  leaves  [two  seahorses  supporting  a  bunch  of  green  leaves,]  has 
been  generally  asserted  to  represent  the  tobacco  plant,  of  which  he  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  importer  into  this  country."* 

At  what  time  the  house  was  converted  into  an  inn  does  not 
appear.  The  sign  of  the  Pied  Bull  in  stone  relief,  on  the  front 
towards  the  south,  bore  the  date  1730,  which  was  probably  the 
year  this  addition  was  made  to  the  building.  That  it  was  an  ran 
in  1665,  appears  from  the  following  episode  of  the  Plague-time  : 

"  I  remember  one  citizen,  who,  having  thus  broken  out  of  his  house  in 
.^dersgate  Street,  or  there  about,  went  along  the  road  to  Islington.  He 
attempted  to  have  gone  in  at  the  Angel  Inn,  and  after  that  at  the  White 
Horse,  two  inns  known  still  by  the  same  signs,  but  was  refused;  after 
which  he  came  to  the  Pied  Bull,  an  inn  also  stUl  continuing  the  same 
sign.  He  asked  them  for  lodging  for  one  night  only,  pretending  to  be 
going  into  Lincolnshire,  and  assuring  them  of  his  being  very  sound,  and 
free  from  the  infection,  which  also  at  that  time  had  not  reached  much  that 
way.  They  told  him  they  had  no  lodging,  that  they  could  spare  but  one 
bed  up  in  the  garret,  and  that  they  could  spare  that  bed  but  for  one  night, 
some  drovers  being  expected  the  next  day  with  cattle;  so  if  he  would 
accept  of  that  lodging,  he  might  have  it,  which  he  did ;  so  a  servant  was 
sent  up  with  a  candle  with  him,  to  show  him  the  room.  He  was  very  well 
dressed,  and  looked  like  a  person  not  used  to  lie  in  a  garret ;  and  when  he 
came  to  the  room  he  fetched  a  deep  sigh,  and  said  to  the  servant,  '  I  have 
seldom  lain  in  such  a  lodging  as  this ; '  however,  the  servant  assured  him 
again  that  they  had  no  better.  '  Well,'  says  he, '  I  must  make  shift ;  this  is 
a  dreadful  time,  but  it  is  but  for  one  night.'  So  he  sat  down  upon  the  bed- 
side, and  bade  the  maid,  I  think  it  was,  fetch  him  up  a  pint  of  warm  ale. 
Accordingly  the  servant  went  for  the  ale ;  but  some  hvury  in  the  house, 
which  perhaps  employed  her  otherwise,  put  it  out  of  her  head,  and  she 
went  up  no  more  to  him.  The  next  morning,  seeing  no  appearance  of  the 
gentleman,  somebody  in  the  house  asked  the  servant  that  had  showed  him 
up  stairs,  what  was  become  of  him.  She  started ;  '  alas,'  said  she,  '  I 
never  thought  more  of  him  ;  he  bade  me  carry  him  some  warm  ale,  but  I 
•  Lewis's  IsliDgton,  p.  160. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  1 85 

forgot.'  Upon  which,  not  the  maid,  but  some  other  person  wa«  sent  up  to 
see  aftei  him,  who  coming  into  the  room  found  him  stark  dead,  and  almost 
cold,  stretched  out  across  the  bed.  His  clothes  were  pulled  off,  his  jaw 
fallen,  his  eyes  open  in  a  most  frightful  posture,  the  rug  of  the  bed  being 
grasped  hard  in  one  of  his  hands ;  so  that  it  was  plain  he  died  soon  after 
the  maid  left  him ;  and  that  it  is  probable,  had  she  gone  up  with  the  ale, 
she  had  found  him  dead  in  a  few  minutes  after  he  sat  down  upon  the  bed. 
The  alarm  was  great  in  the  house,  as  any  one  may  suppose,  they  having 
been  free  from  the  distemper  till  that  disaster ;  which  bringing  the  infec- 
tion to  the  house,  spread  it  immediately  to  other  houses  round  about  it.  I 
do  not  remember  how  many  died  in  the  house  itself,  but  I  think  the  maid- 
servant who  went  up  first  with  him,  fell  presently  ill  by  the  fright,  and 
several  others ;  for  whereas  there  died  but  two  in  Islington  of  the  plague 
the  week  before,  there  died  seventeMi  the  week  after,  whereof  fourteen  were 
of  the  plague.     This  was  in  the  week  from  the  11th  of  July  to  the  18th."* 

The  Bed  Bull  was  the  sign  of  another  of  the  inn-playhouses 
in  Shakespeare's  time  ;  but,  like  the  Fortune,  mostly  frequented 
by  the  meaner  sorts  of  people.  It  was  situated  in  Woodbridge 
Street,+  ClerkenweU,  (its  site  is  stOI  called  Bed  Bull  Yard,)  and  is 
supposed  to  have  been  erected  in  the  early  part  of  Queen  Eliza- 
beth's reign.  At  all  events,  it  was  one  of  the  seventeen  play- 
houses that  arose  in  London  between  that  period  and  the  reign 
of  Charles  I.  Edward  Alleyn  the  actor,  founder  of  Dulwich 
CoUege,  says  in  a  memorandum,  Oct.  3,  1617,  "went  to  the 
Bed  Bull  and  received  for  the  '  Younger  Brother  '  [a  play],  but 
£3-6-4."  Killigrew's  troop  of  the  king's  players  performed  in 
it  until  the  theatre  in  Lincoln' s-Inn-fields  opened.  The  place  was 
then  abandoned  to  exhibitions  of  gladiators  and  feats  of  strength. 
The  names  of  the  principal  theatres  at  the  time  of  the  Common- 
wealth occur  in  the  following  puritanical  curse  : — - 

That  the  Globe 

Wherein  (quoth  he)  reigns  a  whole  world  of  vice, 

Had  been  consumed,  the  Phenix  burnt  to  ashes, 

The  Fortune  whipp'd  for  a  blind — Blachfriars, 

He  wonders  how  it  'soaped  demolishing 

r  the  time  of  Reformation ;  lastly  he  wished 

The  Bull  might  cross  the  Thames  to  the  Bear-gardena, 

And  there  be  soundly  baited,"  J 

The  Bull's  Head  is  often  seen  instead  of  the  BuU ;  its  origin 
may  be  from  the  butchers'  arms,  which  are  azure  two  axes  salter- 
wise,  arg.  between  two  roses  arg.  as  many  bulls'  heads  couped  of 

•  The  History  of  the  Plague,  by  Defoe. 

t  There  ia  still  a  Bull's  Hrad  public-house  in  this  street,  built  on  the  site  of  the  house 
of  Thomas  Britton,  the  Musical  Small-Coal  Man,  where  he  gave  his  celebrated  concerta 
for  a  period  of  36  years,  powdered  duchesses  and  fastidious  ladies  of  the  Court  tripping 
through  his  coal  repository,  and  climbing  up  a  ladder  to  assist  at  these  famous  meetings. 

1  Randolph's  Muses'  liOokin£;-GMass,  ^ 

^  A 


l86  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

the  second  attired  or,  &o. ;  in  Holland  a  carved  bull's  head  is 
always  a  leather-seUei^s  sign.  At  the  Bull's  Hbab,  in  Clare- 
market,  the  artists'  club  used  to  meet,  of  which  Hogarth  was  a 
member,  and  Dr  Katcliffe  a  constant  visitor.  The  Bull's  Head 
was  already  used  in  signs  three  hundred  years  ago,  as  we  may 
see  from  an  entry  in  Machyn's  Diary,  which  does  not  say  much 
for  the  morahty  of  the  period  : — 

"  The  xij  day  of  June  (1560)  dyd  ryd  in  a  care  *  abowt  London  ij  men 
and  iij  women ;  one  man,  for  he  was  the  bowd  and  to  brynge  women  unto 
strangers ;  and  on  women  was  the  wyff  of  the  Bell  in  Gracyous  Strett ; 
and  a-nodur  the  wyff  of  the  SvZl-hed  besyd  London  Stone,  and  boyth  were 
bawdes  and  hores  and  the  thodur  man  and  the  woman  were  brodur  and 
syster  and  wher  taken  nakyd  together." 

As  a  variation,  on  the  BuU's  Head  there  is  the  Cow's  Tace  : — 
"  f^  EORGE  TURNIDGE,  aged  about  16,  a  short  thickset  Lad  with  a 
VJT  little  dark  brown  Hair,  a  scar  in  his  left  cheek  under  his  eye, 
wears  a  canvass  jacket  lined  with  red  and  canvass  Breeches,  with  a  red  cap, 
run  away  from  his  Master  the  7th  instant.  Whoever  secures  him  and 
gives  Notice  to  Mr  Henry  Davis,  Waxchandler  at  the  Cow's  Face  in  Miles 
Lane  in  Canon  Street,  shall  have  a  Guinea  Reward,  and  reasonable  charges." 
— London  Gazette,  Jan.  13-17,  1697. 

The  Bull's  Neck  is  a  sign  at  Penny  HiU,  Holbeach,  and  the 
Buffalo  Head  is  common  in  many  places.  The  latter  was  the 
sign  of  one  of  the  coffee-houses  near  the  Exchange,  during  the 
South  Sea  bubble,  and  was  hung  up  over  the  head  quarters  of 
a  company  for  a  grand  dispensary,  capital  £3,000,000.  The 
rage  for  joint-stock  companies  had  come  to  such  a  pitch  at  that 
period,  that  an  advertisement  appeared  stating  : — 
"f  IIHIS  DAT  the  8th  instant  at  Sam's  Coffeehouse  behind  the  Royal 

JL  Exchange,  at  three  in  the  afternoon,  a  book  will  be  opened,  for 
entering  into  a  joint  copartnership  for  carrying  on  a  thing  that  will  tiu-n 
to  the  advantage  of  those  concerned." 

Not  less  than  £28,000,000  were  asked  for  at  that  period  to  enter 
upon  various  speculations.  At  the  Bufialo  Head  Tavern,  Chaiing 
Cross,  Duncan  Campbell,  the  deaf  and  dumb  fortune-teller,  used 
at  one  time  to  deliver  his  oracles.  He  is  immortalised  in  the 
Spectator,  No.  474,  where,  in  answer  to  the  letter  of  a  lady 
inquiring  about  Duncan's  address,  a  note  is  entered,  "  That  the 

*  This  riding  in  a  cart  was  a  Ter7  ancient  punishment,  probably  introduced  by  the 
Normans  ;  in  the  romanceof  Lancelot  du  Lac  the  cart  is  mentioned  with  the  following  re- 
marks : — "  At  that  time  a  cart  was  considered  so  Tile  that  nobody  ever  went  into  it,  but 
those  who  had  lost  all  honour  and  good  name  ;  and  when  a  person  was  to  be  degraded, 
he  was  made  to  ride  in  a  CArt,  for  a  cart  served  at  that  time  for  the  same  purpose  as  the 
pillory  now-a-days,  and  each  town  had  only  one  of  them."  In  the  old  English  laws  it 
was  called  the  Tumbrill ;  thus  Edward  I.  in "1240  enacted  a  law  by  which  millers  stealing 
corn  were  to  be  chastised  by  the  Tumbrill,— See  Fabiavls  Chronicles^  2  Edw.  I. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  1 87 

Inspector  I  employ  about  Wonders,  inquire  at  the  Golden  Lyon, 
opposite  the  Halfmoon  Tavern,  Drury  Lane,  into  l.he  merit  oi 
this  sUent  sage."  * 

Among  the  combinations  in  which  the  BuU  is  met  with  on 
signboards,  the  Bull  and  Dog  is  one  of  the  most  common, 
derived,  like  the  BuU  and  Chain,  from  the  favourite  sport  of 
bull-baiting,  which  amusement  is  described  at  full  length  and  in 
brilliant  colours  by  Misson,  in  his  "  Travels."  A  comical  variation 
of  this  is  the  Bull  and  Bitch  at  Husboi;n  Crawley,  Wobum. 
In  the  sign  of  the  Bull  and  BuTCHEK,t  the  bull  is  placed  in 
stiE  worse  company ;  this  was  very  forcibly  expressed  on  the 
sign  of  a  butcher  in  Amsterdam,  who  was  represented  with  a 
glass  of  wine  in  his  hand,  standing  between  two  calves,  and 
pledging  them  with  the  cruel  words, — 

"  Zyt  verblyt 
Soo  lang  gy  er  zyt."  X 

The  Bull  and  Magpie,  which  occurs  at  Boston,  has  been 
explained  as  meaning  the  Pie,  cr/'raf ,  and  the  BuU  of  the  Bomish 
Church ;  but  this  looks  very  Uke  a  cock-and-buU  story.  As 
"  some  help  to  thicken  other  proofs  that  also  demonstrate  thinly," 
as  lago  has  it,  it  may  be  asked  whether  this  might  not  have 
arisen  out  of  the  sign  of  the  "  Pied  BuU,"  thus  leading  to  the 
"  Pie  and  BuU,"  or  the  "  BuU  and  Magpie ; ''  the  transition  seems 
simple  and  easy  enough ;  but  should  this  not  be  considered 
satisfactory,  since  we  have  the  "  Cock  and  BuU,"  and  the  "  Cock 
and  Pie,"  we  may  by  a  sort  of  rule  qf  three  manoeuvre  obtain  the 
BuU  and  Pie  or  Magpie.     See  under  Bird  Signs. 

The  Black  Bull  and  Looking-Glass  is  named  in  an  adver- 
tisement in  the  original  edition  of  the  Spectator,  No.  Ixvui.,  as 
a  house  in  CornhUl.  It  was  evidently  a  combination  of  two 
signs. 

StUl  more  puzzling  is  the  Bull  and  Bedpost  ;  but  as  the 
actual  use  of  this  sign  as  a  house  decoration  remains  to  be  corro- 
borated, we  may  dismiss  it  with  the  remark,  that  the  Bedpost,  in 
aU  probabUity,  was  a  joculaj  name  for  the  stake  to  which  the 

*  Tor  the  chequered  life  of  this  strange  individual,  see  Caulfield'a  Memoirs  of  Re- 
markable Persons,  vol.  ii.  From  the  Original  Weetdy  Jourjwi,  Sept.  13,  1718,  we 
gather  the  information  that,  "  Last  week  i?r  Campbell,  the  famous  dumb  forinine-teller, 
was  married  to  a  gentlewoman  of  considerable  fortune  in  Shadwell." 

t  A  curious  story  of  Bulleyn  Butchered,  the  sign  said  to  have  been  put  up  incommemo. 
ration  of  Henry  VIII.'s  unfortunate  queen,  and  its  corru;  ted  form  otBuU  and  Butcher. 
will  be  found  in  the  first  division  of  this  work.     Vide  Historioal  SlONa 

J  "Be happy  while  you  live." 


1 88  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

bull  was  tied  when  being  baited,  in  allusion  to  the  stout  stick  for- 
merly used  in  bed-making  to  smooth  the  clothes  in  their  place.  The 
BtTLL  AND  Swan,  High  Street,  Stamford,  may  be  heraldic,  both 
these  animals  being  badges  of  the  York  family ;  but  the  Swan 
in  all  probability  was  the  first  sign,  the  Bull  being  added  on 
account  of  the  singular  custom  of  Bull  Kunning,  which  yearly 
took  place,  both  at  Tamworth  and  Stamford,  on  St  John's  eve. 
The  Bull  in  the  Podnd,  is  the  Bull  punished  for  trespass,  and 
put  in  the  pound  or  pinfold;  whilst  the  Bull  and  Oak  at 
Wicker,  Sheffield,  (at  Market  Bosworth  there  is  a  house  with  the 
sign  of  the  Bull  in  the  Oak,)  may  have  originated  from  the 
sign  of  "the  Bull"  being  suspended  from  an  oak  tree,  or  referring  to 
an  oak  tree  standing  near  the  house.  Bulls  are  often  tied  to  trees  or 
posts  in  pastures,  and  this  also  may  have  given  rise  to  the  sign. 

Visitors  to  the  Isle  of  Wight  will  have  noticed  the  word 
Bugle  frequently  inscribed  under  the  picture  of  a  BuU  on  the 
inn  signboards  there.  Bugle  is  a  provincial  name  in  those  parts 
for  a  wild  buU.  It  is  an  old  English  word,  and  is  used  by  Sir 
John  MandevUle ;  "homes  of  grete  oxen,  or  of  bugles,  or  of  kygn." 
It  was  stLU  current  in  the  seventeenth  century,  for  Handle 
Holme,  1688,  classes  the  "Bugle,  or  Bubalus,"  amongst  "the 
savage  beasts  of  the  greater  sort."  The  horns  of  this  animal, 
used  as  a  musical  instrument,  gave  a  name  to  the  Buglehom. 
It  may  be  remarked  that  the  term  bugle  doubtless  came,  in  old 
times,  with  other  Gallicisms  common  to  Sussex  and  Hampshire, 
from  across  the  Channel,  where  the  word  bugle  is  stiU  preserved 
in  the  verb  beugler,  the  common  French  word  for  the  lowing  of 
cattle. 

The  Ox  is  rather  uncommon ;  the  Dukham  Ox  and  the 
Craven  Ox,  two  famous  breeds,  are  sometimes  met  with  ;  then 
there  is  a  Craven  Ox  Head,  in  George  Street,  York,  and  a 
Grey  Ox  at  Brighouse,  in  the  West  Eidmg.  The  Ox  and  Com- 
passes at  Poulton  Swindon,  in  Cumberland,  is  evidently  a  jocular 
imitation  of  the  London  sign  of  the  Goat  and  Compasses. 

The  Cow  is  more  common ;  its  favourite  colours  being  Red, 
Brown,  White,  Spotted,  Spangled,  &c.  The  Bed  Cow  occurs 
as  a  sign  near  Holbom  Conduit,  on  the  seventeenth  century 
trades  tokens.  It  also  gave  a  name  to  the  alehouse  in  Anchor 
and  Hope  Lane,  Wapping,  in  which  Lord  Chancellor  Jeffries  was 
taken  prisoner,  disguised  as  a  sailor,  and  trying  to  escape  to  the 
Continent  after  the  abdication  of  James  II.     Thinking  himself 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  1 89 

safe  in  this  neighbourhood,  he  was  looking  out  of  the  window  to 
while  the  time  away,  when  he  was  recognised  by  a  clerk  who 
bore  him  a  grudge,  and  at  once  betrayed  him.  An  heraldic 
origin  is  not  necessary  for  this  colour  of  the  cow. 

"  Cows  (I  mean  that  whole  species  of  horned  beasts)  are  more  commonly 
black  than  Red  in  England.  'Tis  for  this  reason  that  they  have  a  greater 
value  for  Eed  Cow's  Milk  than  for  Black  Cow's  Milk.  Whereas  In  France 
we  esteem  the  Black.  Cow's  Milk,  because  Red  Cows  are  more  common 
with  us."  * 

Speaking  of  the  Green  Walk,  St  James's  Park,  Tom  Brown  says  : 
"  There  were  a  cluster  of  senators  talking  of  state  affairs,  and  the 
price  of  corn  and  cattle,  and  were  disturbed  with  the  noisy  Milk 
folk  crying  :  A  can  of  Milk,  Ladies ;  a  can  of  Red  Cow's  MUk, 
sirs  ?  t  The  preference  for  the  Red  Cow's  milk  may,  however, 
have  a  more  remote  origin,  namely,  from  the  ordinance  of  the 
law  contained  in  Numbers  xix.  2,  where  a  red  heifer  is  enjoined 
to  be  sacrificed  as  a  purification  for  sin.  Hence,  Red  Cow's 
milk  is  particularly  recommended  in  old  prescriptions  and 
panacea,  as,  for  instance,  in  the  following  receipt  of  "  a  Cook 
water  for  a  Consumption  and  Cough  of  the  Lunges  : " — 

"  Take  a  running  cock  and  pull  him  alive,  then  kill  him  and  cutt  him  in 
pieces  and  take  out  his  intralles  and  wipe  him  cleane,  breake  the  bones,  then 
put  him  into  an  ordinary  still  with  a  pottle  of  sack  and  a  pottle  of  Red 
Cai^i  Milh,"  &c.,  &C.J 

The  Bed  Cow,  in  Bow  Street,  was  the  sign  of  a  noted  tavern, 
(afterwards  called  the  Eed  Rose,)  which  stood  at  the  corner 
of  Eose  Alley.  It  was  when  going  home  from  this  tavern 
that  Dryden  was  cudgelled  by  bravoes,  hired  by  Lord  Eochester, 
for  some  remarks  in  Lord  Mulgrave's  Essay  on  Satire,  in  the 
composition  of  which  Dryden  had  assisted  his  lordship.  The 
king  offered  £50,  and  a  free  pardon,  but  "Black  Will  with  a 
cudgel,"  to  whom  Lord  Rochester  had  intrusted  the  task  of 
thrashing  the  laureate,  showed  that  there  was  such  a  thing  aa 
honour  amongst  rogues,  and  did  not  betray  Mm  for  the  king's 
£50.  In  all  probability,  however,  he  received  a  larger  sum  from 
his  lordship.  In  Dryden's  old  age,  Pope,  then  a  boy,  came  here 
to  look  at  the  great  man  whose  fame  in  after  years  he  was  to 

*  M.  Af  isson's  Memoirs  and  Observations  on  his  Travels  in  England,  1719. 

t  Tom  Brown's  Amusements  for  tiie  Sleridiaa  of  London,  1700. 

X  From  a  MS.,  entitled  '  Medycine  Boke"of  one  Samson  Jones,  doctor  of  Bettws. 
Monmouthshire,  1650-90  ;  a  note  on  the  flyleaf  says,  "  I  had  this  boolc  from  Mr  Owen  of 
Bettws,  Monmouth.  He  assured  me  he  knew  for  a  fact  it  was  the  receipt  bo  ke  of 
Samson  Jones,  a  good  doctor  of  that  parish,  a  hundred  and  fifty  years  agone."  It  con- 
tains  some  extraordinary  prescriptions.  Surely  if  Master  Samsou  Jones  made  use  of 
tliem,  the  earth  must  very  quickly  have  hidden  his  blundera. 


lyO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

equal  if  not  to  eclipse.  This  tavern  was  the  femous  mart  for 
libels  and  lampoons ;  one  Julyan,  a  drunken  dissipated  "  secretary 
to  the  Muses,"  as  he  calls  himself,  was  the  chief  manufacturer. 

Near  Marlborough,  Wilts,  there  is  an  alehouse  having  the  sign 
of  the  Ked  Cow,  with  the  following  rhyme  :— 

"The  Red  Cow 
Gives  good  MUk  now." 

That  under  a  Beown  Cow  at  Oldham  is  stOl  more  sublime : — 

"  This  Cow  gives  such  Liquor, 
'Twould  puzzle  a  Viccar  (dc.)  " 

The  Heifer  is  to  be  met  with  sometimes  in  Yorkshire,  but  always 
with  some  local  adjective,  as  the  Craven  Heifek  ;  the  Aires- 
dale  Heifer,  the  Durham  Heifer,  &c.  The  Pied  Caif  at 
Spalding  seems  to  present  a  solitary  instance  of  a  calf  on  the  sign- 
board. Neither  are  sheep  very  common ;  the  Eam  was  a  noted 
carrier's  inn  in  the  seventeenth  century,  in  West  Smithiield,  and, 
indeed,  continued  as  such  until  the  recent  destruction  of  this  old 
cattle  market.  The  crest  of  the  cloth-workers  was  a  mount 
vert,  thereon  a  ram  statant ;  so  that  this  sign  in  that  locality  was 
very  weU  chosen,  being  in  honour  of  the  cattle-dealers  on  ordinary 
occasions,  and  serving  for  the  cloth- workers  in  the  time  of  Bar- 
tholomew fair,  for  whose  benefit  the  fair  was  founded.  In  1668 
there  were  two  Ram's  Head  inns  in  Fenchurch  Street ;  one  of 
them  was  a  carriers'  inn  for  the  Essex  people.  The  Eam's  Skin, 
which  occurs  at  Spalding  in  Lincolnshire,  is  another  name  for  the 
Fleece.  The  Black  Tup  figures  on  a  sign  near  Rochdale,  per- 
haps in  allusion  to  the  black  ram  frail  matrons  used  to  bestride 
in  the  old  custom  of  Free  Bench,  thus  related  in  Jacob's  "  Law 
Dictionary :" — 

"  In  the  manors  of  East  and  West-EubourDe  in  the  Co.  of  Berks,  aad 
the  manor  of  Torre  in  Devonshire,  and  other  parts  of  the  West  of  England, 
there  is  a  custom,  that  when  a  Copyhold  Tenant  dies  his  widow  shall  have 
'  Free  Bench'  in  all  his  customary  lands  '  dum  sola  et  casta  fuerit,'  but  if 
she  commits  incontinency  she  forfeits  her  estate.  Yet  nevertheless  on  her 
coming  into  the  court  of  the  manor,  riding  backwards  on  a  blade  ram  with 
his  tai'l  in  her  hand  and  saying  the  words  following,  the  steward  is  bound 
by  the  custom  to  readmit  her  to  her  free  bench ;  The  words  are  these  >— 

Here  I  am 

Riding  upon  a  Black  Ram 

Like  a  w e  as  I  am ; 

And  for  my  crincum  crancum 

I  have  lost  my  bincum  bancum ; 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  191 

And  for  my  T 's  game 

Have  done  this  worldly  shame. 
Therefore  pray,  Mr  Steward,  let  me  have  my  land  again. 
This  is  a  kind  of  penance  among  jocular  tenures  to  purge  the  offence.*' 

Though,  the  ram  is  rarely,  and  the  sheep  never  seen  on  the 
signboard,  the  Lamb  is  not  uncommon.  In  1586,  it  was  the 
sign  of  Abraham  Veale,  (agreeably  to  the  punning  practices  of  the 
time,  one  would  have  expected  the  Calf  from  him,)  a  bookseller 
in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  and  in  1728  of  Thomas  Cox,  also  a 
bookseller,  under  the  Royal  Exchange  in  Cornhill.  Doubtless, 
these  signs  had  originally  represented  the  Lamb  with  the  flag  of 
the  Apocalypse.  The  sign  was  used  by  other  trades  :  in  1673,  it 
was  the  distinctive  ornament  of  a  confectioner  at  the  lower  end 
of  Gracechurch  Street  ;*  and  an  instance  of  an  alehouse  is  found 
in  the  following  advertisement,  which  at  the  same  time  affords  us 
a  peep  at  the  homely  proceedings  of  the  Admiralty  in  those 
days  : — ■ 

"  T I IHIS  is  to  give  notice  to  the  Officers  and  Company  of  His  Majesty's 
JL  Frigate  Boreas,  who  were  on  Board  her  at  the  taking  the  Ship 
Vrow  Jacoba  and  Briggantyne  Leon,  that  they  will  be  paid  their  respective 
Shares  of  said  Prizes,  on  Wednesday  the  Eight  of  April  next,  at  the  sign 
of  the  Lamb,  in  Abohurch  Lane.  Paying  will  begin  at  Eight  o'clock  of  the 
forenoon  of  the  said  Day."  t 

Think  of  that,  ye  clerks  in  Her  Majesty's  offices,  eight  o'clock  in 
the  forenoon  ! 

A  few  combinations  also  occur,  as  the  Lamb  and  Breeches, 
the  sign  of  Churches  <fc  Christie,  leather-sellers  and  breeches- 
makers,  on  London  Bridge,  in  the  last  century  ;  this  was  a  sign 
like  that  of  the  Hat  and  Beavbe,  in  which  the  living  animal, 
and  the  article  manufactured  from  its  skin,  were  juxtaposed. 
The  Lamb  and  Ckown  was  a  sort  of  colonial  or  emigration  office 
in  Threadneedle  Street,  near  the  Southsea  House  in  1759  J  At 
the  present  day  there  is  a  Lamb  and  Lark  at  Keynsham,  Bath, 
and  in  Printing  House  Lane,  Blackfriars.  It  is  a  typical  repre- 
sentation of  the  proverb,  "  Go  to  bed  with  the  La/mh  and  rise 
with  the  Lark." 

The  Lamb  and  Hare  figure  together  in  Portsmouth  Place, 
Lower  Kennington  Lane.  The  Lamb  and  Still  is  a  combina- 
tion intimating  the  sale  of  distilled  waters.  It  was  the  sign  of  a 
house  in  Compton  Street,  in  1711,  which  had  the  honour  to  lodge 

•  Lmion  Gazette,  Nov.  10-13,  1673.  t  Idem,  March  24-28,  1761. 

\  Public  Advertiser,  March  4,  1759. 


192  THUS  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Mr  Fert,  a  dancing-master,  and  author  of  a  work  called  **  A  Dis- 
course or  Explanation  of  the  ground  of  Dancing."* 

If  we  except  the  heraldic  Blue  Boar,  and  the  Sow  and  Pigs, 
we  shall  find  no  other  pigs  on  the  signboard  but  the  Pig  and 
WHisTLE,t  the  Little  Pig  at  Amblecote,  Stourbridge,  and 
the  Hog  in  the  Poctnd  in  Oxford  Street,  jocularly  called  the 
gentleman  in  trouble.  This  latter  was  formerly  a  starting- 
point  for  coaches,  and  became  notorious  through  the  crime 
committed  by  its  landlady,  Catherine  Hayes.  Having  formed 
an  illicit  connexion,  she  was  induced  by  her  paramour  to  murder 
her  husband,  after  which  she  cut  off  his  head,  put  it  in  a  bag, 
and  threw  it  in  the  Thames.  It  floated  ashore,  and  was  put  on 
a  pole  in  St  Margaret's  Churchyard,  Westminster,  in  order  that 
it  might  be  recognised;  and  by  this  primitive  means  the  murder- 
ess was  detected.  The  man  was  hanged,  and  Catherine  burnt 
alive  at  Tyburn  in  1726. 

The  Goat  is  not  very  common ;  there  was  a  Goat  Inn  at 
Hammersmith,  taken  down  in  1826,  and  rebuilt  under  the  name 
of  Suspension  Bridge  Inn  ;  up  to  that  time,  the  sign,  and  the 
woodwork  from  which  it  was  suspended,  used  to  extend  across 
the  street.  The  Goat  in  Boots,  on  the  Fulham  B,oad,t  was  in 
old  times  called  simply  "the  Goat."  Besides  these,  there  is  a 
Black  Goat  in  Lincoln,  and  a  Gkey  Goat  in  Penrith  and  Car- 
lisle, and  a  few  others  without  addition  of  colour. 

A  walk  through  town  on  a  fine  Sunday  morning  will  at  once 
convince  anybody  of  the  good  understandiiig  that  exists  between 
the  Englishmen  and  the  canine  species,  "  I'ami  de  I'homme  "  as 
Buffon  calls  the  dog.  From  every  lane  and  alley  in  the  lower 
parts  of  the  town  sally  forth  men  and  youths  in  clean  moleskins 
and  corduroys,  each  invariably  accompanied  by  some  yelping  cur, 
the  least  of  whose  faults  is  to  be  ugly.  It  is  no  wonder,  then, 
that  the  Dog  should  be  of  frequent  occurrence  on  the  signboard. 
Pepys  mentions  a  tavern  of  that  name  in  Westminster,  where, 
about  the  time  of  the  Bestoration,  he  used  occasionally  to  show 
his  merry  face.  In  1768,  the  author  of  the  "Art  of  Living  in 
London,"  recommended  the  Dog  in  Holywell  Street  for  a  quiet 
good  dinner  : — 

"  Where  disencumbered  of  all  form  or  show. 
We  to  a  moment  might  or  sit  or  go  ; 
Eat  what  the  palate  recommends  us  hot. 
Yet  not  considered  as  a  useless  guest." 
•  PoUman,  Feb.  13,  1711.  f  See  under  Humorods  Siass,  further  oa. 


PLATE  XIII. 


MEKOUET  AND  PAN. 
(BaiLks'3  CoUeotion,  1810.) 


KOBOBT. 
(From  an  old  print,  circa  1600.) 


KUNNINQ  FOOTMAN. 
[Ciiarlea  Street,  Berlceley  Square,  circa  1790.) 


QUEEN  ELIZABETH. 
(Bauks'a  Collectiou.) 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  193 

For  some  unknown  reason,  the  Black  Dog  seems  the  greatest 
favourite ;  perhaps  the  English  terrier  is  meant  by  it,  a  dog  who 
"  once  had  its  day,"  as  the  Scotch  terrier  appears  to  have  it  now. 
In  the  seventeenth  century,  there  was  a  Black  DogTavern  near  New- 
gate j  a  house  of  old  standing,  of  which  trades  tokens  are  yet  extant. 

Mr  Akerman,  in  his  work  on  "  Trades  Tokens  issued  between 
1648-1672,"  makes  a  mistake  in  surmising  that  Luke  Hut- 
ton's  "  Black  Dog  of  Newgate "  had  anything  to  do  with  this 
tavern.  That  poem  is  simply  against  "coney-catchers,"  i.e.,  roguish 
detectives  or  informers  of  the  Jonathan  Wild  stamp,  and  even 
worse.  Such  a  one  is  impersonificated  under  the  name  of  the 
Black  Dog  of  Newgate,  because  the  coney-catchers  used  to  hunt 
people  down  threatening  them  with  Newgate.  This  Black  Dog 
may  have  derived  its  name  from  the  canine  spectre  that  still 
frightens  the  ignorant  and  fearful  in  our  rural  districts,  just  as 
the  terrible  Dun  Cow,  and  the  Lambton  Worm  were  the  terror 
of  the  people  in  old  times.  Near  Lyme  Regis,  Dorset,  there  is 
an  alehouse  which  has  this  black  fiend  in  all  Ms  ancient  ugliness 
painted  over  the  door.  Its  adoption  there  arose  from  a  legend 
that  the  spectral  black  dog  used  to  haunt  at  nights  the  kitchen 
fire  of  a  neighbouring  farm-house,  formerly  a  Royalist  mansion, 
destroyed  by  Cromwell's  troops.  The  dog  would  sit  opposite  the 
farmer;  but  one  night,  a  little  extra  liquor  gave  the  man  additional 
courage,  and  he  struck  at  the  dog,  intending  to  rid  himself  of  the 
horrid  thing.  Away,  however,  flew  the  dog  arid  the  farmer  after 
him,  from  one  room  to  another,  until  it  sprang  through  the  roof, 
and  was  seen  no  more  that  night.  In  mending  the  hole,  a  lot  of 
money  fell  down,  which,  of  course,  was  connected  in  some  way  or 
other  vrith  the  dog's  strange  visit.  Near  the  house  is  a  lane  still 
called  Dog  Lane,  which  is  now  the  favourite  walk  of  the  black  dog, 
and  to  this  genius  loci  the  sign  is  dedicated. 

There  was  another  notorious  Black  Dog  next  door  to  the  Devil 
Tavern,  the  shop  of  Abel  Roper,  who  printed  and  distributed  the 
majority  of  the  pamphlets  and  ballads  that  paved  the  way  for  the 
Revolution  of  1688.  He  was  the  original  printer  of  the  famous 
ballad  of  "  LUlibulero."  Whatever  pleased  the  public,  whether 
good  or  bad,  he  was  always  ready  to  provide  and  send  into  the 
world ;  he  was  also  the  editor  of  the  newspaper  called  the  Postman. 
In  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  he  lived  "  at  the 
Sun,  over  against  St  Dunstan's  Church,  in  Fleet  Street."* 

-  Kinffdon's  Intelligencer,  March  30  to  April  d,  l(j63. 

2B 


194  TH^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Tokens  are  extant  of  the  Pied  Dog  in  Seething  Lane,  1667, 
ft  sign  still  frequently  to  be  seen  at  the  present  day. 

We  very  rarely  meet  with  the  Blue  Dog  ;  but  there  is  an  ex- 
ample in  Grantham,  and  the  sign  occurs  in  a  few  other  places. 

Sometimes  a  peculiar  breed  is  chosen,  as  the  Setteb  Dog  at 
Bedford,  Notts  ;  the  Pointee  at  Pecifield,  MUford  Junction ; 
the  Beagle  at  Shute,  Axminster,  and  the  Meeey  Hakriees, 
common  in  huntiug  counties.  Equally  common  is  the  Grey- 
hound, particularly  in  the  North  country,  where  coursing  has 
long  been  a  favourite  sport.  In  the  seventeenth  century,  it  was 
the  sign  of  a  fashionable  tavern  in  London,  for  in  a  sprightly 
ballad  in  the  Roxburgh  collection,*  a  young  gallant  is  introduced 
who  is  going  to  forsake  his  evil  courses  and  turn  over  a  new  leaf. 
He  gives  a  last  farewell  to  aU  his  doxies  : 

"  Farewell  unto  black  patches, 
And  farewell  powdei'd  locks ;" 

and  remembers  all  those  delightfully  wicked  places  he  used  to 
haunt  formerly,  and  amongst  them  : 

"  Farewell  iinto  the  Gkethound, 

And  farewell  to  the  Bell, 

And  farewell  to  my  landlady, 

Whom  I  do  love  so  well." 
This  was  probably  the  same  Greyhound  mentioned  by  Machyn, 
which  seems  to  have  been  situated  in  Fleet  Street,  where  the 
gaudily  dressed  Spanish  ambassador  took  his  stirrup-cup  before 
leaving  London.  The  same  author  mentions  the  sign  elsewhere, 
apparently  in  Westminster;  and  the  little  picture  of  manners 
which  accompanies  it  is  rather  curious  : — 

"  The  viij  day  of  January  (1557)  dyd  ryd  in  a  care  in  Westmynster  the 
wyff  of  the  Grayhound,  and  the  Abbot's  servand  was  wypyd  [whipped]  be- 
cawse  that  he  toke  her  owt  of  the  car,  at  the  care  h — e,  [the  back  of  the 
cart.]  " 

— another  example  that  the  course  of  true  love  never  does  run 
smooth,  even  though  it  runs  upon  wheels. 

The  White  Greyhound  was  the  sign  of  John  Harrison,  in  St 
Paul's  Churchyard,  a  bookseller  who  published  some  of  Shakes- 
peare's early  works,  as  "  The  Eape  of  Lucrece,"  "  Venus  and 
Adonis,"  &c.  White  greyhounds,  or  rather  silver  greyhounds, 
were,  until  eighty  years  ago,  the  badges  worn  on  the  arm  by 
king's  messengers. 

*  The  Merry  Mail's  ResoIutioD,  or  his  last  farewell  to  his  former  acqaaintance.  Rox. 
Ball.  iiL  f.  242. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  1 95 

Tlie  sign  of  the  Black  Geethotjnd  is  also  of  frequent  occur- 
rence, and  at  Grantham  there  is  a  Blub  Greyhound.  Indeed, 
although  Lincoln  was  formerly  famous  for  green,  it  seems  also 
to  have  taken  a  great  fancy  to  blue,  for  there  we  find  the  Blub 
Bull  and  the  Blub  Cow,  the  Blue  Doo,  the  Blue  Fox,  (all  in 
Colsterworth,)  besides  the  Blue  PiGt,  the  Blue  Kam,  in  Grantham, 
which  town  can  also  boast  of  the  unique  sign  of  the  Blub  Man. 

The  Talbot — old  and  now  almost  obsolete  term  for  a  large  kind 
of  hunting  dog — has  acquired  a  literary  celebrity  from  having 
been  Slibstituted  for  the  old  sign  of  the  Tabard  Inn  in  Southwark, 
whence  the  pilgrims  started  on  their  merry  journey  to  Canter- 
bury. In  1606,  we  find  the  Talbot  the  sign  of  Thomas  Man, 
bookseller  in  Paternoster  Bow,  which,  however,  at  that  time,  was 
not  such  a  book  market  as  now,  being  occupied  by  •'  eminent 
mercers,  silkmen,  and  lacemen ;  and  their  shops  were  so  resorted 
unto  by  the  nobility  and  gentry  in  their  coaches,  that  ofttimes 
the  street  was  so  stopped  up,  that  there  was  no  passage  for  foot 
passengers."*  So  it  continued  until  the  fire;  and  it  was  only  in 
the  middle  of  the  last  century  that  the  booksellers  began  to  make 
their  appearance  in  it. 

A  Talbot  Inn  in  the  Strand  is  mentioned  in  the  following  very 
quaint  advertisement  : — 

"  rilO  BE  SOLD,  a  fine  Grey  Mare,  full  fifteen  hands  high,  gone  after  the 
J_  hounds  many  times,  rising  six  years  and  no  more ;  moves  as  well  as 
most  creatures  upon  earth,  as  good  a  road  mare  as  any  in  10  counties  and 
1 0  to  that ;  trots  at  a  confounded  pace ;  is  from  the  country,  and  her  owner 
will  sell  lier  for  nine  guineas ;  if  some  folks  had  her  she  would  fetch  near 
three  times  the  money.  I  have  no  acquaintance,  and  money  I  want,  and  a 
service  in  a  shop  to  carry  parcels  or  to  be  in  a  gentleman's  service.  My 
father  gave  me  the  mare  to  get  rid  of  me,  and  to  try  my  fortune  in  Lon- 
don, and  I  am  just  come  from  Shropshire,  and  I  can  be  recommended,  as  I 
suppose  nobody  takes  servants  without,  and  have  a  voucher  for  my  mare. 
Enquire  for  me  at  the  Talbot  Inn  near  the  New  Church  at  the  Strand. 

"A.  E."t 
At  the  foot  of  Burdley's  Hill,  Gloucester,  there  is  a  Talbot  Inn, 
which  has  a  sign  painted  with  two  inscriptions  ;  at  the  side  where 
the  road  is  level,  it  says  : — 

"  Before  you  do  this  hill  go  up. 
Stop  and  drink  a  cheerful  cup." 

On  the  side  of  the  hill  it  says  : 

"  You  're  down  the  hill,  all  danger 's  past, 
Stop  and  drink  a  cheerful  glaas." 

*  Stryre,  B.  iii.  p.  19t».  t  PuUio  Advertiser,  March  1750. 


196  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

A  publican  at  Odell  has  chosen  the  Mad  Dog  for  a  sign,  evi- 
dently his  beau  ideal  of  a  "jolly  fellow,"  one  having  a  great  hor- 
ror for  water ;  another  at  Pidley,  Hunts,  not  to  be  behindhand 
with  the  Mad  Dog,  has  put  up  the  Mad  Cat.  We  have  as  odd 
and  apparently  as  unmeaning  a  sign  in  Tabernacle  Walk,  namely, 
the  Baeking  Dogs. 

All  the  combinations  of  the  sign  of  the  Dog  point  towards 
sports,  as  the  Dog  and  Beak,  which  was  very  common  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  when  bear-baiting  was  in  fashion,  and  kings 
and  queens  countenanced  it  by  their  presence.  The  Dog  and 
Duck  refers  to  another  barbarous  pastime,  when  ducks  were 
hunted  in  a  pond  by  spaniels.  The  pleasure  consisted  in  seeing 
the  duck  make  her  escape  from  the  dog's  mouth  by  diving.  It 
was  much  practised  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London  till  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century,  when  it  went  out  of  fashion,  as  most  of 
the  ponds  were  gradually  built  over.  One  of  the  most  notorious 
Dog  and  Duck  Taverns  stood  in  St  George's  Fields,  where  Beth- 
lem  Hospital  now  stands ;  it  had  a  long  room  with  tables  and 
benches,  and  an  organ  *  at  the  upper  end.  In  its  last  days  it  was 
frequented  only  by  thieves,  prostitutes,  and  other  low  characters. 
After  a  long  and  wicked  existence  it  was  at  length  put  down  by 
the  magistrates.  In  the  seventeenth  century  it  was  famous  for 
springs,  but  already  in  Garrick's  time  its  reputation  was  very 
equivocal : 

"  St  George's  Fields,  with  taste  and  fashion  struck, 

Display  Arcadia  at  the  Dog  and  Duck, 

And  Drury  Misses,  here  in  tawdry  pride, 

Are  there  "  Pastoras  "  by  the  fountain  side ; 

To  frowsy  bowers  they  reel  through  midnight  damps, 

With  Fauns  half  drui^  and  Dryads  breaking  lamps."  + 

In  an  unpublished  paper  from  the  MS.  collection  of  WiUiam 
Hone,  we  have  a  mention  of  it : — 

"  It  was  a  very  small  public-house  till  Hedger's  mother  took  it,  who  had 
been  a  barmaid  to  ■■•■  tavern-keeper  in  London,  who  left  this  house  to  her 
at  his  death.  Her  son  Hedger  then  was  a  postboy  to  a  yard  I  believe  at 
Epsom,  and  came  to  be  master  there.  After  making  a  good  deal  of  monev 
he  left  the  house  to  his  nephew,  one  Miles,  (though  it  still  went  in  Hed- 
ger's name,)  who  was  to  allow  him  £1000  per  annum  out  of  the  profits, 

*  Organs  were  first  introduced  in  taverns  during  the  Commonwealth.  When  the 
liturgy  and  the  use  of  organs  in  Divine  service  were  abolished,  these  instruments  being 
removed  from  churches,  were  set  up  in  inns  luid  taverns.  Hence  a  pamphlet  of  1659 
has  these  words  : — "  They  have  translated  the  ijrgans  out  of  their  churches  and  set  them 
up  in  taverns,  cliaunting  their  dithy  rambles  and  bertial  Bacchanalias  to  the  tune  o( 
those  instruments  which  were  wonted  to  assist  them  in  the  celebration  of  God's  praises." 

1  Garrick's  Prologue  to  the  Maid  of  the  Oaks,  1774. 


ANIMALS  AND  MONSTERS.  197 

and  it  was  he  that  allowed  the  house  to  acquire  so  bad  a  character  that 
the  licence  was  taken  away.  I  have  this  from  one  William  Nelson  who 
was  servant  to  old  Mrs  Hedger,  and  remembers  the  house  before  he  had  it. 
He  is  now  [1826]  in  the  employ  of  the  Lamb  Street  Water  Works  Com- 
pany, and  has  been  for  thirty  years.  In  particular,  there  never  was  any 
duck  hmiting  since  he  knew  the  Gardens.  Therefore,  if  ever,  it  must 
have  been  in  a  very  early  time  indeed.  Hedger,  1  am  told,  was  the  first 
person  who  sold  the  mineral  water,  (whence  the  St  George's  Spa.)  In 
1787,  when  Hedger  applied  for  a  renewal  of  his  licence,  the  magistrates  of 
Surrey  refused,  and  the  Lord  Mayor  came  into  Southwark  and  held  it 
court  and  granted  the  licence,  in  despite  of  the  magistrates,  which  occa- 
sioned a  great  disturbance  and  litigation  in  the  law  courts." 

The  old  stone  sign  is  still  preserved,  embedded  in  the  brick 
wall  of  the  garden  of  Bethlehem  Hospital,  visible  from  the  road, 
and  representing  a  dog  squatted  on  his  haunches,  with  a  duck  in 
his  mouth,  and  the  date  1617. 

Another  famous  Dog  and  Duck  inn  formerly  stood  on  the  site 
of  Hertford  Street,  in  the  now  aristocratic  precincts  of  May  Fair. 
It  was  an  old-fashioned  wooden  public-house,  extensively  patron- 
ised by  the  butchers  and  other  rough  characters  during  May  Fair 
time.  The  pond  in  which  the  cruel  sport  took  place  was  situated 
behind  the  house,  and  for  the  benefit  of  the  spectators  was 
boarded  round  to  the  height  of  the  knee,  to  preserve  the  over- 
excited spectators  from  involuntary  immersions.  The  pond  was 
surrounded  by  a  gravel  walk  shaded  with  willow  trees. 

The  Dog  and  Badger,  Kingswood,  Gloucester,  refers  to  the 
now  obsolete  sport  of  badger-baiting.  More  genial  sports,  how- 
ever, are  called  to  mind  by  the  Dog  and  Gun,  Dog  and  Pae- 
TBiDGE,  Dog  and  Pheasant,  all  of  which  are  very  common. 

"  As  I  was  going  through  a  street  of  London,  where  I  never 
had  been  tiU  then,  I  felt  a  general  clamp  and  faintness  all  over 
me,  which  I  could  not  teU  how  to  account  for,  till  I  chanced  to 
cast  my  eyes  upwards  and  found  that  I  was  passing  under  a  sign- 
post on  which  the  picture  of  a  cai  was  hung."  This  little  incident 
of  the  cat-hater,  told  in  No.  538  of  the  Spectator,  is  a  proof  of 
the  presence  of  cats  on  the  signboard,  where,  indeed,  they  are 
still  to  be  met  with,  but  very  rarely.  There  is  a  sign  of  the  Cat 
ab  Egremont,  in  Cumberland,  a  Black  Cat  at  St  Leonard's  Gate, 
Lancaster,  and  a  Red  Cat  at  Birkenhead.  There  is  also  a 
sign  of  the  Bed  Cat  in  the  Hague,  Holland,  and  "thereby  hangs  a 
tale."  It  was  put  up  by  a  certain  Bertrarid,  a  Frenchman,  whu 
had  left  his  native  country,  having  been  mixed  up  in  some  con- 
spiracy  against  Mazarin.     Arrived  at  the  Hague,  he  opened  a 


1 98  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

cutler's  shop,  and  put  up  a  double  sign,  representing  on  the  one 
side  a  red  cat,  on  the  other  a  portrait  of  his  Eminence  Cardinal 
Mazarin  in  his  red  gown,  and  with  his  bristling  moustache  ; 
underneath  he  wrote  "  auso  deux  m&chantes  hetes"  (the  two  obnox- 
ious animals.  Holland,  however,  was  at  peace  with  France  at 
that  time,  and  so  the  Burgomaster,  afraid  of  offending  the  French 
ambassador,  requested  Bertrand  to  alter  his  sign.  Mazarin's  face 
was  then  painted  out  and  another  red  cat  put  in  its  place. 
Gradually  as  the  first  sign  was  forgotten,  the  name  became  un- 
meaning, and  was  finally  altered  into  the  Red  Cat,  and  in  this 
shape  it  has  come  down  to  the  present  day,  still  the  sign  of  a 
cutler,  and  a  descendant  of  Bertrand.* 

The  Cat  and  Lion,  which  we  meet  with  sometimes,  as  at 
Stockport,  was  probably  at  one  time  the  Tiger  and  Lion.  It  is 
occasionally  accompanied  by  the  following  elegant  distich : — 

"  The  lion  is  strong,  the  cat  is  vicious, 
My  ale  is  strong,  and  so  is  my  liquors.'' 

The  Cai  and  Parrot  was,  in  1612,  the  sign  of  Thomas 
Pauer,  a  bookseller,  dwelling  near  the  Royal  Exchange.  At 
Santry,  near  Dublin,  and  in  some  other  places,  we  meet  with  the 
Cat  and  Cage,  which  is  represented  by  a  cat  trying  to  pull  a 
bird  out  of  a  cage ;  but  its  origin  may  be  found  in  the  Cat  in 
THE  Basket,  a  favourite  sign  of  the  booths  on  the  Thames  when 
that  river  was  frozen  over  in  17f§.  The  sign  was  a  living  one, 
a  basket  hanging  outside  the  booth,  with  a  cat  in  it.  It  was 
revived  when  the  river  was  again  frozen  in  1789,  and  seems  to 
have  had  many  imitators,  for  on  a  print  t  representing  a  view  of 
the  river  at  Botherithe  during  the  frost,  there  is  a  booth  with  a 
merry  company  within,  whose  sign,  inscribed  the  Original  Cat 
IN  the  Cage,  represents  poor  Tabby  in  a  basket.  This  sign  of 
the  Cat  in  the  Basket,  or  in  the  Cage,  doubtless  originated  from 
tne  cruel  game,  once  practised  by  our  ancestors,  of  shooting  at  a 
cat  in  a  basket.  Brand,  in  his  "  Popular  Superstitions,"  gives  a 
quotation,  from  which  it  appears  that  a  similar  cruel  sport  was 
still  practised  at  Kelso  in  1789  ;  but  instead  of  shooting  at  the 
cat,  it  was  placed  in  a  barrel,  the  bottom  of  which  had  to  be 
beaten  out.  The  same  game  is  still  practised  in  Holland,  ^nd 
generally,  if  not  always,  on  the  ice. 

♦  La  Haye,  par  de  Fotiseca.    1863.  f  Orowle  Pennant,  vol  vili. 


CHAPTER  V. 

BIRDS  AND  FOWLS 

Thomas  Coeyatt,  a  gentleman  from  Somerset,  who  travelled 
over  a  great  part  of  Europe  in  the  reign  of  King  James  I.,  and 
■wrote  an  amusing  account  of  his  travels,  gives  a  curious  instance 
of  the  prevalence  of  signs  in  Paris  representing  birds.  Speaking 
of  the  bridges  over  the  Seine,  he  says  one  of  them  is  "  the  Bridge 
of  Birdes,  formerly  called  the  Millar's  Bridge.  The  reason  why 
it  is  called  the  Bridge  of  Birdes  is  because  all  the  signes  belong- 
ing unto  shops  on  each  side  of  the  streete  are  signes  of  birdes."  * 
They  never  were  so  general  in  England,  though  certainly  the 
Cock  and  the  Swan  appear  to  have  found  more  votaries  than  any 
other  signboard  animals.  The  Eagle  is  not  nearly  so  common ; 
some  we  have  mentioned  in  a  former  part  as  undoubtedly  of 
heraldic  origin.  From  this  source  the  Golden  Eagle  may  be 
derived;  it  was  the  emblem  of  thejlastem  Empire,  and  occurs 
in  various  family  arms ;  but  it  is  also  a  fera  naturae.  It  was,  in 
1711,  the  sign  of  James  Levi,  a  bookseller  in  the  Strand,  near 
the  Fountain  Tavern.  The  Eagle  and  Ball,  of  which  there 
are  two  in  Birmingham,  was  suggested  by  the  imperial  eagle 
standing  on  the  globe,  or  the  spread  eagle  with  the  globe  in  his 
talon.  The  Eagle  and  Serpent,  or  the  Eagle  and  Snake,  is 
a  mediaeval  emblem  of  courage  united  to  prudence. 

Mythical  birds  also  have  been  in  great  favour.  The  burning 
and  reviving  of  the  Phcenix,  for  instance,  like  the  salamander 
and  the  dragon,  typified  certain  transformations  obtained  by 
chemistry,  whence  he  was  a  very  general  sign  with  chemists,  and 
may  stiU  be  seen  on'  their  drug-pots  and  transparent  lamps.  The 
firm  of  Godfrey  and  Cooke,  for  instance,  have  adhered  to  it 
ever  since  the  opening  of  their  establishment,  a.d.  1680.  Persons 
of  a  highly  imaginative  turn  will  probably  shudder  to  think  of 
the  awful  quantities  of  physic  prepared  by  this  house  in  those 
184  years.  The  pUls,  if  piled  up  like  cannon-baUs,  would  make 
pyramids  higher  than  those  of  Gizeh  ;  the  draughts  would  be 
sufficient  to  cover  the  earth  with  a  nauseous  deluge ;  and  the 
powders,  if  blown  about  by  an  evU  wind,  levelling  valleys  and 
mountains,  would  change  the  whole  of  Europe  into  a  medicated 
desert.  The  original  shop  referred  to  by  the  date  1680  stood  in 
Southampton  Street,  and  there  phosphorus  was  first  manufac- 
tured by  the  predecessor  of  this  firm,  Ha7ickwitz,  a   Pole  or 

'  Coiyatt's  Crudities^  vol.  i.  p.  29. 


200  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Russian   by  birth,   who   advertised  it  wholesale  at  50s.,  and 
retail  at  ^3  the  ounce.     Ambrose  Godfrey  was  his  successor. 

Not  only  apothecaries  used  this  emblem,  but  all  kinds  of 
shops  adopted  it.  In  the  time  of  James  I.  it  was  the  sign  of 
one  of  the  places  where  plays  were  acted  in  Drury  Lane, — some- 
times also  called  the  Cockpit  Theatra  This  was  destroyed  by 
the  unruly  apprentices  during  one  of  their  saturnalia.  Being  re- 
built, it  was  sacked  a  second  time  by  the  Parliamentary  soldiers. 
In  Charles  II. 's  piping  times  of  peace  Killigrew's  troOp  of  "  the 
king's  servants "  played  in  it,  until  they  removed  to  the  theatre 
in  Lincoln's  Inn. 

The  character  ascribed  to  the  Pelican  was  fully  as  fabulous 
as  that  of  the  Phoenix.  From  a  clumsy,  gluttonous,  piscivorous 
water-bird,  it  was  transformed  into  a  mystic  emblem  of  Christ, 
whom  Dante  calls  "  nostro  Pellicano."  St  Hieronymus  gives  the 
story  of  the  pelican  restoring  its  young  ones  destroyed  by  ser- 
pents, as  an  illustration  of  the  destruction  of  man  by  the  old 
serpent,  and  his  salvation  by  the  blood  of  Christ.  The  "  Besti- 
arium,"  in  the  Eoyal  Library  at  Brussels,  says : — 

"  Phisiologus  dist  del  Pellican  qu'il  aime  moult  ses  oiseles  et  quant  ils 
Bont  n^s  et  creu  ils  a'esbanoient  en  lor  ni  contre  lor  pere  et  le  fierent  de 
lors  eles  en  ventilant  ensi  come  il  li  vont  entor  et  tant  le  fierent  qu'ils  le 
blechent  es  ex.  Et  lora  lea  refiert  li  perea  et  lea  ocoit.  Et  la  mere  est  de 
tel  nature  que  ele  vient  al  ni  al  tierc  jor  et  a'accoste  sor  sea  oiael&s  mors 
et  ell  oevre  aon  coate  de  eon  bee  et  en  espant  son  sane  aor  aea  oiselea  et 
ensi  les  reaucite  de  mort ;  car  li  oiaelea  par  nature  rechoivent  le  aang  si 
toit  come  il  saut  de  la  mere  et  le  boivent."* 

In  the  Armory  of  Birds  by  Skelton,  a  similar  notion  is  expressed : 
"  Than  sayd  the  Pellycane, 
When  my  Byrdts  be  slayne. 
With  my  Bloude  I  them  reuyue, 
Sorypture  doth  record 
The  same  dyd  our  Lord, 
And  rose  from  deth  to  lyue." 

There  is  still  an  old  stone  carving  of  the  Pelican  walled  in  the 
front  of  a  house  in  Aldermanbury,  and  as  a  sign  the  bird  appears 
to  be  a  great  favourite  at  the  present  day.  An  anecdote  is  told 
of  Jekyl's  dissatisfaction  at  the  prices  at  the  Pelican  Inn,  Speen- 

*  '*  Phisiologus  tells  U9  that  the  Pelican  is  very  fond  of  his  young  ones  and  when  they 
are  born  and  begin  to  grow,  they  rebel  in  their  nest  against  their  parent  and  strike  him 
with  their  wings,  flying  about  him  and  beat  him  so  much  till  they  wound  him  in  his 
eyes.  Then  the  father  strikes  again  and  kills  them.  And  the  mother  is  of  such  a 
nature  that  she  comes  back  to  the  nest  on  the  third  day  and  sits  down  upon  her  dead 
young  ones,  and  opens  her  side  with  her  bill  and  pours  her  blood  over  them,  and  so  re- 
suscitates them  from  death,  for  the  young  ones  by  thpir  instinct  receive  the  blood  as 
soon  as  it  comes  out  of  the  mother,  and  drink  it." — BiU.  Nat.  Belg.     No.  lOO?-!. 


BIRDS  AND  FOWLS.  20I 

ham  Land,  and  of  his  writing  the  following  epigram  upon  tha 
game : — 

"  The  Pelican  at  Speenbamland, 
That  stands  below.the  hill, 
May  well  be  called  the  Pelican, 
From  his  enormous  hill." 

Longfellow  made  a  similar  epigram  on  the  Eaten  Inn  at 
Zurich : — 

"  Beware  of  the  raven  of  Zurich, 
'Tis  a  bird  of  omen  Ul, 
With  a  noisy  and  unclean  breast, 
And  a  very,  very  long  Hll." 

It  is  amusing  to  see  how  wit  runs  in  the  same  channel.  In 
"Scrapeana,  a  Collection  of  Anecdotes,  1792,"  a  similar  anecdote 
is  fathered  upon  Foote.  "Pray  what  is  your  name?"  said 
Foote  to  the  Master  of  the  Castle  Inn  at  SalthUl.  "  Partridge, 
sir  \" — "Partridge!  it  should  be  Woodcock  by  the  length  of  your 
bill/" 

But  the  coincidence  is  most  amusing  in  the  case  of  LongfeUow. 
It  is  observed  by  a  contributor  to  Notes  and  Queries*  that  the 
verses  may  be  a  plagiarism ;  at  anyrate  they  have  a  strange 
family  resemblance  to  the  following,  said  to  have  been  written 
by  a  commercial  traveller  on  an  inside  window  shutter  of  the 
Golden  Lion,  Brecon,  kept  by  a  Mr  Longfellow,  ahas  Tom 
Longfellow  : — 

"  Tom  Longfellow's  name  is  most  justly  his  due. 
Long  his  neck,  long  his  Hll,  which  is  very  long  too ; 
Long  the  time  ere  your  horse  to  the  stable  is  led. 
Long  before  he 's  rubbed  down,  and  much  longer  till  fed. 
Long  indeed  may  you  sit  in  a  comfortless  room. 
Till  from  kitchen,  long  dirty,  your  dinners  shall  come. 
Long  the  often-told  tale  that  your  host  will  relate. 
Long  his  face  while  complaining  how  long  people  eat. 
Long  may  LongfeUow  long  ere  he  see  me  again. 
Long  'twill  be  ere  I  long  for  Tom  Longfellow's  inn." 

And  long,  doubtless,  was  his  face  when  he  read  the  above. 

The  Eaven,  or  the  Black  Eaven,  is  still  a  common  inn  sign. 
There  is  one  in  Bishopsgate  yet  in  existence,  of  which  trades 
tokens  of  the  seventeenth  century  are  extant ;  and  on  the  Great 
Western  Eoad  between  Murrell  Green  and  Basingstoke,  the 
Eaven  Inn  is  still,  or  was  not  many  years  ago,  to  be  seen,  in 
which  Jack  the  painter,  alias  James  Aitken,  the  man  who  set  fire 
to  Portsmouth  Dockyard,   Dec.    7,   1776,  was  taken  prisoner. 

»  Notes  and  Queries,  No.  236,  May  6,  1854. 

2C 


202  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

This  house  was  built  in  1653,  and  has  preserved  much  of  its 
original  appearance.  In  1711  the  Raten  or  the  Black  Raven 
was  the  sign  of  S.  Popping,  bookseller  in  Paternoster  Row  ;  and 
about  the  same  time  John  Dunton  published  at  the  Black 
Raven,  in  the  Poultry,  the  earliest  printed  review  of  literary 
works,  under  the  name  of  "  Literature  from  the  North,  and  News 
from  aU  Nations."  What  the  work  was  worth  we  may  judge 
from  D'Israeli's  description  of  the  man  :  "  a  crack-brained,  scrib- 
bling bookseller,  who  boasted  he  had  a  thousand  projects,  fancied 
he  had  methodised  six  hundred,  and  was  ruined  by  the  fifty  he 
executed."  Notwithstanding  this,  his  autobiography,  under  the 
name  of  the  "Life  and  Errors  of  John  Dunton,"  is  one  of  the  most 
curious  works  in  existence.  Li  Molesworth  Street,  Dublin,  there 
is  a  sign  of  the  Theeb  Ravens,  which  may  be  called  a  living 
sign,  for  there  are  always  some  ravens  kept  on  the  premises. 
The  Raven  was  the  badge  of  the  old  Scotch  kings,  and  thus  may 
have  been  adopted  as  a  kind  of  Jacobite  symbol.  To  this  may 
be  attributed  its  frequency  on  the  signboard  as  well  as  some 
other  sable  birds.  The  common  occurrence  of  the  Blackbird 
and  the  Cock  and  Blackbied  as  signs  had  long  puzzled  us,  tUl 
one  day  turning  over  some  old  Scotch  baUads  we  came  upon  one, 
which  Allan  Ramsay  gives  as  a  favourite  old  Scotch  song.  Wa 
shall  merely  quote  the  first  two  stanzas,  (there  are  six  in  all,) — ■ 
quite  sufficient,  as  far  as  the  poetry  is  concerned  : — 

"  Upon  a  fair  morning  for  soft  recreation, 
I  heard  a  fair  lady  was  making  her  moan, 
With  sighing  and  sobbing,  and  sad  lamentation. 
Saying,  my  ilacJcbird  most  royal  is  flown." 
My  thoughts  they  deceive  me, 
Beflections  do  grieve  me. 
And  am  o'erburthen'd  with  sad  misery. 
Yet  if  death  should  blind  me. 
As  true  love  inclines  me. 
My  blackbird  I  '11  seek  out  wherever  he  be. 
"  Once  in  fair  England  my  blackbird  did  flourish, 
He  was  the  chief  blackbird  that  in  it  did  spring^ 
Prime  ladies  of  honour  his  person  did  nouri^ 
Because  he  was  the  true  son  of  a  Icing. 
But  since  that  false  fortune, 
Which  still  is  uncertain, 
Has  caused  this  parting  between  him  and  me. 
His  name  I'll  advance, 
In  Spain  and  in  France, 
And  I'll  seek  out  my  blackbird  wherever  he  ba." 


BIRDS  AND  FOWLS.  203 

To  whicli  dark-liaiTed  prince  of  the  Stuart  family  the  song 
alludes  is  not  known ;  but  there  is  a  passage  in  a  letter  of  Sir 
John  Hinton,  physician  to  Charles  II.,  which  seems  to  imply  that 
the  black  boy  was  a  nickname  for  Charles  II. 

"  The  day  before  General  Monk  went  into  Scotland  he  dined  witli  me ; 
and  after  dinner  he  called  me  into  the  next  room,  and  after  some  dis- 
oourBe,  taking  a  lusty  glass  of  wine,  he  drank  a  health  to  his  bonny  Hack 
boy,  (aa  he  called  Tour  Majesty,)  and  whispered  to  me,  that  if  ever  he  had 
power,  he  would  serve  Your  Majesty  to  the  utmost  of  his  life."* 

What  lends  strength  to  the  supposition  is  the  occurrence  of 
such  a  sign  as  the  Ceow  in  the  Oak,  at  FoleshiU,  Coventry, 
which  seems  to  have  been  a  covert  way  of  representing  the  royal 
oak  during  the  times  of  the  Commonwealth,  the  disguise  continu- 
ing after  there  was  no  more  need  of  it,  similar  to  the  "  Cat  and 
Wheel,"  and  other  signs  dating  from  the  same  period,  for  no 
other  reason  than  because  the  house  had  become  known  by  them. 
In  the  same  manner  the  Oak  and  Black  Dog,  (at  Stretton  on 
Dunsmoor,)  if  not  a  combination  of  two  signs,  may  have  been 
put  up  in  derision  of  the  Prince  in  the  Koyal  Oak.  The  Ceow 
or  the  Black  Ceow,  is  also  a  common  sign  ;  so  are  the  Thebe 
Blackbieds  ;  t  then  there  is  the  Chough,  at  Chard  in  Sommer- 
set,  the  Theee  Choughs  at  Yeovil ;  the  Three  Ceows, — all  of 
which  belong  to  the  same  family,  and  seem  to  have  the  same 
origin. 

On  Friday,  August  27,  1770,  at  the  Three  Crows  in  Brook 
Street,  Holborn,  the  coroner  sat  on  the  body  of  Thomas  Chat- 
terton,  and  the  ten  jurymen  returned  a  verdict  oifelo  de  se.  One 
cannot  think  of  this  sign  and  the  a-ovmer  (as  the  vulgar  still  term 
this  officer)  sitting  on  the  body  of  poor  Chatterton  without  calling 
to  mind  the  ballad  of  the  three  corbies ;  but  the  poor  suicide  had 
no  "  fallow  doe  "  that 

"  buried  him  before  the  prime. 
And  was  dead  herself  ere  even-song  time." 

He  was  interred  in  the  burying  ground, of  Shoelane  workhouse  j 
at  the  present  day  Farringdon  market-place  occupies  the  spot. 

The  Stokk  now  is  of  frequent  occurrence,  although  it  does 
not  occur  among  the  older  English  signs.  Coryatt  thus  speaks 
of  these  birds  : — 

"  There,  [at  Fontainebleau]  I  saw  two  or  three  birds  that  I  never  saw 

*  Letter  of  Memorial  to  King  Charles  IL  from  Sir  John  Hinton,  physician  in  ordinary 
to  His  Majesty,  1679.    Ellis,  Orig.  Letters,  3d  series,  vol.  iii.  p.  307. 

t  The  Three  Blackbirds,  Choughs,  Crows,  Bavens,  &c.,  may  allude  to  Charles,  James, 
and  Rupert. 


204  THE  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOARDS. 

before ;  yet  I  have  much  read  of  admirable  things  of  them,  in  Aelianun 
the  Polyhistor,  and  other  historians,  even  Storcko,  which  do  much  haunt 
many  cities  and  towns  of  the  Netherlands,  especially  in  the  sommer.  For 
in  Flashing,  a  towne  of  Zeland,  I  saw  soma  of  them,  those  men  esteeming 
themselves  happy  in  [on]  whose  houses  they  harbour,  and  those  most  un- 
happy whom  they  forsake.  It  is  written  of  them  that  when  the  old  one 
is  become  so  old  that  it  is  not  able  to  helpe  itselfe,  the  young  one  purvey- 
eth  foode  for  it,  and  sometime  earryeth  it  about  on  his  backe,  and  if  it  seeth 
it  so  destitute  of  meate,  that  it  knoweth  not  where  to  get  any  suste- 
nance, it  casteth  out  that  which  it  hath  eaten  the  day  before,  to  the  end  to 
feede  his  damme.  This  bird  is  called  in  Greeke  rriXapyos  where  hence 
Cometh  the  Greeke  word  i,vTnre\apyeiv  which  signifieth  to  imitate  the 
stork  in  cherishing  our  parents."* 

This  fabled  virtue  of  the  stork  suggested  the  sign  to  many 
Continental  booksellers  and  printers.  The  Two  Stoeks  was  the 
sign  of  Martin  Nutius  of  Antwerp,  1550,  and  his  son,  Philip 
Nutius.  Their  colophons,  which  were  varied  continually,  all 
represent  a  young  stork  feeding  an  old  one,  sometimes  carrying 
him  on  his  back,  with  the  motto :  "  pietas  homini  .  tutissima  . 
VIRTUS."  A  similar  sign  was  used,  circa  1682,  by  Frandscua 
Canisius;  and,  in  1651,  by  Joan.  Bapt.  Verdussen,  both  of 
Antwerp.  The  Parisian  booksellers  adopted  it  as  well,  for  we 
find  it  on  the  titlepages  of  Sebastian  MveUe,  and  of  Sebastien 
Cramoisy,  the  king's  printer,  of  the  Eue  St  Jacques,  1636.  He 
used  a  Scripture  motto  with  it:  "honoba  patkem  ttjtjm  et 

MATEEM  OTJAM  UT   SIS   LONGAEVOS  SUPER  TERRAM,  Ecc.  XX."      In 

the  Banks'  Collection  of  Bills  there  is  one  of  the  Stoek  Hotel 
at  Basle,  of  the  end  of  the  last  century.  It  gives  the  address  in 
four  languages.  The  English  stands  thus : — Christophe  Imhoff, 
"  a  the  Seigne  off  the  Storgk  at  Basel." 

The  Three  Cranes  was  formerly  a  favourite  London  sign. 
With  the  usual  jocularity  of  our  forefathers,  an  opportunity  for 
punning  could  not  be  passed,  so  instead  of  the  three  cranes, 
which  in  the  vintry  used  to  lift  the  barrels  of  wine,  three  birds 
were  represented.  The  Three  Cranes  in  Thames  Street,  or  in 
the  vicinity,  was  a  famous  tavern  as  early  as  the  reign  of  James 
I.  It  was  one  of  the  taverns  frequented  by  the  wits  in  Ben 
Jonson's  time.     In  one  of  his  plays  he  says  : — 

•'  A  pox  o'  these  pretenders  to  wit,  your  Three  Cranes,  Mitre  and  Mer- 
maid men !  not  a  corn  of  true  salt,  not  a  grain  of  right  mustard  among 
them  all  I  " — BartTiolomew  Fair,  a.  i.  s.  1. 

*  Coryatt'a  Crudities,  vol.  i.  p.  39.  In  the  East  the  same  fable  is  onrrent  as  to 
the  paternal  affection  of  young  storks  ;  their  name  in  Hebrew  is  ehesadao,  which  im- 
plies  mercy  or  pity. 


BIRDS  AND  FOWLS.  205 

On  the  23d  of  January  166^,  Pepys  suffered  a  strong  mortifi- 
cation of  the  flesh  in  having  to  dine  at  this  tavern  with  some 
poor  relations.  The  sufferings  of  the  snobbish  secretary  must 
have  been  intense : — 

"  By  invitation  to  my  uncle  Penner's  and  where  I  found  his  new  wife,  a 
pitiful,  old,  ugly,  Ul-tred  woman  in  a  hatt,  a  midwife.  Here  were  many 
of  his  and  as  many  of  her  relations,  sorry  mean  people ;  and  after  choosing 
our  gloves  we  all  went  over  to  the  Three  Cranes  Taveme,  and  though  the 
best  room  of  the  house  in  such  a  narrow  dogghole  we  were  crammed,  and 
I  believe  we  were  near  40,  that  it  made  me  loath  my  company  and  victuals 
and  a  very  poor  dinner  it  was  too." 

Opposite  this  tavern  people  generally  left  their  boats  to  shoot 
the  bridge,  walking  roimd  to  Billingsgate,  where  they  would  re- 
enter them. 

The  Cock  occurs  almost  as  frequently  on  the  signboard  as 
alive  at  the  head  of  Ms  family  in  the  farm  yard.     It  is  one  of 
the  oldest  signs,  already  in  use  at  the  time  of  the  Romans,  who 
record  that  one  Eros,  a  freeman  of  Licius,  Africanus  CereaUs, 
kept  an  inn  at  Narbonne  at  the  sign  of  the  Cock — "a  gaUo 
gaUinaceo."    In  Christian  times  the  sign  acquired  a  new  prestige. 
The  cock  is  thus  mentioned  in  "  The  Armory  of  Byrdes  : " — • 
"  The  Cocke  dyd  say 
I  use  alway 
To  crow  both  first  and  last. 
Lyke  a  Postle  I  am, 
For  I  preche  to  Man, 
And  tell  hym  the  nyght  is  past. 

"  I  bring  new  tydynges 
That  the  Kyng  of  aU  Kynges, 
In  tactu  profudit  chorus  : 

Then  sang  he  mellodioua 

Te  Gloriosus 
Apostolorum  chorus.'' 

This  bitd,  in  the  legends  of  the  middle  ages,  was  surrounded 
with  a  mystical,  religious  halo  : — 

"  It  was  about  the  time  of  cock-crowing  when  our  Saviour  was  bom, — 
the  circumstance  of  the  time  of  cock-crowing  being  so  natural  a  figure  and 
representation  of  the  Morning  of  the  Resurrection ;  the  Night  as  shadowing 
out  the  night  of  the  Grave ;  the  third  Watch  being  as  some  suppose  the 
time  our  Saviour  will  come  to  judgment  at ;  the  noise  of  the  cook  awaken- 
ing sleepy  man  and  telling  him  as  it  were  the  night  is  far  spent,  and  the 
day  is  at  hand,  representing  so  naturally  the  voice  of  the  Archangel 
awakening  the  dead  and  calling  up  the  righteous  to  everlasting  day;  so 

*  "Armory  of  Byrdes,  Impiynted  at  Londo  by  John  Wyght  dwellTg  in  Ponies  Chnrch- 
yarde  at  the  sygne  of  the  Rose."  A  poem  of  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  attributed  to 
likelton,  the  poet  laureate 


206  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

naturally  does  the  time  of  cock-crowing  shadow  out  these  things,  that 
probably,  some  good,  well  meaning  men  might  have  been  brought  to  be- 
lieve that  the  very  devils  themselves  when  the  cock  crew  and  reminded 
them  of  them  did  fear  and  tremble  and  shun  the  light."  * 
Ideas  such  as  these  continued  a  long  time  in  the  popular  mind, 
for  Aubrey  tells  us  that  in  his  younger  days  people  "  had  some 
pious  ejaculation  too  when  the  cock  did  crow,  which  put  them 
in  mind  of  y^  Trumpet  at  j"  Eesurrection."  + 

One  of  the  oldest  Cock  taverns  in  London  is  the  Cock  in 
TothiU.  Street,  Westminster,  lately  re-christened  as  the  Cock  and 
Tabaed.  An  ancient  coat  of  arms,  carved  in  stone,  England 
quartered  with  France,  discovered  in  this  house,  is  now  walled 
up  in  the  front  of  the  building.  In  the  back  parlour  is  a  joUy, 
bluff-looking  man  in  a  red  coat,  said  to  represent  the  driver  of 
the  first  mail  to  Oxford,  which  started  from  this  tavern.  Tradi- 
tion says  that  the  workmen  employed  at  the  building  of  West- 
minster Abbey,  in  the  reign  of  Henry  VII.,  used  to  receive  theii 
wages  at  this  house.  It  was  formerly  entered  by  steps;  the 
building  now  exhibiting  traces  of  great  antiquity,  and  appears  at 
one  ,time  to  have  been  a  house  of  considerable  pretensions.  The 
rafters  and  timber  are  principally  of  cedar  wood.  There  is  a 
curious  hiding-place  on  the  staircase,  and  a  massive  carving  of 
Abraham  about  to  offer  his  son  Isaac ;  and  another,  in  wood, 
representing  the  Adoration  of  the  Magi,  said  to  have  been  left  in 
pledge,  at  some  remote  period,  for  an  unpaid  score.  The  cock 
may  have  been  adopted  as  a  sign  here  on  account  of  the  vicinity 
of  the  Abbey,  of  which  St  Peter  was  the  patron,  for  in  the 
middle  ages  a  cock  crowing  on  the  top  of  a  pillar  was  often  one 
of  the  accessories  in  a  picture  of  the  apostle.  This  certainly  was 
a  very  unkind  allusion  for  the  poor  saint,  particularly  when  ac- 
companied with  such  a  sneering  rhyme  as  that  under  the  sign  of 
the  Red  Cock  in  Amsterdam  in  1682.  On  the  one  side  was 
written : — 

"  Doe  de  Haan  begost  te  kraayen 
Toen  begost  Fetrus  te  schraayen." 
On  the  reverse  : — 

"  De  haan  die  kraait  niet  by  ongeval 
Vraagt  Petrus  die't  U  zeggeu  zal. "  J 

*  Bourne's  Observations  on  Popular  Antiquities,  172o,  p.  65. 

t  Aubrey's  Remains  of  G-entilisme  and  Judaism. — Lansdcnon  MSS, 

X  On  the  obverse : — 

"  When  the  cock  began  to  crow 
St  Peter  began  to  C17." 
Beverse  ^— 

"  The  cock  does  not  crow  for  nothing ; 
Ask  St  Peter,  he  can  tell  you." 


BIRDS  AND  FOWLS.  207 

The  Cock  in  Bow  Street  witnessed  a  disgraceful  scene  in  the 
reign  of  Charles  II.  : — 

"  Sackville,  who  was  then  Lord  Buokhurst,  with  Sir  Charles  Sedley  and 
Sir  Thomas  Ogle,  got  drunk  at  the  Cook,  in  Bow  Street,  by  Covent  Garden, 
and  going  into  the  balcony,  exposed  themselves  to  the  public,  in  very  in- 
decent postures.  At  last,  as  they  grew  warmer,  Sedley  stood  forth  naked, 
and  harangued  the  populace  in  such  profane  language,  that  the  public  in- 
dignation was  awakened.  The  crowd  attempted  to  force  the  door,  and  be- 
ing repulsed,  drove  in  the  performers  with  stones,  and  broke  the  windows 
of  the  house.  For  this  demeanour  they  were  indicted,  and  Sedley  was 
fined  £500.  What  was  the  sentence  of  the  others  is  not  known.  Sedley 
employed  Killigrew  and  another  to  procure  a  remission  of  the  king,  but 
(mark  the  friendship  of  the  dissolute  !)  they  begged  the  fine  far  themselves 
and  exacted  it  to  the  last  groat."  * 

It  was  on  his  way  home  from  supper  at  this  house,  December  21, 
1670,  that  Sir  John  Coventry  was  attacked  by  several  men,  and 
had  his  nose  cut  to  the  bone.  Sir  John  had  remonstrated  in  the 
House  of  Commons  against  the  improper  distribution  of  pubUo 
money,  and  proposed  to  lay  a  tax  on  the  theatres ;  this  was  op- 
posed by  the  Court,  the  players  being  "  the  king's  servants  and  a 
part  of  his  pleasure  ;''  upon  which  Sir  John  asked  "  whether 
the  king's  pleasure  lay  among  the  men  or  among  the  women  that 
acted  % "  The  assault  was  committed  by  Simon  Parry,  Miles 
Reeves,  O'Brian,  and  Sir  Thomas  Sandys,  instigated  by  the  Duke 
of  Monmouth. 

Pepys  much  praises  the  Cook  in  Suffolk  Street : — 
"  15th  March  1669. — Mr  Hewes  and  I  did  walke  to  the  Cooke,  at  the  end 
of  SufFolke  Street,  where  I  never  was,  a  great  ordinary  mightily  cried  up,  and 
there  bespoke  a  pullet,  which,  while  dressing,  he  and  I  walked  into  St 
James's  Park,  and  thence  back  and  dined  very  handsome  with  a  good  soup 
and  a  pullet  for  4s.  6d.  the  whole." 

This  first  visit  evidently  had  given  great  satisfaction,  for,  three 
weeks  after,  he  took  Mrs  P.  and  some  friends  there,  and  was,  as 
usual,  "  mighty  merry,  this  house  being  famous  for  good  meat, 
and  particularly  pease  porridge." 

At  the  same  period  there  was  another  celebrated  Cock  Tavern 
in  Fleet  Street,  near  Temple  Bar,  properly  called  the  Cock  and 
Bottle,  a  sign  still  of  daily  occurrence,  which  seems  to  be  a 
figurative  rendering  of  liquor  on  draught  and  in  bottle,  cock  being 
an  old  Enghsh,  and  stOl  provincial  word  for  the  spigot  or  tap  in 
a  barreLt  The  sign  is,  however,  generally  represented  by  a  cock 
standing  on  a  bottle.     The  present  sign  of  the  house,  stiU  con- 

*  Johnson's  Life  of  Lord  Dorset. 

t  There  was  formerly  a  kind  of  ale  called  Cock  ale,  but  what  it  was  is  not  exactl; 
known. 


208  THE  HISTORY  OF  SION BOARDS. 

spicuous  in  gilt  over  the  door,  is  said  to  have  been  carved  by 
no  less  a  hand  than  Grinling  Gibbons.  During  the  plagufe 
time  of  1665,  the  following  advertisement  appeared  in  the  In- 
telligencer : — 

"  fT^HIS  ia  to  certify  that  the  Master  of  the  Coch  and  Bottle,  commonly 
J.  called  the  Cock  alehouse,  at  Temple  Bar,  hath  dismissed  his  servants 
and  shut  up  his  house  for  this  long  vacation,  intending  (God  vrilling)  to 
return  at  Michaelmass  next  so  that  all  persons  who  have  any  accounts  or 
farthings  belonging  to  the  said  house  are  desired  to  repair  thither  before 
the  8th  of  this  instant  July  and  they  shall  receive  satisfaction." 
Certainly  those  were  dull  times,  and  well  might  that  fashionable 
establishment  close  for  the  "  long  vacation,"  for  the  plague  was 
then  coming  to  its  highest  pitch  ;  aU  the  gallant  customers  had 
fled  town,  and  according  to  Defoe's  computation,  "  not  less  than 
10,000  houses  were  forsaken  of  the  inhabitants  in  the  city  and 
suburbs  :" — 

"  There  was  not  so  much  velvet  stirring  as  would  have  bene  a  cover  to  a 
little  booke  in  octavo,  or  seamde  a  Lieftenant's  Buff-doublet ;  a  French 
hood  would  have  been  more  wondered  at  in  London,  than  the  Polonyans 
with  their  long-tayld  Gaberdynes ;  and,  which  was  most  lamentable,  there 
was  never  a  Gilt  spur  to  be  seene  all  the  Strand  over,  never  a  feather  wag- 
ging in  all  Fleet  Streete,  vnlesse  some  country  Fore-horse  came  by,  by  meere 
chaunce  with  a  Raine-beaten  Feather  in  his  coati'iU  ;  the  streete  looking 
for  aU  the  world  like  a  Sunday  morning  at  six  o'Clocke,  three  hours  before 
service,  and  the  Bells  ringing  all  about  London,  as  if  the  Coronation  day 
had  beene  a  half  a  yeare  long."  * 

But  there  was  a  good  time  coming  after  the  plague  and  fire, 
when  troops  of  gay  courtiers  might  quaff  their  wine  and  sparkling 
ale,  as  happy  as  the  "  merry  monarch  "  himself.  Amongst  them, 
our  friend  Pepys,  who  informs  us,  that  on  the  23d  of  April  1668, 
he  went  "by  water  to  the  Temple,  and  then  to  the  Cock  alehouse, 
and  drank  and  eat  a  lobster,  and  sang,  and  mighty  merry.  So 
almost  night,  I  carried  Mrs  Pierce  home,  and  then  Knipp  and  I 
to  the  Temple  again  and  took  boat,  it  being  darkish,  and  to 
FoxhaU,  it  being  now  night,  and  a  bonfire  burning  at  Lambeth  for 
the  king's  coronation  day." 

Exactly  one  hundred  years  later,  the  Cock  is  named  with  en- 
comiums on  its  porter,  in  the  "Art  of  Living  in  London  ;"  but 
it  is  to  be  hoped  the  porter  was  better  than  the  poetry  : — 
"  Nor  think  the  Cook  with  these  not  on  a  par. 
The  celebrated  Cook  of  Temple  Bar, 
Whose  Porter  best  of  all  bespeaks  its  praise, 
Porter  that 's  worthy  of  the  Poet's  lays."t 
*  Meeting   of   Gallants  at   an    Ordinarie.      London.    1604.     Percy    Sod^,    1841. 
Ihoagh  this  is  a  description  of  the  state  of  London  in  1603,  it  perfectly  applies  to  the 
plague  of   lB8i.  ->        ■-  J     er 

i  The  Ai't  of  Living  In  London.     Toem.  in  2  cantos,  1768. 


PLATE  XIV. 


GBEEN  MAN. 
(Banks's  Collection,  1760.) 


BKAZEN  SEEPENT. 
Keynold  Wolfe,  circa  1550.) 


SIB  KOSBR  DB  COVEELEY. 
(Banks's  Collection,  1780.) 


ASS  PLAYING  ON  THE  HAEP. 
Chartres  Cathedral,  circa  1420.) 


BIRDS  AND  FOWLS.  209 

In  William  Waterproof's  Monologue,  the  fame  of  a  waiter  of 
this  tavern  is  handed  down  to  posterity  in  the  harmonious  verses 
of  the  Poet  Laureate. 

Jackson  the  pugilist,  who  has  a  pompous  epitaph  on  his  grave 
in  the  Brompton  burial-ground,  kept  for  some  time  the  Cock 
alehouse,  Sutton,  on  the  Epsom  Koad ;  but  being  patronised  by 
the  Prince  of  Wales  and  a  great  many  of  the  leading  members 
of  the  "  nobility  and  gentry,"  he  was  in  a  very  short  time  enabled 
to  retire  with  a  £10,000  fortune.  Finally,  some  twenty  years 
ago,  there  was  a  Cock  and  Bottle  public  house  in  Bristol  kept  by 
a  man  named  John  England,  who  added  to  his  sign  the  well 
known  words  : — 

"England  expects  every  man  to  do  his  duty." 

The  sign  of  the  Three  Cocks  occurs  in  the  following  adver- 
tisement : — 

"  A  LL  persons  that  have  any  Household  Goods,  Plate,  Rings,  Watches, 
f»  Jewels,  Wearing  Apparel,  etc.,  in  the  hands  of  Thomas  Bastin,  at 
the  Three  Cooks  in  St  John's  Lane,  Pawnbroker,  which  were  pledged  to 
him  before  the  25th  of  December  1709,  are  desired  to  fetch  them  away  by 
the  25th  of  March  next,  or  they  will  be  disposed  off." — London  Gazette, 
Jan.  18-21,1711. 

From  this  and  innumerable  other  similar  advertisements,  it 
appears  that  pawnbrokers  in  those  days  did  not  always  rigorously 
adhere  to  the  Three  Balls ;  that  is  to  say,  they  were  occasionally 
goldsmiths,  and  in  that  capacity  used  any  sign. 

It  is  rarely  that  the  sign  of  the  Cock  designates  amy  particular 
colour.  There  is  a  Black  Cock  in  Owen  Street,  Tipton ;  a 
cock  of  this  colour  was  always  considered  something  more  than 
an  ordinary  bird ;  with  the  Greeks  it  was  a  grateful  sacrifice  to 
Esculapius  and  Pluto,  and  in  the  middle  ages  it  played  a  promi- 
nent part  in  matters  of  witchcraft.  The  Blue  Cock  is  a  sign  at 
Leicester ;  but  neither  colour  is  commoa  At  Hargrave,  near 
Bury  St  Edmunds,  there  is  a  Cock's  Head,  put  up  either  in 
imitation  of  a  nag's, — bull's, — bear's, — or  boar's  head,  or  as  the 
crest  of  a  fool's  cap,  which,  in  old  times,  usually  terminated  with 
a  cock's  head. 

Though  some  sort  of  religious  prestige  may  at  first  have 
prompted  the  choice  of  the  cock,  more  profane  ideas  latterly  con- 
tributed to  make  it  popular,  such  as  the  pastimes  of  cock-throw- 
ing, or  "  shying,"  and  cock-fighting.  To  this  first  practice  alludes 
the  sign  of  William  Brandon,  on  Dowgate  HiU,  which  was  called, 

2D 


2IO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Have  at  it  ;  Ms  token  representing  a  man  about  to  throw  a 
stick  at  a  cock.  This  cruel  game  was  very  common  in  alehouses 
in  former  times  ;  the  whole  sport  consisting  in  throwing  a  stick 
at  an  unfortunate  cock  tied  to  a  stake ;  if  the  animal  was  killed 
it  was  the  thrower's  property ;  if  not,  he  forfeited  the  small  sum 
paid  for  each  "  shy."  What  a  slaughter  of  cocks  was  carried  on 
in  this  way  may  be  judged  from  the  following  : — 

"  Last  Tuesday  a  Brewer's  servant  in  Southwark  took  his  walk  round 
Towerhill,  Mooriield,  and  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  and  knocked  down  so  many 
cocks  that  by  selling  them  again,  he  returned  home  twenty  shillings  odd 
pence  richer  man  than  he  came  out."* 

Medals  are  extant  of  the  reign  of  William  III,  on  which  John 
Bui]  is  represented  throwing  sticks  at  the  French  cock :  not  a 
very  lofty  allegory,  it  must  be  confessed  ;  but  in  those  days  the 
public  taste  was  not  very  refined ;  thus,  after  the  victory  of  Blen- 
heim, the  simile  was  in  equal  bad  taste,  the  same  idea  being  ex- 
pressed by  a  huge  lion  tearing  an  unfortunate  cock  in  pieces. 

Cock-fighting  was  a  favourite  diversion  with  the  Romans,  and 
we  find  continual  traces  of  it  during  their  occupation  here. 
Fitz- Stephen  says,  it  was  the  sport  of  schoolboys  in  his  time ; 
but  as  they  grew  up  it  seems  the  taste  adhered  to  them.  That 
sturdy  bluebeard-king,  Henry  VIII.,  though  always  ready  to 
chop  off  the  heads  of  his  subjects,  felt  his  heart  melt  at  the 
miseries  of  the  cocks,  and  made  -edicts  against  cock-fights,  yet 
with  the  inconsistency  that  marked  his  other  tastes  built  a  cock- 
pit unto  himself  at  Whitehall  James  I.,  also,  was  a  great 
amateur.  Though  habitually  suppressed  by  various  sovereigns, 
the  evil  would  always  break  out  again,  tOl  it  was  finally  abolished 
by  an  Act  of  Parliament  in  the  12  &  13  Queen  Victoria.  In 
Staffordshire,  and  other  counties  where  this  sport  is  still  prac- 
tised "  on  the  sly,"  the  Fighting  Cocks  is  a  favourite  sign. 

The  cock  occurs  in  innumerable  combinations  with  all  kinds 
of  heterogeneous  objects,  many  of  which  seem  merely  selected  for 
their  oddity  :  among  the  most  explicable  is  the  Cock  and  Bottle, 
of  which  we  have  offered  a  solution,  (p.  207)  and  which  again 
occurs  in  the  following  title  : — 

"Just  Published, 

"  A  full  account  of  the  Life  and  Visions  of  Nicholas  Hart  who  has  every 
year  in  his  Life  past,  on  the  6th,  of  August,  fall'n  into  a  Deep  Sleep  and 
cannot  he  awaked  till  5  Days  and  Nights  are  expired,  and  then  gives  a  sur- 
prising Relation  of  what  he  hath  seen  in  the  other  World.     Taken  from 

•  FrotettarU  Mtrcury,  Feb.  14,  1700. 


BIRDS  AND  FO  WIS. .  211 

hia  own  mouth  in  September  last ;  after  he  had  slept  5  days  in  St  Bartho. 
lomew's  Hospital,  the  August  before.  By  William  Hill,  of  Lincoln's  Inn. 
The  Truth  of  all  which  the  said  ITicholas  Hart  hath  attested  under  hia 
Hand,  the  3d  Day  of  August  1711,  before  several  credible  Witnesses,  and 
declared  his  Readiness  to  take  oath  of  the  same.  He  began  to  sleepe  aa 
usual  the  5th  Day  of  this  instant  August  1711  at  Mr  Dixies  at  the  Cook 
and  Bottle  in  Little  Britain.  Entered  according  to  Law.  Printed  for  J. 
Baker,  at  the  Black  Boy,  in  Paternoster  Row,  price  2d."  * 

This  same  book,  under  the  title  of  "  Life  and  Visions  of 
William  Hart,  in  whicli  are  particularly  described  tbe  state  of 
the  Blessed  Spirits  in  the  Heavenly  Canaan,  and  also  a  Descrip- 
tion of  the  Condition  of  the  Damned  in  a  State  of  Punishment, 
etc.,  by  Win  HiU,  senior  of  Lincoln's  Inn,  London,"  is  still  sold 
as  a  chapbook  by  the  "  running  stationers."  The  Spectator  did 
not  believe  in  Nicholas  Hart,  and  introduced  the  subject  to  the 
public  with  his  usual  humour  in  No.  191.  Hart  seems  to  have 
tested  the  truth  of  the  proverb  which  says,  that  fortune  comes 
whilst  we  are  sleeping,  for  he  certainly  made  more  by  sleeping 
than  many  others  by  waking.  Stow  tells  a  similar  story  of  one 
William  Foxley,  potmaker  to  the  mint,  who  slept  full  fourteen 
days  and  fifteen  nights,  and  when  he  woke  up  "  was  in  all  points 
found  as  if  he  had  slept  but  one  night." 

The  Cock  and  Teumpbt  is  a  common  sign,  typifying  those 
ideas  about  the  cock  expressed  on  p.  205.  This  simile  is  con- 
stantly used  by  the  poets ;  and  most  beautifully  enlarged  upon 
by  Shakespeare : — 

"  The  Cock  that  is  the  Trumpet  of  the  morn,"  &o. — Hamlet,  a.  i.  sc.  1. 
"  And  now  the  Oooh,  the  morning's  trumpeter, 

Play'd  hunt's  up  to  the  day-star  to  appear." — Drayton. 
"  All  the  night  shrill  chaunticler. 

Day's  Proclaiming  Trumpeter, 

Claps  his  wings  and  loudly  cries. 

Mortals,  mortals,  wake,  ariae." — Nativity  Bynvn.^ 

The  Cock  and  Bell,  if  not  a  simple  combination  of  two  signs, 
may  be  derived  from  a  custom  formerly  practised  in  some  parts 
of  England,  for  boys  to  have  cock-fights  on  Shrove  Tuesday  j 
the  party  whose  cock  won  the  most  battles,  was  held  victorious 
in  the  cock-pit,  and  gained  the  prize — a  small  silver  hell  sus- 
pended to  the  button  of  the  victor's  hat,  and  worn  for  three  suc- 
cessive Sundays.  It  is  an  old  sign,  and  occurs  on  a  Birchin  Lane 
trades  token  between  1648  and  1672. 

*  DMy  Courant,  Aug.  9,  1711. 

t  Bisson's  Janus,  or  Small  Tokens  for  the  Old  Year,  and  Little  G-ifts  for  the  New 
Year.    1674.    Luttrell  BaUads,  vol.  li.  p,  SO. 


2  I  2  THE  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOARDB. 

The  Cock  and  Breeches  originated  in  a  favourite  form  of  gilt 
gingerbread  at  Bartholomew  Fair,  although  the  very  objectionable 
anecdote  of  Joe  MiUer  concerning  such  a  sign  is  generally  beUeved 
to  have  had  something  to  do  with  its  origin. 

The  Cock  and  Buxl  is  still  frequently  seen,  but  though  the 
meaning  of  the  phrase  is  well  understood,  neither  its  origin,  nor 
the  meaning  of  the  two  animals  on  the  signboard,  have  as  yet 
been  properly  explained.  As  we  have  no  sound  theory  to  offer, 
we  shall  abstain  from  entering  on  the  subject,  for  fear  of  giving 
an  illustration  of  what  a  cock-and-bull  stoiy  is,  rather  than  clear- 
ing up  the  mystery  of  the  signboard.  It  occurs  amongst  the 
seventeenth  century  trades  tokens. 

The  Cock  and  Dolphin  was  the  sign  of  one  of  the  London 
carriers'  inns : — 

"  JAMES  NEVIL'S  Coach  to  Hampstead  comes  to  the  Cock  and  Dolphin 
in  Gtray's  Inn  Lane,  in  and  out  every  day." — De  Laune't  Present  State  of 
London,  1681. 

Hatton,  in  1708,  placed  this  inn  "on  the  east  side  of  Gray's 
Inn  Lane,  near  the  middle."  At  the  present  day  it  is  a  pubUo- 
house  sign  in  Kendal,  Westmoreland.  It  is  more  likely  to  be  a 
combination'  of  two  signs,  than  to  refer  to  the  French  Cock  and 
the  Dolphin  in  the  arms  of  the  Dauphin.  The  same  applies  to 
the  Cock  and  Anchoe  in  Gateshead  and  Dublin;  the  Cock 
and  Swan,  and  the  Cock  and  Ceown,  both  in  Wakefield ;  and 
the  Cock  and  Beae  at  Nuneaton ;  whilst  the  Cock  and  House 
in  Norwich  may  originally  have  been  the  cocking-house  of  the 
district, — that  is,  the  house  where  cock-fights  were  held. 

Fully  as  general  as  the  sign  of  the  Cock  is  that  of  the  Swan  ; 
the  reason  why,  is  perhaps  truly,  though  coarsely,  expressed 
under  an  old  Dutch  signboard  : — 

"  De  Swaan  Toert  ieder  kroeg,  zoowel  in  dorp  als  atad, 
Om  dat  hy  altyd  graag  is  met  de  bek  in't  nat."* 

Not  only  is  there  a  conformity  of  aesthetic  symbolism  in  vari- 
ous parts  of  Europe,  observable  in  the  constant  recurrence  of  the 
same  objects  on  signboards,  but  even  the  same  jokes  are  found. 
Thus  the  Swan  at  Bandon,  near  Cork,  has  the  following  rhymes, 
nearly  akin  to  the  Dutch  epigram  above,  but  strongly  flavoured 
with  Hibernian  wit : — 

"  This  is  the  Swan 
That  left  her  pond, 

*  •'  The  reason  why  so  manj  alehouses  in  town  and  country  have  the  sign  of  the  swan, 
is  because  that  bird  is  so  fond  of  liquid." 

[No  English  translation  can  convey  the  peculiar  significance  of  ihe  original.  The 
above  gives  only  the  bare  sense.] 


BIRDS  AND  FO  WLS.  2 1 3 

To  Dip  her  Bill  in  porter, 
Why  not  we, 
As  well  as  she 
Become  regular  Topers.'' 
Another  Milesian  at  Mallow,  also  near  Cork,  has  it  thus  modi- 
fied :— 

"  This  is  the  Swan  that  dips  her  neck  in  Water, 
Why  not  we  as  well  as  she,  drink  plenty  of  Beamish  and  Crawford's 
Porter." 

In  London  it  was  always  a  favourite  sign  by  the  river  side  : — 
"  '  I  find  the  Swan  to  he  your  usual  sign  by  the  River,'  said  I.  'Why, 
yes,'  replied  George.  'I  don't  know  what  a  Coach  or  a  Waggon  and 
Horses  or  the  High-mettled  Racer  have  to  do  with  our  River.'  'Pray, 
now,'  said  I  to  my  oracle, '  do  enumerate  the  signs  of  the  Swan  remaining 
[this  was  in  1829]  on  the  Banks  of  the  River,  between  London  and  Batter- 
sea  Bridges.'  'Why,  let  me  see.  Master,  there's  the  Old  Swan  at  London 
Bridge,  that  'a  one — ^there  's  the  Swan  in  Arundel  Street,  two, — then  ours 
here,  (Hungerford  Stairs,)  three, — ^the  Swan  at  Lambeth;  that's  down 
though.  Well,  then  the  Old  Swan  at  Chelsea,  but  that  has  long  been 
turned  into  a  Brewhouse,  though  that  was  where  our  people  [the  Water- 
men] rowed  to  formerly,  as  mentioned  in  Doggett's  will ;  now  they  row  to 
the  sign  of  the  New  Swan,  beyond  the  Physick  Garden ;  we  '11  say  that  'a 
four,  then  there 's  the  two  Swan  signs  at  Battersea,  six."* 

The  Swan,  by  London  Bridge,  was  a  very  ancient  house,  and 
gave  a  name  to  the  Swan  stairs.  Trades  tokens  of  this  house 
are  extant,  representing  a  Swan  walking  on  Old  London  Bridge, 
with  the  date  1657.  This  feat  was  performed  by  the  Swan  on 
the  token,  to  intimate  that  it  was  the  Swan  above  the  Bridge  in 
contradistinction  to  another  tavern  known  as  the  Swan  below  the 
Bridge.  Pepys  once  dined  at  this  house  ;  and  though  always  very 
ready  to  be  pleased,  he  has  not  much  good  to  say  about  it. 
"  27  June,  1660.  Dined  with  my  Lord  and  aU  the  oiEcers  of 
his  regiment,  who  invited  my  Lord  and  his  friends,  as  many  aa 
he  would  bring  to  dinner,  at  the  Swan  at  Dowgate,  a  poor  house 
and  ill  dressed,  but  very  good  fish  and  plenty."  The  landlady  of 
this  tavern  is  mentioned  in  a  curious  manner  in  a  tract  printe4  in 
1712,  entitled  "  The  Quack  Vintners  :  "— 

"  May  the  chaste  widow  prosper  at  the  Swan 
Near  London  Bridge,  where  richest  wines  :ire  drawn. 
And  win  by  her  good  humour  and  her  trade. 
Some  jolly  son  of  Bacchus  to  hc-r  bed." 
Previous  to  1598  there  was  a  Swan  Theatre  on  the  Bank- 
side,   near  the   Globe ;  so  named  from  "  a  house  and  tenement 
called  the  Swan,"  mentioned  in  a  charter  of  Edward  VL,  grant- 

"  J.  T.  Smith,  Book  for  a  Rainy  Day,  p.  280. 


214 


THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


ing  the  manor  of  Southwark  to  the  City  of  London.  It  fell  into 
decay  in  the  reign  of  James  I.,  was  closed  in  1613,  and  subse- 
quently only  used  for  gladiatorial  exhibitions.  Yet,  in  its  time, 
it  had  been  well  frequented,  for  a  cotemporary  author  says — "  it 
was  the  Continent  of  the  world,  because  half  the  year  a  world  of 
beauties  and  brave  spirits  resorted  to  it."  One  of  the  oldest  Swan 
signs  on  record  is  that  of  the  old  printer,  Wynkyn  de  Worde, 
assistant,  and  finally  successor  to  Caxton,  who,  in  the  beginning 
of  the  sixteenth  century,  issued  some  works  "  emprynted  at  the 
signe  of  the  Swane  in  Fletestrete." 

From  an  anecdote  preserved  by  Aubrey,  ui.  415,  it  appears 
that  Ben  Jonson  did  not  always  "  go  to  the  DevU,"  but  was  also 
in  the  habit  of  having  his  cup  of  sack  at  a  Swan  tavern  near  Char- 
ing Cross  : — 

"A  Geaob  by  Ben  Jonson  extemtobe,  befoee  King  James. 
'    "  Our  king  and  queen,  the  Lord  God  blesse, 
The  Palsgrave  and  the  Lady  Besse, 
And  God  blesse  every  living  thing 
That  lives  and  breathes  and  loves  the  King. 
God  blesse  the  Counoill  of  Estate, 
And  Buckingham  the  fortunate. 
God  blesse  them  all  and  keep  them  safe. 
And  God  blesse  me,  and  God  bless  Ralph. 

"  The  king  was  mighty  inquisitive  to  know  who  this  Ralph  was.  Ben  told 
him  'twas  the  drawer  at  the  Swanne  Taverne  by  Charingcrosse,  who  drew 
him  good  canarie.  For  this  drollerie,  his  Ma""  gave  him  an  hundred  poundes." 

Tokens  of  this  house  of  the  plague  year  are  extant,  representing 
a  Swan  with  a  sprig  in  its  mouth,  and  the  inscription,  "Marke 
Rider  at  the  Swan  against  the  Mewes,*  1665.  His  Halfe 
Penny." 

The  Swan  at  Knightsbridge  had  a  reputation  which  we  should 
call  "  fast."  It  was  well  known  to  young  gallants,  and  was  the 
terror  of  all  such  jealous  husbands  and  fathers  as  the  Sir  David 
Dunce  who  figures  in  Otway's  "  Soldier  of  Fortune,"  1681  : — 

"  I  have  surely  lost  and  never  shall  find  her  more.  She  promised  me 
strictly  to  stay  at  home  till  I  came  back  again ;  for  ought  I  know,  she  may 
be  up  three  pairs  of  stairs  in  the  Temple  now,  or  it  may  be  taking  the  air 
as  far  as  Knightsbridge  with  some  smoothfaced  rogue  or  another ;  'tis  a 
damned  house  that  Swan ;  that  Swan  at  Knightsbridge  is  a  confounded 
house !  " 

•  The  king's  stables  (which  stood  on  the  site  now  occupied  by  Trafalgar  Square)  called 
the  "mews,"  because  foi-merly  his  majesty's  falcons  were  kept  there,  mwe  being  a 
French  word  for  a  certain  kind  of  bird-cage  or  coop  ■-  whence  the  words  ' '  mewed  up." 


BIRDS  AND  FO  WLS.  2  1 5 

Tom  Brown  also  alludes  to  it ;  Peter  Pindar  (Dr  Woolcot)  com- 
memorates a  vestry  dinner  there  : — 

"  At  Knightsbridge  at  a  Tavern  called  the  Swan, 

Churchwardens,  Overseers,  a  jolly  clan, 

Order'd  a  dinner  for  themselves, 

A  very  handsome  dinner,"  &c. 
The  old  house  was  pulled  down  in  1788,  and  its  name  transferred 
to  a  public-house  in  Sloane  Street,  which,  with  three  other  houses, 
occupies  the  site  of  the  old  Swan. 

The  Swan  tavern  in  Exchange  Alley,  CornhiU,  was  well  known 
among  the  musical  world  in  the  last  century.  In  this  house, 
some  celebrated  concerts  were  given,  at  a  time  when  there  were 
no  proper  concert-rooms;  they  commenced  in  1728,  under  the 
management  of  one  Barton,  formerly  a  dancing-master,  and  con- 
tinued for  twelve  years,  when  the  place  was  burnt  down  ;  at  the 
rebuilding,  it  was  christened  the  King's  Head. 

In  1825,  the  landlord  of  the  Swan  tavern  at  Stratford,  near 
London,  recommended  the  charms  of  his  place  in  the  following 
poetical  strain  :— 

"  At  the  Swan  Tavern  kept  by  Lound 

The  best  accommodation's  found, — 

Wine,  Spirits,  Porter,  Bottled  Beer, 

You  '11  find  in  high  perfection  here. 

If  in  the  Garden  with  your  lass 

You  feel  inclin'd  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  mod'rate  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." 

The  Black  Swan,  though  formerly  considered  a  rara  avis  in 
terris,  may  now  be  seen  in  every  town  and  village,  swinging  at 
the  door  of  mine  host,  the  picture  painted  just  as  fancy  may  have 
suggested,  long  before  the  actual  bird  was  brought  over  from 
Australia.     At  the  Black  Swan  tavern  in  Tower  Street,  the  Earl 


2  1 6  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 

Kocliester,  when  banished  from  the  Court,  took  lodgings  under 
the  name  of  Alexander  Bendo,  his  profession  that  of  an  Italian 
quack,  and  there  he  had  those  comical  adventures  with  the  wait- 
ing-maids of  the  Court.  Hamilton  says  in  his  "  Memoires  de 
Grammont,"  that  the  adventures  Eochester  had  in  this  disguise 
are  by  far  the  most  amusing  given  in  his  works.  Another  Black 
Swan  alehouse  is  named  in  a  broadside  of  1704  : — 

"  A  most  strange  but  true  account  of  a  very  large  sea  monster  that  was 
found  last  Saturday  in  a  common-shore  in  New  Fleet  Street  in  Spittlefields, 
where  at  the  Black  Swan  alehouse  thousands  of  people  resort  to  see  it,"  &c. 

This  dreadful  monster  was  simply  "  a  dead  Porpoise  of  a  very 
large  size,  it  being  above  Four  Foot  in  length,  and  Three  Foot 
about,''  and  the  fact  of  it  "  leaving  the  deep  to  rove  up  into  Fresh 
Water  Rivers,  and  more  especially  to  crawl  up  so  far  a  conmion- 
shore,"  prognosticated,  it  was  thought,  some  dire  calamities,  which 
are  told  in  not  very  parliamentary  language. 

The  Swan  with  Two  Necks  is  another  IvMig  naturce  observ- 
able on  the  signboard,  said  to  owe  its  origin  to  the  corruption  of 
the  word  nick  into  neck*  This  explanation,  however  ingenious, 
is  somewhat  "  sujet  d,  caution,"  for  this  reason  :  it  is  a  weU-known 
and  established  fact  that  the  London  signs  of  old  had  no  inscrip- 
tions under  them.  Now,  considering  the  small  size  of  the  nicks 
in  question,  they  would  scarcely  have  been  perceptible  at  the 
height  on  which  the  sign  was  generally  suspended,  and  even 
if  visible,  would  never  have  been  sufiBciently  noticed  or  un- 
derstood to  give  a  name  to  the  sign.  We  shall  not  venture  to 
propose  another  solution,  as  nothing  of  a  sufficiently  distinct 
character  occurs  to  us  :  but  it  is  just  possible  that  a  sign  of  two 

*  These  nicks  were  little  horizontal,  vertical,  and  diagonal  notches  cat  in  the  swan's 
bill,  in  order  that  each  owner  might  know  his  own  swans.  In  the  Archaotogia  for 
1812,  a  roll  of  219  swan  marks  is  given,  together  with  the  ordinances  respecting 
swans  on  the  river  Witham,  in  Lincoln,  belonging  to  various  gentlemen  ;  this  paper 
bears  the  date  of  June  1570.  The  nicking  was  done  by  swanherds,  appointed  by  the 
king's  licence,  who  kept  a  register  of  all  the  various  marks.  None  but  freeholders  were  to 
have  marks,  and  these  were  to  be  perfectly  distinct  from  those  used  by  other  gentlemen. 
The  Corporation  of  London  had  the  right  of  keeping  swans  on  the  Thames  for  fourteen 
leagues  above  and  below  bridge,  and  their  flocks  seem  to  have  been  very  numerous,  for 
Faulus  Jovius  describing  the  approach  to  London  in  1552,  says,  "  This  river  abounds  in 
swans  swimming  in  flocks,  the  sight  of  which,  and  their  noise,  are  very  agreeable  to  the 
fleets  that  meet  them  in  their  course."  Those  of  the  company  of  the  vintners  had  two 
nicks  or  marks  on  their  bill,  it  is  said,  and  hence  the  popular  explanation  of  the  sign.  This 
nicking  of  swans  on  the  river  was  formerly  a  matter  of  great  state.  The  members  of  the 
Corporation  of  London  used  annually  to  go  up  the  Thames  in  the  month  of  August,  in 
gaily  decorated  barges,  and  after  the  swans  were  nicked  and  counted,  to  land  off  Bam 
Elms,  and  there  partake  of  a  collation  in  the  open  air,  ending  which,  history  informs  us, 
they  used  to  dance,  but  it  would  require  very  reliable  authority  to  convince  us  that  an 
alderman  could  find  enjoyment  on  the  "light  fantastic  toe,"  particularly  after  a  hearty 
collation. 


BIRDS  AND  FOWLS.  2  1  7 

swans  represented  swimming  side  by  side  may  have  given  rise  to 
the  "  Swan  with  two  necks,"  or  that  the  symbol  of  two  birds' 
necks  encircled  by  a  coronet  which  was  used  by  a  foreign  pub- 
lisher— taken,  it  has  been  conjectured,  by  him  from  the  arms  of" 
some  trade  company — may  have  been  the  origin. 

Machyn,  in  his  "  Diary,"  mentions  the  sign  of  "the  Swane  with 
the  ij  nekes  at  Mylke  Street  end,"  in  1556,  when  on  the  6th  of 
August,  a  woman  living  nezt  door  to  that  sign  drowned  herself  in 
Moorfields. 

In  1636,  the  Two  Necked  Swan  was  already  to  be  seen  in 
Berkshire,  at  the  town  of  Lambume,  where  Taylor  the  water 
poet  names  it  as  the  sign  of  a  tavern.  In  later  years  it  was  a 
famous  carriers'  inn  in  Lad  Lane,  Cheapside,  whence,  for  more  than 
a  century  and  a  half,  passengers  and  goods  were  despatched  to 
the  North.     To  this  inn  the  follovring  couplet  alludes  : — 

"  True  sportemen  know  nor  dread  nor  fear, 
Each  rides,  when  once  the  saddle  in, 
As  if  he  had  a  neck  to  spare, 
Just  like  the  Swan  in  Ladlane." 

Huddersford  Cape  Hv/nt. 

Notwithstanding  the  "  double  bill "  suggested  by  the  two  heads, 
it  still  continues  a  favourite  inn  sign.  Four  is  rather  an  unusual 
number  on  the  signboard,  but  we  have  this  quadruple  alliance  in 
one  solitary  instance,  the  Foue  Swans,  Bishopsgate,  which  is 
internally  one  of  the  best  remaining  examples  of  those  famous 
gaUeried  inns  of  old  London. 

The  Swan  and  Bottle,  ITxbridge,  is  a  variation  of  the  Cock 
and  Bottle  ;  the  Swan  and  Rummer  was  a  coffee-house  near  the 
Exchange,  during  the  South  Sea  bubble — the  Rummer,  a  common 
addition,  being  simply  joined  to  the  Swan,  to  intimate  that  wine 
was  sold ;  the  Swan  and  Salmon  are  combined  on  many  signs, 
doubtless  in  honour  of  the  two  ornaments  of  our  English  rivers. 
The  very  name  is  sufficient  to  call  up  a  pleasant  picture. 

The  Swan  and  Hoop,  Moorfields,  was  the  birthplace  of 
Keats  the  poet.  The  Swan  on  the  Hoop,  "  on  the  way  called 
old  Eysshe  Strete,''  is  mentioned  as  early  as  1413.*  The  samo 
combination  may  still  be  seen  on  London  signboards. 

With  regard  to  the  Swan  and  Sugakloap,  which  occurs 
amongst  the  trades  tokens,  and  is  stUl  seen,  (as  in  Fetter  Lane, 
for  instance,)  the  sugarloaf  was  at  first  added  by  a  grocer,  whose 

*  For  the  origin  of  the  sign,  see  under  Hoop.  „ 

2  a 


2  1 8  THE  HISTOR  Y  OF  8IONB0A  RD8. 

sign  having  gained  popularity  as  a  noted  landmark,  or  from  other 
causes,  ivas  imitated  by  rivals  or  juniors,  particularly  on  account 
of  its  presenting  the  favourite  alliteration.  C.>mbinations  with 
the  sugarloaf  are  very  common,  all  arising  from  its  being  the 
grocer's  sign  :  thus  the  Theeb  Ceowns  and  SuGAELOAr,  Kid- 
derminster; Wheatsheaf  and  Sugaeloaf,  Eatcliff  Highway, 
seventeenth  century,  (trades  token ;)  Tobacco  Eoll  and  Sugae- 
loaf, Gray's  Inn  Gate,  Holborn  ;*  the  Theee  Coffins  and 
Sugaeloaf,  Fleet  Street,  1720. 

In  the  sign  of  the  Swan  and  Rushes,  at  Leicester,  the 
rushes  were  merely  a  pictorial  accessory,  placed  in  the  background 
to  bring  out  the  white  plumage  of  the  Swan,  whUst  the  Swan 
and  Helmet,  at  Northampton,  no  doubt  originated  from  a  helmet 
with  a  Swan  for  crest. 

In  one  instance,  a  Deake  occurs  as  a  sign,  namely,  on  the 
token  of  Will,  Johnson,  at  "  ye  Drake  in  BeU  Yard,"  near  Temple 
Bar,  1 667.  The  Duck  is  only  to  be  seen  in  company  with  the  Dog  ; 
in  one  instance  it  accompanies  a  Mallard.  This  last  animal  was 
otherwise  well  known  to  the  Londoners,  since  in  1520,  amongst 
"  the  articles  of  good  gouernace  of  the  cite  of  London,"  it  was 
recommended  to  magistrates — "  also  ye  shall  enqu3Te,  yf  ony  per- 
son kepe  or  norrysh  hoggis,  oxen,  kyen,  or  mallardis  within  the 
ward  in  noying  of  ther  neyhbours."t  The  Duck  and  Mallaed 
was  the  sign  of  a  lock  (and  probably  gun-)  smith  in  East  Smith- 
field  in  16734 

The  Pigeon  was  a  tavern  at  Charing  Cross  in  1675.§  The 
Theee  Pigeons  were  very  common  ;  there  still  exists  an  inn  of 
this  name  at  Brentford  : — 

"  It  is  a  house  of  interest  as  being  in  all  likelihood  one  of  the  few  haunts 
of  Shakespeare  now  remaining ;  as  being  indeed  the  sole  Elizabethan  tavern 
existing  in  England,  which  in  the  absence  of  direct  evidence,  may  fairly  be 
presumed  to  have  been  occasionally  visited  by  him."  |j 

It  was  kept  at  one  time  by  Lowin,  one  of  the  original  actors  in 
Shakespeare's  plays,  and  is  often  named  by  the  old  dramatists  : 

'Thou  art  admirably  suited  for  the  Three  Pigeons  at  Brentford.  I  swear 
I  know  thee  not." — The  Soaring  Girl. 

"  We  will  turn  our  courage  to  Braynford,  westward. 
My  Bird  of  the  Night — ^to  the  Pigeons." 

Ben  Jonson's  Alchymist. 

•  Mercuriug  Publicus,  Aug.  80 — Sept  16,  1660. 

\  Arnold's  Customs  of  Londou.  |  London  Gcuette,  October  2-6,  1673. 

fi  City  Mercury,  or  AdTertisements  concerning  Trade,  Nov.  4, 1675. 

U  Halliwell's Local  Illustrations  to  the  "Merry  Wivesof  Windsor."   Folio  Shakespeare. 


BIRDS  AND  FO  WLS.  2 1 9 

There,  also,  George  Peel  played  some  of  his  merry  pranks.  In 
the  parlour  is  an  old  painting  dated  1704,  representing  a  land- 
lord attending  to  some  customers  seated  at  a  table  in  the  open 
air,  with  these  lines  : — 

"  Wee  are  new  tegmners 
And  thrive  wee  would  fain, 
I  am  honest  Ralph  of  Heading, 
My  wife  Susana  to  name." 

Bat  Kdgeon,  the  famous  hairdresser,  immortalised  by  the  Spec- 
tator, lived  at  the  sign  of  the  Three  Pigeons,  "in  the  comer  house  of 
St  Clement's  Churchyard,  next  to  the  Strand.''  There  he  remained 
as  late  as  1740,  when  he  cut  the  "boyish  locks  "  of  Pennant. 

In  1663  it  was  the  sign  of  a  bookseller  in  St  Paul's  Church- 
yard,* and  in  1698  of  John  Newton,  also  a  bookseller  over  against 
Inner  Temple  Gate,  Fleet  Street. 

The  Dove  was  the  sign  of  a  coffeehouse  on  the  riverside,  be- 
tween the  two  malls  at  Fulham.  "  In  a  room  in  this  house, 
Thomson  wrote  part  of  his  'Winter.'  He  was  ia  the  habit  of  fre 
quenting  the  house  during  the  winter  season,  when  the  Thames 
was  frozen  and  the  surrounding  country  covered  with  snow. 
This  fact  is  well  authenticated,  and  many  persons  visit  the  house 
to  the  present  day."+  The  Stockdove  is  a  sign  at  KomHey,  Stock- 
port ;  the  Dovecote  is  a  public-house  at  Laxton,  Carlton- on-Trent, 
probably  on  account  of  the  pigeons  constantly  flying  out  and  in  ; 
and  there  is  a  Pigeon  Box  at  Prior's  Lee,  near  Shiflfnall.  The 
pigeon-shooting  matches  may  have  something  to  do  with  the 
selection  of  this  sign. 

The  Faicon  was  another  of  the  devices  used  by  Wynkyn  de 
Worde  over  his  shop  in  Fleet  Street.  Falcon  Court,  in  that  locality, 
perhaps  derives  its  name  from  this  house.'  Subsequently,  Gor- 
dobuc,  the  earliest  English  tragedy,  was  ''imprynted  at  London, 
in  Flete  Strete,  at  the  sign  of  the  Faucon,"  no  doubt  Wynkyn's 
house,  by  William  Griffiths  in  1565;  and  in  1612,  Peacham's 
"  Garden  of  Heroical  Devises  "  was  published  by  Wa.  Dight  at  the 
sign  of  the  Falcon  in  Shoe  Lane.  These  booksellers,  perhaps,  bor- 
rowed their  device  from  the  stationers'  arms,  which  are,  argent  on 
a  chevron  between  three  bibles,  or,  a  falcon  volant  between  two 
roses,  the  Holy  Ghost  in  chief ;  it  was  also  a  badge  of  some  of 
the  kings.  At  the  Falcon  inn,  Stratford-on-Avon,  there  is  stUl  a 
shovelboard  on  which  WUUam  Shakespeare  is  said  often  to  have 

*  Kinadom's  Intelligencer,  March  30  to  April  6,  1663. 
f  Faulkner's  Account  of  Fulham,  1313,  p.  3S9. 


220  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

played.  Another  Falcon  Tavern  connected  ■with  Shakespeare's 
name  used  to  stand  on  the.B'mkside,  where  he  and  his  companions 
occasionally  refreshed  themselves  after  the  fatigues  of  the  perform- 
ances at  the  Globe.  It  long  continued  celebrated  as  a  coaching 
inn  for  all  parts  of  Kent,  Surrey,  and  Sussex,  tOl  it  was  taken 
down  in  1808.  The  name  is  stiU  preserved  in  the  Falcon  Glass- 
house, which  stands  opposite  its  site,  and  in  the  Falcon  Stairs. 
There  was  another  Falcon  Inn  in  Fleet  Street,  bequeathed  to  the 
company  of  cordwainess,  by  a  gentleman  named  Fisher,  under 
the  obligation  that  they  were  yearly  to  have  a  sermon  preached 
in  the  Church  of  St  Dunstan,  in  the  West,  on  the  10th  of  July. 
Formerly,  on  that  day,  sack  and  posset  used  to  be  drunk  by  those 
concerned,  in  the  vestry  of  the  church,  if  not  to  the  health,  at 
least  to  the  "  pious  memory"  of  this  Fisher;  but  that  good  custom 
has  long  since  been  abandoned. 

The  Falcon  on  the  Hoop  is  named  in  1443.  "  In  the  xxj 
yer  of  Kyng  Harry  the  vj'f,"  the  brotherhood  of  the  Holy  Trinity 
received  "  for  the  rent  of  ij  yere  of  WyUym  Wylkyns  for  the 
Sarrecyn  Head  v  IL  rj  s.  viij  d.,  paynge  by  the  yer  Uij  s.  iiij  d.  and 
of  the  Faucon  on  the  Hope,  for  the  same  ij  yer  vi  IL,  that  is  to  say 
paynge  by  the  yer  iij  H."  Rent,  it  must  be  confessed,  seems 
small,  and  landlords  exceedingly  accommodating  in  those  days. 
Six  days  before  that  period,  there  is  an  entry  in  the  church- 
wardens' accounts  for  "  kervyng  and  peinting  of  the  seigne  of  the 
Faucon  vj  sh."*  This  mention  of  the  sign  clearly  shows  that  it 
was  not  a  picture,  but  a  carved  and  coloured  falcon,  suspended  in 
a  hoop,  whence  the  name  of  the  sign. 

The  Magpie  being  a  bird  of  good  omen,  was,  on  that  account, 
very  often  chosen ;  with  this  another  reason  concurred,  namely, 
the  sign  of  the  eatable  pie  faUing  into  disuse,  it  was  transformed 
into  the  Magpie,  (see  Cock  and  Pie ;)  and  this  transition  was  so 
much  the  easier  as  the  original  name  of  the  magpie  was  pie, 
(Latin  pica,  French  pie,)  and  only  subsequently  for  its  knowing 
antics,  did  it  receive  the  nickname  of  maggoty  +  pie,  which  gradu- 
ally was  abbreviated  into  Magpie.  The  full  form  of  the  epithet 
is  preserved  in  the  nursery  rhyme  : — 

"Round  about,  round  about, 

Maggoty  Pie, 
My  father  loves  good  ale 

And  so  do  I." 

*  Hone's  Ancient  Mysteries  Described,  p.  81. 
t  Maaot  is  in  French  a  quaint,  little  flj^re. 


BIRDS  AND  FO  WLS.  2  2  1 

The  Maggoty  Pie  was  an  inn  in  the  Strand  daring  the  reign 
of  James  I.  :  it  is  alluded  to  in  Shirley's  Comedy  of  "  The  Ball," 
a.  i.  so.  1,  where  Freshwater,  the  Italianised  Englishman,  says  : — 

"  I  do  ly  at  the  signe  of  Dona  Margaretta  de  Pia  in  the  Strand." 

which  his  man  Gudgin  explains  to  mean,  "  the  Maggety  Pie  in 
the  Strand,  sir." 

As  late  as  1654,  we  find  the  name  "maggoty  pie"  used  in 
"  Mercurius  Fumigosus,  or  the  Smoking  Nocturnal,"  July  26  to 
August  3,  where  the  Welshman's  arms  are  described  as  a  fly,  a 
TiMggoty  pie,  &c.*  The  Magpie  and  Stump  represents  the  mag- 
pie sitting  on  the  stump  of  a  tree ;  it  was  the  sign  of  one 
of  the  Whig  pothouses  in  the  Old  Bailey  during  the  riots  of  1715. 
There  is  still  an  old  house  with  such  a  sign  in  Chejme  Walk, 
Chelsea.  The  Magpie  and  Pewter  Plat tek,  in  Wood  Street, 
originated  from  a  magpie  standing  by  a  dish  and  picking 
out  of  it.  The  Magpie  and  Ceown,  says  the  author  of 
"  Tavern  Anecdotes,"  (1825,)  is  a  ridiculous  association ;  but  when 
once  joined  is  not  to  be  separated  without  injury  to  the  concern, 
as  it  happened  in  the  case  of  a  Mr  Eenton,  who  was  originally 
waiter  at  a  house  of  this  name  in  Aldgate,  famous  for  its  ale, 
which  was  sent  out  in  great  quantities.  The  landlord  becoming 
rich,  pride  followed,  and  he  thought  of  giraig  wing  to  the  Mag- 
pie, retaining  only  the  royal  attribute  of  the  crown.  The  ale  went 
out  for  a  short  time,  as  usual,  but  it  was  not  from  the  Magpie 
and  Crown,  and  the  customers  fancied  it  was  not  so  good  as 
usual ;  consequently  the  business  fell  off.  The  landlord  died, 
and  Eenton  purchased  the  concern,  caught  the  Magpie,  and 
restored  it  to  its  ancient  situation;  the  ale  improved  in  the 
opinion  of  the  public,  and  its  consumption  increased  so  much, 
that  Renton,  at  his  death,  left  behind  him  property  amounting 
to  .£600,000,  chiefly  the  profits  of  the  Magpie  and  Crown  ale. 
This  danger  of  altering  a  sign  is  also  illustrated  by  another 
example.  When  Joseph  II.,  emperor  of  Germany,  was  at  Maes- 
tricht,  in  the  Netherlands,  he  stayed  at  the  Gray  Ass  Inn, 
(L'Ane  Gris,)  in  honour  of  which  imperial  visit  the  landlord  dis- 
carded his  humble  quadruped  sign,  and  put  up  the  Emperor's 

*  For  the  benefit  of  those  curious  in  Cambrian  heraldry  we  will  give  these  arms  in  a 

note  : — *' A  fly,  a  maggoty  pie,  a  gammon  of  bacon  and  a :  the  fly  drinlis  before  hig 

master ;  a  magpie  doth  prate  and  chatter,  a  gammon  of  bacon  is  never  good  till  it  be 
hanged,  and  a when  it  is  out  never  returns  to  its  country,  no  more  will  a  Welsh- 
man ;  otherwise,  his  arms  are  two  trees  verdant,  a  beam  tressant,  a  ladder  ramnant,  and 
TafFe  pendant." 


2  22  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Head.  The  customers  seeing  the  Old  Gray  Ass  gone,  thought 
the  business  had  fallen  into  other  hands,  and  so  went  to  various 
inns  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  particularly  to  a  New  Gray  Ass, 
which  had  just  then  opened  in  the  same  street.  The  landlord 
seeing  his  business  falling  off,  through  the  change  of  his  sign,  yet 
unwilling  to  part  with  his  Emperor's  head,  after  long  thinking 
and  pondering,  at  last  hit  upon  a  clever  compromise  :  he  kept  up 
the  portrait  of  the  Emperor,  but  wrote  under  it,  "  At  the  Origi- 
nal Gray  Ass,  (aw  veritable  Ane  Gris.)" 

The  Pabeot,  or  Popinjay,  is  an  old  sign  now  almost  out  of 
fashion,  the  Geebn  Parrot,  Swinegate,  Leeds,  being  one  of  the 
few  remaining.  Andrew  Maunsell,  a  bookseller  and  printer, 
resided  at  the  Parrot  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard  in  1570,  and  con 
tinned  to  trade  under  this -sign  tiU  1600.  Taylor,  the  water 
poet,  mentions  the  Popinjay  at  Ewell,  in  1636.  It  was  a  very 
appropriate  sign  for  quacks,  and  one  of  these,  at  all  events,  had 
candour  enough  to  adopt  it.  His  handbill  begins  in  a  grandi- 
loquent style : " — 

"  Noble  or  Ignoble,  you  may  be  foretold  anything  that  may  happen  to 
your  Elementary  Life  :  as  at  what  time  you  may  expect  prosperity ;  or  U 
in  Adversity  the  End  thereof,  or  when  you  may  be  so  happy  as  to  enjoy 
the  Thing  desired.  Also  young  Men  may  foresee  their  Fortunes  as  in  a 
Glass,  and  pretty  Maids  their  Husbands  in  this  Noble,  yea,  Heavenlie  art 
of  Astrologie.  At  the  sign  of  the  Parrot  opposite  to  Ludgate  Church 
within  Blackfriars'  Gateway."  * 

The  Parrot  and  Cage,  in  St  Martin's  Lane,  Strand,  adver- 
tised in  1711  as  a  "just  and  substantial  oflBce  of  insurance"  on 
marriages,  births,  &c.  This  office,  apparently,  had  chambers  in 
some  bird-fancier's  house,  at  all  events  to  that  class  of  the  com- 
munity the  sign  belonged  more  exclusively.  In  1787,  there  was 
one  near  the  monument,  the  sign  of  a  cagemaJier  who  sold  "like- 
wise parrots  and  other  forring  birds." 

The  Peacock,  in  ancient  times,  was  possessed  of  a  mystic 
character.  The  fabled  incorruptibility  of  its  flesh  led  to  its 
typifying  the  Kesurrection ;  and  from  this  incorruptibility,  doubt- 
less, originated  the  first  idea  of  swearing  "  by  the  Peacock,"  an 
oath  that  was  to  be  inviolably  kept.  Its  first  introduction  on 
the  signboard  is  lost  in  the  unrecorded  wastes  of  time  ;  but  the 
oath  was  a  common  one  in  early  times,  especially  on  occasions  of 
military  adventures.  Near  the  Angel  in  Clerkenwell,  there  is  the 
Peacock  public-house,  which  bears  the  date  1564.      This  was 

■  Bagford  Bills.    Harl.  MSS.,  6931. 


BIRDS  AND  FOWLS.  223 

formerly  a  great  house  of  call  for  the  mail  and  other  coaches 
travelling  on  the  Great  North  Koad,  much  the  same  as  the  Ele- 
phant and  Castle  was  for  the  southern  counties.  The  Peacock 
AND  Feathers  was  a  sign  in  ComHU  in  1711. 

The  Ostrich  seems  more  common  at  present  than  in  ancient 
times.  There  is  one  on  a  stone-carved  sign  in  Bread  Street,  pro- 
bably the  sign  of  a  feather  shop.  Generally,  the  ostrich  is  repre- 
sented with  a  horseshoe  in  his  mouth,  in  allusion  to  its  diges- 
tive powers ;  for  this  reason  Cade  says  to  Iden  : — 

"  I  '11  make  thee  eat  iron  like  an  ostrich,  and  swallow  my  sword  like  a 
great  pin. " — Henry  VI.,  2d  Part,  a.  iv.  so.  10. 

The  landlord  of  an  alehouse  at  Calverley,  near  Leeds,  has 
put  his  premises  under  the  protection  of  Minerva's  bird,  the 
Owl.  At  St  Helens,  Lancashire,  there  is  a  stiU  more  curious 
sign,  viz.,  the  Owl's  Nest,  or  the  Owl  in  the  Ivy  Bush.  A  bush 
or  tod  of  ivy  was  formerly  supposed  to  be  a  favourite  place  for 
the  owl  to  make  its  nest  in.  The  old  dramatists  abound  in  allu- 
sions to  this : 

"  And,  like  an  owle,  by  night  to  go  abroad, 

Boosted  all  day  within  an  ivy-tod."  * — Drayton. 
"  Michael  von  Owle,  how  dost  thou  ? 
In  what  dark  barn  or  tod  of  aged  ivy 
Hast  thou  been  hid  ? " — Beavmumt  and  Fletcher,  a.  iv.  so.  3. 

In  a  masque  of  Shirley's,  entitled  "  The  Triumph  of  Peace," 
1633,  one  of  the  scenes  represented  a  wild,  woody  landscape,  "  a 
place  fit  for  purse-taking,"  where,  "  in  the  furthest  part  was 
seene  an  ivy-bush,  out  of  which  came  an  owle."  Opinion,  one 
of  the  dramatis  personce,  informed  the  public,  that  this  scene 
was  intended  for  "  a  wood,  a  broad-faced  owl,  an  ivy-bush,  and 
other  birds  beside  her."  t 

In  districts  where  GROtrsB  and  Moorcock  are  found,  these 
birds  frequently  court  the  patronage  of  the  thirsty  sportsman  at 
the  village  alehouse  door.  One  publican,  at  Upper  Haslam, 
Sheffield,  invites  at  once  the  follower  of  Nimrod  and  of  Walton  : 
his  sign  is  the  Grotjse  and  Teout. 

The  last  bird-sign  which  remains  to  be  noticed,  is  unquestion- 

*  A  tod  is  an  old  word  for  any  entangled  mass,  but  generally  applied  to  flax  and  ivy, 
t  This  comment  of  ♦'Opinion"  might  lead  to  the  conclusion  that  either  there  was  no 
painted  scene  at  all,  or  at  least  that  it  was  badly  executed;  yet  such  can  scarcely  have  been 
the  case,  for  a  notice  occurs  at  the  end  of  the  masque,  purporting  that  "the  scene  and 
ornament  was  the  act  of  Inigo  Jones,  Esq.,  surveyor  of  His  Majesty's  Worlds."  This 
play  was  acted  by  the  gentlemen  of  the  Inns-of-Court,  in  the  presence  of  the  king  and 
queen,  at  Whitehall,  Feb.  3, 1633. 


2  24  ^^^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

ably  the  most  puzzling  of  all.  It  occurs  on  an  old  trades  token  of 
Comhill,  and  is  there  called  "  The  Live  Vultuee."  That  the 
mail  should  have  kept  a  live  vulture  at  his  door  seems  very 
improbable.  The  only  explanation  which  occurs  to  us,  is  the 
possibility  that,  at  some  period  or  other,  a  live  vulture  had  been 
exhibited  at  this  house,  and  that  from  this  event  its  name  was 
derived.* 

A  curious  instance  of  a  tradesman  exhibiting  a  living  bird  as 
an  attraction  to  his  house,  is  supplied  us  in  a  recent  letter  of  a 
Paris  correspondent,  which  gives  at  the  same  time  an  amusing 
anecdote  of  the  well-known  Alexandre  Dumas.  The  writer, 
speaking  of  a  magnificent  new  cafe  which  had  recently  been  com- 
pleted, says  : — 

"  Writing  of  this  newly  started  restaurant  naturally  recals  the  fact  of 
the  disappearance  of  the  historic  pavilion  of  Henry  IV.  at  St  Germain-en- 
Laye,  kept  for  many  years  by  the  Duchess  of  Berry's  maitre  d!h6tel, 
CoUinet.  He  was  the  pupil  of  CarSme,  and  learnt  to  make  sauces  from 
Richout,  saucemaker  to  the  last  of  the  Cond6s,  and  pastry  from  Heliot, 
"Ecuyer  ordinaire  de  la  bouohe  de  Madame  la  Dauphine,"  a  title  I  have 
vainly  searched  for  in  the  list  of  the  queen's  household.  The  result  of  this 
combination  of  culinary  instructions  was  that  his  "Bifsteaks  h  laBeamaise," 
and  his  woodcock  pies,  attracted  not  only  all  the  fashionable  world,  but  a 
brilliant  galaxy  of  literary  celebrities  to  the  "  Pavilion  Henry  IV."  Alex- 
andre Dumas's  chateau  of  Monte  Christo  was  close  to  St  Germain.  He 
sent  daily  for  his  cutlets  to  Collinet,  who  let  his  bill  run  on  till  it  amounted 
to  25,000f.  (£1000),  in  payment  of  which  the  distinguished  cAe/ received 
an  autograph  letter  from  the  great  novelist,  accompanied  by  a  live  eagle. 
Alexandre  Dumas  expressed  his  regret  at  not  being  able  to  pay  the  bill, 
but  suggested  his  exMMting  the  eagle  and  the  letter,  which  exhibition 
would  inevitably  attract  crowds  to  his  hotel,  and  there  I  myself  have  seen 
the  eagle  and  read  the  letter." 

*  Tliat  vultures  were  exhibited  as  great  curiosities,  will  be  eeeu  from  our  Dotice  of  tht 
Qeor^^e  uQd  Vulture.    See  under  Reuqious  Signs. 


PLATE  XV. 


BELL  AND  HOKNS.  RASP  AND  CROWN. 

(Formerly  in  Brompton  Road,  circa  1830.)  (1780.) 


OREEN  MAN  AND  STILL. 
(Harleiau  Collection,  1830.) 


THE  PUMP. 
(Harleian  Collection,  1710.) 


CROWS  AND  PATTEN. 
(Bjiiiks's  Collection,  1790.) 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FISHES  AND  INSECTS. 

The  Mermaid,  as  a  sign,  must  have  had  great  attractions  for 
our  forefathers.  Shakespeare,  Ben  Jonson,  and  other  dramatists, 
notice  this  taste  for  strange  fishes.  The  ancient  chronicles  teem 
with  captures  of  mermen,  mermaids,  and  similar  creatures.  Old 
Hollinshed  gives  a  detailed  account  of  a  merman  caught  at  Or- 
ford,  in  Suffolk,  in  the  reign  of  King  John.  He  was  kept  alive 
on  raw  meal  and  fish  for  sis  months,  but  at  last  "  fledde  secretelye 
to  the  sea,  and  was  neuer  after  seene  nor  heard  off."  Another 
chronicler  says,  "  About  this  time  [1202]  fishes  of  strange  shapes 
were  taken,  armed  with  helmets  and  shields  Uke  armed  men,  only 
they  were  much  bigger."  And  Gervase  of  Tilbury  roundly 
asserts  that  mermen  and  mermaids  live  in  the  British  Ocean. 
Even  in  more  modern  times,  every  now  and  then  a  mermaid  (the 
mermen  seem  to  have  been  more  scarce)  made  her  appearance. 
In  an  advertisement  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
we  find : — 

"  XN  Bell  Taed,  on  Ludgate  Hill,  is  to  be  seen,  at  any  hour  of  the 
J.  day,  a  living  Mermaid,  from  the  waist  upwards  of  a  party  colour, 
from  thence  downwards  is  very  strange  and  wonderful. 

Mulier  formosa  Buperne 

Desinit  in  piscem." 

After  which  follows  a  most  promising  and  tempting  little  bit 
of  information  in  French:  — "  Son  corps  est  de  divers  couleurs 
avec  beaucoup  d'autres  curiosit6s  qu'on  ne  peut  ezprimer."  Again, 
in  1747  :— 

"  We  hear  from  the  north  of  Scotland,  that  some  time  this  month  a  sea 
creature,  known  by  the  name  of  Mermaid,  which  has  the  shape  of  a  human 
body  from  the  trunk  upwards,  but  below  is  wholly  fish,  was  carried  some 
miles  up  the  water  of  Devron."  * 

In  1824,  a  mermaid  or  merman  (for  the  sex  was  discreetly  left 
in  dubio)  made  its  appearance  before  "an  enlightened  public," 
when,  as  the  papers  inform  us,  "  upwards  of  150  distinguished 
fashionables"  went  to  see  it.  At  Bartholomew  Fair,  in  1830,  a 
stuffed  mermaid  was  exhibited ;  but  if  once  she  had  been  such  a 
"  mulier  fonnosa "  as  captivated  the  ancient  mariners,  she  was 
certainly  much  altered,  t  A  very  different  specimen  had  been 
exhibited  in  Fleet  Street  in  1822;  but  she  disappeared  all  at 

*  General  Magazine,  Jan.  1747. 

fit  wa3  sketched  by  G-eorge  Crulkshank ;  and  a  wood-cut  of  it  may  be  seen  in  Morley's 
»*  Memoirs  of  Bartholomew  Fair,"  p.  488. 

2P 


2  26  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

once  most  mysteriously,  not,  however,  without  a  rumour  of  her 
being  under  the  protection  of  the  Lord  Chancellor,  which,  as  she 
was  a  comely  maiden  with  flaxen  hair,  "  mulier  supeme  et  infeme" 
lies  within  the  range  of  possibilities.  The  sea-serpent  has  now 
almost  done  away  with  the  mermaid;  yet,  as  late  as  1857,  there 
appeared  an  article  in  the  Shipping  Gazette,  under  the  intelligence 
of  ith  June,  signed  by  some  Scotch  sailors,  and  describing  an 
object  seen  off  the  North  British  coast,  "  in  the  shape  of  a  woman, 
with  fuU  breast,  dark  complexion,  comely  face,"  and  the  rest. 

At  one  time  it  appears  to  have  been  a  very  common  sign,  if  we 
may  judge  from  the  way  in  which  it  is  mentioned  by  Brathwait  in 
his  New  Cast  of  Characters,  (1631) : — 

"  If  she  [the  hostess]  aspire  to  the  conceit  of  a  sine  and  device,  her  birch 
pole  pull'd  downe,  he  will  supply  her  with  one,  which  he  performes  so 
poorely  as  none  that  sees  it,  but  would  take  it  for  a  sign  he  was  drunk 
when  he  made  it.  A  long  consultation  is  had  before  they  can  agree  what 
sign  must  be  reared.  '  A  Tneere-mayde'  says  she,  '  for  she  will  sing  catches 
to  the  youths  of  the  parish.'  '  A  lyon,'  says  he,  '  for  that  is  the  onely  sign 
he  can  make ;  and  this  he  formes  so  artlessly,  as  it  requires  his  expression, 
this  is  a  lyon.  Which  old  EUenor  Bumming,  his  tapdame,  denies,  saying 
it  should  have  been  a  meere-mayde." 

Among  the  most  celebrated  of  the  Mermaid  taverns  in  London, 
that  in  Bread  Street  stands  foremost.  As  early  as  the  fifteenth 
century,  it  was  one  of  the  haunts  of  the  pleasure-seeking  Sir  John 
Howard,  whose  trusty  steward  records,  anno  1464  : — "  Paid  for 
wyn  at  the  Mermayd  in  Bred  Stret,  for  my  mastyr  and  Syr 
Nicholas  Latimer,  xd.  ob."  In  1603,  Sir  Walter  Baleigh  estab- 
lished a  literary  club  in  this  house,  doubtless  the  first  in  England. 
Amongst  its  members  were  Shakespeare,  Ben  Jonson,  Beaumont 
and  Fletcher,  Selden,  Carew,  Martin,  Donne,  Cotton,  &c.  It  is 
frequently  alluded  to  by  Beaumont  and  Fletcher  in  their  come- 
dies, but  best  known  is  that  quotation  from  a  letter  of  Beaumont 
to  Ben  Jonson  •.^- 

"  What  things  have  we  seen 
Done  at  the  Mermaid !  heard  words  that  have  been 
So  nimble  and  so  full  of  subtle  flame. 
As  if  that  any  one  from  whence  they  came 
Had  meant  to  put  his  whole  wit  in  a  jest. 
And  had  resolved  to  live  a  fool  the  rest 
Of  his  dull  life ;  then  when  there  hath  been  thrown 
Wit  able  enough  to  justify  the  town 
For  three  days  past ;  wit  that  might  warrant  be 
For  the  whole  city  to  talk  foolishly. 
Till  that  were  cancell'd ;  and  when  that  was  gone, 
We  left  an  air  behind  us,  which  alone 


FISHES  AND  INSECTS.  227 

Was  able  to  make  the  two  next  companies 
(Bight  witty,  though  but  dowm:ight  fools)  more  wise." 
There  was  another  Mermaid  in  Cheapside,  frequented  by  Jasper 

Mayne,  and  in  the  next  reign  by  the  poet  laureate,  John  Dryden. 

Mayne  mentions  it  in  «  The  City  Match,"  (1638  :)— 

"  I  had  made  an  ordinary. 
Perchance  at  the  Mermaid." 

At  one  time  the  landlord's  name  was  Dun,  which  is  told  us  in 
a  somewhat  amusing  anecdote : — "  When  Dun,  that  kept  the 
Meremaid  Tavern  in  ComhiH,  being  himself  in  a  room  with  some 
witty  gallants,  one  of  them  (which,  it  seems,  knew  his  wife)  too 
boldly  cryd  out  in  a  fantastick  humour,  'I'U  lay  five  pound 
there 's  a  cuckhold  in  this  company.'  '  'Tis  Dun,'  says  another."  * 
In  1681,  there  was  a  Mermaid  in  Carter  Lane,  which  had  a  great 
deal  of  traffic  as  a  carriers'  inn.t 

The  sign  was  also  used  by  printers.  John  Kastall,  for  instance, 
brother-in-law  of  Sir  Thomas  More,  "  emprynted  in  the  Cheape- 
syde  at  the  sygne  of  the  Meremayde ;  next  to  Poulysgate  in  1527 ;" 
and  in  1576  a  translation  of  the  History  of  Lazarillo  de  Tormes, 
dedicated  to  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  was  printed  by  Henry  Biune- 
mann,  the  queen's  printer,  in  Knight-rider  Street,  at  the  sign  of 
the  Mermaid.  A  representation  of  this  fabulous  creature  was 
generally  prefixed  to  his  books. 

The  Sbahoese  may  be  seen  in  Birmingham,  York,  and  various 
other  places.  BosseweU,  in  his  peculiar  mixture  of  English 
and  Latin,  gives  a  quaint  description  of  this  animal : — 

"  This  waterhorse  of  the  sea  is  called  an  hyppotame,  for  that  he  is  like 
an  horse  in  back,  mayne,  and  neying :  rostro  resupinato  a  primis  dentibus : 
Cauda  tortuosa,  ungulis  Mnis.  He  abideth  in  the  waters  on  the  day,  and 
eateth  corn  by  night  et  Aunc  Nilus  gignit."  $ 

The  Dolphin  is  another  sign  of  very  old  standing.  One  of 
the  fijst  instances  of  its  use  was  probably  the  following  inn  : — 

"  The  other  side  of  this  High  Street,  from  Bishopsgate  and  Houndaditch, 
the  first  building  is  a  large  inn  for  the  receipt  of  travellers,  and  is  called 
the  Dolphin,  of  such  a  sign.  In  the  year  1513,  Margaret  Ricroft,  widow, 
gave  this  house,  with  the  gardens  and  appurtenances,  unto  William  Gam, 
E.  Clye,  their  wives,  her  daughters,  and  to  their  heirs,  with  condition  they 
yearly  do  give  to  the  warders  or  governors  of  the  Greyfriars'  Church, 
■within  Newgate,  40  shillings,  to  find  a  student  of  divmity  in  the  university 
for  ever."  § 

»  "  Cofieehousc  Jesls,"  1688,  p.  128. 

t  Delaune'a  "Present  State  of  London,"  1681. 

X  Bossewell's  "Works  of  Armourie,"  1589,  p.  65. 

§  Stow,  p.  62.    A  striking  instance  of  the  depreciation  of  monej  witliin  the  last  three 


2  28  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Moser,  in  his  "  Vestiges  Kevived,"  mentions  this  same  inn  as  the 
Dolphin,  or  rather,  Dauphin  Inn ;  and  says  that  it  was  adorned 
•with  fleur-de-lys,  cognisances,  and  dolphins ;  and  was  reported  to 
have  been  the  residence  of  one  of  the  dauphins  of  France,  pro- 
bably Louis,  the  son  of  Philip  August,  who,  in  1216,  came  to 
England  to  contest  the  sceptre  with  King  John.*  The  house 
was  stUl  in  existence  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  when 
it  was  a  famous  coaching  inn.  Perhaps  it  was  to  this  tavern 
that  Pepys  and  his  company  adjoximed  on  27th  March  1661  : — 

"  To  the  Dolphin  to  a  dinner  of  Mr  Harris's,  where  Sir  William  and  my 
Lady  Batten  and  her  two  daughters,  and  other  company,  when  a  great  de^ 
of  mii'th,  and  there  staid  till  11  o'clock  at  night,  and  in  our  mirth  I  sang 
and  sometimes  fiddled,  (there  being  a  noise  of  fiddlers  there,)  and  at  last 
we  fell  to  dancing,  the  first  time  that  ever  I  did  in  my  life,  which  I  did 
wonder  to  see  myself  to  do.  At  last  we  made  Mingo,  Sir  W.  Batten's 
black,  and  Jack,  Sir  W.  Peuu's,  dance,  and  it  was  strange  how  the  first  did 
dance  with  a  great  deal  of  skill." 

Pepys  might  well  wonder  what  a  man  may  come  to,  he  who  had 
been  born  when  "  lascivious  dancing "  was  considered  a  heinous 
crime.  Another  Dolphin,  well  worthy  of  remembrance,  was  the 
sign  of  Sam.  Buckley,  a  bookseller  in  Little  Brittain,  at  whose 
house  Steele  and  Addison's  Spectator  was  published. 

Ancient  naturalists  made  a  wonderful  animal  of  the  dolphin. 
Bossewell,  for  instance,  from  whom  we  have  just  quoted,  tells 
most  extraordinary  stories  about  him ;  but  they  are  unfortunately 
too  long  to  quote.  Londoners  formerly  might  have  seen  the 
living  fish  from  the  river  banks,  for  old  chroniclers  every  now 
and  then  have  entries  to  the  effect  that  dolphins  paid  London  a 
visit.  Thus  :  "  3  Henry  V.  Seven  dolphins  came  up  the  river 
Thames,  whereof  4  were  taken."  "14  RicL  n.  On  Christmas 
day  a  dolphin  was  taken  at  London  Bridge,  being  10  ft.  long, 
and  a  monstrous  grown  fisL"  +  The  Dolphin  and  Anchor  is 
still  a  common  sign ;  and  the  Fish  and  Anchos,  at  North  Little- 
ton, Warwickshire,  evidently  implies  the  same  emblem.  Aldus 
Manutius,  the  celebrated  Venetian  printer,  was  the  first  to  use 
the  sign,  adopting  it  from  a  silver  medal  of  the  Emperor  Titus, 
presented  to  him  by  Cardinal  Bembo,  with  the  motto,   aitiZhi 

centuries.  At  the  present  day,  403.  would  scarcely  keep  an  Oxford  or  Cambridge  student 
in  cigar-lights, 

*  Moser  makes  a  slight  en-or.  The  heir-apparent  to  the  throne  of  France  did  not 
assume  the  title  of  Dauphin  till  1349,  when  Humbert  n.,  Dauphin  of  Vienne,  having  no 
posterity,  retired  to  a  monasteiy,  and  sold  his  estates  to  Philip  VI.,  King  of  Fiance,  on 
behalf  of  his  grandson,  afterwai'ds  Charles  V. 

t  Delaune'a  "  Present  State  of  London." 


FISHM  AND  INSECTS.  229 

^^ahitiig.  Camerarius  thus  (in  our  translation)  mentions  this  sign 
in  his  book  on  Symbols  : — 

"  That  the  dolphin  wound  round  the  anchor  was  an  emblem  of  the  Em- 
perors August  and  Titus,  to  represent  that  maturity  in  business  which  is 
the  medium  between  too  great  haste  and  slowness ;  and  that  it  was  also 
used  in  the  last  century  by  Aldus  Manutius,  that  most  famous  printer,  is 
known  to  everybody.  Erasmus  clearly  and  abundantly  explains  the  import 
of  that  golden  precept. 

"  Our  emblem  is  taken  from  Aloiatus,  and  has  a  different  meaning.  He 
reports,  namely,  that '  when  violent  winds  disturb  the  sea,  as  Lucretius  says, 
and  the  anchor  is  cast  by  seamen,  the  dolphin  winds  herself  round  it,  out 
of  a  particular  love  for  mankind,  and  directs  it,  as  with  a  human  intellect, 
so  that  it  may  more  safely  take  hold  of  the  ground ;  for  dolphins  have  this 
peculiar  property,  that  they  can,  as  it  were,  foretell  storms.  The  anchor, 
then,  signifies  a  stay  and  security,  whilst  the  dolphin  is  a  hieroglyphic  for 
philanthropy  and  safety.' " — Joach.  Oamerarius,  "  Symholorum,  et  Emlile- 
matum  Centuries  QuMtuor."     Centuria  iv.  p.  19 ;  Moguntia,  1697. 

This  sign  was  afterwards  adopted  by  William  Pickering,  a 
■worthy  "Discipulus  Aldi,"  as  he  styled  himself;  Sir  Egerton 
Bridges  made  some  verses  upon  it,  amongst  ■which  occur  the 
following : — 

"  Would  you  BtiU  be  safely  landed, 
On  the  Aldiue  Anchor  ride ; 
Never  yet  was  vessel  stranded, 
■With  the  Dolphin  by  its  side. 


"  Nor  time,  nor  envy  ever  shall  canker 
The  sign  that  is  my  lasting  pride  ; 
Joy  then  to  the  Aldus  Anchor, 
And  the  Dolphin  at  its  side. 
"  To  the  Dolphin  as  we  're  drinking. 
Life  and  health  and  joy  we  send ; 
A  poet  once  he  saved  from  sinking. 
And  still  he  lives — the  poet's  friend." 

The  Dolphin  and  Comb  was  the  sign  of  E.  Heme,  a  milliner 
on  London  Bridge  in  1722.  This  is  an  instance  of  one  of  the 
articles  sold  ■within  being  added  to  the  original  sign  of  the  house. 
Milliners  in  those  days  used  to  have  a  much  more  extensive 
variety  of  objects  for  sale  than  they  have  now,  comprehending 
almost  every  article  required  for  female  apparel, — and  including 
knives,  scissors,  combs,  pattens,  patches,  poking  sticks,  fans,  bod- 
kins, &c.  Such  additions  to  signs  were  of  frequent  occurrence, 
thus  the  Fox  and  Topknot,  the  Lamb  and  Breeches,  the  Fox  and 
Cap,  and  the  Lamb  and  Inkbottlb,  which  last  figures  on  the 
imprint  of  Thomas  Eoch,  Newgate  Street,  a  bookseller  who  made 


230  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"the  best  ink  for  deeds  and  records,''  1677.  Frequently  the  sign 
of  the  Fish  is  seen  without  any  further  specification ;  in  this  case 
it  is  probably  meant  for  the  Dolphin,  which  is  the  signboard-fish 
far  excellence.  The  Fish  sign  is  a  very  common  public  house 
decoration  at  the  present  day,  probably  for  the  same  reason  as  the 
Swan,  because  he  is  fond  of  liquor, — nay,  to  such  an  extent  goes 
his  reputation  for  intemperance,  that  to  "  drink  like  a  fish"  is  a 
quality  of  no  small  excellence  with  publicans.  In  Carlisle,  how- 
ever, there  are  two  signs  of  the  Fish  and  Dolphin,  a  rather 
puzzling  combination, — unless  it  has  reference  to  the  dolphin's 
chase  after  the  shoals  of  small  fishes.  The  Fish  and  Bell, 
Soho,  may  either  allude  to  a  well-known  anecdote  of  a  certain 
numskuU,  who,  when  he  caught  a  fish,  which  he  desired  to  keep 
for  dinner  on  some  future  grand  occasion,  put  it  back  into  the 
river,  with  a  bell  round  its  neck,  so  that  he  should  be  able  to  know 
its  whereabouts  the  moment  he  wanted  it ;  or  it  may  be  the  usual 
BeU  added  in  honour  of  the  bell-ringers.  A  quaint  variety  of 
this  sign  is  the  Bell  and  Mackerel,  in  the  Mile-End  Eoad.  The 
Three  Fishes  was  a  favourite  device  in  the  Middle  Ages,  cross- 
ing or  interpenetrating  each  other  in  such  a  manner,  that  the 
head  of  one  fish  was  at  the  tail  of  another.  We  cannot  prove 
that  it  had  any  emblematic  meaning,  but  it  may  possibly  represent 
the  Trinity,  the  fish  being  a  common  symbol  for  Christ,  derived 
from  the  Greek  monogram  or  abbreviation,  1X0T2.  It  occurs 
as  a  sign  in  the  following  advertisement,  which  minutely  de- 
scribes the  livery  of  a  page  in  the  year  of  the  Kestoration  : — 

"  On  Saturday  night  last  run  away  from  the  Lord  Rich,  Christophilua 
Comaro,  a  Turk  chriateued ;  a  French  youth  of  17  or  18  years  of  age,  with 
flaxen  hair,  little  blew  eyes,  a  mark  upon  his  lip,  and  another  under  hia 
right  eye ;  of  a  fair  complexion,  one  of  his  ears  pierced,  having  a  pearl- 
coloured  suit,  trimmed  with  scarlet  and  blue  ribbons,  a  coat  of  the  same 
colour  with  silver  buttons ;  Ms  name  Jacob  David.  Give  notice  to  the 
Lord,  lodging  at  the  Three  Fishes  in  New  Street,  in  Covent  Garden,  a  cook- 
shop,  and  good  satisfaction  shall  be  given."  * 

The  Three  Herrings,  the  sign  of  James  Moxton,  a  bookseller 
in  the  Strand,  near  Yorkhouse,  in  1675,  is  evidently  but  another 
name  for  the  Three  Fishes ;  at  the  present  day  it  is  the  sign  of  an 
ale-house  in  Bell  Yard,  Temple  Bar.  Several  taverns  with  this 
sign  are  mentioned  in  the  French  tales  and  plays  of  the  17th 
century ;  two  of  them  seem  to  have  been  very  celebrated,  one  in 
the  Faubourg  St  Marceau,  the  other  near  the  Palais  de  Justice ; 

*  "  Mercurius  Publicus,"  Aug.  30 ;  Sep.  6, 1660. 


FISHES  AND  INSECTS.  23 X 

this  last  one  seems  to  have  been  particularly  famous,  for  it  is 
named  as  a  rival  to  the  celebrated  Pomme  de  Pin.  "  Si  je  vay 
au  Palais,  tous  ces  clercs  sont  alentour  de  moy ;  I'un  me  mine 
aux  Trois  Poissons,  I'autre  S.  la  Pomme  de  Pin." — Comldie  de  la 
Vefve,  ac.  iii.  s.  3.*  The  Fish  and  Qttaet  at  Leicester  must  be 
passed  by  in  silence,  as  the  combination  cannot  immediately  be 
accounted  for.  Were  it  in  France  a  solution  would  be  easier,  for  in 
French  slang  a  "  poisson,"  or  fish,  means  a  small  measure  of  wine. 
The  Fish  and  Eels  at  Eoydon,  in  Essex ;  the  Fish  and  Kjittlb, 
Southampton ;  and  the  White  Bait,  Bristol,  all  tell  their  own 
tale,  and  need  no  comment.  The  Salmon  is  seen  occasionally 
near  places  where  it  is  caught.  The  Salmon  and  Ball  is  the 
well-known  BaR  of  the  silkmercers  in  former  times,  added  to  the 
sign  of  the  Salmon ;  whilst  the  Salmon  and  Compasses  is  the 
masonic  emblem  that  is  added  to  the  sign.  Both  these  occur  in 
more  than  one  instance  in  London.  The  Fishbone  is  rarely  met 
with  as  a  public-house  sign,  though  there  is  an  example  of  it  at 
Netherton  in  Cheshire,  and  also  amongst  the  seventeenth  century 
tokens  of  New  Cheapside,  Moorfields.  But  generally  it  is  the  sign  of 
a  rag  and  bone  shop,  or,  in  the  euphonious  language  of  the  day,  a 
"miscellaneous  repository,''  or  "  bank  of  commerce."  These  shops, 
as  their  title  of  "  marine  stores"  implies,  used  to  buy  aU.  the  odds 
and  ends  of  rope,  sails,  seamen's  old  clothes,  in  short  all  the  rub- 
bish of  which  a  ship  is  cleared  after  its  return  from  a  long  voyage. 
Bones  of  large  fish  woidd  be  often  amongst  the  curiosities  brought 
home  by  the  sailors,  these  also  they  bought  and  hung  them  up 
outside  their  doors,  and  in  the  end  these  bones  became  their  dis- 
tinctive sign.  The  Sun  and  Whalebone  at  Latton,  in  Essex, 
may  have  originated  from  a  whalebone  hanging  outside  the  house, 
or  that  the  landlord  had  laid  the  foundation  of  his  fortune  as  a 
rag  merchant. 

Insects  are  of  very  rare  occurrence.  The  industrious  habits  of 
the  bees,  however,  made  their  habitation  a  favourite  object  to  im- 
ply a  similar  industry  in  the  shopkeepers.  Many  years  ago  there 
used  to  be  at  Grantham  in  Idncolnshie,  a  signpost  on  wMch  was 
placed  a  Beehive  in  full  swarm,  with  the  follovping  lines  under 
it:— 

"  Two  wonders,  Grantham,  now  are  thine, 
The  highest  spire  and  a  Kving  sign." 

*  If  I  go  to  the  Palace  of  Justice,  all  those  clerks  are  constantly  after  me ;  one  takes 
me  to  the  Three  Fishes,  the  other  to  the.Pine  Cone."— Comedy  vffke  Widow,  a.  iii.  s.  3. 


232  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Though  the  living  bees  were  gone  the  following  season,  yet  the 
sign  and  inscription  remained  until  very  recently.  The  following 
is  a  conunon  inscription  under  the  sign  of  the  Beehive  : — 

"  Within  this  hive  we  're  all  alive. 
Good  liquor  makes  us  funny; 
li  you  are  dry,  step  in  and  try 
The  flavour  of  our  honey." 

A  teardealer  at  the  comer  of  Oxford  Street,  Tottenham  Court 
Boad,  in  the  end  of  the  last  century,  had  for  his  sign  the  Walking 
Leaf,  (the  Phyllium  dccifolium  of  the  naturalists,)  an  East  Indian 
insect,  of  an  anything  but  agreeable  association,  when  we 
consider  the  remarkable  vegetable  appearance  of  this  insect, 
and  the  possibility  that  it  might  be  dried  among  the  tear 
leaves. 

Although  the  frog  cannot  be  considered  either  an  insect  or 
a  fish,  yet  we  may  include  it  in  this  chapter.  Of  frogs  there 
are  some  instances  on  the  signboard ;  the  Three  Feogs,  (see 
under  Heraldic  Signs,)  and  Feoghall,  formerly  a  public-house 
at  the  south  end  of  Frog  Lane,  Islington.  On  the  front  of  this 
house  there  was  exhibited  the  ludicrous  sign  of  a  plough  drawn 
by  frogs.  There  is  at  the  present  day  a  Froghall  Inn  at  Wolston, 
near  Coventry ;  and  a  public-house  of  that  name  at  Layerthorpe 
in  the  West  Eiding,  but  the  picture  of  the  sign  was  doubtless 
unique.  The  principal  inn  on  the  island  of  Texel  is  called  the 
Golden  Feog,  {de  Goiide  kikker.)  We  may  wonder  that  there 
are  not  more  examples  of  this  sign  in  Holland,  for  there  are, 
without  doubt,  as  many  frogs  in  that  country  as  there  are 
Dutchmen ;  and  even  unto  this  day  it  is  a  mooted  point,  which 
of  the  two  nations  has  more  right  to  the  possession  of  the 
country ;  both,  however,  are  of  a  pacific  disposition,  so  that  they 
live  on  in  a  perfect  entente  cordiah. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC. 

In  old  times,  when  signboards  flourished,  there  would  have 
been  many  reasons  for  choosing  these  house-decorations.  1.  Their 
symbolic  meaning,  as  the  olive-tree,  the  fig-tree,  the  palm-tree. 
2.  To  intimate  what  was  sold  within,  as  the  vine,  the  coffee-plant, 
&c.  3.  The  use  of  some  plants  as  badges.  4.  The  vicinity  of 
some  well-known  tree  or  road-mark,  near  the  place  where  the 
sign  was  displayed.  5.  The  desire  of  a  landlord  to  have  an  unusual 
sign. 

The  oldest  sign  borrowed  from  the  vegetable  kingdom  is  the 
BtrsH ;  it  was  a  bush  or  bunch  of  ivy,  box  or  evergreen,  tied  to 
the  end  of  a  pole,  such  as  is  represented  in  many  of  the  suttler's 
tents  in  the  pictures  of  Wouverman.  The  custom  came  evidently 
from  the  Romans,  and  with  it  the  oft-repeated  proverb,  "  Good 
wine  needs  no  Bush."  (Vinum  vendibile  hedera  non  est  opus/ 
in  Italian,  Al  huon  vino  non  hisogna  frasca ;  in  French,  a  hon 
vin  point  d'enseigne.)  Tvj  was  the  plant  commonly  used  :  "  The 
Tavern  Ivy  clings  about  my  money  and  kills  it,"  says  the  sottish 
slave  in  Massinger's  "  Virgin  Martyr,"  (a.  iii.  s.  3.)  It  may  have 
been  adopted  as  the  plant  sacred  to  Bacchus  and  the  Bacchantes, 
or  perhaps  simply  because  it  is  a  hardy  plant,  and  long  continues 
green.  As  late  as  the  reign  of  King  James  I.  many  inns  used  it 
as  their  only  sign.  Taylor,  the  water  poet,  in  his  perambulation 
of  ten  shires  around  London,  notes  various  places  where  there  is 
"  a  taverne  with  a  bush  only;"  in  other  parts  he  mentions  "  the 
signe  of  the  Bush."  Even  at  the  present  day  "  the  Bush"  is  a 
very  general  sign  for  inn  and  public-house,  whilst  sometimes  it 
assumes  the  name  of  the  IvT  Bush,  or  the  Ivy  Green,  (two  in 
Birmingham.)  In  Gloucester,  Warwick,  and  other  coiinties,  where 
at  certain  fairs  the  ordinary  booth  people  and  tradesmen  enjoy 
the  privilege  of  selling  liquors  without  a  licence,  they  hang  out 
bunches  of  ivy,  flowers,  or  boughs  of  trees,  to  indicate  this  sale. 
As  far  away  as  the  western  States  of  North  America,  at  the  build- 
ing of  a  new  village,  or  station,  it  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  a 
bunch  of  hay,  or  a  green  bough,  hung  from  above  the  "  grocery," 
or  bar-room  door,  until  such  time  as  a  superior  decoration  can  be 
provided.  The  bunch  being  fixed  to  a  long  staff  was  also  called 
the  Alepole ;  thus  among  the  processions  of  odd  characters  that 
came  to  purchase  ale  at  the  Tunnyng  of  Elinour  Eummyng  : — 

2G 


234,  ^^-^  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOARDS. 

!  "  Another  brought  her  bedea 

Of  jet  or  of  coale. 
To  offer  to  the  Alepole." 

How  these  Alepoles,  from  the  very  earliest  times,  continued  to 
enlarge  and  encroach  upon  the  public  way,  has  been  shown  in  our 
Introduction,  pp.  16, 17.  The  Bunch  gradually  became  a  garland 
of  flowers  of  considerable  proportions,  whence  Chaucer,  describing 
the  Sompnour,  says : — 

"  A  garlond  hadde  he  aette  upon  his  hede 
As  gret  as  it  were  for  an  alestake." 

Afterwards  it  became  a  stiU  more  elegant  object,  as  exemplified 
by  the  Nagshead  in  Cheapside,  in  the  print  of  the  entry  of  Marie 
de  Medici ;  finally  it  appeared  as  a  crown  of  green  leaves,  with  a 
little  Bacchus,  bestriding  a  tun  dangling  from  it.  Thus  the  sign 
was  used  simultaneously  with  the  bush. 

"  If  these  houses  [ale-houses]  have  a  boxe-bush,  or  an  old  post,  it  is 
enough  to  show  their  profession.  But  if  they  be  graced  with  a  signe  com- 
pleat,  it's  a  signe  of  a  good  custome."  * 

In  a  mask  of  1633,  the  constituents  of  a  tavern  are  thus  described  : 
— "  A  flaminge  red  lattice,  seueral  drinldng  roomes,  and  a  backe 
doore,  but  especially  a  conceited  signe  and  an  eminent  bush." 
"  Tavernes  are  quickly  set  up,  it  is  but  hanging  out  a  bush  at  a 
nobleman's  or  an  alderman's  gate,  and  'tis  made  instantly." — Shir- 
lerfs  Masque  of  the  Triumph  of  Peace.  In  a  woodcut  from  the 
"  Cent  NouveUe  NouveUes,"  introduced  in  Wrighf  s  "  Domestic 
Manners,"  the  Bush  is  suspended  from  a  square  board,  on  which 
the  sign  was  painted ;  for  in  France  as  well  as  in  England,  sign- 
board and  bush  went  together  : — 
"  La  taverne  lev& 

L'enseigne  et  le  Txmclum, 

La  dame  bien  peign^e 

Les  oheveux  en  bouohon."+ 
— Chanson  nouvdle  des  Tavemea  et  Tavemieres,  Fleur  des  Ckamons  Nou- 
velles,  Lyon,  1586. 

Whilst  an  English  host  in  "  Good  News  and  Bad  News,"  says  : — 
"  I  rather  will  take  down  my  bush  and  sign  than  live  by  means 
of  riotous  expense."  Gradually,  as  signs  became  more  costly,  the 
bunch  was  entirely  neglected  and  the  sign  alone  remained. 

•  "  The  Country  Carbonadoed,"  by  D.  Lupton,  1632.    Vox  "  Alebouse." 

t  "  The  tavern  opened 

With  signboard  and  bush  ; 
The  landlady's  hair  neatly  dressed, 
Tied  up  in  a  knot." 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.  235 

The  Hand  and  Flower  is  a  sign  very  frequently  adopted  by 
alehouses  in  the  yicinity  of  nursery  grounds  : — thus,  there  is  one 
in  the  High  Street,  Kensington,  and  one  in  the  King's  Koad,  a 
little  past  Cremome,  though  there  the  nursery  ground  has  very 
recentiy  been  buUt  over. 

The  KosB,  besides  being  the  queen  of  flowers,  and  the  national 
emblem,  had  yet  another  prestige  which  alone  would  have  been 
sufficient  to  make  it  a  favourite  sign  in  the  middle  ages ;  this  was 
its  religious  import.  On  the  monumental  brass  of  Abbot  Kirton, 
formerly  in  Westminster  Abbey,  there  was  a  crowned  rose  with 
3E.f^,CE.  in  its  heart,  and  round  it  the  words 

SIS,  EOSA,  FLOS  FLOETJM,  MOEBIS  MBDECINA  MEOEUM.* 

And  in  Caxton's  Psalter,  above  a  woodcut  representing  an  angel 
holding  a  shield  with  a  rose  on  it,  occur  the  words : — 

"  Per  te  rosa  toluntur  vitia, 
Per  te  datur  mestis  letioia."+ 

It  was  evidently  an  emblem  of  the  Virgin,  and  may  contain  some 
allusion  to  the  Rose  of  Jericho,  or  to  the  Christmas  rose. 

Three  centuries  ago  roses  were  stUl  very  scarce,  as  we  learn 
from  an  original  MS.  of  the  time  of  Henry  VIII.,  and  signed  by 
him,  preserved  at  the  Eemembrance  Office,  in  which  it  says  that 
a  red  rose  cost  two  shillings ;  hence,  roses  were  often  amongst  the 
terms  of  a  tenure.  Sir  Christopher  Hatton,  the  handsome  Lord 
Chancellor,  with  the  "  bushy  beard  and  shoe  strings  green,"  who 
danced  himself  into  Queen  Elizabeth's  favour,  paid  the  Bishop  of 
Ely  for  the  rent  of  Ely  House  for  a  term  of  twenty-one  years  in 
1576,  a  red  rose,  ten  loads  of  hay,  and  £10  a-year;  but  that  roses 
then  were  plentiful,  in  that  garden  at  all  events,  is  also  evident, 
for  the  Bishop  and  his  successors  had  a  right  to  gather  yearly 
twenty  bushels  of  roses  out  of  it.  Sir  John  Poulteney,  21  Ed- 
ward III.,  gave  and  confirmed  by  charter  to  Humphrey  de  Bohun, 
Earl  of  Hereford  and  Essex,  Ms  tenement  of  Cold  Harborough, 
and  appurtenances,  for  one  rose  at  Midsummer ;  a  stiU.  more  whim- 
sical tenure  was  that  of  a  farm  at  Brookhouse,  Penistone,  York, 
for  which  yearly  a  payment  was  to  be  made  of  a  red  rose  at  Christ- 
mas, and  a  snow  ball  at  Midsummer.J  Unless  the  flower  of  the 
Viburnum  or  Gueldres  Eose,  sometimes  called  a  Snowball,  was 

*  Be  thou,  rose,  queen  of  flowers,  the  cure  of  my  diseases, 
t  Through  thee,  rose,  sins  are  taken  away, 

Through  thee,  gladness  is  given  to  the  sorrowing. 
X  Blount's  "Fragmenta  Antiquitatis,  or  Ancient  Tenures,"  p.  243. 


236  THB  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

meant,  tlie  payment  will  have  been  almost  impossible  in  those 
days  when  ice-cellars  were  unknown. 

At  the  present  day  some  publicans  take  liberties  with  the  old 
sign  of  the  Eose ;  in  Macclesfield,  and  at  Preston,  for  instance,  there 
is  the  Moss  Rose;  on  Silkstone  Common,  in  Yorkshire,  the  Bunch 
OF  Roses  ;  on  the  London  Road,  Preston,  the  Rosebud,  &c.  The 
Three  Roses  was  formerly  a  common  sign ;  from  the  way  they 
are  represented,  they  appear  to  have  been  heraldic  roses,  (see  our 
illustration  of  the  ancient  Lattice.)  It  was  the  sign  of  Jonathan 
Edwin,  bookseller  in  Ludgate  Street  in  1673.  At  the  Rose  Oak- 
land, Robert  Coplande,  the  bookseller  and  printer,  published  in 
1534  Dame  Juliana  Berner's  "Boke  of  Hawkyng,  Huntyng,  and 
Fyshyng."  This  shop  was  in  "  the  Flete  Strete."  Rose  garlands 
or  chaplets  were  not  only  worn  in  the  middle  ages  as  head-dresses, 
but  also  awarded  as  archery  prizes. 

"  On  eueiy  Byde  a  Rose  garlonde 
They  ehott  under  the  lyne, 

Whoso  faileth  of  the  Rose  garlonde,  sayth  Eobyn, 
His  tacky  11  he  shall  tyne." 

Mary  Gestes  of  Robin  Soode. 

Copland's  Rose  garland,  doubtless,  suggested  the  sign  of  another 
bookseller,  John  Wayland,  who  also  lived  in  Fleet  Street  about 
the  year  1540 ;  his  sign  was  the  Blue  Gaeland. 

The  colloquial  phrase,  Under  the  Rose,  is  sometimes  used  as 
a  sign,  or  written  under  the  pictorial  representation  of  the  rose  ; 
it  occurs  on  a  trade's  token  of  Cambridge,*  and  may  be  seen  on 
various  public-houses  of  the  present  day.  Numerous  suppositions 
have  been  made  concerning  its  origin,  some  holding  that  it  arose 
from  this  flower  being  the  emblem  of  Harpocrates ;  others  from 
a  rose  painted  on  the  ceiling,  any  conversations  held  under  which 
were  not  to  be  divulged;  whilst  Gregory  Nazianzen  seems  to 
imply  that  the  rose,  from  its  close  bud,  had  been  made  the 
emblem  of  silence. 

"  Utque  latet  rosa  vema  sue  putamine  clausa, 
Sic  03  vincla  ferat,  yalidis  arcietur  habenia, 
Indioatque  suia  prolixa  silentia  labris."+ 

At  Lullingstone  Castle,  in  Kent,  the  residence  of  Sir  Percival 
Dyke,  Bart.,  there  is,  says  a  correspondent  of  Notes  and  Queries, 

*  See  Boynes'  Tokens  issued  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  England,  Wales,  and 
Ireland, 

t  Like  the  rose  in  spring,  hidden  in  its  bud,  so  must  the  mouth  be  closed  and  restrained 
with  strong  rclos,  enforcing  silence  to  the  loquacious  lips. 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.  237 

a  representation  of  a  rose  nearly  two  feet  in  diameter,  surrounded 
with  the  following  inscription  : — 

"  Kentish  true  blue 

Take  this  aa  a  token, 
That  what  is  said  here 

Under  the  Hose  is  spoken." 

The  Dutch  have  a  similar  phrase.  In  an  old  Book  of  Inscrip- 
tions of  the  seventeenth  century  is  a  device  written  round  a  rose 
painted  on  the  ceiling  : — 

"  Al  wat  hier  onder  de  Rocs  gesohied, 
Laat  dat  aldaar  en  meld  het  niet."  * 

There  is  one  sign  of  the  Eose,  the  origin  of  which  it  is  difficult 
to  ascertain,  this  is  the  Rose  of  Normandy,  a  public-house  in 
the  High  Street,  Marylebone.  It  was  built  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, and  is  the  oldest  house  in  that  parish.  In  1659  it  is  de- 
scribed as  having 

"  Outside  a  square  brick  wall  set  with  fruit  trees,  gravel  walks  204  paces 
long,  7  broad ;  the  circular  wall  485  paces  long,  6  broad ;  the  centre  square, 
a  bowling-green,  112  paces  one  way,  88  another — all,  except  the  first,  double 
set  with  quickset  hedges,  full  grown,  and  kept  in  excellent  order,  and  in- 
dented like  town  walls."  + 

The  street  having  been  raised,  the  entrance  to  the  house  is  at  pre- 
sent some  steps  beneath  the  roadway.  The  original  form  of  the 
exterior  has  been  preserved,  and  the  staircases  and  balusters  are 
coeval  with  the  building ;  but  the  garden  and  large  bowling-green 
have  dwindled  into  a  miserable  skittle-ground. 

As  a  sign  the  Marygold,  it  is  said,  arose  from  a  popular  read- 
ing of  the  sign  of  the  Sun  ;  a  very  natural  and  plausible  origin. 
At  the  same  time,  it  is  just  worth  mentioning,  that  this  flower 
(originally  called  the  Gold)  seems  to  have  been  considered  as  an 
emblem  of  Queen  Mary;  so,  at  least,  it  would  appear  from  a 
lengthy  ballad  of  "  the  Marygolde,"  composed  by  her  chaplain, 
William  Forrest,  in  which,  amongst  many  other  similar  allu- 
sions, the  following  words  are  found  : — 

"  She  [the  Queen]  may  be  called  Marygolde  well. 
Of  Marie  (ohiefe)  Christes  mother  deere. 
That  as  in  heaven  she  doth  excell. 

And  golde  on  earth  to  have  no  peere. 
So  certainly  she  shineth  cleere. 
In  grace  and  honour  double  fold, 

*  All  that  iB  done  here,  under  the  Rose, 

Leave  it  here  and  do  not  divulge  it. 
t  Memoirs  by  Samuel  Saiuthill,  1659,  Gent.  Mag.,  Ixxxiii.  p.  524. 


238  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  like  was  never  erst  seen  heere, 
Such  as  this  flower  the  Maiygolde." 

The  flower  was  a  favourite  one  in  the  middle  ages,  deriving  the  first 
part  of  its  name  from  the  Virgin  Mary.  No  mention  of  the  actual 
use  of  the  sign,  however,  has  been  met  with  previous  to  1638, 
when  it  appears  on  the  title-pages  of  Francis  Eglisfield,  a  book- 
seller in  St  Paul's  Churchyard.  His  name  still  occurs  at  the 
same  house  in  1673,*  when  it  was  also  the  sign  of  "Mr  Cox, 
milliner,  over  against  St  Clement's  Church  in  the  Strand."  + 
This  must  have  been  the  same  house  in  which  Eichard  Blanchard 
and  Francis  Child,  the  goldsmiths,  kept  their  "  running  cashes."  J 
It  is  the  oldest  banking  firm  in  London.  Francis  Child,  the 
founder,  was,  in  the  reign  of  Charles  I.,  apprenticed  to  a  gold- 
smith, William  Wheeler,  whose  shop  stood  on  the  same  spot  now 
occupied  by  the  bank.  He  married  his  master's  daughter,  and 
thus  laid  the  foundation  of  his  immense  fortune.  Many  biUs  and 
other  papers  relating  to  Nell  Gwynn  are  stUl  preserved  by  this 
firm,  as  well  as  various  documents  concerning  the  sale  of  Dun- 
kerque.  Alderman  BlackweU,  who  was  ruined  by  the  shutting  up  of 
the  Exchequer  in  the  reign  of  Charles  IL,  was  at  one  time  a  part- 
ner in  this  house.  It  was  here  that  Dryden  deposited  the  £50 
offered  for  the  discovery  of  the  bullies  of  the  "  Kose-aUey  cudgel 
ambuscade."  §  The  old  sign  of  the  house  is  stUl  preserved  by 
their  successors,  together  with  various  relics  of  the  Devil  Tavern, 
on  the  site  of  which  it  was  built. 

Only  a  few  other  flowers  occur,  mostly  modem  introductions. 
The  Daisey,  Bramley,  Leeds;  the  Toup,  Springfield,  Chelms- 
ford ;  the  Lilies  or  the  Valley,  Ible,  near  Wirksworth ;  the 
Snowdeop,  near  Lewes ;  Woodbine  Tavern,  South  Shields ;  and 
the  Forest  Bltte  Bell,  Mansfield.  The  Blue  Bell  is  very  com- 
mon, but,  inter  dodores  lis  est,  whether  it  signifies  the  little  blue 
flower,  or  a  bell  painted  blue. 

^As  a  sequel  to  the  flowers,  we  may  name  the  Mybtle  tree,  of 
which  there  are  two  in  Bristol,  and  the  Eosemaey  Bra2JCH,  in 
Camberwell,  and  in  many  other  places.  Kosemary  was  formerly  an 
emblem  of  Remembrance,  in  the  same  way  as  the  Forget-me-not 
is  now;  "There's  Rosemary,  that's  for  rememhrance,"  says  Ophelia, 
(Hamlet,  ac.  iv.,  s.  5,)  and  in  Winter's  Tale,  Perdita  says : — 

*  London  Gazette,  Nov.  6, 167S.  f  IJrid.,  Oct.  20, 1673. 

t  See  the  "  Little  London  Directory,  1677,"  recently  Kprinted. 
§  DomatU!  InteUigencer,  Sept.  9, 16T9. 


FLOWERS,  TEEES,  HERBS,  ETC.  239 

"  For  you,  there's  Rosemary  and  Rue,  these  keep 
Seeming  and  savour  all  the  winter  long, 
Grace  and  remembrance  be  to  you  both." 

Winter's  Tale,  ao.  iv.,  o.  i. 

Hence  Eosemary  and  gloves  were  of  old  presented  to  those  who 
followed  the  funeral  of  a  friend. 

Fruit  trees  are  much  more  common,  particularly  the  Apple- 
TEEB  and  the  Peae-teee,  which  (owing  to  the  favourite  drinks  of 
cider  and  perry)  are  next  to  the  Eose ;  and  the  Oak,  the  most 
frequent  among  vegetable  signs.  The  Appeb-teeb,  near  Coldbath 
Fields  prison,  was  one  of  the  numerous  public-houses  which 
Topham  the  strong  man  kept  in  1745.  At  the  Apple-tree 
Tavern,  in  CQiarles  Street,  Covent  Garden,  four  of  the  leading 
London  Free  Masons'  lodges,  considering  themselves  neglected  by 
Sir  Christopher  Wren  in  1716,  met  and  chose  a  grandmaster,  pro 
tern.,  until  they  should  be  able  to  place  a  noble  brother  at  the  head, 
which  they  did  the  year  following,  electing  the  Duke  of  Montague. 
Sir  Christopher  had  been  chosen  in  1698.  The  three  lodges  that 
joined  with  the  Apple-tree  Lodge  used  to  meet  respectively  at  the 
Goose  and  Geidieon,  St  Paul's  Churchyard ;  the  Ceown,  Par- 
ker's Lane  ;  and  at  the  Eijmmee  and  Geapes  Tavern,  West- 
minster, 'ihe  Hand  and  Apple  was  the  sign,  in  1782,  of  a  shop 
in  Thames  Street,  where  "  syder,  Barcelona,  cherry  brandy,  to- 
bacco," &c.,  were  sold.  It  represented  a  hand  holding  an  apple, 
and  was  chosen  on  account  of  the  cider.*  To  this  beverage  other 
signs  owe  their  origin :  for  instance,  the  Eed-stebakTebe,  from  the 
apple  of  which  the  best  cider  is  made.  Tickets  used  formerly  to 
be  in  the  windows  of  houses  where  cider  was  sold,  with  the  words, 
"  Bright  Eed-streak  Cyder  sold  here,"  illustrated  with  three  merry 
companions  in  cocked  hats,  sitting  under  an  apple-tree  drinking 
cider,  on  the  other  side  a  pile  of  barrels,  from  which  the  landlord 
is  drawing  the  liquor.  In  Maylordsham,  Hereford,  this  sign  is 
rendered  as  the  "  Eed-streaked  Tree ;"  there  was  a  Eed-streaked 
Tree  Inn  in  that  same  town  in  1775.+  The  Apple-teee  and 
MiTEB  is  an  old  painted  sign,  a  great  deal  the  worse  for  London 
smoke,  in  Cursitor  Street.  It  represents  an  apple-tree  abundantly 
loaded  with  fruit,  standing  ia  a  landscape,  with  some  figures  j 
above  it  a  gilt  mitre.     It  is  evidently  a  combination  of  two  signs. 

The  Peae-teee  is  as  common  as  the  Apple-tree.  The  Ieon 
Peae-teee  at  Appleshaw,  Andover,  Hants,  and  at  Eedenham  in 

*  BaDks's  Bills  in  the  British  Museum.  f  Hertford  Journal,  January  7, 1775. 


240  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

the  same  county,  may  have  been  derived  from  some  noted  pear- 
tree  in  that  neighbourhood,  whose  hollow  and  broken  stem  was 
secured  with  plates  or  bands  of  iron.  Very  general,  also,  is  the 
Cheeey-teee.  It  was  the  sign  of  a  once  famous  resort  in  Bowl- 
ing-green Lane,  Clerkenwell,  and  was  adopted  on  account  of  the 
quantities  of  cherry-trees  which  grew  upon  its  grounds,  even  as 
late  as  thirty  or  forty  years  ago.  In  our  younger  days,  this  house 
was  the  resort  of  the  fast  men  of  Clerkenwell ;  its  bowling-green 
gave  the  name  to  the  aJley  in  which  the  house  stood.  Down  the 
river,  at  Kotherhithe,  was  the  Oheeey-gaeden,  a  famous  place 
of  entertainment  in  the  reign  of  the  Merry  Monarch,  Pepys 
went  to  it  on  June  15,  1664,  and,  with  his  usual  pleasant  flow 
of  animal  spirits,  "  came  home  by  water,  singing  merrily." 

"  Over  against  the  parish  church,  [St  Olave's,  Southwark,]  on  the  south 
side  of  the  street,  was  some  time  one  great  house,  bmlded  of  stone,  with 
arched  gates,  which  pertained  to  the  Prior  of  Lewis,  in  Sussex,  and  was  his 
lodging  when  he  came  to  London ;  it  is  now  a  common  hostelry  for  travel- 
lers, and  hath  to  sign  the  WAiNni-TKEE."  * 

The  Walnut-teee  was  also  the  sign  of  a  tavern  at  the  south 
side  of  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  over  against  the  New  Vault,  in 
which  place  a  concert  is  advertised  in  July  1718,  which,  from  the 
high  price  of  the  admission  tickets — 5s.  each — must  have  been 
something  out  of  the  common.t  The  Walnut-tree  was  frequently 
adopted  hy  cabinetmakers,  and  is  at  the  present  day  a  not  un- 
common alehouse  sign. 

The  Mtjlbeert-tkee  was  introduced  at  an  early  period,  but  does 
not  seem  to  have  been  used  as  a  sign  untU  modern  times.  James  I., 
in  1609,  caused  several  shiploads  of  mulberry  trees  to  be  imported 
from  abroad  to  encourage  the  home  manufacture  of  sUk :  these 
were  planted  in  a  part  of  St  James's  Park ;  but  the  cHmate  being 
too  cold  for  the  sOk  worms,  it  was  changed  into  a  pleasure  garden, 
where  even  the  serious  Evelyn  would  occasionaUy  relax.  10  th 
May  1654  :— 

"  My  Lady  Gerard  treated  us  at  the  Mulberry  Gardens,  now  ye  only 
place  of  refreshment  about  ye  towne  for  pei-sons  of  ye  beat  quality  to  be 
exceedingly  cheated  at;  Cromwell  and  his  partizans  haying  shut  up  and 
seized  on  Spring  Gardens,  which  till  now  had  been  ye  usual  rendezvous  for 
ye  ladys  and  gallants  at  this  season." 

Here  Dryden  went  to  eat  mulberry  tarts,  and  here  Pepys  occa- 
sionally dined,  as  5th  April  1669,  when  he  indulged  in  what  he 
calls  an  "  olio,"  evidently  an  olla  podrida,  since  it  was  prepared 

•  Stow's  Surrey,  p.  340.  t  Oaily  Courant,  July  1,  ing. 


PLATE  XYI. 


VER  GALANT. 
(Rue  Henri,  Lyous,  1709.) 


GOAT  IN  BOOTS. 
(Fulham  Road ;  said  to  be  by  Morlan  d.) 


A  LATTICE. 
(EoxbTirghe  Ballads,  circa  1650.) 


THREE  PIGEONS. 
(Banks's  Collection.) 


UNICORN. 
(A  bookseller's  at  Cologne,  1630. 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.  241 

by  a  Spanish  cook ;  and  the  dish  was  so  "  noble,"  and  such  a 
success,  that  he  and  his  friends  left  the  rest  of  their  dinners  un- 
touched ;  and  after  a  ride  in  a  coach  and  a  walk  for  digestion, 
they  took  supper  "  upon  what  was  left  at  noon,  and  very  good." 

Orange  trees  were  one  of  the  ornaments  of  St  James'  Park  in 
the  reign  of  Charles  II. ;  and  at  that  period  and  long  after,  were 
mostly  used  as  signboards  of  the  seed-shops,  and  by  Italian  mer- 
•  chants.  The  Okange-teee  xan  Two  Jaes  was  the  sign  of  a 
shop  of  the  latter  description  in  the  Haymarket  in  1753.*  No 
doubt,  the  orange  tree  must  have  obtained  some  popularity  in  the 
reign  of  WiUiam  III.,  as  it  is  the  emblem  of  the  Orange  family. 
The  orange  tree  is  said  to  be  originally  a  Chinese  plant,  (whence 
they  were  formerly  called  China  oranges.)  They  were  unknown 
to  the  ancients,  and  introduced  by  the  Moors  into  Sicily  in 
the  twelfth  century.  France  possessed  them  in  the  fourteenth 
century;  and  probably  much  about  the  same  period  they  were 
brought  to  England,  for  we  find  "  pome  d'orring  "  mentioned  as 
one  of  the  items  at  the  coronation  dinner  of  Henry  IV.  in  1399, 
where  they  occur  in  the  third  course,  along  with  quincys  en  ccrm- 
fyte  doucMys,  and  other  items  of  a  modern  dessert,  f  But  a  stUl 
earlier  instance  is  mentioned  in  the  "  Book  of  Days,"  (vol.  iL 
p.  694,)  viz.,  in  1290,  when  a  large  ship  from  Spain  arrived  at 
Portsmouth  laden  with  spices.  On  this  occasion.  Queen  Eleanor 
of  Castile,  anxious  to  taste  again  the  luscious  fruit  that  reminded 
her  of  her  home  in  sunny  Spain  and  the  days  of  her  girlhood, 
bought  out  of  the  cargo  "  a  frail  of  figs,  of  raisins,  and  of  grapes, 
a  bale  of  dates,  230  pomegranates,  15  citrons,  and  7  oranges." 
This  probably  is  the  oldest  mention  of  the  orange  being  brought 
to  England.  The  tree  is  said  to  have  been  introduced  into  this 
country  by  a  member  of  the  Carew  family.  Oranges  are  named 
amongst  the  articles  of  diet  consumed  by  the  Lords  of  the  Star 
Chamber  in  1509,  when  their  price  is  quoted  one  day  at  iijd., 
and  another  at  ijd.,  whilst  the  charge  for  strawberries  was  vijd., 
and  on  another  day  iiijd.  %  Perhaps,  however,  they  were  only  used 

*  Banks's  Bills.  f  HarL  MSS.,  279,  p.  47,  a  cookery  book  of  that  period. 

t  Lansdowne  MS.,  No.  1,  fol.  49,     Three  weeks'  diet  of  the  Lords  of  the  Star  Chamber. 

These  lords  appear  to  have  lived  very  well,  as  we  may  learn  from  some  of  the  items  of 

one  day's  dinner : — fBrst  for  bread,  :£ijd.  j  ale,  lijs.  ii^'d. ;  and  wine,  xyjd.    Item  to 

viijd.  vjd.  vd.  ijd.  xiiijd.  xd. 

lojne  of  moton;  maribones  and  beef;  powdered  beef;  ij  capons;  ij  geese ;t  conyes; 

iiijd.  xviigd.  vd.  xijd.  vjd.  xd. 

j  leg  moton ;  vj  places ;  vj  pegions ;  ^'  doz,  larkes ;  salt  and  sause ;  butter  and  eggs, 
&c.,  &c.,  &c. 

2  H 


242  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

as  hors  d'oeuvres,  for  Eandle  Holme,  in  his  instructions  tow  to  ar- 
range a  dinner,  (in  that  omnium  gatherum,  "  Academy  of  Armory,") 
mentions  oranges  and  lemons  as  the  first  item  of  the  second  course. 
At  all  events,  they  were  abundant  enough  in  1559,  for  on  May 
day  of  that  year  the  revellers  "  at  the  queen's  plasse  at  West- 
mynster  shott  and  threw  eges  and  orengs  on  argaynst  ar-nodur."* 
In  an  "Account  of  several  Gardens  near  London,"  in  1691,  t 
Beddington  Gardens  are  mentioned — ^then  in  the  hands  of  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  but  belonging  to  the  Carew  family — as  having 
in  it  the  best  oranges  in  England.  The  orange  and  lemon  trees 
grew  in  the  ground,  "  and  had  done  so  near  one  hundred  years, 
the  house  in  which  they  were  being  above  200  feet  long.  Each 
of  the  trees  was  about  13  feet  high,  and  generally  full  of  fruit, 
producing  above  10,000  oranges  a  year."  Sir  William  Temple's 
oranges  at  Sheen  are  also  praised.  It  is,  indeed,  a  pity  that  this 
plant  has  so  much  gone  out  of  fashion ;  for,  besides  being  always 
green,  it  bears  fruit  and  flowers  all  the  year  round,  both  appearing 
at  the  same  time.  The  flowers  have  a  delicious  smell ;  the  can- 
died petals  impart  a  very  fine  flavour  to  tea,  if  a  few  of  them  are 
infused  with  it ;  whilst  the  fruit  may  be  preserved  in  exactly  the 
same  manner  as  other  fruit.  The  sign  of  the  orange-tree  still 
occurs  at  Highgate,  Birmingham  j  the  Lemon  Tkee  at  Beacon 
Street,  Lichfield. 

The  Olive  Tree  was  a  common  Italian  warehouse  sign,  but 
was  occasionally  used  by  other  shops.  Amongst  the  tokens  in 
the  Beaufoy  Collection,  there  is  the  "  Olfa  Tree,  Singon  Strete," 
an  example  of  the  liberties  taken  with  our  language  on  the  old 
tokens,  as  this  stands  for  the  Olive  Tree  in  St  John's  Street.  The 
usefulness  of  the  olive  tree  made  it  in  very  early  times  a  symbol 
of  peace.  In  1503  it  was  the  sign  of  Henry  Estienne,  a  book- 
seller and  printer  at  the  end  of  the  Kne  de  St  Jean  Beauvais, 
otherwise  Clos  Bruneau,  in  Paris.  This  firm,  for  several  genera- 
tions, continued  the  leading  publishers  and  printers  in  Paris. 
Sauval,  who  wrote  in  1650,  says  that  in  his  time  the  olive  tree, 
carved  in  stone,  was  still  to  be  seen  in  the  front  of  the  house. 
Here  Francis  I.,  in  1539,  visited  Eobert  Estienne,  grandson  of 
the  founder  of  the  firm,  in  his  workshops ;  and  to  give  him  a 
proof  of  his  favour,  conferred  upon  him  the  title  of  Printer  to 
the  King  for  Latin  and  Hebrew ;  and  presented  him  with  those 

*  Machyn's  Diary.  ♦  ArchBoIogia,  voL  xii. 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.  243 

beautiful  letters  wHcli  Estienne  proudly  mentions  on  his  title- 
pages  :  "  Ex  officina  Koberti  Stephani,  typograpM  regii,  ty^ns 
regiis." 

The  Vine,  or  tie  Bunch  of  Gkapes,  is  a  very  natural  sign  at  a 
place  where  wine  is  sold.  The  last  particularly  was  almost  inse- 
parable from  every  tavern,  and  was  often  combined  with  other 
objects — 

"  Without  there  hangs  a  noble  sign. 
Where  golden  grapes  in  image  shine ; 
To  crown  the  bush,  a  little  Punch- 
Out  Bacchus  dangling  of  a  bunch. 
Sits  loftily  enthron'd  upon 
What 's  called  (in  miniature)  a  Tun." 

Compleat  Vintner:  London,  1720,  p.  86. 

The  Bunch  op  Caerots,  at  Hampton  Bishop,  Hereford,  is 
probably  meant  as  a  joke  upon  the  Bunch  of  Grapes.  Bagford, 
in  a  letter  to  his  brother  antiquary,  Leland,  *  says  : — 

"  I  have  often  thought,  and  am  now  fully  perswaded,  that  the  planting 
of  vines  in  the  adjacent  parts  about  this  city,  was  first  of  all  begun  by  the 
Bomans,  an  industrious  people,  and  famous  for  their  skill  in  agriculture 
and  gardening,  as  may  appear  from  their  rei  agrarice  scriptores,  as  well  as 
from  Pliny  and  other  authors.  We  had  a  vineyard  in  East  Smithfield,  an- 
other in  Hatton  Garden,  (which  at  this  time  is  called  Vine  Street,)  and  a 
third  in  St  Giles-in-the-Fields.  +  Many  places  in  the  country  bear  the 
name  of  the  Vineyard  to  this  day,  especially  in  the  ancient  monasteries,  as 
Canterbury,  Ely,  Abingdon,  &o.,  which  were  left  as  such  by  the  Eomans." 

In  Bede's  time  vineya,rds  were  abundant ;  and  still  later,  tithes 
on  wine  were  common  in  Gloucester,  Kent,  Surrey,  and  the 
adjacent  counties.  Winchester  was  famous  for  its  vineyards  in 
olden  times,  for  Eobert  of  Gloucester,  in  summing  up  the  various 
commodities  of  the  English  counties,  says  : — 

"  And  London  ships  most,  and  wine  at  Winchester." 

The  Isle  of  Ely  was  called  Isle  des  Vignes,  and  the  tithe  on 
the  vines  yielded  as  much  as  three  or  four  tuns  of  wine  to  the 
bishop.  Even  in  Richard  II.'s  time,  the  Little  Park  at  Windsor 
was  used  as  a  yineyard  for  the  home  consumption ;  and  the  vale 
of  Gloucester,  according  to  William  of  Malmesbury,  produced,  in 

*  Prefixed  to  Collectanea,  1770,  p.  Ixxv. ;  there  is  also  a  paper  on  Vines  in  England  in 
Archaeologia,  i.  p.  321 ;  and  Roach  Smith's  Collectanea  Antigua,  voL  vi.,  p.  78,  ei  se2. 
may  be  consulted  with  advantage  upon  this  subject. 

t  Curiously  enough,  until  about  1820,  a  public-hoase,  the  sign  of  the  Vine,  in  Dobie 
Street,  St  G-iles,  occupied  the  very  site  assigned  to  this  vineyard  in  Domesday  Eook. 
A.D  1070. 


244  ^-^-^  HISTORY  OP  SIGNBOARDS. 

the  twelfth  century,  as  good  a  wine  as  many  of  the  provinces  of 
France ;  this  county,  in  fact,  produced  the  best  wine  : — 

"  There  is  no  province  in  England  hath  so  many  or  such  good  vineyards 
as  this  county,  [Gloucester,]  either  for  fertility  or  sweetness  of  the  grape ; 
the  wine  whereof  earrieth  no  unpleasant  tartness,  being  not  much  inferior 
to  French  in  sweetness."  * 

From  the  household  expenses  of  Eichard  de  Swinfield,  Bishop 
of  Hereford,  (1289-1290,)  it  appears  that  the  white  wine  was  at 
that  period  chiefly  home-grown,  whilst  the  greater  proportion  of 
red  wine  was  imported  from  abroad.  Even  as  late  as  the  last 
century  wine  was  made  in  England  :  Faulknert  quotes  the  fol- 
lowing memorandum  from  the  MS.  notes  of  Peter  Collinson  : — 

"  October  1 8, 1765. — I  went  to  see  Mr  Roger's  vineyards  at  Parson's  Crreen 
[at  Fulham]  all  of  Burgundy  grapes,  and  seemingly  all  perfectly  ripe ;  I 
did  not  see  a  green,  half -ripe  grape  in  aU  this  quantity.  He  does  not  expect 
to  make  less  than  fourteen  hogsheads  of  wine.  The  branches  and  fruit  are 
remarkably  large,  and  the  wine  very  strong. " 

Grosley  J  mentions  a  vineyard  at  Cobham,  belonging  to  a  Mr 
Hamilton,  of  about  half  an  acre,  planted  with  Burgundian  vines; 
but  the  wine  it  produced  wUl  cause  nobody  to  regret  that  the 
culture  has  been  abandoned,  for  "  it  was  a  liquor  of  a  darkish 
gray  color ;  to  the  palate  it  was  like  verjuice  and  vinegar  blended 
together  by  a  bad  taste  of  the  soil"  This  description,  enough  to 
set  the  teeth  on  edge,  is  most  likely  true,  and  gives  us  the  reason 
why  English  wine  came  to  be  abandoned. 

As  the  vine  was  set  up  as  a  sign  in  honour  of  wine,  so  the  Hop- 
pole,  or  the  Hop  and  Baeleycoen,  the  Baelet  Mow,  the  Bar- 
ley Stack,  the  Malt  and  Hops,  and  the  Hopbine,  are  very 
general  tributes  of  honour  rendered  to  beer.  In  many  ale-houses 
a  bunch  of  hops  may  be  seen  suspended  in  some  conspicuous 
place. 

The  Pine-apple,  in  the  end  of  the  last  and  the  beginning  of 
this  century,  was  generally  the  emblem  adopted  by  confectioners, 
though  not  exclusively,  for  it  was  the  sign  of  an  eating-house  in 
New  Street,  Strand,  at  which  Dr  Johnson,  on  his  first  coming  to 
town,  used  to  dine. 

"  I  dined  very  well  for  eightpence,  with  very  good  company,  at  the  Pine- 
apple in  New  Street,  just  by.  §    Several  of  them  had  travelled;  Uiey  expected 

*  Hollinshcd's  Description  of  Britain,  p.  3, 

t  Faulkner,  Antiquities  of  Kensington.  J  Grosley,  vol.  I.,  p.  83. 

8  He  lived  then  in  Exeter  Street,  at  a  slav-maker'B.  BosvreU's  Jolmson :  London. 
1819,  p.  67.  -■  J  ", 


FLOWERS,  ThEEa,  HERBS,  ETC.  245 

to  meet  every  day,  but  did  not  know  one  another's  names.  It  used  to  cost 
the  rest  a  shilling,  for  they  drank  wine ;  but  I  had  a  cut  of  meat  for  six- 
pence, and  bread  for  a  penny,  and  gave  the  waiter  a  penny ;  so  that  I  was 
quite  weU  served,  nay,  better  than  the  rest,  for  they  gave  the  waiter 
nothing." 

The  pine-apple  was  first  known  at  tte  discovery  of  America,  and 
was  preserved  in  sugar  as  early  as  1556.  The  first  pine-apple  was 
brought  from  Santa  Cruz  to  the  West  Indies,  thence  to  the  East 
Indies  and  China.  Lady  Mary  Wortley  Montagu,  writing  in 
October  1716,  informs  her  sister  that  she  had  been  at  a  supper  of 
the  King  of  Hanover,  "  where  there  were,"  says  she,  "  what  I 
thought  worth  all  the  rest,  two  ripe  ananas,  which,  to  my  taste, 
are  a  fruit  perfectly  delicious.  You  know  they  are  naturally  the 
growth  of  Brazil,  and  I  could  not  imagine  how  they  came 
there,  but  by  enchantment."  Upon  inquiry  she  learned  that  they 
had  been  forced  in  stoves  or  hot-houses,  and  is  "  surprised  we 
do  not  practise  in  England  so  useful  an  invention.''  It  was  not 
tUl  the  end  of  the  last  century  that  they  were  introduced  into 
English  gardens,  having  been  brought  over  from  hot-houses  in 
HoUand ;  and  from  that  time  seems  to  date  their  introduction  on 
the  signboard.     It  is  still  in  general  use  with  pubKc-houses. 

Of  the  Fig  Tree  there  are  several  examples  among  the  London 
trades  tokens,  some  of  them,  no  doubt,  grocers'  signs,  but  other 
trades  may  have  adopted  it,  either  in  allusion  to  the  test  of  every 
man  "  sitting  under  his  own  fig-tree,"  or  because  the  fig-tree  was  a 
sjrmbol  of  quiet  unassuming  industry;  as  such,  at  least,  Came- 
rarius  represents  it : — 

"  Verno  tempore  fious  arbor  speciosis  floribus  aut  fructuum  prEecocium 
abundantia  minime  sese  ostentat,  nullamque  inanem  hominibus  de  se  spem 
injicit :  in  autumno  autem  fruotus  suaviss.  ac  quidem  in  illis  reoonditos 
quasi  Acres  quosdam  proferre  solet."  * 

The  Almond  Tree  was  the  sign  of  John  Webster  in  St  Paul's 
Churchyard,  in  1663  ;  and  the  Peach  Tree  occurs  sometimes  as 
an  ale-house  sign,  as,  for  instance,  in  Nottingham.  Neither  of 
these  signs,  however,  are  of  frequent  occurrence. 

Not  only  fruit-trees  but  various  forest-trees  are  constantly  met 
with  on  the  signboard  :  thus  the  Green  Tree,  which  is  very  com- 
mon, originally  had  allusion  to  the  foresters  of  the  "  merry  green- 
wood," or  was  suggested  by  some  large  evergreen,  or  tree  shelter- 

*  "  In  spring-time  the  fig-tree  does  not  malce  any  show  of  beautiful  flowers  or  precocious 
fiTiit  to  deceive  manltind  with  idle  hope  ;  but  in  autumn  it  generally  produces  exceed- 
ingly sweet  fruit,  with  flowers  as  it  were  contained  within  them." — Joachiinus  Caraerarius, 
"  Syrnbolorum  Centuri<e  Quatitor"  1697,  Centur.  i.,  p.  18. 


246  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

ing,  or  standing  near  the  inn ;  of  tliis  green  tree  the  Geben  Seed- 
ling in  Chester  is  evidently  a  sprout.  Again,  in  Sheffield  there 
are  two  signs  of  the  Buent  Teee,  which  name  possibly  originated 
from  some  tree  having  been  damaged  in  a  fire,  and  becoming  a 
well-known  landmark.  The  Oak,  the  vigorous  emblem  of  our 
mighty  state,  is  deservedly  much  used  for  a  sign ;  sometimes  it  is 
called  the  Beitish  Oak.  At  Kilpeck,  in  Herefordshire,  the  fol- 
lowing rhyme  accompanies  it : — 

"  I  am  an  oak  and  not  a  yew, 
So  drink  a  cup  with  good  John  Pugh," 

Druidical  recollections  are  called  up  by  the  Oak  and  Ivy,  at  BU- 
Bton,  Stafford;  Hearts  of  Oak  is  the  material  out  of  which, 
according  to  the  song,  our  ships  and  seamen  are  constructed,  and 
therefore  well  deserves  the  favourite  place  it  occupies  amongst 
the  signboards  of  the  present  day ;  whilst  the  Acoen,  the  fruit  of 
the  British  oak,  is  nearly  as  common  as  the  other  oak  signs. 

Next  to  the  oak  the  Elm  seems  to  have  had  most  followers. 
From  the  trades  tokens  it  appears  that  the  Theee  Elms  was  the 
sign  of  Edward  Boswell  in  Chandos  Street,  in  1667  ;  and  also  of 
Isaac  EUiotson,  St  John  Street,  Clerkenwell.  Besides  these  there 
was,  about  the  same  date,  the  One  Elm,  and  the  Elm.  At  pre- 
sent we  have  the  Nine  Elms,  and  the  Queen's  Elm,  Brompton, 
which  is  mentioned  under  the  name  of  the  Queen's  Teee,  in  the 
parish  books  of  1586.  This  tree  is  said  to  derive  its  name  from 
the  fact  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  when  on  a  visit  to  Lord  Burleigh, 
being  caught  in  a  shower  of  rain,  and  taking  shelter  under  the 
branches  of  an  elm-tree,  then  growing  on  this  spot.  The  Seven 
Sisters,  the  sign  of  two  public-houses  in  Tottenham,  were  seven 
ehn-trees,  planted  in  a  circular  form,  with  a  walnut  tree  in  the 
middle  ;  they  were  upwards  of  500  years  old,  and  the  local  trar 
dition  said  that  a  martyr  had  been  burnt  on  that  spot.  They 
stood  formerly  at  the  entrance  from  the  high  road  at  Page  Green, 
Tottenham.  Within  the  last  twenty  years  they  have  been  removed. 
The  Chestnut,  the  Sycamoee,  the  Beech  Teee,  theEiE  Teee,  the 
Birch  Teee,  and  the  Ash  Teee,  all  occur  in  various  places  where 
ale-houses  are  built  in  the  shadow  of  such  trees.  The  Thorn 
Teee  is  peculiar  to  Derbyshire.  The  Buckthoen  Tree  was,  in 
1775,  the  sign  of  "  William  Blackwell  in  Covent  Garden,  or  at 
his  garden  in  South  Lambeth.''  He  had  chosen  this  sign  because 
he  sold,  amongst  other  herbs,  "huckthom  and  elder-berries,  besides 
leeches  and  vipers."    What  the  use  of  the  first  was  is  well  known; 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.  247 

as  for  the  vipers,  they  were  eaten  in  broth  and  soups,  before 
Madame  Eachel's  enamels  were  employed,  by  ladies  who  wished  to 
continue  "  young  and  beautiful  for  ever."  The  Crab  Teee,  our 
indigenous  apple-tree,  is  also  seen  in  a  great  many  places.  A 
house  in  Fulham,  with  that  name,  is  well  known  to  the  oarsmen 
on  the  Thames.  It  derives  its  denomination  from  a  large  crab- 
tree  growing  near  the  public-house,  which  gave  its  name  to  the 
whole  village.  The  Willow  Teee  is  very  rare ;  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  it  was  the  sign  of  a  shop  in  the  Old  Exchange, 
as  appears  from  a  trades  token,  but  what  business  was  carried  on 
under  this  gloomy  sign  does  not  appear.  Fuller,  in  his  Worthies, 
(voce  Cambridgeshire,)  says  of  wiUows  : — 

"  A  sad  tree  whereof  such  who  have  lost  their  love  make  them  mourning 
garlands;  and  we  know  that  exiles  hung  their  harps  upon  such  doleful 
supporters ;  the  twiggs  hereoff  are  physick  to  drive  out  the  foUy  of  children. 
Let  me  add  that  if  green  ash  may  burn  before  a  queen,  withered  willows 
may  be  allowed  to  burn  before  a  lady." 

As  an  attribute  of  forsaken  love  it  is  of  constant  occurrence  in 
old  plays  : — 

"  Sylli.  If  you  forsake  me, 
Send  me  word,  that  I  may  provide  a  willow  garlani 
To  wear  when  I  drown  myself." 

Massimgee's  Maid  of  Honour,  a.  iv.  s.  5, 1631. 

And  in  the  same  play  Sylli,  who  thinks  himself  the  preferred 
lover,  says  to  his  rival : — 

"  You  may  cry  willow,  willow  1" — IKd.,  a.  v.  u.  1. 

Shakespeare  uses   the  same  emblem  frequently,  particularly  in 
Desdemona's  famous  wUlow  song.    There  is  a  quaint  ballad  which 
an  old  Northumberland  woman  used  to  sing,  but  which  we  hava 
never  seen  in  print :  it  begins  as  follows  : — 
"  Toung  men  are  false,  and  they  are  so  deceitful : 
Young  men  are  false,  and  they  seldom  will  prove  true ; 
For  wi'  wrangling  and  jangling,  their  minds  are  always  changing. 
They  're  always  seeking  for  some  pretty  girl  that 's  new. 

It 's  all  round  my  hat,  I  will  wear  a  green  willow. 
It 's  all  round  my  hat  for  a  twelvemonth  and  a  day ; 
If  any  one  should  ask  you  the  reason  why  I  wear  it, 
Oh !  tell  them  I  have  been  slighted  by  my  own  true  love." 

Douce,  in  his  "  Blustrations  to  Shaiespeare,"  says : — This  tree  might 
have  been  chosen  as  the  symbol  of  sadness  from  the  verse  in 
Psalm  cxxxvii.  :  "  We  hanged  our  harps  upon  the  willows  in  tha 


248  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

midst  thereof ;"  or  else  from  a  coincidence  between  the  weeping 
willow  and  falling  tears.  Another  reason  has  been  assigned :  the 
Agnus  castus  or  vitex  was  supposed  by  the  ancients  to  promote 
chastity,  "  and  the  willow  being  of  a  much  like  nature,"  says  an 
old  writer,  "  it  is  yet  a  custom  that  he  which  is  deprived  of  his 
love  must  wear  a  willow  garland." — Swan's  Speculum  Mundi, 
ch.  vi.  sec.  4.     1635. 

The  frequency  of  the  sign  of  the  Yew  Tkeb  is  not  to  be  attri- 
buted to  its  association  with  the  churchyard,  but  to  its  being  the 
wood  from  which  those  famous  bows  were  made  that  did  such 
execution  at  Agincourt  and  Poictiers,  and  wherever  the  English 
armies  trod  the  field  before  the  invention  of  gunpowder.  So  great 
was  the  patronage  our  early  kings  granted  to  the  practice  of  the 
bow,  that  the  patten-makers,  by  an  Act  of  Parliament  of  4  Henry 
v.,  were  forbidden,  under  a  penalty  of  S.5,  to  use  in  their  craft  any 
kind  of  wood  fit  to  make  arrows  of. 

The  Cotton  Tree  is  a  sign  generally  put  up  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  cotton  factories,  as  at  Manchester.  The  Palm  Teee  is 
one  of  the  oldest  symbols  known  :  it  was  used  as  such  by  the 
Assyrians,  the  Greeks,  the  Romans,  and  by  them  transmitted  to 
the  early  Christians.  St  Ambrosius,  in  a  very  forcible  image, 
compares  the  Hfe  of  an  early  and  faithful  Christian  to  the  pahn 
tree,  rough  and  rugged  below,  like  its  stem,  but  increasing  in 
beauty  upwards,  where  it  bears  heavenly  fruit.  It  might  also 
illustrate  a  more  homely  truth,  namely,  that  business  cannot 
flourish  without  patronage  and  custom  ;  thus,  Camerarius  says : — 

"  Inter  alias  multas  eingulares  proprietates  quaa  scriptorea  rerum  natur- 
alimu  Falmse  attribuunt,  ista  son  postrema  est,  quod  hsec  arbor  non  facile 
cresoat,  nisi  radiis  solaribus  opt.  foveatur  neo  non  humore  aliquo  conveni- 
ente  irrigetur."* 

The  Cocoa  Tree  was  frequently  the  sign  of  chocolate-houses 
when  that  beverage  was  newly  imported  and  very  fashion- 
able. One  of  the  most  famous  was  in  St  James'  Street ;  it  was, 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  strictly  a  Tory  house  : — "  A  Whig 
will  no  more  go  to  the  Cocoa  Tree,  or  Ozinda's,  [another  chocolate- 
house  in  the  same  neighbourhood,]  than  a  Tory  will  be  seen  at  the 
coffee-house  of  St  James'. ''t     Deep  play  was  the  order  of  the  day 

*  "  Among  the  many  curious  properties  which  the  writers  on  natural  history  attribute 
to  the  palm  tree,  it  is  not  one  of  the  least  singular  that  this  tree  cannot  well  thrive  unless 
it  be  properly  basked  by  the  beams  of  the  sun,  and  watered  by  some  neighbouring  stream." 
— J.  Camerarius,  "  Centuria"  i.,  1697. 

■f'  Defoe's  Journey  through  England,  p.  168. 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.  249 

in  that  as  ifi  all  other  fashionable  resorts  at  the  end  of  the  last 
century.     Walpole,  in  1780,  wrote  to  one  of  his  friends  : — 

"  Within  this  week  there  has  been  a  cast  at  hazard  at  the  Cocoa  Tree,  tho 
difference  of  which  amounted  to  an  hundred  and  four  score  thousand  pounds. 
Mr  O'Bime,  an  Irish  gamester,  had  won  £100,000  off  a  young  Mr  Harvey, 
of  Chigwell,  just  started  from  a  midshipman  into  an  estate  by  his  elder 
brother's  death.  O'Birne  said,  '  You  can  never  pay  me  ? '  'I  can,'  said 
the  youth,  'my  estate  will, sell  for  the  debt.'  'No,'  said  0.,  'I  will  win 
ten  thousand,  you  shall  throw  for  the  odd  ninety.'  They  did,  and  Harvey 
won."  ■* 

It  afterwards  became  a  club,  of  which  Byron  was  a  member. 
This  gambling  seems  to  have  been  inseparable  from  the  chocolate- 
houses.     Roger  North,  attorney-general  to  James  II.,  says, — 

"  The  use  of  coffee-houses  seems  newly  improved  by  a  new  invention  called 
Chocolate-houses,  for  the  benefit  of  lodks  and  cullies  of  all  the  quality, 

where  gaming  is  added  to  all  the  rest,  and  the  summons  of  wh seldom 

fails  :  as  if  the  devil  had  erected  a  new  university,  and  those  were  the  col- 
leges of  its  professors,  as  well  as  his  school  of  discipline."  t 

Chocolate  was  known  in  Germany  as  early  as  1624:,  when  Joan 
Franz.  Raucb  wrote  a  treatise  against  that  beverage  and  the  monks. 
In  England,  however,  it  seems  to  have  been  introduced  much 
later,  for  in  1657  it  was  advertised  as  a  new  drink  : — 

"  TN  BISHOPSGATE  STREET,  in  Queen's  Head  Alley,  at  a  French- 
JL    man's  house,  is  an  excellent  West  India  drink  called  Chocolate  to  ba 
sold,  where  you  may  have  it  ready  at  any  time,  and  also  unmade,  at  reason- 
able rates." J 

It  is  amusing  to  observe  the  fluctuating  reputation  of  chocolate 
on  its  first  introduction.  Mm«.  de  SSvign^  in  her  letters,  gives 
many  proofs  of  it ;  at  one  time  she  fervently  recommends  it  to 
her  daughter  as  a  perfect  panacea,  at  other  times  she  is  as  violently 
against  it,  and  puts  it  down  as  the  root  of  all  evil 

The  Coffee  House  is  the  now  inappropriate  sign  of  a  gin- 
palace  in  Chalton  Street,  Somers  Town.  Early  in  the  last  cen- 
tury this  neighbourhood  was  a  delightful  rural  suburb,  with  fields 
and  flower  gardens.  A  short  distance  down  the  hill  was  the  then 
famous  Bagnigge  Wells,  and  close  by  were  the  remains  of  Totten- 
Hall,  with  the  Adam  and  Eve  tea-gardens,  and  the  so-called  King 
John's  Palace.  Many  foreign  Protestant  refugees  had  taken  up 
their  residence  in  this  suburb,  on  account  of  the  retirement  it 
afforded,  and  the  low  rates  asked  for  the  smaU.  houses.     "  Thb 

*  Horace  Walpole's  Letters  to  Mr  Mann,  February  6, 1780. 
f  As  quoted  iu  Disraeli's  Curiosities  of  Literature,  il.  p.  326. 
J  PuWdc  Advertiser,  Tuesday,  June  16-22,  1657. 

J*  1 


250  THE  HI8T0R  Y  OF  SIQNBOA  BDS. 

Coffee  House  "  was  then  the  popular  tea  and  coffee-gardens  of 
the  district,  and  was  visited  by  the  foreigners  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, as  well  as  the  pleasure-seeking  Cockney  from  the  distant 
city.  There  were  other  public-houses  and  places  of  entertainment 
near  at  hand,  but  the  specialty  of  this  establishment  was  its 
coffee.  As  the  traffic  increased,  it  became  a  posting-house,  unit- 
ing the  business  of  an  inn  to  the  profits  of  a  pleasure  garden. 
Gradually  the  demand  for  coffee  fell  off,  and  that  for  malt  and 
spirituous  liquors  increased.  At  present  the  gardens  are  all  buUt 
over,  and  the  old  gateway  forms  part  of  the  modem  bar ;  but 
there  are  aged  persons  in  the  neighbourhood  who  remember  Sun- 
day-school excursions  to  the  place,  and  pic-nic  parties  from  the 
crowded  city,  making  merry  here  in  the  grounds. 

The  Holly  Bush  is  a  common  public-house  sign  at  the  present 
day.  Among  the  London  trades  tokens  there  isone  of  the  Hand  and 
Holly  Bush  at  Templebar,  evidently  the  same  inn  mentioned  in 
1708  by  Hatton,  "  on  the  north  side,  and  about  the  middle  of  the 
backside  of  St  Clements,  near  the  churcL"  *  This  combination 
with  the  hand  does  not  seem  to  have  any  very  distinct  meaning, 
and  apparently  arose  simply  from  the  manner  of  representing  ob- 
jects in  those  days,  as  being  held  by  a  hand  issuing  from  a  doud. 
Adorning  houses  and  churches  at  Christmas  with  evergreens  and 
holly  is  a  very  ancient  custom,  supposed,  like  some  others  of  our 
old  customs,  to  be  derived  from  the  Druids.  Formerly  the  streets 
also  appear  to  have  been  decked  out,  for  Stow  tells  us  that 

"  Against  the  feast  of  Christmas  every  man's  house,  as  also  the  parish 
churches,  were  decked  with  holme,  ivy,  and  bayes,  and  whatsoever  the 
season  of  the  year  afforded  to  be  given.  The  conduits  and  standards  in  the 
streets  were  likewise  garnished." 

Thus  flowers,  fruit  trees,  and  forest  trees  were  represented  on  the 
signboard,  and  with  them  even  the  homely  but  useful  tenants  of 
the  kitchen  garden  found  a  place.  The  Artichoke,  above  aU, 
used  to  be  a  great  favourite,  and  still  gives  a  name  to  some  public- 
houses.  As  a  seedsman's  sign  it  was  common  and  rational;  not  so 
for  a  milliner,  yet  both  among  the  Bagford  and  Banks's  shopbUls 
there  are  several  instances  of  its  being  the  sign  of  that  business; 
thus  : — 

"  Susannah  Fordham,  att  the  H  abtiohoake,  in  ye  Royal  Exchange,"  in  the 
reign  of  Queen  Anne,  sold  "  all  sorts  of  fine  poynts,  laces,  and  linnens,  and 
all  sorts  of  gloves  and  ribons,  and  all  other  sorts  of  millenary  wares.'  "  + 

•  Hatton's  New  View  of  London,  1708,  p.  Sa.  t  Bagford  Bills. 


FLOWERS,  TREES,  HERBS,  ETC.  251 

Probably  the  novelty  of  the  plant  had  more  than  anything  else 
to  do  with  this  selection;  for  though  it  was  introduced  in  this 
country  in  the  reign  of  King  Henry  VIII.,  yet  Evelyn  observes  : — 

"  'Tis  not  very  long  since  this  notle  thistle  came  first  into  Italy,  improved 
to  this  magnitude  by  culture,  and  so  rare  in  England  that  they  were  com- 
monly sold  for  a  crowne  a  piece."  * 

The  Cabbage  is  an  ale-house  sign  at  Hunslet,  Leeds,  and  at  Liver- 
pool, and  Cabbage  Hah,  opposite  Chaney  Lane,  on  the  road  to 
the  Lunatic  Asylum,  Oxford,  was  formerly  the  name  of  a  public- 
house  kept  by  a  tailor ;  but  whether  he  himself  had  christened  it 
thus,  or  his  customers  had  a  sly  suspicion  that  it  owed  its  origin  to 
cabbaging,  history  has  omitted  to  record.  .Another  public-house, 
higher  up  the  hill,  was  known  by  the  name  of  Cateepillae  Hall, 
a  name  clearly  selected  in  compliment  to  Cabbage  Hall,  inti- 
mating that  it  meant  to  draw  away  the  customers  from  Cabbage 
Hall,  in  other  words,  that  the  caterpillar  would  eat  the  cabbage. 
The  OxNOBLE,  a  kind  of  potato,  is  the  name  of  a  public-house  in 
Manchester,  and  the  homely  mess  of  Pease  and  Beans  was  a  sign 
in  Norwich  in  1750.t  The  Theeb  Eadishes  was,  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  a  common  nursery  and  market  gardener's  sign  in 
Holland.  There  was  one  near  Haarlem,  to  which  was  added  a 
representation  of  Christ  appearing  to  Mary  Magdalene  in  the 
garden,  with  this  rh3rme — 

"  Christus  vertoont  men  hier 
N"a  zyn  dood  in  verryzen, 
Alseen  groot  hovenier 
Die  ieder  cen  moet  pryzen. 
Dit  *s  in  de  drie  Radyzen.'*  X 

Another,  near  Gouda,  had  a  stiU  more  absurd  inscription : — 
"  Adam  en  Eva  leefden  in  den  Paradyze 
Zelden  aten  zy  stokvisoh  maar  veel  warmoes,  kropsla  en  radyzen. 
Hier  vindt  gy  allerley  aardgewas  om  menschen  m§e  te  spyzeu."  § 

The  Wheatsheap  is  an  extremely  common  inn,  pubKc-house, 
and  baker's  sign ;  it  is  a  charge  in  the  arms  of  these  three  corpora- 

*  Evelyn's  Miscellaneous  Writings,  p.  735.  f  Qent.  Mao-,  March  1842. 

X  "  Christ  is  represented  here 

After  his  death  and  resurrection, 
As  a  great  gardener 
Whom  every  body  must  praise. 
This  is  at  the  Three  Badishes." 
I  ' '  Adam  and  Eve  lived  in  Paradise, 

They  rarely  ate  stock  fish,  but  a  great  deal  of  hotchpotch,  lettuce,  and  radishes. 
All  sorts  of  vegetables  sold  here  for  human  food." 
A  similarly  dull  joke  occurs  in  an  old  English  comedy,  *'Law  Tricks,"  by  John  Day, 
1608.     "1  have  heard  old  Adam  was  an  honest  man  and  a  good  gardener,  loved  lettuc* 
well,  salads  and  cabbage  reasonably  well,  yet  no  tobacco." 


252  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOJRD.S. 

tions,  besides  that  of  the  brewers.  In  the  middle  of  Farringdon 
Street,  opposite  the  vegetable  market,  is  Wheatsheaf  Yard,  once  a 
famous  waggon  inn,  which  also  did  a  roaring  trade  in  wine,  spirits, 
and  Fleet  Street  marriages.  Indeed,  most  of  the  large  inns  within 
the  liberties  of  the  Fleet  served  as  "  marriage  shops"  between  1734 
and  1749  ;  amongst  the  most  famous  were  the  Buix  xm>  Gaetbb, 
the  Hoop  and  Bunch  of  Geapes,  the  Bishop  Blaize  and  Two 
Sawyeks,  the  Fighting  Cocks,  and  numerous  others.  The  gate- 
way entrance  to  the  old  coach-yard  is  adorned  with  very  fine  carv- 
ings of  wheat  ears  and  lions'  heads  intermixed,  finished  in  a  manner 
not  unworthy  of  Grinling  Gibbons  himself. 

The  Oatsheaf  is  very  rare ;  it  was  the  sign  of  a  shop  in  Cree 
Church  Lane,  LeadenhaU  Street,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  as 
appears  from  a  trades  token ;  but  this  seems  the  only  instance  of 
the  sign. 

With  these  plants  we  may  also  class  Tobacco,  that  best  abused 
of  all  weeds.  Sometimes  we  see  a  pictorial  representation  of  the 
Tobacco  plant,  but  most  usually  it  occurs  in  the  form  of  To- 
bacco BOLLS,  representing  coils  of  the  so-called  spun  or  twist 
tobacco,  otherwise  pigtail,  for  the  sake  of  ornament,  painted  brown 
and  gold  alternately.  Decker,  in  his  "  Gull's  Hornbook,"  men- 
tions Roll  Trinidado,  leaf,  and  pudding  tobacco,  which  probably 
were  the  three  sorts  smokers  at  that  day  preferred.  That  it  was 
used  mixed  may  be  conjectured  from  the  introduction  to  "  Cin- 
thia's  Revels,"  a  play  by  Ben  Jonson ;  one  of  the  interlocutors 
says, — "  I  have  my  three  sorts  of  tobacco  in  my  pocket." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS  SIGNS. 

The  earlier  signs  were  frequently  representations  of  the  most 
important  article  sold  in  tlie  shops  before  wMch  they  hung.  The 
stocking  denoted  the  hosier,  the  gridiron  the  ironmonger,  and  so 
on.  The  early  booksellers,  whose  trade  lay  chiefly  in  religious 
books,  delighted  in  signs  of  saints,  but  at  the  Eeformation  the 
Bible  amongst  those  classes,  to  whom  tOl  then  it  had  been  a 
sealed  book,  became  in  great  request,  and  was  sold  in  large  num- 
bers. Then  the  booksellers  set  it  up  for  their  sign ;  it  became 
the  popular  symbol  of  the  trade,  and  at  the  present  moment  in- 
stances of  its  use  stiU.  linger  with  us.  There  was  one  day  in  the 
year,  St  Bartholomew's,  the  24th  of  August,  when  their  shops 
displayed  nothing  but  Bibles  and  Prayer-books.  It  is  not  im- 
possible that  this  may  have  been  originally  intended  for  a  mani- 
festation against  Popery,  since  it  was  the  anniversary  of  the 
dreadful  Protestant  massacre  in  Paris  in  1572.  The  following, 
however,  is  the  only  allusion  we  have  met  with  relating  to  this 
custom  : — "  Like  a  bookseller's  shop  on  Bartholomew  day  at 
London,  the  stalls  of  which  are  so  adorned  with  Bibles  and 
Prayer-books,  that  almost  nothing  is  left  within  but  heathen 
knowledge."* 

One  of  the  last  Bible  signs  was  about  twenty  years  ago,  at  a 
public-house  in  Shire  Lane,  Temple  Bar.  It  was  an  old  estab- 
lished house  of  call  for  printers. 

The  Bible  being  such  a  common  sign,  booksellers  had  to  "  wear 
their  rue  ynth.  a  difference,"  as  Ophelia  says,  and  adopt  different 
colours,  amongst  which  the  Blue  Bible  was  one  of  the  most 
common.  "  Prynne's  Histrio-Mastrix  "  was  "  printed  for  Michael 
Sparke,  and  sold  at  the  Blue  Bible,  in  Green  Arbour  Court,  Little 
Old  Bailey,  1632."  This  blue  colour,  so  common  on  the  sign- 
board, was  not  chosen  without  meaning,  but  on  account  of  its 
symbolic  virtue.  Blue,  from  its  permanency,  being  an  emblem 
of  truth,  hence  Lydgate,  speaking  of  Delilah,  Samson's  mistress, 
in  his  translation  from  Boccacio,  (MS.  Harl.  2251,)  says — 

"  Insteade  of  ilea,  which  steadfaste  is  and  dene, 
She  weraed  colours  of  many  a  diverse  grene." 

*  New  Essays  and  Characterfi,  by  John  Stephens  the  youngefj  of  Lincohi'a  Inn,  Gent. 
London,  1631,  p.  221. 


254  ^^^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

It  also  signified  piety  and  sincerity.     Bandle  Holme*  says — 

"  This  colour,  ilev),  doth  represent  the  sky  on  a  clear,  sun-shining  day, 
when  all  clouds  are  exiled.  Job,  speaking  to  the  busy  searchers  of  Qod's 
mysteries,  saith  (Job  xi.  17,)  '  That  then  shall  the  residue  of  their  lives  be 
as  clear  aa  the  noonday.'  Which  to  the  judgment  of  men  (through  the 
pureness  of  the  air)  is  of  azure  colour  or  light  blew,  and  signifieth  piety  and 


Other  booksellers  chose  the  Theee  Bibles,  which  was  a  very 
common  sign  of  the  trade  on  London  Bridge  in  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  ;  of  one  of  them,  Charles  Tyne,  trades  tokens 
are  extant, — great  curiosities  to  the  numismatist,  as  booksellers 
were  not  in  the  habit  of  issuing  them.  The  sign  of  the  Three  Bibles 
seems  to  have  originated  from  the  stationers'  arms,  which  are 
arg.  on  a  chevron  between  three  bibles,  or.  a  falcon  volant  between 
two  roses,  the  Holy  Ghost  in  chief.  One  bookseller,  on  account 
of  his  selling  stationery,  also  added  three  inlcbottles  to  the  fe,vourite 
three  Bibles,  as  we  see  from  an  advertisement,  giving  the  price  of 
playing  cards  in  1711  : — 

"  CJOLD  by  Henry  Parson,  Stationer  at  the  Thkee  Bibles  aud  Three  Ink- 
|5  BOTTLES,  near  St  Magnus'  Church,  on  London  Bridge,  the  best  princi- 
pal superfine  Picket  Cards,  at  2s.  6d.  a  dozen ;  the  best  principal  Ombro 
Cards,  at  2s.  9d.  a  dozen ;  the  best  principal  superfine  Basset  Cards,  at 
8s.  6d.  a  dozen ;  with  all  other  Cards  and  Stationery  Wares  at  Beasonable 
Rates."  t 

Combinations  of  the  Bible  with  other  objects  were  very  com- 
mon, some  of  them  symbolic,  as  the  Bible  and  Ceown,  which 
sign  originated  during  the  political  troubles  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
I.  It  was  at  this  time  when  the  clergy  and  the  court  party  con- 
stantly tried  to  convince  the  people  of  the  divine  prerogative  of 
the  Crown,  that  the  "  Bible  and  Crown "  became  the  standing 
toast  of  the  Cavaliers  and  those  opposed  to  the  Parliament  leaders. 
As  a  sign  it  has  been  used  for  a  century  and  a  half  by  the  firm  of 
Rivington  the  publishers.  The  old  wood  carving,  painted  and 
gilt  in  the  style  of  the  early  signs,  was  taken  down  from  over  the 
shop  in  Paternoster  Bow  in  1853,  when  this  firm  removed  west- 
ward. .  It  is  still  in  their  possession.  Cobbett,  the  political 
agitator  and  publisher,  in  the  beginning  of  this  century  chose  the 
sign  of  the  Bible,  Crown,  and  Constitution  ;  but  the  general 
tenor  of  his  life  was  such,  that  his  enemies  said  he  put  them  up 
merely  that  he  might  afterwards  be  able  to  say  he  had  pulled 

*  Handle  Holme,  "  Academy  of  Armour  and  Blazon,"  p.  62. 
1  Postman,  Feb.  1-S,  1711. 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  255 

them  down.  A  Bible,  Sceptee,  and  Ceown,  carved  in  wood, 
may  still  be  seen  on  the  top^f  an  ale-house  of  that  name  in  High 
Holbom.  The  crown  and  sceptre  in  this  case  are  placed  on  two. 
closed  Bibles. 

The  Bible  aitd  Lamb,  i.e.,  the  Holy  Lamb,  we  find  mentioned 
in  an  advertisement  in  the  Publich  Advertiser,  March  1,  1759 — 
"  rpO  BE  HAD  at  the  Bible  and  Lamb,  near  Temple  Bar,  on  the  Strand 

X     Side,  the  Skin  for  Pains  in  the  Limbs,  Price  23." 

Books  also  were  sold  here,  for  in  those  days  booksellers  and 
toyshops  were  the  usual  repositories  for  quack  medicines. 

The  Bible  and  Dote,  i.e.,  the  Holy  Ghost,  was  the  sign  of 
John  Penn,  bookseller,  over  against  St  Bride's  Church,  Fleet 
Street,  1718  ;  and  the  Bible  and  Peacock,  the  sign  of  Benjamin 
Crayle,  bookseller,  at  the  west  end  of  St  Paul's,  in  1688.  If  not 
a  combination  of  two  signs,  the  bird  may  have  been  added  on 
account  of  its  being  the  type  of  the  Eesurrection,  in  which  quality 
it  is  found  represented  in  the  Catacombs,  a  symbolism  arising 
from  the  supposed  incorruptibility  of  its  flesh.*  Various  other 
combinations  occur,  as  the  Bible  and  Key.  Eowland  HaU,  a 
printer  of  the  sixteenth  century,  had  for  his  sign  the  Hale  Eagle 
AND  Key,  (see  Heraldic  Signs,)  of  which  the  Bible  and  Key  may 
be  a  free  imitation.  It  was  the  sign  of  B.  Dod,  bookseller,  in 
Ave  Maria  Lane,  1761 ;  whilst  the  Golden  Key  and  Bible  was 
that  of  L.  Stoke,  a  bookseller  at  Charing  Cross,  1711.  The 
"  Bible  and  Key  "  is  also  the  name  of  a  certain  Coscinomanteia, 
somewhat  similar  to  the  Sortes  VirgUianse.  This  method  of 
divination  was  performed  in  two  ways,  in  the  first,  (stated  by 
Matthew  of  Paris  to  have  been  frequently  practised  at  the  election 
of  bishops,)  the  Bible  was  opened  on  the  altar,  and  the  predic- 
tion taken  from  the  chapter  which  first  caught  the  eye  on  opening 
the  book ;  the  other  was  by  placing  two  written  papers,  one 
negative,  the  other  aflSrmative,  of  the  matter  in  question,  under 
the  paU  of  the  altar,  which,  after  solemn  prayers,  was  believed 
would  be  decided  by  divine  judgment.  Gregory  of  Tours  men- 
tions another  method  by  the  Psalms.t 

*  "Notandum  quoq.  eius  (pavonis)  carnem  quod  D.  Au^stinus  quoq.,  lib.  xxi.  da 
civitate  Dei,  cap.  iii.,  et  Isidorus,  lib.  xii.,  affirmant  non  putrescere." — Cainerarius,  Cen- 
tur.y  iii.  20,  1697.  How  to  make  this  agree  with  Skelton's  idea  it  is  not  veiy  easy  to 
explain — 

•'  Then  sayd  the  Pecocke, 
All  ye  well  wot, 
I  sing  not  musycal. 
For  my  breast  is  decay'd." — SkeUorCt  Armony  of  Birds. 
t  See  Fosbrooke's  Encyclopasdia  of  Antiquities,  vol  ii.,  p.  673. 


256  THE  HISTOR  Y  OF  8I0NB0A  EDS. 

At  the  present  day  "  Bible  and  Key  "  divinations  are  often  at- 
tempted by  those  who  believe  in  fortune-telling  and  vaticinations. 
The  method  adopted  is  as  follows  : — A  key  is  placed,  with  the  bow 
or  handle  sticking  out,  between  the  leaves  of  a  Bible,  on  Kuth 
i.  16: 

■'   A  ND  RUTH  said,  Intreat  me  not  to  leave  thee,  or  to  return  from  fol- 
£i_    lowing  after  thee :  for  whither  thou  goest,  I  will  go ;   and  where 
thou  lodgest,  I  will  lodge ;  thy  people  shall  be  my  people,  and  thy  God  my 
God." 

The  Bible  is  then  firmly  tied  up,  most  effectually  with  a  garter, 
and  balanced  by  the  bow  of  the  key  on  the  fore-fingers  of  the 
right  hands  of  two  persons,  the  one  who  wishes  to  consult  the 
oracle,  the  other  any  person  standing  near.  The  book  is  then 
addressed  with  these  words — "  Pray,  Mr  Bible,  be  good  enough 

to  tell  me  if or  not  T'     If  the  question  be  answered  in  the 

affirmative  the  key  will  swing  round,  turn  off  the  finger,  and  the 
Bible  fall  down  ;  if  in  the  negative,  it  will  remain  steady  in  its 
position.  Not  only  upon  matrimonial,  but  upon  all  sorts  of 
questions,  this  oracle  may  be  consulted. 

Further  combinations  are  the  Bible  and  Son.  The  Sxjn  was 
the  sign  of  Wynkyn  de  Worde,  and  the  printers  that  succeeded 
him  in  his  house.  It  may,  however,  in  this  combination  have 
been  an  emblem  of  the  Sun  of  Truth,  or  the  Light  of  the  World. 
It  was  the  sign  of  J.  Newberry,  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  the 
publisher  of  Goldsmith's  "Vicar of  Wakefield;"  also  of  C.  Bates, 
near  Pie  Comer ;  and  of  Richard  Reynolds,  in  the  Poultry,  both 
ballad  printers  in  the  times  of  Charles  IL  and  William  III. 
Then  there  is  the  Bible  and  Ball,  a  sign  of  a  bookseller  in 
Ave  Maria  Lane  in  1761,  who  probably  hung  up  a  Globe  to 
indicate  the  sale  of  globes  and  maps ;  and  the  Bible  and  Dial, 
over  against  St  Dunstan's  Church,  Fleet  Street,  in  1720,  was  the 
sign  of  the  notorious  Edmund  CurU,  who  was  pilloried  at  Charing 
Cross,  and  pUloried  in  Pope's  verses.  The  Dial  was,  in  all  likeli- 
hood, a  sun-dial  on  the  front  wall  of  his  house. 

Of  the  Apocryphal  Books  there  is  only  one  example  among  the 
signboards,  viz.,  Bel  and  the  Dkagon,  which  was  at  one  time 
not  uncommon,  more  particularly  with  apothecaries.  It  was  re- 
presented by  a  BeU  and  a  Dragon,  as  appears  from  the  Spectator, 
No.  28.  "  One  Apocryphical  Heathen  God  is  also  represented 
by  this  figure  [of  a  Bell],  which,  in  conjunction  with  the  Dragon, 
makes  a  very  handsome  picture  in  several  of  our  streets."     Al- 


PLATE  XVII. 


HAT  AND  BEAVER. 
(Banks's  Collection,  1750.) 


SWAN  WITH  TWO  NECKS. 
(Banks's  Collection,  17B5.) 


HARROW  AND  DOUBLET. 
(Banks's  Collection,  1700.) 


MAN  IN  THE  MOON. 
(Vine  Street,  Regent  Street ;  modem.) 


THE  A?E. 
(Stone  carviuK,  Philip    Lnne,  Barbican,  1670.) 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  257 

though  at  the  first  glance  this  sign  seems  taken  from  the  doubtful 
books  of  the  Old  Testament,  stiJl  there  ia  nothing  in  the  Apocry- 
phal book  which  could  in  any  way  prompt  the  choice  of  it  for  a 
signboard.  After  all,  it  may  possibly  be  only  a  combination,  or 
corruption,  of  two  other  signs.  There  still  remain  a  few  public- 
houses  which  employ  it, — as  in  Worship  Street ;  at  Cookham, 
Maidenhead;  at  Norton  in  the  Moors,  &c.,  whilst  in  Boss  Street, 
Horsely  Down,  there  is  a  variation  in  the  form  of  the  Bell  and 
Geipfin.  From  a  handbill  of  Topham,  the  Strong  Man,*  we  see 
that  it  was  vulgarly  called  the  King  Astyages  Arms,  for  no  better 
reason  than  because  King  Astyages  is  the  first  name  in  the  story  : 
the  incident  related  in  the  Book  of  Bel  and  the  Dragon  having 
taken  place  after  his  death. 

A  very  common  sign  of  old,  as  well  as  at  present,  is  the  Adam 
AND  Eve.  Our  first  parents  were  constant  dramatis  personce  in 
the  mediaeval  mysteries  and  pageants,  on  which  occasions,  with 
the  naivete  of  those  times.  Eve  used  to  come  on  the  stage  exactly 
in  the  same  costume  as  she  appeared  to  Adam  before  the'Eall.t 
The  sign  was  adopted  by  various  trades,  including  the  publishers 
of  books,  as  we  may  see  from  the  following  quaint  title  : — 
"  k  PROTESTANT  Picture  of  Jesus  Christ,  drawn  in  Scripture  colours, 
J\_  both  for  light  to  sinners  and  delight  to  saints.  By  Tho.  Sympson, 
M.A.,  Preacher  of  the  Word  at  Loudon.  Sold  by  Edw.  Thomas  at  the  Adam 
and  Eve,  in  Little  Britain.     1662." 

In  Newgate  Street  there  yet  remains  an  old  stone  sign  of  the 
Adam  and  Eve,  with  the  date  1669.  Eve  is  represented  handing 
the  apple  to  Adam,  the  fatal  tree  is  in  the  centre,  round  its  stem 
the  serpent  winding.     It  was  the  arms  of  the  fruiterers'  company. 

There  is  still  an  Adam  and  Eve  pubhc-house  in  the  High  Street, 
Kensington,  where  Sheridan,  on  his  way  to  and  from  Holland 
House,  used  to  refresh  himseK,  and  in  this  way  managed  to  run 
up  rather  a  long  bUl,  which  Lord  Holland  had  to  pay  for  him. 
A  still  older  place  of  public  entertainment  was  the  Adam  and 
Eve  Tea-gardens,  in  Tottenham  Court  Road,  part  of  which  was 
the  last  remaining  vestige  "  of  the  once  respectable,  if  not  mag 
nificent,  manor-house  appertaining  to  the  Lords  of  Tottenhall." 
Richardson,  in  1819,  said  that  the  place  had  long  been  celebrated 
as  a  tea-garden ;  there  was  an  organ  in  the  long  room,  and  the 
company  was  generally  respectable,  tUl  the  end  of  last  century, 

*  For  particulars  of  Topham,  the  Strong  Man,  see  under  Historical  Signs. 

t  This  sta1:ement  is  made  on  the  authority  of  Hone,  in  his  "Ancient  Mysteries." 
Boubts,  howerer,  hare  been  expressed  as  to  the  accuracy  of  his  data  upon  thi«  particuiaz 
subject.  2  K 


258  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

when  highwa3anen,  footpads,  pickpockets,  and  low  women,  be- 
ginning to  take  a  fancy  to  it,  the  magistrates  interfered.  The 
organ  was  banished,  and  the  gardens  were  dug  up  for  the  founda- 
tion of  Eden  Street.  In  these  gardens  Lunardi  came  down  after 
his  unsuccessful  balloon  ascent  from  the  Artillery  ground.  May 
16,  1783.  Hogarth  has  represented  the  Adam  and  Eve  in  the 
March  of  the  Guards  to  Finchley.  Upon  the  signboard  of  the 
house  is  inscribed,  "  Tottenham  Court  Nursery,"  in  aRusion  to 
Broughton's  Amphitheatre  for  Boxing,  erected  in  this  place.  How 
amusing  is  this  advertisement  of  the  great  Professor  s  "  Nur- 
sery : " — 

"  From  the  Oynamsium  at  Tottenham  Court 
on  Thursday  next  at  Twelve  o\lock  vnU  begin  : 
A  lecture  on  Manhood  or  Gymnastic  Physiology,  wherein  the  whole  Theory 
and  Practice  of  the  Art  of  Boxing  wiU  be  fuUy  explained  by  various 
Operators  on  the  animal  (Economy  and  the  Principles  of  Clhampionism, 
illustrated  by  proper  Experiments  on  the  Solids  and  Fluids  of  the  Body ; 
together  with  the  True  Method  of  investigating  the  Nature  of  all  Blows, 
Stops,  Cross  Buttocks,  etc.,  incident  to  Combatants.  The  whole  leading 
to  the  most  successful  Method  of  beating  a  Man  dea^  dumb,  lame,  and 
blind. 

by  Thokas  Smailwood,  A.M., 
Gymnasiagt  of  St.  OAea, 

and 

Thomas  Dimmock,  A.M., 

Athleta  of  Southwarh, 

(Both  fellows  of  the  Athletic  Society.) 

*,'  The  Syllabus  or  Cpmpendium  for  the  use  of  students  in  Athleticks, 
referring  to  Matters  explained  in  this  Lecture,  may  be  had  of  Mr  Pro- 
fessor Broughton  at  the  Crown  in  Market  Lane,  where  proper  instructions 
in  the  Art  and  Practice  of  Boxing  are  delivered  without  Loss  of  Eye  or 
Limb  to  the  student." 

The  tree  with  the  forbidden  fruit,  always  represented  in  the 
sign  of  Adam  and  Eve,  leads  directly  to  the  Fiaminq  Sword, 
"  which  turned  every  way  to  keep  the  way  of  the  tree  of  life." 
Being  the  first  sword  on  record,  it  was  not  inappropriately  a 
cutler's  sign,  and  as  such  we  find  it  in  the  Banks  Collection,  on 
the  shop-bill  of  a  sword  cutler  in  Sweeting's  Alley,  Koyal  Ex- 
change, 1780.  It  is  less  appropriate  at  the  door  of  a  public- 
house  in  Nottingham,  for  the  landlord  evidently  cannot  desire  to 
keep  anybody  out,  whether  saint  or  sinner.  The  vessel  by  which 
the  life  of  the  first  planter  of  the  vine  was  preserved,  certainly 
well  deserves  to  decorate  the  tavern  :  hence  Noah's  Ark  is  not 
an  uncommon  public-house  sign,  though  it  looks  very  like  a  sar- 
castic reflection  on  the  mixed  crowd  that  resort  to  the  house, — not 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIOIOVS.  259 

to  escape  the  "  heavy  wet,"  as  the  animals  at  the  Deluge,  but  in 
order  to  obtain  some  of  it.  Toy-shops  also  constantly  use  it, 
since  Noah's  Ark  is  generally  the  favourite  toy  of  children. 
Evelyn,  in  1644,  mentions  a  shop  near  the  Palais  de  Justice  in 
Paris : 

"  Here  is  a  shop  called  Noah's  Ark,  where  are  sold  all  ouriositiea,  natural 
or  artificial,  Indian  or  European,  for  luxury  or  use,  as  cabinets,  sheila,  ivory, 
porcelain,  dried  fishes,  insects,  birds,  pictures,  and  a  thousand  exotic  extra- 
vagances." 

The  Deluge  was  one  of  the  standard  subjects  of  mediaeval  dra- 
matic plays.  In  the  third  part  of  the  Chester  Whitsun  plays,  for 
instance,  -Noah  and  the  Flood  make  a  considerable  item ;  and  at 
a  much  later  period  the  same  subject  was  exhibited  at  Bartholomew 
Fair.     A  bill  of  the  time  of  Queen  Annet  informs  us  that — 

"AT  Ceawlet's  Booth,  over  against  the  Crown  Tavern  in  Smithfield, 
£^  during,  the  time  of  Bartholomew  Fair,  will  be  presented  a  little 
Opera,  called  the  Old  Creation  of  the  World,  yet  newly  revived,  with  the 
addition  of  Noah's  Flood;  also  several  fountains  playing  water  during  the 
time  of  the  play.  The  last  scene  presents  Noah  and  his  family  coming  out 
of  the  Ark,  with  all  the  beasts,  two  by  two,  and  all  the  fowls  of  the  air, 
seen  in  a  prospect,  sitting  upon  trees.  Likewise  over  the  Ark  is  seen 
the  sun  rising  in  a  most  glorious  manner :  moreover,  a  multitude  of  angels 
will  be  seen,  in  a  double  rank,  which  presents  a  double  prospect — one  for 
the  sun,  the  other  for  a  palace,  where  will  be  seen  6  angels  ringing  of 
bells,  etc." 

The  Deluge  was  the  mystery  performed  at  Whitsuntide  by  the 
company  of  dyers  in  London,  and  from  this  their  sign  of  the 
Dote  and  Eainbow  might  have  originated,  unless  it  were  adopted 
by  them  on  account  of  the  various  colours  of  the  rainbow.  On 
the  bill  of  John  Edwards,  a  sUk-dyer  in  Aldersgate  Street,  the 
Dove,  with  an  oUve  branch  in  her  mouth,  is  represented  flying 
underneath  the  Rainbow,  over  a  landscape,  with  villages,  fenced 
fields,  and  a  gentleman  in  the  costume  of  the  reign  of  Charles 
II.  Besides  this  there  are  various  other  dyers'  bills  with  the  sign 
of  the  Dove  and  Rainbow,  both  among  the  Bagford  and  Banks 
Collections.  A  few  public-houses  at  the  present  day  still  keep 
up  the  memory  of  the  sign ;  there  is  one  at  Nottingham,  and 
another  in  Leicester. 

"Abraham  OFrEKiNO  his  Son"  was  the  sign  of  a  shop  in 
Norwich  in  1750.  A  stone  bas-relief  of  the  same  subject  (Ze 
Sacnjice  d'Ahrahani)  is  still  remaining  in  the  front  of  a  house  in 

*  Diary  of  John  Evelyn,  Feb.  3,  1684.  t  Bagford  Collection,  Bib.  Harl,  693L 


26o  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

the  Rue  des  Pretres,  Lille,  France.  A  Dutch  wood-merchant,  in 
the  seventeenth  century,  also  put  up  this  sign,  and  illustrated  its 
appKcation  by  the  following  rhyme  : — 

"  'T  Hout  is  gehakt,  opdat  men  't  zou  branden, 
Daarom  is  dit  in  Abram's  Offerhande. "  * 

Thus,  though  the  wood  of  the  sacrifice  played  a  very  insignificant 
part  in  the  story,  yet  the  simple  mention  of  it  was  enougli  to 
make  it  a  fit  subject  for  a  Dutchman's  signboard.  We  have  a 
similar  instance  in  Jacob's  Well,  which  is  common  in  London,  as 
well  as  in  the  country.  The  allusion  here  is  to  the  well  at  which 
Christ  met  the  woman  of  Samaria,  who  said  to  him  : 
"  A  ET  thou  greater  than  our  father  Jacob,  which  gave  us  the  weD,  and 
£^  drank  thereof  himself,  and  liis  children,  and  his  cattle  1  Jesus  an- 
swered and  said  unto  her.  Whosoever  drinketh  of  this  water  shall  thirst 
again,"  {S.  John  iv.  12.) 

How  cruelly  these  words  apply  to  the  gin-tap,  at  which  genera- 
tion after  generation  drink,  and  after  which  they  always  thirst 
again.  Not  unlikely  the  English  use  of  this  sign  dates  from  the 
Puritan  period,  t  Not  always,  however,  had  the  sign  any  direct 
relation  to  the  trade  of  the  inmate  of  the  house  which  it  adorned ; 
as,  for  example,  Moses  and  Aaeon,  which  occurs  on  a  trades 
token  of  Whitechapel.  In  allusion  to  this,  or  a  similar  sign, 
Tom  Brown  says',  "  Other  amusements  presented  themselves  as 
thick  as  hops,  as  Moses  pictured  with  horns,  to  keep  Gheapside 
in  countenance."  %  Even  the  Dutch  shopkeeper,  whose  imagina- 
tion was  generally  so  fertile  in  finding  a  religious  subject  appro- 
priate as  his  trade  sign,  was  at  a  loss  what  to  do  with  Moses ; 
for  a  baker  in  Amsterdam,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  put  up  the 
sign  of  Moses,  with  this  inscription  : 

"  Moses  wierd  gevist  in  het  water, 
Die  hier  waar  haalt  krygt  vry  gist,  een  Paasohbrood, 
En  op  Korstyd  een  Deuvekater,"  § 
In  London,  however,  the  use  of  this  sign  may  at  first  have  been 
suggested  by  the  statues  of  Moses  and  Aaron  that  used  to  stand 
above  the  balcony  of  the  Old  Guildhall.     Connected  with  the 
history  of  Moses,  we  find  several  other  signs,  one  in  particular, 

*  "  The  wood  is  cut  in  order  to  be  burned. 
Therefore  is  this  Abraham's  sacrifice." 
\  Jacob's  Ikk  is  mentioned  bj  Hatton,  1708,  "  on  the  east  side  of  Bed  Cross  Street 
near  the  middle." 

i   "  Amusements  for  the  Meridian  of  London,"  1706. 

§  "  Moses  was  found  in  the  water. 

Whosoever  purcliases  his  bread  here  shall  have  yeast  for  nousrtiL 

Besides  a  cuirant-loaf  at  Euster,  and  a  si'ice-calte  at  Christmas  time." 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  ubl 

mentioned  by  Ned  Ward  as  the  Old  Pharaoh  in  the  town  of 
Barley,  in  Cambridgeshire.  It  was  so  named,  says  he,  "  from  a 
stout,  elevating  malt  liquor  of  the  same  name,  for  which  this 
liouse  had  been  long  famous."*  Why  this  beer  was  called 
Pharaoh,  Ned  Ward  does  not  seem  to  have  known ;  but  a  story  in 
the  county  is  current  that  it  was  so  named  because  the  beer,  lite 
the  Egyptian  king  of  old,  "  would  not  let  the  people  go  !"  It  is 
now  no  longer  .drunk  in  England,  but  a  certain  strong  beer  of  the 
same  name  is  still  a  favourite  beverage  in  Belgium.  Next,  in 
chronological  order,  connected  with  the  history  of  Moses,  foUows 
the  Beazen  Serpent,  the  sign  of  Kejmold  Wolfe,  a  bookseller 
and  printer  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  1544,  and  also  of  both  his 
apprentices,  Henry  Binneman  and  John  Shepperde.  It  had  pro- 
bably been  imported  by  the  foreign  printers,  for  it  was  a  favourite 
amongst  the  early  French  and  German  booksellers.  At  the  pre- 
sent day  it  is  a  public-house  sign  in  Eichardson  Street,  Bermond- 
sey.  What  led  to  the  adoption  of  this  emblem  was  not  the 
historical  association,  but  the  mystical  meaning  which  it  had  in 
the  middle  ages  : — 

"  A  serpent  torqued  with  a  long  cross ;  others  blazon  Christ,  supporting 
the  brazen  serpent,  because  it  was  an  anti-type  of  the  passion  and  death  of 
our  Saviour  ;  for  as  Moses  lifted  up  the  serpent  in  the  wilderness,  so  must 
the  Son  of  Man  be  lifted  up,  (Num.  xxi.  8,  9 ;  John  iii.  1 4,)  that  all  that 
behold  him,  by  a  lively  faith,  may  not  perish,  but  have  everlasting  life. 
This  is  the  cognizance  or  crest  of  every  true  believer,"  f 

The  idea  was  no  doubt  borrowed  from  the  Biblia  Pauperum. 
The  Balaam's  Ass,  again,  was  one  of  the  dramatis  personal  in 
the  Whitsuntide  mystery  of  the  company  of  cappers,  (cap-makers,) 
and  this  is  the  only  reason  we  can  imagine  for  his  having  found 
his  way  to  the  signboard.  It  occurs  in  1722  in  a  newspaper 
paragraph,  concerning  a  child  bom  without  a  stomach,  the  details 
of  which  are  too  nauseous  to  be  introduced  here.J 

The  Two  Spies  is  the  last  sign  belonging  to  the  history  of 
Moses;  it  represents  two  of  the  spies  that  went  into  Canaan, 
"  and  cut  down  from  thence  a  branch  with  one  cluster  of  grapes, 
and  they  bare  it  between  two  upon  a  staff,"  (Num.  xiii.  23.)  This 
bunch  of  grapes  made  it  a  favourite  with  publicans ;  at  many 
places  it  may  still  be  seen,  as  in  Catherine  Street,  Strand,  (a  house 
of  old  standing ;)  in  Long  Acre,  &c.  In  Great  Windmill  Street, 
Leicester  Square,  it  has  been  corrupted  into  the  Three  Spies. 

•  "A  step  to  Stirbitch  Pair,"  1703.  t  Eandle  Holme,  B.  ii.,  oh.  xviii. 

}    Widdy  JoarnaX^  Au^ruBt  4,  1722. 


262  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

After  Moses  there  is  a  blank  until  we  come  to  Samson,  to  whom 
our  national  admiration  for  athletic  sports  and  muscular  strength 
has  given  a  prominent  place  on  the  signboard.  Samson  and 
THE  Lion  occurs  on  the  sign  of  various  houses  in  London  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  as  appears  from  the  trades  tokens.  It  is  stiU 
of  frequent  occurrence  in  country  towns,  as  at  Dudley,  Coventry, 
&c.  It  was  also  used  on  the  Continent.  In  Paris  there  is,  or 
was,  not  many  years  ago,  a  della  Eobhia  ware  medallion  sign  in 
the  Kue  des  Dragons,  with  the  legend  "  le  Fort  Samson,'^  repre- 
senting the  strong  man  tearing  open  the  Hon.  To  a  sign  of  Sam- 
son at  Dordrecht,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  the  following  satiri- 
cal inscription  had  been  added  : — 

"  Toen  Samson  door  zyn  kracht  de  leeuw  belemmen  kon, 
De  Philistynen  sloeg,  de  voesen  overwon. 
Wiert  hy  nog  door  een  Vrouw  van  zyn  gezigt  beroofd, 
Gelooft  geen  vrouw  dan  of  zy  meet  zyn  zonder  hoofd."  * 

This  admiration  of  strong  men,  which  procured  the  signboard 
honours  to  Samson,  also  made  Goliah,  or  Golias,  a  great 
favourite.  In  the  Horse  Market,  Castle  Barnard,  he  is  actually 
treated  just  like  a  duke,  admiral,  or  any  other  pubhc-house  hero, 
for  there  the  sign  is  entitled  the  Goliah  Head.  Some  doubts,- 
however,  may  be  entertained  whether  by  Golias  or  Goliah,  (for 
the  name  is  spelt  both  ways,)  the  Philistine  giant  and  champion 
was  always  intended.  Towards  the  end  of  the  twelfth  century  there 
lived  a  man  of  wit,  with  the  real  or  assumed  name  of  Golias,  who 
wrote  the  '' Apoealypsis  GoUse,"  and  other  burlesque  verses.  He 
was  the  leader  of  a  jovial  sect  called  GoUardois,  of  which  Chaucer's 
Miller  was  one.  "  He  was  a  jangler  and  a  goUardeis."  Such  a 
person  might,  therefore,  have  been  a  very  appropriate  tutelary 
deity  for  an  alehouse,  t 

Goliah's  conqueror,  King  Dayid,  liberally  shared  the  honours 
with  his  victim,  and  he  stUl  figures  on  various  signboards. 
There  is  a  Ejng  David's  inn  in  Bristol,  and  a  Datid  and 

*  "  Though  Samson  by  his  strength  could  overcome  the  lion. 
Defeat  the  Philistines  and  master  the  foxes, 
Yet  a  woman  deprived  him  of  liis  sight ; 
Never,  therefore,  believe  a  woman  unless  she  has  no  head." 
This  alludes  to  the  G-OOD  Woman,  described  elsewhere  in  this  work. 
Samson's  history  was  not  only  painted  on  the  signboard,  but  also  sung  in  ballads,  "  to 
the  tune  of  the  Spanish  Pavin."    Amongst  the  Roxburgh  ballads  (voL  i.  fol.  366)  there 
is  one  entitled  "A  most  excellent  and  famous  ditty  of  Sampson,  judge  of  Israel,  how  hee 
wedded  a  Philistyne's  daughter,  who  at  length  forsooke  him  ;  also  how  bee  slew  a  lyon  and 
propounded  a  riddle,  and  after  how  hee  was  folsely  betrayed  by  Salila,  and  of  his 
death." 

t  See  Bibllographia  Britannica,  tio«  Qolias,  and  Wright's  History  of  Caricature. 


BIBLICAL  AND  EELIQIOUS.  263 

Harp  in  Limehouse ;  •whilst  in  Paris,  the  Eue  de  la  Harpe 
is  said  to  owe  its  name  to  a  sign  of  King  David  playing  on 
the  harp.  David's  unfortunate  son,  Absaiom,  was  a  peruke- 
maker's  very  expressive  emblem,  both  in  France  and  in  England, 
to  show  the  utility  of  wigs.  Thus  a  barber  at  a  town  in  North- 
amptonshire used  this  inscription : 
"  Absalom,  hadst  thou  worn  a  perriwig,  thou  hadst  not  been  hanged." 

Which  a  brother  peruke-maker  versified,  under  a  sign  represent- 
ing the  death  of  Absalom,  with  David  weeping.  He  wrote  up 
thus : 

"  Oh  Absalom !  oh  Absalom  I 
Oh  Absalom  !  my  son. 
If  thou  hadst  worn  a  perriwig, 
Thou  hadst  not  been  undone." 

Psalm  x1ii.  seems  to  be  very  profanely  hinted  at  in  the  sign  of 
the  White  Haet  and  Fountain,  Eoyal  Mint  Street,  which,  if 
not  a  combination  of  two  well-known  signs,  apparently  alludes  to 
the  words,  "  As  the  hart  panteth  after  the  water  brooks,  so  pant- 
eth  my  soul  after  thee,  O  God."  The  Panting  Habt  {het 
dorstige  Hert,  or  het  Heigent  Hert^  was  formerly  a  very  common 
beer-house  sign  in  Holland.  In  the  seventeenth  century  there 
was  one  with  the  following  inscription  at  Amsterdam  : — 

"  Gelyk  het  hert  by  frisch  water  sig  komt  te  verblyden, 
Komt  also  in  myn  buys  om  u  van  dorst  te  bevrydeu."  * 

Another  one  at  Leyden  had  the  following  rhyme  : — 
"  Gelyk  een  hart  van  jagen  moe  lust  te  drlnken  water  rein, 
Alyso  verkoopt  men  hier  tot  versterking  van  de  maag,  toebak,  bier  en 
Brandewyn."  f 

The  wise  king  Solomon  does  not  appear  to  have  ever  been 
honoured  with  a  signboard  portrait,  but  his  enthusiastic  admirer, 
the  Queen  of  Saba,  figured  before  the  tavern  kept  by  Dick 
Tarlton  the  jester,  in  Gracechurch  Street.  This  Queen  of  Saba, 
or  Sheba,  was  a  usual  figure  in  pageants.  There  is  a  letter  of 
Secretary  Barlow,  in  "  Nugae  Antiquae,"  telling  how  the  Queen  of 
Sheba  fell  down  and  upset  her  casket  in  the  lap  of  the  King  of 
Denmark — when  on  his  drunken  visit  to  James  I. — who  "  got  not 

*  "  Like  to  the  hart  which  comes  to  the  water  brook  to  refresh  himself. 
So  you  outer  my  house  to  quench  your  thirst." 
t  The  first  six  words  are  literally  the  beginning  of  the  psalm  in  the  Dutch  version, — 
"  jLike  a  hart  the  hunt  escaped,  wishes  for  the  limpid  water  brooks, 
So  there  is  here  tobacco,  beer,  and  brandy  for  sale  to  strengthen  the  stomach." 


264  THE  HISTORY  OF  SI0NB0ARD8. 

a  little  defiled  with  the  presents  of  the  queen ;    such  as  wine, 
cream,  jelly,  beverages,  cakes,  spices,  and  other  good  matters." 

Douce,  in  his  "  Illustrations  to  Shakespeare,"  has  a  very  in- 
genious explanation  for  the  sign  of  the  Bell  Savage,  as  derived 
from  the  Queen  of  Saba,  which  though  non  e  vero,  ma  ben  trovato. 
He  bases  his  argument  on  a  poem  of  the  fourteenth  century,  the 
"  Komaunce  of  Kyng  Alisaundre,"  wherein  the  Queen  of  Saba  is 
thus  mentioned : — 

"  In  heore  lond  is  a  cite, 

On  of  the  noblest  in  ChriBtiant^, 

Hit  hotith  Sabba  in  langage. 

Thence  cam  Sibdy  Savage. 

Of  all  the  world  the  fairest  queene. 

To  Jerusalem  Salomon  to  seone. 

For  hire  fair  head  and  for  hire  love, 

Salomon  forsok  his  God  above."  * 
Elisha's  Raven,  represented  with  a  chop  in  his  mouth,  is  the 
sign  of  a  butcher  in  the  Borough, — a  curious  conceit,  and  cer- 
tainly his  own  invention;  at  least  we  do  not  remember  any 
other  instance  of  the  sign.  This  tribute  is  certainly  very  disin- 
terested in  the  butcher,  for  if  there  were  any  such  ravens  now,  it 
is  probable  that  they  would  sadly  interfere  with  the  trade. 

Few  signs  have  undergone  so  many  changes  as  the  well-known 
Salutation.  Originally  it  represented  the  angel  saluting  the  Vir- 
gin Mary,  in  which  shape  it  was  stiU  occasionally  seen  in  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries,  as  appears  from  the  tavern  token 
of  Daniel  Grey  of  Holbom.  In  the  times  of  the  Commonwealth, 
however,  "  sacrarum  ut  humanarum  rerum,  heu  !  vicissitudo  est," 
the  Puritans  changed  it  into  the  Soldier  and  Citizen,  and  in 
such  a  garb  it  continued  long  after,  with  this  modification,  that  it 
was  represented  by  two  citizens  poKtely  bowing  to  each  other. 
The  Salutation  Tavern  in  Billingsgate  shows  it  thus  on  its  trades 
token,  and  so  it  was  represented  by  the  Salutation  Tavern  in 
Newgate  Street,  (an  engraving  of  which  sign  may  still  be  seen  in 
the  parlour  of  that  old  established  house.)  At  present  it  is 
mostly  rendered  by  two  hands  conjoined,  as  at  the  Salutation 
Hotel,  Perth,  where  a  label  is  added  with  the  words,  "  You  're 
welcome  to  the  city."  That  Salutation  Tavern  in  BUlingsgate 
was  a  famous  place  in  Ben  Jonson's  time  ;  it  is  named  in  "  Bar- 
tholomew Fayre  "  as  one  of  the  houses  where  there  had  been 
"  Great  sale  and  utterance  of  wine. 
Besides  beere  and  ale,  and  ipocraa  fine." 
"*  For  the  true  origin  of  this  sign,  Bee  under  AIisobllameous  Signs. 


BIBLICAL  AND  HELIGIOVS.  265 

During  the  civil  war  there  was  a  Salutation  Tavern  in  Holbom, 
in  which  the  following  ludicrous  incident  happened, — if  we  may 
believe  the  Royalist  papers  : — 

"  A  hotte  combat  lately  happened  at  the  Salutation  Taverne  in  Hol- 
burne,  where  some  of  the  Commonwealth  vermin,  called'  Boldiers,  had 
seized  on  an  Amazonian  Virago,  named  Mrs  Strosse,  upon  suspicion  of  being 
a  loyalist,  and  selling  the  Man  in  the  Moon ;  but  shee,  by  applying  beaten 
pepper  to  their  eyes,  disarmed  them,  and  with  their  own  swordes  forced 
them  to  aske  her  forgiveness;  and  down  on  their  mary  bones,  and  pledge 
a  health  to  the  king,  and  confusion  to  their  masters,  and  so  honourablie 
dismissed  them.  Oh !  for  twenty  thousand  such  gallant  spirits ;  when  you 
see  that  one  woman  can  beat  two  or  three."* 

At  the  end  of  the  last  century  there  was  a  Salutation  Tavern 
in  Tavistock  Eow,  called  also  "  Mr  Bunch's,"  which  was  one  of 
the  elegant  haunts,  patronised  by  "  the  first  gentleman  of  Europe," 
otherwise  the  Prince  Eegent.  Lord  Surrey  and  Sheridan  were 
generally  his  Eissociates  in  these  escapades.  The  trio  went  under 
the  pseudonyms  of  Blackstock,  Greystock,  and  Thinstock,  and 
disguised  in  bob  wigs  and  smockfrocks.  The  night's  entertain- 
ment generally  concluded  with  thrashing  the  "  Charlies,"  wrench- 
ing off  knockers,  breaking  down  signboards,  and  not  unfrequently 
with  being  taken  to  the  roundhouse. 

The  Salutation  in  Newgate  Street,  some  time  called  the  Salu- 
tation AND  Cat,  (a  combination  of  two  signs,)  was  haunted  by 
many  of  the  great  authors  of  the  last  century.  There  is  a  poetical 
invitation  extant  to  a  social  feast  held  at  this  tavern,  January  19, 
173f,  issued  by  the  two  stewards,  Edward  Cave  (of  the  Gentle- 
man's Magazine,)  and  William  Bowyer,  the  antiquary  and 
printer  : — 

"  Saturday,  January  1 7, 173f . 
"Sir, 

Tou're  desired  on  Monday  next  to  meet, 
At  Salutation  Tavern,  Newgate  Street, 
•Supper  will  be  on  table  just  at  eight. 
(Stewards)  one  of  St  John,  [Bowyer,]  t'other  of  St  John's 
Gate,  [Cave.]" 

Richardson  the  novelist  was  one  of  the  invitis.  He  returned 
a  poetical  answer,  too  long  to  quote  at  length  :  the  following  is 
part  of  it : — 

"  For  me,  I  'm  much  concem'd  I  cannot  meet 
At  Salutation  Tavern,  Newgate  Street. 
Your  notice,  like  your  verse,  (so  sweet  and' short !) 

•*  A  Royalist  paper,  entitled,  "  The  Man  in  the  Moon  discovering  a  world  of  wickedneef 
under  the  Sun,"  July  4, 1649. 

^  2L 


266  THE  HISTORY  OF  SiaNBOARDS. 

If  longer  I'd  sincerely  tha.nk'd  you  for  it. 
Howev'r,  receive  my  wishes,  sons  of  verse ! 
May  every  man  who  meets  your  praise  rehearse  I 
May  mirth  as  plenty  crown  your  cheerful  board  I 

And  every  one  part  happy, as  a  lord  ! 

That  when  at  home  by  such  sweet  verses  fir'd, 

Your  families  may  think  you  all  inspii'd. 

So  wishes  he,  who,  pre-engag'd  can't  know 

The  pleasures  that  would  from  your  meeting  flow." 

In  this  tavern  Coleridge  the  poet,  in  one  of  his  melancholy 
moods,  lived  for  some  time  in  seclusion,  until  found  out  by 
Southey,  and  persuaded  by  him.  to  return  to  his  usual  mode  of 
life.  Sir  T.  N.  Talfourd,  in  his  Life  of  Charles  Lamb,  informs  us 
that  here  Coleridge  was  in  the  habit  of  meeting  Lamb  when  in 
town  on  a  visit  from  the  University.  Christ's  Hospital,  their 
old  school,  was  within  a  few  paces  of  the  place  : — 

"When  Coleridge  quitted  the  University  and  came  to  town,  full  of 
mantling  hopes  and  glorious  schemes.  Lamb  became  his  admiring  disciple. 
The  scene  of  these  happy  meetings  was  a  little  public-house  called  the 
Salutation  and  Cat,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Smithfield,  where  they  used 
to  sup,  and  remain  long  after  they  had  '  heard  the  chimes  of  midnight.' 
There  they  discoursed  of  Bowles,  who  was  the  god  of  Coleridge's  poetical 
idolatry,  and  of  Bums  and  Cowper,  who  of  recent  poets — in  that  season  of 
comparative  barrenness — ^had  made  the  deepest  impression  on  Lamb; 
there  Coleridge  talked  of  '  fate,  free-will,  foreknowledge  absolute,'  to  one 
who  desired  *  to  find  no  end '  of  the  golden  maze ;  and  there  he  recited  his 
early  poems  with  that  deep  sweetness  of  intonation  which  sunk  into  the 
heart  of  his  hearers.  To  these  meetings  Lamb  was  accustomed,  at  all 
periods  of  his  life,  to  revert,  as  the  season  when  his  finer  intellects  were 
quickened  into  action.  Shortly  after  they  had  terminated,  vrith  Coleridge's 
departure  fiom  London,  he  thus  recalled  them  in  a  letter : — '  When  I  read 
in  your  little  volume  your  nineteenth  effusion,  or  what  you  call  "  The 
Sigh,"  I  think  I  hear  you  again.  I  imagine  to  myself  the  little  smoky 
room  at  the  Salutation  aTid  Cat,  where  we  have  sat  together  through  the 
■  winter  nights,  beguiling  the  cares  of  life  with  poesy.'  This  was  early  in 
1769,  and  in  1818,  when  dedicating  his  works — ^then  first  collected — to  his 
earliest  friend,  he  thus  spoke  of  the  same  meetings : — '  Som§  of  the  sonnets, 
which  shall  be  carelessly  turned  over  by  the  general  reader,  may  happily 
awaken  in  you  remembrances  which  I  should  be  sony  should  be  ever  totally 
extinct — the  memory  "  of  summer  days  and  of  delightful  years,"  even  so  far 
back  as  those  old  suppers  at  our  old  inn — when  life  was  fresh  and  topics 
exhaustless — and  you  first  kindled  in  me,  if  not  the  power,  yet  the  love  of 
poetry,  and  beauty,  and  kindliness.' " 

The  Angel  was  derived  from  the  Salutation,  for  that  it  ori- 
ginally 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 


-I 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  267 

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.  Among  the  famous  houses  vpith  this  sign, 
the  well-known  starting-place  of  the  Islington  omnibuses  stands 
foremost.  It  is  said  to  have  been  an  established  inn  upwards  of 
two  hundred  years.  The  old  house  was  pulled  down  in  1819  j 
tiU  that  time  it  had  preserved  all  the  features  of  a  large  country 
inn,  a  long  front,  overhanging  tiled  roof,  with  a  square  inn-yard 
having  double  galleries  supported  by  columns  and  carved  pilas- 
ters, vyith  caryatides  and  other  ornaments.  It  is  more  than  pro- 
bable that  it  had  often  been  used  as  a  place  for  dramatic  enter- 
tainments at  the  period  when  inn-yards  were  customarily  employed 
for  such  purposes.  "  Even  so  late  as  fifty  years  since  it  was  cus- 
tomary for  travellers  approaching  London,  to  remain  all  night  at 
the  Angel  Inn,  Islington,  rather  than  venture  after  dark  to  pro- 
secute their  journey  along  ways  which  were  almost  equally  dan- 
gerous from  their  bad  state,  and  their  being  so  greatly  infested 
with  thieves."*  On  the  other  hand,  persons  walking  from  the 
city  to  Islington  in  the  evening,  waited  near  the  end  of  John 
Street,  in  what  is  now  termed  Northampton  Street,  (but  was  then 
a  rural  avenue  planted  with  trees,)  until  a  suflScient  party  had 
collected,  who  were  then  escorted  by  an  armed  patrol  appointed 
for  that  purpose.  Another  old  tavern  with  this  sign  is  extant  in 
London,  behind  St  Clement's  Church  in  the  Strand.  To  this 
house  Bishop  Hooper  was  taken  by  the  Guards,  on  his  way  to 
Gloucester,  where  he  went  to  be  burnt,  in  January  1555.  .  The 
house,  until  lately,  preserved  much  of  its  ancient  aspect :  it  had  a 
pointed  gable,  galleries,  and  a  lattice  in  the  passage.  This  inn  is 
named  in  the  following  curious  advertisement : — 

"  rpO  BE  SOLD,  a  Black  Girl,  the  property  of  J.  B ,  eleven  years  of  age, 

\_  who  is  extremely  handy,  works  at  her  needle  tolerably,  and  speaks 
French  perfectly  well ;  is  of  excellent  temper  and  willing  disposition.  In- 
quire of  W.  Owen,  at  the  Angel  Inn,  behind  St  Clement's  Church,  in  the 
Strand." — Puilicle  Advertiser,  March  28,  1769. 

Older  than  either  of  these  is  the  Angel  Inn,  at  Grantham. 
This  building  was  formerly  in  the  possession  of  the  Knights 

*  Cromwell's  History  of  Clerkenwell,  p.  32, 


268  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Templars,  and  still  retains  many  remains  of  its  former  beauty, 
particularly  the  gateway,  with  the  heads  of  Edward  III.  and  his 
queen  Philippa  of  Hainault  on  either  side  of  the  arch ;  the  sof- 
fits of  the  windows  are  elegantly  groined,  and  the  parapet  of  the 
front  is  very  beautiful.  Kings  have  been  entertained  in  this 
house  ;  but  it  seemed  to  bring  ill  luck  to  them,  for  the  reigns  of 
those  that  are  recorded  as  having  been  guests  in  it,  stand  forth  in 
history  as  disturbed  by  violent  storms — King  John  held  his  court 
in  it  on  February  23,  1213  ;  King  Eichard  III.  on  October  19, 
1483  ;  and  King  Charles  I.  visited  it  May  17,  1633. 

Ben  Jonson,  it  is  said,  used  to  visit  a  tavern  with  the  sign  of 
the  Angel,  at  Basingstoke,  kept  by  a  Mrs  Hope,  whose  daughter's 
name  was  Prudence.  On  one  of  his  journeys,  finding  that  the 
house  had  changed  both  sign  and  mistresses,  Ben  wrote  the  follow- 
ing smart  but  not  very  elegant  epigram  : — 

"  When  Bope  and  Prudence  kept  this  house,  the  Angel  kept  the  door. 
Now  fiope  is  dead,  the  Angel  fled,  and  Prudence  turned  a  w ." 

The  Angel  was  the  sign  of  one  of  the  first  coffee-houses  in 
England,  for  Anthony  Wood  tells  us  that,  "  in  1650  Jacob,  a  Jew, 
opened  a  coffee-house  at  the  Angel,  in  the  parish  of  St  Peter, 
Oxon  ;  and  there  it  [coffee]  was  by  some,  who  delight  in  noveltie, 
drank."  Finally,  there  was  an  Angel  Tavern  in  Smithfield,  where  . 
the  famous  Joe  Miller,  of  joking  fame — a  comic  actor  by  profes- 
sion— ^used  to  play  during  Bartholomew  Fair  time.  A  playbill 
of  1722  informs  the  public  in  large  letters  that — 

"  MnjyEB  is  not  with  Pinkethman,  but  by  himself,  at  the  AugelTaveen, 
next  door  to  the  King's  Bench,  who  acts  a  new  Droll,  called  the  Faithful 
Couple  on  the  Kotal  Shephebdess,  with  a  very  pleasant  entertainment 
between  Old  Hob  and  his  Wife,  and  the  comical  humours  of  MoFST  sind 
Collin,  with  a  variety  of  singing  and  dancing. 
The  only  Comedian  now  that  dare, 
"Vie  with  the  world  and  challenge  the  Fair." 

In  France,  also,  the  sign  of  the  Angel  is  and  was  at  all  times, 
very  common.  The  Hotel  de  VAnge,  Rue  de  la  Huchette,  ap- 
pears to  have  been  the  best  hotel  in  Paris  in  the  sixteenth  cen- 
tury. It  was  frequently  visited  by  foreign  ambassadors :  those 
sent  by  Emperor  Maximilian  to  Louis  XII.  took  up  their  abode 
here  ;  so  did  the  ambassadors  from  Angus,  King  of  Achaia,  who, 
in  1552,  came  to  see  France,  much  in  the  same  way  as  various 
ambassadors  from  all  sorts  of  high  and  low  latitudes  occasionally 
honour  our  Court  with  a  visit.     ChapeUe,  a  French  poet  of  the 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  269 

seventeenth  century,  thus  celebrates  a  tavern  with  this  sign  in 
Paris,  frequented  by  the  wits  of  the  period  : — 

''  Je  n'ay  pas  vu  vostre  theS,tre 
Qa'ausBitot  je  reaaors  de  1^, 
Pour  un  Ange  que  j'idoia>tre, 
A  cause  du  bon  vin  qu'il  a."  * 

There  being,  then,  such  a  profusion  of  Angels  everywhere, 
it  became  necessary  to  make  some  distinctions,  and  the  usual 
means  were  adopted;  the  Angel  was  gilded,  and  called  the  Golden 
Angel  ;  this,  for  instance,  was  the  sign  of  EUis  Gamble,  a  gold- 
smith in  Cranboum  Alley,  Hogarth's  master  in  the  art  of  engrav- 
ing on  silver;  shop-bills  engraved  for  this  house  by  Hogarth  are 
stiQ  in  existence.  Another  variety  was  the  Guardian  Angel, 
which  is  still  the  sign  of  an  ale-house  at  Yarmouth.  This,  too, 
was  used  in  France,  as  we  find  VAnge  Gardien,  the  sign  of  Pierre 
Witte,  a  bookseller  in  the  Kue  St  Jacques,  Paris,  in  the  seven- 
teenth century. 

Very  common,  also,  were  the  Three  Angels,  which  may  have 
been  intended  for  the  three  angels  that  appeared  to  Abraham, 
or  simply  the  favourite  combination  of  three,  t  so  frequent  on  the 

*  "As  soon  as  I  had  seen  your  theatre  I  left  if^  to  go  to  an  Angel  whoml  adore  on  ac- 
count of  his  good  wine." 

f  Even  in  the  most  remote  periods  of  history  three  was  considered  a  mystic  number, 
and  regarded  with  reverence.  The  Assyrians  had  their  triads.  In  Ancient  Egypt  every 
town  or  district  had  its  own  triad,  which  it  worshipped,  and  which  was  a  union  of  cer- 
tain attributes,  the  third  member  proceeding  from  tlie  other  two.  Sir  Gai'diner 
Wilkinson,  in  hia  "Ancient  Egyptians,"  vol.  iv-,  ch,  xii.,  p.  230,  mentions  a  stone 
with  the  words  "one  Bail,  one  Athor,  one  Akori,  hail  father  of  the  world,  hail 
trifoi'mous  God."  Thorns,  in  his  "Dissertation  on  Ancient  Chinese  Vases,"  says: 
—"  The  Chinese  have  a  remarkable  preference  for  the  number  three ;  they  say  one 
produced  two,  two  produced  three,  and  three  produced  all  things.  There  is  some- 
thing remarkable  in  this  last  phrase ;  perhaps  it  conveys  an  Indistinct  idea  of  the 
Trinity.  The  Buddhists,  who  are  of  modern  date  in  China,  use  the  term  '  the  three 
precious  ones' — 'the  Deity  that  has  ruled,  the  ruling  Deity,  and  the  Deity  that  shall 
rule.'  The  Taore  sect  have  also  their  '  three  pui-e  ones.*  The  number  three  has  many 
associations,  as  the  three  bonds — a  prince  and  minister,  father  and  son,  husband 
and  wife ;  the  three  superintendents — the  treasurer,  judge,  and  collector  of  customs ; 
the  three  powers — heaven,  earth,  and  man,"  &c.  In  the  Hindoo  religion  combin- 
ations of  three  are  equally  frequent :  they  have  several  trimustis  or  trinities ;  three 
principal  deities,  Brahma,  Vishnu,  and  Mahadeva ;  another  triad  is  Brahma,  Vishnu, 
and  Siva,  or  matter,  spirit,  and  destruction  ;  there  are  three  plaited  locks  on  the  head 
of  Kadhai,  representing  a  mystical  union  of  three  principal  rivers,  Ganges,  Yamuna,  and 
Sarawati.  Siva  has  thi'ee  eyes;  the  sun  is  called  three-bodied;  the  triangle  with  the 
Hindoos  is  a  favourite  type  for  the  triune  co-equality,  hence  the  pentagram  (a  figui'e 
composed  of  two  equilateral  triangles,  placed  with  the  apex  of  the  one  towards  the  base 
of  the  other,  and  so  forming  six  triangles  by  the  intersections  of  their  sides)  is  in  great 
favour  with  them;  further,  they  use  three  mystic  letters  to  denote  their  deity;  have 
3x7  hells,  (seven  is  also  a  mystic  number  with  them  and  other  ancient  races,)  and 
many  other  combinations  of  three.  The  same  preference  for  this  number  is  observable 
in  the  Greek  and  Soman  mythology,  which  mentions  three  theocraties,  three  gi-aces, 
three  fates,  three  harpies,  three  syreus,  three  heads  of  Cerberus,  three  eggs  of  Leda,  Ac. 
And,  taking  3  as  a  unit,  3X3  muses,  3x4  piincipal  gods,  (Dii  Majores,)  3x4  labours 
of  Hercules,  &,c. 


270  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

signboard  and  in  heraldry.  That  three  angels  were  thought  to 
possess  mysterious  power,  is  evident  from  the  following  Devon- 
shire charm  for  a  bum  : — 

"  Three  Angels  came  from  the  north,  east,  and  west. 

One  brought  fire,  another  ice, 

And  the  third  brought  the  Holy  Ghost, 

So  out  fire — and  in  frost — 

In  the  name  of  Father,  Son,  and  Holy  Ghost." 

The  Three  Angels  was  a  very  general  linen-draper's  sign,  for 
which  there  seems  no  reason  other  than  that  the  long  flowing 
garments  in  which  they  are  generally  represented,  suggest  their 
having  been  good  customers  to  the  drapery  business. 

Angels  appear  in  combination  with  various  heterogenous  ob- 
jects, in  many  of  which,  however,  the  so-called  Angel  is  simply  a 
Cupid.  The  Aptgel  awd  Bjble  was  a  sign  in  the  Poultiy  in 
1680.*  The  AnGel  and  Ceown  was  a  not  uncommon  tavern 
decoration.  The  following  stanza  from  a  pamphlet,  entitled,  "  The 
Quack  Vintners,"  London,  1712,  p.  18,  shows  the  way  in  which 
this  sign  was  represented  : — 

"  May  Harry's  Angel  be  a  sign  he  draws 
Angelick  nectar,  that  deserves  applause. 
Such  that  may  make  the  city  love  the  Throne, 
And,  like  his  Angel,  still  support  the  Crown" 

From  this  we  learn  it  was  a  Cupid  or  Amorino  supporting  a 
crown ;  the  sign  of  the  house  had  doubtless  originally  been  the 
Crown,  and  the  Cupid,  so  common  in  the  Renaissance  style,  had 
been  added  by  way  of  ornament,  but  was  mistaken  by  the  public 
as  a  constituent  of  the  sign.  The  verses  probably  applied  to  the 
Angel  and  Crown,  a  famous  tavern  in  Broad  Street,  behind  the 
Eoyal  Exchange.  There  was  another  Angel  and  Crown  in 
Islington,  where  convivial  dinners  were  held  in  the  olden  time. 
It  was  a  common  practice  in  the  last  and  preceding  centuries  for 
the  natives  of  a  -county  or  parish  to  meet  once  a  year  and  dine 
together.  The  ceremony  often  commenced  by  a  sermon,  preached 
by  a  native,  after  which  the  day  was  spent  in  pleasant  conviviality, 
after-dinner  speeches,  and  mutual  congratulations.  The  custom 
now  has  almost  died  out ;  but  this  is  one  of  the  invitation 
tickets : 

St  Mart,  Islington. 
Sir, 

You  are  desidered  to  meet  many  other  Natives  of  this  place  on  Tuesday 
y°  11th  day  of  April  1738  at  Mrs  Eliz.  Grimstead's  y  Angel  and  Crown, 
'  Xontion  Gazette,  Not.  8  to  11, 1680. 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  27 1 

in  y»  Upper  Street,  about  y»  hour  of  One ;  Then  and  there  w"»  Full 
Dishes,  Good  Wine  akd  Good  Humour  to  improve  and  make  lasting  that 
Harmony  and  Friendship  which  have  so  long  reigned  among  us. 

WaUer  Seibon. 
John  Booth. 
N.B.  The  Dinner  will  be  on  the  table  Bourchier  Burrell. 

peremptorily  at  Two.  James  Sehbon, 

Pray  pay  the  Bearer  Five  Shillings.  Stewards, 

That  same  year,  another  Angel  and  Crown  Tavern  in  Shire  Lane 
obtained  an  unenviable  notoriety,  for  it  was  there  that  a  Mr 
Quarrington  was  murdered  and  robbed  by  Thomas  Carr,  an  attor- 
ney from  the  Temple,  and  Elisabeth  Adams.  They  were  hanged 
at  Tyburn,  January  18,  1738. 

The  Angel  and  Gloves  at  first  sight  seems  a  whimsical  com- 
bination, but  is  easily  explained  when  we  advert  to  the  woodcut 
above  the  shop-bill  of  Isaac  Dalvy,  in  Little  Newport  Street,  Soho, 
who,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  sold  gloves,  &c.,  under  this 
sign,  which  simply  represented  two  Cupids,  each  carrjdng  a  glove, 
— in  fact,  exactly  the  same  conceit  as  that  of  the  Herculanese  shoe- 
maker, noticed  in  a  former  chapter.  It  is  more  difficult  to  find  a 
rational  explanation  for  the  Angel  and  Stxt.ltards.  The  Steel- 
yard, or  StiUiard,  in  Upper  Thames  Street,  was  the  place  where 
the  Hanse  merchants  exposed  their  goods  for  sale,  and  was  so 
called  from  the  king's  steelyard,  or  beam,  there  erected  for  weigh- 
ing the  tonnage  of  goods  imported  into  London.*  Whether  this 
sign  represented  a  Cupid  with  such  a  weighing  machine,  or  a  view 
of  the  haU  of  the  Hanse  merchants,  with  a  Tame  flying  over  it, 
is  now  impossible  to  decide.  It  may  be  suggested  that  a  variation 
of  the  well-known  figure  of  Justice,  with  steelyards  in  place  of 
the  usual  scales,  was  the  origin.  Be  this  as  it  may,  the  only 
mention  we  have  found  of  the  sign  is  in  the  following  advertise- 
ment : — 

"TTTILLIAM  DEVAL,  at  the  Ansel  &  Stilliards,  in  St  Ann's  Lane,  near 
Y  V    Aldersgate,  London,  maketh  Castle  (Castilie),  Marble,  and  white  Sope 
as  good  as  any  Marseilles  Sope ;  Ttyed  and  Proved  and  sold  at  very  Reason- 
able Rates."  "I- — Domestic  Intelligencer,  January  2d,  1679. 

A  few  years  later  we  find  the  Angel  and  Still  noticed,  as  in  the 

following  advertisement : — 

"  1    WELL-SET  Negro,   commonly  called  Sugar,   aged   about  twenty 

^\^  years,  teeth  broke  before,  and  several  scars  in  both  his  cheeks  and 
forehead,  having  absented  from  his  Master,  whosoever  secures  him  and 

*  Cunningham's  Handbook  to  London,  p.  470. 

f  Soap,  wax,  tallow,  and  similar  articles  were  part  of  the  merchandise  in  which  the 
Hanse  merchants  dealt. 


272  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

gives  notice  to  Benjamin  Maynard,  at  the  Anhel  amd  Still,  at  Deptford, 
Bhall  have  a  Guinea  Reward  and  reasonable  charges." — Weehly  JowmaX, 
October  18,  1718. 

In  this  case  the  still  was  simply  added  to  intimate  the  sale  of 
BpirituoTis  liquors. 

The  Angel  and  Sun,  apparently  a  combination  of  two  signs, 
is  named  as  a  shop  or  tavern  near  Strandbridge,  in  1663,*  and  is 
stiU  the  name  of  a  public-house  in  the  Strand.  The  Angel  and 
WooLPACK,  at  Bolton,  is  the  same  sign  which,  near  London 
Bridge,  is  called  the  Naked  Boy  and  Woolpack.  A  woolpack, 
with  a  negro  seated  on  it,  was  at  one  time  very  common;  for  a 
change  or  distinction,  this  negro  underwent  the  reputed  impos- 
sible process  of  being  washed  white,  and  thus  became  a  naked  boy, 
which,  in  signboard  phraseology,  is  equivalent  to  an  angel. 

The  Virgin  was  unquestionably  a  very  common  sign  before 
the  Reformation,  and  it  may  be  met  with  even  at  the  present  day,  as, 
for  instance,  at  Ebury  HiU,  Worcester,  and  in  various  other  places. 
In  France  it  was,  and  is  still,  much  more  common  than  in  Eng- 
land, as  might  be  expected.  Tallemant  des  Eeaux  tells  of  a 
miraculous  tavern  sign  of  Notre  Dame,  on  the  bridge  of  that 
name,  in  Paris,  which  was  observed  by  the  faithful  to  cry  and 
shed  tears,  probably  on  account  of  the  bad  company  she  had  to 
harbour.  It  was  taken  down  by  order  of  the  archbishop.  At 
the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  there  was,  in  the  Eue  de  la 
Seine,  Paris,  a  quack  doctor,  who  pretended  to  cure  a  great  variety 
of  complaints.  He  put  up  a  holy  Virgin  for  bis  sign,  with  the 
words,  "  Eepugium  Peccatokum,"  which  is  one  of  the  usual 
epithets  of  the  holy  Virgin  in  the  Eoman  Catholic  Church  ser- 
vice, very  wittily,  although  profanely,  applied  in  this  instance. 
The  sign  of  the  Virgin  was  also  called  Ocm  Lady,  as :  "  Newe 
Inne  was  a  guest  Inne,  the  sign  whereof  was  the  picture  of  our 
Lady,  and  thereupon  it  was  also  called  Our  Lady's  Inne."t  Ouk 
Lady  op  Pity  was  the  sign  of  Johan  Eedman,  a  bookseller  in 
Paternoster  Eow,  in  1542.  Johan  Byddell,  also  a  bookseller,  had 
introduced  this  sign  in  the  beginning  of  that  centmy.  This 
Byddell,  or  Bedel,  (who  lived  in  Fleet  Street,  next  to  Fleet  Bridge,) 
had  evidently  borrowed  it  from  a  nearly  similar  figure  in  Corio's 
History  of  Milan,  1505.  He  afterwards  lived  at  the  Sun,  in 
Fleet  Street,  the  house  formerly  occupied  by  Wynkyn  de  Worda 

*  Kimfdom's  Intdlioencer,  April  6-13,  1663. 
t  Stow'a  Survey  of  Loudon. 


PLATE  XVIII. 


THKEE  ANGELS. 
(Banks's  Bills,  1770.) 


^X-i^ 


NAKED  MAN. 
(From  a  print,  1S42.) 


FIRE  BALLOON. 
(Banks's  Collectiou,  1780.) 


THREE  MORRIS  DANCERS. 
(Foi-merly  in  Old  Clumge,  Cheapside,  circa  1G68.) 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIQIOUS.  273 

The  prevalence  of  the  Baptist's  Head  probably  dated  from  the 
time  when  pilgrimages  across  the  sea  were  considered  good  works, 
and  the  head  of  St  John  the  Baptist  at  Amiens  Cathedral  came 
in  for  a  large  share  of  visits  from  English  worshippers.  The  old 
monkish  writers  say  that  in  448  after  Christ,  the  head  was 
found  in  Jerusalem ;  in  1206  it  was  transferred  to  Amiens,  where 
it  was  kept  in  a  salver  of  gold,  surrounded  with  a  rim  of  pearls 
and  precious  stones.*  Various  other  reasons  may  be  adduced  for 
the  prevalence  of  this  sign,  as  the  conspicuous  place  occupied  by 
8t  John  in  the  Eoman  Catholic  hagiology,  and  hence  in  medieeval 
plays  and  mysteries ;  the  festivities  of  Midsummer,  (a  day  of 
great  moment  in  London  for  setting  the  watch ;)  and,  finally,  hia 
being  the  patron  saint  of  the  Knights  of  Jerusalem.  It  was 
doubtless  in  compliment  to  those  knights  that  the  Baptist's  Head 
in  St  John's  Lane,  Clerkenwell,  was  named.  This  house  seems 
to  be  the  remainder  of  some  noble  mansion  of  Queen  Elizabeth's 
time ;  it  contains  many  Elizabethan  ornaments,  particularly  a 
chimuey-piece,  with  the  coats  of  arms  of  the  Radclifif  and  Forster 
families.  When  the  house  was  adapted  to  its  present  purpose, 
it  was  distinguished  by  the  head  of  St  John  the  Baptist  in  a 
charger,  now  gone.  Doctor  Johnson  is  said  to  have  been  an  oc- 
casional visitor  here,  when  returning  from  Edward  Cave's,  the 
editor  of  the  Gentleman's  Magazine,  whose  office  was  close  by  at 
St  John's  Gate.  Goldsmith  is  also  reported  to  have  made  fre- 
quent calls  here,  when  business  of  a  similar  nature  led  him  to  the 
same  spot.  In  later  years  it  became  the  hoTue  of  call  of  the 
prisoners  on  their  way  to  the  new  prison  in  the  parish — a  circum- 
stance commemorated  by  Dodd  in  the  "  Old  BaUey  Eegisters." 
Another  St  John's  Head  is  mentioned  by  Stow  in  the  following 
accident : — 

"The  11th  of  July  (1553)  Gilbert  Pot,  drawer  to  Ninion  Saunders, 
vintner,  dwelling  at  St  John's  Head  within  Ludgate,  who  was  accused  by 
the  said  Saunders,  his  maister,  was  set  on  the  pillory  in  Cheape,  with  both 
his  ears  nailed  and  cleane  cut  off,  for  wordes  speaking  at  the  time  of  the 
proclamation  of  Lady  Jane ;  at  which  execution  was  a  trumpet  bloune  and 
a  herault  in  his  coat  of  armes  redd  his  offence,  in  presence  of  William 
Garrard,  one  of  the  Sheriffes  of  London.  About  5  of  the  clocke  the  same 
day,  in  the  af ternoone,  Ninion  Saunders,  master  to  the  said  Gilbert  Pot,  and 
John  Owen,  a  gunmaker,  both  gunners  of  the  Tower,  comming  from  the 
Tower  of  London  by  water  in  a  whirrie  and  shooting  London  Bridge,  to- 

*  See  a  woodcut  of  an  Amiens  pilgrim's  token  in  the  Jonrnal  of  Brit.  Arcli.  Assoc, 
vol.  i.,  Oct.  1848  ;  also  a  detailed  accouat  of  this  reneiable  relic  in  Coryatt's  Crudities 
wol.  i.,  p.  17. 

2M 


2  74  ^^^  HIST0R7  OF  SIONBOABDS. 

wards  the  Black  Fryers,  were  drowned  at  S.  Mary  Loch  *  and  the  whirry- 
man  saved  by  their  oars." 

To  this  same  saint  also  refers  the  John  of  Jerusalem,  a  sign  at 
the  present  day  in  Kosoman  Street,  Clerkenwell,  put  up,  like  the 
Baptist  Head,  in  remembrance  of  the  Knights  of  St  John  of 
Jerusalem,  who  formerly  had  their  priory  in  this  locality. 

In  France  this  sign  was  equally  common.     Jean  Carcain,  one 
of  the  early  Parisian  publishers  and  printers,  (1487,)  adopted  it  for 
his  shop.     One  of  his  books  has  the  following  quaint  impress  : — 
"  Parisii  Sancti  Pons  est  Michaelis  in  Urbe ; 
Multae  illic  aedes;  notior  una  tataen ; 
Hanc  cano,  quae  Sacri  Bwptistae  fronts  notata  est 

Hie  respondebit  Bibliopola  tibi  ; 
Vis  impressoris  nomen  quoque  nosse  ?  Joannis 
Carcain  nomen  ei  est.    Ne  pete  plura.  Vale."  f 

It  was  an  old  signboard  jocularity  in  France  to  represent  St  John 
the  Baptist  by  a  monkey  with  cambric  {batiste)  ruflHes  and  wrist- 
bands, \dnge  en  hatiste.)  From  the  parables  the  sign  of  the  Good 
Samaritan  was  borrowed,  which,  even  at  the  present  day,  may  be 
seen  in  Turner  Street,  Whitechapel ;  Grimshaw  Park,  Bla«kbum, 
ifec.  When  barbers  combined  with  their  trade  the  practice  of  letting 
blood — otherwise  than  by  "  easy  shaving,"^-of  drawing  teeth,  and 
setting  bones,  they  frequently  adopted  this  sign.  In  the  seven- 
teenth century,  a  barber-surgeon  at  Leeuwarden,  in  Holland,  wrote 
under  his  device  of  the  Good  Samaritan  the  following  poetical 
effusion  : — 

"  Gelyk  den  Wyn,  fyn, 

Dryft  zoi^gen  uit  der  herten 

Zoo  geneest  Kedicyn,  pyn, 

En  ontlast  van  Smarten."  % 
The  Samaritan  Woman  (J,a  Samaritaine)  is  the  French  version 
of  our  Jacob's  Well,  and  was  a  common  sign  in  Paris ;  every- 
body knows  the  Bains  de  la  Samaritaine,  in  which  the  luxurious 
Parisian  indulges  in  afresh  water  bath  in  his  Seine,  which  at  that 
place  is  about  as  clear  as  the  Thames  at  Blackwall.     In  the  Rue 

*  Name  of  one  of  the  arches  of  old  Ijondon  Bridge, 
t  "  In  the^town  of  Paris  there  is  a  bridge  named  St  Michael, 

On  which  there  are  many  houses  ;  but  oue  of  them  is  more  knovn  than  the  others. 
That  is  the  house  I  mean,  which  is  Icnown  by  the  sign  of  the  Baptist  Head. 
There  the  boolcseller  will  answer  you. 

Would  you  also  like  to  know  the  name  of  the  printer?    John 
Carcain  is  his  name.     Now,  do  not  ask  any  more.    Fai'ewelL" 
t  "Like  wine,  fine, 
Driveth  away  care ; 
So  medicine  cureth  pain, 
And  delivers  us  from  sufi'ering,'* 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  275 

Caquerel  at  Rouen  there  is  a  stone  bas-relief  of  the  Samaritan 
woman  at  the  well,  with  the  date  1580.  Jacques  Dupuy,  a 
bookseller  in  the  Rue  St  Jacques,  also  used  the  Samaritan  woman 
as  his  sign,  evidently  because  it  was  a  subject  in  which  he  could 
introduce  a  well,  and  so  have  the  satisfaction  of  punning  on  his 
name.  This  kind  of  pun  was  none  the  less  relished  for  being 
far-fetched ;  thus  there  is  a  stone  bas-relief  in  the  Rue  Froid,  at 
Caen,  of  the  Mikaculotjs  Draught  of  Fishes,  {la  Peche 
Miraculeuse,)  which,  in  the  early  part  of  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, was  placed  there  by  a  bookseller  of  the  name  of  Poisson, 
(Fish,)  who,  being  an  "  odd  fish,"  adopted  this  sign  as  a  pun  on 
his  own  name.  At  the  present  day,  the  house  is  still  inhabited 
by  a  bookseller  of  the  same  name  and  family. 

Christ's  Passion  does  not  seem  to  have  suggested  any  signs  in 
England,  although  the  great  symbol  of  His  death,  the  Cross,  was 
comparatively  common.  In  Paris  there  was,  in  1640,  a  book- 
seller, George  Josse,  in  the  Rue  St  Jacques,  who  had  the  Crown 
OF  Thorns  {la  Goui-onne  d'Hpine)  for  his  sign,  probably  on 
account  of  the  original  Crown  of  Thorns  being  one  of  the  relics 
kept  at  Paris.  Coryatt's  remarks  on  this  relic  are  rather  amus- 
ing :— 

"  They  report  in  Paris  that  the  Thorny  Crown,  wherewith  Christ  was 
crowned  on  the  Crosse,  is  kept  in  the  Palace,  which  vpon  Corpus  Christi 
Day,  in  the  aftemoone,  was  publickly  shewed,  as  some  told  me  ;  but  it  was 
not  my  chance  to  see  it.  Truely,  I  wonder  to  see  the  contrarieties  amongst 
the  Papists,  and  most  ridiculous  varieties  concerning  their  reliques,  but 
especially  about  this  of  Christ's  Thorny  Crowue.  For  whereas  I  was  after 
that  at  the  Citie  of  Vicenza  in  Italy,  it  was  told  me  that  in  the  monas- 
teiy  of  the  Dominican  fryers  of  that  Citie,  this  Crowne  was  kept,  which 
Saint  Lewes,  King  of  France,  bestowed  upon  his  brother  Bartholomew, 
Bishop  of  Vicenza,  and  before  one  of  the  Dominican  family.  Wherefore  I 
went  to  the  Dominican  Monastery  and  made  suit  to  see  it,  but  I  had  the 
repulse ;  for  they  told  me  that  it  was  kept  vnder  three  or  four  lockes,  and 
neuer  shewed  to  any  by  any  favour  whatsoeuer,  but  only  upon  Corpus 
Christi  Day.  If  this  Crowne  of  Paris,  whereof  they  so  much  bragge,  be 
true,  that  of  Ticenza  is  false.  Ho  !  the  truth  and  certainty  of  Papistical 
reliques."* 

Crosses  of  various  colours  were  probably  amongst  the  first 
signs  put  up  by  the  newly-converted  Christians,  (as  soon  as  they 
could  effect  this  with  impunity,)  on  account  of  the  recommendar' 
tion  of  the  early  fathers,  and  for  their  beneficial  influence.  Father 
Lactantius,  who  lived  in  the  fourth  century,  writes — "  As  Christ, 
whilst  He  lived  amongst  men,  put  the  devils  to  flight  by  His 

*  Coryatt's  Crudities,  vol.  i.,  p.  4L 


276  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

words,  and  restored  those  to  their  senses  whom  these  ctII  spirits 
had  possessed ;  so  now  His  followers  in  the  name  of  their  Master, 
and  by  the  sign  of  His  passion,  even  exercise  the  same  dominion 
over  them."  St  Ephrem  says — "  Let  tis  paint  and  imprint  on  our 
doors  the  life-giving  cross ;  thus  defended  no  evU  will  hurt  you." 
St  Chrysostom  says  the  same — "  Wherefore  let  tis  with  earnest- 
ness impress  this  cross  on  our  houses,  and  on  our  walls,  and  out 
windows!'  St  Cyril  of  Alexandria  introduces  the  Emperor  Juliai; 
the  apostate  saying,  "  You  Christians  adore  the  wood  of  the 
cross,  you  engrave  it  on  the  porches  of  your  hofuses"  &c.  Hence  the 
still  prevalent  custom  in  Boman  Catholic  places  of  painting 
crosses  on  the  walls  of  houses,  to  drive  away  witches,  as  it  is 
said ;  and  these  crosses  being  painted  in  different  colours,  might 
easily  serve  as  a  sign  by  which  to  designate  the  house.  At  the 
Crusades  the  popularity  of  this  emblem  increased :  a  red  cross 
was  the  badge  of  the  Crusader,  and  would  be  put  up  as  a  sign  by 
men  who  had  been  to  the  Holy  Land,  or  wished  to  court  the 
patronage  of  those  on  their  way  thither.  Finally,  the  different 
orders  of  knighthood  settled  each  upon  a  particular  colour  as 
their  distinctive  mark.  Thus  the  knights  of  St  John  wore  white 
crosses,  the  Templars  red  crosses,  the  knights  of  St  Lazarus  green 
crosses,  the  Teutonic  knights  hlach  crosses,  embroidered  with  gold, 
&c.  But  the  most  common  in  England  was  the  red  cross,  which 
was  the  cross  of  St  George,  and  also  of  the  red  cross  knights,  who 
acted  as  a  sort  of  police  on  the  roads  between  Europe  and  the 
Holy  Land  to  protect  pilgrims.  This  badge,  therefore,  could  not 
fail  to  be  very  popular. 

In  France  it  used  to  be,  and  in  all  probability  is  still,  a 
common  rebus  to  see  le  signe  de  la  croix  represented  by  a  swan 
with  a  cross  on  his  back,  {cygne  de  la  croix.) 

Only  very  few  signs  of  the  cross  are  now  remaining.  The 
Golden  Cross  in  the  Strand  is  one  of  these,  and  has  been  in  that 
locality  for  centuries.  It  was  one  of  the  first  upon  which  the 
Puritans  brooked  their  iU-humour  and  hatred  of  popeiy ;  for  in 
1643  it  was  taken  down  by  order  of  a  committee  from  the  House 
of  Commons,  as  "  superstitious  and  idolatrous."  This  was  the 
precursor  of  the  fall  of  old  Charing  Cross  itself  The  sign,  how- 
ever, was  put  up  again  at  the  Bestoration,  and  figures  promi- 
nently in  Canaletti's  well-known  view  of  Chariug  Cross,  in  the 
Northumberland  Collection.  The  tavern  was  probably  puUed 
down  at  the  formation  of  Trafalgar  Square. 


BIBLICAL  AND  RELIGIOUS.  277 

At  a  point  on  the  road  between  Dunchurch  and  Daventry, 
where  three  roads  meet,  there  was  formerly  an  inn  with  the  sign 
of  the  Three  Crosses,  in  allusion  to  the  three  roads.  Swift,  in 
one  of  his  pedestrian  excursions,  happened  to  stop  at  that  inn. 
Not  being  very  elegantly  dressed,  and  rather  importunate  to  be 
served,  the  landlady  told  him  that  she  could  not  leave  her  cus- 
tomers for  "  such  as  he,"  upon  which  the  Dean,  who  was  not  the 
most  modest,  nor  the  most  patient  of  men,  wrote  the  following 
epigram  on  one  of  the  windows  : — 

"to  the  landlord. 
There  hang  three  crosses  at  thy  door, 
Hang  up  thy  wife  and  she  '11  make  four." 

The  Eestireection  was  the  sign  of  John  Day,  a  bookseller, 
who,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  dwelt  in  St  Sepulchre's 
parish,  a  little  above  Holbourne  Conduit.  It  was  a  sort  of  con- 
undrum or  charade  on  his  name,  which  was  carried  out  by  his 
colophon,  representing  a  man  asleep,  who  is  wakened  by  another 
with  the  words,  "  Arise,  for  it  is  day."  This,  although  somewhat 
profane,  according  to  our  present  notions  of  such  things,  waa 
nothing  strange  in  a  time  when  the  people,  though  Protestants  by 
name,  were  stiU  strongly  imbued  with  Roman  Catholic  ideas. 
John  Cawoode,  also  a  printer  and  publisher  of  St  Paul's  Church- 
yard in  1558,  had  a  still  more  profane  sign — viz.,  the  Holy 
Ghost.  And  this  even  continued  till  the  beginning  of  the  seven- 
teenth century,  for  in  1602  we  find  this  identical  sign  used  by  an- 
other printer,  William  Leake,  who  was  probably  his  successor, 
and  pubHshed  in  that  year  Shakespeare's  "  Venus  and  Adonis." 
Worse  still  was  the  sign  of  another  bookseller  in  St  Paul's 
Churchyard  in  1520,  which  was  the  Trinity.*  We  must  bear 
in  mind,  however,  that  in  Roman  CathoKc  countries  conversation 
upon  matters  of  religion  is  not  nearly  so  strict  and  guarded  as 
amongst  believers  in  Protestant  nations.  An  amusing  instance  of 
this  once  occurred  to  the  writer  in  Jerusalem,  the  great  head- 
quarters of  Christianity.  Usually  the  pilgrims  or  travellers  stay- 
ing at  the  Latin  convent  there,  which  serves  as  an  hotel,  dine  all 
together  in  a  kind  of  tahle-d'hote  fashion  ;  but  for  some  reason  it 
so  fell  out  that  our  party  one  day  dined  in  private.  The  holy  brother 
who  attended  us  happened  to  be  a  Spaniard,  and  as  we  had  visited 

*  From  his  colophon  we  see  that  the  Trinity  on  his  sign  was  represented  by  a  triangle 
with  a  circle  at  each  angle,  respectively  containing  the  words  PATER,  FILTUS,  SPIRI- 
TUS,  and,  between  the  circles,  on  each  of  the  sides  of  the  triangle,  the  words  NON 
EST,  a  mystical  way  of  representing  the  Trinity,  trery  common  in  the  middle  ages. 


•278  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

tliat  country,  and  were  tolerably  acquainted  with  VaUadolid,  his 
native  town,  worldly  recollections  began  to  overcome  the  sanctity 
of  the  good  monk,  and  he  became  inexhaustible  in  reminiscences 
of  his  younger  days.  Whilst  talking  with  him,  and  refreshing 
ourselves  with  a  meal  of  salad,  grown  in  the  garden  of  Geth- 
semane,  we  had  indulged  in  two  tumblers  of  a  pithy  white  wine, 
quite  strong  enough  to  justify  our  resisting  the  pressing  invita- 
tions of  the  reverend  butler  to  take  a  third  glass  ;  but  the  jovial 
monk  was  not  to  be  beaten,  and  finally  convinced  us  with  the  fol- 
lowing argument :  "  Oh  come,  brother,  you  must  take  another 
glass,  remember  you  are  in  Jerusalem,  and  so  take  one  for  the 
Father,  one  for  the  Son,  and  one  for  the  Holy  Ghost !" 

Although  the  English  ale  and  refreshment  houses  continue  to 
select  fresh  signs  from  the  notabilities  of  the  hour,  the  Palmer- 
ston's  Head  and  the  Gladstone  Arms  for  instance,  they  rarely 
chqose  anything  of  a  religious  or  devotional  cast.  One  instance, 
however,  occurs  to  us,  and  that  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London, 
which  deserves  mention.  In  Kentish  Town,  under  the  Hamp- 
stead  MUs,  the  noisiest  and  most  objectionable  public-house  in  the 
district  bears  the  significant  sign  of  the  Gospel  Oak.  It  is  the 
favourite  resort  of  navvies  and  quarrelsome  shoemakers,  and  took 
its  name,  not  from  any  inclination  to  piety  on  the  part  of  the 
landlord,  but  from  an  old  oak  tree  in  the  neighbourhood,  near  the 
boundary  line  of  Hampstead  and  St  Pancras  parishes,  a  relic  of 
the  once  general  custom  of  reading  a  portion  of  the  gospel  under 
certain  trees  in  the  parish  perambulations,  equivalent  to  "  beating 
the  bounds."  "  The  boundaries  and  township  of  the  parish  of 
Wolverhampton  are,"  says  Shaw,  in  his  "History  of  Stafford- 
shire," (vol.  ii,  p.  165,)  "in  many  points  marked  out  by  what 
are  called  Gospel  Trees;"  and  Herrick,  in  his  " Hesperides," (Ed. 
1859,  p.  26,)  says:— 

"  Dearest,  bury  me 

Under  that  holy  oaje,  or  gospel  tree; 

Where,  though  thou  see'st  not,  thou  may'st  think  upon 

Me,  when  thou  yeerly  go' st  procession." 

The  old  Kentish  Town  Gospel  Oak  was  removed  a  short  time 
since,  but  not  untU  it  had  given  a  name  to  the  surrounding  fields, 
to  a  village,  (Oak  village,)  and  to  a  chapel,  as  well  as  to  the 
public-house  alluded  to. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC. 

At  the  end  of  the  last  chapter  we  spoke  of  the  profane  applica- 
tion of  some  of  the  most  sacred  things  to  signboard  purposes. 
In  France  this  was  stUl  worse  than  in  England.  That  amusing 
gossip,  Tallemant  des  E6aux,  in  his  "  Contes  et  Historiettes," 
tells  us  how  an  innkeeper  of  the  Rue  Montmartre,  in  Paris,  put  up 
for  his  sign  the  God's  head,  (la  Tete  Dieu,)  and  notwithstanding 
all  the  efforts  of  the  curl  of  St  Eustache  to  make  him  take  it 
down  he  would  not  comply  until  compelled  by  the  magistrates. 
Though  two  centuries  have  elapsed,  the  French  of  the  present 
day  are  not  much  better ;  for  in  Paris,  in  the  Rue  Mondltour, 
there  is  actually  a  caf6  known  as  the  NoM  db  Jesus. 

Boursault,  a  clever  writer  of  the  time  of  Louis  XIY.,  whose  in- 
dignant letter  about  the  Royal  Arms  we  have  noticed  in  a  former 
chapter,  addressed  a  letter  to  Bizoton,  one  of  the  police  magis- 
trates, in  which  he  vents  his  anger  at  some  of  the  religious 
signs,  and  complains  of  the  profanity  of  a  lodging-house  with  the 
sign  of  the  Annunciation  in  the  Rue  de  la  Huchette,  in  which 
there  were  as  many  rogues  and  reprobates  as  there  were  honest 
lodgers.  Amongst  the  signs  that  shocked  him  most  he  names  le 
Saint  Esprit,  (the  Holy  Ghost,)  la  Trinite,  (the  Trinity,)  V Image 
Notre  Dame,  &c.  ;  but  particularly  one,  representing  Christ  taken 
prisoner,  with  the  profane  motto,  ^^  Au  juste  prix."  This  con- 
tains a  blasphemous  pun, — juste  prix  at  once  signifying  ajuced 
price,  and  "  just  caught."  The  sign  was  set  up  at  a  little  ordinary 
in  a  lane  between  the  Rue  St  Honori  and  the  Rue  Richelieu. 
And,  though  Boursault  says  in  his  letter  that  he  had  so  fumed 
and  thundered  against  the  landlord  that  he  had  taken  it  dovTn, 
yet  it  made  its  appearance  again  afterwards,  and  was  handed  down 
to  our  time,  since  not  many  years  ago  it  might  have  been  observed 
in  the  Cour  du  Dragon,  above  the  shop  of  an  ironmonger. 

Saints  are  stUl  in  full  feather  on  the  signboards  in  Roman 
Catholic  countries.  Amongst  himdreds  of  others  the  follovnng 
may  be  seen  in  Paris  on  caf6s  and  hotels  in  the  present  day  : — St 
Barbe,  St  Christophe,  St  Eustache,  St  Joseph,  St  Laurent,  St 
Marie,  St  Louis,  St  Merri,  St  Michel,  St  Paul,  St  Phar,  St  Pierre, 
St  Quentin,  St  Roc,  St  Thomas  d'Aquin,  St  Vincent  de  Paul, 
&c.,  (fee. 


28o  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS, 

A  curious  French  sign  is  mentioned  by  Coryatt,  whicli  he  saw 
at  Amiens.  "  I  lay  at  the  signe  of  the  Ave  Maeia,  where  I 
read  these  two  verses,  written  in  golden  letters  upon  the  linteme 
of  the  doorcj  at  the  entry  into  the  Inne.  This  in  Greeke,  T?s 
pXa^sviag  f/.n  B'TTiXav^dvsffds,  that  is,  Forget  not  your  good  enter- 
tainment 3  and  this  in  Latine,  Hospitibtjs  hio  tdta  fides."* 

Saints  were  formerly  very  common  on  signboards,  and  this 
abuse  also  was  wittily  ridiculed  by  the  pungent  satire  of  Artus 
Desir6,  a  French  poet  of  the  fifteenth- century : — 
"  En  leur  logis  plein  de  vers  et  de  teigaes. 

Oil  est  logi  le  grand  diable  d'enfer, 

Mettent  de  Dieu  et  de  saints  les  enseignes, 

Leurs  ditz  logis  oil  n*y  a  que  desroys, 

Pendre  font  tous  sur  le  pav^  du  roy 

De  grands  tableaux  dt  enseignes  dorees. 

Pour  des  montres  qu*ils  ont  fort  bien  de  quoy, 

Et  qu'il  y  a  de  tres  grasses  por^es. 

L'un  pour  enseigne  aura  la  Trinitij 

L'autre  Saint  Jehan,  et  Tautre  Saint  Savin, 

L'autre  Saint  Maure,  I'autre  VHuma/aiU 

De  Jesus  Christ  notre  Sauveur  divin, 

De  Dieu,  des  saintz,  sont  leurs  erieurs  de  vin,*f' 

Tant  aux  citez  que  villes  et  villages, 

Des  susditz  saiuctz  les  devotes  images. 

En  propbanant  leur  pr^ciositfi."  J 

•  Coryatt's  Crudities,  LondoD,  1776,  p.  15,  reprinted  from  the  edition  of  1611. 
f  la  those  early  days  the  sign  alone  of  a  house  was  not  thought  to  give  sufficient 
publicity.    Touters  {criears)  were  therefore  sent  about  town  (a  custom  dating  from  the 
Romans.)    Thus  in  the  ''Gri&ries  de  Paris,"  (Barbazan,  Fabliaux  et  Contes,  vol.  11,  p. 
277,)— 

"  IVautres  cris  on  fait  plusieurs, 
Qui  long  seraient  k  reciter. 
L'on  crie  vin  nouveau  et  vieux, 
Duquel  l'on  donne  &  tater." 
These  touters  had  their  statutes  and  privileges  granted  to  them  by  Philip  Angoste  in 
1258,  some  of  \rhich  are  very  curious. 

t  Not  only  had  the  innkeepers  saints  on  their  signboards,  but  the  different  reception- 
rooms  in  their  houses  were  also  sanctified  with  some  holy  name.     Artus  Desire  quaintly 
inveighs  against  this  practice  in  his  "  LoyaulL^  Consciencieuse  des  Tavemieres :" — 
"  Semblablement  toutes  leurs  chambres  painctes, 
Ou  il  n'y  a  qu'ordure  et  ivrognise, 
Portent  les  noms  de  benoistz  sainctz  et  sainctes 

Centre  I'honnem*  de  Dieu  et  son  Eglise. 
Vune  s'apelle,  k  leur  mode  et  devize, 
lie  Paradis  et  I'autre  Sainct  Clement. 
Et  quant  quelqu'un  rabaste  fermement, 
L'hostesse  crie  Andre,  G-uillot,  Mornable^ 
Laisse-moy  tout,  et  va  legerement 
£n  Paradis,  compter  de  par  le  Diable. 
S'on  si  veut  chauffer, 
Portent  le  faggot 
Robin  aveo  Margot, 
De  par  Lucifer." 
("In  the  same  manner  all  their  painted  rooms,  in  which  there  u  nothing  bat  filth  and 


flAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  28  I 

Many  of  these  saints  were  patrons  of  particular  trades,  and  were 
constantly  adopted  as  the  signs  of  those  that  followed  them 
Thus  St  Crispin  was  generally  a  shoemaker's  sign.  At  the  pre- 
sent day,  the  gentle  craft  represented  by  this  saint  live  up  to  the 
proverb,  and  keep  to  the  "last;"  but  many  publicans  still  have 
the  sign  of  Crispin,  Saint  Crispin,  Jolly  Crispin,  or  Crispin 
AND  Crispian,  and  occasionally  King  Crispin,  (as  at  Morpeth.) 
And  well  may  they  put  their  houses  under  the  protection  of  this 
saint,  since  the  proverb  says,  "  Gobblers  and  tinkers  are  the  best 
ale  drinkers."  Crispin  and  Crispian  were  two  Roman  brothers, 
sons  of  a  king ;  they  travelled  to  France  to  preach  Christianity, 
and  worked  at  the  trade  of  shoemakers,  making  sandals  for  the 
poor,  which  they  gave  away,  the  angels  supplying  them  with 
leather.  Hence  they  are  considered  the  patrons  of  shoemakers. 
They  were  beheaded  at  Soissons  in  308.  What  may  have  contri- 
buted to  their  popularity  in  this  country  is  the  fact  of  the  battle 
of  Agincourt  having  been  fought  on  their  day,  October  25, 
U15  :— 

'•  And  Crispin  Crispian  shall  never  go  by 

From  this  day  to  the  ending  of  the  world, 

But  we  in  it  shall  he  remember'd, 

We  lew,  we  happy  few,  we  band  of  brothers, 

For  he  to-day  that  sheds  his  blood  with  me 

Shall  be  my  brother;  be  he  ne'er  so  vile, 

This  day  shall  gentle  his  condition. 

And  gentlemen  in  England  now  a-bed 

Shall  think  themselves  accurs'd  they  were  not  here, 

And  hold  their  manhoods  cheap,  while  any  speaks 

That  fought  with  us  upon  St  Crispin's  day." 

Henry  the  Fifth,  iv.  3. 

From  Shakespeare  we  turn  to  the  homely  ihymes  of  a  Dutch 
shoemaker  at  the  Hague,  who,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  had 
this  couplet  over  his  door  : — 

"  Dit  is  Sint  Crispyn,  maar  ik  hiet  Stoffel, 
Ik  maak  een  laars,  schoen  en  pantoffel."* 

A  more  spirited  one  about  the  same  time  was  in  Bergen  op  Zoom, 
which  is  not  bad  satire  for  a  Dutchman  : — 

drunkenness,  are  named  after  some  blessed  saint,  contrary  to  the  respect  due  to  the 
Lord  and  His  Church.  According  to  this  custom  one  is  called  the  Paradise,  and  another 
St  Clement.  And  if  anybody  higgles  about  his  bill  the  hostess  calls  out,  Andrew,  Will, 
Mornable,  leave  everything,  and  run  quickly  up  to  the  Paradise  to  make  out  the  bill,  in 
the  iSevil's  name.     And  if  anybody  wants  a  fire.  Bob  or  Maggy  has  to  carry  up  a  faggot 


In  the  name  of  Lucifer.") 
*'"ri 


'his  is  Saint  Crispin,  but  my  name  is  Kit, 
I  make  lK)ots,  shoes,  and  slippers." 


2  N 


282  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"  Hier  in  Krispyn  kan  min  de  tninsch  int  beeste  villen 
Elk  Bchoenen  na  zyn  voet  voor  gilt  terstond  bestillen, 
Dooh  menig  beest  alheir  steekt  in  een  menachevel, 
Draagt  zeep  zyu  breeder's  huid  en 't  staat  dat  beest  nog  wel."* 

The  St  Hugh's  Bones  was  another  sign  of  the  gentle  craft ; 
it  seems  to  be  extinct  now,  but  a  trades  token  shows  that,  in 
1657,  it  was  the  sign  of  a  house  in  Stanhope  Street,  Claremarket 
From  a  little  chapbook,  entitled, — 

"  The  Delightful,  Princely,  and  Entertaining  History  of  the  Gentle  Craft, 
&o.  London :  printed  for  J.  Rhodes,  at  the  cohier  of  Bride  Lane,  in  Flee'' 
Street,  1725," 

we  gather  that  Saint  Hugh  was  a  prince's  son,+  deeply  in  love 
with  a  saintly  coquette  called  Winifred.  Having  been  jilted  by 
this  lady  in  a  very  pious  manner,  he  went  travelling,  resisted  the 
temptations  of  Venice,J  like  another  St  Anthony,  passed  through 
numberless  adventures,  compared  to  which  those  of  Baron  Mun- 
chausen sink  into  insignificance,  and  was  finally,  by  a  jumble  of 
most  amusing  anachronism,  martyred  in  the  reign  of  Diocletian, 
by  being  made  to  drink  a  cup  of  the  blood  of  his  lady-love, 
mixed  with  "  cold  poison,"  after  which,  his  body  was  hung  on 
the  gallows.  But  among  other  misfortunes  in  his  travels,  he  had 
been  shipwrecked  and  lost  all  his  wealth,  so  that  he  had  to  choose 
a  profession,  which  was  that  of  shoemaker,  and  so  well  he  liked 
his  fellow-workmen  that,  having  nothing  else  to  give,  he  be- 
queathed his  bones  to  them.  After  they  had  been  "  well  picked 
by  the  birds,"  some  shoemakers  took  them  from  the  gallows,  and 
made  them  into  tools,  and  hence  their  tools  were  named  St 
Hugh's  Bones.  They  are  specified  in  the  following  rhyme,  which 
appears  to  have  been  the  shoemakers'  shibboleth  : — 
"  My  friends,  I  pray,  you  listen  to  me, 

And  mark  what  Saint  Hugh's  Bones  shall  be  : 

First  a  Drawer  and  a  Dresser, 

Two  Wedges,  a  more  and  a  lesser. 

A  pretty  Block,  Three  Inches  high. 

In  fashion  squared  like  a  die ; 

Which  shall  be  called  by  proper  name 

A  Heelblook,  ah !  the  very  same ; 

A  Handleather  and  a  Thumbleather  likewise^ 

To  put  on  Shooe-thread  we  must  devise ; 

*  "  Here  at  the  Crispin  any  man  may  for  his  money 

Immediately  obtain  shoes  made  out  of  animals'  skins  ; 

But  many  a  brute  in  this  town  wears  a  human  skin, 

Nay,  wears  his  own  brother's  skin,  and  the  brute  looks  even  well  in  It." 

t  So  were  Crispin  and  Crispian,  and  hence  the  trade  is  called  the  "Gentle  Craft." 

I  The  gayest  city  in  Europe  three  centuries  aga 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  283 

The  Needle  and  the  Thimble  shall  not  be  left  alone, 
The  Pinchers,  the  Pricking  Awl,  and  Rubbing  Stone; 
The  Awl,  Steel  and  Jacks,  the  Sowing  Hairs  beside. 
The  Stinop  holding  fast,  while  we  sow  the  Cow  hide; 
The  Whetstone,  the  Stopping  Stick,  and  the  Paring  Knife, 
All  this  does  belong  to  a  Journeyman's  Life  : 
Our  Apron  is  the  shrine  to  wrap  these  Bones  in. 
Thus  shroud  we  S.  Hugh's  Bones  in  a  gentle  lamb's  skin. 
"  Now  you  good  Yeomen  of  the  Gentle  Craft,"  the  story  goes  on,  "  tell  me 
(quoth  he)  how  like  you  this  ?   As  well  (replied  they)  as  Saint  George  does 
of  his  horse  ;  for  as  long  as  we  can  see  him  fight  the  Dragon,  we  will  never 
part  with  this  poesie.     And  it  shall  be  concluded.  That  what  journeyman 
soever  he  be  hereafter  that  cannot  handle  his  Sword  and  Buckler,  his  long 
Sword  and  Quarterstaff,  sound  the  Trumpet,  or  play  upon  the  Flute,  or  bear 
his  part  in  a  Three  Man's  song,  and  readily  reckon  up  his  Tools  in  Rhime, 
(except  he  have  borne  colours  in  the  Field,  being  a  Lieutenant,  a  Sergeant 
or  Corporal,)  shall  forfeit  and  pay  a  Bottle  of  Wine,  or  be  counted  a  Colt ; 
to  which  they  answered  all  viva  voce.  Content,  Content.     And  then,  after 
many  merry  songs,  they  departed.     And  never  after  did  they  travel  with- 
out these  tools  on  their  backs,  which  ever  since  have  been  called  Saint 
Hugh's  Bones," 

Bishop  Blaze,  or  Blaize,  otherwise  St  Blasius,  is  another 
patron  of  a  trade  to  be  met  with  on  the  signboard.  This  worthy. 
Bishop  of  Sebaste,  in  Cappadocia,  is  considered  the  patron  of 
woolcombers,  whence  the  sign  is  very  common  in  the  clothing 
districts.  He  is  represented  with  the  instrument  of  Ms  martyr- 
dom in  his  hands,  an  iron  comb,  with  which  the  flesh  was  torn 
from  his  body  in  289  ;  from  this  implement  has  been  attributed 
to  him  the  invention  of  woolcombing.  His  holiday  is  celebrated 
every  seventh  year  by  a  procession  and  feast  of  the  masters  and 
workmen  of  the  woollen  manufactories  in  Yorkshire  and  Bedford- 
shire ;  in  sheep-shearing  festivals,  also,  a  representation  of  him 
used  to  be  introduced ;  a  stripling  in  habUiments  of  wool  was 
seated  on  a  milk-white  steed,  with  a  lamb  in  his  lap,  the  horse, 
the  youthful  bishop,  and  the  lamb  aU  covered  with  a  profusion  of 
ribbons  and  flowers. 

St  Julian,  the  patron  of  travellers,  wandering  minstrels, 
boatmen,  <fec.,  was  a  very  common  inn  sign,  because  he  was  sup- 
posed to  provide  good  lodgings  for  such  persons.  Hence  two 
Saint  Julian's  crosses,  in  saltier,  are  in  chief  of  the  innholders' 
arms,  and  the  old  motto  was  : — "  When  I  was  harbourless  ye 
lodged  me."  This  benevolent  attention  to  travellers  procured 
hinn  the  epithet  of  "  the  good  herbergeor,"  and  in  France  "  hon 
herhet.^'  His  legend  in  a  MS.,  Bodleian,  1596,  fol.  4,  alludes  to 
this  : — 


284  THE  BISTORT  OF  SIGJVBOABDS. 

"  Therfore  yet  to  this  day,  thei  that  over  lond  wende, 
They  biddeth  Seint  Julian,  anon,  that  gode  herborw  he  hem  aende, 
And  Seint  Julianes  Pater  Noster  ofte  seggeth  also 
For  his  faders  soule  and  his  moderes  that  he  hem  bring  therto." 

And  in  "  Le  dit  des  Heureux,''  an  old  Frenci  fabliau  : — 

"  Tu  as  dit  la  patenotre 
Saint  Julian  &  cest  matin, 
Soit  en  Koumans,  soit  en  Latin, 
Or  tu  seras  bien  ostil^."  * 

In  mediaeval  French,  L'hotel  Saint  Julien  was  synonymous  with 
good  cheer. 

"  Sommes  tuit  vostre. 

Par  Saint  Pierre  le  bon  Apostre, 

L'ostel  aurez  Saint  Julien,"  + 

says  Mabile  to  her  feigned  uncle,  in  the  f abKau  of  "  Boivin  de  Pro- 
vins ;"  and  a  similar  idea  appears  in  "  Cocke  LoreU's  bote,"  where 
the  crew,  after  the  entertainment  with  the  "  relygyous  women'' 
from  the  Stews'  Bank,  at  Colman's  Hatch, 

"  Blessyd  theyr  shyppe  when  they  had  done 
And  dranke  about  a  Saint  Jvlyan's  tome." 

St  Maktin's  character  as  a  saint  was  not  unlike  St  Julian's; 
hence  we  find  him  frequently  on  the  signboard.  The  most  favour- 
ite representation  being  the  saint  on  horseback  cutting  off  with 
his  sword  a  piece  of  his  cloak,  in  order  to  clothe  a  naked  beggar. 
Not  only  inns,  but  booksellers  also  used  his  sign,  as  for  instance 
Dionis  Eose,  (1514,)  printer  in  the  Eue  St  Jacques,  Paris;  and 
Bernard  Aubrey,  another  printer  in  the  same  street. 

"  Avoir  l'hotel  St  Martin,"  in  old  French,  meant  exactly  the 
same  as  "  avoir  l'hotel  St  Julian :"  thus,  in  the  romance  of 
Floras  and  Blanche  : — 

"  Flor.  Sovent  dient  par  le  bon  vin 

Qu'ils  ont  l'ostel  Saint  Martin."  t 

And  in  the  story  of  "  L'Anneau,"  by  Jean  de  Boves,  (which  is  the 
same  as  Chaucer's  "  Miller's  Tale,")  it  is  said  of  the  two  students 
at  the  end  : — "  Cest  ainsi  qu'ils  eureut  a  ses  depens  l'ostel  Saint 

•  "You  have  said 

St  Julian's  pi-ayer  this  morning. 

Either  in  French  or  in  Latin, 

Now  you  are  sure  to  be  well  lodged." 
f  "  We  are  entirely  at  your  service. 

By  8.  Peter  the  good  apostle 

You  shall  have  St  Julian  inn  (or  welcome  )»• 
t  "  Often  good  wine  makes  them  say, 

That  they  have  the  inn  of  St  Martin." 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  BTO.  285 

Martin."*  These  two  saints,  it  is  believed,  are  no  longer  to  ba 
found  on  tlie  signboard,  but  another  powerful  patron  of  travellers, 
St  Christophek,  may  still  occasionally  be  met  with,  as  for  in- 
stance in  Bath,  where  in  the  seventeenth  century  it  was  stUl  very 
common.  Taylor  the  Water  poet  mentions  it  as  the  sign  of  an  inn 
at  Eton,  and  it  occurs  on  various  trades  tokens  of  London  shops, 
inns,  and  taverns.  This  saint's  intercession  was  thought  effica- 
cious against  aU.  danger  from  fire,  flood,  and  earthquake,  whence 
it  became  a  custom  to  paint  his  image  of  a  colossal  size  on  walls 
of  churches  and  houses,  sometimes  occupying  the  whole  height  of 
the  building,  so  that  it  might  be  seen  from  a  great  distance. 
Generally  he  was  represented  wading  through  a  river,  with  the 
infant  Christ  on  his  shoiilders,  and  leaning  on  a  flowering  rod. 
Such  representations  are  met  with  in  every  part  of  Western  Europe ; 
they  still  remain  in  many  places  in  England,  as  at  St  James' 
Church,  South  Elmham,  Suffolk ;  Bibury  Church,  Gloucester- 
shire ;  Beddington,  Surrey  ;  Croydon ;  Hengrave ;  West  Wick- 
ham,  &c.,  &o.,  &c.  They  were  also  very  numerous  on  the  Con- 
tinent ;  in  the  porch  of  St  Mark's,  Venice,  there  is  a  mosaic  bust 
of  him,  with  these  words  : — 

*'  Christophori  Sancti  speciem  quicumque  tuetur 
Illo  namque  die  nullo  languore  tenetur."-!- 

A  somewhat  similar  inscription  occurs  under  one  of  the  very 
earliest  block  prints,  (now  in  the  possession  of  Earl  Spencer,) 
evidently  made  for  pasting  against  the  walls  in  inns,  and  other 
places  frequented  by  travellers  and  pilgrims.  Under  it  are  the 
following  words  : — ■ 

**  Cristofori  faciem  die  quacumque  tueris 
Illo  nempe  die  morte  mala  non  morieris. 

millesimo  oocoxx.  tercio."J 

Travellers  even  carried  his  figure  about  with  them,  either  on  their 
hat  or  on  their  breast,  as  we  gather  from  Chaucer's  "  Yeoman  " — 

"  A  Cristofre  on  his  brest  of  silver  shene." 
In  the  "Pleasant  Conceits  of  Old  Hobson  the  Londoner,"  1607, 
a  jest  is  related,  made  by  that  dry  old  joker  at  the  expense  of 
Saint  Christopher,  which  again  illustrates  the  levity  with  which 
religious  matters  were  treated  in  those  days  : — 

*  "  Thus  they  had  at  his  expense  the  inn  of  St  Martin." 
t  "  Whosoever  sees  the  image  of  St  Christopher, 

Shall  that  day  not  feel  any  sickness." 
t  "  The  day  that  you  see  St  Christopher's  face, 

That  day  shall  you  not  die  an  evil  death.  1423." 


286  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 

"  Maister  Hobson  and  another  of  his  neighboris  on  a  time  walking  to 
Southwarke  faire,  by  chance  dranke  in  a  house,  which  had  the  Bigne  of  Sa. 
Christopher,  of  the  which  signe  the  goodman  of  the  house  gave  this  com- 
mendation. Saint  Christopher  (quoth  he)  when  hee  lived  upon  the  earth 
bore  the  greatest  burden  that  erer  was,  which  was  this,  he  bore  Christ 
over  a  river ;  nay,  there  was  one  (quoth  Maister  Hobson)  that  bore  a  greater 
burden.  Who  was  that?  (quoth  the  innkeeper)  Marry,  (quoth  Maister 
Hobson)  the  asse  that  bore  him  and  his  mother.  So  was  the  innekeeper 
called  asae  by  craft." 

The  house  in  which  this  joke  was  perpetrated  is  enumerated  by 
Stowe  amongst  the  principal  inns  of  Southwark. 

St  Luke  still  figures  as  the  sign  of  two  or  three  public-houses 
in  London.  Being  the  patron  of  painters,  it  certainly  was  the 
least  the  sign-painters  could  do  to  honour  his  portrait  with  an 
occasional  appearance  on  the  signboard.  Yet  it  must  be  con- 
fessed St  Luke  was  but  a  sorry  hand  at  painting.  There  is  a 
portrait  of  the  Holy  Virgin  painted  by  him  preserved  in  the 
Church  of  Silivria,  on  the  shores  of  the  Sea  of  Marmora ;  but 
such  a  daub !  the  most  modest  village  sign-painter  would  be 
ashamed  of  the  production.  Yet,  for  all  that,  the  thing  works 
miracles,  and  the  only  wonder  is  that  its  first  effort  in  this  line 
was  not  to  change  itself  into  a  good  picture.  We  wonder  at  the 
Virgin,  too,  and  expected  better  from  her  taste  ;  for  in  Valencia 
Cathedral  there  is  another  portrait  of  her  painted  by  Alonzo 
Cano,  which  is  one  of  the  most  lovely  female  heads  we  ever  had  the 
happiness  to  gaze  upon.  'And  so  well  pleased  was  the  Holy  Virgin 
with  this  likeness,  that  she  deigned  to  descend  from  heaven  to  com- 
pliment the  blessed  artist  upon  his  work.  So  says  the  legend, 
and  so  the  old  beadle  tells  the  travellers.  But  Luke  possessed 
other  attributes.  Aubrey  tells  us  :  "  At  Stoke  Verdon,  in  the  Parish 
of  Broad  Chalke,  was  a  chapeU  (in  the  chapell  close  by  the  farm- 
house) dedicated  to  Saint  Luke,  who  is  the  Patron  or  Tutelar  Saint 
of  the  Home  Beasts,  and  those  that  have  to  do  with  them,"  &c*  This 
arose  evidently  from  the  Ox  being  his  emblem,  as  the  lion  was 
of  St  Mark,  the  Eagle  of  St  John,  and  the  Angel  of  St  Matthew. 
For  this  reason  St  Luke  was  doubtless  often  chosen  as  the  sign  of 
inns  frequented  by  farmers  and  graziers. 

Simon  the  Tanner  of  Joppa  is  an  old-established  house  in 
Long-lane,  Bermondsey,  and,  as  a  sign,  is  supposed  to  be  unique. 
It  seems  to  have  been  adopted  with  reference  to  the  tanners,  who 
frequented  the  house,  or  it  may  have  been  the  former  occupation 

"  Aubrey,  Bomains  of  Judaism  and  GontUism.    Lansdowne  MSS.,  No.  231. 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  287 

of  the  landlord,  who  gave  the  sign  to  his  house.  Simon  is  named 
in  Acts  X.  32,  "  Send  therefore  to  Joppa,  and  call  hither  Simon, 
whose  surname  is  Peter ;  he  is  lodged  in  the  house  of  one  Simon 
a  tanner,  by  the  sea-side." 

But  of  all  the  signs  coming  under  this  class,  Saint  Geoege 
AND  THE  Dragon  is  undoubtedly  the  greatest  favourite  in  Eng- 
land, and  it  is  equally  well  represented  in  other  countries ;  for  of 
this  saint  may  be  said  what  Velleius  Paterculus  said  about 
Pompey :  "  Quot  partes  terrarum  sunt,  tot  fecit  monumenta 
victori£E  suae."  In  London  alone  there  are  at  present  not  less 
than  sixty-six  public-houses  and  taverns  with  this  name,  not 
counting  the  beer-houses,  coffee-houses,  &c.  Yet,  after  all,  it  is 
very  doubtful  if  St  George  ever  existed,  and  he  may  be  only  a 
popular  corruption  of  St  Michael  conquering  Satan,  or  Perseus' 
romantic  deUvery  of  Andromeda.  Hence  the  little  rhyme  re- 
corded by  Aubrey,  and  various  other  seventeenth  century  collectors 
of  ana : 

"  To  save  a  mayd  St  George  the  Dragon  slew — 
A  pretty  tale,  if  all  is  told  be  true. 
Most  say  there  are  no  dragons,  and  'tis  sayd 
There  was  no  George ;  pray  God  there  was  a  mayd." 

St  George  is  mentioned  by  Bede,  who  calls  the  23d  of  April 
"  Natale  S.  Georgii  Martyiis."  He  was,  however,  at  that  time  a 
very  recent  importation,  for  Adamnanus  (690),  who  lived  just 
before  Bede,  says,  speaking  of  Arnulphus  after  his  return  from 
the  East ;  "  Etiam  nobis  de  quodam  martyre  Georgio  nomine 
narrationem  contulit."  In  the  reign  of  Canute,  there  was  already 
a  house  of  regular  canons  sacred  to  St  George  at  Thetford,  in 
Norfolk.  The  church  of  St  George,  Southwark,  is  also  thought 
to  have  existed  before  the  Conqueror.  But  after  the  Conquest, 
chapels  were  frequently  erected  to  him,  and  on  the  seals  of  this 
period  he  is  often  represented  without  the  Dragon.  Edward  III. 
had  a  particular  veneration  for  liim.  Many  of  his  statutes  begin  : 
"  Ad  honorena.  omnipotentis  Dei,  Sanctse  Mariae  Virginis  gloriosae, 
et  Sancti  Greorgii  Martyris."  It  was  after  the  foundation  of  the 
Order  of  the  Garter  that  it  became  such  a  favourite  sign.  The 
fact  that  he  was  the  patron  of  soldiers  also  assisted  his  popularity 
on  the  signboard. 

There  still  exists  an  old  and  much  dilapidated  stone  sign  of  St 
George  and  the  Dragon  in  the  front  of  a  house  on  SnowhiU. 
Frequently  this  sign  is  abbreviated  to  the  George.     There  was 


288  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

an  inn  of  this  name,  mentioned  in  1554  as  being  situate  on  the 
north  side  of  the  Tabaed.  This  inn  was  very  much  damaged  by  the 
great  fire  of  Southwark  in  1670,  and  completely  burned  down 
in  1676.     But  it  was  rebuilt,  and  has  come  down  to  our  time. 

Machyn,  in  his  Diary,  mentions  several  Georges  ;  one  of  them 
in  connexion  with  an  occurrence  which  gives  a  good  view  of  these 
lawless  times  : — 

"  The  viij  day  of  December  1559  was  the  day  of  the  Conception  of  owre 
Lade  was  a  grett  fyre  in  the  Gorge  in  Bred  stret ;  itt  begane  at  vj  of  the 
cloke  at  nyght  and  dyd  gret  harm  to  dyvers  houses.  The  9th  of  Decembel 
cam  serten  fellows  unto  the  Gorge  in  Bred  stret  where  the  fyre  was  and  gutt 
into  the  howse  and  brake  up  a  chest  of  a  clothear  and  toke  owt  xl.  lb.  and 
after  oryd  fyre,  fyre,  so  that  ther  cam  ijc  pepull,  and  so  they  took  one." 

The  George  in  Lombard  Street  was  a  very  old  house,  once  the 
town  mansion  of  the  Earl  Ferrers,  in  which  one  of  that  family 
was  murdered  as  early  as  1175,  (see  Stow.)  At  this  house  died, 
in  1524,  Richard  Earl  of  Kent,  who  had  wasted  his  property  in 
gaming  and  extravagance  ;  it  was  then  an  inn,  where  the  nobility 
used  to  put  up  at.  George  Dowdall,  Archbishop  of  Armagh,  (1558,) 
was  buried  from  this  house.  Finally,  we  may  mention  a  George 
Inn  at  Derby,  in  connexion  with  the  following  advertisement 
from  the  Daily  Advertiser,  Oct.  1758  : — 

"  4  YOUNG  LADY  STRAYED.— A  young  Lady,  just  come  out  of 
_/\^  Derbyshire,  strayed  from  her  Guardian.  She  is  remarkably  genteel 
and  handsome.  She  has  been  brought  up  by  a  farmer  near  Derby,  and 
knows  no  other  but  that  they  are  her  parents ;  but  it  is  not  so,  for  she  is 
a  lady  by  birth,  though  of  but  little  learning.  She  has  no  cloathes  with 
her,  but  a  riding  habit  she  used  to  go  to  market  in.  She  will  have  a  fine 
estate,  as  she  is  an  heiress,  but  knows  not  her  birth,  as  her  parents  died 
when  she  was  a  child,  and  I  had  the  care  of  her,  so  she  knows  not  but  that 
I  am  her  mother.  She  has  a  brown  silk  gown  that  she  borrowed  of  her 
maid — that  is,  dy'd  silk,  and  her  riding  dress  a  light  drab,  lin'd  with  blue 
Tammy,  and  it  has  blue  loops  at  the  button-holes ;  she  has  outgrown  it ; 
and  I  am  sure  that  she  is  in  great  distress  both  for  money  and  cloaths ;  but 
whoever  has  relieved  her  I  will  be  answerable  if  they  will  give  me  a  letter, 
where  she  may  be  found;  she  knows  not  her  own  simame.  1  understand 
she  has  been  in  Northampton  for  some  time  ;  she  has  a  cut  in  her  forehead. 
Whosoever  will  give  an  account  where  she  is  to  be  found  shall  receive  twenty 
guineas  reward.     Direct  for  M.  W.  at  the  George  Inn,  Derby." 

Besides  the  Dragon,  St  George  is  found  in  various  other  com- 
binations, as  the  George  and  Blue  Boar,  High  Holbom,  ari 
old  inn  lately  come  to  its  end.  In  the  seventeenth  century  this 
house  was  called  the  Blue  Boar,  and  is  said  to  have  been  the 
house  in  which  Cromwell   and   Ireton,   disguised   as    common 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  289 

troopers,  intercepted  a  letter  of  King  Charles  to  his,  queen. 
Cromwell,  the  story  goes  on  to  say,  finding  by  this  letter  that  his 
party  were  not  likely  to  obtain  good  terms  from  the  king,  "  from 
that  day  forward  resolved  his  ruin."*  Unfortunately  for  lovers 
of  the  romantic,  there  is  no  foundation  for  this  dramatic  incident. 

The  George  and  Thirteen  Cautons,  kept  by  the  great  Bob 
Travers,  is  another  odd  combination,  occurring  in  Church  Street, 
Soho ;  it  is,  however,  easily  explained  when  we  learn  that  there 
is  another  public-house  called  the  Thirteen  Cantons,  in  King 
Street,  also  in  Soho.  This  sign  was  put  up  in  reference  to  the 
thirteen  Protestant  cantons  of  Switzerland — a  compliment  to  the 
numerous  Swiss  who  inhabit  the  neighbourhood. 

But  the  strangest  combination  of  all  is  that  of  the  George 
AND  Vulture.  At  present  there  are  three  public-houses  in  London 
with  this  sign  :  one  in  St  George-in-the-East,  one  in  Wapping,  and 
one  in  Haberdasher  Street,  Hoxton.  As  in  the  "  Live  Vulture,"  (see 
p.  224,)  the  only  obvious  explanation  for  this  strange  combination 
seems  to  be  the  possibility  of  a  vulture  having  been  exhibited  at 
this  house.  Vultures  were  stiU  considered  great  curiosities  as  late 
as  the  eighteenth  century.  In  1726,  one  of  the  attractions  at 
Peckham  Fair  was  a  menagerie,  and  amongst  the  animals  exhibited 
the  vulture  was  described  in  the  following  terms  : — 

"  The  noble  Vulture  Cock,  brought  from  Archangall,  having  the  finest 
talons  of  any  bird  that  seeks  her  prey ;  the  forepart  of  his  head  is  covered 
with  hair;  the  second  part  resembles  the  wool  of  a  black  ;  below  that  is  a 
white  ring,  having  a  ruff  that  he  cloaks  his  head  with  at  night." 

[t  is  a  name  of  some  standing.  "  Near  Ball  Alley  was  the 
George  Inn,  since  the  Fire,  rebuilt  with  very  good  houses,  well 
Inhabited,  and  warehouses,  being  a  large  open  yard,  and  called 
George  Yard,  at  the  farther  end  of  which  is  the  George  and 
Vulture  Tavern,  which  is  a  large  house  and  of  a  great  trade, 
having  a  passage  into  St  Michael's  Alley,"  [Cornhill]+  There 
was  another  tavern  of  this  name  on  the  east  side  of  the  high 
road,  nearly  opposite  Bruce  Green,  Tottenham,  in  early  times 
much  frequented  by  the  citizens  of  London  taking  their  recrea- 
tions. It  is  mentioned  in  the  "  Search  after  Claret "  as  early  as 
1691.  Several  coins  of  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth  and  Charles 
[.  were  discovered  on  pulling  down  the  old  house.  A  coat  of 
irms  of  Queen  Elizabeth  was  fixed  over  the  front  door,  but  at  the 

*  Memoirs  of  Roger  Earl  of  Orrery,  by  Rev.  tlr  Th.  Morris,  (Earl  of  On-ery's  State 
Letters,)  1742,  fol,  16. 
t  Strype,  B.  ii.,  p.  162. 

2   0 


290 


THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


demolition  of  tlie  building  it  was  put  up  at  the  back  of  a  house 
in  Hale  Lane.  After  the  fashion  of  the  time,  the  house  was 
duly  puffed  up  in  newspaper  poems.  The  foUowiug  is  copied 
from  a  newspaper-cutting  circa  1761-62,  and  as  it  enumerates 
the  attractions  of  a  suburban  tea-garden  of  the  period,  may  be 
quoted  here  at  full  length  : — 

"  If  lur'd  to  roam  in  Summer  Hours, 

Your  Thoughts  incline  tow'rd  Totf  nham  Bow'rs.  * 

Here  end  your  airing  Tour  and  rest 

Where  Cole  inyites  each  friendly  Guest : 

Intent  on  signs,  the  prying  Eye, 

The  George  and  Vdlujee  will  descry ; 

Here  the  kind  Landlord  glad  attends 

To  Wellcome  all  his  chearfuU  Friends 

Who,  leaving  City  smoke,  delight 

To  range  where  various  scenes  invite. 

The  spacious  garden,  verdant  Field, 

Measures  beyond  Expression  yield. 

The  Angler  here  to  sport  inclined 

In  his  Canal  may  Pastime  find. 

Neat  racy  Wine  and  Home-brew'd  Ale 

The  nicest  Palates  may  regale, 

Neotarious  Punch — and  (cleanly  grac'd) 

A  Larder  stor'd  for  ev'ry  Taste. 

The  cautious  Fair  may  sip  with  Glee 

The  fresh'st  Coffee,  finest  Tea. 

Let  none  the  outward  Vultwre  fear, 

No  Vulture  host  inhabits  here. 

If  too  well  us'd  you  deem  ye — then 

Take  your  Kevenge  and  come  again." 

St  Paul,  the  patron  saint  of  London,  was  formerly  a  common 
sign  in  the  metropolis.  One  of  the  trades  tokens  of  a  house  or 
tavern  in  Petty  France,  Westminster,  represents  the  saint  before 
his  conversion,  lying  on  the  ground,  with  his  horse  standing  by 
him ;  this  house  was  called  "  the  Saul."  Perhaps  this  was  a 
monkish  pleasantry  of  the  period,  (as  Westminster  was  under  the 
patronage  of  St  Peter,)  representing  an  unpleasant  event  in  the 
history  of  the  great  patron,  and  showing,  by  simple  analogy,  the 
vast  superiority  of  the  converted  St  Peter.  The  usual  way,  how- 
ever, of  commemorating  the  saint  on  the  signboard  was  the  St 
Paul's  Head.  Tliis  was  the  sign  of  a  very  old  inn  in  Great 
Carter  Lane,  (Doctors'  Commons,)  opposite  which  Bagford  lived 
in  1712.  As  an  inn,  it  is  mentioned  by  Machyn,  in  his  Diary,  in 
1562.     "  The  25  may  _was  a  yonge  man  did  hang  ymseylff  at  the 

*  Tottenham  High  Cross. 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  29 1 

PoUes  Head,  the  inn  in  Carterlane."  Trades  tokens  of  this  house 
are  extant  in  the  Beaufoy  CoUection.  In  the  eighteenth  century, 
moat  of  the  celebrated  libraries  were  sold  at  this  inn  :  *  amongst 
others  that  of  the  bibliomaniac,  Tom  Rawlinson — ^the  Tom  Folio 
of  the  Tatler,  -whose  books  were  brought  to  the  hammer  between 
1721-33 — ^the  sale  extending  to  seventeen  or  eighteen  separate 
auctions.  The  disposal  of  his  MSS.  alone  occupied  sixteen  days. 
To  this  tavern  formerly  the  new  sheriffs,  after  having  been  sworn 
in,  used  to  resort  to  receive  the  keys  of  the  different  jails ;  that 
ceremony  terminated,  they  were  regaled  with  sack  and  walnuts 
by  the  keeper  of  Newgate.  The  St  Paul's  Coffee-house  is  buUt 
on  the  site  of  this  old  inn.  About  1820  there  was  another  Paul's 
Head  in  Cateaton  Street,  where  a  literary  club  used  to  be  held 
"for  the  cultivation  of  forensic  eloquence."  It  was  under  the 
patronage  of  several  distinguished  characters,  and  had  for  a  motto 
the  modest  words,  "  Sic  itur  ad  astra."  The  vicinity  of  the  cathe- 
dral evidently  had  suggested  both  these  signs,  as  well  as  that 
exhibited  by  Philip  Waterhouse,  a  bookseller  "  at  the  St  Paul's 
Head  in  Canning  Street  near  Londonstone"  in  1630.  On  another 
sign,  in  the  same  locality,  the  two  saints  were  united,  viz.,  the 
Saint  Petee  and  Saint  Padl,  St  Paul's  Churchyard.  Of  this 
"house,  also,  trades  tokens  are  extant. 

Although  St  Peter  was,  doubtless,  as  common  on  the  sign- 
board before  the  Reformation  as  the  other  great  saints  of  reK- 
gious  history,  yet  no  instances  of  this  have  come  down  to  us. 
His  keys,  however — the  famous  Cross  Keys — are  very  common. 
At  Dawdley,  and  on  the  road  between  Warminster  and  Salisbury, 
there  is  a  very  curious  sign  called  Peter's  Fingek,  which  is  be- 
lieved to  occur  nowhere  else.  In  all  probability  this  refers  to  the 
benediction  of  the  Pope,  the  finger  of  liis  Holiness  being  raised 
whilst  bestowing  a  blessing.  St  Peter  being  the  first  of  the  Papal 
Une,  was  doubtless  often  represented  with  his  finger  raised  in  old 
pictures  and  carvings.  The  following  passage  from  Bishop  Hall's 
"  Satires  "  alludes  to  the  finger  : — 

"  But  walk  on  clieerly  'till  thou  have  espied 
St  Peter's  finger,  at  the  churchyard  side." — ^Book  v.,  sat.  2, 

St  Dunstan,  the  patron  saint  of  the  parish  of  that  name  in 
London,  was  godfather  to  the  Devil, — that  is  to  say,  to  the  sign 
of  the  famous  tavern  of  the  Devil  and  St  Dunstan,  within 

*  The  first  library  snld  by  auction  in  this  country  was  that  of  Dr  Seaman,  of  Warwick 
Court,  Warwick  Lane,  ia  1676. 


292  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Temple  Bar.  The  legend  runs,  that  one  day,  when  working  at 
his  trade  of  a  goldsmith,  he  was  sorely  tempted  by  the  devil,  and 
at  length  got  so  exasperated  that  he  took  the  red  hot  tongs  out 
of  the  fire  and  caught  his  infernal  majesty  by  the  nose.  The 
identical  pinchers  with  which  this  feat  was  performed  are  still 
preserved  at  Mayfield  Palace,  in  Sussex.  They  are  of  a  very  re- 
spectable size,  and  formidable  enough  to  frighten  the  arch  one 
himself.  This  episode  in  the  saint's  life  was  represented  on  the 
signboard  of  that  glorious  old  tavern.  By  way  of  abbreviation, 
this  house  was  called  The  Devil,  though  the  landlord  seems  to 
have  preferred  the  other  saint's  name  ;  for  on  his  token  we  read  : 

"  The  D (sic)  and  Dunstan,"  probably  fearing,  with  a  classic 

dread,  the  ill  omen  of  that  awful  name. 

Allusions  to  this  tavern  are  innumerable  in  the  dramatists ; 
one  of  the  earliest  is  in  1563,  in  the  play  of  "  Jack  Jugeler." 
William  Eowley  thus  mentions  it  in  his  comedy  of  a  "  Match 
by  Midnight,"  1633:— 

"  Bloodhound.  As  you  come  by  Temple  Bar  make  a' step  to  the  Devil. 

Tim.  To  the  Devil,  father  ? 

Sim.  My  master  means  the  sign  of  the  Devil,  and  he  cannot  hurt  you, 
fool ;  there's  a  saint  holds  him  by  the  nose. 

Tim.  Sniggers,  what  does  the  devil  and  a  saint  both  on  a  sign  ? 

Sim.  What  a  question  is  that  ?  What  does  my  master  and  his  prayer- 
book  o'  Sundays  both  in  a  pew?" 

So  fond  was  Ben  Jonson  of  this  tavern,  that  he  lived  "  vrithout 
Temple  Bar,  at  a  combmaker's  shop,"  according  to  Aubrey,  in 
order  to  be  near  his  favourite  haunt.  It  must  have  been,  there- 
fore, in  a  moment  of  ill-humour,  when  he  found  fault  with  the 
wine,  and  made  the  statement  that  his  play  of  the  "  Devil  is  an 
Ass,"  (which  is  certainly  not  amongst  Ms  best,)  was  written 
"when  1  and  my  boys  drank  bad  wine  at  the  Devil."  But 
surely  he  would  not  have  established  his  favourite  ApoUo  Club 
at  a  place  where  they  sold  bad  wine.  He  himself  composed  the 
famous  "  Leges  Conviviales "  for  this  club,  which  are  still  pre- 
served, with  the  respect  due  to  so  sacred  a  relic,  in  the  banking 
house  of  Messrs  Child  &  Co.,  erected  in  1788  on  the  place  where 
the  tavern  formerly  stood.  They  are  twenty-four  in  number, 
some  of  them  rather  characteristic  : — 

"  i.  And  the  more  to  exact  our  delight  whilst  we  stay, 
Let  none  be  debarr'd  from  his  choice  female  mate. 
5.  Let  no  scent  offensive  the  chamber  infest. 
10.  Let  our  wines  without  mixture  or  scum  be  all  fine, 
Or  call  up  the  master  and  break  his  dull  noddle. 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  293 

16.  With  mirth,  wit,  and  dancing,  and  singing  conclude. 

To  regale  every  sense  with  delight  in  excess. 
21.  For  generous  lovers  let  a  corner  be  found. 

Where  they  in  soft  sighs  may  their  passions  relieve." 
The  last  clause  was,  "  Focus  perennis  esto,''  ■whicli  proves  that 
rare  old  Ben  understood  comfort.  Latin  inscriptions  were  also 
in  other  parts  of  the  house.  Over  the  clock  in  the  kitchen 
might  have  been  seen,  as  late  as  1731,  "Si  noctuma  tibi  noceat 
potatio  vini,  hoc  in  mane  bibis  iterum,  et  eiit  medieina."*  An 
elegant  rendering  of  the  well-known  phrase,  "  A  hair  of  the  dog 
that  bit  you.''  Not  only  Ben  Jonson,  but  almost  all  the  great 
poets  of  two  centuries,  honoured  this  house  with  their  presence. 
"  I  dined  to-day,"  says  Swift,  in  one  of  his  letters  to  SteUa, 
"  with  Dr  Garth  and  Mr  Addison,  at  the  Devil  Tavern,  near 
Temple  Bar,  and  Garth  treated."  Numerous  similar  quotations 
might  be  found,  showing  the  visits  to  this  place  of  nearly  all  the 
great  literary  stars  of  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries. 

Simon  Wadloe  was  one  of  the  most  famous  landlords  of  this 
tavern.  Pepys,  April  22,  1661, — "  Wadlow,  the  Vintner  at  the 
Devil,  in  Fleet  Street,  did  lead  a  fine  company  of  soldiers,  all 
young  comely  men,  in  white  Doublets"  (this  was  on  Charles  II. 
going  from  the  Tower  to  Whitehall.)  Ben  Jonson  called  him  the 
king  of  skinkers.f  Among  the  verses  on  the  door  of  the  Apollo 
room  occurred  the  lines — ■ 

"  Hang  up  alj  the  poor  hop  drinkers, 
Cries  old  Sim,  the  king  of  skinkers." 
Camden,  in  his  "  Kemains,"  records  the  following  ejjitaph  on 
this  worthy : — 

"  Apollo  et  cohors  Musarum, 
Bacchus  vini  et  uvarum, 
Ceres  pro  pane  et  cervisia, 
Adeste  omnes  cum  tristitia. 
Diique,  Deseque,  lamentate  cuncti, 
Simonis  Vadloe  fimera  defuncti, 
Sub  signo  nudo  bene  vixit,  mirabile ! 
Si  ad  ccelum  recessit  gratias  Diabolic  X 
*  "  If  your  potations  overnightdo  not  agree  with  you,  take  anotlier  glass  of  wine  in  the 
morning,  and  it  will  cure  you." 
+  Skinker,  an  old  English  word,  synonymous  to  tapster,  drawer. 

"  Bacchus  the  win  him  skinketh  all  about." — Chaucer,  Marchant's  Tale,  9696. 
t  "  Apollo  and  you,  band  of  Muses, 
Bacchus,  god  of  wine  and  gi-apes, 
Ceres,  goddess  of  bread  and  beer, 
You  all  must  share  our  sorrow. 
Weep  all  ye  gods  and  goddesses. 
Over  the  bier  of  the  defunct  Simon  Wadloe, 
He  lived  wtU  under  an  evil  sign, 
If  he  goes  to  heaven,  0  miracle  !  thanks  to  the  Deaii'* 


294  ^HE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

In  opposition  to  this  Old  Devil  a  Young  Devil  Tavern  was 
opened,  also  in  Fleet  Street,  in  1707,  and  here  the  first  meetings 
of  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  were  held,  but  the  "  Young  Devil " 
was  not  a  success,  and  the  house  was  soon  closed. 

Though  the  Devil  is  not  a  promising  name  for  a  public-house, 
owing  to  his  near  connexion  with  evil  spirits,  yet  there  was  a 
third  tavern  named  after — if  not  devoted  to  him — the  Little 
Devil,  Goodman's  Fields,  WhitechapeL  Ned  Ward,  in  1703, 
highly  commends  the  punch  of  this  house,  which  he  partook  of 
in  "  a  room  neat  enough  to  entertain  Venus  and  the  graces." 
It  was  a  house  entirely  after  jolly  Ned's  fancy.  "  My  landlord 
was  good  company,  my  landlady  good  humoured,  her  daughter 
charmingly  pretty,  and  her  maid  tolerably  handsome,  who  can 
laugh,  cry,  say  her  prayers,  sing  a  song,  all  in  a  breath,  and  can 
turn  in  a  minute  to  all  sublunary  points  of  a  female  compass."  * 
The  Devil  (le  Diahle)  was  also  a  celebrated  tavern  in  Paris, 
near  the  Palais  de  Justice.  It  is  thus  named  in  the  "  Ode  k 
tous  les  Cabarets  :" — 

"  Lieux  eacrec  oh  Ton  est  soumia 

Aux  saints  oracles  de  Themis, 

Enoor  que  vous  ayez  la  gloire, 

De  voir  tout  le  monde  K  genoux. 

Sans  le  Diahle  et  la  Tete-JVoire,f 

Je  n'approcheraia  pas  de  vou3."J 

In  the  seventeenth  century  Paris  also  had  its  Petit  Diahle,  (Little 
DevU,)  a  tavern  of  some  renown. 

The  Devil's  House  was  the  name  of  a  favourite  Sunday 
resort  in  the  last  century,  in  the  Hornsey  Road,  Islington.  It  is 
said  to  have  been  the  retreat  of  Claude  Duval  (unde  Duval's 
house.  Devil's  house,)  the  elegant  highwayman  in  the  reign  of 
Charles  II.,  who  infested  the  lanes  about  Islington;  but  from  a 
survey  taken  in  1611,  it  appears  that  the  house  bore  already  at 
that  time  the  name  of  "  Devil's  House."  From  its  general  ap- 
pearance it  seemed  to  date  from  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign.  It  was 
surrounded  by  a  moat  filled  with  water,  and  passed  by  a  wooden 
bridge.     Its  attractions  are  held  forth  in  the  follovring  laudatory 

*  Ned  Ward's  "  London  Spy,"  1703. 

t  La  Tete  Noire,  (the  Moor's  head,)  another  famous  tavern  in  that  locality. 
J  "Sacred  precincts,  where  are  delivered 

The  holy  oracles  of  Themis, 

Though  you  may  boast 

To  see  everybody  kneel  to  you. 

Were  it  not  for  the  DevU  and  the  Moor's  Mad 

I  would  never  come  neai'  you." 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  295 

epistle,  an  example  of  the  florid  and  poetical  advertising  in  vogue 
when  Richardson  vsrote  novels  of  six  volumes  all  in  letters — com- 
positions too  painfully  pathetic  for  our  matter-of-fact  age  : — 
"  To  the  Printer  of  the  PuilicJc  Achertiser. 

"  Sir, — Eeturning  yesterday  from  a  rural  excursion  to  Hornsey,  I  casually 
stopped  for  a  little  refreshment  at  an  house,  commonly  known  by  the  name 
of  Devil's  House,  situated  within  two  fields  of  Holloway-Tumpike.  I  own 
that  I  was  vastly  surprised  at  so  charming  and  delightful  a  place,  so  near 
town,  and  at  the  great  improvements  lately  made  there.  The  garden  is 
well  laid  out,  encompassed  with  a  beautiful  moat,  and  a  good  canal  in  the 
orchard.  On  inquiry,  I  found  the  landlord  (remarkable  for  his  civil  and 
obliging  behaviour)  had  stocked  the  same  with  plenty  of  tench,  carp,  and 
other  fish,  with  free  liberty  for  his  customers  to  angle  therein.  Tea  and 
hot  loaves  ai'e  ready  at  a  moment's  notice,  and  new  milt  from  the  cows 
grazing  in  the  pleasant  meadows  adjoining,  with  a  good  larder,  and  the  best 
wines,  &c.  Ia.short,  I  know  not  a  more  agreeable  place,  where  persons  of 
both  sexes  of  genteel  taste  may  enjoy  a  more  innocent  and  delightful 
amusement.  But  what  surprised  me  most,  was  that  the  landlord,  by  a  pecu- 
liar turn  of  invention,  had  changed  the  Demi's  Bouse  to  the  Summer  House, 
— a  name  I  find  it  is  for  the  future  to  be  distinguished  by.  I  wish,  Mr 
Printer,  your  readers  as  much  pleasure  as  myself,  and  am,  sir,  your  con- 
stant reader,  "  H.  G. 

"  May  25, 1767." 

At  Eoyston,  Herts,  there  is  a  public-house  known  as  the 
Devil's  Head.  There  is  no  signboard,  but  a  carved  representJk- 
tion  of  his  satanic  majesty's  head  projects  from  the  building,  the 
name  being  underneath. 

St  Pathick  is  exclusively  an  Irish  sign.  He  is  generally 
represented  in  the  costume  of  a  bishop,  driving  a  flock  of  snakes, 
toads,  and  other  vermin  before  him,  which  he  is  said  to  have 
banished  from  Ireland.  His  life  is  more  replete  with  miracles 
than  any  of  the  other  saints. 

"  St  Patrick  was  a  gentleman, 
And  came  of  dacent  people," 

for  his  father  was  a  noble  Roman,  who  lived  at  Kirkpatrick,  in 
Scotland.  The  saint's  life  was  very  active ;  he  founded  36.5 
churches,  ordained  365  bishops,  and  3000  priests,  converted 
12,000  persons  in  one  district,  baptized  seven  kings  at  once, 
established  a  purgatory,  and  with  Ms  staff  expelled  every  reptile 
that  stung  or  croaked.  This  last  feat,  however,  has  been  per- 
formed by  a  great  many  saints  in  different  parts  of  the  world. 
Not  so  the  feat  he  performed  at  his  death,  when,  having  been  be- 
headed, he  coolly  took  his  head  under  his  arm,  (or,  according  to 
the  best  authorities,  in  his  mouth,)  and  swam  over  the  Shannon. 


296  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

In  such  cases  as  the  Bishop  of  Narbonne  said  about  St  Denis, 
(who  walked  from  Montmartre  to  St  Denis  with  his  head  under 
his  arm,)  "  il  n'y  a  que  le  premier  pas  qui  coute."  * 

In  many  instances,  no  doubt,  before  the  Eeformation,  the 
shopkeeper  would  choose  his  patron  saint  for  his  sign,  to  act  as 
a  sort  of  lares  and  penates  to  his  house.  An  example  of  this 
occurs  on  the  following  imprint : — "  Manual  of  Prayers,  1539. 
Imprynted  in  Bottol  [St  Botolph's]  Lane,  at  the  sygne  of  the 
Whyt  Beaee,  by  me,  Jhon  Mayler,  for  John  Waylande,  and 
be  to  sell  in  Powles  Churchyarde,  by  Andrew  Hester^  at  the 
Whyt  Hokse,  and  also  by  Mychel  Lobley,  at  the  sygne  of  the 
Saint  Mychel  ;"  this  last  bookseller,  therefore,  had  chosen  his 
own  patron  saint  for  his  sign.  For  the  same  reason  another 
bookseller  adopted,  in  the  early  part  of  the  sixteenth  century, 
Saint  John  the  Evangelist — "  The  DoctrynaU  of  Good  Ser- 
vauntes.  Imprynted  at  London,  in  Flete  Strete,  at  the  sygne  of 
Saynt  Johan  Evangelyste,  by  me,  Jofian  Butler."  This  Butler 
was  a  judge  of  the  Common  Pleas,  as  well  as  a  bookseller.  About 
the  same  period  the  Evangelist  was  also  the  sign  of  another  man 
of  the  same  profession — "  Kobert  Wyce,  dweUinge  at  the  sygne 
of  Seynt  Johan  Euagelyst,  in  Seynt  Martyns  parysshe,  in  the 
filde  besyde  Char3Tige  Crosse,  in  the  bysshop  of  Norwytche 
rentys "  He  was  the  printer  of  the  weU-known  "  Pronosty- 
cacion  for  ever  of  Erra  Pater ;  a  Jews  borne  in  Jewry,  a  doctor 
in  Astronomye  and  Physicte,"  which  was  continued  for  ages 
after  him.  Eobert  Wyce  must  have  been  about  the  first  book- 
seller and  printer  in  this  neighbourhood,  as  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
reign  the  parish  contained  less  than  one  hundred  people  liable  to 
be  rated.+  We  find  the  same  as  one  of  the  oldest  printer's  signs 
in  France,  on  an  edition  of  Merlin's  Prophecies,  printed  at  Paris 
in  1438,  by  Abraham  Verard,  dwelling  near  the  church  of  Notre 
Dame,  at  the  sign  of  St  John  the  Evangelist. 

Other  saints,  again,  have  a  local  reputation,  and  are  perpetuated 
on  the  signboards  in  certain  localities  only,  as  for  instance  St 
Thomas  of  Canterbury ;  St  Edmund's  Head,  at  Bury  St  Ed- 
munds ;  and  St  Cuthbeet,  at  Monk's  house,  near  Sunderland. 
This  saint  was  the  first  bisliop  of  Northumberland. 
"  But  fain  St  Hilda's  nuns  would  learn, 
If  on  a  rook  by  Lindisfame, 

*  St  JuAtin,  another  martyr,  after  his  head  was  struck  oflf,  picked  it  up,  and,  holding  it 
Id  his  hand,  conversed  with  the  bystanders, 
t  Cunningham's  London. 


PLATE  XIX. 


THKBE  NUNS. 
(Bauks's  CoUectioD,  1814.) 


ABEL  DRUGGEK. 
(Banks's  Collection,  1780.) 


WELSH  TKOOPEK. 
(From  an  old  prmt,  1750.) 


ELEPHANT  AND  CASTLE. 
(Belle  Sauvage  Yard,  circa  1668.) 


BLACK  PRINCE. 
(BaukB's  Collection,  1790.) 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  297 

St  Cuthbert  sHa  and  toils  to  frame 

The  seaborn  weeds  which  bear  his  name," 

says  Sir  Walter  Scott,  alluding  to  the  stalks  of  the  Encrinites, 
which  are  called  St  Cuthbert's  Beads,  the  saint,  as  the  story  goes, 
amusing  himseK  by  stringing  them  together. 

Hugh  Singleton,  a  bookseller  in  the  sixteenth  century,  lived  at 
the  sign  of  the  St  Augxtstine  ;  probably  he  had  chosen  this 
saint  from  the  fact  of  his  being  a  distinguished  writer  as  well  as 
saint.  George  Carter,  a  shopkeeper  in  the  seventeenth  century, 
adopted  St  Alban,  the  protomartyr,  as  his  sign,  evidently  for  no 
other  reason  but  because  he  lived  in  "St  Alban's  Street,  near 
St  James's  Market ;"  and  another,  William  Ellis  of  Tooley  Street, 
had  the  sign  of  St  Clement,  perhaps  on  account  of  his  being  a 
native  of  the  parish  of  St  Clement's.  Trades  tokens  of  both 
these  houses  are  to  be  seen  in  the  Beaufoy  Collection. 

St  Laurent  was  the  sign  of  an  inn  in  Lawrence  Lane,  Cheap- 
side,  but  from  a  border  of  blossoms  or  flowers  round  it,  it  was 
commonly  called  Blossoms,  or  by  corruption.  Bosom's  Inn — 
such  at  least  is  the  explanation  of  Stow : — 

"  Antiquities  in  this  lane — [St  Laurence  Lane,  CheapsiJe] — I  find  none 
other  than  that,  among  many  fair  houses,  there  is  one  large  inn  for  the  re- 
ceipt of  travellers  called  Blossom's  Inn,  but  corruptly  Bosom's  Inn,  and 
hath  to  sign  St  Laurence  the  deacon  in  a  border  of  blossoms  or  flowers." 

Flowers  are  said  to  have  sprung  up  at  the  martyrdom  of  this 
saint,  who  was  roasted  alive  on  a  gridiron.  But  in  the  "  History 
of  Thomas  of  Beading,"  ch.  ii.,  another  version  is  given,  which 
seems,  however,  little  else  than  a  joke  : — 

"  Our  jolly  clothiers  kept  up  their  courage  and  went  to  Bosom's  Inn,  so 
called  from  a  greasy  old  fellow  who  built  it,  who  always  went  nudging  with 
his  head  in  his  hosom  winter  and  summer,  so  that  they  called  him  the  pic- 
ture of  old  Winter." 

In  1522  the  Emperor  Charles  V.  honoured  Henry  VIII.  with 
a  visit ;  at  first  his  intention  was  to  come  with  a  retinue  of 
2044  persons  and  1127  horses,  but  subsequently  he  reduced- 
them  to  2000  persons  and  1000  horses.  To  lodge  these  visitors, 
various  "  inns  for  horses "  were  "  seen  and  viewed,"  amongst 
which  "St  Laurance,  otherwise  called  Bosoms  Yn,"  is  noted 
down  to  have  "xs  beddes  and  a  stable  for  Ix  horses."*  It  is 
curious,  in  this  list  of  inns,  to  observe  the  proportion  of  beds  as 

*  Our  Harry  VITL  was  fully  as  extravagant  in  his  retinue.  When  he  went  over  to 
meet  Francis  I.  at  the  Camp  du  Drap  d'or,  he  required  ii400  beds,  and  stabling  for 
2000  horses.  „  p 


298  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

compared  with  stabling  room,  showing -how  most  of  the  followers 
of  a  nobleman  on  a  journey  had  to  shift  for  themselves  and  sleep 
in  the  straw  or  elsewhere.  On  the  occasion  of  this  imperial  visit, 
the  city  authorities  were  evidently  afraid  of  being  druak  dry  by 
the  many  Memings  in  the  train  of  the  Emperor.  To  avoid  this 
calamity,  a  return  was  made  of  all  the  wine  to  be  found  at  the 
eleven  wine  merchants,  and  the  twenty-eight  principal  taverns 
then  in  London,  the  sum  total  of  which  was  809  pipes.* 

In  the  sixteenth  century  the  house  seems  already  to  have  been 
famous  as  a  carrier's  inn,  (which  it  continued  for  three  centuries,) 
as  appears  from  the  following  allusion  : — "  Yet  have  I  naturally 
cherisht  and  hugt  it  in  my  bosome,  even  as  a  carrier  at  Bosome's 
Inne  doth  a  cheese  under  his  arms."t  A  satirical  tract  about 
Banks  and  his  horse  "  Marocius  Extaticus,"  (reprinted  by  the 
Percy  Society,)  gives  the  names  of  its  authors  as  "John  Damdo 
the  wiredrawer  of  Hadley,  and  Harrie  Hunt,  head  ostler  of 
Besomes  Inne."  Another  domestic  of  this  establishment  is  handed 
down  to  posterity  in  Ben  Jonson's  "  Masque  of  Christmass,"  pre- 
sented at  Court  in  1616,  where  the  following  lines  occur  : — 

"  But  now  comes  Tom  of  Bosom's  Inn, 
And  he  presenteth  Misrule."  J 

The  CATHEunsrB  Wheel  was  formerly  a  very  common  sign, 
most  likely  adopted  from  its  being  the  badge  of  the  order  of 
the  knights  of  Saint  Catherine  of  Mount  Sinai,  created  anno 
1063,  for  the  protection  of  pilgrims  on  their  way  to  and  from 
the  Holy  Sepulchre.  Hence  it  was  a  suggestive,  if  not  eloquent 
sign  for  an  inn,  as  it  intimated  that  the  host  was  of  the 
brotherhood,  although  in  a  humble  way,  and  would  protect  the 
travellers  from  robbery  in  his  inn, — in  the  shape  of  high  charges 
and  exactions, — just  as  the  knights  of  St  Catherine  protected 
them  on  the  high  road  from  robbery  by  brigands.  These  knights 
wore  a  white  habit  embroidered  with  a  Catherine  wheel,  (i.e.  a 
wheel  armed  with  spikes,)  and  traversed  with  a  sword  stained 

*  "  Rutland  Papers,"  reprinted  for  Camden  Society, 
t  Epistle  Dedicatory  to  *'  Have  at  you  to  SafiCi-on  Walden,"  1596. 
J  "  Misrule  in  a  velvet  cap,  a  sprig,  a  short  cloak,  a  great  yellow  raff,  like  a  reveller ; 
his  torch  bearer  bearing  a  rope,  a  cheese,  and  a  basket."  The  names  given  were  the 
real  designations  of  the  perfonners  in  private  life.  Kit,  the  cobbler  of  Philpot  Lane ;  Cis, 
a  cook  s  wife  fi'oni  Scalding  Alley ;  Nell,  a  milliner  ftom  Threadneedle  Street ;  and  Tom, 
our  drawer  from  Blossom's  Inn. 

*'  And  he  presenteth  Misrule, 
Which  you  may  know  by  the  very  show, 
Albeit  you  never  ask  it ; 
For  there  you  may  see,  what  his  ensignes  bee^ 
The  rope,  tlie  cheese,  and  the  basket." 


SAINTS,  MARTYBS,  ETC.  299 

with  blood.*  There  were  also  mysteries  in  which  St  Catherine 
played  a  favourite  part,  one  of  which  was  acted  by  young  ladies 
on  the  entry  of  Queen  Catherine  of  Arragon  (queen  to  our  Henry 
VIII.)  in  London  in  1501 ;  in  honour  of  this  queen  the  sign  may 
occasionally  have  been  put  up.  The  Catherine  wheel  was  also  a 
charge  in  the  Turners'  arms.  Flechnoe  tells  us,  in  his  "  Enigma- 
tical Characters,"  (1658,)  that  the  Puritans  changed  it  into  the 
Cat  and  Wheel,  under  which  name  it  is  still  to  be  seen  on  a 
public-house  at  Castle  Green,  Bristol.  In  the  seventeenth  and 
eighteenth  centuries  the  Catherine  Wheel  was  a  famous  carrier's 
inn  in  Southwark ;  and  at  the  present  day  there  is  still  an  old 
public-house  in  Bishopsgate  Street  Without,  inscribed,  "  Ye  old 
Catherine  Wheel,  1694."  + 

Besides  these,  there  were  other  signs  expressing  a  religious 
idea,  such  as  the  Heart  in  Bible,  which  occurs  under  one  of  the 
Luttrell  Ballads : — "  The  Citizens'  joys  for  the  EebuUding  of 
London,  printed  by  P.  LUUcross,  for  Richard  Head,  at  the  Heaet 
IN  Bible,  in  Little  Britain,  where  you  may  have  Mr  Matthews, 
his  approved  and  universal  piUs  for  all  diseases,  1667."  Another 
bookseller  on  London  Bridge,  Eliz.  Smith,  1691,  had  the  Hand 
AND  Bible.  Biblical  phrases  also  were  employed,  as  for  instance, 
the  Lion  and  Lamb,  which  occurs  on  several  seventeenth  cen- 
tury trades  tokens  of  SnowhUl,  Southwark,  &c.,  and  is  still  much 
in  vogue.  It  is  an  emblematical  representation  of  the  Millen- 
nium, when  "  the  lion  shall  lie  down  by  the  kid."  In  the  last 
century  there  was  a  Lion  and  Lamb  on  a  signboard  at  Sheffield, 
with  the  following  poetical  effusion  : — 

"  If  the  Lyon  show'd  kill  the  Lamb, 
We  '11  kill  the  Lyon — if  we  can ; 
But  if  the  Lamb  show'd  kiU  the  Lyon, 
"We  '11  kill  the  Lamb  to  make  a  Pye  on." 
The  antithesis  to  this  sign,  namely,  the  Wolf  and  Lamb,  occurs 
occasionally,  as  in  Charles  Street,  Leicester,  and  in  a  few  other 
places.    In  Grosvenor  Street  it  was  probably  once  represented  by 
a  Hon  and  a  kid,  but  the  public,  not  minding  the  text,  called  the 
sign  the  Lion  and  Goat,  and  that  name  it  still  bears.   The  Lion 
AND  Addee,  Nottingham,  Newark,  and  various  other  places,  or 
the  Lion  and  Snake,  as  at  BaUgate,  Lincoln,  come  from  Psalm 

•  St  Catherine  was  beheaded  after  having  been  placed  between  wheels  with  spikes,  from 
which  she  was  saved  by  an  angel  descended  from  heaven. 

t  Several  of  tlie  old  carriers  and  coaching  inns  still  remain  in  Bishopsgate  Street,  under 
their  old  names,  as  the  Black  Bull,  the  Green  Dragon,  the  Four  Svians,  and  (until  a  few 
mouths  ago)  the  Flowerpot,  Ac. 


300  TlIM  in  STORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

xci.  13,  where  the  godly  are  reminded: — "Thou  shalt  tread 
upon  the  Lion  and  Adder,  the  young  Hon  and  the  dragon  shalt 
thou  trample  under  feet."  These  two  signs  apparently  came  in 
use  during  the  Commonwealth.  They  have  a  decided  flavour  of 
the  time  when  Scripture  language  formed  the  common  speech  of 
every  day  life. 

The  Lamb  and  Flag  is  another  sign  common  all  over  England, 
representing  originally  the  holy  lamb  with  the  nimbus  and  banner, 
but  now  so  little  understood  by  the  publicans,  that  on  an  ale- 
house at  Swindon,  it  is  pictured  with  a  spear,  to  which  a  red- 
white-and-blue  streamer  is  appended.  It  may  also  be  of  heraldic 
origin,  for  it  was  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Templars,  and  the  crest 
of  the  merchant  tailors.  The  Lamb  and  Anchor,  MUk  Street, 
Bristol,  seems  to  be  a  mystical  representation  of  hope  in  Christ; 
both  these  last  signs  date  from  before  the  Reformation.  From 
that  period  also  dates  the  sign  of  the  Bleeding  Heart,  the  em- 
blematical representation  of  the  five  sorrowful  mysteries  of  the 
Kosary,  viz.,  the  heart  of  the  Holy  Virgin  pierced  with  five  swords. 
There  is  still  an  ale-house  of  this  name  in  Charles  Street,  Hatton 
Garden,  and  Bleeding  Heart  Yard,  adjoining  the  pubUc-house,  is 
immortalised  in  "Little  Dorrit."  The  Wounded  Heart,  one  of  the 
signs  in  Norwich  in  1750,*  had  the  same  meaning.  The  Heart 
was  a  constant  emblem  of  the  Holy  Virgin  in  the  middle  ages ; 
thus,  on  the  clog  almanacs,  all  the  feasts  of  St  Mary  were  in- 
dicated by  a  heart.  It  was  not  an  uncommon  sign  in  former 
times.  The  Heart  and  Ball  appears  on  a  trades  token  as  the 
sign  of  a  house  in  Little  Britain,  the  Ball  being  simply  some  sUk 
mercer's  addition ;  and  the  Golden  HEARit  was  a  sign  in  Green- 
wich in  1737,  next  door  to  which  Dr  Johnson  used  to  live  when 
he  was  newly  come  to  town,  and  wrote  the  Parliamentary  articles 
for  the  Gentleman's  Magazine.  At  present  there  are  three  public- 
houses  with  this  sign  in  Bristol,  and  in  other  places  it  may  be 
met  with. 

Heaven  was  a  house  of  entertainment  near  Westminster  Hall ; 
the  present  committee  rooms  of  the  House  of  Commons  are 
erected  on  its  site.  Butler  alludes  to  this  house  in  "  Hudibras," 
p.  3:- 

"  False  Heaven  at  the  end  of  the  Hall." 

Pepys  records  his  dining  at  this  house  in  the  winter  of  16  GO, 

*  Gentleman's  MaoaxiTUt  March  1842. 

i  It  is  said  that  this  sign,  put  up  in  French  somewhere  a»  the  caur  dore,  was  Bug 
Iifihed  into  the  "  queer  door." 


SAINTS.  MARTYRS.  ETC. 


301 


and  with  due  respect  for  the  place,  he  put  on  his  best  fur  cap  for 
the  occasion.  "  I  sent  a  porter  to  bring  my  best  fur  cap,  and  so  I 
returned  and  went  to  Heaven ;  where  Luellin  and  I  dined." 

Paradise  was  a  messuage  in  the  same  neighbourhood,  and  Hell 
AND  Purgatory  subterranean  passages  ;  but  in  the  reign  of  James 
I.  Hell  was  the  sign  of  a  low  public-house  frequented  by  lawyers' 
clerks.  Heaven  and  Hell  are  mentioned,  together  with  a 
third  house  called  Purgatory,  in  an  old  grant  dated  the  first 
year  of  Henry  VII.*  The  Three  Kings  is  a  sign  representing 
the  three  Eastern  magi  or  kings,  who  came  to  do  homage  to  our 
Saviour.  We  find  it  used  as,  early  as  the  sixteenth  century  by 
Julyan  Notary,  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  one  of  the  earKest  Lon- 
don printers.  The  Three  Kings  was  formerly  a  constant  mer- 
cer's sign.     Bagford  gives  the  following  reason  for  this  : — 

"  Mersers  in  thouse  dayes  war  Genirall  Marchantes  and  traded  in  all  sortes 
of  Kich  Goodes,  besides  those  of  scelckes  (silks)  as  they  do  nou  at  this 
day  :  but  they  brought  into  England  fine  Leninn  thered  (linen  thread) 
gurdeles  (girdles)  finenly  worked  from  Collin  +  (Cologne.)  CoUin,  the  city 
which  then  at  that  time  of  day  florished  much  and  afforded  rayre  commo- 
detes,  and  these  merchats  that  vsually  traded  to  that  citye,  set  vp  ther 
singes  ouer  ther  dores  of  ther  Houses  the  three  kinges  of  Collin,  with  the 
Armes  of  that  Citye,  which  was  the  Three  Ckouens  of  the  former  kings 
in  memorye  of  them,  and  by  those  singes  the  people  knew  in  what  wares 
they  deld  in."t 

There  is  and  was  untU  lately  such  a  sign  carved  in  stone  in  front 
of  a  house  in  Bucklersbury,  which  street  was  once  the  head 
quarters  of  the  mercers  and  perfumers.  The  three  kings  stood  in 
a  row,  all  in  the  same  garb  and  position,  with  their  sceptres 
shouldered.  The  history  of  the  Three  Kings  was  a  favourite 
story  in  the  middle  ages.  Wynkyn  de  Worde  printed,  anno  1516, 
"  The  Lives  of  the  Three  Kinges  of  Collen."  The  same  subject 
had  been  printed  in  Paris  in  1498  by  Tresyrel :  "  La  Vie  des  Troys 
Roys,  Balchazar,  Melchior,  et  Gaspard."  They  also  appeared  in 
many  of  the  ancient  plays  and  mysteries.  In  one  of  the  Chester 
pageants,  acted  by  the  shearmen  and  tailors,  they  are  called  Sir 
Jasper  of  Tars ;  Sir  Melchior,  king  of  Araby ;  Sir  Balthazer,  king 
of  Saba ;  they  enjoy  the  same  names  and  kingdoms  in  the  "  Come- 
die  de  I'Adoration  des  Trois  Roys,"   by   Marguerite  de  Valois. 

*  Note  in  Gifford's  Ben  Jonson,  vol.  iv.,  p.  174. 

t  They  were  called  the  thrr-e  kings  of  Cologne  because  they  were  buried  in  that  city. 
The  Empress  Helena  brought  their  bones  to  Conscantinople,  from  whence  they  were  ro 
moved  to  Milan,  and  thence  in  1164  to  Cologne,  where  they  are  still  kept  as  sacred  and 
miracle-\(Orking  relics. 

J  Harl  MSS.  6910,  vol.  i.,  fol.  193. 


302  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Their  offerings  are  recorded  in  the  following  charm  against  fall- 
ing sickness  : — 

"  Jaspar  fert  myrrham,  thus  Melchior,  Balthazar  aurum, 
Hseo  tria  qui  secum  portabit  nomina  regum 
Solvitur  a  morbo,  CImati  pietate,  oaduoo."  * 

Another  Latin  distich  has — 

"  Tres  Beges  Regi  Regum  tria  dona  firebant 
Myrrham  Homini,  uncto  aurum,  thura  dedere  Deo."  + 

Melchior  was  usually  represented  as  a  bearded  old  man,  Jasper 
as  a  beardless  youth,  and  Balchazar  as  a  Moor  with  a  large 
beard. 

This  sign  was  as  common  on  the  Continent  as  in  England,  and 
at  the  present  day  it  may  often  be  met  with.  Eustache  Des- 
champs,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  thus  celebrated  tho  good  cheer 
of  one  of  the  taverns  in  Paris  : — 

"  Prince,  par  la  Vierge  Marie, 
On  est  k  la  Cossonerie, 
Aux  Cannettea  ou  aux  Trots  Rois." 

U Adoration  des  Trois  Rois  was,  in  1674,  the  sign  of  Frangois 
Muguet,  one  of  the  Parisian  booksellers. 

Not  unlikely  the  sign  of  the  Kings  and  Keys,  a  tavern  in  Fleet 
Street,  is  an  abbreviation  of  the  Three  Kings  and  Cross  Keys.  At 
Weston-super-Mare,  and  at  Chelmsforth,  there  is  another  sign  which 
owes  its  origin  to  the  Three  Kings,  namely,  the  Theee  Queens. 
When,  in  1764,  the  Paving  Act  for  St  James'  was  put  into  execu- 
tion, the  sign  of  the  Three  Queens,  in  ClerkenweU  Green,  was  re 
moved  at  a  cost  of  upwards  of  £200 ;  it  extended  not  less  than  seven 
feet  from  the  front  of  the  house.  Lloyd's  Evening  Post,  January 
1 2-14, 1761,  tells  how  two  sharpers  came  to  this  ale-house  and  stole 
the  silver  tankard  in  which  their  drink  was  served  them.  Each 
tavern  in  those  days  possessed  a  number  of  silver  tankards,  in 
which  the  well-dressed  customers  were  served  with  sack  and  canary. 
It  may  be  imagined  that  the  thieves  were  quietly  on  the  look-out 
for  such  a  prize.  The  same  paper  gives  an  advertisement  about 
two  silver  pints  stolen  from  the  Jolly  Butchers  at  Bath  ;  in  fact, 

*   "  Jasper  brings  myrrh,  Melchior  frankincense,  Balthazar  gold. 
He  who  carries  these  three  names  of  the  kings  about  with  him 
Will,  through  Christ's  favour,  be  delivered  of  the  felling  sickness." 
In  the  trial  of  the  smugglers  for  the  murder  of  Chater  and  Galley,  excisemen  of  Chi- 
chester, in  the  last  century,  one  of  the  prisoners  was  found  with  this  charm  in  his  pocket. 
With  this  scrap  of  paper  in  his  possession,  he  had  considered  himself  quite  safe  from 
detection. 
f  "  Three  kings  brought  tliree  gifts  to  the  King  of  Kings. 

They  gave  myrrh  to  him  as  man,  gold  as  king,  and  frankincense  as  God." 


SAINTS,  MARTYRS,  ETC.  303 

similar  advertisements  were  of  almost  daily  occurrence.     "  The 
Praise  of  Yorkshire  Ale,"  1685,  also  mentions — 
"  Selling  of  Ale,  in  Muggs, 
Silver  Tankards,  Black  Pota,  and  Little  Juggs." 
One  other  semi-religious  legend  has  provided  a  subject  for 
many  a  signboard,  namely,  the  Man  in  the  Moon.     Though 
this  cannot  strictly  be  styled  a  religious  legend,  yet  it  may  be 
included  in  this  class,  as  the  idea  is  said  to  have  originated  from 
the  incident  given  in  Numbers  xv.  32,  et  seq.,  "  And  while  the 
children  of  Israel  were  in  the  wilderness,  they  found  a  man  that 
gathered  sticks  upon  the  Sabbath-day,"  &c.     Not  content  with 
having  him  stoned  for  this  desecration  of  the  day,  the  legend 
transferred  him  to  the  moon.     It  is,  however,  a  Christian  legend, 
for  the  Jews  had  some  Talmudical  story  about  Jacob  being  in  the 
moon ;  in  fact,  almost  every  nation,  whether  ancient  or  modern, 
sees  somebody  in  it.     The  Man  in  the  Moon  occurs  on  a  seven- 
teenth century  token  of  a  tavern  in  Cheapside,  represented  by  a 
half-naked   man  within  a  crescent,   holding  on   by  the   horns. 
There  is  stiU  a  sign  of  this  description  in  Little  Vine  Street, 
Regent  Street,  and  in  various  other  places.     Generally  he  is  re- 
presented with  a  bundle  of  sticks,  a  lanthom  (which,  one  would 
think,  he  did  not  want  in  the  moon,)  and  frequently  a  dog.     Thus 
Chaucer  depicts  him  in  "  Cresseide,"  v.  260  : — 
"  Her  gite  was  gray  and  full  of  spottes  blacke. 
And  on  her  breast  a  chorl  painted  full  even, 
Bearing  a  bush  of  thorns  on  his  baoke, 
Which  for  his  theft  might  clime  no  ner  y»  heven." 

Shakespeare  also  alludes  to  him  : — 

"  Steph.  I  was  the  Man  in  the  Moon  when  time  was. 

"  Oalibam.  I  have  seen  thee  in  her,  and  I  do  adore  thee ;  my  mistresB 
showed  me  thee,  thy  dog  and  bush." — Tempest,  ii.,  so.  2. 

Also — 

"  Quince.  One  must  come  in  with  a  bush  of  thorns  and  a  lanthom,  and 
say  he  comes  to  disfigure  or  to  present  the  person  of  moonshine." — Midr- 
summer  Night's  Dream,  iii.,  sc.  1. 

This  bunch  of  thorns  is  alluded  to  by  Dante,  "  Inferno,"  canto 
XX.  124,  where  the  Man  in  the  Moon  is  spoken  of  as  Cain — 
"  Ma  viene  omai :  che  gia  tiene  il  confine 

D'  amendue  gli  emisperi  e  tocoa  I'onda 

Sotto  Sibilia  Caino  i  le  spine."  * 

•  "  But  come  now,  for  already  hovera  Cain  with  his  bundle  of  thomfi 
On  the  confines  of  the  two  hemispheres,  and  touches  the^ 
Waves  beneath  Seville." 


304  1'HE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

And  again  in  "  Paradiso,"  canto  ii  49,  speaking  of  the  moon,  lie 

asks — 

"  Ma  detemi,  che  sono  i  segni  bui 
Di  questi  oorpo,  che  laggiuso  in  terra 
Fan  di  Cain  favoleggiare  altrui?"  * 
And  the  annotators  of  Dante  say  that  Cain  was  placed  in  the 
moon  with  a  bundle  of  thorns  on  his  back,  similar  to  those  he 
had  placed  on  the  altar  when  he  oflFered  to  the  Lord  his  unwel- 
come sacrifice.     This  Man  in  the  Moon,  whether  Cain,  Jacob,  or 
the  Sabbath-breaker,  has  been  celebrated  by  innumerable  songs. 
Alex.  Neckham  (recently  edited  by  Mr  T.  Wright)  refers  to  him 
from  a  very  ancient  ballad,  and  one  of  the  oldest  songs  is  in  the 
Harl.  MSS.,  2253,  beginning  :— 

"  Mon  in  the  mone  stond  and  streit, 
On  is  bot-forke  is  burthen  he  bereth, 
Hit  is  muche  wonder  that  he  na  doun  slyt 
For  doute  lest  he  valle  he  shoddreth  and  skereth. 
When  the  forst  f reseth  muche  chele  he  byd 
The  thomes  beth  kene  is  hattren  to-tereth 
N'is  no  wytht  in  the  world  that  wot  when  he  syt 
Ne,  bote  hit  bee  the  hegge,  whot  wedes  he  wereth." 
For  aU  this,  his  life  seems  to  be  very  merry,  for  one  of  the  Rox- 
burghe  Ballads  (i.  £,  298)  informs  us  that — 

"  Our  Man  in  the  Moon  drinks  Clarret, 
With  powderbeef,  turnep  and  carret ; 
If  he  doth  so,  why  should  not  you 
Drink  until  the  sky  looks  blue." 

From  whence  they  obtained  the  information  it  is  difficult  to 
say,  but  it  was  a  weU-estabHshed  fact  with  the  old  tobacconists 
that  he  could  enjoy  his  pipe.  Thus  he  is  represented  on  some  of 
the  tobacconists'  pp,pers  in  the  Banks  CoUeetion  puffing  like  a 
steam-engine,  and  underneath  the  words,  "  Who  '11  smoake  with 
y'  Man  in  y°  Moon?"  If  these  frequent  allusions  in  songs  and 
plays  were  not  enough  to  remind  the  Londoners  that  there  was 
such  a  being,  they  could  see  him  daUy  amongst  the  figures  of  old 
St  Paul's— 

"  The  Great  Dial  is  your  last  monument ;  where  bestow  some  half  of  the 
three  score  minutes  to  observe  the  sauciness  of  the  Jacks  •)•  that  are  above 
the  Man  in  the  Moon  there ;  the  strangeness  of  their  motion  will  quit  your 
labour." — Deokek's  GvlVs  Hornbook. 

*  "  But  tell  me,  what  are  the  dai'k  spots 

On  that  body,  which  makes  them  down  there  on  earth 
Talk  of  Cain  and  the  bundle  of  thorns ! " 
\  Paul's  Jacks  were  the  little  automaton  figures  that  struck  the  houi-s  in  old  St  Paul's 
Bimilar  puppets,  or  figures,  were  also  on  other  London  clmrches. 


CHAPTEK  X 

DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS. 

Tools  and  utensils,  as  emblems  of  trade,  were  certainly  placed 
outside  houses  at  an  early  period,  to  inform  the  illiterate  public 
the  particular  trade  or  occupation  carried  on  within.  Centuries 
ago  the  practice,  as  a  general  rule,  fell  into  disuse,  although  a 
few  trades  still  adhere  to  it  with  laudable  perseverance  :  thus  a 
broom  informs  us  where  to  find  a  sweep  ;  a  gilt  arm  wielding  a 
hammer  teUs  us  where  the  gold-beater  lives ;  and  a  last  or  gilt 
shoe  where  to  order  a  pair  of  boots.  Those  houses  of  refreshment 
and  general  resort,  wMch  sought  the  custom  of  particular  trades 
and  professions,  also  very  frequently  adopted  the  tools  and  em- 
blems of  those  trades  as  their  distinguishing  signs.  At  other 
houses,  again,  signs  were  set  up  as  tributes  of  respect  to  certain 
dignities  and  fanctions.  Amongst  the  latter,  the  King's  Head  and 
QuEEisr's  Head  stand  foremost,  and  none  were  more  prominent 
types  than  Henry  VIII.  and  Queen  Elizabeth,  even  for  more  than 
two  centuries  after  their  deceaBe.  Only  fifty  or  sixty  years  ago, 
there  still  remained  a  well-painted,  half-length  portrait  of  bluff 
Harry,  as  a  sign  of  the  Bang's  Head,  before  a  public-house  in 
Southwark.  His  personal  appearance,  doubtless,  more  than  his 
character  as  a  king,  were  at  the  bottom  of  this  popular  favour. 
He  looked  the  personification  of  joUity  and  good  cheer,  and  when 
the  evil  passions,  expressed  by  his  face,  were  lost  under  the 
clumsy  brush  of  the  sign-painter,  there  remained  nothing  but  a 
merry,  "  beery-looking  "  Bacchus,  eminently  adapted  for  a  public- 
house  sign. 

A  very  respectable  foUo  might  be  filled  with  anecdotes  con- 
nected with  the  various  Ejsg's  Head  inns  and  taverns  up  and  down 
the  country  and  in  London — some,  connected  with  royalty,  others 
with  remarkable  persons.  Thus,  for  instance,  when  the  Princess 
(afterwards  Queen)  Elizabeth  came  forth  from  her  confinement  in 
the  Tower,  November  17,  1558,  she  went  into  the  church  of  All 
Hallows,  Staining,  the  first  church  she  found  open,  to  return 
thanks  for  her  deliverance  from  prison.  As  soon  as  this  pious 
duty  was  performed,  the  princess  and  her  attendants  went  to  the 
King's  Head  in  Fenchurch  Street  to  take  some  refreshment,  and 
there  her  Koyal  Highness  dined  on  pork  and  peas.     A  monument 

2  V 


3o6  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

of  this  visit  is  still  preserved  at  the  above  house  in  an  engraving 
of  the  princess,  from  a  picture  by  Hans  Holbein,  hung  up  in  the 
coffee-room ;  and  the  dish  from  which  she  ate  her  dinner  still 
remains,  it  is  said,  aflBxed  to  the  kitchen  dresser  there.  There  is 
a  tradition  that  the  bells  of  AU  Hallows  were  rung  on  this  occa- 
sion with  such  energy,  that  the  queen  presented  the  ringers  with 
silken  ropes. 

A  more  painful  association  is  connected  with  another  King's 
Head  : — 

"  In  a  aeoladed  part  of  the  Oxfordshire  Mils,  at  a  place  called  CoUina 
End,  situated  between  Hardwicke  House  and  Goring  Heath,  is  a  neat  little 
rustic  inn,  having  for  its  sign  a  well-executed  portrait  of  Charles  I.     There 
is  a  tradition  that  this  unfortunate  monarch,  while  residing  as  a  prisoner 
at  Caversham,  rode  one  day,  attended  by  an  escort,  into  this  part  of  the 
country,  and  hearing  that  there  was  a  bowling-green  at  this  inn,  frequented 
by  the  neighbouring  gentry,  struck  down  to  the  house,  and  endeavoured  to 
forget  his  sorrows  for  a  while  in  a  game  at  bowls.     This  circumstance  ifl 
alluded  to  in  the  following  lines,  written  beneath  the  signboard : — 
"  Stop,  traveller,  stop,  in  yonder  peaceful  glade. 
His  favourite  game  the  royal  martyr  play'd. 
Here,  stripp'd  of  honours,  children,  freedom,  rank. 
Drank  from  the  bowl,  and  bowl'd  for  what  he  drank ; 
Sought  in  a  cheerful  glass  his  cares  to  drown. 
And  changed  his  guinea  ere  he  lost  his  crown."  * 

The  sign,  which  seems  to  be  a  copy  from  Vandyke,,  though  much 
faded  from  exposure  to  the  weather,  evidently  displayed  an 
amount  of  artistic  skill  not  usually  met  with  on  the  signboard  ; 
but  the  only  information  the  people  of  the  house  could  give  was, 
that  they  believed  it  to  have  been  painted  in  London.  His  son, 
Charles  II.,  is  also  connected  in  an  anecdote  with  a  King's  Head 
Tavern,  in  the  Poultry,  for  it  is  reported  that  he  stopped  at  this 
inn  on  the  day  of  his  entry  at  the  Eestoration,  at  the  request 
of  the  landlady,  who  happened  just  then  to  be  in  labour,  and 
wished  to  salute  his  majesty.  Mrs  King,  the  lady  so  honoured, 
was  aunt  to  William  Bowyer,  "  the  learned  printer  of  the 
eighteenth  century."  In  Ben  Jonson's  time  there  was  a  famous 
King's  Head  Tavern  in  New  Fish  Street,  "  where  roysters  did 
range."  It  is  this  tavern,  probably,  that  is  alluded  to  in  the 
ballad  of  "The  Banting  Wh ^"s  Resolution  :"— 

"  I  love  a  young  Heir 
Whose  fortune  is  fair. 
And  f  rollick  in  Fish  Street  dinners, 

•  Notes  and  Queriea 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        307 

Who  boldly  does  call, 

Aud  in  private  paies  all, 

These  boyes  are  the  noble  beginners."  " 

At  the  King's  Head,  the  corner  of  Chancery  Lane,  Cowley  the  poet 
was  born  in  1618 ;  it  was  then  a  grocer's  shop  kept  by  his  father. 
Subsequently  it  became  a  famous  tavern,  of  which  tokens  are 
extant.  It  was  at  this  house  that  Titus  Oates's  party  met,  and 
trumped  up  their  infamous  story  against  the  Roman  Catholics, 
trying  to  implicate  the  Duke  of  York  in  the  murder  of  Sir  Ed- 
mundbury  Godfrey.  In  the  reign  of  William  III.,  it  was  a 
violent  Whig  club.  The  distinction  adopted  by  the  members  was 
a  green  ribbon  worn  in  the  hat.  When  these  ribbons  were  shown, 
it  was  a  sign  that  mischief  was  on  foot,  and  that  there  were  setret 
meetings  to  be  held.  North  gives  an  amusing  and  lively  descrip- 
tion of  this  club  : — 

"  The  house  was  double  balconied  in  front,  as  may  be  yet  seen,  for  the 
clubsters  to  issue  forth,  in  fresco,  with  hats  and  no  perruques,  pipes  in  their 
mouths,  merry  faces  and  diluted  throat  for  vocal  encouragement  of  the 
oanagUa  below,  at  bonfires,  on  unusual  and  usual  occasions." 

Here  the  Pope-burning  manifestations  were  got  up,  the  Earl  of 
Shaftesbury  being  president.  In  opposition  to  this  Green  Ribbon 
Club,  the  Tories  wore  in  their  hat  a  scaiiet  ribbon,  with  the 
words.  Rex  et  Haeredes.  Ned  Ward,  with  his  usual  humour, 
descrilaes  a  breakfast  given  in  1706  by  the  master  of  this  house 
to  his  customers,  consisting  of  an  ox  of  415  lb.,  roasted  whole, 
and  at  the  same  time  embraces  the  opportunity  of  praising  the 
landlord  as  "  the  honestest  vintner  in  London,  at  whose  house  the 
best  wine  in  England  is  to  be  drunk."  This  was  probably  Ned's 
way  of  settling  an  old  score. 

Another  King's  Head  is  mentioned  by  Pepys,  26th  March 
166f:- 

"  Thence  walked  through  the  ducking-pond  fields,  but  they  are  so  altered 
since  my  father  used  to  carry  us  to  Islington,  to  the  old  man's  at  the  Kings- 
head,  to  eat  cakes  and  ale  (his  name  was  Pitts,)  that  I  did  not  know  which 
was  the  ducking-pond,  nor  where  I  was." 

It  was  a  very  different  "  ducking  "  in  which  the  landlady  of  the 
Queen's  Head  ale-house  was  concerned,  as  shown  by  the  following 
newspaper  paragraph  : — 

"  Last  week,  a  woman  that  keeps  the  Queen's  Head  ale-house  at  Kingston, 
iu  Surrey,  was  ordered  by  the  Court  to  be  ducked  for  scolding,  and  was 

*  Boxbui'ghe  Ballads,  \\\.,  fol.  25fk, 


3o8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

accordingly  placed  in  the  chair  and  ducked  in  the  river  Thames,  under 
Kingston  Bridge,  in  the  presence  of  2000  or  3000  people." — London  Even- 
ing Post,  Ap.  27,  1745. 

Full  particulars  of  such  an  operation  are  given  by  Misson  : — 

"  They  fasten  an  arm-chair  to  the  end  of  two  strong  beams,  twelve  or 
fifteen  feet  long,  and  parallel  to  each  other.  The  chair  hangs  upon  a  sort 
of  axle,  on  which  it  plays  freely,  so  as  to  remain  in  the  horizontal  position. 
The  scold  being  well  fastened  in  her  chair,  the  two  beams  are  then  placed  as 
near  to  the  centre  as  possible,  across  a  post  on  the  water  side,  and  being 
lifted  up  behind,  the  chair  of  course  drops  into  the  cold  element.  The 
ducking  is  repeated  according  to  the  degree  of  shrewdness  possessed  by  the 
patient,  and  generally  has  the  effect  of  cooling  her  immoderate  heat,  at 
least  for  a  time." 

At  the  King's  Head,  Strutton,  near  Ipswich,  about  ten  years  ago, 
there  was  the  following  inscription  : — 

"  Good  people,  stop,  and  pray  walk  in, 
Here  'a  foreign  brandy,  rum,  and  gin. 
And,  what  is  more,  good  purl  and  ale. 
Are  both  sold  here  by  old  Nat  Dale." 

Old  Nat  had  lived  for  a  period  of  eighty  years  under  the  shadow 
of  the  King's  Head. 

Combinations  with  the  King's  Head  are  not  very  frequent.  The 
King's  Head  and  Lamb,  an  ale-house  in  Upper  Thames  Street,  ia 
evidently  a  quartering  of  two  signs.  The  Two  Kings  and  Still, 
sign  of  Henry  Francis  in  Newmarket,  1667,*  representing  a  stiU 
between  two  kings  crowned,  holding  their  sceptres,  may  have 
originated  from  the  distillers'  arms,  the  two  wild  men,  serving  as 
supporters,  being  refined  into  two  kings,  the  garlands  on  their 
heads  into  crowns,  and  their  clubs  into  sceptres. 

That  Queen  Elizabeth  was  for  more  than  two  centuries  the 
almost  unvarying  type  of  the  Queen's  Head  need  not  be  wondered 
at  when  we  consider  her  weU-deserved  popularity.  A  striking 
instance  of  the  veneration  and  esteem  in  which  she  was  held, 
even  through  all  the  tribulations  and  changes  of  the  Common- 
wealth, is  exhibited  in  the  fact  of  the  bells  ringing  on  her  birth-, 
day,  as  late  as  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  : — 

"  The  Earl  of  Dorset  coming  to  court,  one  Queen  Elisabeth's  birthday, 
the  king  [Charles  II.]  asked  him  what  the  bells  rung  for  f  which  having 
answered,  the  king  farther  asked  him,  '  how  it  came  to  pass  that  her  holiday 
was  stUl  kept,  whilst  those  of  hia  father  and  grandfather  were  no  more 
thought  of  than  William  the  Conqueror's  ?'    '  Because,"  said  the  frank  peer 

*  AkcrmaQ'6  Trades  Tokens. 


DIGNITIES,   TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       309 

to  the  frank  king,  'she  being  a  woman,  chose  men  for  her  counsellors ;  and 
men,  when  they  reign,  usually  chuse  women.' "  * 

During  the  queen's  lifetime,  however,  the  sign-painters  had  to 
mind  how  they  represented  "  Queen  Bess,"  for  Sir  Walter  Kaleigh 
says  that  portraits  of  the  queen  "  made  by  unskilful  and  common 
painters "  were,  by  her  own  order,  "  knocked  in  pieces,  and  cast 
into  the  fire."t  A  proclamation  had  been  issued  to  that  effect, 
in  the  year  1563,  saying  that : — 

"  Forasmuch  as  thrugh  the  natural  desire  that  all  sorts  of  subjects  and 
people,  both  noble  and  mean,  have  to  procure  the  portrait  and  picture  of 
the  Queen's  Majestie,  great  nomber  of  Paynters,  and  some  Printers  and 
Gravers  have  allredy,  and  doe  daily,  attempt  to  make  in  divers  manners 
portraictures  of  hir  Majestie,  in  paynting,  graving,  and  pryntyng,  wherein 
is  evidently  shewn,  that  hytherto  none  hath  sufficiently  expressed  the  natu- 
rall  representation  of  hir  Majesties  person,  favor,  or  grace,  but  for  the  most 
part  have  also  erred  therein,  as  thereof  daily  complaints  are  made  amongst 
hir  Majesties  loving  subjects,  in  so  much,  that  for  redress  hereof  hir 
Majestie  hath  lately  bene  so  instantly  and  so  importunately  sued  by  the 
Lords  of  hir  ConseU,  and  others  of  hir  nobility,  in  respect  of  the  great  dis- 
order herein  used,  not  only  to  be  content  that  some  special  coning  payntor 
might  be  permitted  by  access  to  hir  Majestie  to  take  the  naturall  represen- 
tation of  hir  Majestie,  whereof  she  hath  been  allwise  of  hir  own  right  dis- 
position very  unwillyng,  but  also  to  prohibit  all  manner  of  other  personi 
to  draw,  paynt,  grave,  or  pourtrayit  hir  Majesties  personage  or  visage  for  a 
time,  until  by  some  perfect  patron  and  example  the  same  may  be  by  others 
followed. 

"  Therfor  hir  Majestie,  being  herein  as  it  were  overcome  with  the  con- 
tynuall  requests  of  so  many  of  hir  Nobility  and  Lords,  whom  she  can  not 
well  deny,  is  pleased  that  for  thir  contentations,  some  coning  persons,  mete 
therefore,  shall  shortly  make  a  pourtraict  of  hir  person  or  visage,  to  be 
participated  to  others,  for  satisfaction  of  hir  loving  subjects ;  and  furder- 
more  commandeth  all  manner  of  persons  in  the  mean  tyme  to  forbear  from 
payntyng,  graving,  printing,  or  making  of  any  pourtraict  of  hir  Majestie, 
untill  some  special!  person  tbat  shall  be  by  hir  allowed,  shall  have  first 
fynished  a  pourtraicture  thereof,  after  which  finished,  hir  Majestie  will  be 
content  that  all  other  painters,  printers,  or  gravers  that  shall  be  known 
men  of  understanding,  and  so  thereto  licensed  by  the  bed  officers  of  the 
plaices  where  they  shall  dwell,  (as  reason  it  is  that  every  person  should  not 
without  consideration  attempt  the  same,)  shall  and  maye  at  their  pleasures 
follow  the  sayd  patron  or  first  portraicture.  And  for  that  hir  Majestie 
perceiveth  that  a  grete  nomber  of  hir  loving  subjects  are  much  greved  and 
take  gi-ete  ofienoe  with  the  errors  and  deformities  allredy  committed  by 
Bondry  persons  in  this  behalf,  she  straightly  chargeth  all  her  officers  and 
ministers  to  see  to  the  observation  hereof,  and,  as  soon  as  may  be,  to  re- 
form the  errors  allredy  committed,  and  in  the  mean  tyme  to  forbydd  and 

*  "Eichardsoniana,"  London,  1770,  p,  159. 
t  Preface  to  his  "  Historj  of  the  World." 


3IO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

prohibit  the  shewing  and  publication  of  such  as  are  apparently  deformed, 
until  they  may  be  reformed  which  are  reformable."* 

That  there  were  signboards,  however,  representing  her  Ma- 
jesty's "person,  favour,  and  grace,"  during  her  lifetime,  is  evi- 
dent from  the  fact  that  an  ancestor  of  Pennant,  the  London  topo- 
grapher, made  his  fortune  as  a  goldsmith  at  the  sign  of  the 
Queen's  Head,  in  Smithfield,  during  the  reign  of  good  Queen 
Bess. 

The  irascible  Mr  Boursault,  whose  bile  was  so  often  deranged 
by  signboard  irregularities,  took  also  sycophantic  exception  at 
royal  heads  being  represented  in  that  way  : 

"  Je  souffre  impatiemment  que  le  portrait  du  Roy,  celuy  de  la  Eeine,  de 
Monseigneur  et  dea  autres  Princes  et  Princesses,  servent  d'enseignes  de 
boutiques ;  eux  qui  ne  devroieut  faire  I'oniement  que  des  plus  cfl^bres 
galeries  et  des  plus  illustres  cabinets.  Monsieur  d'Argenson  et  Vous  memo, 
Monsieur  le  Commissaire,  n'auriez-vous  pas  juste  raison  de  vous  facher  de 
voir  vdtre  portrait  servir  d'enseigne  k  la  Maison  d'un  cabaretier,  ou  k  la 
boutique  d'un  Pripier ;  et  pourquoi  done  ne  vous  fachez-vous  pas  de  ce  que 
celui  du  Roy  y  est?"-|- 

Of  celebrated  Queen's  Heads  we  must  begin  with  the  highly  re- 
spectable inn  of  that  name,  in  which,  before  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  lived  the  canonists  and  professors  of  spiritual  and  eccle- 
siastical law.  It  was  situated  in  Paternoster  Row,  where  its 
name  is  stUl  preserved  in  Queen's  Head  Alley.  From  this  place 
'the  lawyers  removed  to  Doctors'  CommoDS. 

Nearly  as  ancient  a  building  was  the  old  Queen's  Head,  Lower 
Street,  Islington,  at  the  corner  of  Queen's  Head  Lane,  one  of  the 
most  perfect  specimens  of  ancient  domestic  architecture  in  the 
vicinity  of  London.  It  is  said  that  it  was  built  by  Sir  Walter 
Raleigh,  after  he  had  obtained  "  lycense  for  keeping  ot  taverns 
and  retayling  of  wynes  throughout  Englande,"  and  that  it  was 
caUed  by  him  the  Queen's  Head  in  compliment  to  his  royal  mis- 
tress. Essex  is  also  said  to  have  resided  there,  and  to  have 
been  visited  by  the  queen.  The  same  tradition  is  current  about 
the  Lord  Treasurer  Burleigh.     In  the  reign  of  Gicorge  II.  it  was 

«  Archeeologia,  ii.,  p.  169.  In  an  article  in  "Notes  and  Queries,"  No.  150,  a  docomeni 
is  quoted  by  which  George  Gower  was  appointed  "the  Queen's  Sargeant  Paynter,"  and 
Nicolas  Hilliard  her  miniature  portrait  painter.  No  portraits  of  the  queen  painted  by 
Gower  appear,  however,  to  be  known. 

t  Lettre  a  M.  Bizotin.  "I  cannot  bear  to  see  the  portraits  of  the  king,  of  the  queen,  of 
the  dauphin,  and  of  the  other  princes  and  princesses  used  as  signs  for  shops ;  they 
whose  portraits  ought  to  be  reserved  for  the  most  celebrated  galleries  and  the  most 
famous  collections  only.  Would  not  M.  d'Argenson.  and  you  as  well,  51.  le  Commis- 
saire, have  very  serious  reason  to  be  annoyed  if  you  were  to  see  your  portrait  as  a  sign  t« 
a  public-house  or  to  a  rag-shop  ?  Why,  then,  are  you  not  annoyed  in  seeing  the  king's 
portrait  in  such  places?"    Mr  Boursault's  flattery  is  much  more  evident  than  his  logic. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       3 1 1 

used  as  a  playhouse,  and  bills  are  still  extant  of  plays  acted  there 
at  that  period. 

It  was  a  strong  wood  and  plaster  building,  three  lofty  stories 
high,  projecting  over  each  other,  and  forming  bay  windows  sup- 
ported by  brackets  and  caryatides.  Inside  it  was  panelled  with 
wainscot,  and  had  stuccoed  ceilings,  adorned  with  dolphins, 
cherubims,  and  acorns,  bordered  by  a  wreath  of  flowers.  The 
porch  was  supported  by  caryatides  of  oak,  crowned  with  scroll- 
capitals.*  TMs  time-honoured  structure  was  pulled  down  in 
October  1829,  and  nothing  of  it  remains  in  the  new  building 
erected  on  its  site  but  the  name,  the  carved  oak  panels  of  the 
parlour,  and  a  bust  of  Queen  Elizabeth  at  the  top  front.  A 
carved  mantelpiece,  (formerly  in  the  parlour  of  the  old  house,) 
with  the  history  of  Dian  and  Actseon  on  it,  (a  favourite  subject 
with  the  virgin  queen,)  was  sold  for  more  than  £60  at  the  sale 
of  the  building  materials,  most  of  which  were  bought  by  anti- 
quaries. 

There  used  to  be  a  large  pewter  tankard  in  this  house,  with  an 
inscription  engraved  on  it,  which  is  much  too  highly  spiced  to  be 
given  here.     It  was  signed  John  Cranch,  and  bore  date  1796. 

At  the  Queen's  Head,  Djike  Court,  Bow  Street,  the  English 
language  was  enriched  with  two  new  terms,  though  one  of  them 
seems  to  have  been  still-born.  This  tavern  was  once  kept  by  a 
facetious  individual  of  the  name  of  Jupp.  Two  celebrated  char- 
acters, Annesley  Shay  and  Bob  Todrington — the  latter  a  sport- 
ing man — meeting  late  in  the  day  at  the  above  place,  went  to 
the  bar  and  asked  for  half  a  quartern  each,  with  a  little  cold 
water.  In  the  course  of  the  evening  they  drank  twenty-four, 
when  Shay  said  to  the  other,  "  Now  we  'U  go."  "  Oh  no,"  replied 
his  companion,  "we'll  have  another,  and  then  go."  This  did 
not  satisfy  the  Hibernian,  and  they  continued  drinking  on  till 
three  in  the  morning,  when  they  both  agreed  to  go ;  so  that 
under  the  idea  of  going  they  made  a  long  stay,  and  this  was  the 
origin  of  drinking  goes;  but  another  preferring  to  eke  out  the 
measure  his  own  way,  used  to  call  for  a  quartern  at  a  time,  and 
these  in  the  exercise  of  his  humour  he  called  stays,  f 

In  the  beginning  of  this  century,  when  Marylebone  consisted 
of  "  green  fields,  babbling  brooks,"  and  pleasant  suburban  retreats, 

*  There  is  a  print  of  it  in  Gentleman's  MagaziTie,  June  1794. 

t  "  Memoirs  of  J.  Decastro,  comedian,"  London,  1824.  See  under  "  Go,"  (as  "a  go  of 
f»in,"  "ago  of  rum,")  in  tlie  "Slang  Dictionaiy,"  3d  edition  :  Jolin  Camden  Hotten, 
Piccadilly,  London. 


31  2  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

there  was  a  small  but  picturesque  house  of  public  entertainment, 
yclept  the  Queen's  Head  and  Artichoke,  situated  "  in  a  lane 
nearly  opposite  Portland  Road,  and  about  500  yards  from  the 
road  that  leads  from  Paddington  to  Finsbury" — now  Albany 
Street.  Its  attractions  chiefly  consisted  in  a  long  skittle  and 
"  bumble  puppy "  ground,  shadowy  bowers,  and  abundance  of 
cream,  tea,  cakes,  and  other  creature  comforts.  The  only  memo- 
rial now  remaining  of  the  original  house  is  an  engraving  in  the 
Gentleman's  Magazine,  November  1819.  The  queen  was  Queen 
Elizabeth,  and  the  house  was  reported  to  have  been  built  by  one 
of  her  gardeners,  whence  the  strange  combination  on  the  sign. 

Besides  Crowns  (see  p.  101)  other  royal  paraphernalia  are 
occasionally  used  as  signboard  decorations.  The  Sceptre  is  not 
uncommon ;  the  Sceptre  and  Heart  was  the  sign  of  Samuel 
Grover,  chirurgical  instrument  nia,ker,  on  London  Bridge,  in  the 
latter  end  of  the  seventeenth  century.  It  is  engraved  on  his  shop- 
bill,  and  represents  a  circle  surrounded  by  fruit  and  foliage,  hav- 
ing two  Cupids  standing  at  the  upper  corner,  and  containing  in 
the  centre  two  palm  branches  enclosing  a  sceptre  surmounted  by 
a  heart.  Hound  the  whole  are  suspended  lancets,  trepans,  saws, 
&c.     In  all  probability  it  is  simply  a  quartering  of  two  signs. 

The  EoYAL  Hand  and  Globe  was  the  loyal  sign  of  a  stationer 
at  the  corner  of  St  Martin's  Lane,  in  1682.*  It  doubtless  refers 
to  the  royal  hand  holding  the  golden  orb,  surmounted  by  a  cross. 
It  is  still  the  sign  of  an  ale-house  near  the  Soho  Theatre.  The 
same  orb  or  globe  seems  to  be  alluded  to  in  the  sign  of  the 
Sword  and  Ball,  on  Holborn  Bridge,  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
What  stands  in  the  way  of  this  explanation,  however,  is  that  on 
the  token  of  this  house  the  sword  is  represented  piercing  the 
ball ;  but  this  may  merely  have  been  a  fancy  of  the  sign-painter, 
who  did  not  understand  its  meaning.  As  for  the  Sword  and 
Mace,  the  meaning  is  perfectly  clear ;  it  is  the  sign  of  a  public- 
house  in  Coventry. 

The  Church  is  almost  as  abundantly  represented  as  royalty. 
Even  long  after  the  Eeformation  the  Pope's  Head  was  still  very 
common.  Nash's  "  Anatomie  of  Absurdities  "  was  printed  by  T. 
Charlwood  for  Thomas  Hacket,  and  was  "  to  be  sold  at  his  shop 
in  Lumbard  Street,  vnder  the  sitrne  of  the  Popes  Heade,  1590." 
Taylor,  the  Water  poet,  in  his  "  Travels  through  London,"  1636, 

*  London  Gacette,  Nor.  30  to  Dec.  4, 1682. 


DIGNITIES,   TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS,        313 

mentions  four  Pope's  Head  taverns  ;  but  the  most  /amous  of  all 
was  the  Pope's  Head  tavern  in  Cornhill. 

"  I  have  read*  of  a  countryman  that,  having  lost  his  hood  in  Westmin- 
ster Hall,  found  the  same  in  Cornhill  hanged  out  to  be  sold,  which  he  chal- 
lenged, but  was  forced  to  buy,  or  go  without  it,  for  their  stall  they  said 
was  their  market.  At  that  time  also  the  wine  drawers  at  the  Pope's  Head 
tavern  (standing  without  the  door  in  the  High  Street, )+  took  the  same  man 
by  the  sleeve,  and  said,  '  Sir,  will  you  drink  a  pint  of  wine  V  Whereunto 
he  answered,  '  A  penny  spend  I  may,'  and  so  drank  his  pint,  for  bread  no- 
thing did  he  pay,  for  that  was  allowed  free.J  This  Pope's  Head  tavern, 
with  other  houses  adjoining,  strongly  built  of  stone,  hath  of  old  time  been 
all  in  one,  pertaining  to  some  great  estate,  or  rather  to  the  king,  as  may  be 
supposed  both  by  the  largeness  thereof,  and  by  the  arms,  to  wit,  three 
leopards  passant  gardant,  which  were  the  whole  arms  of  England  before 
the  reign  of  Edward  III.,  that  quartered  them  with  the  arms  of  France 
three  flower  de  lys.  Some  say  this  was  King  John's  house,  which  might 
be,  for  I  find  in  a  written  copy  of  '  Matthew  Paris's  History  *  that  in  the 
year  1232,  Henry  III.  sent  Hubert  de  Burgh,  earl  of  Kent,  to  Cornehill  in 

*  In  Lydgate's  ballad  of  "London  Lyckpenny,"  temp.  Heniy  VI. 

t  This  touting,  or  standing  at  the  door  InvitiDg  the  passers  by  to  enter,  was  at  one  time 
a  univereal  practice  with  all  kind  of  shops,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  The  regular  phrase 
used  to  be  "  What  do  ye  lack  ?  What  do  ye  lack  ? "  The  French  dits  sjiA  fabliaiix  teem 
with  allusions  to  this  custom.  In  the  story  of  "Courtois  d' Arras," — a  travesty  of  the 
prodigal  son,  in  a  thirteenth  century  garb — Courtois  finds  the  host  standing  at  his  door 
shouting,  "Bon  vin  de  Solssons  ^  6  deniers  le  lot."  And  in  amediffival  mysteiy,  en- 
titled "Li  jus  de  S.  Nicholas,"  the  innkeeper  roars  out,  "Ceans  ilfait  bon  diner,  ceans 
il  y  a  pain  chaud  et  harengs  chauds  et  vin  d'Auxerre  d,  plein  tonneau."  In  "Lea  trois 
Aveugles  de  Compiegne,"  mine  host  thus  addresses  the  thirsty  wanderers : — 
'•  Ci  a  bon  vin  fres  et  nouvel, 

Ca  d'Ancoire,  ga  de  Soissons 

Fain  et  char  et  vin  et  poissons, 

Ceens  fet  bon  despendre  argent, 

Ostel  i  a  &  toute  gent, 

Ceens  fet  moult  bon  heberger." 
And  in  the  "Debata  et facetieuses  rencontres  de  Gringalet  et  de  Guillot  Gorgen  son 
maistre,"  the  servant  who  had  taken  advantage  of  the  host's  invitation,  excuses  himself, 
saying,  "Le  tavernier  a  plus  de  tort  que  moy,  car  passant  devant  sa  porte,  et  luy  ^tant 
assiz,  (ainsi  qu'ils  sont  ordinairement),  ilme  criame  disant:  Vous  plaist-il  de  dejeuner 
c^ans  ?  II  y  a  de  bon  pain,  de  bon  vin  et  de  bonne  viande."  This  touting  at  tavern 
doors  was  still  practised  in  the  last  cpntury,  as  appears  from  the  following  passage  in 
Tom  Brown  : — "  We  were  jogging  fonvard  into  the  city,  when  our  Indian  cast  his  eyes 
upon  one  of  his  own  complexion,  at  a  certain  coffee-house  which  has  the  Sun  staring  its 
sign  in  the  face,  even  at  midnight,  when  the  moon  is  queen  regent  of  the  planets,  and, 
being  willing  to  be  acquainted  with  his  countryman,  gravely  inquired  what  province  or 
fciugdom  of  India  he  belonged  to  ;  but  the  sooty  dog  could  do  nothingbut  grin,  and  show 
his  teeth,  and  cry,  Coffee,  sir,  tea,  will  you  please  to  walk  in,  sir  /  a  fresh  pot,  upon 
my  word." — Tom  Brown,  voL  iii.,  p.  17.  Not  only  taverns  but  all  sorts  of  shops  kept 
these  barking  advertisements  at  the  door.  The  ballad  of  "  London  Lyckpenny"  enume- 
rates a  quantity  of  them.  "What  do  you  lack!"  was  the  stereotype  phrase.  The 
"  Buy,  buy,  what '11  you  buy?"  of  the  butchers,  is  one  of  the  last  remains  in  London  of 
this  custom.  At  Greenwich,  the  practice  of  touting  at  the  doors  of  the  small  coffee- 
houses is  still  kept  up ;  and  Uiroughout  the  TTnited  States  and  Canada  the  custom  of 
waiting  at  steamboat  wharves  and  railway  termini,  to  catch  passengers,  and  worry  them 
with  recommendations  to  this  or  that  hotel,  ia  unpleasantly  prevalent.  The  touters  there 
are  known  as  hotel  runners. 

X  "  Wine  one  pint  for  a  pennie,  and  bread  to  drink  It  was  given  free  in  every  tavern." 
—Note  by  Stow.  The  imperfect  tense  shows  that  this  excellent  custom  bad  already 
fallen  into  disuse  in  Stow's  time. 


314  THE  III8T0BY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

London,  there  to  answer  all  matters  objected  against  him :  when  he  wisely 
acquitted  himself.  The  Pope's  Head  tavern  hath  a  footway  through  from 
ComhiU  into  Lnmbard  Street." — Stow' a  Survey,  p.  75. 

In  this  tavern,  in  the  fourth  of  Edward  IV.  (1464,)  a  trial  of 
skill  was  held  between  Oliver  Davy,  goldsmith  of  London,  and 
White  Johnson,  "  Alicante  Strangeour,"  also  of  London,  —  the 
London  goldsmiths  being  divided  into  native  and  "foren"  work- 
men. These  last,  though  they  might  be  Englishmen,  were  so  named 
merely  as  a  distinction  with  respect  to  the  work  they  produced, 
which  consisted  frequently  in  counterfeit  articles  and  bad  gold. 
The  trial  consisted  in  making,  in  four  pieces  of  steel  the  size  of  a 
penny,  a  cat's  face  in  relief,  and  another  cat's  face  engraved,  a 
naked  man  in  relief,  and  another  engraved,  which  work  was  to 
be  performed  in  five  weeks.  Oliver  Davy,  the  native  goldsmith, 
won  the  wager,  as  White  Johnson,  the  foreign  workman,  after  six 
weeks  could  only  produce  the  two  "inward  engraved"  objects. 
The  forfeit  was  a  crown,  and  a  dinner  to  the  wardens,  the  um- 
pires, and  all  those  concerned  in  the  wager.  The  works  were 
iept  in  Goldsmith's  Hall,  "  to  y*'  intent  that  they  be  redy  iff  any 
suche  conttoursy  herafter  falls,  to  be  shewede  that  suche  traverse 
hathe  be  determyn'd  aforetymes."*  In  Pepys's  time  this  tavern, 
like  many  others  of  that  period  and  later,  had  a  painted  room. 
"  18  January  1G68. — To  the  Pope's  Head,  there  to  see  the  fine- 
painted  room  which  Eogerson  told  me  of,  of  his  doing,  but  I  do 
not  like  it  at  all,  though  it  be  good  for  such  a  pnblick  room." 
Here  in  1718  Quin  kUled  his  brother  actor  Bowen.  "  On 
Thursday  s'ennight  at  night,  Mr  Bowen  and  Mr  Quin,  two 
comedians,  drinking  at  the  Pope's  Head  tavern  in  Comhill, 
quarrelled,  drew  their  swords,  and  fought,  and  the  former  was 
run  into  the  guts ;  he  languished  till-  Sunday  last,  and  then  died. 
Bowen,  before  he  expired,  desired  that  Mr  Quin  might  not  be 
prosecuted,  because  what  had  happened  to  him  was  his  own  seek- 
ing."t  The  jury  brought  in  a  verdict  of  manslaughter,  and  Quin 
for  the  offence  was  burned  in  the  hand.  J  The  quarrel  was  rather 
a  foolish  one,  arising  out  of  a  wager  which  of  the  two  was  the 
honester  man,  which  had  been  decided  in  favour  of  Quin ;  inde 
ircB.  This  tavern  seems  to  have  continued  in  existence  tiU  the 
latter  part  of  the  last  century. 

"  Will  Herbert,  "  History  of  the  Twelve  Great  Living  Companies,"  vol.  il,  p.  107. 
i  Weekly  Journal,  April  26,  1718. 
t  Ibid.,  Jaly  12,  1718. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES.  AND  PROFESSIONS.       3 1  5 

Tlie  emblem  of  anotlier  class  of  high  dignitaries  of  the  Eoman 
Catholic  Church,  the  Cardinal's  Hat  or  Cap,  was  at  one  time 
common  in  England.  Bagford  says  :  "  You  have  not  meney  of 
them,  they  war  set  up  by  sums  that  had  ben  saruants  to  Tho. 
Wolsey."  *  But  we  find  the  sign  long  before  Wolsey's  time,  for 
in  1459,  Simon  Eyre 

"  Gave  the  Tdvern  called  the  Cardinal's  Hat  in  Lumbard  Street,  with  a 
tenement  annexed  on  the  East  part  of  the  tavern,  and  a  mansion  behind 
the  East  tenement,  together  with  an  alley  from  Lumbard  Street  to  Com- 
hiU,  with  the  appurtenances,  all  which  were  by  him  new  built,  towards  a. 
brotherhood  of  our  Lady  in  St  Mary  Woolnots." — Stow,  p.  77. 

This  tavern  and  another  of  the  same  name,  also  in  Lombard 
Street,  were  still  extant  in  the  seventeenth  century.  It  was  also 
the  sign  of  one  of  the  Stairs  on  the  Bankside,  the  name  of  which 
is  still  preserved  to  that  locality  in  Cardinal  Cap's  Alley. 

"  But  at  the  naked  stewes 
I  understands  howe  that 
The  sygne  of  the  Cardinall's  hat 
That  inne  is  now  shit  up." 

Skelton's  Whye  come  ye  not  to  Courte. 

These  houses,  by  proclamation  of  37,  Henry  VIII.,  were 
"  whited  and  painted  with  signes  on  the  front  for  a  token  of  the 
said  houses ; "  they  were  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  Bishop  of 
Winchester,  whence  Pennant  makes  some  sly  remarks  upon  the 
sign  of  the  Cardinal's  Cap  : — 

"  I  win  not  give  into  scandal  so  far  as  to  suppose  that  this  house  was 
peculiarly  protected  by  any  coeval  member  of  the  sacred  college.  Neither 
would  I  by  any  means  insinuate  that  the  Bishops  of  Winchester  and 
Rochester,  or  the  abbots  of  Waverley,  or  of  St  Augustine  in  Canterbury, 
or  of  Battel,  or  of  Hyde,  or  the  Prior  of  Lewis,  had  there  their  tem- 
porary residences  for  them  or  their  trains,  for  the  sake  of  these  conveni- 
ences, in  that  period  of  cruel  and  unnatural  restriction,"  &c.-h 

The  Bishop's  Head  was,  in  1663,  the  sign  of  J.  Thompson,  a 
bookseller  and  publisher  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard.  At  tliis 
house,  in  1708,  was  published  Hatton's  "  New  View  of  London;" 
it  was  then  in  the  occupation  of  Eobert  Knaplock. 

More  general,  however,  was  the  Mitee,  which  was  the  sign  of 
several  famous  taverns  in'  London  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
There  was  one  in  Great  Wood  Street,  Cheapside,  (called  on  the 
trades  token  of  the  house  the  Mitke  and  Kose,)  mentioned  by 

•  Harl.  MSS.  6910,  part  ii.  *  "  Account  ot  London,"  p.  60,  ISl.l. 


3  I  6  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Pepys  as  "  a  house  of  the  greatest  note  in  London."*  The  land- 
lord of  this  house,  named  Proctor,  died  at  Islington  of  the 
plague  in  166-5,  in  an  insolvent  state,  though  he  had  been  "the 
greatest  vintner  for  some  time  in  London  for  great  entertain- 
ments." There  was  another  Mitre  near  the  west  end  of  St  Paul's, 
the  first  music-house  in  London.  The  name  of  the  master  was 
Eobert  Herbert  alias  Forges.  Like  many  brother-publicans,  he 
was,  besides  being  a  lover  of  music,  also  a  collector  of  natural 
curiosities,  as  appears  by  his 

"  Catalogue  of  many  natural  rarities,  with  great  Industrie,  cost,  and  thiri;y 
years'  travel  into  foreign  countries,  collected  by  Robert  Herbert,  alias 
Forges,  Gent.,  and  sworn  servant  to  his  Majesty ;  to  be  seen  at  the  place 
called  the  Musick  house  at  the  Mitre,  near  the  West  End  of  S.  Paul's 
Church,  1664." 

This  coUeotion,  or  at  least  a  great  part  of  it,  was  bought  by  Sir 
Hans  Sloane.  It  is  conjectured  that  the  Mitre  was  situated  in 
London  House  Yard,  at  the  north-west  end  of  St  Paul's,  on  the 
spot  where,  afterwards,  stood  the  house  known  by  the  sign  of  the 
Goose  and  Geidikon.  Ned  Wardt  describes  the  appearance  of 
another  music-house  of  the  same  name  in  Wapping,  which  he 
calls  "  the  Paradise  of  Wapping,"  though  more  probably  it  was 
in  Shadwell,  where  there  is  still  a  Music  House  Court,  which 
seems  to  point  to  some  such  origin.  His  description  of  this 
prototype  of  the  Oxford  and  Alhambra  music-halls  is  not  a  little 
amusing.  The  music,  consisting  of  fiddles,  hautboys,  and  a 
humdrum  organ,  he  compares  to  the  grunting  of  a  hog  added  as 
a  base  to  a  concert  of  caterwauling  cats  in  the  height  of  their 
ecstacy.  The  music-room  was  richly  decorated  with  paintings, 
(Hornfair  was  one  of  the  pictures,)  carvings,  and  gilding ;  the 
seats  were  like  pews  in  a  church,  and  the  orchestra  railed  in  like  a 
chanceL  The  musicians  occasionally  went  round  to  collect  con- 
tributions, as  they  still  do  in  the  Caf€s  Chantants  of  the  Champs 
Elysees,  Paris.  The  other  rooms  in  the  house  were  "  furnished  for 
the  entertainment  of  the  best  of  companies,"  all  painted  with 
humorous  subjects.  The  kitchen,  used  at  that  period  in  many 
taverns  as  a  sitting  room  by  the  customers,  was  railed  in  and 
ornamented  in  the  same  gaudy  style  as  the  rest  of  the  houses;  a 
quantity  of  canary  birds  were  suspended  on  the  walls.  Under- 
ground was  a  tippling  sanctuary  painted  with  drunken  women 
tormenting  the  devil,  and  other  somewhat  quaint  subjects.     The 

•  Pejiys's  Memoirs,  Sepl.  18,  1060.  t  " London  Spj,"  1706. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       3 1  7 

wine  of  the  establishment  was  good.  Here,  then,  we  may 
imagine  our  great-great-grandfathers  listening  to  the  woeful 
fiddles  scraping  "  SUlenger's  Bound,"  "  John,  come  kiss  me,'' 
"  Old  Simon  the  King,"  or  other  old  tunes,  until  flesh  and  blood 
could  stand  it  no  longer,  and  a  dance  would  be  indulged  in  to 
the  music  of  "  Green  Sleeves,"  "  Yellow  Stockings,"  or  some 
other  equally  comic  dance  and  tune ;  after  which  everybody  went 
home,  through  the  dirty  dark  streets,  doubtless  "  highly  pleased 
with  the  entertainment." 

Older  than  either  of  these  was  the  Mitre  in  Cheap,  which  is 
mentioned  in  the  vestry  books  of  St  Michael's,  Cheapside,  before 
the  year  1475.*  In  "  Tour  Five  Gallants,"  a  comedy  by  Middle- 
toUj  about  1608,  Goldstone  prefers  it  to  the  Mermaid: — "The 
Mitra  in  my  mind  for  neat  attendance,  diligent  boys  and — push, 
excels  it  [the  Mermaid]  far."  But  the  most  famous  of  the  inns 
with  this,  name,  was  the  Mitre  in  Mitre  Court,  Fleet  Street,  one 
of  Doctor  Johnson's  favourite  haunts,  "  where  he  loved  to  sit  up 
late,"  t  and  where  Goldsmith,  and  the  other  celebrities,  and 
minor  stars  that  moved  about  the  great  doctor,  used  to  meet 
him.  This  house  is  named  in  the  play  of  "  Bam  Alley,  or  Merry 
Tricks,"  in  1611.  It  was  one  of  those  houses  which,  for  more 
than  two  centuries,  was  the  constant  resort  of  all  the  wits  about 
town  ;  even  the  name  of  Shakespeare  throws  its  halo  around 
this  place  : — 

"  Mr  Thorpe,  the  enterprising  bookseller  of  Bedford  Street,"  says  Mr  J.  P. 
Collier,  "  is  in  possession  of  a  MS.  full  of  songs  and  poems  in  the  hand- 
writing of  a  person  of  the  name  of  Richard  Jackson  ;  all  prior  to  the  year 
1631,  and  including  many  unpublished  poems  by  a  variety  of  celebrated 
poeta.  One  of  the  most  curious  is  a  song  of  five-seven-lines  stanzas  thus 
headed :  '  Shakespeare's  Rime  which  he  made  at  the  Mytre  in  Fleete  Street.' 
It  begins — '  From  the  rich  Lavinian  shore,'  and  some  few  of  the  lines 
were  published  by  Playford,  and  set  as  a  catch.  Another  shorter  piece  is 
called  in  the  margin :  '  Shakespeare's  Rime  : ' — 

'  Give  me  a  Cup  of  rich  Canary  Wine, 
Which  was  the  Mitre's  (drink)  and  now  is  mine ; 
Of  which  had  Horace  and  Anaoreon  tasted 
Their  lives  as  well  as  lines  till  now  had  lasted.' 
I  have  little  doubt  that  the  lines  are  genuine,  as  well  as  many  other 
songs." 

In  this  same  tavern  BosweU  supped,  for  the  first  time,  with  his 
idol,  and  the  description  of  the  biographer's  delight  on  that  grand 

*  Wilkinson's  "Londina  Illustrata." 

r  BosweU's  Life  of  Johnson,  vol.  i.,  p.  111. 


31 8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

occasion  has  a  festive  air  about  it  that  cannot  fail  to  make  a 
lively  impression  on  his  readers : — 

"He  agreed  to  meet  me  in  the  evning  at  the  Mitre.  I  called  on  him, 
and  we  went  thither  at  nine.  We  had  a  good  supper,  and  port  wine,  of 
which  he  then  sometimes  drank  a  bottle.  The  orthodox  high  church 
sound  of  the  Mitre, — the  figure  and  manner  of  the  celebrated  Samuel  John- 
Bon-r-the  extraordinary  power  and  precision  of  his  conversation  and  the 
pride  from  finding  myself  admitted  aa  his  companion,  produced  a  variety 
of  sensations  and  a  pleasing  elevation  of  mind  beyond  what  I  had  ever 
experienced." 

There,  also,  that  amusing  scene  with  the  young  ladies  from 
Staffordshire  took  place,  which  would  make  an  excellent  com- 
panion picture  to  LesKe's  "  Uncle  Toby  and  the  Widow  Wadman." 

"  Two  young  women  from  Stafi'ordshire  visited  him  when  I  was  present 
to  consult  him  on  the  subject  of  Methodism,  to  which  they  were  inclined. 
Come  (said  he)  you  pretty  fools,  dine  with  Maxwell  and  me  at  the  Mitre, 
and  we  will  talk  over  that  subject,  which  they  did;  and  after  dinner, 
he  took  one  of  them  on  his  knees  and  fondled  them  for  half  an  hour 
together." 

Hogarth,  too,  was  an  occasional  visitor  at  this  tavern.  A  card 
is  still  extant,  wherein  he  requested  the  company  of  Dr  Arnold 
King  to  dine  with  him  at  the  Mitre.  The  written  part  is  con- 
tained within  a  circle,  (representing  a  plate)  to  which  a  knife  and 
fork  are  the  supporters.  In  the  centre  is  drawn  a  pie  with  a 
Mitre  on  the  top  of  it,  and  the  invitation — 

^e  nonout  Oj/^ntj  co»z^an-u  ^o    at^nne^,    on    ^Aa^ttt/a^u  nea:^, 

^o  r\.  /3.  TT.  [Eta  beta  py.]  * 

In  this  tavern  the  Society  of  Antiquaries  used  to  meet,  before 
apartments  were  obtained  in  Somerset  House. 

"The  Society  hitherto  having  no  house  of  their  own,  meet  every  Thurs- 
day evening,  about  seven  o'clock,  at  the  Mitre  Tavern  in  Fleet  Street, 
where  antiquities  are  produced  and  considered,  draughts  and  impressions 
thereof  taken,  dissertations  read,  and  minutes  of  the  several  transactions 
entered,  and  the  whole  economy  under  such  admirable  regulations,  that 
probably  in  a  short  time  they  may  apply  for  a  royal  power  of  incor- 
poration." \ 

In  the  bar  of  the  Mitre  Tavern  in  St  James'  Market,  which 
was  kept  by  her  aunt,  (Mrs  Voss,  formerly  the  mistress  of  Sir  God- 
frey KneUer,)  Captain  Farquhar  overheard  Miss  Nancy  Oldfield 
read  the  play  of  "  The  Scornful  Lady,"  and  was  so  struck  with  the 

•  Erskine  used  to  send  somewhat  similar  cards  of  invitation  wlien  on  the  Bench,  by 
drawing  a  turtle  on  a  card,  and  sending  it  to  a  friend,  with  the  dayand  hour, 
t  Maitland's  History  of  London,  1739,  p.  047. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.         319 

proper  empliasis  and  agreeable  turn  she  gave  to  eacli  character, 
that  he  swore  the  girl  was  cut  out  for  the  stage.  Captain  (after- 
wards Sir  John)  Vanbrugh,  a  friend  of  the  fanuly,  recommended 
her  to  Rich,  and  shortly  after  she  made  her  debut  at  Covent 
Garden,  with  an  allowance  of  fifteen  shillings  a  week. 

Though  a  dozen  other  famous  Mitre  Taverns  might  be  men- 
tioned, these  are  sufficient  to  show  how  general  a  sign  it  was  ; 
the  partiality  of  tavern-keepers  for  it  is  somewhat  accounted  for  in 
the  following  stanza  of  the  "  Quack  Vintners,"  1712  : — 
"  May  Smith,  whose  prosperous  mitre  is  his  sign, 
To  shew  the  church  no  enemy  to  wine  ,\ 
Still  draw  such  Christian  liquor  none  may  think, 
Tho'  e'er  so  pious,  'tis  a  sin  to  drink."  * 

The  Mitre  also  is  found  in  a  few  combinations,  as  the  Mitee 
AND  Dove,  i.  e.,  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  King  Street,  Westminster  ; 
the  MiTKE  AND  Keys,  in  Leicester — evidently  the  Cross  Keys, 
which  are  a  charge  in  the  arms  of  several  bishoprics ;  and  the 
Mitee  and  Eosb,  which,  from  trades  tokens,  appears  to  have 
been  the  sign  of  a  tavern  in  the  Strand,  as  well  as  in  Wood  Street, 
Cheapside. 

That  the  friars  were  also  honoured  on  the  signboard  appears 
from  "  Fryar  Lane,  on  the  south  side  of  Thames  Street,  near 
Dowgate.  It  was  formerly  called  Greenwich  Lane,  but  of  later 
years  Fryar's  Lane,  from  the  sign  of  a  Fryar  sometime  there."  + 
Probably  it  was  a  Black  Friae,  or  Dominican  Monk,  for  that 
order,  above  all  others,  had  the  reputation  of  being  great  topers, 
and  therefore  were  not  out  of  place  on  a  signboard.  There  is  a 
prayer  extant  of  the  holy  fathers,  addressed  to  St  Dominic  : — 
"  Sanctus  Dominicus  sit  nobis  semper  amicus 

Qui  canimus  nostro  jugiter  prseconia  rostro, 

I)e  cordis  venis,  siccatis  ante  lagenis; 

Ergo  tuaa  laudes  si  tu  nos  pangere  gaudes. 

Tempore  paschali,  fac  ne  potu  puteali 

Conveniat  uti ;  quod  si  fit,  undique  muti 

Semper  erunt  patres  qui,  non  curant  nisi  fratres."  J 

*  "  The  Quack  Vintners,  or  a  Satyr  againat  Bad  Wine,"  1713 ;  probably  a  pamphlet  got 
up  by  the  London  vintners  against  Brook  and  Hilliers,  the  famous  wine  merchants  re 
commended  by  the  Spectator. 
t  Hatton's  New  View  of  London,  1708,  p.  32. 
X  "Saint  Dominic  be  always  our  friend, 

Who  sing  thy  praises  daily  in  our  pulpit, 

From  the  veins  of  our  hearts,  after  we  have  emptied  our  flagons ; 

Therefore  if  thou  rejoicest  to  hear  us  set  forth  tt.f  praise, 

Make  that  in  Easter  time  we  of  spring  water 

Need  not  drink,  for  if  that  were  to  happen,  everywhere 

They  will  be  mute  monks,  who  do  not  run  about  unless  they  be  friars.** 


320 


THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


And  an  old  French  couplet  gives  the  following  gradations  of  the 
potatory  capacities  of  the  different  orders,  in  which  the  Franciscans 
only  are  said  to  beat, the  Dominicans  :^^ 

"  Boire  S.  la  Gapucine, 
C'est  bojre  pauvrement; 
Boire  a  la  Celestine, . 
C'est  boire  largement ; 
Boire  5  la  Jacobilie, 
C'est  ehopine  ^  chopine ;: 
Mais  bpire  en  Cordelier, 
C'est  vider  le  cellier."  * 

Tokens  are  extant  of  a  music-house,  with  the  sign  of  the 
Black-friar,  dated  1671.  In  Paris  abo,  the  Baochia  propensities 
of  the  Black-friars  made  a  tavern-keeper  of  the  seventeenth  century 
choose  St  DoWnic  ks  the  patfon  saint  of •  his  tavern.  His 
principal  customers^  who  formed  a  sort  of  club,  were  called 
Dominicans ;  a  cohtemp'orary  song  thus  gives  the  rule  bf  this 
order ; —  ■  '  ' 

"  J!foa8  aommes  dir;  toils  grands  burveurs  ; 
Bona  iyrognes  et  grands  fumeors, 
.Qui  ne  cessant  jamais  de  boire, 

,  Et  de  retnuer  la  maoJioire,|. , - 

Meprisoiis  d 'amour  les  faveurs."  i* 

Nuns  also  figured  on  the  signboard  as  the  These  Nuns,  which 
was  ccinstahtly  usedby  drapers ;  not  exactly,  as  Tom  Brown  says, 
"very  dismally  painted  to  keep  up  young  women's  antipathy  to 
popery  iand  "  single  .bldssedness,  but  because  the'  holy  sisterhoods 
Were  gehei'ally  very'  expert  in  making  lace  embroidery,  and  other 
fancy  woi'k— as  the  handkerchiefs  made  by  the  nun^  of  Pau,  and 
soldTby  our  drapers,  fully  prove  even  at  the.  "present  day.  In  the 
seventeenth  cpntury,  the  Three  Nuns  was  the  sign  of  a  well-known 
coaching  and  carriers' inn  in  Aldgate,  which  gave  its  name  to 
Three  Nuns'  Courtj- close  at  hand  ;  near  this  inn  was  the  "dread- 
ful gulf,. for  such  it  was  rather  than  a  pit,"  in  which,  during  the 

-  *  *<  To  drink,  lik«  a  Capuchin, 
Is  to  drink  poorly ; 
Todrink  like  a  Benedictine, 
Is  to  drink  deeply ; 
To  drink  like  a  Dominican, 
Is  pot  after  pot ; 
But  to  drink  like  a  Franciscan, 
Is  to  drink  the  cellar  diy." 
t ' '  We  are  ten,  all  deep  drinkers. 
Jolly  topers,-  and  good  smokers, 
Who,  never  giving  over  drinking 
And  eating, 
£Gom  th«  favours  of  love." 


H 


DIGNITIES,   TRADES,  AND , PROFESSIONS.        32  I 

Plague  of  1665,  not  less  tlian  1114  bodies  were  buried  iu 
a  fortnight,  from  the  6th  to  the  20th  of  September.*  Not 
improbably  this  sign,  after  the  Reformation,  was  occasionally 
metamorphosed  into  the  Three  Widows  :  Peter  Treveris,  a 
foreigner,  erected  a  press  and  continued  printing  until  1552  at 
the  Thkee  Widows  in  Southwark  ;  he  printed  several  books  for 
William  KasteU,  John  E«ynor,  R.  Copelaad,  and  others  in  the 
city  of  London.  It  is  still  the  sign  of  a  cap  and  bonnet  shop  in' 
Dublin.  The  Matrons,  also,  may  have  originally  represented 
Nuns  ;  this  last  hung,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  at  the  door  of 
John  Bannister,  crutch  and  bandage  maker,  near  the  hospital, 
(Christ's  Hospital  School,)  Newgate  Street,  t 

At  the  present  day  the  CHtrECH  is  a  very  common  ale-house 
sign,  either  on  account  of  the  esteem  in  which  good  living  has 
been  held  by  churchmen  in  all  ages,  "  superbis  pontiflcum  potiore 
coenis,"  or,  from  the  proximity  of  a  church  to  the  ale-house  in 
question ;  thus,  one  inn  in  the  town  would  be  known  as  the 
"  Market  House,"  whilst  another  might  be  known  as  the  "Church 
Lm."  It  has  been  said  the  name  was  given  that  topers  might 
equivocate  and  say  that  they  "  frequently  go  to  church."  Be 
this  as  it  may,  there  is  generally  an  ale-house  close  to  every 
church,  (in  Knightsbridge  the  chapel  of  the  Holy  Trinity  is 
jammed  in  between  two  public-houses,)  whereby  a  good  oppor- 
tunity is  offered  to  wash  a  dry  sermon  dpwn.  In  Bristol,  at  the 
beginning  of  the  present  century,  it  was  still  worse — a  Methodist 
meeting-room  was  immediately  over  a  public-house,  which  gave 
rise  to  the  following  epigram  : — 

"  There 's  a  spirit  above  and  a  spirit  below, 

A  spirit  of  joy  and  a  spirit  of  woe — 

The  spirit  above  is  the  spirit  divine ; 

But  the  spirit  below  is  the  spirit  of  wine.** 

Other  signs  connected  with  the  church  are  the  Chapel  Bell, 
at  Suton,  in  Norfolk,  and  the  Chuech  Stile  or  Church  Gates, 
which  is  very  common.  The  origin  of  this  last  comes  from  an 
old  custom  of  drinking  ale  on  the  parish  account,  on  certain  oc- 
casions, at  the  church  stile.  Pepys  mentions  this  \\hen  he  was 
at  Walthamstow,  April  14,  1661  : — "After  dinner  we  aUwent  to 
the  church  stile,  and  there  eat  and  drank."  To  this  a  correspon- 
dent in  the  Gent.  Mag.  (Nov.  1852,  p.  442)  makes  the  follow- 
ing note  : — "  In  an  old  book  of  accounts  belonging  to  Warrington 

*  The  Plague,  by  De  Foe.  t  Beaufoy  Trades  Tokens. 

2S 


32  2  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

parish,  the  following  minute  occurs  : — "  Nov.  5,  1688.  Paid  for 
drink  at  the  church  Steele,  13s.  ;"  and  in  1732,  "  It  is  ordered 
that  hereafter  no  money  be  spent  on  ye  5th  of  November  or  any 
other  State  day  on  the  parish  account,  either  at  the  church  stile 
or  any  other  place."  Though  certainly  the  parish  now  does  not 
pay  for  any  ale  drunk  at  the  church  stile,  the  sign  is  evidently 
set  up  in  remembrance  of  the  good  old  time  when  such  things 
were. 

Belonging  to  the  church  was  also  the  sign  of  the  Three 
Brushes,  or  Holy  Water  Sprinklers,  which  was  that  of  an  old 
house  near  the  White  Lion  prison,  Southwark,  in  which  there 
was  a  room  with  panelled  wainscoting  and  ceihng  ornamented 
with  the  royal  arms  of  Queen  ElizabetL  Probably  it  had  been 
the  court-room  at  the  time  the  White  Lion  Inn  was  a  prison. 
Amongst  the  Beaufoy  trades  tokens  there  is  one  of  "  Hob.  Thorn- 
ton, haberdasher,  next  the  Three  Brushes  in  Southwark,  1667." 

Iimumerable  signs  were  borrowed  from  the  army  and  navy ; 
thus,  at  the  present  day,  every  uniform  in  the  service  is  repre- 
sented near  barracks  or  in  other  haunts  of  soldiers.  The  Ke- 
CRUiTiNd  Seegeant  is  generally  the  sign  of  the  public-house, 
where  that  worthy  spreads  his  nets.  Cross  Guns,  Cross 
Lances,  Cross  Swords,  and  Cross  Pistols,  respectively,  are 
meant  to  allure  artillerymen,  lancers,  and  various  cavalry  men. 
But  above  aU  the  Standard,  the  Banner,  or  the  Waving  Flag 
— "  the  glorious  rag  that  for  a  thousand  years  has  stood  the 
battle  and  the  breeze,"  is  of  common  occurrence,  not  only  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  military  quarters,  but  everywhere  in  towns  and 
villages.  At  the  Standard  Tavern  in  the  Strand,  Edmund  CurU 
the  bookseller  used  to  meet  the  mysterious  Eev.  Mr  Smith,  who 
told  bim  Pope's  correspondence. 

"  I  am  just  going  to  the  Lords  to  finish  Pope,"  writes  Cnrll  to  this  per- 
Bon.  "  I  desire  you  to  send  me  the  sheets  to  perfect  the  first  fifty  books, 
and  likewise  the  remaining  three  hundred  books,  and  pray  be  at  the 
Standard  Tavern  this  evening  and  I  will  pay  you  £20  more." 

The  Kettledrum  is  a  sign  at  St  George-in-the-East ;  the 
Drum  and  the  Trl'mpet  are  both  of  frequent  occurrence,  and 
the  last  is  of  old  standing.  One  of  the  characters  in  "  The  Ball," 
a  play  by  Shirley,  1633,  thus  commends  the  beer  of  the'Trum- 
pet : — 

"  Their  strong  beere  is  better  than  any  I 
Ever  drunke  at  the  Trumpet." — The  Ball,  Act  v. 


DIONITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       323 

Possibly  this  was  the  Trumpet  in  Shire  Lane,  immortalised  in 
the  Tatler,  and  one  of  the  favourite  haunts  of  merry  good- 
natured  Dick  Steele.  Bishop  Hoadley  was  once  present  at  one 
of  the  meetings  in  this  tavern,  when  Steele  rather  exposed  him- 
self in  his  efforts  to  please,  a  double  duty  devolving  upon  Mm, 
as  well  to  celebrate  the  "  glorious  memory  "  of  King  William  III., 
it  being  the  4th  of  November — as  to  drink  up  to  conversation 
pitch  his  friend  Addison,  the  phlegmatic  constitution  of  whom 
was  hardly  warmed  for  society  by  the  time  Steele  was  no  longer 
fit  for  it.  One  of  the  company,  a  red  hot  Whig,  knelt  down  to 
drink  the  health  with  all  honours.  This  rather  disconcerted  the 
bishop,  which,  Steele  seeing,  whispered  to  him — "  Do  laugh,  my 
lord,  pray  laugh  ;  it  is  humanity  to  laugh."  Shortly  after  Steele 
was  put  into  a  chair  and  sent  home.  Next  morning  he  was  much 
ashamed,  and  sent  the  Bishop  this  distich  : — 

"  Virtue  with  so  much  ease  on  Bangor  sits. 
All  faults  he  pardons  though  he  none  commits." 

Some  trades  tokens  are  extant  of  houses  with  the  sign  of  the 
Trumpet  in  King  Street,  Wapping,  and  in  the  Minories.  At  the 
same  period  there  was  a  sign  of  the  Tkumpetbe  in  Trump  Alley, 
probably  suggested  by  the  name  of  the  thoroughfare. 

The  Buckler  is  a  very  old  sign,  and  occurs  in  "Cocke  Lorell's 
Bote:"— 

"  Here  is  Saunder  Sadeler  of  Froge  Street  Comer, 
With  Jelyan  Joly  at  signe  of  the  Boleeler." 

More  general  was  the  sign  of  the  Swoed  and  Buckler,  which 
was  frequently  set  up  by  haberdashers  for  the  following  reason  : — 
"And  whereas,  until  about  the  twelve  or  thirteenth  yeere  of  Queene 
Elisabeth,  the  auncient  English  fight  of  sword  and  buckler  was  only  had 
in  use,  the  bucklers  then  being  only  a  foot  broad,  with  a  pike  of  four  or 
five  inches  long;  then  they  beganne  to  make  them  full  half  ell  broad,  with 
■  sharpe  pikes  10  or  12  inches  long,  wherewith  they  meant  either  to 
breake  the  swordes  of  their  enemies,  it  it  hitte  uppon  the  pike,  or  else 
sodainely  to  runne  within  them  and  stabbe,  and  thrust  their  buckler 
with  the  pike  into'  the  face,  arme,  and  body  of  their  adversary,  but  this 
continued  not  long;*  every  haberdasher  then  sold  iuchlers."— Stows 
Chronicle. 

The  great  prevalence  of  this  sign  originated  in  the  so-called 
sword  and  buckler  play,  once  so  common  in  England.     Misson, 

*  A  proclamation  of  Queen  Elizabeth  restricted  the  length  of  the  sword,  lapier,  and 
such  like  weapons  to  "one  yard  and  half  a  quarter  of  the  blade  at  the  uttermost,"  and  the 
point  of  the  buckler  not  above  two  inches  in  length,  under  the  penalty  of  a  "  fine  at  the 
Queen's  pleasure,  and  the  weapon  to  be  forfayted,  and  if  any  such  persons  shall  offend  a 
second  time,  then  the  same  to  be  banished  from  the  place  and  towue  of  his  dwelling." 


324  THE  HISTOUY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

who  visited  this  country  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury, says  : — 

"  Within  these  few  years  you  should  often  see  a  sort  of  gladiators  march- 
ing through  the  streets,  in  their  shirts  to  the  waste,  their  sleeves  tucked  up, 
Bword  in  hand,  and  preoeeded  by  a  drum  to  gather  spectators.  They  give 
so  much  a  head  to  see  the  fight,  which  was  with  cutting  swords  and  a  kind 
of  buckler  for  defence.  The  edge  of  the  sword  was  a  little  blunted,  and 
the  care  of  the  prize  fighters  was  not  so  much  to  avoid  wounding  one  an- 
other, as  to  avoid  doing  it  dangerously ;  nevertheless  as  they  were  obliged 
to  fight  till  some  blood  was  shed,  without  which  nobody  woidd  give  a 
farthing  for  the  show,  they  were  sometimes  forced  to  play  a  little  roughly. 
The  fights  are  become  very  rare  within  these  eight  or  ten  years."  * 

In  the  seventeenth  century  it  was  not  a  little  rough  play,  which 
is  evident  from  those  matches  at  which  Pepys  was  present,  and 
which  he  describes  at  large.  Joavin,  another  Frenchman  who 
visited  England  in  1672,  gives  a  detailed  account  of  these  diver- 
tisemenfs,  which,  at  that  period,  at  aU  events,  were  anything  but 
play ;  and  Maitland  was  right  when  he  designated  them  as  "  a 
barbarous  performance,  by  those  whom  necessity  (occasioned  by  a 
scandalous  laziness  and  indolence)  induces  to  expose  themselves 
to  be  horribly  mangled  for  a  little  money,  while  the  bloodily- 
minded  spectators  satiate  themselves  with  human  gore  to  the 
great  reproach  of  religion." 

In  the  S/ieelator,  No.  436,  there  is  an  amusing  essay  on  those 
"  Hockley-in-the-Hole  Gladiators,"  and  in  No.  449  a  letter  ap- 
pears, in  which  the  deceits  of  the  champions  are  shown  : — 

"  I  overheard  two  masters  of  the  science  agreeing  to  quarrel  on  the  next 
opportunity.  This  was  to  happen  in  the  company  of  a  set  of  the  fraternity 
of  the  basket  hilts  who  were  to  meet  that  evening.  When  this  was  settled, 
one  asked  the  other:  'Will  you  give  cuts  or  receive?'  The  other  an- 
swered,'  Receive. '  It  was  replied,  'Are  you  a  passionate  man?'  'No, 
provided  you  cut  no  more,  nor  no  deeper  than  we  agree.'  " 

A  few  other  instances  of  the  Sword  occur  on  signs,  as  the 
SwoKD  AND  Ckoss,  a  sort  of  emblem  of  the  Church  militant,  or 
perhaps  an  inversion  of  the  Ceoss  Swoeds  :  this  was  a  sign 
"next  door  to  the  Savoy  Gate  in  1711."  The  Swoedblade,  a 
coffee-house  in  Birchen  Lane  in  1718,  and  the  Swoed  and 
Dagger,  a  combination  of  arms  that  evokes  the  phantom  of  many 
a  desperate  duel  amongst  the  ruffling  gaEants  of  the  reign  of 
James  I.  This  sign  of  ill  omen  was,  in  the  seventeenth  cen- 
tury, in  St  Catherine  Lane,  Tower,  as  appears  from  the  trades 
tokens  issued  there. 

"   Misson's  Travels,  p.  007. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        325 

The  Dagger  was  once  common  in  London — 

"  My  lawyer's  clerk  I  lighted  on  last  night 
In  Holbom  at  the  Dagger," 

Bays  Captain  Face,  in  Ben  Jonson's  "Alchymist,"  and  various 
trades  tokens  testify  tlie  prevalence  of  the  sign.  Probably  this  arose 
from  its  being  a  charge  in  the  city  arms,  which  was  supposed  to 
represent  the  dagger  Sir  William  Walworth  used  in  slaying  Wat 
Tyler.  This  at  least  was  asserted  in  the  inscription  below  the 
niche  in  which  Sir  William's  statue  was  erected  in  Fishmonger's 
HaU:— 

"Brave  Walworth  knyght  Lord  Mayor  yt  alew 

Rebellious  Tyler  in  his  alarmes — 

The  king  therefore  did  give  in  lieu 

The  Dagger  to  the  Cytyea  armes." 

Stow  says  that  this  is  erroneous,  as,  when  in  the  4  Eichard  II. 
a  new  seal  was  made  for  the  city,  "  the  armes  of  this  city  were 
not  altered,  but  remayne  as  afore  ;  to  witte,  argent,  a  playne  cross 
gules  a  sword  of  Saint  Paul  in  the  first  quarter  and  no  dagger 
of  William  Walworth  as  is  fabuled."*  The  Dagger  and 
Pie  was  in  the  seventeenth  century  the  sign  of  a  celebrated  pie- 
shop  in  Cheapside,  the  Pie  being  added  to  the  original  sign; 
but  from  the  trades  tokens  of  this  house  we  see  that  this  was 
represented  by  a  rebus  of  a  dagger  with  a  magpie  on  the  point. 
Dagger-pies  are  frequently  mentioned  in  the  plays  of  that  period ; 
for  instance,  in  Decker's  "  Satyro-Mastrix  : " — "  I'U  not  take  thy 
word  for  a  dagger-pie ;"  and  in  Prynne's  "  Histrio-Mastrix," 
"and  please  you,  let  them  be  dagger-pies."  The  London 
apprentices  appear  to  have  been  good  customers  to  this  house. 
Whenever,  for  example,  old  Hobson,  the  merry  haberdasher,  went 
abroad,  "  his  prentices  wold  ether  bee  at  the  Taveme  filling  their 
heds  with  wine  or  at  the  Dagger  in  Cheapside  cramming  their 
bellies  with  minced  pyes."+  And  in  Hey  wood's  comedy  of 
"  If  you  Know  not  me  you  Know  Nobody,"  the  worthy  citizen 
bitterly  inveighs  against  the  temptations  held  out  to  apprentices 
by  the  dainties  of  this  house  : — 

"Ten  pounds  a  morning  !     Here  is  the  fruit 
Of  Dagger-pies  and  Ale-house  guzzling." — Act  i.  sc.  i.,  1606. 

A  rather  curious  sign  was  that  of  the  Eed  M  and  Dagger. 
The  letter  M  was  the  initial  of  Mrs  MUner's  name,  who,  at  this 

*  Stow's  Chronicle,  Thorn's  edition,  p.  83. 

i  Mtri'y  Jests  of  old  Hobson  the  Londoner.  1611 


326  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

sign  in  Pope's  Head  Alley,  "  over  against  tte  Royal  Exchange  in 
Comhill,"  sold  the  "  Grand  Restorative,"  which  cured  consump- 
tion, stone,  dropsy,  and  aU  evils  flesh  is  heir  to.  The  sign  occurs 
among  the  Bagford  bills ;  there  is  a  similar  one  amongst  the 
Banks  bills,  the  Pistol  and  C,  the  sign  of  John  Crook,  a  razor- 
maker  at  the  Groat  Turnstile,  Holborn,  circa  1787  :  the  bUl 
represents  a  renaissance  scutcheon  with  a  pistol,  above  it  a  C, 
and  surgical  instruments  disseminated  on  the  field. 

Though  we  have  the  authority  of  Cicero  that  cedant  arma  togas, 
yet  booksellers,  who  flourish  by  the  arts  of  peace,  choose  the  Hel- 
met for  their  sign.  Humphrey  Joy,  a  boo^eller  and  printer  in  St 
Paul's  Churchyard  in  1550,  and  another,  celebrated  in  the  reigns 
of  Henry  VIII.,  Edward  VI.,  and  Queen  Mary,  Rowland  HaU  by 
name,  had  both  a  Helmet  for  their  sign.  This  HaU  changed  his 
sign  more  frequently  than  is  generally  the  custom ;  thus,  besides 
the  Helmet,  he  is  known  to  have  traded  at  the  signs  of  the 
CitADLE,  in  Lombard  Street;  the  Half  Eagle  and  Key,  in 
Gutter  Lane;  and  the  Theee  Aeeows,  in  Golden  Lane,  near 
Cripplegate.  There  is  still  a  stone  carving  of  the  helmet  fixed  in 
the  front  of  a  house  in  London  WaU,  with  the  date  1668  and  the 
initials  H.  M.  Ned  Ward  mentions  the  Helmet  in  Bishopsgate ; 
he  says  at  the  battles  without  bloodshed  of  the  Trainbands  in 
Moorfields,  the  gallant  warriors  wish 

"  For  beer  from  the  Helmet  in  Bishopsgate. 
And  why  from  the  Helmet  ?    Because  that  sign 
Makes  the  liquor  as  welcome  t'  a  soldier  as  wine." 
Trades  tokens  arc  extant  of  the  Blue  Helmet  in  Tower  Street. 
From  the  same  source  we  learn  that  there  was,  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  a  sign  of  the  Plate,  i.e.,  the  Breastplate,  in  Upper  Shad- 
well  ;  and  a  Handgun  in  Shadwell.     This  weapon  was  a  sort  of 
musket  of  early  times,  fired  in  the  hand  without  a  rest ;  "  gunners 
with  handguns  or  half-hakes  "  are  named  by  Stow  in  his  enumera- 
tion of  the  troops  marching  in  the  city  watch  on  St  John's  night. 

A  few  other  old  weapons  remain  to  be  mentioned,  as  the 
Aerow,   once   a  great  favourite  when  this  weapon  made  the 
English  name  terrible  whenever  our  troops  took  the  field.   In  the 
last  century  there  was  a  beer-house  at  Knockholt,  in  Kent,  the 
sign  an  Arrow,  with  the  following  poetical  efiiision  beneath  : — 
"  Charles  Collins  liveth  here. 
Sells  rum,  brandy,  gin,  and  beer ; 
I  make  this  board  a  little  wider. 
To  let  you  know  I  sell  good  cyder." 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        327 

The  Ceoss-bullets,  a  name  puzzling  at  first  sight,  was  a  sign 
in  Thames  Street  in  the  seventeenth  century,  representing  two 
bar-shot  crossed,  which  the  trades  token  elucidates  by  the  equally 
puzzling  legend,  "  at  the  Crose  bvlets  ;"  this  was  an  instrument 
of  destruction  formerly  used  in  naval  engagements,  and  for  that 
reason  set  up  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  shipping. 

If  we  may  believe  a  jocular  article  on  a  quack  handbill  in  the 
Spectator,  No.  444,  there  was  a  Cannon-ball  in  Drury  Lane ; 
for  he  mentions  that — 

"  In  Bussell  Court,  over  against  the  Canonball,  at  the  Surgeons'  Arms, 
in  Drury  Lane,  is  lately  come  from  his  travels  a  surgeon  who  has  prac- 
tised surgery  and  physio  both  by  sea  and  land  these  twenty-four  years. 
He  (by  the  blessing)  cures  the  Yellow  Jaundice,  Green  sickness,  Sourvey, 
Dropsy,  Surfeits,  Long  sea  voyages,  Campaigns,  and  women's  mis- 
carriages, lyings  in,  etc.,  as  some  people  that  has  been  lamed  these  thirty 
years  can  testify ;  in  short  he  cureth  aU  diseases  incident  on  man,  women, 
or  children." 

Undoubtedly  this  bill  had  been  slightly  touched  up  in  passing 
through  the  hands  of  the  Spectator,  who,  Uke  the  mythological 
king,  " quodcunque  tetigit  inawrat"  for  it  is  rather  "  too  good  to 
be  true." 

The  Halbeet  and  Ceown  was,  in  1791,  the  sign  of  Paul 
Savigne,  a  cutler  in  St  Martin's  Churchyard;  whilst  the  Spear 
IN  Hand  is  at  the  present  day  the  sign  of  a  public-house  at 
Norwich,  being  undoubtedly  a  popular  version  of  some  family 
crest. 

In  Jews'  Kow,  or  Eoyal  Hospital  Eow,  Chelsea,  there  is  a 
sign  which  greatly  mystifies  the  maimed  old  heroes  of  the  Penin- 
sula and  Waterloo,  and  many  others  besides  ;  this  is  the  Snow- 
shoes.  It  is  the  sign  of  a  house  of  old  standing,  and  was  set  up 
during  the  excitement  of  the  American  war  of  independence, 
when  snow-shoes  formed  part  of  the  equipment  of  the  troops  sent 
out  to  fight  the  battles  of  King  George  against  "  Mr  Washington 
and  his  rebels." 

One  of  the  low  public-houses  that  stood  on  the  outskirts  of 
London,  towards  Hyde  Park  Comer,  at  the  end  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, was  called  the  Teiumphal  Car.  There  were  a  great  many 
other  houses  of  the  same  description  in  that  neighbourhood,  viz., 
the  Hercules  Pillars,  the  Eed  Lion,  the  Swan,  the  Golden  Lion, 
the  Horse-shoe,  the  Eunning  Horse,  the  Barleymow,  the  White 
Horse,  and  the  Half-moon,  which  two  last  have  given  names  to 
two  streets  in  Piccadilly.     The  sign  of  the  Triumphal  Car  was 


328  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

ill  all  probability  bestowed  upon  the  house  in  honour  of  the 
soldiers  who  used  to  visit  it. 

"  These  public-houses,  about  the  middle  of  last  century,  were  much 
visited  on  Sundays,  but  those  contiguous  to  Hyde  Park  were  chiefly 
resorted  to  by  soldiers,  particularly  on  review  days,  when  there  were  long 
wooden  seats  fixed  in  the  street  before  the  houses  for  the  accommodation 
of  six  or  seven  barbers,  who  were  employed  on  field  days  in  powdering 
those  youths  who  were  not  adroit  enough  to  dress  each  other's  hair.  Yet 
it  was  not  unusual  for  twenty  or  thirty  of  the  older  soldiers  to  bestride  a 
form  in  the  open  air,  where  each  combed,  soaped,  powdered,  and  tied 
the  hair  of  his  comrade,  and  afterwards  underwent  the  same  operation 
himself."  * 

The  grenadiers  of  Frederick  the  Great  managed  those  things 
still  better,  for  twenty  or  thirty  of  them  used  to  sit  in  a  circle, 
each  dressing,  plaiting,  and  powdering  the  pigtail  of  the  man 
before  him,  so  that  all  hands  were  employed  at  the  same  time, 
and  none  was  lost  in  waiting.  There  is  stUl  a  Triumphant 
Chariot  public-house  in  Pembroke  Mews,  Chelsea,  a  house  of 
more  than  fifty  years'  standing. 

The  Bombay  Grab  in  High  Street,  Bow,  belongs  to  military 
.signs,  as  "  Grab,"  or  "  Crab,"  is  a  slang  expression  for  a  foot 
soldier ;  perhaps  the  landlord  at  one  time  may  have  been  in  the 
Bombay  army. 

Objects  relating  to  the  navy,  or  rather  to  shipping,  are  still 
more  common  in  this  seafaring  nation  of  ours  than  the  attri- 
butes or  emblems  of  any  other  trade  or  profession.  Ned  Ward 
describes  Deptford  in  1703  as  every  house  being  distinguished 
by  either  the  sign  of  the  Ship,  the  Anchor,  the  Three  Mariners, 
Boatswain  and  Call,  or  something  relating  to  the  sea. 

"  For  as  I  suppose  [says  he]  if  they  should  hang  up  any  other,  the  salt- 
water novices  would  be  as  much  puzzled  to  know  what  the  figure  repre- 
sented as  the  Irishman  was,  when  he  called  the  Globe  the  Golden  Cab- 
bage, and  the  Unicom  the  White  Horse  with  a  barber's  pole  in  his 
forehead'."  t 

There  is  scarcely  a  town  in  the  kingdom  that  has  not  a 
Ship  inn,  tavern,  or  public-house.  Tokens  exist  of  "  the  Ship 
without  Templebar,  1649,"  probably  the  inn  granted  in  1571  to 
Sir  Christopher  Hatton,  along  with  some  lands  in  Yorkshire  and 
Dorsetshire,  and  the  wardship  of  a  minor.  J     William  Faithorne 

*  J.  T.  Smith's   Antiquarian  Ramble  in  the  Suuets  of  London,  edited  by  Charlef 
Maokay,  1846. 
t  Nicolfis's  Life  and  Times  of  Sir  Christopher  Hatton,  p.  7. 
t  Ned  Ward's  Frolic  to  Horn  Fair,  1703. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       329 

the  engraver  (ob.  1691)  seems  to  have  occupied  the  same  house 
afterwards,  for  Walpole  informs  us  that — 

"  Faithome  now  set  up  in  a  new  shop  at  the  sign  of  the  Ship,  next  to 
the  Dkake,  opposite  to  the  Palsgrave  Head,  without  Temple  Bar,  where  he 
not  only  followed  his  art,  but  sold  Italian,  Dutch,  and  English  prints,  and 
worked  for  booksellers. "  * 

This  sign  of  the  Ship,  next  to  the  Drake,  seems  to  have 
constituted  a  sort  of  a  pun  or  a  rebus  on  Admiral  Drake,  as 
observed  by  Mr  Akerman.  Among  the  trades  tokens  there  was 
"WiU  Jonson  at  y»  Drake,  Bell  Yard,  Temple  Bar,  1667." 
The  Drake  stood  next  to  the  Ship.  It  was  doubtless  a  rebus,  and 
alluded  to  the  Admiral,  who  was  very  popular  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Elizabeth,  the  mint-mark  of  the  martlet  on  her  coins 
being  termed  by  the  vulgar  a  Drake.  The  situation  of  this  sign 
near  the  Ship  was  appropriate  enough.  In  the  seventeenth 
century  there  was  a  sign  of  the  Ship  at  Leeuwarden,  in  Fries- 
land,  (Netherlands,)  with  the  following  inscription  : — 
"  Die  in  de  ly,  my  vaart  voorby 
Zal  hebben  een  Ryxdaalder  en  't  gelach  vry."  f 

At  the  Ship  tavern  in  the  Old  Bailey,  kept  by  Mr  Thomas 
Amps,  on  Tuesday  the  14th  of  February  1654,  a  plot  against 
Cromwell  was  discovered.  CarlyleJ  forcibly  pictures  the  con- 
spirators as  eleven  truculent,  rather  threadbare  persons,  sitting 
over  small  drink  there  on  that  Tuesday  night,  considering  how 
the  Protector  might  be  assassinated.  Poor  broken  Eoyalist  men, 
payless  old  captains,  and  such  like,  with  their  steeple  hats  worn 
very  brown,  and  jackboots  slit,  projecting  there  what  they  could 
not  execute.  The  poor  knaves  were  found  guilty,  but  not  worth 
hanging,  and  got  off  with  being  sent  to  the  Tower  for  a  while  to 
ponder  over  their  wickedness. 

Names  of  famous  men-of-war  are  often  found  on  the  sign- 
board, in  seaports ;  either  in  honour  of  some  brilliant  feat  per- 
formed by  them,  or  simply  in  compliment  to  the  crew,  in  the 
hopes  of  obtaining  their  liberal  patronage.  Thus  the  Albion, 
the  Saucy  Ajax,  the  Ciecb,  and  Aeethitsa,  with  innumerable 
others,  may  be  met  with  in  the  vicinity  of  Plymouth,  Ports- 
mouth, and  other  seaports.  The  naming  of  signboards  in  this 
way  was  an  old  custom ;  as  two  examples  among  the  London 
trades  tokens  very  sufficiently  prove.     Thus,  for  instance,  The 

•  Walpole's  Anecdotes  of  Fainting,  p.  132. 

t  "  Whoever  outsails  me  under  the  lee, 
Shall  have  a  dollar  and  di'ink  Bcot-fre&^' 
t  Cromwell's  Letters  and  Speeches. 

2  T 


330  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Speakek's  Feigate,  the  sign  of  a  shop  in  Shadwell  in  the  seven- 
teenth century.  The  frigate  had  been  named  after  Sir  Eichard 
Stainer,  speaker  in  the  Iloiise  of  Commons  in  the  time  of  the  Com- 
monwealth, who  had  done  good  service  under  command  of 
Admiral  Blake,  in  some  of  the  naval  engagements  with  the 
Spaniards.  In  1652,  this  ship  was  sent  to  "  Argjer  in  Turkey," 
(Algiers,)  under  command  of  Captain  Thorowgood,  with  the  sum 
of  £30,000  to  redeem  English  captives  from  slavery.  Upon 
this  occasion  the  Puritan  newspapers  made  the  following  punning 
prayer : — 

"  A  prosperous  gale  attend  his  motion;  and  a  Christian  vote  and  bless- 
ing he  present,  in  all  their  debates  and  consultations,  for  doubtless,  'tis  a 
sacrifice  pleasing  both  to  God  and  man,  and  plainly  denotes  unto  the  people 
of  England,  that  our  magistrates  had  rather  bring  home  exiles,  than  make 
more."  * 

After  the  Restoration  the  name  of  this  ship  was  changed  into  the 
Royal  Chaeles,  (which  also  occurs  as  a  sign,)  that  ill-fated  ship 
taken  by  the  Dutch  in  1667,  when,  under  Admiral  de  Ruyter, 
they  made  their  descent  on  Chatham  and  Sheemess,  and  burnt  a 
part  of  our  fleet.  The  Royal  Charles  was  one  of  the  ships  they 
took  away.     Its  stem  is  still  kept  as  a  trophy  in  Rotterdam. 

Ships  occur  in  various  conditions,  as  the  Fuli,  Snip,  HuU ; 
Ship  in  Dock,  Dartmouth ;  and  the  Smp  on  Launch,  in  every 
ship-building  locality.  The  Ship  in  Full  Sail  was  the  sign,  of 
the  first  shop  of  Murray  the  publisher,  in  Fleet  Street — pro- 
bably in  opposition  to  Longman,  who  had  the  Ship  at  Anchor, 
The  Ship  in  Distkbss  is  a  touching  appeal  to  the  good-natured 
wayfarer  to  assist  in  keeping  the  pump  going.  At  Brighton,  there 
was  such  a  sign  in  the  last  century,  on  which  the  poet  had 
assisted  the  painter  to  invoke  the  sympathy  of  the  thirsty 
public  : — 

"  With  sorrows  I  am  compass'd  round. 
Pray  lend  a  hand,  my  ship  's  aground." 

The  Ship  is  to  be  met  with  in  innumerable  combinations :  the 
Ship  and  Pilot  Boat,  Narrow  Quay,  Bristol;  the  Ship  and 
Anchoe  is  not  uncommon,  and  in  one  place,  at  Chipping  Norton, 
it  is  quaintly  corrupted  into  the  Sheep  and  Anchor  ;+  the  Ship 
AND  Whale,  in  compliment  to  the  Greenland  Fishery,  occurs  at 

*  IntdUgencer,  Jan.  27 — Feb,  4, 1652. 

t  Unless  it  be  another  version  of  the  Lamb  and  Anchor,  see  p.  300.  Ship  and  Sheep, 
however,  were  formerly  used  promiscuously.  Thus  there  is  a  token  of  William  Eye  "  at 
the  Sheep,"  in  Rye,  1652,  representing  a  ship,  whilst  Decker,  in  Histrio-mastrix,  1603, 
says,  "  and  this  jAi^skin  cap  shall  be  put  off." 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        331 

South  Shields,  and  the  Ship  and  Notchblock  is  a  sailor's  coffee- 
house in  the  RatcUff  Highway.     AU  these  explain  themselves ; 
most  of  the  other  combinations  seem  to  result  from  the  quarter- 
ing of  two  signs,  as  the  Ship  and  Bell,  Horn  Dean,  Hants  ;  the 
Ship  and  Fox,  "  next  door  but  one  to  the  Five  Bells  tavern, 
near  the  Maypole  in  the  Strand,"  in  1711 ;  the  Ship  and  Stak 
on  a  trades  token  of  Comhill,  may  be  the  north  star  by  which 
ancient  mariners  used  to  navigate ;  the  Ship  and  Eainbow  is 
common  to  many  places ;  the  Ship  and  Shovel,  Tooley  Street ; 
said  to  be  a  deterioration  of  the  Sir  Cloudesley  Shovel,  but  more 
likely  alluding  to  the  shovels  used  in  taking  out  ballast,  coal,  com, 
(when  in  bulk)  and  various  other  cargoes ;  the  Ship  and  Ploctgh, 
Hull ;  the  Ship  and  Blue  Coat  Boy,  Walworth  Road,  although 
susceptible  of  explanations,  are  doubtless  only  but  quarterings. 
The  Ship  and  Castle,  though  of  common  occurrence,  seemed 
to  puzzle  the  public  already  in  the  seventeenth  century: — 
"  What  resemblance  the  Ship  and  the  Castle  may  bear 
To  ships  floating  on  clouds,  or  to  castles  in  air. 
We  know  not;  but  this  we  are  sure  of,  'tis  plain 
Their  clarets  are  perfectly  Leger-de-Main." 

Search  after  Claret,  1691,  canto  I. 
If  not  a  combination  of  two  signs,  it  may  have  some  reference  to 
our  national  defences.     It  was  a  sign  in  Cornhill  as  early  as 
1716,  when,  on  November  9,  the  newspapers  conveyed  the  fol- 
lowing information  to  the  metropolis  : — 

"  We  are  informed  that  this  day  a  fowl  was  roasted  in  a  wonderful  sun- 
kitehen'on  the  top  of  the  Ship  and  Castle  tavern,  Comhill,  in  view  of  many 
gentlemen.  The  artist  performer,  who  is  a  gentleman  newly  come  from 
France,  proposes  to  roast  and  boil  meat,  bake  bread,  prepare  tea  and  coffee, 
and  aU  kitchenwork  done  without  common  fire  ;  some  particular  thing  to 
be  seen  every  day  that  the  sun  shines  out  brightly.  'Tvraa  observable  fiiat 
when  the  fowl  was  dressed,  it  had  the  same  taste  and  smell  as  if  done  by 
a  common  fire.  The  machine  is  composed  of  about  a  hundred  small  look- 
ing or  convex-glasses." 

The  scheme,  seemingly,  did  not  succeed  in  dethroning  "  old  king 
coal,"  for  if  we  had  to  depend  on  the  sun  for  our  cookery,  it  is 
to  be  feared  we  would  often  have  cold  cheer. 

Amongst  aU  these  ships,  of  course.  Jack  tar  could  not  be  forgot. 
The  Ship  Feiends  occur  in  Sunderland ;  the  Three  Makinees 
is  an  old  sign,  of  which  there  are  examples  among  the  trades 
tokens,  and.which  is  stUl  to  be  seen  on  two  or  three  public- 
houses  in  London.  There  was  formerly  a  tavern  known  by  this 
sign  in  VauxhaU. 


332  THE  HISTOR  Y  OF  SIQNBOA  RDS. 

"  On  repairing  it  in  1752,  in  it  was  found  a  remarkably  high-elbowed 
chair  covered  with  purple  cloth,  and  ornamented  with  gilt  nails.  An  old 
fisherman  told  Mr  Buckmaster  that  he  had  heard  his  grandfather  say,  that 
King  Charles  II.  disguised,  used  on  his  water  tours  with  his  ladies  to  fre- 
quent the  above  tavern  to  play  at  chess,  &o.,  and  that  the  chair  found,  was 
the  same  as  the  king  sat  in.  The  chair  was  repaired  and  kept  as  a  curiosity 
by  the  late  John  Dawson,  Esq.,  but  by  neglect  was,  at  the  pulling  down  of 
his  old  dwelling  at  Vauxhall  in  1777,  destroyed.  Mr  Buckmaster  sat  in 
the  chair  many  times,  but  his  feet  would  not  touch  the  ground.  King 
Charles  was  very  tall.  No  tavern  of  this  name  is  known  to  exist  now  in 
Lambeth,  but  there  is  one  of  the  sign  of  the  Theeb  Merbt  Bots,*  pro- 
bably a  corruption  of  the  above  name."  f 

In  other  places  we  meet  with  the  Three  Jolly  Sailoes  ;  at 
Castleford  there  used  to  be  one  representing  the  jolly  sailors 
"  with  a  sheet  in  the  wind,"  and  under'  it  the  following  profes- 
sional invitation  : — 

"Coil  up  your  ropes  and  anchor  here. 
Till  better  weather  does  appear." 

Ill  North  Street,  Hull,  there  is  a  sign  of  Jack  on  a  Cruise, 
not  on  board  H.M.  ship,  but  "out  on"  what  the  lands  folk  call 
"  a  spree  ; "  the  cruises,  however,  are  generally  confined  to  rather 
low  latitudes.  The  Boatswain  appears  to  have  been  a  public- 
house  in  Wapping  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.,  for  Wycherly  in 
the  "  Plain  Dealer,"  1676,  makes  Jerry  Blackaire  say  : — "  I  should 
soon  be  picking  up  all  our  own  mortgaged  apostle  spoons,  bowls, 
and  beakers,  out  of  most  of  the  ale-houses  betwixt  Hercules 
PiUars  and  the  Boatswain  in  Wapping."  The  Boatswain's  Call 
is  a  public-house  sign  in  Frederick  Street,  Portsea,  whose  invita^ 
tion  the  sailors,  no  doubt,  accept  with  much  more  pleasure  than 
the  boatswain's  call  of  "  aU  hands  on  deck "  on  a  frosty  winter 
morning.  It  was  the  name  of  a  patriotic  sea  song  during  one  of 
the  wars  with  France.  Ked,  White,  and  Blue,  and  its  syno- 
n3rme,  the  Three  Admirals,  both  occur  in  more  than  one  in- 
stance in  Liverpool 

The  .Anchor  was,  perhaps,  set  up  rather  as  an  emblem  than  as 
referring  to  its  use  in  shipping.  It  is  frequently  represented  in 
the  catacombs,  typifying  the  words  of  St  Paul,  who  calls  hope 
'■  the  anchor  of  the  soul,  both  sure  and  steadfast."  St  Ambrose 
says,  "it  is  this  which  keeps  the  Christian  from  being  carried 
away  by  the  storm  of  life."  Other  early  writers  use  it  as  a  sym- 
bol of  true  faith,  and  one  of  them  has  this  beautiful  idea  : — 

«  still  in  existence  in  Upper  Foi-e  Street,  Lambeth. 
t  Thomas  Allen's  Uistory  of  Lambeth,  1827,  p.  367. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       333 

'•  As  an  anchor  oast  into  the  sand  will  keep  the  ship  in  safety,  even  so 
hope,  even  amidst  poverty  and  tribulation,  remains  firm,  and  is  sufficient 
to  sustain  the  soul ;  though,  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  it  may  seem  but  a 
weak  and  frail  support."  * 

It  was  a  favourite  sign  with  the  early  printers,  probably  in  imita- 
tion of  Aldus.t  Thus  Thomas  VautroUier,  a  scholar  and  printer 
from  Paris  and  Rouen,  who  came  to  England  about  the  begin- 
ning of  Queen  Elizabeth's  reign,  and  established  his  printing-o£5ce 
in  Blackfriars,  had  an  anchor  for  his  sign,  with  the  motto,  "Anchora 
Spei."  At  West  Bromwich  there  is  an  ale-house  having  the  sign 
of  the  Anchor  with  the  following  inscription  : — 
"  0  sweet  ale,  how  sweet  art  thou, 
Thy  chearing  streams  new  life  impart. 
Esteemed  by  all  extremely  good. 
To  quench  our  thirst  and  do  us  good." 
Sometimes  a  female  figure  in  flowing  garments  is  represented 
holding  the  anchor,  in  which  case  it  is  called  the  Hope  and 
Anchor.  The  Blue  Anchor  was  painted  of  that  colour  as  a 
".  difference  "  from  other  anchors ;  it  is  a  common  sign ;  it  was  the 
trade  emblem  of  Henry  Herringman,  of  the  "  New  Exchange,"  the 
principal  London  bookseller  and  publisher  in  the  reign  of  King 
Charles  II.,  the  friend  of  Davenant,  Dryden,  and  Cowley.  The 
Blue  Anchor  and  Ball  was  the  sign  of  a  mercer's  shop  near 
the  Conduit  in  Cheapside  in  1707,  the  ball  being  the  usual  addi- 
tion to  intimate  the  sale  of  sUks.  Other  distinctions  are  the 
Sheet  Anchor,  at  Whitmore,  in  Staffordshire;  the  Foul  Anchor, 
a  sign  of  two  public-houses  at  Wisbeach,  implying,  no  doubt,  that 
the  lotus-eaters,  who  anchor  in  that  harbour,  get  so  entangled  in  the 
luxurious  weeds  of  pleasure,  that  it  becomes  impossible  for  them 
to  leave;  the  Eaffled  Anchor,  Swan's  Quay,  North  Shields;  and 
the  Rope  and  Anchor,  which  is  very  common,  the  anchor  being 
generally  represented  with  a  piece  of  cable  twined  round  the  stem. 
A  few  combinations  also  occur  :  the  Anchor  and  Can,  at 
Ross,  and  at  Putson,  Hereford,  which  seems  to  allude  to  the 
Anchor  as  a  measure ;  the  Anchor  and  Shuttle,  Luttendenfoot, 
Warley,  Manchester,  the  shuttle  being  added  in  compliment  to 
the  weavers  ;  the  Anchor  and  Castle,  a  quartering  of  two  signs 
in  Tooley  Street,  &c. 

Sometimes  instead  of  the  ship,  some  peculiar  vessel  is  chosen, 
as,  for  instance,  the  Sloop,  or  the  Leigh  Hoy,  a  sort  of  smack, 
which  occurs  amongst  the  trades  tokens  as  a  sign  near  St  Cathe- 

*  See  Louisa  Twining's  Symbols  of  Christian  Art.  t  See  p.  228. 


334  T^^  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

rine's  Docks,  and  is  still  to  be  seen  in  Church  Street,  MUe 
End;  the  Coble,  a  sort  of  fishing-boat,  common  in  Northum- 
berland ;  the  TiLTBOAT,  Sommers  Quay,  Thames  Street,  in  the 
XVIIth.  century,  and  still  at  Billingsgate.  This  last  was  an  open 
passenger  boat  for  Greenwich,  Woolwich,  Gravesend,  andotherplaces 
down  the  river.  It  took  twelve  hours  to  perform  the  voyage  to 
Gravesend,  and  much  more  if  the  wind  was  contrary,  and  the  boat  had 
not  arrived  before  the  tide  turned.  The  tUtboats  were  superseded 
by  steamers  in  1815.  The  Dark  House,  Billingsgate,  was  their 
starting-place,  and  passengers  would  probably  patronise  the  tavern 
with  this  name  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood,  as  they  go  now 
for  a  glass  of  ale  and  a  sandwich  to  the  Railway,  or  Steamboat 
Inn,  during  the  quarter  of  an  hour  preceding  departure. 

The  Fishing  Smack  was  a  public-house  formerly  standing  near 
St  Nicholas  Church,  Liverpool  The  sign  represented  a  man 
standing  in  a  cart  loaded  with  fish,  and  holding  in  his  right  hand 
what  the  artist  intended  to  represent  as  a  salmon.  Underneath 
were  the  following  lines  : — 

"  This  salmon  has  got  a  tail. 

It  *s  very  like  a  whale ; 

It 's  a  fish  that 's  very  merry ; 

They  Bay  it's  catoh'd  at  Deny; 

It 's  a  fish  that 's  got  a  heart, 
It 's  catoh'd  and  put  in  Dngdale's  cart." 

This  truly  classic  production  of  the  Muse  of  the  Mersey  con- 
tinued for  several  years  to  adorn  the  host's  door,  until  a  change 
in  the  occupant  of  the  house  induced  a  corresponding  change  of 
the  sign,  and  the  following  lines  took  the  place  of  the  preced- 
ing :— 

"  The  cart  and  salmon  has  stray'd  away, 
Arid  left  the  fishing-boat  to  stay, 
When  boisterous  winds  do  drive  you  back. 
Come  in  and  drink  at  the  Fishing-Smack."  * 
The   Old    Barge   was   a  sign  in  Bucklersbury :  "When  Wal- 
brooke  did  lye  open,  barges  were  rowed  out  of  the  Thames,  or 
towed  up  so  farre ;  and  therefore  the  place  has  ever  since  been 
called  the  Old  Barge,  of  such  a  sign  hanging  out  over  the  gate 
thereof."  t    The  Old  Barge,  or  the  Old  Boat,  is  still  frequently 
seen  as  a  sign  on  the  banks  of  some  of  the  canals  through  which 
boats  and  barges  are  towed. 

The  Boat,  an  isolated  tavern  in  the  open  fields,  at  the  back  of 

•  Hone's  Eveiy  Day  Book,  vol.  ii.  f  Stowe's  Survey  of  London. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       335 

the  Foundling  Hospital,  was  the  head-quarters  of  the  rioters  and 
incendiaries,  who,  excited  by  the  injudicious  zeal  of  Lord  George 
Gordon,  set  London  in  a  blaze  during  the  "  No  Popery  "  riots  in 
1780. 

Next  Boat  by  Paul's,  in  Upper  Thames  Street,  may  be  seen 
on  the  trades  token  of  an  ale-house,  evidently  kept  by  a  water- 
man, who  used  to  ply  with  his  boat  near  St  Paul's.  The  token 
of  this  house  represents  a  boat  containing  three  men,  over  it  the 
legend,  "  Next  Boat."  "  Next  Oars  "  was  the  cry  oif  the  water- 
men waiting  for  a  fare.  Tom  Brown  in  his  walk  round  London, 
says,  "  I  steered  him  down  Blackfryars  towards  the  Thames 
side  till  coming  near  the  stairs,  up  started  such  a  noisy  mul- 
titude of  grizly  old  Tritons,  hollowing  and  hooting  out  IText 
Oars  and  scullers,  &c.  And  with  that  I  bawled  out  as  loud  as  a 
speaking  trumpet,  'Next  Oars,'  and  away  ran  Captain  Carou, 
and  hollowed  to  his  man  Ben  to  bring  the  boat  near."  "  Next 
Boat,"  was  also  the  sign  of  a  public-house  of  note  adjoining 
Holland's  Leaguer  in  Black&iars,  where  Holland  Street  is  now. 

The  Law  is  very  badly  represented — the  Judge's  Head  seems 
to  be  the  only  sign  in  honour  of  this  branch  of  the  Common- 
wealth. It  was  the  sign  of  Charles  King,  a  bookseller  in  West- 
minster Hall  in  1718,*  and  may  be  readily  accounted  for  in  that 
locality.  It  was  also  the  first  sign  of  Jacob  Tonson,  the  well- 
known  bookseller  and  secretary  of  the  Kit-Kat  Club,  when  he  lived 
near  Inner  Temple  gate.  Fleet  Street.  In  1697  when  he  removed 
to  Gray's  Inn  gate,  he  adopted  the  Shakespeare's  Head,  under 
which  he  became  famous.  After  1712,  he  took  a  shop  in  the 
Strand,  opposite  Catherine  Street,  but  without  altering  his  sign, 
and  there  he  died  in  March  1736  possessed  of  a  splendid  fortune. 
This  was  that  famous  Tonson  who  published  the  worts  of  the 
most  celebrated  authors  and  poets  of  the  day.  Dryden  was  one 
of  them.  Liberality  in  those  days  was  a  word  not  to  be  found 
in  the  dictionary  of  a  publisher,  as  Dryden  often  experienced  ; 
in  one  of  his  ill  tempers,  when  Tonson  had  been  putting  on  the 
screw  rather  too  much,  the  incensed  poet  began  a  satire  upon 
him  : — 

"  With  leering  look,  bullfac'd,  and  frecHed  fair, 
With  two  left  legs,  with  Judas-colour'd  hair, 
And  frowsy  pores  that  taint  the  ambient  air." 

These  three  lines  he  sent  as  a  sample  of  his  savoir  faire  to  the  pub- 

•  Daily  Courant,  Dec.  17,  1718. 


336  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

lisher,  with  the  gentle  addition  :  "  Tell  the  dog  that  he  who  wrote 
this  can  write  more."  Tonson  did  not  wish  to  see  more,  however, 
and  Dryden  obtained  what  he  desired.  About  the  year  1720,  Jacob 
Tonson  left  the  business  to  his  nephew,  Jacob  Tonson,  jun.,  son  of 
his  brother  Eichard,  who,  through  the  patronage  of  the  Duke  of 
Newcastle,  became  stationer,  bookbinder,  and  printer  to  the  Public 
Board,  and  this  lucrative  appointment  was  enjoyed  by  the  Tonson 
family,  or  their  assignees,  till  the  month  of  January  1800. 

Lot  Goodal,  Beadle  of  St  Martin-in-the-Fields,  in  1680,  had, 
like  other  celebrities,  taken  his  own  goodly  person  for  the  sign 
of  his  house  in  Kupert  Street,  as  appears  from  his  advertise- 
ment, in  which,  Kke  a  true  Dogberry,  the  public  are  informed 
that  he  had  taken  a  silver  watch  with  a  studded  case  "in  custody." 
The  Bkown  Bill  was  another  constable's  sign  : — 
"  Which  is  the  constable's  house 
At  the  sign  of  the  Brawn  Bill  S  " 

Blurt,  Master  Constable  or  the 
Spaniard's  Nightwalk.     Tho.  Middleton.   1602. 

This  brown  bill  was  a  kind  of  battle-axe,  or  hatchet  affixed  to  a 
long  staff,  used  by  constables.  The  name  was  transferred  from 
the  weapon  to  the  men  who  carried  it  : — 

"  Const.  Come,  my  hrown  hills,  we  '11  roar. 

Bounce  loud  at  the  tarem  door." — Ibid. 

They  were  also  called  BiHmen  : — 
"  To  us  billmen  relate, 
Why  you  stagger  so  late. 
And  how  you  came  drunk  so  soon." 

John  Lilly's  Endymion.     1591. 

Lawyers  are  only  commemorated  in  the  complimentary  sign  of 
the  Good  Lawyer,*  and  in  the  Eolls,  a  .tavern  kept  by  Ralph 
Massie,  in  Chancery  Lane,  in  the  reign  of  Charles  n.  In  vari- 
ous parts  of  the  house,  and  particularly  in  the  great  room  up 
stairs,  the  coats  of  arms  of  the  Carew  family  spoke  of  its  former 
possessors.  Further  back  stUl,  we  have  it  as  a  timber  tenement 
belonging  to  the  knights  of  St  John  of  Jerusalem,  by  whom  it 
was  sold  to  Cardinal  Wolsey,  who  for  a  time  inhabited  it,  before 
he  had  reached  the  summit  of  his  pride  and  fame.  Behind  this 
building  was  the  house  and  garden  of  Sir  Walter  Ealeigh.  But 
all  these  remnants  of  bygone  glory  were  swept  away  in  1760, 
when  the  house  was  rebuilt,  and  the  name  changed  into  the 

*  Seu  uadei'  H  umorous  Signs. 


DIGNITIES,   TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       337 

CKOTirN  AND  Rolls.  The  name  of  Rolls,  it  is  needless  to  ob- 
serve, was  adopted  from  the  neighbouring  Rolls  House,  -where 
the  rolls  and  records  of  Chancery  have  been  kept  since  the  reign 
of  Richard  IIL 

The  liberal  arts  are  as  badly  represented  on  the  signboard  as  the 
Bar.  The  Poet's  Head  was  a  sign  in  St  James's  Street  in  the 
seventeenth  century ;  who  the  poet  was  it  is  impossible  to  say  now ; 
perhaps  it  was  Dryden,  since  the  trades  tokens  represent  a  head 
crowned  with  bays.  The  same  sign  had  been  used  during  the 
Commonwealth  by  Taylor  the  Water  poet,  but  in  his  case  the 
poet  was  Taylor  himself,  (see  p.  48.)  'The  Five  Inkhoens,  we 
gather  from  the  trades  tokens,  was  the  sign  of  Walter  Haddon, 
in  Grub  Street,  a  very  appropriate  trade  emblem  in  that  scrib- 
bling locality.  There  was  also  a  house  with  this  sign  in  Petti- 
coat Lane,  opposite  which  Strype's  mother  lived ;  letters  of  his 
are  extant  addressed  : — 

^'mi'fa  ^^edief  C^ly/t,  atic/ottt 

Petticoat  Lane  in  that  time  was  the  great  manufacturing  place 
for  inkhoms.  The  Hand  and  Pen  was  a  scrivener's  sign,  which 
was  adopted  by  Peter  Bales,  Queen  Elizabeth's  celebrated  pen- 
man.    HoUinshed  says  *  that 

"  He  writ  within  the  Compasse  of  a  Penie  iu  Latine,  the  Lord's  Prayer,  the 
Creed,  the  Ten  Commandementa,  a  praise  to  God,  a  Prayer  for  the  Que^ne, 
his  posie,  his  name,  the  daie  of  the  month  the  yeare  of  our  Lord,  and  the 
reigne  of  the  Que^ne.  And  on  the  seuenteenth  of  August  next  following, 
at  Hampton  Court,  he  presented  the  same  to  the  Queenes  maiestie  in  the 
head  of  a  ring  of  gold,  couered  with  a  christall,  and  presented  therewith 
Kn  excellent  spectacle,  by  him  devised,  for  the  easier  reading  thereof ; 
wherewith  her  maiestie  read  all  that  was  written  therein  with  great  admira- 
tion, and  commended  the  same  to  the  Lords  of  the  Councill  and  the  am- 
bassadors, and  did  weare  the  same  manie  times  vpon  her  finger." 
Bale  was  employed  by  Sir  Francis  Walsingham,  and  afterwards 
kept  a  writing  school  at  the  upper  end  of  the  Old  Bailey.  In 
1595,  when  nearly  fifty  years  old,  he  had  a  trial  of  skiU  with  one 
Daniel  Johnson,  by  which  he  was  the  winner  of  a  golden  pen,  of 

*  HolUnshed's  Chronicles,  iv.,  p.  S30. 

2  0 


338  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

a  value  of  £20,  wliicb,  in  the  pride  of  his  Tietoiy,  he  set  up  as 
his  sign.  Upon  this  occasion,  John  Davis  made  the  following 
epigram  in  his  "  Scourge  of  Folly  : " — 

"  The  Hand  and  Golden  Pen,  Clophonion 

Sets  on  his  sign,  to  shew,  0  proud,  poor  soul, 

Both  where  he  wonnes,  and  how  the  same  he  won, 

From  writers  fair,  though  he  writ  ever  foul ; 

But  by  that  Hand,  that  Pen  so  home  has  been. 

From  Place  to  Place,  that  for  the  last  half  Yeare, 

It  scarce  a  sen'night  at  a  place  is  seen. 

That  Hand  so  plies  the  Pen,  though  ne'er  the  peare. 

For  when  Men  seek  it,  elsewhere  it  is  sent, 

Or  there  shut  up,  as  for  the  Plague  or  Bent, 

Without  which  stay,  it  never  still  could  stand. 

Because  the  Pen  is  for  a  Sunning  Hand."  * 
The  sign  of  the  Hand  and  Pen  was  also   used  by  the  Fleet 
Street  marriage-mongers,  to  denote  "  marriages  performed  with- 
out imposition." 

Music-shops  always  adhered  to  the  primitive  custom  of  using 
the  instruments  they  sold  as  their  signs ;  for  instance,  the  Haep 
AND  Hautboy,  the  sign  of  John  Walsh,  "servant  to  his  Majesty," 
in  Catherine  Street  in  the  Strand,  in  1700.t  Other  music-shops 
had  the  French  Horn  and  Violin  ;  the  Violin,  Hautboy, 
AND  German  Flute;  the  Hautboy  and  Two.  Flutes;  all 
these  instruments  in  the  woodcut  above  the  shopbUl,  which  was 
a  copy  of  the  sign,  are  placed  perpendicularly  beside  each  other, 
without  any  attempt  at  grouping.  The  Hautboy  was  one  of  the 
most  constant  music-shop  signs  ;  it  was  formerly  a  favourite  street 
instrument,  and  might  be  heard  at  the  Christmas  "  waits,"  and 
on  occasions  of  popular  rejoicing.  Waits  even  are  said  to  have 
derived  their  name  from  it,  that,  according  to  one  authority, 
being  the  old  English  name  of  the  hautboy.  J  This,  however,  we 
believe  to  be  a  mistake.  The  Waits  were  "  watches" — guets,  who 
went  round  at  certain  hours  of  the  night  with  music,  to  let  it  be 
known  they  were  on  the  look-out,  and  make  people  feel  secure. 

NoveUo,  the  well-known  music  publisher,  still  adheres  to  the 
old  tradition,  and  carries  on  business  in  the  Poultry  under  the 

*  The  whole  history  of  this  calligraphic  contest,  written  by  Bale  himself,  is  preserved 
amongst  the  Harl.  MSS.,  No.  675. 

t  "Twelve  Sonatas  in  two  parts  ;  the  first  part  solos  for  a  violin,  a  bass  violin,  viol  and 
harpsichord ;  the  second  Preludes,  Almands,  Coi-ants,  Sarabands  and  Jigs,  with  the 
Spanish  Folly.  Dedicated  to  the  Electress  of  Brandenburgh  by  Archangelo  Corelli ; 
being  his  fifth  and  last  opera,  etc.  Price  8  shillings,  or  each  part  single  5  shillings." — 
londen  Gazette,  August  26-29,  1700.  The  use  of  the  word  opera  here  is  somewuat 
peculiar. 

{  Hawkins's  History  of  Music,  vol.  ii.,  p.  107. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       339 

sign  of  tie  Golden  Ckotchet.  Somewhat  similar  was  the  Sol 
La,  or  the  Meery  Song  (le  chant  Gaillard)  of  Guyot  or  Guy 
Marchant,  a  bookseller  and  printer  in  Paris  drca  1490.  His  colo- 
phon here  represents  the  two  notes  sol  la,  surmounting  two  con- 
joined hands,  in  evident  allusion  to  the  words  of  the  Pange  Lin- 
gua "  Sola  Fides."  At  the  side  are  represented  two  merry 
cobblers,  a  class  of  mechanics,  who,  from  time  immemorial, 
have  been  noted  above  all  others  for  merriment,  and  a  habit  of 
singing  whilst  at  their  work.  It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  on  the 
title-page  of  one  of  the  books  printed  by  Marchant,  the  "Epistola 
de  Insulis  de  novo  repertis,"  his  chant  Gaillard  is  translated  into 
"  Campo  GaiUardo,"  which  seems  to  lead  to  the  inference  that 
this  work  had  been  printed  by  some  one  who  had  heard  of  Mar 
chant's  sign,  but  had  never  seen  it,  and  merely  adopted  his  name 
as  being  well  known  in  the  Uteraiy  world, — a  fraud  frequently 
complained  of  by  the  old  printers. 

The  FuENCH  HoEN  was  once  a  very  common  sign,  and  is  still  of 
frequent  occurrence  ;  thus,  there  is  a  Febnch  Hoen  and  Rose 
in  Wood  Street,  Cheapside ;  a  Feench  Horn  and  Half-moon 
at  Wandsworth ;  and  a  Feench  Hoen  and  Queen's  Head  in 
Smithfield.  This  last  house  was,  for  many  years,  kept  by  Peter 
Crawley,  a  noted  member  of  the  P.  R.,  and  there  John  Leech  the 
artist,  and  a  friend,  used  to  study  low  life  and  boxiana  under  the 
tutelage  of  Black  Sam.  Finally,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  there 
was  a  Hoen  and  Theee  Tuns  in  LeadenhaU  Street.  The 
trades  tokens  represent  it  as  a  French  horn;  but  a  drinking  horn 
would  certainly  have  been  a  more  useful  instrument  in  the  com- 
pany of  three  tuns.  It  was  evidently  a  corruption  of  the  Bottle- 
makers'  arms,  which  were  argent  on  a  chevron  sable,  three  bugle- 
horns  of  the  first  between  three  leather-bottles  of  the  second. 
These  leather-bottles  might  easily  be  mistaken  for  tuns,  and  the 
bugle-horn  be  modernised  into  a  musical  instrument. 

This  frequency  of  the  Horn  rather  jars  with  the  unpleasant 
signification  that  instrument  had  in  seventeenth  century  slang. 
Among  the  Boxburghe  Ballads  (ii.  138)  there  is  one  entitled 
"  The  Extravagant  Youth,  or  an  Emblem  of  Prodigality,"  with  a 
woodcut  representing  a  youth  jumping  into  the  mouth  of  a  large 
horn.  On  one  side  stands  the  father,  seemingly  in  distress  ;  on 
the  other  is  a  mad-house,  with  the  sign  of  The  Fool,  two  of  the 
inmates  looking  out  from  behind  the  bars.  The  extravagant 
youth,  after  expatiating  on  his  mad  career,  says  : — 


340  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS, 

"  But  now  all  my  glory  is  clearly  decay'd, 
And  into  the  horn  myself  have  betray'd. 

All  comforts  now  from  us  are  flown. 
My  father  in  Bedlam  makes  his  moan. 
And  I  in  the  counter  a  prisoner  thrown, 
This  Horn  is  a  figure  by  which  it  is  known." 

The  Bugle  Horn  is  fully  as  common ;  it  occurs  on  a  trades 
token  of  1667  as  the  sign  of  a  house  in  Aldersgate  Street,  and  is 
still  to  be  seen  on  many  inns  by  the  roadside,  where  the  maU 
coach,  in  the  good  old  coaching  time,  used  to  announce  its  arrival 
by  a  cheerful  tune  from  the  guard's  horn.  Sometimes  the  Hoen 
was  used  in  a  different  sense.  It  was  the  sign  and  badge  of  the 
cattle  doctor  and  village  gelder,  and  came  to  be  exhibited  as 
such  either  from  its  use  in  drenching  animals,  or  from  the  fact 
of  such  an  instrument  being  blown  by  the  doctor,  to  give  notice 
to  the  villagers  of  his  approach.  At  Messingham,  Lincoln,  the 
Horn  Inn,  a  century  ago,  was  kept  by  such  a  personage.  Further 
on,  at  p.  369,  this  professional  is  mentioned  in  connexion  with 
Tom  of  Bedlam. 

The  Harp,  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  was 
the  sign  of  a  bird-fancier,  "  over  against  Somerset  House  in  the 
Strand;"*  and  is  stUl  used  as  the  sign  of  many  public-houses, 
generally  denoting  an  Irish  origin.  The  Jew's  Haep  (an  instru- 
ment formerly  called  jeu  trompe,  Jew's  trump,  i.e.,  toy  trumpet) 
was  in  former  times  the  sign  of  a  house  with  bowery  tea-gardens 
and  thickly-foliated  "  snuggeries,"  in  what  was  once  Marylebone 
Park,  near  the  top  of  Portland  Place,  but  removed  on  the  laying 
out  of  Eegent's  Park.  Mr  Onslow  the  Speaker  used  to  go  there 
in  plain  attire,  and  sitting  in  the  chimney-comer,  join  in  the 
humours  of  the  customers,  untU,  being  recognised  by  the  land- 
lord one  day,  as  he  was  riding  in  his  golden  coach  to  the  House 
in  state,  he  found,  on  going  in  the  evening  for  his  quiet  pipe 
and  glass,  that  his  incognito  was  betrayed.  This  broke  the 
charm,  and  like  the  fairies  in  the  legend,  he  never  more  returned 
after  that  day.  At  the  end  of  the  last  century  there  was  another 
Jew's  Harp  Tavern  [and  Tea-gardens]  in  Islington.  It  consisted 
of  a  large  upper  room,  ascended  by  a  staircase  on  the  outside  for 
the  accommodation  of  the  company  on  ball  nights,  and  in  this 
room  large  parties  dined.  Facing  the  south  front  of  the  premises 
was  a  large  semicircular  enclosure,  with  boxes  for  tea  and  ale 

*  London  Gazette,  December  80  to  January  2, 1700. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        341 

drinkers,  guarded  by  deal-board  soldiers,  between  every  box, 
painted  in  proper  colours.  In  the  centre  of  this  opening  were 
tables  and  seats  placed  for  the  smokers  ;  a  trap-baU  ground  was 
on  the  eastern  side  of  the  house,  whilst  the  western  side  served 
for  a  tennis  court;  there  were  also  public  and  private  skittle- 
grounds.  We  find  a  clue  to  this  rather  odd  sign  in  Ben 
Jonson's  play  of  the  "Devil  is  an  Ass,"  Act  i.,  scene  1,  from 
which  it  appears  that  it  was  formerly  a  custom  to  keep  a 
fool  in  a  tavern,  who,  for  the  edification  of  the  customers, 
used  to  play  on  a  Jew's  harp,  sitting  on  a  joint-stool. 

One  of  the  signs  originaEy  used  exclusively  by  apothecaries 
was  the  Moktak  and  Pestlb,  their  weU-knovra  implements 
for  pounding  drugs.  Among  the  celebrities  who  sold  medicines 
under  this  emblem  was  the  noted  John  Moore,  "  author  of  the 
celebrated  Worm  Powder,"  to  whom  Pope  addressed  some  stanzas 
begiiming : — 

"  How  much,  egregious  Moore,  are  we 

Deceived  by  shows  and  forms ; 
Whate'er  we  think,  whate'er  we  see. 

All  human  kind  are  worms." 

His  shop  was  in  St  Lawrence  Poultney  Lane.  Every  week 
the  newspapers  contained  advertisements  proving,  by  the  most 
wonderful  cures,  the  eflicacy  of  his  powders. 

In  the  sixteenth  century  a  publican  in  Paris-adopted  the  sign 
of   the   Pestle,  on  account   of   his   living  in  the  Rue  de  la 
Mortellerie,  (Mortar  Street.)      His  house  was  in  high  repute 
amongst  the  gallants  of  the  period,  which  procured  him  a  visit 
from  Master  Villon,  who  thus  describes  it : — 
"  S'en  vint  en  une  hotellerie, 
Hue  de  la  Mortellerie. 
Ou  pend  I'enaeigne  du  Pestel, 
A  bon  logis  et  bon  hostpl."  * 

ViLLOir,  Franches  Bepues, 
The  Apothecary  leads  us   to  the  Barber,  or   rather  Barber- 
Surgeon,  and  the  Barber's  Pole,  which  dates  from  the  time 
when  barbers  practised  phlebotomy :  the  patient  undergoing  this 

•  "  He  came  to  an  inn, 

In  the  Rue  de  la  Mortellerie, 
Where  the  sign  of  the  Pestle  hangs  out. 
At  which  place  there  is  good  entertainment  to  be  had." 
This  poet-swindler,  Villon,  used  to  go  about  with  a  few  friends,  who  robbed  and 
cheated  landlords,  and  obtained  good  dinners  without  paying  for  them,  whence  he 
called  them  "Repues  Franches."    Too  frequently  he  got  off  safe,  but  occasionally  he 
would  get  a  caning  in  the  bargain  to  assist  his  digestion.    These  predatory  dinners  ho 
has  related  in  an  epopee  which  has  come  down  to  us. 


342  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

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  latter  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.  It  was  stated  by  Lord  Thurlow  in 
the  House  of  Peers,  July  17,  1797,  when  he  opposed  the  Sur- 
geon's Incorporation  Bill,  that,  "  by  a  statute  stUl  in  force,  the 
barbers  and  surgeons  were  each  to  use  a  pole.  The  barbers 
were  to  have  theirs  blue  and  white  striped,  with  no  other  appen- 
dage, but  the  surgeons  [which  were  the  same  in  other  respects] 
were  to  have  a  gallipot  and  a  red  flag  in  addition,  to  denote 
the  particular  nature  of  their  vocation." 

Besides  the  well-known  brass  soap-basins  appended  to  the 
pole,  the  barbers  in  former  times  used  to  have  other  and  more 
repulsive  signs  of  their  profession  : — 

"  His  pole  with  pewter*  basons  hung, 
Black,  rotten  teeth  in  order  strung, 
Kang'd  cups  that  in  the  window  stood. 
Lined  with  red  rags  to  look  like  blood. 
Did  well  his  threefold  trade  explain. 
Who  shaved,  drew  teeth,  and  breathed  a  vein.'' 

In  Constantinople,  where  the  barber  stiU  acts  as  surgeon  and 
dentist,  the  teeth  drawn  by  him  are  worked  in  ornamental 
patterns  intermixed  with  blue  beads,  and  hung  as  Jrophies  in 
the  window.  Some  of  our  London  dentists  even  yet*  follow  this 
disgusting  custom,  for  in  no  less  a  thoroughfare  than  Sloane 
Street  there  is  a  certain  chemist-dentist  who  exhibits  in  his 
window  a  whole  bottleful  of  decayed  teeth.  Instead  of  cups 
"  lined  with  red  rags  to  look  like  blood,"  the  genuine  article 
was  formerly  exhibited  in  the  windows ;  but  this  was  already 
prohibited  at  an  early  period,  since  the  "  Liber  Albus"  enjoins 
"that  no  barber  be  so  bold  or  so  daring  as  to  put  Hood  in 
their  windows  openly  or  in  view  of  folks ;  but  let  them  have  it 

•  It  is  to  be  observed  that  these  soap-basins  are  now  always  of  Irass,  and  also  that 
on  the  continent  their  place  is  talcen  by  a  shallow  brass  basin  to  contain  hot  water — 
bon  Quixote's  helmet  of  Mambrino,  held  under  the  chin  of  the  person  to  be  shared, 
tvith  a  hollow  space  in  the  rim  to  fit  the  neck,  and  a  cavity  into  which  the  soap  ie 
deposited  durJug  the  operation. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       343 

carried  privily  unto  the  Thames,   under  pain  of  paying  two 
shillings  unto  the  use  of  the  Sheriffs." 

As  "  a  little  learning  is  dangerous,"  the  barber  of  the  olden 
times  generally  contrived  to  make  himself  more  or  less  ridicu- 
lous. Steele  says : — "  The  particularity  of  this  man  [Don 
Saltero,  see  p.  95]  put  me  into  a  deep  thought  whence  it  should 
proceed  that  of  all  the  lower  orders  barbers  should  go  further 
in  hitting  the  ridiculous  than  any  other  set  of  men.  Watermen 
brawl,  cobblers  sing  :  but  why  must  a  barber  be  for  ever  a  poli- 
tician, a  musician,  an  anatomist,  a  poet,  and  a  physician?"  This 
love  of  music  was  at  aU  times  an  idiosyncrasy  of  the  knights 
of  the  brass  basin.  Morley,  in  his  "  Plain  and  Easie  Introduc- 
tion to  Practicall  Musicke,"  says: — "It  should  seem  you  came 
lately  from  a  barber's  shop,  where  you  heard  Gregory  Walker 
or  a  Corranta  plaide  in  the  new  proportions."  Henry  Bold,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  speaks  of  ancient 
tunes  "still  sung  to  Barber^  dttems,  viz.,  the  "Lady's  Fall;" 
"John  come  kiss  me  now;''  "Green  Sleeves  and  Pudding  Pies;" 
"  The  Punk's  Delight,"  &c.  And  Tom  Brown,  in  his  "  Amuse- 
ments for  the  Meridian  of  London,"  remarks  : — 

"  In  a  Barber's  shop  I  saw  a  Beau  so  overladen  with  wig  that  there  waa 
no  difference  between  his  head  and  the  wooden  one  that  stood  in  the 
window.  The  fop  it  seems  was  newly  come  to  his  Estate,  though  not  to 
the  years  of  Discretion,  and  was  singing  the  Song :  '  Happy  the  child 
whose  father  is  gone  to  the  Devil ; '  and  the  Barber  was  all  the  while 
keeping  time  on  his  Cittern,  for,  you  know,  a  Cittern  and  a  Barber  is  as 
natural  as  mUk  to  a  calf,  or  the  bears  to  be  attended  by  a  Bagpiper." 

The  cittern  is  also  mentioned  by  Ned  Ward  : — "  I  would  sooner 
hear  an  old  barber  sing  '  Whittington's  Bells '  upon  a  cittern." 

But  enough  of  their  musical  parts ;  as  for  their  learning  no 
examples  are  wanting :  Partridge,  the  classical  scholar,  in  Fielding's 
"  Tom  Jones ;"  Vossius'  barber,  who  used  to  comb  his  hair  in 
iambics  ;*  and  Smollett's  Hugh  Strap,  are  excellent  specimens. 
This  last  one  was  sketched  from  life ;  his  real  name  was  Hugh 
Hughson ;  he  died  in  the  parish  of  St  Martin's-in-the-Field,  at 
the  advanced  age  of  eighty-five,  having  kept  a  barber-shop  in  that 
locality  upwards  of  forty  years.     His  shop  was  hung  round  with 

*  Vossius,  "  De  Poematum  Oantu  et  viribus  Rythmi,"  Oxford,  1673,  p.  62.  Isaac 
Vossius  was  an  eccentric  Dutchman,  who  died  a  canon  of  Windsor  in  1689.  In  the 
above  treatise  on  rhythm  he  says : — "I  remember  that  more  than  once  I  have  fallen  into 
the  hands  of  men  of  this  sort  who  could  imitate  any  measure  of  song  in  combing  the 
hair,  so  as  sometimes  to  express  very  intelligibly  iambics,  trochees,  dactyls,  &c.i 
from  whence  there  arose  to  me  no  small  delight." 


344  ^^-^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOAEDS. 

Latin  quotations,  and  he  would  frequently  point  out  to  his  cus- 
tomers the  several  scenes  in  "  Roderick  Eandom"  pertaining  to 
himself,  which  had  their  foundation,  not  in  the  Doctor's  inven- 
tive fancy,  but  in  truth  and  reality.  The  meeting  at  the  barber- 
shop in  Newcastle,  the  subsequent  mistake  at  the  inn,  their 
arrival  together  in  London,  and  the  assistance  they  experienced 
from  Strap's  friends,  were  aU  facts.  He  is  said  to  have  left 
behind  him  an  interleaved  copy  of  "  Eoderick  Eandom,"  showing 
how  far  we  are  indebted  to  the  creative  fancy  of  Doctor  Smollett, 
and  to  what  extent  the  incidents  recorded  were  founded  upon 
fact. 

Not  many  years  ago  there  was  a  hairdresser  in  the  Eue 
Eacine,  who,  probably  on  account  of  his  proximity  to  the  uni- 
versities of  the  College  de  France  and  the  Sorbonne,  had  this  in- 
scription on  his  window  :  "  xs/^w  ra'x/<rra  xal  aiydu,"  "  I  shear 
quickly  and  am  silent."  This  classical  hairdresser  was  evidently 
acquainted  with  the  answers  given  by  Anaxagoras  to  a  barber 
who  asked  him,  "  How  do  you  wish  to  have  your  beard  shaved  ?  ' 
and  who  received  the  laconic  answer,  "  without  talking."  The 
shutters  and  windows  of  our  Parisian  worthy  were  covered  with 
inscriptions  in  foreign  languages,  the  number  of  which  was  only 
surpassed  by  the  Bible  shop  in  Brompton,  during  the  time  of 
the  International  Exhibition  in  1862. 

An  eccentric  barber  opened  a  shop  under  the  walls  of  the 
King's  Bench  Prison ;  the  windows  being  broken  when  he  en- 
tered the  house,  he  mended  them  with  paper,  on  which  appeared, 
"  Shave  for  a  penny,"  with  the  usual  invitation  to  customers  ; 
whilst  on  his  door  was  scrawled  the  following  rhymes  : — 

"  Here  lives  Jemmie  Wright, 
Sliaves  almust  as  well  as  any  man  in  England, 
Almost — not  quite." 

Foote,  who  delighted  in  anything  eccentric,  saw  this  inscription, 
and  hoping  to  extract  some  wit  from  the  author,  whom  he  justly 
concluded  to  be  an  odd  character,  he  pulled  off  his  hat,  and 
thrusting  his  head  through  a  paper  pane  into  the  shop,  called 
out,  "  Is  Jimmy  Wright  at  home  1 "  The  barber  immediately 
forced  his  own  head  through  another  pane  into  the  street,  and 
replied  :  "  No,  sir,  he  has  just  popt  out." 

Numerous  more  or  less  witty  barbers' inscriptions  are  recorded; 
one  of  the  best  is  that  attributed  to  Dean  Swift,  penned  by  him 
for  a  barber,  who  at  the  same  time  kept  a  public  house  : — 


(      — -— -J^ 


BOAR   S       HEAD. 


CHARLES S     WAIN. 


» 


"CROWN  . 


'J^CHOR    &.    horse-shoe"  "aNCEL." 


CC  1, 

BELL. 


BULLS    head: 


COACH        AND        HORSES. 


|J,<^4' 


BLACK 
BULL." 


p-  TTTT  TTTT-n 

M  '»  n  "  mi 


^'castle!' 


"cock." 


CROWN    %i    ROLLS."  "cROOKED     BILLET.'^ 

tONDON     TAVERN     SIGNS,    CIRC;    1700-I720. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        345 

"  Eove  not  from  pole  to  pole,  but  step  in  here, 
Where  nought  excels  the  shaving  but  the  beer." 

A  variation  often  met  is  : — 

"  Rove  not  from  pole  to  pole,  but  here  turn  in, 
"Where  nought  excels  the  shaving  but  the  gin." 

Sir  Walter  Scott  in  his  "Fortunes  of  Nigel,"  vol.  ii.,  as  a 
motto  to  chap,  iv.,  gives  the  following  version  : — 

"  Rove  not  from  pole  to  pole — the  man  lives  here, 
Whose  razor 's  only  equall'd  by  his  beer ; 
And  where,  in  either  sense,  the  Cockney-put, 
May,  if  he  pleases,  get  confounded  out." 

The  amalgamation  of  the  two  trades  has  led  to  some  other 
rhymes  and  jokes.  A  barber-publican  in  Dudley  has  the  follow- 
ing harharoTis  joke : — 

"  What  do  you  think 
I  '11  shave  you  for  nothing  and  give  you  some  drink  ? " 

The  point  of  this  joke  lies  in  the  punctuation,  which  the  illiterate 
shavers  coming  to  the  shop  are  sure  to  treat  with  supreme  con- 
tempt ;  but  a  barber  in  RatcKffe  Highway,  circa  1825,  had  the 
following  honafde  invitation  : — 

"  Hair  cut  with  despatch, 
Shave  well  in  a  minute. 
And  a  glass  in  the  bar — gain 
With  a  thimbleful  in  it.* 

*  Note — Of  gin  and  bitters,  all  for  a  penny  ^d. 

Come  in,  JoUy  Tars,  and  be  scraped  across  the  line." 

Another  common  inscription  is  the  following  : — "I  tell  U  there  is 

no  shaving  to  X  L ^"s  (name  of  the  barber.)     The  Parisian 

barbers  are  much  on  a  par  with  their  English  colleagues  in  bril- 
liancy of  wit  and  inventive  power  :  "  Ici  on  rajeunit,"t  used  to 
be  a  frequent  inscription  with  them  ;  others  have  : — 

"  La  nature  donue  barbe  et  cheveux, 
Et  moi  je  les  coupe  tons  les  deux." 

or — 

"  A  toutes  les  figures  d^diant  mea  rasoirs, 
Je  nargue  la  critique  des  fidfelea  mirroirs."J 

t  "People  made  younger  here,"  alluding  to  the  youthful  appearance  of  a  man  without 
a.  beard. 

J  "  Nature  gives  beard  and  hair, 
And  I  cut  them  both." 


or- 


"  I  devote  my  razors  to  all  faces, 
And  can  stand  the  test  of  the  truest  looking-glasses  " 

2X 


346  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Tools  belonging  to  various  handicrafts  are  common  public- 
house  signs  at  the  present  day.  The  Axe  is  a  very  old  sign ;  it 
■was  a  well-known  carriers'  inn  in  Aldermanburyin  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  was  one  of  the  places  visited  in  1634:  by  that  thirsty 
tourist,  Drunken  Bamaby.  From  this  inn,  the  first  regular  line 
of  stage  waggons  from  London  to  Liverpool  was  established  to- 
wards the  middle  of  the  seventeenth  century.  There  were  con- 
stantly some  of  them  on  the  road,  for  they  left  every  Monday 
and  Thursday,  and  it  took  them  ten  days  in  summer,  and  as 
many  as  twelve  in  winter  to  perform  the  journey. 

In  1642  there  appeared  "A  Petition  from  the  Towns  and 
County  of  Leicester  unto  the  King's  most  excellent  Majestie," 
which  was  "  printed  for  William  Gay,  and  to  be  sold  at  his  shop 
in  Hosier  Lane,  at  the  dgne  of  the  Axe,  July  29,  1642."  When 
we  consider  that  "the  King's  most  excellent  Majestie,"  was 
Charles  L,  we  may  come  to  the  conclusion  that  there  is  some- 
thing in  a  sign,  as  well  as  in  a  name  ;  it  was  certainly  an  omin- 
ous and  had  sign  for  the  king.  The  Ceoss  Axes  is  a  sign  at 
Preston,  Bolton,  &c.  The  axe  is  also  found  combined  with  vari- 
ous other  carpenter's  tools,  as  the  Axe  and  Saw,  Carlton,  New- 
market ;  Axe  and  Compasses  in  many  places ;  Axe  and  Clea- 
ver, in  Boston,  Yorkshire.  Another  sign,  compHmentary  to  the 
same  class  of  workmen,  was  the  Two  Sawtees,  which,  at  the 
end  of  the  last  century,  was  to  be  seen  near  the  garden  wall  of 
the  archiepiscopal  palace  at  Lambeth  ;  not  unlikely,  this  was  the 
same  house,  of  which  trades  tokens  are  extant  from  the  time  of 
Charles  IL,  when  it  was  kept  by  John  Baines,  and  its  locality  is 
described  as  the  "  New  Plantation,  Narrow  Wall,  LambetL" 

Signs  referring  to  iron  in  its  various  states  are  very  common 
on  public-houses,  as  the  smith  is  generally  a  good  customer  to 
them.  Iron  seems  to  have  a  dipsetic  effect  even  in  the  bowels  of 
the  earth,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  quantity  of  Miners'  Arms  in 
Staffordshire,  Warwickshire,  and  the  black  country,  in  which 
latitudes  teetotalism  evidently  has  made  but  little  progress ;  the 
Davy  Lamp  is  another  sign  intended  to  court  the  custom  of 
miners,  but  being  almost  exclusively  for  workmen  in  coal  pits,  it 
only  occurs  in  Northumberland.  The  Forge,  or  the  Three 
Forges,  is  common  in  the  Midland  iron  districts.  The  Cinder- 
oven  occurs  iu  Norwich.  The  Anattl,  the  Anvil  and  Black- 
'  SMITH,  the  Anvil  and  Hammer,  the  Smith  and  Smithy,  (fee., 
are  all  conmion  about  SheflSeld.     So  are  Hammers,  combined 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       347 

with  various  instruments,  as  Pincbes,  Vice,  Stithy,  (fee.  The 
Two  Smiths  was  a  eign  in  the  Minories  in  1655  ;  the  trades 
tokens  of  the  house  represent  two  men  working  at  the  anviL 
Hobnails  is  a  sign  in  Dudley,  that  town  having  been  famous 
for  the  manufacture  of  naUs  of  every  description^  even  as  early 
as  the  time  of  Henry  VIII. ,  for  the  nails  used  in  building  the 
haU  at  Hampton  Court  came  from  there,  and  the  original  ac- 
counts preserved  in  the  Public  Kecord  OflSce  state  that  there 
was  "  Payde  to  Kaynalde  Warde,  of  Dudley,  for  7350  of  dubbyU 
tenpenny  nayles  inglys  at  lis.  the  1000." 

The  Bag  of  Nails  was  once  a  very  common  sign ;  there  is 
one  still  remaining  in  Arabella  Eow,  Pimlico.  "  About  fifty 
years  ago,  the  original  sign  might  have  been  seen  at  the  front  of 
the  house,  which  was  a  satyr  of  the  woods,  and  a  group  of  joUy 
dogs,  ycleped  Bacchanals.  But  the  satyr  having  been  painted 
with  cloven  feet,  and  painted  black,  it  was  by  the  common 
people  called  the  Devil,  while  the  Bacchanalians  were  transmuted 
by  a  comical  process  into  a  Bag  of  NaUs."*  This  was,  how- 
ever, only  an  old  slang  name  for  the  house,  for,  in  the  trial  of 
Catlin,  Patterson,  and  others,  for  conspiracy,  one  of  the  wit- 
nesses describing  the  place  where  the  conspirators  used  to  meet, 
says  :  "  He  went  into  a  public-house,  the  sign  of  the  Devil  and 
Bag  or  NIails,  for  so  that  gentry  called  it  amongst  themselves, 
(though  it  was  the  Blackmooe's  Head  and  Woolpack,)  by 
Buckingham  Gate."t 

A  bona  fide  representation  of  a  bag  of  naUs  was  also  used  as  a 
sign,  as  may  be  seen  on  the  trades  token  of  Henry  Hurdam  in 
Tuttle  (Tothill)  Street,  Westminster,  1663,  where  the  bag  of  nails 
is  combined  with  a  hammer  crowned.  And  as  it  would  be  diffi- 
cult to  guess  what  the  bag  contained,  and  nobody  cares  to  buy 
"  a  pig  in  a  poke,"  the  nails  were  sometimes  represented  protrud- 
ing through  it,  as  on  the  token  of  Samuel  Hincks  of  White- 
chapel,  1669.  A  somewhat  similar  sign  is  expressed  in  Eouen, 
Eue  des  Bons  Enfans  ;  it  is  carved  in  stone,  and  represents  a 
bag  with  smith's  tools  protruding  out  of  it. 

Bakers  and  millers  also  are  represented  by  a  variety  of  signs. 
Beginning  at  the  Bttshel,  a  sign  on  the  Bankside  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  the  Shovel  and  Sieve,  the  sign  of  a  brush 
and   turnery   warehouse    among    the    Bagford   BUls,    we   ne:^* 

*  Tavern  Anecdotes,  1825. 
t  Remarkable  Trials,  vol,  ii.,  p.  14.    1766. 


348  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

accompany  the  com  to  the  mill,  where  we  meet  the  Dusty 
MiLLEK,  a  favourite  sign  in  some  parts  of  Yorkshire  and  Lan- 
cashire. A  reminiscence  of  childhood  may  have  suggested  the 
epithet  in  this  sign,  for  there  is  the  well  known  nursery  rhyme, 

"  Millery,  Millery,  Dusty  poll, 
How  many  sacks  have  you  stole ! " 

The  Millstone  may  be  seen  at  Stockport  and  Macclesfield, 
The  Windmill  itself  is  a  very  old  sign.     It  was  a  tavern  ip 

Lothbury,  Old  Jewry,  frequented  by  fast  men  in  the  reigns  of 

Elizabeth,  James,  and  Charles  I.     Wellbred,  in  "  Every  Man  in 

his  Humour,"  (a  play  by  Ben  Jensen,)  dates  his  letter  to  Edward 

KnoweU  from  this  house  : — 

"  Why,  Ned,  I  beseech  thee,  hast  thou  forsworn  all  thy  friends  in  the 

Old  Jewry,  or  doest  thou  think  us  all  Jews  that  inhabit  there,"  &o. 

It  is  named  amongst  the  list  of  inns  "viewed"  previous  to  the 

visit  of  Charles  V.  in  1522. 

"  Hugh  Clapton,  Mercer,  mayor,  in  1492,  dwelt  in  this  house  and  kept 
his  Mayoralty  there ;  it  is  now  a  tavern,  and  has  to  sign  a  WindmilL  And 
thus  much  for  this  house,  sometime  a  Jew's  synagogue  [in  1262,]  since  a 
house  of  friars,  [fratres  de  penitentia  Jesu  or  de  Sacca,  1275,]  then  a  noble- 
man's house,  [Robert  Fitz  Walter,  1305,]  after  that  a  merchant's  house, 
wherein  Mayoralties  have  been  kept,  and  now  a  wine  taveme." — Stow. 

The  Peel,  i.  e.,  the  wooden  shovel  with  a  long  handle  used  by 
bakers  to  place  bread  in  the  even,  was  the  sign  of  John  Alder,  in 
Leadenhall  Street,  1668.  Next  comes  the  basket  or  Panyer, 
to  bring  bread  round,  which  gave  its  name  to  "  a  passage  out  of 
Paternoster  Row — called  of  such  a  sign  Panyer  Alley."*  This  is 
the  highest  spot  in  the  City  of  London,  as  we  are  informed  from 
an  inscription  under  a  stone  figure  of  a  boy  sitting  on  a  pannier, 
eating  a  very  questionable  bunch  of  grapes  : 

"  When  you  have  sought  the  City  round, 
Yet  still  this  is  the  highest  ground. 
Aug.  26,  1688." 

The  Pannier  was  not  an  uncommon  trade  emblem.  The  Baker  a  nd 
Basket  is  the  sign  of  a  public-house  in  Leman  Street,  and  another 
in  Worship  Street.  The  claims  to  superior  usefulness  of  the  Bakeb 
AND  Brewer  are  held  forth  triumphantly  to  the  advantage  of  the 
latter  in  seme  signs  of  this  name.  One,  in  Wash  Lane,  Birmingham, 
gives  a  pictorial  representation  of  it ;  the  baker's  hand  is  resting  on 
what  is  usually  called  the  "  Staff  of  Life," — namely,  a  leaf  of  very 

*  stow,  p.  128. 


DIGiriTIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       349 

respectable  dimensions ;  the  brewer  exhibits  "  with  artful  pride," 
a  foaming  tankard,  when  the  following  dialogue  ensues  : — 

"  The  Baker  says,  I've  the  Staff  of  Life, 
And  you  're  a  silly  elf ; 
The  Brewer  replied,  with  artful  pride, 
Why,  this  is  life  itself." 

The  Two  Bkewees,  or  the  Two  Jolly  Beeweks,  used  to  be 
very  common,  but  is  now  gradually  becoming  obsolete.  It 
represented  two  brewers'  men  carrying  a  barrel  of  beer  slung 
between  them  on  a  pole ;  it  was  also  frequently  called  the  Two 
Dkaymen.  In  the  bar  of  the  Queen's  Head  Tavern,  Great 
Queen  Street,  is  preserved  a  carved  wooden  sign,  which  formerly 
hung  before  this  house,  representing  two  men  standing  near  a 
large  tun.  The  Deay  and  Hoeses,  meaning  of  course  the 
brewer's  dray,  has  now  in  some  instances  superseded  the  Two 
JoUy  Brewers.  The  Still,  the  chief  implement  in  the  manu- 
facture of  spirits,  is  very  appropriate  before  the  houses  where 
the  produce  of  the  stiU  is  sold  :  frequently  it  is  combined  with 
other  objects. 

The  Boy  and  Baeeel,  to  be  seen  in  Dagger  Lane,  London, 
and  in  many  country  places,  is  all  that  remains  of  the  little 
Bacchus  on  a  tun,  formerly  in  almost  every  ale-house  : — 

"  A  little  Punch- 
Gut  Bacchus  dangling  of  a  bunch, 
Sits  loftily  enthron'd  upon 
What  'b  called  (in  Miniature)  a  Tun." 

CompleatVintner.    London,  1720,  p.  86. 

The  Boy  and  Cup  at  Norwich,  in  1750,  was  a  variation  of 
this  sign.  Other  brewers  and  distillers'  measures  also  are  ex- 
hibited, as  the  Baeeel;  thePoETEE  Butt,  (three  in  Bath;)  the 
Beandy  Casks,  (three  in  Bristol;)  the  Bum  Puncheon,  at  Bos- 
ton, Lincoln,  and  such  Hke.  Promises  of  fair  dealing  are  held 
out  in  the  sign  of  the  Full  Measueb,  (four  in  HuU.;)  the 
Golden  Measure,  Lowgate,  HuU;  and  the  Foaming  Tankaed; 
or,  an  appeal  is  made  to  public  joviality  by  such  a  sign  as  the 
Paeting  Pot,  at  Stamford,  Lincoln. 

Shoemakers  generally  follow  the  advice  of  the  proverb,  ne  sutor 
ultra  erepidam,  and  confine  themselves  to  the  sign  of  the  Last, 
which,  for  variety's  sake,  they  paint  red,  blue,  gold,  (fee.  But 
since  "  cobblers  and  tinkers  are  the  best  ale  drinkers,"  many  ale- 
houses have  adopted  this  sign  also.     A  Crispin  who  keeps  an 


350  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

ale-house  near  Liscard,  Ciester,  has  shown  himself  "  true  to  the 
last,"  by  putting  under  his  sign  of  a  Wooden  Shoe  or  Last : — 
"  All  day  long  I  hare  sought  good  beer. 
And,  at  the  lait,  I  have  found  it  here." 

The  Sheaes  was  originally  a  tailor's  sign,  though  like  most 
other  trade  emblems  it  had  become  common  in  the  seventeenth 
century. 

"  Snip,  snap,  quoth  the  tailor's  shears  ; 
Alas,  poor  Louse,  beware  thy  ears." 

This  elegant  little  verse  is  quoted  by  Kandle  Holme,  and  seems 
to  have  been  thought  such  a  good  joke,  that  a  canny  Scotchman, 
buried  in  Paisley  Abbey,  had  a  pictorial  representation  of  it  on 
his  headstone.  Charles  Mackie,  who  wrote  the  history  of  that 
Abbey,  says  it  is  an  obliterated  cross ;  more  probably,  however, 
it  is  a  Jleur  de  luce :  this  would  also  agree  with  the  Scottish 
pronimciation  of  the  name  of  the  insect,  which  is  exactly  the 
same  as  the  last  part  of  that  heraldic  charge. 

The  Hand  and  Shears,  in  Cloth  Fair,  Smithfield,  played  an 
important  part  at  the  opening  of  Bartholomew  Fair.  It  was 
customary  to  make  the  proclamation  for  opening  the  fair  late  in 
the  afternoon  of  August  23d,  but  the  showmen  and  traders 
opened  their  booths  early  in  the  morning  : — 

,  "  Lawful  objections  being  made  to  this,  a  riotous  assembly  met  the  night 
before  the  day  of  the  Mayor's  Proclamation  at  the  public-house  within 
Cloth  Fair,  in  which  the  Court  of  Piepoudre  was  held,*  the  Hand  and 
Shea/rs — now  transformed  into  a  tall  brick  gin-palace — and  at  midnight 
sallied  forth,  bearing  along,  in  later  years,  the  effigy  of  a  wc»man  to  repre- 
sent Lady  Holland,  (who  must  have  been  instigator,  and  it  woulrl  seem,  first 
leader  of  the  mob,)  and  the  mob — ^knocking  at  doors,  ringing  bells,  clamour- 
ing and  rioting,  some  five  thousand  strong,  during  three  hours  of  the  mid- 
dle of  the  night — proclaimed  for  itself,  in  its  own  way,  that  Bartholomew 
Fair  was  open.  The  first  irregular  proclamation  was  for  many  years  made 
by  a  company  of  tailors,  who  met  the  night  before  the  legal  proclamation 
at  the  Hand  and  Shears,  elected  a  chairman,  and  as  the  clock  struck  twelve 
went  out  into  Cloth  Fair,  each  with  a  pair  of  shears  in  his  hand.  The  chair- 
man then  proclaimed  the  Fair  to  the  expectant  mob,  who  all  sped  on  their 
errand  of  riot,  to  arouse  with  the  news  of  it  the  sleepers  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Smithfield."  t 

The  Three  Crowned  Needles  looks  also  like  a  tailor's  sign, 
and  from  the  evidence  of  a  trades  token  of  1669  we  know  that 
it  was  the  sign  of  a  shop  in  Aldersgate.  Hatton  thinks  that  a 
similar  sign  may  have  given  its  name  to  Threadneedle  Street, 

*  The  court  before  which  persons  aggrieved  in  the  Fair  might  have  a  "  speedy  relief 
t  H.  Morley,  Memoirs  of  Bartholomew  Fair,  p.  237.     See  also  Hone's  Eveiy-day  Book, 
Sept.  S,  vaU  i. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       351 

(Three  Needle  Street.)  Three  Growiied  Needles  was  a  charge  in 
the  ueedie-makers'  company's  arms.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that  all 
the  needles  used  in  England  up  to  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth 
were  of  foreign  make ;  those  sold  in  Cheapside  in  the  reign  of 
Queen  Mary  were  made  by  a  Spanish  negro,  who  carried  the 
secret  of  their  manufacture  with  him  to  the  grave.  In  1566  they 
were  manufactured  under  the  direction  of  a  German,  EUas 
Grause,  and  after  that  time  only  it  seems  that  we  had  learned 
how  to  make  them. 

Among  agricultural  signs,  the  Plough  leads  the  van,  some- 
times accompanied  by  the  legend  "  Speed  the  Plough."  Of  two 
inscriptions  on  the  sign  of  the  Plough  that  have  come  under  our 
observation,  both  contain  sound  advice.  That  of  the  Plough  at 
Filey  might  well  be  remembered  by  "  afternoon "  farmers :  it 

"  He  who  by  the  Plough  would  thrive, 
Himself  must  either  hold  or  drive  ;  " 

whilst  on  the  Plough  Inn,  Alnwick,  the  following  is  cut  in 
stone : — 

"  That  which  your  father  old 
Hath  purchased  and  left  you  to  possess, 

Do  you  dearly  hold 
To  shew  your  worthiness.     1717." 

In  the  inventory  of  church  goods  made  at  Holbeach,  in  Lin- 
coln, at  the  time  of  the  Eeformation  : — 

Wm.  Davy  bought  the  sygne  whereon  the  plowghe  did  stond  for  xvj''. 

This  probably  refers  to  the  signs  or  badges  exhibited  by  the 
religious  guilds  in  the  middle  ages  over  the  altars  and  as  decora- 
tions in  their  churches,  which  were  in  some  measure  of  the  nature 
of  other  signs,  in  pointing  out  certain  fraternities  or  trades,  be- 
sides possessing  a  secondary  and  religious  meaning. 

The  Plough  and  Hokses  is  a  sign  at  Branston,  Lincoln. 
The  Plough  and  Haeeow  is  very  common.  Two  doors  west 
from  the  Hakeow  Inn  lived  Isaac  Walton,- about  1624,  carrying 
on  the  business  of  "  milliner  and  sempster,"  or  what  we  should 
now  call  a  Knen-draper.  He  afterwards  resided  at  a  house  in 
Chancery  Lane,  untU  he  left  London,  for  fear  of  having  his 
morals  corrupted — as  he  himself  asserted.  Goldsmith's  tailor, 
who  lived  at  the  sign  of  the  Harrow,  has  gained  immortality  by 
the  bad  taste  of  poor  Goldy.     On  one  occasion — 

"  Goldsmith  strutted  about,  bragging  of  his  dress,  and,  I  believe,  was 


352  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS, 

seriously  vain  of  it,  for  his  mind  was  wonderfully  prone  to  such  impres- 
Bions.  '  Come,  come,'  said  Garrick,  '  talk  no  more  of  that,  you  are  perhaps 
the  worst — eh,  eh.'  Goldsmith  was  eagerly  attempting  to  interrupt  him, 
when  Garrick  went  on,  laughing  ironically,  '  Nay,  you  will  always  look 
like  a  gentleman,  but  I  am  talking  of  being  well  or  ill  dresV  '  Well,  let 
me  teU  you,'  said  Goldsmith,  '  when  my  tailor  brought  home  my  bloom- 
coloured  coat,  he  said,  "  Sir,  I  have  a  favour  to  beg  of  you.  When  any- 
body asks  you  who  made  your  clothes,  be  pleased  to  mention,  John  PiU>y, 
at  the  Harrow  in  Water  Lane." '  Johnson.  '  Why,  sir,  that  was  because 
he  knew  the  strange  colour  would  attract  crowds  to  gaze  at  it,  and  then 
they  might  hear  of  him,  and  see  how  well  he  could  make  a  coat  even  of  so 
absurd  a  colour.' "  * 

Near  Bagshot  there  is  a  public-house  called  the  Jolly  Faemee, 
a  corruption  of  the  Golden  Faembe,  a  nickname  obtained  by  one 
of  the  former  possessors  on  account  of  his  wealth,  and  his  custom 
of  paying  his  rent  always  in  guineas,  which — so  says  the  legend 
— he  obtained  as  a  footpad  on  Bagshot  Heath.  That  some  such 
thing  happened  is  evident  from  the  Weekly  Journal,  March  29, 
1718,  where  allusion  is  made  to  "Bagshot  Heath,  near  the  Gib- 
bet where  the  Golden  Farmer  hanged  in  chains."  Jlie  use  of 
this  word  Jolly,  on  the  signboard,  formerly  so  common  -in  our 
"  Merry  England,"  is  now  gradually  dying  away.  Whatever  be 
the  opinion  of  our  workmen  upon  the  subject  of  national  good 
humour,  they  no  longer  desire  to  be  advertised  as  Jolly ;  it  is 
vulgar,  and  they  prefer  Arttis  like  their  betters — hence  those 
heraldic  anomalies  of  the  Geazlbes'  Aems,  the  Faemees'  Aems, 
the  Ghaff-Citttees'  Aems,  the  Ptjddlees'  Aems,  the  Pavioes' 
Arms,  and  so  fortk 

The  Shepheed  and  Shepheedess  is  one  of  those  signs  re- 
minding us  of — 

"  The  tea-cup  days  of  hoop  and  hood 
And  when  the  patch  was  worn." 

calling  up  pictures  of  rouged  shepherdesses  with  jaunty  straw 
hats  on  the  top  of  powdered  hair  a  foot  high,  short  quilted 
petticoats  and  high-heeled  boots,  courted  in  madrigals  by  shep- 
herds dressed  in  the  height  of  the  elegance  of  the  New  Exchange 
gallants,  with  ribboned  crooks  and  flowered-satin  waistcoats.  It 
was  the  sign  of  a  pleasure  resort  in  the  City  Eoad,  Islington, 
much  frequented  in  the  eighteenth  century  for  amusement,  and 
by  invalids  for  the  pure,  healthy,  country  air  of  Islington,  which 
was  then  a  charming  village,  more  rural  in  the  midst  of  its  mea- 

*  Boswell's  life  of  Johnson,  vol.  ii.,  p.  63. 


DIGNITIES,  TBADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        353 

dows  and  rivulets  than  Richmond  is  now.    Cakes,  cream,  and  fiir- 
mity  were  its  great  attractions  : — 

"  To  the  Shepherd  and  Shepherdess  then  they  go 
To  tea  with  their  wives  for  a  constant  rule, 
And  next  cross  the  road  to  the  Fountain  also, 
And  there  they  sit  bo  pleasant  and  cool, 

And  see  in  and  out 

The  folks  walk  about, 
And  gentlemen  angling  in  Peerless  Pool."  * 

More  business-like  is  the  sign  of  the  Shepherd  and  Dog  ;  he, 
too,  wears  patches,  but  not  on  his  face ;  so  with  the  Shepherd  and 
Ceook,  and  the  Crook  and  Shears.  All  these  may  be  found  in 
most  villages,  and  refer  to  the  inferior  farm-labourer,  to  whom  the 
care  of  the  flock  is  intrusted,  and  not  the  elegant  Corydon  or  Alexis. 

The  merry,  thirsty  time  of  haymaking  is  commemorated  in 
the  usual  signs  of  a  Load  of  Hay  and  the  Cross  Scythes. 
There  is  a  Load  oe  Hay  tavern  on  Haverstock  Hill,  a  favourite 
place  for  Sunday  afternoon  excursionists  in  the  summer  time. 
Many  years  ago  the  eccentricity  of  Davies  the  landlord  was  one 
of  the  attractions  of  the  place.  Lately  the  house  has  been  re-buUt, 
and  it  is  now  only  a  suburban  gin-palace.  The  Mattock  and 
Spade,  and  the  Spade  and  Becket,  refer  to  field  labour ;  the 
first  is  very  general,  the  second  less  so ;  but  an  example  occurs  at 
Chatteris,  Cambridgeshire.  The  Peat  Spade,  Longstock,  Hants, 
tells  its  own  tale.  The  Daiey  Maid  was  in  great  favour  with 
the  London  cheesemongers  of  the  seventeenth  century.  Aker- 
man  gives  a  trades  token  of  such  a  sign  in  Catherine  Street,  in 
1653,  which  is  an  amusing  specimen  of  the  liberties  the  token 
engravers  took  with  the  king's  English,  the  country  PhiUis  being 
transformed  into  a  " Deary  Made"  The  Dutch  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  used  the  sign  for  a  rather  heterogenous  trade  :  it 
seems  that  the  process  of  sucking  or  inhaling  the  tobacco  smoke 
carried  back  their  ideas  to  tender  years  of  innocence  and  mUk 
diet,  and  so  the  Dairy  Maid  became  the  sign,  par  excellence,  of 
tobacco  shops.  Even  at  the  present  day  that  idea  is  not  quite 
forgotten ;  tobacco  boxes  or  other  smoking  implements  are 
sometimes  seen  aniongst  that  nation,  with  the  words,  "  Troost 
for  Zuigelingen,"  "  consolation  for  sucklings."  The  inscriptions 
under  these  signs  were  occasionally  very  curious  : — 

*  Formerly  a  dangerous  pond  in  Old  Street  Road,  in  which  a  number  of  people  were 
drowned,  wlience  it  obtained  its  name  of  perilous  Fond.  In  1713  it  was  walled  in  by 
one  Kemp,  who  on  that  occasion  altered  its  name  into  Peerless  Pool,  by  a  similar  process 
as  the  Pontus  d^ems,  inhospitable,  was  callal  eCfeii'os,  hospitable,  by  the  Greeks. 

2  Y 


354  ^^^^  HISTORY  OF  SIQNBOARDS. 

"  Toebak  that  edel  kruyt  aoveel  daarvan  getuygen 
Al  die  lang  zyn  gespeent  beginnez  weer  te  ziiygen."  " 
On  the  GotTDSCHB  Melkmeid  in  Amsterdam  : — 
"  Goede  Waar  en  goed  bescheid 
Krygt  gy  hier  in  de  Goudsohb  Melkmeid 
Puyk  van  Verinas  en  Virginia  Tabac 
Kunt  gy  hier  rooken  op  uw  gemak."  f 
Another  had  : — 

"  Leckere  Neusen,  eele  baasen, 
Die  by 't  klinken  van  de  glaasen 
Tot  het  smooken  zyt  bereyt; 
Zoekje't  beste  van  den  acker 
Puyk  verynis  ?  komt  dan  waoker 
By  de  walsae  mellik-meid."  J 
Harvest-home,  the  pleasant  time  of  congratulation  and  feast- 
ing, must  be  an  alluring  sign  for  the  villagers,  calling  up  recol- 
lections of  all  the  festivities  yearly  celebrated  on  that  grand 
occasion,  when — 

"  tie  harvest  treasures  all 
Are  gather'd  in  beyond  the  rage  of  storms. 
Sure  to  the  swain." — Thomson, 
One  of  the  misfortunes  of  the  "  nimium  fortunati  sua  si  bona 
norint "  is  pictured  in  the  Caet  Ovbetheown,  -which  is  a  pub- 
lic-house sign  at  Lower  Edmonton ;  though  how  it  came  to.be 
such  is  difficult  to  guess.     On  Highgate  HiU  there  is  an  old 
roadside  inn,  the  Fox  and  Crown,  wHch  displays  on  its  front  a 
fine  gilt  coat  of  arms   with  the  following  inscription  under 
neath : — 


6th  Jtolt  1837. 
This  Coat  op  Abms  is  a  Grant 
FEom  Queen  Victoeia,  roB  See- 
vices  EENDBEED  TO  HeK  MaJESTS 

■WHEN  nr    D  AUGER    Travelling 
DOWN  this  Hill. 


"Tobacco  is  a  noble  weed,  as  many  can  testify. 
Numbers  of  people  who  were  long  since  weaned  begin  to  suck  again." 
t  "  Here  at  the  Milkmaid  of  Gouda 

You  win  receive  good  articles  and  civil  treatment. 
Here  you  may  smoke  at  your  ease 
Tip-top  Vai'inas  and  Virginia  tobacco." 
i  "Dainty  noses,  noble  mastei's, 
Who,  by  the  jingling  of  the  ^ " 
Are  prepared  for  a  '  smoke  ;' 
If  you  look  for  the  finest  gi*owth, 
The  best  Varinas  ?    Come  then  at  once 
To  the  Walloon  Milkmaid,"  &c. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       355 

The  carriage  conveying  Her  Majesty  was  proceeding  down  the 
MU  without  a  sHd  on  the  wheel,  when  sqmething  started  the 
horses,  and  the  occurrence  above  narrated  took  place.  The  late 
landlord  died  in  distressed  circumstances,  and  he  stoutly  asserted 
to  the  last,  that  although  he  made  repeated  applications  to  the 
Government  for  recompense,  he  having  imperilled  his  own  life  to 
save  that  of  Her  Majesty,  all  he  ever  received  for  his  pains  was 
permission  to  display  the  royal  arms  on  his  house  front. 

The  Woodman  is  another  very  common  sign,  invariably  repre- 
senting the  same  woodman  copied  from  Barker's  picture,  and  evi- 
dently suggested  by  Cowper's  charming  description  of  a  winter's 
morning  in  the  "  Task"  The  Duo  vee's  Call  is  still  seen  on  many 
roadsides,  though  the  profession  that  gave  rise  to  it  is  weU-nigh 
extinct ;  the  herds  of  steaming,  fierce-looking  oxen,  formerly 
driven  from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom,  along  the  main  roads  lead- 
ing to  London,  there  to  be  devoured,  being  now  nearly  all  sent 
here  by  rail.  A  yet  older  practice  produced  the  sign  of  the 
String  op  Horses,  which  may  stUl  be  seen  on  many  a  highroad 
in  the  North,  and  dates  from  times  before  mail  coaches  and  stage 
waggons  existed,  when  aU^the  goods-traffic  inland  had  to  be  per- 
formed by  strings  of  paokhorses,  who  carried  large  baskets, 
hampers,  and  bales  slung  across  their  backs,  and  slowly,  though 
far  from  surely,  wound  their  way  over  miles  and  miles  of  unin- 
habited tracts,  moors,  and  fens,  which  lay  between  the  small 
towns  and  straggling  villages. 

Many  signs  still  recall  those  bygone  days  :  the  Old  Coach  and 
Six  may  yet  be  seen  in  some  places.  There  is  one,  for  instance, 
ill  Westminster,  but  it  is  no  longer  a  "sign  of  the  times,"  for  alas ! — 

"  No  more  the  coaches  shall  I  see 
Come  trundling  from  the  yard. 
Nor  hear  the  horn  blown  cheerily 
By  brandy-bibbing  guard." 

The  names  of  the  coades  were  often  adopted  by  inns  on  the 
road;  for  instance,  the  Mail,  the  Telegeaph,  the  Defiance, 
the  Balloon,  the  Tally-Ho,  the  Bang-up,  the  Express,  &c., 
&c. ;  but  alas !  the  modem  railroad  has  swept  away  the  signs  as 
well  as  the  coaches. 

In  London,  there  are  not  less  than  fifty-two  public-houses  known 
as  the  Coach  and  Horses,  exclusive  of  beer-houses,  coffee-houses, 
and  similar  establishments.  Stowsays,in  his  "Summary of  English 
Chronicles,"  that  in  1555,  Walter  Eipon  made  a  coach  for  the 


356  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOABDS. 

Earl  of  Rutland,  "  which  was  the  first  that  was  ever  used  in  Eng- 
land.''    But  in  his  larger  Chronicle  he  says  : — 

"  In  the  year  1564  Guilliam  Boonen,  a  Dutchman,  became  the  queen's 
coachman,  and  was  the  first  that  brought  the  use  of  coaches  into  England. 
After  a  while  divers  great  ladies,  with  as  great  jalousy  of  the  queen's  dis- 
pleasure, made  them  coaches,  and  rid  up  and  down  the  country  in  them, 
to  the  great  admiration  of  all  the  beholders,  but  then  by  httle  they  grew 
usual  among  the  nobility  and  others  of  sort,  and  within  twenty  years  be- 
came a  great  trade  of  coachmaking." 

Taylor  the  Water  poet,  who,  as  a  waterman  of  course,  bore  a 
grudge  to  coaches,  said,  "  It  is  a  doubtful  question  whether  the 
devil  brought  tobacco  into  England  in  a  coach,  for  both  appeared 
at  the  same  time."  How  common  they  became  in  a  short  time 
appears  from  all  the  satirists  of  that  period  ;  not  only  the  nobility, 
but  even  the  citizens  could  no  longer  do  without  them,  after 
they  were  once  introduced.  Not  forty  years  after  their  first 
appearance  Pierce  Pennyless,  speaking  of  merchants'  wives,  says  : 
"  She  will  not  go  unto  the  field  to  coure  on  the  green  grasse,  but 
she  must  have  a  coach  for  her  convoy."  *  No  wonder,  then,  that, 
according  to  the  "  Coach  and  Sedan,"  a  pamphlet  of  1636,  there 
were  then  in  London,  the  suburbs,  and  four  miles'  compass  with- 
out, coaches  to  the  number  of  6000  and  odd.  These  were  nearly 
all  private  carriages,  for  the  hackney  coaches  were  only  established 
in  1625  by  one  Captain  Bailey.  Their  first  stand  was  at  the 
Maypole  in  the  Strand.  They  numbered  about  twenty,  and  were 
attached  to  the  principal  inns.  In  1636,  the  number  of  hackney 
coaches  was  confined  to  50  ;  in  1652,  to  200  ;  in  1654,  to  300  ; 
in  1662,  to  400  ;  in  1694,  to  700;  in  1710,  to  800;  in  1771, 
to  1000  ;  in  1802,  to  1100  ;  but  in  1833  aU  limitation  of  number 
ceased.  Besides  cabs  of  various  kinds,  there  are  now  above  a 
thousand  omnibusses  regularly  employed  in  the  Metropolis,  and 
the  commissioners  of  stamps  are  authorised  to  license  all  such 
carriages  witJiout  limitation  as  to  number;  the  proprietor  paying 
the  duty  of  £5  for  the  licence,  and  10s.  per  week  during  its  con- 
tinuance. What  a  difi'erence  just  two  centuries  ago,  when  by 
proclamation  of  the  "  Merry  Monarch  : " — 

"  The  excessive  number  of  hackney  coaches  [about  400]  and  coach  horses 
in  London,  are  found  to  be  a  common  nuisance  to  the  public  damage  of 
our  people,  by  reason  of  their  rude  and  dis  irderly  standing,  and  passing  to 
and  fro,  in  and  about  our  cities  and  suburbs;  the  streets  and  highways 
being  thereof  pesteied  and  much  impassable,  the  pavement  broken  up,  and 
the  common  passages  obstructed  and  made  dangerous."  Hence  orders  are 
^  Picroe  Tcnnjlcss,  SuiiiUcation  Lo  the  Devil,  1593. 


DIGNITIES,   TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       357 

given,  that  "  henceforth  none  shall  stand  in  the  street,  but  only  within  their 
coach-houses,  stables,  and  yards." 

At  the  Coach  and  Horses,  Bartholomew  Close,  some  vestiges  of 
the  ancient  buildings  of  St  Bartholomew's  Hospital  and  Convent 
still  remain — viz.,  a  clustered  column  in  the  beer  cellar,  walls  of 
immense  thickness,  and  an  early  English  window  in  the  taproom, 
&c.  This  building  occupies  the  site  of  the  north  cloister.*  An- 
other Coach  and  Horses,  in  Bay  Street,  Clerkenwell,  is  also  built 
on  classic  ground,  for  it  occupies  the  site  of  the  once  famous 
Hockley-in-the-Hole  of  bear-baitiug  memory.  A  comical  ale- 
house keeper  in  Oswestry  has  travestied  the  sign  of  the  Coach 
and  Horses  into  the  Coach  and  Dogs. 

The  Wheel,  an  object  sometimes  seen  on  signboards,  may 
have  been  derived  from  the  Cathbeine  Wheel,  (the  name  of  a 
favourite  old  coaching  inn  in  Bishopsgate  Street,)  or  from  the 
wheel  of  fortune ;  the  Saddle  and  the  Spue  are  both  very  general 
on  roadside  inns,  owing  to  the  ancient  mode  of  travelling  on 
horseback ;  the  Whip  occurs  in  Briggate,  Leeds. 

In  Norwich  there  was  (and  we  believe  is  stUl)  a  curious  com- 
bination, the  Whip  and  Egg,  which  existed  in  that  locality  as 
early  as  the  year  1750,t  and  which  is  enumerated  in  London, under 
the  name  of  the  Whip  and  Eggshell,  amongst  the  taverns  in 
the  black  letter  ballad  of  "  London's  Ordinarie,  or  Everie  Man  in 
his  Humour,"  whilst  a  still  earlier  jnention  occurs  in  Mother 
Bunch's  Merriment,  (1 604,)  when  the  transformation  of  pigs  into 
fowls,  whereby  one  of  the  guUs  was  so  "  sweetly  deceyved,"  is 
laid  at  the  Whip  and  Eggshell.  It  has  been  explained  as  a  cor- 
ruption of  the  Whip  and  Nag,  but  the  combination  of  these  two 
would  be  so  obvious  that  a  corruption  would  scarcely  be  possible. 
In  "  Great  Britain's  Wonder,  or  London's  Admiration,"  a  baUad 
on  the  frost  of  1685,  when  the  Thames  was  frozen  over,  and  a 
fair  held  upon  it,  the  following  lines  occur  : — 

"  In  this  same  street,  before  the  Temple  made,t 
There  seems  to  be  a  brisk  and  lively  trade. 
When  ev'ry  booth  hath  such  a  cunning  sign 
As  seldom  hath  been  seen  in  former  time ; 

The  Flying  P pot  is  one  of  the  same. 

The  Whip  and  Eggshell,  and  the  Beoom  by  name.'' 
The  Whip  and  Egg,  therefore,  figured  on  the  ice,  and  may  have 
been  brought  together  from  the  whipping  of  eggs,  in  making  esjg- 

*  These  remains  are  engraved  in  Archer's  Vestiges  of  Old  London. 

t  GentfHian's  Magazine,  March] 842, 

1  A  row  ot  booths  on  the  ice  opposite  the  Temi-le. 


358  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

punch,  egg-flip,  and  similar  beverages,  much  drunk  on  the  ice  in 
Holland  ;  and  as  there  were  always  crowds  of  Dutchmen  on  the 
ice,  whenever  the  river  was  frozen  over,  they  may  have  introduced 
their  favourite  drink  as  well  as  their  Dutch  whirlings,  whimsies, 
and  flying  boats,  and  the  sign  have  been  invented  in  order  to  indi- 
cate the  sale  of  those  liquors. 

The  Theee  Jolly  Butchers  used  to  be  seen  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  markets  and  shambles,  either  in  allusion  to  the  three 
merry  north-country  butchers,  who  kiUed  nine  highwaymen, 
according  to  the  ballad,  or  simply  that  favourite  combination  of 
three  which  is  of  such  frequent  recurrence.  The  Cleavee  seems 
also  to  be  in  compliment  to  this  profession,  as  well  as  the  Mak- 
EOWBONES  AND  Cleavee,  TMs  last  is  a  sign  in  Fetter  Lane,  origi- 
nating from  a  custom,  now  rapidly  dying  away,  of  the  butcher  boys 
serenading  newly  married  couples  with  these  professional  instru- 
ments. Formerly,  the  band  would  consist  of  four  cleavers,  each 
of  a  different  tone,  or,  if  complete,  of  eight,  and  by  beating  their 
marrowbones  skilfully  against  these,  they  obtained  a  sort  of 
music  somewhat  after  the  fashion  of  indifferent  beU-ringiag. 
When  well  performed,  however,  and  heard  from  a  proper  distance, 
it  was  not  altogether  unpleasant.  A  largesse  of  half-a-crown  or 
a  crown  was  generally  expected  for  this  delicate  attention.  The 
butchers  of  Clare  market  had  the  reputation  of  being  the  best 
performers.  The  last  public  appearance  of  this  popular  music  was 
at  the  marriage  of  the  Prince  of  Wales,  when  small  bands  of  them 
perambulated  the  town,  playing  "  God  Save  the  Queen."  This 
music  was  once  so  common  that  Tom  Killigrew  called  it  the 
national  instrument  of  England.  In  1759  a  biu-lesque  Ode  on 
St  Cecilia's  day,  written  by  Bonnell  Thornton,  was  performed  at 
Kanelagh,  Amongst  the  instruments  employed  in  this  there 
was  a  band  of  marrowbones  and  cleavers,  whose  endeavours  were 
admitted  by  the  cognoscenti  to  have  been  "  a  complete  success." 

As  the  use  of  coaches  gave  rise  to  the  sign  of  the  Coach  and 
Horses,  so  the  Sedan  produced  some  signs,  as  the  Sedan  Chaie, 
Broad  Quay,  Bristol ;  North  Searle,  Newark ;  the  Two  Chair- 
men, &c.,  Warwick  Street,  Cockspur  Street,  and  other  parts  of 
London ;  and  the  Theee  Chairs  in  the  seventeenth  century,  a 
famous  tavern  in  the  Little  Piazza,  Covent  Garden.  The  Sedan, 
says  Eandle  Holme,  "is  a  thing  in  which  sick  and  crazy  persons  are 
carried  abroad,  which  is  borne  up  by  the  staves  by  two  lusty  men. "  * 

*  Handle  Holme,  book  iii.,  ch.  viii.,  p  S45. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       359 

The  first  sedan  chair  used  in  England  was  one  that  the  Duke  of 
Buckingham  had  received  as  a  gift  from  Charles  I.,  when  Prince 
of  Wales,  on  his  return  from  that  romantic  "  Jean-de-Paris  "  ex- 
pedition to  Spain.*  The  use  of  it  got  the  Duke  into  trouble, 
and  he  was  accused  of  "  degrading  Englishmen  into  slaves  and 
beasts  of  burden."  Lysons,  in  Ms  "  Magna  Britannia,"  gives 
another  origin  for  them ;  speaking  of  Duncombe  at  Battlesden,  in 
Bedfordshire,  he  says  : — 

"  It  was  to  one  of  this  family,  Sir  Saunders  Duncombe,  a  gentleman  pen- 
sioner to  King  James  and  Charles  I.,  that  we  are  indebted  for  the  accom- 
modation of  the  sedans  or  close  chairs,  the  use  of  which  was  first  introduced 
by  him  in  this  country  in  the  year  1634,  when  he  procured  a  patent  which 
vested  in  him  and  his  heirs  the  sole  right  of  canying  persons  up  and  down 
in  them  for  a  certain  time." 

Sir  Saunders  hereupon  got  forty  or  fifty  sedans  made,  and  sent 
them  about  town,  but  differences  soon  arose  between  the  chair- 
men and  the  coachmen.  Pamphlets  were  written,+  ballads  were 
sung  on  the  occasion,  and  the  public  sided  with  one  or  the  other, 
according  to  individual  taste.  A  ballad  in  favour  of  the  sedan 
said : — 

"  I  love  sedans,  cause  they  do  plod 
And  amble  everywhere, 
Which  prancers  are  with  leather  shod. 

And  neere  disturb  the  care. 
Heigh  downe,  dery,  dery,  downe, 
With  the  hackney  coaches  downe. 
Their  jumpings  make 
The  pavement  shake, 
Their  noyse  doth  mad  the  towne."  J 

De*Foe,  in  1703,  says,  "We  are  carried  to  these  places  [coffee- 
houses] in  chairs,  which  are  here  very  cheap — a  guinea  a  week, 
or  a  shilling  per  hour — and  your  chairmen  serve  you  for  porters 
to  run  on  errands,  as  your  gondoliers  do  at  Venice."  The  chair- 
men of  the  aristocracy  wore  gaudy  liveries  and  plumed  hats,  and 
their  chairs  were  richly  gilt  and  painted,  and  provided  with  velvet 
cushions.  They  used  to  be  kept  in  the  halls  of  their  large 
mansions.  As  for  the  chairmen,  we  may  infer  from  Gay's 
"  Trivia  "  that  they  were  an  insolent  set  of  fellows  : — 

*  Dr  Johnson's  explanation  that  they  received  their  name  from  the  town  of  Sedan, 
whence  they  were  introduced  into  England,  is  evidently  a  mistake — ^for  the  French  copied 
them  from  ns.    See  Tallemant  des  Reaux,  "  Contes  et  Historlettes,"  vol.  vii.,  p.  102. 

t  Coach  and  Sedan  pleasantly  disputing  for  Place  and  Precedence.    4to,  1636. 

X  Roxburghe  Ballads,  vol.  i.,  fol.  546,  entitled  "The  Coaches  Overthrow,  or  a  joviall  Ex- 
altation  of  divers  tradesmen  and  others  for  the  suppression  of  troublesome  Hackney 
Coaches." 


360  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIQNBOARDS. 

"  Let  not  the  chairman  with  asBuming  stride 
Press  near  the  wall  and  rudely  thrust  thy  side, 
The  laws  have  set  him  bounds ;  his  servile  feet 
Should  ne'er  encroach  where  posts  defend  the  street. 
Yet,  who  the  footman's  arrogance  can  quell. 
Whose  flambeau  gUds  the  sashes  of  Fall  Mall, 
When  in  long  rank  a  train  of  torches  flame, 
To  light  the  midnight  visits  of  the  dame." 

Tlie  trumpet-like  instruments  in  wHcli  these  torches  were  ex- 
tinguished, when  arrived  at  their  place  of  destination,  are  stiU 
seen  attached  to  the  area  railings  of  most  of  the  houses  in  Gros- 
venor  and  St  James'  Squares,  and  various  other  parts  of  the  town 
fashionably  inhabited  at  that  period. 

Another  creature  of  this  class,  now  as  completely  extinct  as 
the  Plesiosaurus  and  the  Megatherion,  or  any  other  monster  of 
the  pre- Adamite  world,  was  the  Etinning  Footman.  We  can- 
not say  that  there  is  not  a  "  sign  "  of  him  left,  for  there  is  one  in 
Charles  Street,  Berkeley  Square,  representing  a  man  in  gaudy 
attire,  running,  with  a  long  cane  in  his  hand — ^under  it,  "  I  am 
THE  ONLX  EuNNiNG  FooTMAN."  This  was  a  class  of  servants 
used  by  rich  families  in  former  days  to  run  before  the  carriage, 
to  clear  the  way,  bear  torches  at  night,  pay  turnpikes,  and  serving 
also  in  a  great  measure  for  pomp.  Generally  their  livery  was 
very  rich,  being  somewhat  of  the  Jockey  dress,  with  a  silk  sash 
round  the  waist ;  sometimes,  instead  of  breeches,  they  wore  a 
sort  of  sUk  petticoat  with  a  deep  gold  fringe.  They  carried  long 
sticks  with  sUver  heads,  which  have  now  descended  to  their  suc- 
cessors the  footmen.  The  Duke  of  Queenaberry  was  one  of  the 
last  noblemen  who  kept  running  footmen.  A  good  story  is  told 
of  him  in  connexion  with  one  of  these  servants.  Whenever  his 
grace  wanted  to  engage  one  it  was  his  custom  to  make  ViiTn  put 
on  his  livery  and  run  up  and  down  Piccadilly,  whilst  he,  from  his 
balcony,  watched  their  paces ;  and  so  it  happened  on  a  time,  that 
after  one  of  those  fellows  had  gone  through  all  his  evolutions  and 
presented  himself  under  the  balcony,  the  Duke  said  :  "  That  wUl 
do ;  you  will  suit  me  very  well."  "  And  so  your  livery  does  me," 
was  the  answer,  and  off  the  fellow  went  running  like  a  deer  and 
was  never  heard  of  afterwards.  Another  feat  on  record,  some- 
what more  to  the  credit  of  the  fraternity,  was  that  one  of  them 
ran  for  a  wager  to  Windsor  against  the  Duke  of  Marlborough  in 
a  phaeton  with  four  horses,  and  lost  only  by  a  short  distance ;  but 
it  cost  the  poor  fellow  his  hfe,  for  he  died  very  soon  after.     Most 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       36 1 

of  these  running  footmen  were  Irish,  hence  Decker*  says — "The 
Devil's  footeman  was  very  nimble  of  his  heeles,  for  no  wild  Irish- 
man could  outrunne  him,"  and  Brathwaite  remarks  : — 

"  For  see  those  thin-breech'd  Irish  lackies  run."  t 
St  Patrick's  day  was  generally  given  to  them  as  a  holiday,  which 
they  invariably  celebrated  by  purging  themselves.      In  various 
country  places  the  sign  of  the  En  fining  Footman  has  been  cor- 
rupted into  the  Running  Man. 

Another  "  domestic  "  sign  is  the  Trusty  Servant  at  Minstead, 
Hants : — 

"  A  trusty  servant's  portrait  would  you  see, 
This  emblematic  figure  well  survey ; 
The  porker's  snout  not  nice  in  diet  shows, 
The  padlock  shut,  no  secret  he  '11  disclose. 
Patient  the  ass  his  master's  rage  will  bear, 
Swiftness  in  errand  the  stag's  feet  declare. 
Loaden  his  left  hand  apt  to  labour  saith, 
The  vest  his  neatness  :  open  hand  his  faith. 
Girt  with  his  sword,  his  shield  upon  his  arm, 
Himself  and  master  he  '11  protect  from  harm." 
The  origin  of  this  sign  is  a  picture  on  the  wall  of  one  of  the 
rooms,  near  the  kitchen  of  Winchester  College,  where  it  is  accom- 
panied by  the  above  verses  in  English  and  Latin. 

Further,  there  is  the  Staye-Poetee,  Dockhead,  London ;  the 
TiCKET-PoETEE,  near  London  Bridge ;  the  Poetee's  Lodge,  Lei- 
cester; and  thePoETER  AND  Gentleman  in  three  different  places 
in  London. 

The  Huntsman  is  common  in  the  hunting  districts.  To  the 
hunt,  also,  we  must  refer  such  signs  as — Hark  to  BotrMTT,  Staid- 
bum,  Clitheroe ;  Haek  up  to  Nudgee,  Dobcross,  Manchester ; 
Haek  THE  Lashee,  near  Castleton,  Derby;  Hark  up  to  Glory, 
Rochdale,  and  the  Chase  Inn  in  Leamington. '  In  Cambridge 
there  are  two  signs  of  the  Biedbolt,  an  implement  formerly  used 
to  shoot  birds ;  consequently  it  must  be  a  sign  of  some  antiquity. 
In  Nightingale  Lane,  East  Smithfield,  there  is  an  Experienced 
Fowler,  who,  no  doubt,  well  knows  the  value  of  "  a  bird  in  the 
hand,"  and  at  Oldham  and  Rochdale  there  is  an  equally  satirical 
sign,  that  of  the  Trap.  The  Angler  is  common  enough  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  trout  streams  and  other  fishing  resorts  fre- 
quented by  the  disciples  of  Isaak  Walton. 

Many  professions  are  only  represented  by  one  or  two  objects 

*  Decker's  English  Villanies,  1632. 

t  Brathwaite's  Strapado  for  the  Diuell,  1615,    Notes  in  Percy  Society  PdifioD. 

2Z 


362  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

relating  to  them.  The  Tallow  Chandler,  very  common  among 
the  trades  tokens,  was  always  represented  by  a  man  dipping 
candles.  To  that  trade  also  seems  to  belong  the  Bowls  and 
Candle  Poles,  which  occurs  in  the  following  rambling  advertise- 
ment : — 

OTOLEN, 
Lost,  or  Mislaid, 
A  Promissory  Note  for  one  hundred  and  twenty  Pounds,  signed  by  John 
Smallwood  and  indorsed  by  John  Addams.  Whoever  will  bring  the  same 
note  to  the  House  known  by  the  Bowls  and  Candlepoles  in  Duke  Street, 
in  the  Park,  Southwark,  shall  receive  five  Guineas  Reward ;  and  if  offered 
to  be  paid  away  or  any  Writ  to  be  taken  out  for  payment  of  the  said  Note, 
pray  stop  it  and  the  party,  and  you  shall  have  the  same  Reward. 

*^*  The  House  is  in  Tenements,  and  some  part  thereof  being  a  Pawn- 
broker's, was  broke  open  and  several  things  of  value  missing.  Note,  This 
mischief  arrises  from  a, country  Butcher,  who  did  strike  and  kick  an  old 
Gentleman  at  London  Bridge,  about  three  quarters  of  a  year  ago.  And  all 
persons  who  did  see  the  said  Assault  and  will  speak  the  truth,  (for  Christ's 
sake,)  are  desired  to  send  their  Names  and  Place  of  Abode  to  the  Bowls 
and  Candlepoles  and  the  favour  shall  be  thankfully  acknowledged."* 

The  Scales  is  a  common  sign  referring  to  various  trades  :  one 
of  the  engraved  bUl-heads  in  the  Bagford  Collection  gives  the 
Hand  and  Scales — viz.,  a  hand  holding  a  pair  of  scales ;  this 
antiquated  mode  of  representing  a  hand  issuing  from  the  douds 
to  perform  some  action,  has  given  name  to  a  great  many  signs 
— all  combinations  of  the  hand  with  some  other  object.  The 
Spinning  Wheel  was  formerly  much  more  common  than  now  ; 
there  is  still  a  public-house  with  this  sign  at  Hamsterley  near 
Darlington.  The  Woolsack  was  originally  a  wool-merchant's 
sign ;  it  is  often  accompanied  by  the  Black  Boy.  Machyn  men- 
tions this  sign  in  1555  :  "The  xx  day  of  July  was  cared  to  the 
Toure  in  the  morning  erlee  iiij  men ;  on  was  the  goodman  of 
the  Volsake  with-owt  Algatt."  It  seems  to  have  been  one  of  the 
leading  taverns  in  Ben  Jonson's  time,  who  often  alludes  to  it  in 
his  plays ;  like  the  Dagger,  it  was  famous  for  its  pies. 
"  And  see  how  the  factors  and  prentices  play  there 
False  with  their  masters,  and  geld  many  a  full  pack, 
To  spend  it  in  pies  at  the  Dagger  and  the  Woolpach." 

The  Devil  is  an  Ass,  act  i.,  sc.  1. 
"  Her  Grace  would  have  you  eat  no  more  Woolsack  pies  nor  Dagger  iuT- 
raety." — Alchymist,  act  v.,  so.  2. 

In  the  year  1682,  the  Woolsack  Tavern  in  Newgate  Market 
attracted  great  attention,  owing  to   a   wonderful   phenomenon 

•  Nawspaper  cutting  of  the  year  1762,  probably  from  tne  London  Register. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       363 

there  exhibited,  and  set  forth  in  the  foUowiBg  handbill  from  the 
Sloane  Collection,  No.  958  : — 

"AT  THE  SIGN  of  the  Woolpack  in  Newgate  Street,  is  to  be  seen  a  strange 
11.  and  wonderful  thing,  which  is,  an  elm-board,  being  touch'd  with  a 
hot  iron,  doth  express  itself,  as  if  it  was  a  man  dying,  with  grones  and 
trembling,  to  the  great  admiration  of  all  the  hearers.  It  has  been  pre- 
sented before  the  King  and  his  nobles,  and  hath  given  them  great  satis- 
faction.   Vivat  Rex." 

Such  a  curiosity  could  not  tail  to  prove  an  object  of  immense 
attraction  with  our  wonder-loving  ancestors,  particularly  after  the 
house  had  been  visited  by  his  Majesty,  and  thus  acquired  additional 
respectability.  Very  soon,  however,  numerous  London  taverns 
claimed  public  attention  for  similar  wonders.  It  was  as  if  the 
wood  used  in  their  construction  had  been  cut  from  the  myrtle- 
tree  which  conversed  with  jEneas  near  the  river  Hebrus,  ("^neid," 
lib.  iii.  19,)  or  from  the  "  fiera  selvaggia"  Dante  saw  in  the  second 
circle  of  Hades,  where  he 

"  sentia  da  ogni  parte  tragger  guai 
E  non  vedea  persona  ohe  '1  facesse."* 

Infe)-no,  canto  xiii. 

The  mantel-piece  at  the  Bowman  Tavden,  Drury  Lane,  ex- 
pressed its  aversion  of  a  red  hot  poker  as  unequivocally  as  the 
elm-board  at  the  Woolsack,  and  the  dresser  at  the  Queen's  Aims 
in  St  Martin's  Lane  was  evidently  a  "  chip  of  the  same  block." 
Indeed,  boards  Were  cauterised  and  groaned  all  over  London. 

The  Block  was  a  hatter's  sign,  or  as  that  trade  was  sometimes 
called,  Bever-cutter,  the  block  being  the  mould  on  which  the  hat 
is  formed.  Beatrix,  in  "Much  Ado  about  Nothing,"  says  :  "He 
wears  his  faith,  but  as  the  fashion  of  his  hat  it  ever  changes  with 
the  next  block."  And  Decker,  in  the  "  Gull's  Hornbook : " 
"  John,  in  Paul's  Churchyard,  shall  fit  his  head  for  an  excellent 
block."     The  word  was  also  often  used  as  a  synonym  for  "  hat." 

The  Postboy  was  the  sign  of  a  fishmonger's  shop  in  Sherborne 
Lane,  where  in  1759  Green-native  Colchester  oysters  were  sold 
at  3s.  3d.  a  barrel,  and  exceeding  fine  "  Pyfieet  oysters"  at  4s.  3d. 
a  barrel.  The  Up  and  Down  Post  used  to  be,  in  the  good  old 
coaching  times,  a  thriving  inn  on  the  now  deserted  highway  be- 
tween Birmingham  and  Coventry.  The  picture  represented  an 
erect  and  a  prostrate  pillar,  which  after  all  was  only  a  rebus  or  a 
misunderstanding.  In  former  times,  before  the  mail-coaches  were 
instituted,  the  equestrian  letter-carriers  of  the  up  and  dovm  mail 

M  "  —  heard  gi'oaus  from  every  side,  bui  saw  nobody  who  uttered  them." 


364  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

used  to  meet  at  this  house,  exchange  their  bags  and  each  return 
whence  they  came,  thus  effecting  a  considerable  saving  of  time 
and  trouble.  Even  washerwomen  have  been  exalted  to  the  sign- 
board, for  in  Norwich  there  was  the  sign  of  the  Theeb  Washee- 
WOMBN  in  1750.  And  one  of  the  implements  of  their  trade,  the 
Golden  Maid,  (better  known  as  "  the  Dolly,")  may  stUl  be  seen 
at  a  turners  shop  in  Dudley. 

A  few  others  remain,  which  cannot,  strictly  speaking,  be  called 
professions,  yet  are  they — or  at  least  they  were — means  of  making 
a*  living,  as  the  Three  Moeeis-dancees,  once  a  very  common 
sign,  but  now,  like  the  custom  that  gave  rise  to  it,  almost  ex- 
tinct. There  is  one  stiU  left,  however,  at  Scarisbrook,  Lanca- 
shire, and  in  a  few  villages  a  remnant  of  the  dance  is  also  kept 
up  on  certain  occasions.  They  were  called  Morris,  or  Moors, 
from  the  Spanish  Morisco.  Black  faces  were  required  for  the 
dance  : — 

"  Nam  faoiem  plervimque  inficiunt  fuligine  et  peregrinum  vestium  cul- 
tum  asfiumunt,  qui  ludicris  talibus  indulgent  ut>  Mauriesse  videantur,  aut 
e  longius  remota  patria  credantur  advolasse  atque  insolens  recreationis 
genus  advenisse."  * 

There  is  a  painted  glass  wiadow  at  Betley,  in  Staffordshire,  on 
which  the  characters  performing  the  dance  in  the  early  part  of 
the  sixteenth  century  are  represented;  to  these  afterwards  others 
were  added.  The  earliest  performers  appear  to  have  been  called 
Eobin  Hood  and  Little  John,  Maid  Marian,  Friar  Tuck,  the  May 
queen,  the  fool,  the  piper,  and  the  plain  rank  and  file  of  dancers 
variously  dressed.  To  these  afterwards  were  added  a  dragon,  a 
hobby-horse,  and  other  quaint  types.  Among  the  characters  re- 
presented on  the  painted  window  are  also  a  franklein,  a  churl,  or 
peasant,and  a  nobleman.  The  hobby-horseman  occupies  the  middle 
of  the  window,  and  is  said  to  represent  a  Moorish  king  :  he  has 
two  swords  thrust  into  his  cheeks,  which  seem  to  represent  a 
feat  of  dexterity  performed  by  Indian  and  Egyptian  jugglers  of 
throwing  a  somersault  with  two  swords  balanced  on  each  side  of 
the  cheek.  The  horse  (merely  a  frame  covered  with  long  trap- 
pings, and  only  showing  the  neck  and  limbs  of  a  horse,  in  which 
the  man  capered  about)  held  a  ladle  in  his  mouth  for  collecting 
money. 

The  fool  was  one  of  the  features  of  the  pageant,  and  on  him 

*  Junius'  Etymolofria ;  "For  those  that  take  part  intliese  games,  besmear  their  fiices 
witli  uoot  and  ailopt  outlandisli  garments,  so  that  they  niixy  looli  like  Mooi-s,  or  as  if  they 
had  come  from  distant  countries,  and  theuce  had  introduced  tliis  quaint  amusement." 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       365 

rested  a  great  deal  of  the  duties  to  amuse  the  public,  particularly 
when  the  hobby-horse  was  not  present ;  hence  Ben  Jonson  : — 

"But  see. the  Hobby-Horae  is  forgot. 
Fool,  it  must  be  your  lot 
To  supply  your  wont  with  faces 
And  some  other  buffoon  graces. 
You  know  how.' 

On  May-day,  which  in  those  merry  days  was  the  merriest  of  all 
the  year,  they  came  out  in  full  force,  and,  along  with  the  milk- 
maids dancing  with  piles  of  plate  on  their  heads,  contributed  not 
a  little  to  give  the  streets  and  thoroughfares  a  merry  aspect.  The 
May-dance  of  the  sweeps  is  perhaps  the  "  last  stage  of  decom- 
position" of  this  amusement  of  our  forefathers ;  their  sooty  com- 
plexions, their  clowns,  their  Lord  and  Lady  and  Jack  in  the 
Green,  may  be  all  that  remain  of  the  morris-dance,  the  fool,  the 
Lord  and  Lady,  the  hobby-horse,  and  the  rest. 

In  treating  of  games,  we  may  advert  to  a  rendering  of  the 
Flying  Hoese,  overlooked  on  a  former  occasion.  Besides  its 
mythological  and  heraldic  origin,  there  was  another  reason  which 
sometimes  prompted  the  choice  of  this  sign.  It  was  the  name 
of  a  popular  amusement,  which  consisted  in  a  swing,  the  seat 
of  which  formed  a  wooden  horse.  This  the  flying  equestrian 
mounted,  and  as  he  was  swinging  to  and  fro  he  had  to  take  with 
a  sword  the  ring  off  a  quintain.  If  he  succeeded,  his  adroitness 
was  no  doubt  rewarded  either  with  a  number  of  swings  gratis, 
or  a  quotum  of  beer.  Such  a  Flying  Horse  served  for  a  sign  to 
an  ale-house  of  that  denomination  in  Moorfields,  in  the  time  of 
Queen  Anne.  Swings,  round-abouts,  and  such-like  amusements, 
were  in  those  days  the  usual  appendages  of  suburban  ale-houses, 
and  to  a  certain  extent  have  even  come  down  to  our  time. 

Oil  and  colour-shops  generally,  and  some  public-houses — 
mostly  near  theatres — adopt  the  sign  of  the  Harlequin.  One 
of  the  most  noted  amongst  the  latter  was  kept  in  the  beginning 
of  this  century  in  Drury  Lane,  by  the  eccentric  Richardson,  the 
showman,  or,  rather,  the  "  Prince  of  Showmen,"  as  he  called 
himself.  In  this  tavern  he  saved  some  money,  which  enabled 
him  to  fit  up  a  travelling  theatre,  by  which  he  realised  so  much, 
that  when  he  died  in  1836,  he  left  £20,000.  It  used  to  be  one 
of  his  boasts  that  he  had  brought  out  Edmund  Kean,  and  several 
other  eminent  actors.  He  desired  in  his  will  to  be  buried  at 
Marlow,  in  Bucks,  (where  he  was  born  in  the  workhouse,)  in  the 


366  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOABDS. 

same  grave  with  the  "  Spotted  Boy,"  a  natural  phenomenon 
which  had  been  one  of  his  luckiest  hits,  and  brought  him  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  money. 

It  is  curious  to  observe  how  the  same  simple  thing  has  made 
mankind  laugh  for  nearly  thirty  centuries,  and  that  is  a  black 
face.  In  our  age  a  large  proportion  of  the  public  seem  to  find 
inexhaustible  pleasure  in  pseudo-negroes,  their  songs  and  antics. 
The  Greeks  on  their  stage  had  a  young  satyr,  dressed  in  goat 
or  tiger-skin,  with  a  short  stick  in  his  hand,  a  white  hat  on  his 
head,  his  hair  cut  short,  and  a  hrown  mash.  This  satyr  per- 
formed some  antics,  and  was  the  prototype  of  the  harlequin. 
The  Romans  adopted  a  somewhat  similar  character  under  the 
name  of  planipes,  because  he  did  not  wear  the  tragic  cothuma ; 
he  also  wore  a  variegated  dress,  for  Apuleiua,  in  his  "  Apology," 
speaks  of  the  "  minius  centunculus."  From  the  Romans  it  de- 
scended to  the  Italians,  and  as  early  as  the  sixteenth  century  we 
find  the  whole  troop  complete,  playing  in  Spain,  namely.  Harle- 
quin, Pantaloon,  Pagliacico,  the  Doctor,  <tc.  At  a  masked  ball 
at  the  court  of  Charles  IX.,  in  1572,  the  king  represented  Brig- 
heUa ;  the  Cardinal  of  Lorraine,  Pantaloon ;  Catherine  de 
Medici,  Columbine ;  and  the  Duke  of  Anjou,  (afterwards 
Henry  III.,)  Harlequin.  At  that  time,  or  shortly  after,  the 
troop  of  the  Gelosi  played  the  Italian  pieces  in  Paris,  in  which 
these  characters  were  introduced. 

For  the  sign  of  the  Green  Man  there  is  a  twofold  explana- 
tion, lo.  That  it  represents  the  green,  wild,  or  wood  men  of  the 
shows  and  pageants,  such  as  described  by  Machyn  in  his  Diary 
on  Lord  Mayor's  Day,  October  29,  1553  : — "  Then  cam  ij  grett 
wodyn  with  ij  grett  clubes  aU  in  grene  and  with  skwybes 
[squibs]  bornyng  ....  with  gret  berds  and  ryd  here  and  ij 
targets  a-pon  their  bake.''  This  green  in  which  they  were 
dressed  consisted  of  green  leaves.  When  Queen  Elizabeth  was 
at  Kenilworth  Castle,  in  1575,  "  on  the  x  of  Julee  met  her  in 
the  Forest  as  she  came  from  hunting  one  clad  like  a  savage 
man  all  in  ivie,"*  who  made  a  very  neat  speech  to  the  queen, 
in  which  he  was  kindly  assisted  by  the  echo.  Besides  wielding 
sticks  with  crackers  in  pageants,  these  green  men  sometimes 
fought  with  each  other,  attacked  castles  and  dragons,  and  were 
altogether  a  very  favourite  popular  character  with  the  public. 
One  of   their  duties  seems  to  have  been  to  clear  the  way   for 

*  Nicholl's  Pi-ogresses  or  Uueen  Slizubetb,  vol.  i.,  p.  404. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        367 

processions.  In  one  of  tte  Harleian  MSS.,  entitled  "  The 
maner  of  the  showe,  that  is,  if  God  spare  life  and  health,  shall 
be  seen  by  aU  the  behoulders  upon  St  Georges  Day  next,  being 
the  23  of  ApriU,  1610,"  we  see  amongst  the  requirements  : — 

"  It.  ij  men  in  greene  leaves  set  with  work  upon  their  other  habet  with 
black  heare  &  black  beards  very  owgly  to  behould,  and  garlands  upon 
their  heads  with  great  clubs  in  their  hands  with  fireworks  to  scatter  abroad 
to  maintaine  way  for  the  rest  of  the  show."* 

This  interpretation  is  also  given  as  the  origin  of  the  Green 
Man  by  Bagford  : — 

"  They  are  called  woudmen,  or  wildmen,  thou'  at  thes  day  we  in  ye 
signe  call  them  Green  Men,  couered  with  grene  boues :  and  are  used  for 
singes  by  stillers  of  strong  watters  and  if  I  mistake  not  are  ye  sopourters 
of  ye  king  of  Deanmarks  armes  at  thes  day  ;  and  I  am  abpt  to  beleve  that 
ye  Daynes  learned  us  hear  in  England  the  use  of  those  tosticatein  lickers 
[intoxicating]  as  well  as  ye  breweing  of  Aele  and  a  fit  emblem  for  those 
that  use  that  intosticating  licker  wMch  berefts  them  of  their  sennes."  t 

The  Wild  Man,  therefore,  on  a  sign  at  Quarry  HjU,  Lady- 
bridge,  Leeds,  is  the  same  as  the  Green  Man. 

2".  The  second  version  of  this  sign  is,  that  it  is  intended  for 
a  forester,  and  in  that  garb  the  Green  Man  is  now  invariably 
represented ;  even  as  far  back  as  the  seventeenth  century,  it  is 
evident  from  the  trades  tokens  that  the  Green  Man  was 
generally  a  forester,  and,  in  many  cases,  Eobin  Hood  himself, 
which  may  be  inferred  from  the  small  figure  frequently  intro- 
duced beside  him,  and  meant  for  Little  John.  The  ballads 
always  described  Eobin  and  his  merry  men  as  dressed  in  green, 
"  Lincoln  green."  "When  Eobin  meets  the  page  who  brings  him 
presents  from  Queen  Katherine  : — 

"  Robin  took  his  mantle  from  his  baoke, 

It  was  of  the  Lincoln  greeiie 

And  sent  that  by  this  lovely  page 

For  a  present  unto  the  queene. "  J 

And  in  the  same  ballad,  when  he  is  going  to  court,  "  he  clothed 
his  men  in  Lincolne  greene"  &c.     Drayton,  in  his  " Polyolbion," 


'.'  An  hundred  valiant  men  had  this  brave  Eobin  Hood 
Still  ready  at  his  call,  that  bowmen  were  right  good, 
All  clad  in  Lincoln  green  which  caps  of  red  and  blue." 
Sometimes  it  is  called  Kendal  green  : — 

"  All  the  woods 
Are  full  of  outlaws,  that  in  Kendal  green 

•  Harl.  MSS.,  No.  2150,  fol.  356. 
t  Hart.  MSS.,  No.  6900.  %  Eoxburghe  Ballads,  vol.  i.,  ,f.  376. 


368  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Follow  the  outlawed  Earl  of  Huntingdon." 

Richard,  Earl  of  Huntingdon,  1601,  (i.e.,  Eohin  Hood.) 

It  was,  in  fact,  the  ordinary  dress  of  foresters  and  woodmen, 
and  is  so  still  in  Germany. 

"  AH  in  a  woodman's  jacket  he  was  clad, 
Of  Lmcoln  Green,  belayed  with  silyer  lace." 

Spbnsee's  Faery  Queene. 
One    of   tie   most    noted  Green  Man  taverns   was  that  on 
Stroud   Green,  Islington,  formerly  the  residence   of    Sir   Th. 
Stapleton,  of  Gray's  Court,  Bart.,  whose  initials,  with  those  of 
his  wife,  and  the  date  1609,  were  to  be  seen  on  the  fagade.     It 
was  one  of  the  suburban  retreats  frequented  by  the  fashion  in 
the  days  of  Charles  I.,  when  it  had  been  converted  into  a  tavern. 
A  century  ago  the  sign  bore  the  following  inscription  : — 
"  Te  are  wellcome  all 
To  Stapleton  Hall." 

A  club  used  to  meet  annually  at  this  place,  styling  ttiemselves 
the  Lord  Mayor,  Aldermen,  and  Corporation  of  Stroud  Green.  * 
At  Dulwich,  in  the  reign  of  George  II.,  there  was  another  Green 
Man,  a  place  of  amusement  for  the  Londoners  during  the  sum- 
mer season ;  it  is  enumerated,  with  other  similar  resorts,  in  the 
following  stanza  : — 

"  That  Vauxhall  and  Buckholt  and  Ranelagh  too, 
And  Hoxton  and  Sadlers  both  Old  and  New, 
My  Lord  Cobham's  Head  and  the  Dulwich  Green  Man 
May  make  as  much  pastime  as  ever  they  can.1" 

Derry  Down,"  &o. 
Mudck  in  Good  Time,  a  new  Ballad,  1745. 

The  Meeey  Andkew  was  a  card-maker's  sign  ;  in  the  Banks 
Collection  there  is  a  shopbill  of  the  time  of  Queen  Anne,  of 
Edward  Hall,  card-maker  to  her  Majesty  at  the  Merry  Andrew, 
in  Piccadilly.  The  playing-cards  at  that  time  used  to  have  cer- 
tain heads  on  the  wrapper,  according  to  which  they  were  de- 
nominated. Merry  Andrew  was  one  of  them.  Other  sorts  had 
the  Great  Mogul,  Henry  VIL,  Henry  VIII.,  and  the  Duke  of 
Savoy,  (Prince  Eugene ; )  second-class  cards  had  the  Queen  of 
Hungary,  the  Spaniard,  the  beau,  and  the  Merry  Andrew.     The 

*  Lewis's  History  of  Islington,  p.  281. 

t  Eucholt  was  a  reputed  mansion  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  at  Leyton,  in  Essex.  Being 
oponed  to  the  public  in  1742,  it  became  a  fashionable  summer  drive  during  a  couple  of 
seasons :  public  brealcfasts,  weekly  concerts,  and  occasional  oratorios  were  numbered 
amonsst  its  attractions.  The  house  was  pulled  down  in  1745.  Old  and  New  Sadlei''s 
Wells  relates  to  the  well-known  place  in  Islington,  at  that  period  a  music  house. 
liOid  Cobliam's  Head  has  been  noticed  on  p.  07. 


(  I '  ^^  J.  M  %.^  */ 


CROSS     GUNS. 


u 


DUKE    OF 

Marlborough! 


KON  SINE  LVMIKE 


^'elephant  &    CASTLE." 


FEATHERS. 


"fish." 


FIVE 


B    ELLS. 


FOUNTAIN. 


C(     . )5 


■f'rf/ffffffr/r, 


GLOBE.  "GOOSE      &.     GRIDIRON."  "GREEN       DRAGON.' 

LONDON     TAVERN     SIGNS,     CIRC:    I700-I720. 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.        369 

original  Merry  Andrew  is  said  to  have  been  a  certain  Doctoi 
Andrew  Borde,  born  at  Pevensey  in  the  fifteenth  century,  and 
educated  at  Winchester  and  New  College,  Oxford,  but  who 
obtained  his  doctor's  degree  at  Montpellier.  His  writings 
abound  with  witticisms,  which  are  reported  also  to  have  per- 
vaded his  speech.  He  is  said  to  have  frequented  fairs,  markets, 
and  other  "  busy  haunts  of  men,"  haranguing  the  people  in 
order  to  increase  his  practice  in  physic.  He  had  many  followers 
and  imitators,  whence  it  came  that  those  who  affected  the  same 
language  and  gestures  were  called  Merry  Andrews.  Notwith- 
standing all  this  mirth  and  animal  spirits,  he  professed  himself  a 
Carthusian,  lived  in  celibacy,  drank  water  three  days  in  the  week, 
wore  a  hair  shirt,  and  nightly  hung  his  shroud  at  the  foot  of  his 
bed.  He  is  said  to  have  been  physician  to  King  Henry  VIII., 
and  member  of  the  College  of  Physicians  in  London.  He  died 
a  prisoner  in  the  Fleet  in  1549.  More  celebrated  than  his  works 
on  physic  are  his  "  Merry  Tales  of  the  Wise  Men  of  Gotham," 
and  the  "  Merry  History  of  the  Miller  of  Abingdon." 

Lower  down  stiU.  in  the  sphere  of  callings  and  professions  the 
signs  will  take  us.  At  Oswald  Wistle,  Accrington,  we  meet  with 
the  Tinker's  Budget.  The  budget  is  the  tinker  s  bag  of  instni- 
ments  ;  we  see  the  word  thus  used  in  Eandle  Holme:* — "A 
Tinker  with  his  btidget  on  his  back,  having  always  in  his  mouth 
this  merry  cry  : — 'Have  you. any  work  for  a  Tinker?'"  And 
Shakespeare,  in  the  "  Winter's  Tale  : — 

"  If  tinkers  may  have  leave  to  live 
And  bear  the  sowskin  T    '      " 


This  inn,  then,  is  certainly  very  modest  in  its  pretensions  ;  but 
we  shall  descend  lower  stUL  Even  "  poor  Tom's  flock  of  vvdld 
geese,"  otherwise  Tom  of  Bedlam,  we  have  now  to  introduce. 
We  find  him  at  BalsaU,  Warwick,  and  no  doubt  it  was  formerly 
not  an  uncommon  sign,  smce  he  was  such  a  favourite  in  ballads  ; 
the  Merry  Tom,  at  Kirkcumbeck,  Cumberland,  evidently  refers 
to  the  same  individual.  Notwithstanding  aH  the  fantastic  ballads 
that  went  under  Tom's  name,  he  was  but  a  sorry  rogue.  Eandle 
Holme  +  says  : — 

"  The  Sow  gelder  and  Tom  of  Bedlam  are  both  wandering  knaves  alike, 
and  such  as  are  seldom  or  never  out  of  their  way,  having  their  home  in 
any  place.     The  first  is  described  as  carrying  a  long  staff,  with  a  head  like 

*  Book  iii.,  ch.  iii.,  p.  181.  t  Book  iii.,  ch.  iii.,  p.  181. 

3  A 


370  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

a  spear  or  a  half  pike,  and  a  horn  hung  by  his  side  from  a  broad  leather 
belt  or  girdle  cross  his  shoulders.  Tom  of  Bedlam  is  in  the  same  garb, 
with  a  long  staff,  and  a  Cow  or  Ox  Horn  by  his  side,  but  his  cloathing  ia 
more  fantastic  or  ridiculous,  for  being  a  mad  man  he  is  madly  decked  and 
dressed  all  over  with  Rubins,  Feathers,  cuttings  of  cloth  and  what  not ; 
to  make  him  seem  a  madman  or  one  distracted,  when  he  is  no  other  but  a 
dissembling  knave." 

"The  Canting  Academy,"  1674,  gives  them  a  similar  attire 
and  character  :— 

"  Abram-men,  otherwise  called  Tom  of  Bedlams ;  they  are  very  strangely 
and  antickly  garbed,  with  several  coloured  ribands  or  tape  in  their  hats,  it 
may  be  instead  of  a  feather,  a  fox  tail  hanging  down  a  long  Etick,  with 
ribands  streaming  and  the  like  ;  yet  for  all  their  seeming  madness  they 
have  wit  enough  to  steal  as  they  go."  * 

Aubrey  says  : — 

"  Before  the  Civil  Warre,  I  remember  Tom  o'  Bedlams  went  about  a 
begging.  They  had  been  such  as  had  been  in  Bedlam  and  there  recovered 
and  come  to  some  degree  of  soberness,  and  when  they  were  licensed  to  goe 
out  they  had  on  their  left  arme  an  armilla  of  tinne  (printed)  about  three 
inches  breadth,  which  was  sodered  on. "  + 

This  permission,  if  ever  it  was  granted,  was  retracted  after  the 
Restoration,  for  in  the  year  1675  the  London  Gazette  contained 
in  several  numbers  the  following  advertisement : — 

""ITtTHEREAS  several  Vagrant  Person^  do  wander  about  the  city  of  Lorx- 
YV  don  and  countries,  pretending  themselves  to  be  Lunaticks  under 
cure  in  the  Hospitall  of  Bethlem,  commonly  called  Bedlam,  with  brass 
plates  upon  their  arms  and  inscriptions  thereon.  These  are  to  give  notice 
that  there  is  no  such  liberty  given  to  any  Patients  kept  in  the  Hospital 
for  their  cure,  neither  is  any  such  plate  as  a  distinction  or  mark  put  upon 
any  Lunatick  during  their  being  there  or  when  discharged  thence.  And 
that  the  same  is  a  false  pretence  to  colour  their  wandering  and  begging 
and  deceive  the  people  to  the  dishonour  of  the  Government  of  that 
Hospital." 

Not  only  men  but  also  women  of  a  roving  disposition,  adopted 
poor  Tom's  horn,  and  went  wandering,  begging,  and  pilfering 
under  the  name  of  Bess  of  BEDLiM,  which  is  still  seen  as  a  sign 
in  Oak  Street,  Norwich.  Bess  was  an  old  companion  of  poor 
Tom,  for  in  the  play  of  King  Lear,  Tom  sings  a  snatch  of  a  song 
with  the  words,  "  Come  over  the  bourn,  Bessy,  to  me,"  and  in  the 

*  Canting  Academy,  second  edition,  1674,  as  quoted  in  Slaicolm's  **  Manners  and 
Customs,"  vol.  i.,  p.  o'J'2. 
t  Lansdowne  Mb.,  No.  231.     "  Remains  of  Judaisme  and  Gentilisme." 


DIGNITIES,  TRADES,  AND  PROFESSIONS.       371 

jollities  of  Plough  Monday  the  fool  and  Bessy  are  two  of  the 
principal  personages.* 

A  third  class  of  beggars  called  Mumpers,  is  also  found  on  the 
signboard  under  the  name  of  the  Three  Mumpbbs. 

Thus,  after  having  gone  through  all  ranks  of  society,  from  the 
palace  to  the  cottage,  and  from  the  sceptre  to  Tom's  staff  with  a 
fox-tail,  we  now  come  to  the  great  leveller  Death,  who  also  was 
represented  on  the  signboard.  There  were  the  Theee  Death's- 
heads  in  Wapping,  of  which  house  trades  tokens  are  extant ; 
probably  it  was  an  apothecary's,  though  it  was  a  ghastly  sign  for 
his  customers.  Undertakers  were  also  strictly  professional  in 
their  choice.  In  the  eighteenth  century  there  were  the  Four 
Coffins  over  against  Somerset  House,+  and  another  in  Fleet 
Street,  the  sign  of  Stephen  Koome,J  whose  son  was  the  unfortu- 
nate author  whom  Pope  has  "  gibbeted "  in  the  Dunciad,  as 
afflicted  with  a  "  funereal  frown."  Savage,  one  of  Pope's  literary 
sicarii,  caUs  Roome  "  a  perfect  town-author,"  §  and  has  drawn  his 
portrait  in  "  An  Author  to  be  let,  by  Iscariot  Hackney  :" — 

"  Had  it  not  been  more  laudable  for  Mr  Rooms,  the  son  of  an  under- 
taker, to  have  borne  a  link  ana  a  mourning  staff,  in  the  long  procession  of 
a  funeral — or  even  been  more  decent  in  him  to  have  sung  psalms  according 
to  education,  in  an  Anabaptist  meeting,  than  to  have  been  altering  the 
Jovial  Crew  or  Merry  Begga/rs  into  a  wicked  imitation  of  the  Beggars' 
Opera  ?" 

Another  undertaker,  James  Maddox,  clerk  and  coffin-maker  of 
St  Olave's,  had  for  a  sign  the  Sugar-loaf  and  theee  Coffins. 
The  addition  of  the  sugar-loaf  has,  of  course,  nothing  to  do  with 
his  profession,  for  when  death  calls,  the  sweets  of  life  are  past. 
It  was  simply  the  sign  of  a  former  tenant,  suspended  in  front  or 
fixed  in  the  wall  of  the  house.  Although  the  undertakers  of  the 
present  day  do  not  "display  signs  as  of  old,  they  advertise  their 
calling  quite  as  effectually.  The  men  who  in  their  handbills 
solicit  us  to  try  their  "  economic  funerals,"  or  to  test  one  of  their 
"  three  guinea  respectable  interments, — one  trial  only  asked,''  are 

*  There  is  a  veiy  unfavourable  parallel  between  the  Ladies  andBessesof  Bedlam  in  the 
Muse's  Recreation,  1656,  entitled; — "Upon  the  naked  Bedlams  and  spotted  Beasts  ne 
Bee  in  Oovent  Garden,"  beginning : — 

"When  Besse  I  she  ne're  was  half  so  vainly  clad, 
Besse  ne're  was  half  so  naktd^  half  so  mad ; 
Again,  this  raves  with  lust,  for  love  Besse  ranted, 
Then  Besse's  sltin  is  tanned — this  is  painted." 
t  Advertisement  in  the  original  edition  of  the  Spectator,  No.  clxxxvi. 
t  City  Mercury,  or  Advertisements  concerning  Trade.     November  4, 1675. 
§  London  Gazette,  May  30- June  3,  1681,  where  he  gives  a  most  dismal  catalogue  of 
wliat  he  could  do. 


372  THE  HISTORY  OF  tSIGNBOAEDS. 

commercial  with  the  rest  of  the  age,  although  we  might  wish  that 
they  would  force  themselves  a  little  less  upon  our  attention.  One 
undertaker  recently  hit  upon  what  he  deemed  a  brilliant  method 
of  advertising  his  cheap  funerals.  He  selected  some  good  names 
from  the  "  Court  Guide,"  and  sent  out  hundreds  of  telegrams  an- 
nouncing the  low  prices  at  which  a  "body"  could  be  interred.  Some 
reached  their  destination  just  as  the  lady  or  gentleman  "  body  " 
was  sitting  down  to  dinner,  others  as  the  "  parties  "  were  dress- 
ing, or  in  the  act  of  leaving  home ;  but  although  the  scheme 
failed,  the  name  -of  the  undertaker  and  his  prices  were  firmly 
fixed  in  people's  memories,  and  he  received,  instead  of  orders, 
numerous  cautions  not  to  telegraph  in  that  way  again. 

An  undertaker  in  Islington,  some  years  ago,  exhibited  in  his 
window  some  pleasing  artistic  efforts  of  his  children,  which  muBt 
have  greatly  comforted  the  father.  "  Master  A.,  aged  12  years," 
Lad  produced  a  grinning  skeleton,  garnished  with  worms  and 
cross-bones;  and  "Miss  B.,  aged  10,"  had  painted  in  colours  a 
section  of  a  vault,  with  coffin  heads,  skulls,  and  seston's  tools, 
neatly  arranged  right  and  left.  The  drawings  were  tramed  and 
glazed,  and  parental  pride  had  placed  them  in  the  best  spot  in 
the  windows. 


CHAPTEK  XI. 

THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE. 

Instead  of  carved  or  painted  signs  Lung  above  tlie  doors,  many 
shop  and  tavern  keepers  preferred  to  designate  their  houses  after 
some  external  feature,  such  as  the  colour  of  the  building — thus 
we  find  the  Red  house,  the  White  house,  the  Blue  house,  the 
Dark  house,  &c.  Others  painted  their  door-posts  a  particular 
coWur,  whence  the  origin  of  the  well-known  Bltjb  Posts.  In 
stDl  older  times  painted  posts  or  poles  in  front  of  the  houses  seem 
occasionally  to  have  served  as  signs ;  to  some  such  distinction,  at 
least  Cazton's  Eed  Poles,  as  mentioned  in  one  of  his  advertise- 
ments, seems  to  refer  : — 

"  If  it  pkage  ong  man  spfrttuel  or  t«ntporcI  to  6ge  our  pps 
of  ttoo  or  t\jxz  rotnemoracio'g  of  galisbnrt  nsz,  emprgntet  after  t^e 
form  of  tljtg  prese't  letre  Snlitclje  hen  inel  ariti  trulg  correct,  late 
tgm  tomt  to  SJEestmoneater  into  tlje  almoneatrge  at  t]be  Eeed 
Pale,  anlJ  fje  9\)a\  I)a&e  t!)em  sooU  anti  c!&epe : 

Suppltco  gtet  cetula." 
Even  in  the  seventeenth  century  such  a  distinction  was  still  occa- 
sionally used,  as  the  Green  Pales  in  Peter  Street,  Westminster;* 
— and  Stukeleyt  speaks  of  Mr  Brown's  garden  at  the  Green 
Poles,  where  an  urn  was  dug  up  lined  with  lead  and  filled  with 
earth  and  bones.  In  Etheredge's  play  "  She  Would  if  she  Could," 
the  Black  Posts  in  James  Street  are  named,  (Act  i.,  sc.  1, 1703 ;) 
whilst  the  newspapers  in  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  cen- 
tury contain  advertisements  stating  that  the  mineral  water  from 
Hampstead  Wells  might  be  obtained,  at  the  rate  of  3d.  a  flask, 
from  the  lessee  of  the  wells,  who  lived  at  the  Black  Posts  in 
King  Street,  near  Guildhall. 

Garden-houses,  or  Summer-houses,  attached  to  a  building, 
were  also  used  to  designate  shops  and  residences,  as  appears  from 
a  trades  token  "at  the  garden-house  in  Blackfriars,"  and  also 
from  a  newspaper  advertisement  of  1679,  where  the  garden- 
house  in  King  Street,  St  GUes,  is  mentioned.  Frequent  allu- 
sions to  these  garden-houses  are  found  in  the  old  plays ;  they 
appear  to  have  been  similar  in  aU  intents  and  purposes  to  the 

*  London  Gasette,  Au^st  28  to  Sept.  1,  167ft 
t  "Itinerarium  Curiosum,"  1776,  p.  14, 


374  ^^-^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

peiites  tnaisons  of  the  profligate  French  nobility  in  the  times  of 
the  KIgence.  Stubbe,  in  his  "  Anatomy  of  Abuses,"  severely  at- 
tacks them  : — 

"  In  the  suburbes  of  the  citie  they  have  gardens  either  paled  or  walled 
round  about  very  high,  with  their  barbers  and  bowers  fit  for  the  purpose ; 
and  lest  they  might  be  espied  in  those  open  places,  they  have  their  banquet- 
ing houses,  with  galleries,  turrets,  and  what  not,  therein  sumptuously 
erected,  wherein  they  may,  and  doubtless  do,  many  of  them,  play  the  filthy 
persons." 

The  young  Eake  in  Shakespeare's  spurious  play  of  the  "  Lon- 
don Prodigal,"  (1604,)  says  to  the  lady  : — 

"  Now,  God  thank  you,  sweet  lady,  it  you  ha.ye  any  friend,  or  a  garden- 
house  where  you  may  employ  a  poor  gentleman  as  your  friend,  I  am  yours 
to  command  in  aE  sweet  service." 

And  Corisca  in  Massinger's  "  Bondsman,"  (Act  i,  sc.  3)  : — 

"  And  if  need  be  I  have  a  couch  and  banqueting-house  in  my  orchard, 
where  many  a  man  of  honour  has  not  scorned  to  spend  an  afternoon." 

He  also  alludes  to  it  in  the  "  City  Madam."  A  remnant  of  this 
custom  is  still  to  be  traced  in  a  few  country  towns,  (Sunderland 
for  instance,)  where  the  middle  classes  have  little  gardens,  in  the 
outskirts  of  the  town,  with  bowers  and  wooden  summer-houses 
for  tea-drinkings.  In  Holland  they  stUl  flourish ;  the  family 
iTSuaUy  take  tea  in  them,  whilst  paterfamilias  placidly  smokes 
Lis  pipe  and  listens  to  the  croaking  of  the  frogs  and  the  lowing 
of  the  cows  in  the  flat  meadows  beyond. 

The  Well  and  Bucket  is  a  sign  in  Shoreditch,  not  badly 
chosen,  as  it  intimates  an  inexhaustible  supply ;  it  is  of  very  old 
standing  in  London,  for  it  is  mentioned  in  the  "  Paston  Letters  " 
in  the  year  1472.* 

"  I  pray  God  send  you  all  your  desires  and  me  my  mewed  goss-hawk  in 
haste,  or,  rather  than  fail,  a  soar-hawk;  there  is  a  grocer  dwelling  right  over 
against  the  Well  vtith  Two  Buckets,  a  little  from  St  Helen's  Church,  hath 
ever  hawks  to  sell." 

The  anxiety  about  the  bird,  expressed  in  this  letter,  is  most 
amusing  : — "  I  ask  no  more  good  of  you  for  aU  the  services  that 
I  shall  do  you,  while  the  world  standeth,  but  a  goss-hawk,"  is 
the  commencement  of  the  letter,  which  concludes  : — 

"  Now,  think  on  me,  good  lord,  for  if  I  have  not  an  hawk  I  shall  wax  fat 
for  default  of  labour,  and  dead  for  default  of  company  by  my  troth." 

In  old  times  the  alehouse  windows  were  generally  open,  so 
that  the  company  within  might  enjoy  the  fresh  air,  and  see  all 

•  Letter  of  John  Paston  to  Sir  John  Paston,  Sept.  21,  1472. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  375 

that  was  going  on  in  the  street ;  but,  as  the  scenes  within  were 
not  always  fit  to  be  seen  by  the  "  profanum  vulgus  "  that  passed 
by,  a  trellis  was  put  up  in  the  open  window.  This  trellis,  or 
lattice,  was  generally  painted  red,  to  the  intent,  it  has  been 
jocularly  suggested,  that  it  might  harmonise  with  the  rich  hue 
of  the  customers'  noses  ;  which  effect,  at  all  events,  was  obtained 
by  the  choice  of  this  colour.     Thus  Pistol  says  : — 

"  He  called  me  even  now  by  word  thiough  a  red  lattice,  and  I  could  see 
no  part  of  his  face  from  the  window." 

The  same  idea  is  expressed  in  the  "  Last  WiU  and  Testament  of 
Lawrence  Lucifer,"  1604  :  — 

"  Watched  sometimes  ten  hours  together  in  an  ale-housej  ever  and  anon 
peeping  forth  and  sampling  thy  nose  with  the  red  lattice." 

So  common  was  this  fixture,  that  no  ale-house  was  without  it : — 
"  A  whole  street  is  in  some  places  but  a  continuous  ale-house,  not  a  shop 
to  be  seen  between  red  lattice  and  red  lattice." — Deckel's  English  VUlanics 
Seven  Tunes  Pressed  to  Death. 

At  last  it  became  synonymous  with  ale-house  : — 

"  As  well  known  by  my  wit  as  an  ale-house  by  a  red  lattice."  * 

"  Trusty  Rachel  was  drinking  burnt  brandy  with  a  couple  of  tinder-box 
cryers  at  the  next  red  lattice."-)- 

The  lattices  continued  in  use  until  the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  after  they  disappeared  from  the  windows  were 
adopted  as  signs,  and  as  such  they  continue  to  the  present  day. 
The  Green  Lattice  occurs  on  a  trades  token  of  Cock  Lane,  and 
still  figures  at  the  door  of  an  ale-house  in  Billingsgate,  whilst  not 
many  years  ago  there  was  one,  in  Brownlow  Street,  Holbom, 
which  had  been  corrupted  into  the  Geben  Letttjcb. 

When  balconies  were  newly  introduced,  they  were  also  used 
in  the  place  of  signs.  Lord  Arundel  was  the  inventor  of  them, 
and  Covent  Garden  the  first  place  where  they  became  general 
"  Every  house  here  has  one  of  'em,"  says  Richard  Broome,  in 
1659.  Trades  tokens  "of  the  Bei,lconet,"  in  Bedford  Street, 
are  still  extant,  and  also  tokens  of  "  John  WiUiams,  the  king's 
chairman,  at  y'  lower  end  of  St  Martin's  Lane,  at  t^  Balconby. 
1667."  The  first  house  that  adopted  a  balcony  was  situated  at 
the  corner  of  Chandos  Street,  "  which  country  people  we^-e  wont 
much  to  gaze  on ;"  soon,  however,  they  became  so  common  that 
further  distinctions  had  to  be  added,  as  the  Iron  Bai,cont, 

*  Marston's  Antonio  and  Mellida,  1633. 
f  Tom  Brown's  Works,  vol.  iii,  p.  243. 


376  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

(St  James'  Street,  1699,)  the  Blue  and  Gilt  Balcony,  (Hatton 
Street,  1673.)  Lamps  have  also,  for  two  or  three  centuries,  fre- 
quently done  duty  as  signs,  and  continue  still  to  act  as  beacons 
to  those  who  want  the  assistance  of  the  doctor,  the  chemist,  or 
the  sweep.  Ale  and  coffee-houses,  too,  are  frequently  decorated 
with  gorgeous  lamps  :  this  was  abeady  the  custom  in  Tom 
Brown's  time : — 

"Every  coffee-house  is  illuminated  both  without  and  within  doors; 
without  by  a  fine  Glass  Lanihom,  and  within  by  a  woman  so  light  and 
splendid  you  may  see  through  her  without  the  help  of  a  Perspective."  * 

The  Moorfield  quacks  had  always  lamps  at  their  doors  at  night, 
with  round  glasses,  having  the  same  colours  as  the  balls  in  their 
signs,  and  this  custom  has  been  handed  down  to  our  day  by  the 
chemists,  who  stiU  have  circular,  red,  green,  and  yellow  bull's-eye 
glasses  in  their  lamps. 

In  Paris,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  the  pastry-cooks  used  at 
nights  to  place  a  kind  of  lamp  in  their  windows,  which  acted  as 
magic  lanterns.  They  were  made  of  transparent  paper,  covered 
with  rudely-painted  figures  of  men  and  animals.  Eegnier  men- 
tions them  in  his  eleventh  satire  : — 

"  Ressemblait  transparent  une  lanteme  vive, 

Dont  quelques  patisaiers  amusent  les  enfants. 

Oil  des  oysons  bridez,  guenuches,  elefans, 

Chiens,  chats,  li^vres,  renards,  et  mainte  estrange  beste 

Courent  I'une  apres  rautre."+ 

A  Dutch  grocer,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  put  up  the  sign 
of  the  BuENiNG  Lamp,  and  wrote  under  it  the  following  dis- 
tich : — 

"  Myn  lampje  brant  uyt  den  Orienten, 
Ik  verkoop  oly,  vygen  en  krenten."  J 

The  Brass  Knocker  in  the  Great  Gardens,  Bristol,  is  another 
sign  taken  from  the  exterior  of  the  house ;  also  the  Flower-pot, 
which  was  very  common  in  old  London  :  one  of  the  last  remain- 
ing stood  at  the  corner  of  Bishopsgate  and  LeadenhaU  Streets. 
It  dated  from  an  early  period,  and  was,  in  the  heyday  of  its 
fame,  a  celebrated  coaching  inn.  The  introduction  of  railroads, 
however,  gave  it  a  death-blow ;  for  some  time  it  continued  to 

*  Tom  Brown's  Amusements  for  the  Meridian  of  London,  1706. 

t  "  It  represented  a  burning  lamp,  such  as  some  pastry-cooks  have  to  amuse  the  child* 
rcn,  on  which  geese,  monkeys,  elephants,  dogs,  cats,  hares,  foxes,  and  many  stisnee 
animals  are  to  be  seen  running  after  each  other." 

t  •'  My  lamp  is  kept  burning  by  the  produce  of  the  East 
Oil,  figs,  and  currants  sold  here." 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  2i77 

languish  as  a  starting-point  for  omnibnges,  and  was  finally 
demolished  to  make  room  for  merchants'  offices  in  1863.  Trades 
tokens  of  this  inn  are  extant  in  the  Beaufoy  collection.  Mr  Bum, 
the  compiler  of  the  catalogue  of  this  collection,  suggests  that 
the  Flower-pot  was  originally  the  vase  of  lilies,  always  repre- 
sented in  the  old  pictures  of  the  Salutation  or  Annunciation ; 
according  to  his  theory  the  Angel  and  the  Virgin  were  omitted 
at  the  Keformation,  and  nothing  but  the  vase  left.  This,  how- 
ever, seems  somewhat  improbable.  There  is  no  apparent  reason 
why  it  should  not  have  been  a  real  flower-pot,  or  rather  vase, 
which  our  ancestors  frequently  had  on  the  top  of  the  pent-houses 
above  their  shops.  Tn  order  to  distinguish  them  froin  ordinary 
flower-pots,  some  painted  theirs  blue,  thus  the  sign  of  the  Blue 
Flower-pot,  as  appears  from  the  advertisement  of  Cornelius  a 
Tilborgh,  who  styles  himself  "  sworn  chirurgeon  in  ordinary  to 
King  Charles  II.,  to  our  late  sovereign  King  William,  as  also 
to  her  present  majesty  Queen  Anne."  This  worthy  lived  in 
Great  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  Holbom  Eow,  and  besides  the  Blue 
Flower-pot  at  his  front  door,  his  customers  might  recognise  the 
house,  by  "  a  light  at  night  over  the  door,"  and  a  Blue  Ball  at 
the  back-door.  The  Two  Blue  Flowee-pots  used  to-be  a  sign 
in  Dean  Street,  Soho ;  and  the  Two  Flowee-pots  and  Sun 
Dl\l  in  Parker's  Lane,  near  Drury  Lane,  (London  Gazette,  Sept. 
16-19,  1700.) 

Innumerable  objects  from  the  interior  of  the  house  were  like- 
wise adopted  as  signs,  such  as  furniture  of  all  kinds,  and  domestic 
utensils.  The  upholsterers,  for  instance,  generally  selected  pieces 
of  furniture.  At  the  end  of  the  last  century  The  Koyai  Bed 
was  a  great  favourite,  as  may  be  seen  from  engravings  on  several 
of  the  shop  bills  in  the  Banks  collection ;  the  bed  in  olden  times 
was  a  very  important  article  in  a  household,  and  was  always 
particularly  named  in  the  wHL  Upholsterers  in  those  days  were 
also  frequently  called  bed-joiners.  Next  we  have  the  Boaed  or 
Table,  still  a  great  favourite  in  the  north — in  Durham  alone  at 
least  sixty  public-houses  with  that  sign  could  be  named. 

The  mention  of  the  Table  affords  an  opportunity  for  particu- 
larising those  good  things  which  usually  grace  the  festive  board. 
First  of  all  there  is  the  Salt  Horn,  (at  Bradford  and  Leeds,) 
which  formerly  at  dinner  marked  the  line  of  demarcation ;  for 
whether  a  guest  was  to  be  placed  above  or  below  the  salt  was  a 
matter  of  etiquette  strictly  to  be  attended  to.     In  Dudley  we 

3  B 


378  THE  HI8T0BY  OF  SIONBOASDS. 

find  a  very  substantial  and  tempting  Round  of  Beef,  with  the 
following  rhymes : — 

"  If  you  are  hungry  or  ardry, 

Or  your  stomach  out  of  order, 
There 's  sure  relief  at  the  Bound  of  Beef, 
For  both  these  two  disorders." 

The  roast  beef  of  old  England  is  further  represented  by  The 
EiBS  OP  Bbbf,  in  Wensum  Street,  Norwich.  The  Flank  of 
Beef  at  Spalding,  the  much  less  tempting  Cow  Eoast  at 
Hampstead,  besides  a  couple  of  unpretending  Beef-steaks  in 
Bath.  Our  bill  of  fare  also  contains  plenty  of  mutton,  sometimes 
rehaussi  with  a  poetic  sauce,  as  one  that  was  at  Hackney  in  the 
last  century,  The  Shoujudek  of  Mutton  and  Cat,  having  the 
following  rhymes : — 

"  Pray  Puss,  don't  tear. 

For  the  Mutton  is  so  dear ; 
Pray  Puss,  don't  claw, 

For  the  Mutton  yet  is  raw.'' 

The  sign  is  still  there,  but  the  verses  are  gone.  This  suggested 
to  another  innkeeper  on  the  common  at  Horsham,  the  sign  of  the 
Dog  and  Bacon.  An  epicurean  publican  at  Yapton,  Arundel, 
has  a  more  gastronomic  combination,  viz.  : — the  Shoulder  of 
Mutton  and  Cucumbers.  It  was  at  the  Shoulder  of  Mutton 
in  Brecknock  that  Mrs  Siddons,  England's  greatest  tragic  actress, 
was  born,  July  14,  1755.  "  Fancy,"  writes  an  enthusiastic  bio- 
grapher, "the  English  Melpomene  behind  the  bar  of  such  a 
place !"  Legs  of  Mutton  on  the  signboard  do  not  appear  to  be  so 
common  as  Shoulders.  But  by  far  the  finest  of  all  the  dishes  re- 
presented on  the  signboard  was  the  Boar's  Head,  in  Eastcheap,  for 
the  character  of  the  famous  inn  patronised  by  Jack  FaJstaff  makes 
the  association  of  an  excellent  dish  much  more  natural  than  any 
heraldic  origin.  The  first  mention  of  this  inn  occurs  in  the  testa- 
ment of  WiUiam  Warden,  in  the  reign  of  Richard  II.,  who  gave 
"  all  that  tenement  called  the  Boar's  Head  in  Eastcheap,"  to  a 
coUege  of  priests,  or  chaplains,  founded  by  Sir  W.  Walworth,  the 
Lord  Mayor,  in  the  adjoining  church  of  St  Michael,  Crooked 
Lane.  The  presence  of  "Prince  Hal"  in  this  house  was  no 
invention  of  Shakespeare ;  history  records  his  pranks,  how  one 
night,  with  his  two  brothers,  John  and  Thomas,  he  made  such  a 
riot  that  they  had  to  be  taken  before  the  magistrate.  No  wonder, 
then,  at  the  proud  inscription  on  the  sign,  which  still  existed  in 
Maitland's  time  : — "  This  is  the  chief  tavern  in  London."    At  one 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  379 

time  the  portal  was  decorated  with  carved  oak  figures  of  Falstaff 
and  Prince  Henry;  and  in  1834  the  former  was  in  the  possession 
of  a  brazier  of  Eastcheap,  whose  ancestors  had  lived  in  the  shop 
he  then  occupied  since  the  great  fire.  The  last  great  Shakes- 
pearian dinner-party  at  the  Boar's  Head  took  place  about  1784, 
on  which  occasion  WUberforce  and  Pitt  were  present,  and  though 
there  were  many  professed  wits,  Pitt  was  the  most  amusing  of 
the  company. 

On  the  removal  of  a  mound  of  rubbish  at  Whitechapel,  brought 
there  after  the  great  fire,  a  carved  boxwood  bas-relief  boar's  head 
was  found,  set  in  a  circular  frame  formed  by  two  boars'  tusks, 
mounted  and  united  with  silver.  An  inscription  to  the  following 
efiect  was  pricked  in  the  back  : — "  Wm.  Brooke,  Landlord  of  the 
Bore's  Hedde,  Estchepe,  1566."  This  object,  formerly  in  the 
possession  of  Mr  Stamford,  the  celebrated  publisher,  was  sold  at 
Christie  and  Hanson's,  on  January  27,  1855,  and  was  bought  by 
Mr  HalliweU.* 

The  original  inn  having  been  destroyed  by  the  fire,  was  rebuilt 
and  continued  in  existence  untU  1831,  when  it  was  finally  demo- 
lished to  make  way  for  the  streets  leading  to  new  London  Bridge, 
Its  site  was  between  Small  Alley  and  St  Michael's  Lane.  The 
ancient  sign,  carved  in  stone,  with  the  initials  L  T.  and  the  date 
1668,  is  now  preserved  in  the  City  of  London  Library,  Guild- 
hall. 

In  the  month  of  May  1718,  one  James  Austin,  "inventor  of 
the  Persian  ink  powder,"  desiring  to  give  his  customers  a  sub- 
stantial proof  of  his  gratitude,  invited  them  to  the  Boar's  Head 
to  partake  of  an  immense  plum-pudding.  This  pudding  weighed 
1000  lbs.;  a  baked  pudding  of  1  foot  square,  and  the  best  piece 
of  an  ox  roasted  :  the  principal  dish  was  put  in  the  copper  on 
Monday,  May  12,  at  the  Eed  Lion  Iim,  by  the  Mint  in  South- 
wark,  and  had  to  boil  fourteen  days.  From  there  it  was  to  be 
brought  to  the  Swan  Tavern,  in  Fish  Street  HUl,  accompanied 
by  a  band  of  music  playing — "What  lumps  of  pudding  my 
mother  gave  me;"  one  of  the  instruments  was  a  drum  in  pro- 
portion to  the  pudding,  being  18  feet  2  inches  in  length,  and  4 
feet  diameter,  which  was  drawn  by  "  a  device  fixt  on  six  asses." 
Finally  the  monstrous  pudding  was  to  be  divided  in  St  George's 
Fields,  but  apparently  its  smell  was  too  much  for  the  gluttony 

*  There  is  a  drawing  of  this  very  curious  relic  in  a  number  of  the  Illustrated  London 
Newi,  -published  shortly  after  the  sale. 


380  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

of  the  Londoners ;  the  escort  was  routed,  the  pudding  taken  and 
devoured,  and  the  whole  ceremony  brought  to  an  end,  before  Mr 
Austin  had  a  chance  to  Tegale  his  customers. 

Puddings  seem  to  have  been  the  forte  of  this  Austin.  Twelve 
or  thirteen  years  before  this  last  pudding,  he  had  baked  one  for 
a  wager,  ten  feet  deep  in  the  Thames,  near  KotherMthe,  by 
enclosing  it  in  a  great  tin  pan,  and  that  in  a  sack  of  lime  :  it  was 
taken  up  after  about  two  hours  and  a  half,  and  eaten  with  great 
relish,  its  only  fault  being  that  it  was  somewhat  overdone.  The 
bet  was  for  more  than  £100.  Austin  was  also  noted  for  his 
fireworks. 

The  back  windows  of  the  Boar's  Head  looked  out  upon  the 
burial-ground  of  St  Michael's  Church,*  and  there  rested  all  that 
was  mortal  of  one  of  the  waiters  of  this  tavern.  His  tomb,  in 
Purbeck  stone,  had  the  following  epitaph  : — 

"  Here  lieth  the  bodte  of  Robert  Preston,  late  Drawer  at  the  Boar's 
Head  Tavern,  Great  Eastcheap,  who  departed  this  Life,  March  16,  Anno 
Domini,  1730,  aged  27  years." 

"  Bacchus,  to  give  the  topeing  world  surprize, 
Produo'd  one  sober  son,  and  here  he  lies. 
The'  nurs'd  among  fuU  Hogsheads,  he  defy'd 
The  charm  of  wine  and  ev'ry  vice  beside. 
0  Reader,  if  to  Justice  thou  'rt  inclin'd. 
Keep  Honest  Preston  daUy  in  thy  Mind. 
He  drew  good  wine,  took  care  to  fill  his  pots. 
Had  sundhy  virtues  that  outweighed  his  fauts  (sic) 
Tou  that  on  Bacchus  have  the  like  dependance. 
Pray,  copy  Bob,  in  measure  and  attendance."  ■)■ 

Amongst  other  Boar's  Head  Inns,  we  may  notice  one  in  South- 
wark,  the  property  of  Sir  John  Falstolf  of  Caistor  Castle,  Nor- 
folk, who  died  in  1460,  and  whose  name  Shakespeare  adopted 
in  the  play.  Then  there  was  another  one  without  Aldgate,  as 
appears  from  the  following  curious  document : — 

"At  St  James's  the  v  daye  of  September,  an.  1557. 

"  A  letter  to  the  Lord  Mayor  of  London,  to  give  order  forthwith  that 
some  of  his  officers  do  forthwith  repaire  to  the  Boreshed  w""""'  Aldgate, 
where  the  Lordes  are  enf ormed  a  lewde  Playe,  called  '  A  Sacke  full  of 
Newse,'  shall  be  plaied  this  daye,  the  Playeres  whereof  he  Is  willed  to  ap- 
prehende  and  to  comitt  to  safe  warde,  untill  he  shall  heare  further  from 
hence,  and  to  take  their  Playsbook  from  them,  and  to  send  the  same 
hither. 

"At  West'  the  vj  daye  of  Sep.  1557."  J 

-  Also  demolished  to  make  room  for  the  streets  leadine:  to  Loudon  Bridge, 
t  Lansdowue  MSS.  No.  889,  art.  73. 
]  Uarleian  MSS  No.  2f.6. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  38 1 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  there  was  a  noted  tavern  in 
Bond  Street,  called  THE  Beawn's  Head,  and  the  general  opinion 
was,  that  at  one  time  it  had  a  brawn  or  boar's  head  for  its 
sign  ;  this,  however,  was  a  mistake ;  the  house  was  named  after 
the  head  of  a  noted  cook  whose  name  was  Theophilus  Brawn, 
formerly  landlord  of  Rummer  Tavern  in  Great  Queen  Street,  and 
the  article  (as  the  letters  the  were  usually  supposed  to  be)  was 
simply  an  abbreviation  of  the  man's  magnificent  Christian  name. 

AU  these  gastronomic  signs,  doubtless,  originated  in  the""  old 
custom  of  landlords  selling  eatables  : — 

"  You  brave-minded  and  most  joviall  Sardanapalitans/'  saith  Taylor  the 
"Water  poet,  addresBing  the  country  tavern-keepers,  "  have  power  and  prero- 
gative {cum  pHvUegio)  to  receive,  lodge,  feast,  and  feed,  both  man  and 
beast.  You  have  the  happinesse  to  Boyle,  Eoast,  Broyle,  and  Bake,  Pish, 
Flesh,  and  Foule,  whilst  we  in  London  have  scarce  the  command  of  a  Gtdl, 
a  widgeon,  or  a  woodioch." 

In  a  little  volume  of  1685,  entitled  "The  Praise  of  Yorkshire 
ale,"  we  are  told  that  Bacchus  held  a  parliament  in  the  Sun,  be- 
hind the  Exchange  in  York,  to  consider  the  adulteration  of  wine, 
the  various  drinking  vessels,  and  other  matters  sold  in  ale- 
houses, as : — 

"  Papers  of  sugar,  with  such  like  knacks, 
Biskets,  Luke  olives,  Anchoves,  Caveare, 
Neats'  tongues,  "Westphalia  Hambs,  and 
Such  like  cheat,  Crabs,  Lobsters,  CoUar  Beef, 
Cold  puddings,  oysters,  and  such  like  stuff." 

Hence,  then,  the  once  common  sign  of  the  Theeb  Neats'  Tongues, 
one  of  which  still  exists  in  Spitalfields;  another  one  in  the 
eighteeenth  century  was  very  appropriately  situated  in  BuU  and 
Mouth  Street.*  The  Ham  is  the  usual  porkman's  sign,  though 
at  "Wahnyth,  in  Yorkshire,  there  is  a  public-house  sign  of  the 
Ham  and  Fiekin.  The  Ceab  and  Lobster  Inn  occurs  at 
Ventnor ;  the  Lobstee  is  a  sign  on  trades  tokens  of  a  shop  in 
Bearbinder  (now  St  Swithin's)  Lane,  and  also  near  the  Majrpole 
in  the  Strand ;  the  Ceawfish  at  Thursford  Guist,  in  Norfolk, 
and  the  Butt  and  Oystee  at  Chelmondiston,  Ipswich.  Those 
eatables,  aU  more  or  less  salt,  were  sold  as  incitements  to  drink, 
and  went  by  the  cant  term  of  shoeing  horns,  gloves,  or  pullers-on. 
They  are  often  alluded  to  by  ancient  authors  : — 

"  Then,  sir,  comes  me  up  a  service  of  shoHng-homs  of  all  sorts,  salt  cakes, 
red  herrings,' anchoves,  and  gammon  of  bacon,  and  abundance  of  such  pul- 
lers-on." — Bishop  Hall's  Mundiis  alter  et  idem. 

*■  Bagford  Bills,  Harleian  MSS. 


382  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  Pie  was  a  sign  in  very  early  times,  and  gave  its  name  to 
Pie  Comer,  "  a  place  so  called  from  such  a  sign,  sometimes  a  fair 
inn  for  receipt  of  travellers." — Stow,  p.  139.  One  of  the  most 
famous  inns  with  that  sign  was  the  Pie  in  Aldgate. 

"  One  ask'd  a  friend  where  Captain  Shark  did  lye. 
Why,  sir,  quoth  he,  at  Aldgate  at  the  Pye. 
Away,  quoth  th'  other,  he  lies  not  there,  I  know 't. 
TSSo,  sayes  the  other,  then  he  Uea  in 's  throat." 

Witi'  Recreation,  p.  185,  vol.  ii. 

De  FoBj  in  his  "  History  of  the  Plague,"  tells  of  "  a  dreadful  set 
of  fellows  "  who  used  to  revel  and  roar  nightly  in  that  inn  during 
the  time  the  plague  was  at  its  height,  but  within  a  fortnight 
aU  of  them  were  buried.  The  Cock  and  Pie  was  once  common. 
At  an  inn  in  Ipswich  there  used  to  be  a  rude  representation  of  a 
cock  perched  on  a  pie,  which  was  discovered  whilst  the.house 
was  undergoing  some  repairs.  It  was  also,  about  the  middle  of 
last  century,  the  sign  of  a  house  &med  for  conviviality,  which 
stood  on  the  site  of  the  present  Eathbone  Place,  Oxford  Street, 
and  was  the  resort  of  the  "  fancy""  of  those  days.  A  row  of  fine 
elms  connected  this  house  with  another,  noted  for  the  manu- 
facture of  Bath  buns  and  Tunbridge  water-cakes,  the  latter  a 
dainty  now  almost  obsolete,  but  which  then  was  so  famous, 
that  it  was  one  of  the  London  cries,  being  sold  by  a  man  on 
horseback.  With  regard  to  the  origin  of  the  sign  Cock;  and 
Pie,  both  the  ancient  Catholic  oath,  to  swear  by  Cock  and  Pie, 
(by  God  and  the  Pie,  or  Roman  Catholic  service  book,)  and  the 
fable  of  the  magpie  (Old  English  pie,  or  pye)  and  the  peacocks, 
have  each  been  duly  considered  by  us ;  but  the  sign  is  prob- 
ably only  an  abbreviation  of  the  Peacock  and  Pie.  In  ancient 
times  the  peacock  was  a  favourite  dish,  and  was  introduced 
on  the  table  in  a  pie;  the  head,  with  gUt  beak,  being  ele- 
vated above  the  crust,  and  the  beautiful  feathers  of  the  tail 
expanded.  As  a  dainty  dish,  then,  it  may  have  been  put  up,  like 
the  other  good  things  of  this  world,  just  mentioned,  as  a  trap  to 
hungry  or  epicurean  passers-by ;  at  last  the  dish  went  out  of 
fashion,  the  name  even  became  a  mystery,  and  was  rendered  by 
the  sign-painters,  according  to  their  own  understanding,  by  a 
Cock  and  Magpie,  which  is  still  very  common.  There  is  a 
public-house  with  such  a  sign  in  Drury  Lane,  which  was  already 
in  existence  more  than  two  centuries  ago,  when  the  rest  of  Druiy 
Lane  was  stUl  occupied  by  farms  and  gardens,  and  the  mansions 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  383 

of  the  Drury  family.  Hither  the  youths  and  maidens  of  the 
metropolis,  who,  on  May-day,  danced  round  the  Maypole  in  the 
Strand,  were  accustomed  to  resort  for  cakes  and  ale,  and  other 
refreshments.  This  ale-house  gave  its  name  to  the  Cock  and 
Pye  Fields,  between  Drury  Lane  and  St  Giles'  Hospital.  At 
Chatsworth,  the  original  name  was  mutilated  by  a  provincialism 
into  the  Cock  and  Ptnot,  (Derbyshire,  for  Magpie.)  In  this 
ale-house,  still  existing,  the  Kevolution  of  1688  was  plotted,  be- 
tween Thomas  Osborne  Earl  of  Danby,  William  Cavendish 
Earl  of  Devonshire,  and  Mr  John  d'Arcy.  They  met  by  appoint- 
ment on  a  heath  adjoining  the  house,  but  a  shower  of  rain  com- 
ing on,  they  adjourned  to  the  inn.  The  room  is  stUl  shown  in 
which  the  conspirators  met.  In  Hone's  "  Table  Book  "  there  is 
a  woodcut  of  the  inn,  showing  the  wooden  construction  across 
the  road,  by  which  the  signs  in  villages  were  generally  suspended. 

Lastly,  we  may  mention  the  Pickled  Egg,  in  ClerkenweU.  As 
the  origin  of  this  sign,  it  is  said  that  Charles  II.  here  once  par- 
took of  the  dish,  which  so  flattered  the  landlord,  that  he  adopted 
it  as  his  sign,  and  so  it  has  remained  till  this  day.  It  has  given 
its  name  to  a  lane  called  Pickled  Egg  Walk,  in  which  there  was 
a  notorious  cocking-house,  frequently  mentioned  in  advertise- 
ments circa  1775. 

We  may  very  appropriately  terminate  the  gastronomic  signs 
with  the  Cheshire  Cheese,  which  is  still  very  common ;  there 
is  a  famous  tavern  of  this  name  in  Wine  Office  Court,  Fleet  Street, 
and  numerous  public-houses  in  the  country  have  adopted  it  as 
their  signs.     And  as  we  began  with  the  SaM  Horn  we  wiU  end 
with  the  MusTAHD-POT,  which  was  the  sign  of  a  mustard  shop  in 
Holland,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  with  these  rhymes  : — 
"  Ik  lever  uyt 
Een  zeldzaam  kruyt 
Daar  zyn  der  weinig  in  de  stad 
Of  ik  heb  ze  "by  de  neus  gehad."  * 
This  reminds  us  of  a  rather  indelicate  sign  of  a  mustard  shop, 
formerly  in  the  Rue  du  Chatel,  at  Beauvais,  but  now  in  the 
Musge  d'Antiquites  of  that  town,  representing  a  fool   stirring 
mustard  in  a  barrel  with  a  large  stick,  whilst  a  tall  grinning 

*  This  loses  much  by  translation : — 
"  I  contain 
A  curious  kind  of  condiment — 
There  are  not  many  people  in  this  town 
Which  I  have  not  Iwd  lyif  the  Twse." 
This  is  a  pun  in  Dutch,  on  the  sensation  produced  in  the  nose  by  mustard,  the  expres- 
sion meaning,  at  the  same  time,  "to  take  in." 


384  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

monkey  stands  just  opposite,  assisting  him  in  a  way  we  need  not 
describe. 

Drinkables  are  not  frequent  as  signs,  if  we  except  such  as  the 
Rhenish  Wine  House,  and  the  Canaet  House  ;  two  taverns  of 
Old  London,  named  after  the  wines  they  sold.  Baeley  Beoth, 
Bee's- WING,  and  Yoekshiee  Stingo,  are  at  present  aU  three  com- 
mon :  the  first  applies  either  to  whisky  or  beer ;  the  second  is 
the  delicate  crimson  film  left  in  bottles  by  old  port  wine,  and 
Yorkshire  stingo  is  the  well-known  name  of  a  kind  of  ale.  From 
a  house  with  this  name  in  the  New  Road,  the  first  pair  of  Lon- 
don omnibuses  were  started,  July  4,  1829,  running  to  the  Bank 
and  back  :  they  were  constructed  to  carry  twenty-two  passengers, 
all  inside ;  the  fare  was  one  shilling,  or  sixpence  for  half  the  dis- 
tance, together  with  the  luxury  of  a  newspaper.  A  Mr  J.  ShiUi- 
beer  was  the  owner  of  these  carriages,  and  the  first  conductors 
were  the  two  sons  of  a  British  naval  officer. 

Drinking  vessels  are  very  appropriate  ale-house  signs.  Amongst 
the  oldest  certainly  ranks  the  Black  Jack,  common  even  in  the 
present  day,  although  the  vessel  that  it  represented  is  long  sLace 
fallen  into  disuse  :  it  was  a  leather  bottle,  sometimes  lined  with 
silver  or  other  metal,  and  perhaps  took  its  name  from  a  part  of 
the  soldiers'  armour.  Sometimes  it  was  ornamented  with  little 
silver  beUs  "  to  ring  peales  of  drunkeness,"  in  which  case  it  was 
called  a  "  gyngle  boy."  *  This  primitive  bottle  has  been  celebrated 
in  one  of  the  Roxburghe  BaUads,  (vol.  iii.,  foL  433  :) — 

"  God  above  that  made  all  things, 
The  heaven,  and  earth,  and  all  therein, 
The  ships  that  on  the  sea  do  swim 
For  to  keepe  the  enemies  out  that  none  come  in. 
And  let  them  all  do  what  they  caji. 
It  is  for  the  use  and  pains  of  man  ; 
And  I  wish  in  heaven  his  soul  may  dwell, 
Who  first  devized  the  leather  bottle." 

Its  various  good  qualities  are  next  explained,  and  finally  : — 
"  Then  when  this  battle  doth  grow  old. 
And  will  no  longer  good  liquor  hold, 
Out  of  its  side  you  may  take  a  clout, 
Will  mend  your  shoes  when  they  are  worn  out, 
Else  take  it  and  hang  it  upon  a  pin. 
It  will  serve  to  put  odd  trifles  in, 
As  hinges,  awls,  and  candle  ends, 
VoT  yoimg  beginners  must  have  such  things." 

'  Deckel's  English  Villnnies  Seven  Times  Pressed  to  Death. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  385 

There  is  another  ballad  in  the  same  collection,  (vol.  L,  fol.  107,) 
entitled  "  Time's  Alteration,  or  the  Old  Man's  Rehearsal,"  which 
speaks  of  the  black  jack  in  the  following  terpas  ; — 
"  Black  jacks  to  eueyy  man 

Were  filled  with  wine  an4  Beere, 

No  pewter  Pot  nor  Canne 

In  those  days  did  appeare  : 

We  took  not  such  delight 
In  cups  of  silyer  fine ; 
No  pewter  Pot  nor  Canne 
In  those  days  did  appeare; 

None  under  the  degree  of  a  knight 
In  Plate  drunk  Beere  or  Wine." 

But  we  may  glean  more  fuU  and  complete  particulars  from  Hey- 
wood's  "  Philocothonista  or  Drunkard  Opened,  Dissected  and 
Anatomized,"  1635,  where  we  get  a  detailed  inventory  of  all  the 
various  drinking  vessels  of  the  day  : — 

"  Of  drinking  Cups  divers  and  sundry  sorts  we  have ;  some  of  elme, 
some  of  box,  some  of  maple,  some  of  hoUy,  etc.  Mazers,  broad  mouthed 
dishes,  naggius,  whiskins,  piggins,  creuzes,  alebowles,  wassel  bowles,  court 
dishes,  tankards,  kaunes,  from  a  pottle  to  a  pint,  from  a  pint  to  a  gill. 
Other  bottles  we  have  of  leather,  but  they  are  most  used  amongst  the 
shepheards  and  harvest  people  of  the  countrey  :  small  jacks  wee  have  in 
many  alehouses  of  the  citie  and  suburbs  lipt  with  silver  :  blackjacks  and 
bombards  at  the  Court ;  which  when  the  Frenchmen  first  saw,  they 
reported  at  their  return  into  their  countrey  that  the  Englishmen  used  to 
drinke  out  of  tiieir  bootea.  We  have  besides  cups  made  of  homes  of 
beastes,  of  cockemuts,*  of  goords,  of  eggs  of  estriches ;  others  made  of 
the  shells  of  divers  fishes  brought  from  the  Indies  and  other  places,  and 
shining  like  mother  of  pearle.  Come  to  plate,  every  taverne  can  afibrd 
you  flat  bowles,  french  bowles,  prounet  cups,  beare  bowles,  beakers ;  and 
private  householders  in  the  citie,  when  they  make  a  feaste  to  entertain 
their  friends,  can  furnish  their  cupboards  with  flaggons,  tankards,  beere 
cups,  wine  bowles,  some  white,  some  percell  guilt,  some  guilt  all  over, 
some  with  covers,  others  without,  of  sundry  shapes  and  quaUtiea." 

That  they  were  of  ancient  use  and  high  in  price  appears  from  an 
entry  in  the  expenses  of  John,  King  of  France,  when  prisoner  in 
England  after  the  battle  of  Poictiers,  1359-60  : — 
"Pour  deux  bouteilles  de   cuir  achet^es  a   Londres  pour   Monseigneur 
PhiUppe 9s.  8d." 

Though  these  vessels  are  now  completely  superseded  by  pewter 
and  glass,  yet  their  memory  still  lives  on  the  signboard,  and 

•  Oocoa-nuts.     Tlie  word  is  still  pronounced  in  that  manner  toy  the  lowtr  classes. 

3C 


386  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

the  Leather  Bottle  is  anything  but  an  uncommon  ale-house 
emblem  at  the  present  day.  There  is  one  still  to  be  seen, 
carved  in  wood,  suspended  in  front  of  an  old  ale-house  at  the 
comer  of  Charles  Street,  Hatton  Garden.  In  Germany,  also,  the 
leather  bottle  was  once  in  use ;  drinking  vessels  of  various  ma- 
terials, in  the  shape  of  a  boot,  are  common  in  that  country, 
usually  with  this  inscription  :— 

"  Wer  sein  Stiefel  nit  drinken  kan, 
Der  iet  fiihrwahr  kein  Teutscher  Man." 

The  Black-jack  Tavern,  in  Clare  Market,  still  in  existence,  ac- 
quired some  celebrity  from  being  the  favourite  haunt  of  Joe 
Miller,  the  reputed  author  of  the  famous  Jest  Book.  The  house 
was  also  for  a  long  time  known  by  the  cant  name  of  the  Jump, 
which  it  had  received  from  the  fact  of  Jack  Sheppard  one  day 
escaping  the  clutches  of  Jonathan  Wild's  emissaries  by  jumping 
from  a  window  into  the  street,  and  so  making  his  escape.  From 
the  Leather  Bottle  to  the  Golden  Bottle  is  not  so  great  a  step 
as  wotdd  appear  at  first  sight,  the  golden  bottle  being  simply  the 
leather  bottle  gilt,  as  may  be  seen  above  the  door  of  Messrs 
Hoare  the  bankers,  in  Fleet  Street,  a  firm  established  for  cen- 
turies under  the  same  sign,  although  not  always  occupying  the 
same  premises.  In  the  "Little  London  Directory  for  1677"  we 
find  : — "  James  Hore  at  the  Golden  Bottle  in  Cheapside,"  one 
of  the  goldsmiths  that  kept  "running  cashes."  In  1693  we  find 
Mr  Kichard  Hoare,  a  goldsmith,  "  at  the  Golden  Bottle"  in 
Cheapside,  but  in  1718  the  house  in  Cheapside  seems  to  have 
had  a  second  occupant : — 

"  "TvROPT  or  taken  from  a  Ladies'  side  on  Tuesday,  the  25"'  of  March, 
\J  coming  from  the  Spanish  ambassadour's  at  St  James'  Square,  a  gold 
watch  and  chain,  with  a  seal  to  it,  a  pendulum*  on  the  outside  ;  Windmill 
the  maker.  Whoeyer  brings  it  to  Mr  Madding,  Goldsmith  at  the  QoMen 
Bottle,  the  upper  end  of  Cheapside,  or  to  Jonathan  WUde,  over  against  the 
Duke  of  Grafton's  Head  in  the  Old  Bailey,  shaU  have  8  Guineas  and  no 
questions  asked." — Daily  Courant,  April  5,  1718. 

That  the  Golden  Can  was  also  an  old  sign  may  be  concluded 
from  a  mention  in  the  nursery  rhyme  : — 

"  Little  Brown  Betty  lived  at  the  Golden  Can, 

Where  she  brewed  good  ale  for  gentlemen. 

And  gentlemen  came  every  day. 

Till  little  brown  Betty  she  hopt  away." 

Where  the  fact  of  little  brown  Betty  brewing  good  ale  points  to 

*  A  face  or  dial-plat',  sometimes  also  called  ^lendulum  dial. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  387 

a  very  old  custom,  wlien  ale-wives  flourished,  and  Eleanor 
Rumying  and  her  gossips  brewed  their  own  ale.  The  Golden 
Can  is  still  to  be  seen  on  two  public-houses  in  Norwich.  The 
GuiLDED  Cup  in  Houndsditch  is  mentioned  in  a  quaint  little 
pamphlet  on  the  virtues  of  "  Warme  Beere,"  1641. 

The  Flask  was  the  sign  of  an  old-established  tavern  in  Ebury 
Square,  Pimlico.  In  the  last  century  there  were  two  famous 
Flash  taverns  in  Hampstead  ;  the  one  called  the  Lower  Flask 
was  an  inn  at  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  is  mentioned  in  the 
following  advertisement,  printed  on  the  cover  of  the  original 
edition  of  the  Spectator,  No.  428  : — 

"  rpHIS  IS  TO  GIVE  NOTICE  that  Hampstead  Fair  is  to  be  kept  upon  the 
J.   Lower  Flask  Tavern  Walk,  on  Friday,  the  first  of  August,  and  holds 
for  four  days." 

The  Upper  Flask  was  a  place  of  public  entertainment  near 
the  summit  of  Hampstead  HiQ,  and  is  now  a  private  residence. 
Here  Richardson  sends  his  Clarissa  : — "  The  Hampstead  coach, 
when  the  dear  fugitive  came  to  it,  had  but  two  passengers  in  it, 
but  she  made  the  fellow  go  off  directly,  paying  for  the  vacant 
places.  The  two  passengers  directing  the  coachman  to  set  them 
down  at  the  Upper  Flash,  she  bid  them  set  her  dovpn  there 
also."  The  weU-known  Kit-Kat  Club  used  to  meet  at  this 
tavern  in  the  summer  months ;  and  here,  after  it  became  a 
private  abode,  George  Steevens,  the  celebrated  critic  and  anti- 
quary, Uved  and  died. 

Besides  these,  more  homely  vessels  occur  as  publicans'  signs 
at  the  present  day,  which  it  requires  no  stretch  of  imagination 
to  understand  the  meaning  of,  as  the  Pitcher  and  Glass,  the 
Brown  Jug,  the  Jug  and  Glass,  the  Bottle  and  Glass,  the 
Foaming  Quart,  &c.  At  Newark  the  Bottle  is  accompanied 
by  the  following  inscription  : — 

"  From  this  Bottle  I  am  sure 
You  '11  get  a  glass  both  good  and  pure. 
In  opposition  to  a  many, 
I  'm  striving  hard  to  get  a  penny." 

The  Pewter  Pot,  an  old  sign,  is  thus  alluded  to  by  Handle 
Holme.* 

"  This  should  be  looked  upon  by  all  good  artists  to  be  the  most  ignoble 
and  dishonourable  bearing ;  but  as  the  custom  takes  away  the  sense  of  dis- 
like, so  the  frequent  use  takes  away  the  dishonour,  whii?h  is  seen  by  those 

*  Book  ill.,  p.  294. 


388  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDa. 

multitude^  that  have  it  for  their  cognizance,  in  so  much  that  it  is  painted 
oyer  their  doors  by  the  wayside."  * 

The  Pewter  Pot,  in  Leadenhall  Street,  was  a  famous  carriers' 
and  coaching  inn  in  1681.  There  are  also  the  Six  Caus,  in 
High  Holbom,  (a  sign  evidently  suggested  by  the  Thbee  Tuns  ;) 
and,  in  the  same  locality,  the  Six  Cans  and  Punchbowl. 
This  last  object,  the  Punchpowl,  was  introduced  on  the  sign- 
board at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  when  punch  became 
the  fashionable  drink ;  in  one  instaiice,  at  Penalney  Kea,  near 
Truro,  we  have  the  Punchbowl  and  Ladle,  but  most  gener- 
ally it  is  found  in  combination  with  other  very  heterogeneous 
objects.  The  reason  of  this  is  that  punch,  like  music,  had  a  sort 
of  political  prestige,  and  was  the  Whig  drink,  whilst  the  Tories 
adhered  to  sack,  claret,  and  canary,  connected  in  their  memory 
with  bygone  things  and  times.  Hence  it  followed  that  the 
punchbowl  was  added  as  a  kind  of  party-badge  to  many  of  the 
Whig  tavern  signs,  and  hence  such  combinations  as  the  following, 
all  of  which  still  survive  at  the  present  day  : — 

The  Crown  and  Punchbowl,  Somersham,  St  Ives. 

The  Magpie  and  Punchbowl,  Bishopsgate  Within. 

The  EosE  AND  Punchbowl,  Eedman's  Eow,  Stepney,  and 
elsewhere. 

The  Ship  and  Punchbowl,  Wapping. 

The  Eed  Lion  and  Punchbowl,  St  John's  Street,  CJlerkenweU. 

The  Union  Flag  and  Punchbowl,  High  Street,  Wapping. 

The  Dog  and  Punchbowl,  Lymm,  Warrington,  Cheshire. 

The  Halfmoon  and  Punchbowl,  Buckle  Street,  WhitechapeL 

The  Pakeot  and  Punchbowl,  Aldringham,  Suffolk. 

The  Fox  AND  Punchbowl,  Old  Windsor,  (perhaps  meant  for 
the  great  statesman,  who  was  not  disinclined  to  the  beverage.) 

The  Two  Pots  is  the  sign  of  a  public-house  at  Boxworth,  St 
Ives,  accompanied  by  the  following  verses,  which  are  enough  to 
set  the  teeth  of  a  Boeotian  on  edge :  how  then  must  they  shock  the 
refined  ears  of  the  Cambridge  dons  ? — 

"  Rest,  traveller,  rest;  lo,  Cooper's  hand 
Obedient  brings  two  pots  at  thy  command ; 
Rest,  traveller,  rest;  and  banish  thoughts  of  care, 
Drink  to  thy  friends  and  recommend  them  here." 

•  What  would  old  Handle  Holme  have  said,  had  he  seen  the  elegant  (!)  breast- 
pins displayed  in  the  shop-windows  of  one  of  the  principal  West  End  jewellers,  formiiig 
the  tasteful  device  of  a  tobacco-pipe  on  a  quart  pot ;  another  with  a  rebus  for  :  "  Yt.u 
are  an  artfa  heartlful  card  ; "  and  a  third  with  :  "0  my  eye  1"  and  similar  duli'nyiu 
ornaments. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  389 

Another  Two  Pots,  at  Leatlierhead,  can  boast  a  most  venerable 
antiquity,  for  it  is  believed  to  be  the  very  ale-house  where  the 
notorious  Eleanor  Eumying  tunned  her  "  noppy  ale,"  and  made 

"  thereof  fast  sale 
To  travellers,  to  tinkers, 
To  sweaters,  to  swinkers, 
And  all  good  ale'drinkers." 

There  was,  at  the  end  of  the  last  century,  a  painted  sign  stiU 
remaining,  which,  under  a  coating  of  summer's  dust  and  winter's 
sludge,  faintly  showed  two  pots  of  beer  placed  in  the  same 
position  as  they  are  on  the  title-page  of  the  original  edition  of 
Skelton's  poem. 

The  sign  of  the  Two  Pots  again  gave  rise  to  that  of  the 
Three  Pots,  at  Horseway  Bridge,  Chatteris,  in  the  same  county, 
and  at  Burbage,  near  Hinckley. 

The  EuMMBE,  another  drinking  vessel,  is  also  common  :  there 
is  one  in  Old  Fish  Street,  and  there  are  three  Rummer  public- 
houses  in  Bristol  alone.  A  tavern  of  that  name  was  kept  by 
Samuel  Prior,  uncle  of  Matthew  Prior  the  poet.  Uncle  Sam 
took  his  nephew  as  an  apprentice  to  learn  the  business,  and 
be  his  successor.  Prior  alludes  to  this  uncle  and  his  little  pro- 
fessional tricks  in  the  following  lines  : — 

"  My  uncle,  rest  his  soul,  when  living, 
Might  have  contrived  me  ways  of  thriving ; 
Taught  me  with  cider  to  replenish 
My  vats  or  ebbing  tide  of  Rhenish ; 
So,  when  for  Hock  I  drew  pricked  white  Wine, 
Swear  't  had  the  flavour  and  was  right  wine." 

To  his  stay  in  this  tavern  also  alludes  the  bitter  Whig  satire  in 
"  State  Poems,"  (ii.,  p.  355,)  beginning — 

"  A  vintner's  boy  the  wretch  was  first  preferr'd 
To  wait  at  vice's  gates  and  pimp  for  bread ; 
To  hold  the  candle,  and  sometimes  the  door, 
Let  in  the  drunkard,  and  let  out  the  w ." 

In  1709  there  was  another  Rummer  tavern  "over  against  Bow 
Lane,  in  Cheapside,"  where  "  the  surprizing  Mr  Higgins,  the 
posture  master,  that  lately  performed  at  the  Queen's  Theatre 
Boyal  in  the  Haymarket,"  was  to  be  seen  every  evening  at  six ; 
admission  18d.  and  Is. 

This  sign  was  also  common  in  Holland  two  centuries  ago  ;  at 
that  time  there  was  one  in  Amsterdam  with  this  inscription  : — 


390  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"  AIb  gy  dees  Koemer  ziet,  gy  kunt  ze  pryzen  of  lakea, 
Maarkomt  in,  proeft  zyn  nat,  dat  zal  u  beeter  smaaken."  * 

And  anothw  one  at  the  Hague  had  this  same  idea,  but  added 
a  caution  to  it  on  a  double-sided  signboard  : — 

"  Does  Roemer  die  gy  ziet  en  kan  u  niet  vennaken, 

Komt  in  en  proeft  het  nat  het  zal  u  beter  emakeu 

Maar  siet  eens  wat  Her  achter  etaat." 

On  the  other  side  : — 

"  Betaal  eerst,  eer  je  henen  gaat 
Of  anders  hoed  of  mantel  laat.+ 

A  near  relative  of  the  Kummer  was  the  Bumpee,  a  tavern 
in  St  James'  Street,  Covent  Garden,  kept  by  Estcourt  the 
actor.  His  drawer  was  "  his  old  servant  Trusty  Anthony,  who 
has  so  often  adorned  both  the  theatres  in  Engla.nd  and  Ireland ; 
and  as  he  is  a  person  altogether  unknown  in  the  Wine  Trade, 
it  cannot  be  doubted  but  that  he  wiU  deliver  the  wine  in  the 
same  natural  purity  as  he  receives  it  from  the  said  merchants," 
(Brooke  &  HUlier.) — Estcourt's  advertisements  on  the  last  page 
of  the  original  Edition  of  the  Spectator,  cclx.,  1711.  To  this 
occupation  of  Estcourt,  ParneU  aUudes  in  the  beginning  of  his 
poems  : — 

"  Gay  Bacclius  liking  Estcourt's  wine, 

A  noble  meal  bespoke  us ; 
And  for  the  guests  that  were  to  dine 

Brought  Comus,  Love,  and  Jocus." 

This  same  Estcourt  was  sometime  provedore  of  the  Beefeteak 
Club. 

Finally,  we  may  conclude  this  notice  of  drinking  vessels  on 
the  signboard  with  the  Tankaed,  which  is  stiU  of  frequent 
occurrence.  There  is  a  public-house  at  Ipswich  with  this  sign, 
which  was  formerly  part  of  the  house  of  Sir  Anthony  Wing 
field,  one  of  the  legal  executors  of  Henry  VIIL 

The  hanap  or  tankard  was  generally  of  silver,  and  was  for 
merly  one  of  the  most  valuable  properties  of  an  ale-house,  for 
in  the  Act  13  Edw.  I.,  it  says  that  "  if  a  tavern-keeper  keep  his 
house  open  after  curfew  he  shall  be  put  on  his  surety  the  first 

*  "When  you  see  this  Bummer  you  may  praise  or  blame  it, 

But  come  in,  and  taste  its  liquor,  you  will  like  that  better." 
I  "  This  Rummer  which  you  see  here  cannot  give  you  much  pleasure. 
Gome  in,  and  taste  its  liquor,  you  will  like  tliat  better, 
But  first,  see  what  is  written  on  the  other  side." 
On  the  other  side : — 

"  Pay  before  you  go  away, 
otherwise  you  will  have  to  leave  your  hat  or  your  cloak," 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  39 1 

time  by  the  hanap  of  the  tavern,  or  by  some  other  good  pledge 
therein  found."*  Silver  tankards  were  more  or  less  common  in 
all  the  London  taverna.  In  some  houses  they  were  reserved  for 
the  more  distinguished  visitors ;  in  others,  as  at  the  BuU's  Head 
in  LeadenhaU  Street,  "every  poor  mechanic  drank  in  plate." 
They  were  of  different  sizes,  and  experienced  topers  well  knew 
for  which  name  to  call  when  ordering  a  tankard  proportionate  to 
their  thirst.  From  a  curious  old  tippler's  handbook,  published 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne  or  George  the  First,  entitled,  "  A 
Vade  Mecum  for  Maltworms,"  we  gather  that  the  names  of  the 
tankards  at  the  Sweet  Apple,  in  Sweet  Apple  Yard,  were  "  the 
Lamb,"  "  the  Lion,"  "  the  Peacock,"  (in  honour  of  the  brewer,) 
"  Sacheverell,"  (in  memory  of  the  notorious  divine  of  St  Andrew's, 
Holbom,)  and  "  Nan  Elton."  The  same  work  also  relates  a  curi- 
ous instance  of  enthusiasm  in  a  publican.  His  house,  the  Eaven, 
in  Fetter  Lane,  was  famous  for 

"  Massy  tankards  f  orm'd  of  silver  plate. 
That  walk  throughout  his  noted  house  in  state ; 
Ever  since  Eaglesfleld  in  Anna's  reign, 
To  compliment  eaeh  forttmate  campaign, 
Kade  one  t)e  hammer'd  out  for  every  town  was  ta'en." 

We  may  suppose  each  tankard  named  after  a  victory — the  greater 
the  victory,  the  greater  the  tankard ;  and  can  imagine  the  gra- 
tifying display  of  loyalty  in  emptying  those  tankards  to  the  per- 
dition of  "  Popery  and  wooden  shoes." 

Besides  the  tankard  for  drinking  beer  or  wine,  there  was  also 
the  Watee  Taukaed.  In  Ben  Jonson's  comedy  of  "  Every 
Man  in  his  Humour,"  1598,  Cob,  the  water-carrier  of  the  Old 
Jewry,  says : — "  I  dwell,  sir,  at  the  sign  of  the  Water  Taneiabd, 
hard  by  the  Green  Lattice.  I  have  paid  scot  and  lot  there  many 
time  this  eighteen  years."  These  water-tankards  were  used  for 
carrying  water  from  the  conduits  to  the  houses,  and  were  there- 
fore a  professional  sign  of  the  water-carriers.  The  measures  held 
about  three  gallons,  and  were  shaped  like  a  truncated  cone,  with 
an  iron  handle  and  hoops  like  a  pail,  and  were  closed  with  a  cork, 
bung,  or  stopple.  In  Wilkinson's  "  Londina  lUustrata,"  there 
is  an  engraving  of  Westcheap  as  it  appeared  in  the  year  1585, 
copied  from  a  drawing  of  the  period,  in  which  the  Little  Conduit 
is  seen  with  a  quantity  of  water-tankards  ranged  round  it. 

Amongst  the  other  articles  of  furniture  wMch  are  represented 

*  Liber  Albus,  Book  iii.,  Part  ii. 


392  THE  HISTOR  Y  OF  8IGNB0A  EDS. 

on  tte  signboard  we  must  first  of  all  notice  that  useful  article 
the  Looking  Glass,  which  was  the  favourite  sign  of  the  book- 
sellers on  London  Bridge.  Thus,  one  of  John  Bunyan's  works, 
"  The  Saints'  Triumph,  or  th*  Glory  of  Saints  with  Jesus  Christ 
discovered  in  a  Divine  Ejaculation  by  J.  B.,"  was  printed  by  J. 
Millet  for  J.  Blare,  at  the  Looking  Glass  on  London  Bridge,  in 
1 688.  The  French  booksellers  also  used  it ;  for  instance,  Nicholas 
Desprlanx,  or  Dupr6,  a  bookseller  of  the  seventeenth  century, 
who  lived  near  the  church  of  St  Etienne  du  Mont,  at  Paris. 
Its  origin  was  this : — ^Speculum,  a  looking-glass,  was  in  the 
middle  ages  a  common  name  for  a  certain  class  of  books.  We 
find,  as  early  as  1332,  a  work  entitled  "  Speculum  Historiale  in 
consuetudine  Parisiensi ;"  then  there  is  the  "  Grand  Speculum 
Historiale,"  the  great  historical  work  of  Vincent  of  Beauvais, 
one  of  the  most  celebrated  books  of  the  Middle  Ages ;  "  Specu- 
lum Humanse  Salvationist"  "Speculurn  Humanae  Vitse;"  "  Specu- 
lum Vitse  ChristaB,"  "  a  boke  that  is  clepid  the  Myrrour  of  the 
blessed  lyfie  of  our  Lorde  J'hu  cryste ;"  the  "  Mirrour  of  Magis- 
trates;" "Le  miroir  de  I'ame  picheresse,"  and  innumerable  other 
Speculums.  These  Speculums  were  amongst  the  first  books  that 
were  printed ;  many  of  the  early  booksellers  adopted  the  Bible 
as  their  sign,  whilst  others  chose  the  Speculum,  which  they  trans- 
lated and  made  more  fit  for  the  signboard  under  the  name  of  the 
Looking  Glass. 

A  curious  fact  is  connected  with  this  so  common  title  of  the 
Speculum  for  early  religious  books.  When  the  first  pioneers 
in  the  art  of  printing  were  pondering  over  their  new  inven- 
tion, during  the  transition  period  from  block-printing  to  printing 
with  detached  letters,  Guttenberg,  in  1436,  entered  into  an 
agreement  with  John  Eifie,  Anthony  Heilman,  and  Andrew 
Dreizehn,  in  which  speculation  the  three  associates  were  to  fur- 
nish the  necessary  Amds,  whilst  Guttenberg  was  to  pay  them 
one  half  of  any  profits,  the  other  half  being  for  himself.  After 
a  certain  time  the  association  broke  up,  differences  arose  about 
the  liquidation,  and  a  lawsuit  was  the  consequence.  The  docu- 
ments of  this  lawsuit  are  still  in  existence;  from  them  it  appears 
that  they  kept  their  invention  a  secret,  and  called  themselves 
" Spiegelmachers"  (makers  of  looking-glasses,)  which  looking- 
glasses,  according  to  the  evidence  of  witnesses,  had  found  a 
very  ready  sale  amongst  the  pilgrims  who  at  that  period  con- 
gregated at  Aix-la-Chapelle  on  the  occasion  of  some  religious 


^.Ci^-iJl-iy 


J     J^ri   A      1^  t^tJ. 


GUN. 


HAND     fe     COFFEE-POT. 


HARROW. 


I.  I.  I.  I. I. I 


'■'■'I'l'l'l 


'harrow  gc   lamb"  "helmet; 


"hole-in-the-wall'.' 


"horn" 


HORSE- SHOE. 


JUSTICE. 


a 


JACK   OF  NEWBURY. 


KING  S    HEAD. 

[cHARLES     21°!] 


"king    JOHN." 


"last." 


"lock   u.    key." 


"lion" 


LONDON     TAVERN     SIGNS,    CIRC:    I700-I720. 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  393 

festival.  But  as  apparently  no  extra  number  of  mirrors  were 
sold  on  that  occasion,  and  there  does  not  appear  to  have  been 
any  new  invention  in  the  art  of  making  them,  it  is  evident 
that  the  looking-glasses  sold  were  the  Speculum  books,  which 
undoubtedly  would  be  readily  purchased  by  the  pilgrims  to 
the  holy  shrine.  This  opinion  is  still  more  corroborated  by 
the  mention  made  in  the  evidence  of  a  Press,  which  could 
scarcely  be  used  in  the  manufacture  of  looking-glasses.  It  is 
therefore  most  probable  that,  as  the  art  of  printing  was  at  this 
period  still  in  its  infancy,  and  the  printed  works  were  sold  rather 
as  an  imitation  or  facsimile*  of  the  written  manuscripts,  this  art 
was  still  kept  a  secret ;  by  so  doing,  its  early  practitioners  were 
not  only  safe  from  competition,  but  also  from  the  attacks  and 
opposition  by  which  the  new  invention  would  have  been  assailed 
by  all  those  connected  with  the  business  of  transcribing  and 
illuminating.t 

Other  pieces  of  furniture  are  the  Cabinet,  a  common  up- 
holsterer's sign  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  ;  the 
Three  Cbickbts,  or  little  stools,  which  we  gather  from  a  trades 
token  of  the  seventeenth  century,  was  in  Crooked  Lane;  and 
the  Cradle,  a  peculiar  sign,  occurs  in  Taylor's  "Carrier's  Cos- 
mography," 1637,  where  he  gives  a  rather  curious  insight  into 
the  postal  arrangements  of  that  time  : — 

"  Those  that  will  send  any  letter  to  Edinbourgh,  that  so  they  may  be 
conveyed  to  and  fro  to  any  parts  of  the  kingdome  of  Scotland,  the  poste 
doth  lodge  at  the  signe  of  the  Icings  armes  or  the  Cbadle  at  the  upper  end 
of  Cheapside,  from  whence  every  Monday  any  that  have  occasion 
may  send." 

Generally,  however,  it  did  not  designate  so  respectable  a  busi- 
ness ;  the  "  Compleat  Vintner,"  1720,  explains  the  secret  arcana 
of  that  sign  : — 

"  The  pregnant  Madam  drawn  aside, 
By  promise  to  be  made  a  bride, 
If  near  her  time  and  in  distress 
For  some  obscure  convenient  place, 
Let  her  but  take  the  pains  to  waddle 
About  till  she  observes  a  Cradle 

*  Bren  after  the  art  got  to  be  known,  it  continued  to  be  stillcalled  writing.  Tlius, 
Caspar  Hedion  (Paral.  ad  Chron.  Coiiradi)  calls  it  ^' uoyo  seribendi  genere  reperto;* 
and  Fulgosus  (Lib.  viii.,  Diet.  &  Fact.  Memor.)  says  that  Gnttenberg  could  "uno  die 
imprimendo  plura  scribere  quam  uno  anno  calamis." 

t  See  the  whole  of  the  documents  of  this  law  suit  in  Count  Leon  de  Laborde'a 
Debuts  de  rimprimerie  ii  Sti-asboui-g. 


394  ^^^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

With  the  foot  hanging  towards  the  door. 

And  there  she  may  be  made  secure 

From  all  the  parish  plagues  and  terrors. 

That  wait  on  poor  weak  woman's  errors. 

But  if  the  hesid  hang  tow'rds  the  house, 

As  very  often  we  see  it  does, 

Avaunt,  for  she's  a  cautious  bawd 

Whose  business  only  lies  abroad." 
From  the  last  interpretation  of   this  sign  to  the  Colt  in  the 
Cradle  (see  under  Humorous  Signs)  is  but  a  step. 

The  Trunk  was  the  sign  of  Caleb  Swinock,  a  bookseller  in 
St  Paul's  Churchyard  in  1684,  for  which  it  is  diflScult  to  find 
any  rational  explanation  ;  almost  equally  incomprehensible  is  the 
sign  of  the  Geeen  Bellows,  {le  soufflet  vert,)  which  was  that  of 
Johan  StoU  and  Peter  Cesaris,  booksellers  and  printers  in  the 
Eue  St  Jacqaes,  Paris,  in  1473.*  This  sign  was  also  to  be 
seen  in  other  towns  of  France,  as  in  Abbeville,  where  a  stone 
bas-relief  sign  of  the  seventeenth  century,  with  the  inscription 
"  le  vert  souffle"  remains  at  the  present  day  in  the  front  of  a 
house  in  the  Eue  des  Jacobins.  It  may  have  been  adopted  in 
allusion  to  the  occult  sciences  and  alchemy,  green  being  the 
emblematical  colour  of  Hope. 

The  Golden  Candlestick  was  the  sign  of  a  Marriage  Insu- 
rance office  in  Newgate  Street,  in  1711,  a  time  when  there  was 
a  mania  for  insurance  offices  of  every  description  ;  the  Three 
Candlesticks  occurs  on  a  trades  token  of  the  Old  Bailey  in 
1649.  A  publican  in  Tamworth,  Staffi)rdshire,  has  taken  the 
Coffee-pot  for  a  sign,  probably  on  the  strength  of  the  deriva- 
tion of  "  lucus  a  non  lucendo,"  because  he  sells  no  coffee ;  the 
EoYAi  Coffee-mill  was  the  more  appropriate  sign  of  Paul 
Greenwood,  in  Clothfair,  for  he  was  a  seller  of  "  Coffee-powder,  "t 
Then  there  is  the  Sugae-loaf,  a  common  grocer's  sign  of  former 
times,  the  selection  of  which  showed  great  disinterestedness  on 
their  part,  the  article  being  that  on  which  the  least  profit  was 
made.     Campbell  said,  in  1757  : — 

"  There  is  indeed  one  article  which  they  [the  Grocers]  must  sell  to 
their  loss,  sugars.  A  custom  has  prevailed  (but  why  ?)  amongst  the  Gro- 
cers, to  sell  sugar  for  the  prime  cost,  and  are  out  of  pocket  by  the  sale, 

*  This  De  Cesaris  family  seemed  to  have  a  predilection  for  puzzling  signboards 
When  Peter  de  Cesaris,  a  bookseller  and  printer  in  the  Rue  St  Jacques,  circa  1480.  had 
for  a  sign  the  Swah  and  Soldisb,  ('«  amne  et  soldat,)  In  the  absence  of  his  coiopnon, 
we  can  only  suppose  that  it  was  a  representation  of  the  legend  of  the  Knight  of  the 
Swan,  i.e.,  a  knight  in  a  boat  drawn  by  a  swan.  The  steel  armour  of  tlie  knight  mighi 
easily  have  bestowed  upon  him  the  title  of  «'  the  soldier." 

t  London  Gazette,  Nov.  10-13,  1679 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  395 

with  paper,  packthread,  and  their  labour  in  breaking  and  weighing  it  out. 
The  expense  of  some  shops  in  London,  for  the  article  of  paper  and  pack- 
thread for  sugars,  amounts  to  £60  or  £,10  per  annum  ;  but  this  they  lay 
upon  the  other  articles.  The  customer  had  much  better  allow  him  a 
profit  upon  his  sugars,  than  pay  extravagant  prices  for  tea  and  other 
comodities." 

At  present,  we  understand,  loaf-sugar  is  not  sold  exactly  at 
cost  price,  but  moist  sugar  is,  whence  many  grocers  refuse  to  sell 
that  article  to  strangers  unless  something  else  be  bought  at  the 
same  time.  At  No.  44  Fenchurch  Street,  a  very  old  established 
grocery  firm  stDl  carries  on  business  under  the  sign  of  the  Thuee 
SuGae  Loaves.  The  house  presents  much  the  same  appearance  it 
had  in  the  last  century,  with  the  gUt  sugar-loaves  above  the 
doorway,  and  is  one  of  the  few  places  of  business  in  London 
conducted  in  the  ancient  style.  The  small  old-fashioned  win- 
dow panes,  the  complete  absence  of  aU  show  and  decoration, 
the  cleanliness  of  the  interior,  and  the  quiet  order  of  the  assist- 
ants in  their  long  white  aprons,  betoken  the  respectable  old  tea- 
warehouse,  and  impress  the  passer-by  with  a  complete  conviction 
as  to  the  genuineness  of  its  articles.  That  the  sugar-loaf  was 
not  always  exclusively  a  grocer's  sign,  nor  the  Theeb  Balls  a 
pawnbroker's,  appears  from  the  foUowing  advertisement  in  the 
Postman,  February  3-6,  1711  : — 

"  mHOMAS  SETH  at  the  Sugarloaf  in  Fore  Street,  Pawnbroker,  is  going 
\_  to  leave  his  house,  and  to  leave  off  the  said  business :  all  persons 
concerned  are  desired  to  fetch  away  their  Goods  on  or  before  the  fourth 
of  March  next,  else  they  will  tie  disposed  off  and  sold." 

Here  is  another  curious  advertisement : — 

"  A  TANNT  MOEE  [tawny  Moor]  with  short  bushy  hair,  very  well 
Xl  shaped,  in  a  grey  livery  lined  with  yellow,  about  17  or  18  years 
of  age,  with  a  silver  collar  about  his  nech  with  these  directions : — '  Captain 
George  Hastings'  Boy,  Brigadier  in  the  King's  Horse  guards.'  Whosoever 
brings  him  to  the  Sugarloaf  in  the  Pall  Mall  shall  have  forty  shillings 
Reward." — London  Gazette,  March  23,  1685. 

The  Sugar-loaf  is  also  a  public-house  sign,  though  not  a  very 
appropriate  one.  The  Blue  Bowl,  suggestive  of  punch-making, 
occurs  on  three  public-houses  in  Bristol ;  but  much  more  signi- 
ficant for  a  resort  of  thirsty  souls  is  that  of  the  Three  Fttnnels, 
{les  Trois  Untonnoirs,)  which  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV.  was  the 
sign  of  a  tavern  in  Paris,  mostly  patronised  by  the  University 
people.  An  equally  expressive  sign,  the  Sieve,  was  used  by 
John  Johnson,  in  Aldermansbury,  1669,  and  "Eichard  Harris  in 
Trinity  Minories." 


396  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

We  now  arrive  at  kitchen  utensils :  foremost  amongst  these  ranks 
the  Gkidieos,  which  was  very  common  in  the  sixteenth  century, 
and  may  perhaps  have  been  a  jocular  rendering  of  the  Fortcullis. 
The  Frying  Pan  is  still  a  constant  ironmonger's  sign — thus  in 
Highcross  Street,  Leicester,  there  is  a  gigantic  gilt  specimen  with 
the  inscription  "  the  Family  Fry  Pan."  There  are  trades  tokens 
of  "  John  Vere,  at  y'  Frying  Pan  in  Islington,  Mealman,"  which, 
considered  in  connexion  with  pancakes,  one  can  understand ;  but 
it  certainly  looks  out  of  place  at  the  door  of  Samuel  Wadsell, 
bookseller  at  the  GoLDBh?  Frying  Pan,  in  Leadenhall  Street, 

1680.  The  Copper  Pot  (le  Pot  de  Cuivre)  at  Dijon,  in  France, 
was  the  sign  of  one  of  the  oldest  inns  in  that  country.  It  was 
opened  in  1250  and  continued  till  the  middle  of  the  seventeenth 
century.  The  society  of  the  Mere  Folle  held  their  meetings  at 
this  house. 

The  Pewter  Platter  occurs  both  in  France  and  in  England  ; 
it  was  famous  as  a  carriers'  inn  in  St  John  Street,  Clerk  en  well,  in 

1681.  At  this  inn  Curll's  translators,  in  pay,  were  lodged,  and 
had  to  sleep  three  in  a  bed,  and  there  "  he  and  they  were  for  ever 
at  work  to  deceive  the  pubUck."*  In  mediaeval  Paris  it  was  a 
common  sign,  and  gave  its  name  to  several  streets.  Two  of  the 
inns  victimised  by  that  incorrigible  scamp  Villon,  bore  this 
sign : — 

"  Le  cas  advint  au  Plat  d'etain 
Empr^s  saint  Pierre-des-Arsis."t — Bepues  Franches. 

Probably  it  was  a  very  early  sign  for  eating-houses. 

The  Pump  is  a  common  ale-house  sign,  and  occurs  as  such  on 
a  token  of  Tooley  Street,  with  the  following  lines  : — 
"  The  Pump  runs  cleer 
Wh.  Ale  and  Beer." 

which,  as  Mr  Burn  (Beaufoy  Tokens)  observes,  may  be  a  travesty 
of  a  verse  in  Histrio-Mastrix,  1610  : — 

"  Yet  a  verse  may  run  oleare, 
That  is  tapt  out  of  Beere." 

Another  token  belonging  to  Chick  Lane,  West  Smithfield,  repre- 
sents a  hand  grasping  the  handle  of  a  pump  ;  and  a  publican  in 
Old  Swinford,  who  combines  engineering  with  his  trade,  has  a 
similar  sign  with  the  words,  "  Hands  to  the  Pump. ''     In  the 

*  Loyd's  Eveninff  Post,  Jan  9-12.  1767. 

t  "  It  happened  a»  ^he  Pewter  Platter, 

Neai'  Saiut  Pierre  des  Arsis." 


THE  HOUSE  AND  THE  TABLE.  397 

reign  of  Charles  I.  there  was  a  public-house,  the  Bltje  Pump,  in 
Blackfriars,  near  the  famous  Hollands  Leaguer.  It  represented 
a  man,  evidently  a  sailor,  pumping  with  all  his  might,  and  the 
legend  ran  : — "  Poor  Tom's  last  refuge."*  With  the  pump  we 
may  place  the  Bucket,  which  was  the  sign  of  a  shop  in  Alders- 
gate  Street,  of  which  there  are  trades  tokens  extant,  and  the  Tub, 
the  name  of  a  tavern  in  Jermyn  Street,  in  the  reign  of  Charles 
II.,  as  appears  from  a  letter  sent,  (not  written,  for  she  could  not 
write,)  by  Nell  Gwynn,  from  Windsor  in  1684,  to  her  milliner 
and  factotum,  addressed  "  To  Madam  Jennings,  over  against  the 
Tub  tavern  in  Jermyn  Street,  London."  Another  utensil,  the 
DusT-PAN,  is  common  with  hardware  shops.  There  is  one  in 
Islington,  at  a  shop  next  to  the  house  in  which  Charles  Lamb 
lived ;  at  night  it  is  illuminated,  and  hence  called  the  Illuminated 
Dust-pan.  Lastly,  there  is  the  Hour-glass,  a  colossal  specimen 
carved  in  wood,  in  Upper  Thames  Street,  near  All  Hallows 
Church,  and  the  Golden  Jae,  which  was  the  sign  of  a  china 
shop,  as  we  see  in  the  Gountry  Journal,  or  Craftsman,  for  April 
25,  1730,  where  Anne  Cibber  acquaints  the  public  that  she  is 
removed  from  Charles  Street  to  the  Golden  Jar  in  Tavistock 
Street,  carrying  on  two  trades  which  now  are  rarely  associated  in 
London,  viz.,  "  AU  sorts  of  chinaware,  and  the  best  teas,  coffees, 
chocolate,"  <fec.  Now-a-days  the  jars,  painted  red  and  green,  are 
the  usual  oilman's  sign,  representing  those  vessels  in  which  oil 
is  kept  in  Eastern  countries,  and  in  which  Ali  Baba's  forty  thieves 
came  to  such  an  untimely  end.  i'ormerly  oil  used  to  be  imported 
in  this  country  in  similar  jars,  hence  their  adoption  as  trade 
emblems. 

We  may  close  this  chapter,  not  inappropriately  with  the  Key, 
a  sign  once  largely  used,  not  only  by  locksmiths,  as  at  present, 
bat  by  all  manners  of  shops ;  thus  there  was  a  celebrated  tavern, 
at  the  comer  of  Henrietta  Street,  Covent  Garden,  circa  1690,  and 

^  whether  it  would  be  just  to  conclude  from  this  that  sailors  In  that  time  went  by  the 
generic  name  of  Tom  instead  of  Jack,  we  leave  to  the  reader  to  judge.  That  Tom  was 
in  former  times  a  more  common  name  than  now,  (owing,  it  is  said,  to  the  respect  at  one 
time  paid  to  the  great  saint  Thomas  a-Becket,)  appears  from  the  many  words  to  which 
it  is  an  affix,  and  from  many  imaginary  names,  as  : — Tomtit,  Tomcat,  Tomfooleiy,  Tom- 
boy, Tommyshop,  Tommy,  (slang  for  bread,)  double  Tom,  (a  sort  of  plough,}  Tom  the 
Piper,  (in  the  morris  dance,)  Tom  Tiddler,  Tom  of  Bedlam,  Tom  of  Westminster,  (a 
bell,)  Tom  and  Jerry,  Tom  Telltruth,  Tom  Hickathrift,  Tom,  (the  knave  of  Trumps,) 
Wliippiug  Tom,  an  itinerant  flogger  of  wandering  maids,  Tom  Tapster,  "  Tib's  rush  fol 
Tom's  forefingers,"  (all 's  well  tliat  ends  well.) 

"  Then  every  wanton  may  dance  at  her  will, 
Jlotli  Tomlcin  with  Tornlin  and  Jenkin  with  Gill." 

Tusser's  Ploicman^s  Fasting  Day, 


398  TH£1  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

many  others  that  could  be  mentioned.  The  Golden  Key  is 
named  in  an  old  advertisement,  speaking  of  some  sports  and 
pastimes  which  many  English  gentlemen  are  now  attempting  to 
revive  : — 

"  T>  ICHARD  FENNEY,  Esquire  of  Alaxton  in  Leicestershire,  about  a 
X\)  forthuight  since,  lost  a  lanner  from  that  place;  she  has  neither  Bells 
nor  Yarvels ;  she  is  a  white  Hawk,  and  her  long  feathers  and  sarcels  are 
both  in  the  blood.  If  any  one  give  tidings  thereof  to  Mr  Lambert  at  the 
Golden  Key,  in  Fleet  Street,  they  shaU  have  40  shillings  for  their  pains." 
— Mercwrius  PuhUcus,  August  30  to  September  6, 1660. 

The  Lock  and  Key  is  a  sign  of  a  public-house  in  West  Smith- 
field,  and  was,  during  the  Commonwealth,  that  of  a  house  in  the 
parish  of  St  Dunstan,  belonging  to  Praise  God  Barebones,  citizen 
and  leather-seller  of  London.  There  is  a  MS.  in  the  British 
Museum,*  containing  a  petition  of  Barebones  against  Elisabeth 
and  James  Spight,  the  latter  an  infant  under  age,  offered  to  the 
court  of  judicature  for  determination  of  differences  touching 
houses  burned  or  demolished  by  the  fire  of  1666.  From  that 
paper  it  appears  that  EKsabeth  Spight  paid  £40  a  year  for  the 
rent  of  the  Luck  and  Key. 

•  Additional  MSS.,  S070. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

DRESS;  PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL. 

Of  tliis  class  only  a  few  signs  are  to  be  found ;  one  of  the  most 
common  is  the  Hat,  the  usual  hatter's  sign,  although  it  may  also 
be  found  before  taverns  and  public-houses,  in  which  case,  how- 
ever, it  is  probable  that  it  was  the  previous  sign  of  the  house, 
which  the  publican  on  entering  left  unaltered ;  or  it  may  have 
been  used  to  suggest  "  a  house  of  call "  to  the  trade.  The  age  of 
each  individual  hat-sign  may  sometimes  be  gathered  from  its 
shape ;  thus  there  is  one  in  Whitechapel,  made  out  of  tin,  repre- 
senting the  cocked  hat  worn  at  the  end  of  the  last  century  ;  it  is 
evidently  a  relic  of  that  time.  The  continental  hatters  using 
this  sign,  occasionally  indulged  in  a  little  humour.  A  hatter  at 
Ghent  in  the  sixteenth  century  added  to  it  this  distich  : — 
"  Onder  den  Hoedt 
Sohuylt  quaedt  &  goet."* 

And  a  Dutch  hatter  made  a  still  more  unpleasant  allusion  to  the 
brains  of  his  customers  : — 

"  Hier  maakt  men  sterke  hoeden  om  de  hersena  in  te  sluyten 
Opdat  het  los  verstand  daar  niet  mag  vliegen  buyten."  t 

Dr  Franklin  used  to  tell  an  amusing  story  of  a  journeyman 
hatter,  his  companion  when  young,  who  on  commencing  business 
for  himself,  was  anxious  to  get  a  handsome  signboard,  with  a 
proper  inscription.     This  he  composed  himself  as  follows  : — 


JOHN  THOMPSON,  HATTER, 

Makes  and  Sells  Hats 

FOE  Ready  Monet. 


Above  the  inscription  was  the  ordinary  figure  of  a  hat.  But  he 
thought  he  would  submit  the  composition  to  his  ftiends  for 
amendment.  The  first  he  showed  it  to  thought  the  word  "hatter" 
tautologous,  because  followed  by  the  words  "  makes  hats,"  which 
showed  he  was  a  hatter ;  it  was  struck  out.  The  next  observed 
that  the  word  "  makes "  might  as  well  be  omitted,  because  his 

•  "The  hat 

Covers  evil  and  good." 
f  "  strong  hats  made  here  to  enclose  the  head, 

lu  order  that  the  soft  (loose)  brains  ma;  be  kept  together." 


400  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

customers  would  not  care  who  made  the  hats ;  if  good,  and  to  their 
mind,  they  would  buy,  by  whomsoever  made.  He  struck  that  out 
also.  A  third  said  he  thought  that  the  words  "  for  ready  money  " 
were  useless,  as  it  was  not  the  custom  of  the  place  to  sell  on  credit 
— every  one  who  purchased  expected  to  pay.  These,  too,  were 
parted  with,  and  the  inscription  then  stood,  "John  Thompson  sells 
Hats."  "Sells  Hats  !"  says  his  next  friend ;  "why,  who  expects 
you  to  give  them  away  %  What,  then,  is  the  use  of  the  word  ?" 
It  was  struck  out,  and  HATS  was  all  that  remained  attached  to 
the  name  John  Thompson.  Even  this  inscription,  brief  as  it  was, 
was  reduced  ultimately  to  "  John  Thompson,"  with  the  figure  of 
the  hat  above  it. 

The  Hat  and  Fkathers  was  almost  equally  common  in  those 
days,  when  no  full-fledged  gallant  could  be  deemed  complete 
without  his  fluttering  ribbons  and  plume.  The  puritanical  Philip 
Stubbe  in  his  "  Anatomic  of  Abuses,"  1385,  is  very  hard  upon 
this  fashion  : — 

'■  Another  sort,  (as  phantaatioall  as  the  rest,)  are  content  with  no  kind  of 
hat,  without  a  great  bunch  of  feathers  of  divers  and  sondrie  colours,  peak- 
ing on  top  of  their  heades,  not  unUke  (I  dare  not  saie)  cockes  combes,  but 
as  Stemes  of  Pride  and  ensignes  of  vanitie  and  these  fluttering  sailes  and 
feathered  flagges  of  defiaunce  to  virtue,  (for  so  they  are,)  are  so  advanced 
in  Ailgnia  [Anglia]  that  euery  child  has  the  in  his  Hatte  or  Cappe.  Many 
get  good  liring  by  deying  and  selling  of  them,  and  not  a  fewe  proue  them- 
selues  more  than  fooles  in  wearyng  of  them." 

Decker  calls  the  "swell"  of  his  day  "our  feathered  ostrich,''  and 
in  his  comedy  of  the  "  Sun's  Darling  "  he  mentions  "  some  alder- 
man's son  wondrous  giddy  and  light-headed,  one  that  blew  his 
patrimony  away  in  feathers  and  tobacco."  There  is  one  sign  of 
the  Hat  and  Feathers  stUl  in  existence,  a  publican's,  at  Grant- 
chester,  in  Cambridgeshire. 

Another  old  hatter's  sign  is  the  Hat  and  Beavee,  which  at 
present  may  be  seen  at  the  door  of  a  publican's  in  Leicester. 
Shopbills  of  this  once  common  sign  occur  amongst  the  Banks 
Collection,  representing  a  beaver  seated  on  the  edge  of  a  stream, 
with  a  hat  above  him.  The  relation  between  the  two  is  evident, 
and  about  as  gratifying  to  the  beaver  as  it  was  to  the  widow  of 
the  hanged  man  to  hear  the  gallows  named.  The  beaver  hats 
worn  in  England  at  the  time  of  Edward  III.,  and  long  after, 
were  made  in  Flanders  and  Picardy.  From  the  Privy  Purse 
expenses  of  Henry  VIII.  we  see  that  the  king  paid  in  1532  : — 


DRESS— PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL.  40 1 

"  Item,  the  xxiij  day  [of  Octoter]  for  a  hath  and  plume  for  the  King  in 
Eoleyn,  xv  shillings." 

"  On  27  May  mdlt.  (ij  of  Queen  Mary)  Sir  William  Cecil 
[afterwards  Lord  Burghley]  being  then  at  CaUice  [Calais]  bought 
[as  appears  from  his  MS.  Diary]  three  hats  for  his  children  at 
xxd  each." 

The  Protestant  refugees,  however,  from  Flanders  and  France, 
introduced  the  manufacture  of  these  hats  into  England  when  they 
settled  in  Norwich;  by  a  statute  5  and  6  Edw.  VI.,  the  manufac- 
ture of  felt  and  thrummed  hats  was  confined  to  Norwich  and 
the  corporate  and  market  towns  in  that  county.*  As  for  the 
shapes  of  the  hats  worn  at  that  period  we  must  again  refer  to 
Stubbe's  satirical  account : — 

"  Some  tymes  they  use  them  sharpe  on  the  crowne,  pearking  up  like  the 
epeare  or  shaft  of  a  steeple,  standing  a  quarter  of  a  yarde  above  the  crowne 
of  their  heades,  some  more,  some  lesse,  as  pleases  the  fantasies  of  their  in- 
constant mindes ;  othersome  be  flat  and  broad  in  the  crowne  like  the  bat- 
tlements of  a  house.  Another  sort  have  round  crownes,  sometymes  with 
one  kinde  of  bande,  sometymes  with  another,  now  blacke,  now  whyte,  now 
russet,  now  red,  now  green,  now  yellowe,  now  this,  now  that,  never  con- 
tent, with  one  colour  or  fashion  two  dales  to  an  ende."+ 

Felt  hats  for  a  long  time  were  exclusively  worn  by  the  aristo- 
cracy. Stow  tells  us  that  "  about  the  beginning  of  Henry  VIII. 
began  the  making  of  Spanish  feltes  in  England,  by  Spaniardes 
and  Dutchmen,  before  which  time,  and  long  since  the  English 
used  to  ride,  and  goe  winter  and  sommer  in  knitcapps,  cloth 
hoods,  and  the  best  sort  in  silk  throm'd  Hatts."  These  caps  were 
enforced  by  a  statute  of  13th  Queen  Elizabeth,  which  gives,  at 
the  same  time,  a  curious  picture  of  the  fashions  of  that 
period : — 

"  If  any  person  above  six  yeares  of  ^age,  (except  inaidens,  ladies,  gentle- 
women, nobles,  knights,  gentlemen  of  twenty  marks  by  year  in  lands,  and 
their  heirs,  and  such  as  have  borne  office  of  worship,)  have  not  worn  upon 
the  Sundays  and  Holidays,  (except  it  be  in  the  time  of  his  travell  out  of  the 
citie,  towne,  or  hamlet,  where  he  dwelleth,)  uppon  his  head  one  cap  of 
wool  knit,  thicked,  and  dressed  in  England,  and  onely  dressed  and  finished 
by  some  of  the  trslde  of  cappers,  shall  be  fined  3s.  4(1.  for  each  day's  trans- 
gression." 

These  caps,  termed  statute  caps,  are  frequently  alluded  to  by  ihe 
dramatists  and  authors  of  that  period.  Kosalind,  for  instance,  in 
"  Love's  Labour  Lost,"  taunts  her  lover  with  the  words  :  "  Well, 
better  wits  have  worn  plain  statute  caps."     The  act  was  repealed 

»  J.  S.  Burn,  History  of  Foreign  Refugees,  p.  257. 
t  Stubbe's  Anatomie  of  Abuses,  p.  21. 

3B 


402  THE  msTonr  of  signboards. 

in  the  year  1597.  The  sign  of  the  Cap  and  Stocking,  still  in 
Leicester,  commemorates  the  once-flourishing  trade  of  that  town 
in  those  articles.  The  quantity  of  workmen  who  found  occupa- 
tions in  the  manufacture  of  the  above-named  "statute  caps," 
(which  came  chiefly  from  Leicestershire  and  the  surrounding  dis- 
tricts,) was  one  of  the  principal  reasons  why  it  was  so  often  pro- 
tected by  parliamentary  statutes.  Fuller  enumerates  not  less 
than  fifteen  callings,  "besides  other  exercises,"  all  employed  in 
the  trade  of  capmaking,  beginning  with  the  woolcarder,  and  end- 
ing with  the  bandmaker.  The  Hat  and  Stak,  which  occurs  on 
the  bill  of  Master  Bates  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard,  who  sold  all 
sorts  of  fine  "  caines,  whippes,  spurres,"  *  &c.,  if  not  a  simple 
quartering  of  two  signs,  possibly  originated  in  the  clasp  orna- 
ment of  precious  stones,  formerly  worn  in  the  hat.  The  Leghorn 
Hat,  at  the  end  of  the  last  century,  was  generally  a  turner's  sign, 
because  the  members  of  that  trade  sold  straw  hats  imported  from 
Leghorn.  In  St  John  Street,  Clerkenwell,  there  was  an  old 
established  public-house,  and  place  of  resort,  called  the  Theee 
Hats.  It  is  mentioned  by  BickerstafiF  in  his  comedy  of  "  The 
Hypocrite,"  where  Mawworm  thus  alludes  to  it : — 

"  Till  I  went  after  him,  [Dr  Cantwell,]  I  was  little  better  than  the  devil ; 
my  conscience  was  tanned  with  sin,  like  a  piece  of  neat's  leather,  and  had 
no  more  feeling  than  the  sole  of  my  shoe ;  always  a  roving  after  fantastical 
delights ;  I  used  to  go  every  Sunday  evening  to  the  Three  Hats  at  Isling- 
ton ;  it's  a  public-house  .  ,  .  mayhap  your  Ladyship  may  know  it.  I  was 
a  great  lover  of  skittles,  too,  but  now  I  cannot  bear  them." 

At  this  house  the  earliest  prototypes  of  Astley  used  to  perform 
in  1758.  There  was  Thomas,  an  Irishman,  sumamed  Tartar ;  then 
came  Johnson,  Sampson,  Price,  and  Cunningham.  The  great  Dr 
Johnson  went  here  to  see  his  namesake. 

"  Such  a  man,  sir,  said  he,  shouH  be  encouraged ;  for  his  performance 
show  the  extent  of  human  powers  in  one  instance,  and  thus  tend  to  raise 
our  opinion  of  the  faculties  of  man.  He  shows  what  may  be  obtained  by 
persevering  application ;  so  that  every  man  may  hope,  by  giving  as  much 
application,  although,  perhaps,  he  may  never  ride  three  horses  at  a  time, 
or  dance  upon  a  wire,  yet  he  may  be  equally  expert  in  whatever  profession 
he  has  chosen  to  pursue." 

Royalty  also  visited  the  place  :  "  Yesterday  his  Royal  Highness 
the  Duke  of  York  was  at  the  Three  Hats,  Islington,  to  see  the 
extraordinary  feats  of  horsemanship  exhibited  there.  There  were 
near  five  hundred  spectators."  t  Sampson's  wife  was  the  first 
female  equestrian. 

•  Bagford  Bills.  f  BritUK  Chronidc,  July  17,  1766. 


DRESS— PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL. 


403 


"M": 


HOESEMANSHIP 

At  Mr  Dingley's,  the  Three  Hats,  Islington. 

SAMPSON  begs  leave  to  inform  the  public,  that  besides  the  usual 
feats  which  he  exhibits,  Mrs  Sampson,  to  diversify  the  entertainment, 
and  prove  that  the  fair  sex  are  by  no  means  inferior  to  the  male,  either  ill 
Courage  or  Agility,  will,  this  and  every  Evening  during  the  Summer,  per- 
form various  exercises  in  the  same  art,  in  which  she  hopes  to  acquit  herseU 
to  the  universal  approbation  of  those  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  whose  curiosity 
may  induce  them  to  honour  her  attempt  with  their  company."  * 

The  Three  Hats  occurs  amongst  the  trades  tokens  of  the  seven- 
teenth century.  There  is  one  of  the  Theee  Hats  and  Nag's 
Head  in  Southwark.  In  the  seventeenth  century  the  sign  of  the 
Three  Hats  at  Leeuwarden,  in  Friesland,  was  accompanied  by  the 
following  stanza : — 

"  Dit  is  in  de  drie  Hoeden 

Oux  't  hoof d  te  behoeden, 

Voor  wind  en  koud, 

Tromp  was  stout, 

Voer  der  staten  kroon, 

Hier  maakt  men  hoeden  schoon."  f 

The  Locks  of  Haib  was  the  very  appropriate  sign  of  John 
Allen,  a  hairdresser  on  London  Bridge  in  the  last  century,  who 
sold  "  all  sorts  of  hair,  Curled  or  Uncurled ;  Bags,  Koses,  Cauls, 
Ribbons,  Weaving  SUk,  Sewing  Cards,  and  Blocks.  With  all  Goods 
made  use  of  by  Peruke  makers,  at  the  lowest  prices."  %  The 
locks  of  hair  were  represented  curled  and  tied.  This  sign  appears 
to  have  been  not  unusual  with  the  hairdressers  of  a  former  age. 
In  1 649,  there  was  one  in  St  Dunstan's-in-the-Eaat,  who  had  the 
Lock  and  Sheaes  ;  which  are  represented  on  his  trades  token 
by  a  lock  of  hair  between  a  pair  of  shears,  intimating  that  the 
"  unlovely  lovelocks "  were  curtailed  by  him.  What  he  would 
require  the  tokens  for  in  his  profession  (they  were  used  as  farthings) 
it  is  difficult  to  guess,  as  apparently  no  such  small  change  was 
needed.  This  sign  was  iu  accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the 
times ;  short  hair  was  the  unmistakable  mark  of  the  godly  puritan, 
iust  as  the  straggling  love-lock  hanging  over  the  shoulder  denoted 

*  Publick  J  dvertUer,  July  1767. 

t  "  This  is  in  the  Three  Hats, 

Which  are  worn  on  the  head, 

To  keep  it  from  cold  and  wind. 

Tromp  was  a  brave  man 

Who  supported  the  crown  of  the  states 

Hats  cleaned  here '' 
t  Ehopbill,  quoted  in  Thomson's  Chronicles  of  London  Bridge,  vol.  ii.,  p.  27T? 


404  THE  HISTORY  OF  SiaiTEOABDS. 

the  cavalier.  For  this  reason,  Decker  advises  the^oung  cavalier 
Gull :— 

"  Thy  hair,  whose  length  before  the  rigorous  edge  of  any  puritanical  pair 
of  scissors  should  shorten  the  breadth  of  a  finger,  let  the  three-house  wifely 
Spinsters  of  Destiny  rather  curtail  the  thread  of  thy  life.  Oh,  no  I  long 
hair  is  the  only  net  that  women  spread  abroad  to  entrap  man  in,  and  why 
should  not  men  be  as  far  above  women  in  that  comodity  as  they  go  far  be- 
yond them  in  others."  * 

The  Periwig  was  another  common  hairdresser's  sign.  Even  this 
had  to  submit  to  the  favourite  blue  colour,  for  amongst  the  Banks 
bUls  there  is  one  of  John  Thompson,  in  Brewer  Street,  Golden 
Square,  who  lived  at  the  Blue  Peeuke  and  Stae.  The  star 
evidently  was  the  original  sign,  to  which  the  wig  had  been  added 
on  account  of  the  profession  of  the  occupant  of  the  house. 

The  White  Peruke,  in  Maiden  Lane,  was  the  sign  of  the 
barber,  at  whose  lodgings  Voltaire  lived  when  on  a  visit  to  Lon- 
don ;  some  of  his  letters  to  Swift  are  dated  from  that  place.  A 
white  periwig  was  a  highly  fashionable  object : — "  Now,  I  think 
he  looks  very  humorous  and  agreeable ;  I  vow,  in  a  white  periwig 
he  TTiight  do  mischief ;  could  he  but  talk  and  take  snu£^  there  "s 
never  a  fop  in  town  wou'd  go  beyond  him." — Gibber's  Bovble 
Gallant,  1707.  So  Shadwell,  in  "  The  Humorist,"  1671,  describes 
Brisk,  one  of  the  dramatis  personce,  as  "  a  fellow  that  never  wore  a 
noble  and  polite  garniture,  or  a  white  periwig.'"  Well  might  the 
barbers  give  the  peruke  the  honour  of  this  signboard,  for  the 
profits  on  that  article  must  have  been  enormous.  In  Charles  IL's 
time,  for  instance,  a  fine  peruke  cost  as  much  as  £50 ;  and  hence 
the  great  respect  Gibber  paid  to  the  one  he  wore  in  the  character 
of  Sir  Fopling  Flutter,  which  was  brought  on  the  stage  in  a  sedan, 
and  put  on  before  the  public.  As  the  glory  of  I»Cltiades  pre- 
vented Epaminondas  from  sleeping,  so  the  beauty  of  this  periwig 
disturbed  the  slumbers  of  Mr  (afterwards  Colonel)  Brett,  who  in 
the  end  bought  it  from  Cibber.t  The  thieves  as  weU.  as  the 
beaux  knew  the  value  of  those  wigs,  and  practised  all  manner  of 
tricks  to  obtain  them.  Sometimes  a  boy,  carried  in  a  basket  on 
the  shoulders  of  a  man,  would  snatch  the  "  curly  honour  "  off  the 
head  of  the  unsuspecting  beau ;  t  at  other  times  they  would  cut 
holes  in  the  leather  backs  of  the  coaches,§  whilst  the  highway- 
men were  sure  to  include  the  periwig  with  the  rest  of  the  booty 
captured  on  the  road.     Though  this  article  is  now  shorn  of  its 

*  Decker's  Gull's  nornbook.  t  Gibber's  Apolcirrv,  p.  303. 

I  Gay's  Trivia,  book  iii.  g  Weekly  Jouin'ai,  March  30,  1717. 


DRESS— PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL.  405 

honours,  there  is  still  a  publican  at  Great  Redisham,  Suffolk,  who 
carries  on  his  trade  under  the  sign  of  the  Wig. 

The  French  have  a  sign  quite  as  absurd  as  our  Blue  Peeuke 
— ■viz.,  The  Golden  Beabd,  (la  harhe  d'or,)  which  is  carved  in 
stone  in  the  Rue  des  Bourdonnais,  Paris,  and  also  in  the  March6 
aux  Herbes,  Amiens  :  both  these  signs  date  from  the  eighteenth 
century,  but  their  origin  is  much  older,  as  appears  from  the  fol- 
lowing ; — 

"The  Duke  of  Lorraine,  after  the  Battle  of  N"ancy,  wherein  he  killed 
Charles  the  Bold,  duke  of  Burgundy,  went  in  procession  to  visit  the  body, 
clothed  in  deep  mourning,  with  a  golden  hea/rd  fixed  on,  that  reached  down 
to  his, waist,  (after  the  manner  of  the  old  heroes  that  were  knighted  for 
their  prowess,  who,  on  a  signal  victory  over  an  enemy,  were  honoured  with 
such  a  beard.)" — SicJiwrdsoniana,  London,  1776,  p.  47. 

The  Anodyne  Necklace  was  as  notorious  in  the  eighteenth 
century,  as  Holloway's  PUls  and  Rowland's  Macassar  OU  are  in 
our  day.  Advertisements  concerning  it  were  continually  appear- 
ing in  the  papers  : — 

"  npHE  Anodyne  Necklace  for  children's  teeth,  women  in  labour,  and  dis- 
J.  tempers  of  the  head;  prite  5s.  Eecommended  by  Dr  Chamberlain. 
Sold  up  one  pair  of  stairs  at  the  sign  of  the  Anodyne  Necklace,  without 
Temple  Bar ;  at  the  Spanish  Lady  at  the  Royal  Exchange,  next  Thread- 
needle  Street;  at  the  Indiait  Handkebohibf,  facing  the  New  Stairs  in 
Wapping,"  &c.* 

To  attract  attention,  there  was  frequently  some  book  of  not  very 
delicate  character,  advertised  as  "  given  away  gratis ''  at  this 
house.  But  as  this  land  of  literature  was  sure  to  find  a  great  many 
readers — ^more  especially  when  the  book  could  be  had  for  no- 
thing— a  restriction  was  sometimes  added  that  "  this  curious  book 
will  not  be  given  away  to  any  boys  or  girls,  or  any  paultry  per- 
son."    Such  a  pamphlet,  for  instance,  was  : — 

"  mHE  EABBIT-AFFAIR  made  clear  in  a  full  account  of  the  whole 
J_  matter,  with  the  pictures  engraved  of  the  pretended  rabbit-breeder 
herself,  Mary  Tofts,  and  of  the  rabbits,  and  of  the  persons  who  attended 
her  during  her  pretended  deliveries,  showing  who  were  and  who  were  not 
deceived  by  her.  'Tis  given  gratis  nowhere,  but  only  up  one  pair  of  stairs 
at  the  sign  of  the  Anodyne  Necklace,  recommended  by  Dr  Chamberlain," 
&o. — Daily  Ccrurant,  Jan.  11,  17-6. 

This  alluded  to  one  of  the  most  impudent  frauds  ever  com- 
mitted. A,  certain  profligate  woman,  Mary  Tofts  by  name,  a 
native  of  Godalming,  in  Surrey,  pretended  to  give  birth  to  rab- 
bits.    The  first  delivery  was  a  family  of  seventeen ;  she  actually 

*   Weekly  Journal,  Jan.  4,  1718. 


4o6  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 

found  people  who  believed  her,  and  gave  tieir  attention  to  this 
phenomenon.  Amongst  them  were  Sir  Bichard  Manningham, 
Dr  St  Andrl,  surgeon  and  anatomist  to  his  Majesty,  Dr  Mow- 
bray, ifec.  By  these  gentlemen  she  was  brought  to  Lacy's  Bagnio, 
and  the  case  was  watched  with  intense  interest ;  yet  she  suc- 
ceeded in  bafQing  and  deluding  their  attention.  At  last  the 
fraud  came  out  by  one  of  her  accomplices  informing  upon  her. 
Prints,  books,  and  ballads  were  published  upon  the  subject,  Dr 
St  Andr6  coming  in  for  an  extra  share  of  ridicule ;  but  whether 
the  woman  was  in  any  way  punished,  is  not  on  record.  The 
last  information  respecting  her  was  in  the  Weekly  Miscellany, 
April  19,  1740  : — "The  celebrated  rabbit-woman,  of  Godalmin', 
in  Surrey,  was  committed  to  Guilford'  gaol  for  receiving  stolen 
goods."     She  died  in  January  1763. 

The  Peael  of  Venice  is  named  in  an  advertisement  of  a 
watch  lost,  "  made  at  Paris,  not  so  broad  as  a  shilling,  in  a  case 
of  black  leather  with  gold  naUs."*  It  was  the  sign  of  "Mr 
Leroy,  in  St  James'  Street,  Covent  Garding."  The  pearls  of 
Venice  were  celebrated  : — 

"  Is  your  pearl  orient,  sir  ? 
Corv.  Venice  was  never  owner  of  the  like." 

— Ben  Johsok,  The  Fox,  a.  L,  a.  i. 
At  the  same  time  that  city  was  celebrated  for  its  mock  jewellery 
and  glass  imitations. 

From  the  Bagford  shopbiUs,  it  appears  that  the  Bute  Bod- 
dice  was,  in  Queen  Anne's  reign,  a  milliner's  shop  in  the  Long 
Walk,  near  Christchurch  Hospital.  At  the  same  period  another 
member  of  the  saxas  fraternity  (there  were  men-miUiners  in  those 
days)  had  the  Hood  and  Scaep,  articles  of  female  apparel ;  this 
shop  was  in  Cornhill,  "  over  against  Wills'  CoflFee-house."t  At 
the  present  time  there  is  in  the  North  a  public-house  called  the 
Blue  Stoops  ;  this  also  seems  to  refer  to  an  ancient  garment, 
worn  in  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and  named  by 
Ben  Jonson — "  Alchymist,"  a.  iv.,  s.  ii. — "  Your  Spanish  stoop 
is  the  best  garment." 

The  Bonny  Ceavat,  at  Woodchurch,  Tenterden,  to  judge 
from  the  adjective,  seems  rather  to  have  been  suggested  by  the 
old  song  of  "  Jenny,  come  tie  my  bonny  cravat,"  than  by  the 
introduction  of  the  cravat  as  an  article  of  dress.     The  fashion  is 

♦  Mercurius  Fvblicus,  Jan.  8  to  15,  1662. 

t  London  Gazette^  March  12  to  16, 1673.  This  was  not  the  famous  Will's  Coffee-house, 
wliich  was  situated  in  Bow  Street,  Covent  Garden. 


DRESS— PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL.  407 

said  to  have  been  brought  over  from  Germany,  in  tlie  seventeenth 
century,  by  some  of  the  young  French  nobility,  who  had  served 
the  emperor  in  the  wars  against  the  Turks,  and  had  copied  this 
garment  from  the  Croats,  whence  the  name. 

The  DotjBLET,  formerly  the  Haeeow  and  Dotjblet,*  is  still 
the  sign  of  an  iron  warehouse  in  Upper  Thames  Street ;  it  bears 
the  date  1720,  and  the  letters  T.  C.,  the  initials  of  one  of  the 
Crowley  family,  to  whom  this  warehouse  has  belonged  "  time  out 
of  mind."  It  is  made  of  cast  and  painted  iron,  and  is  said  to 
represent  the  leather  doublet  in  which  the  founder  of  the  firm 
came  to  London  as  a  day-labourer.  The  doublet  was  a  kind  of 
vestment  which  originated  from  the  gambason  or  pourpoint  worn 
under  the  armour ;  sleeves  were  added  when  it  was  worn  without 
armour,  and  so  it  became  a  universal  garment. 

There  are  trades  tokens  extant  of  the  Chiid-coat,  in  White- 
cross  Street,  probably  a  shop  where  children's  apparel  was  sold. 
Eandle  Holme,  in  his  heraldic  Omnium  Gathefum,  b.  iiL,  ch.  i.,  p. 
18,  gives  a  representation  of  a  child's  coat,  which  is  very  similar 
to  the  "  Knickerbocker"  suit  of  the  present  day,  with  a  short  kilt 
added  to  it.  He  adds  the  following  explanation  : — "  A  boy's 
coat  is  the  last  coat  used  for  boys,  after  which  they  are  put  into 
breeches.  If  it  has  hanging  sleeves,  they  would  term  it  a  child's 
coat."  In  the  same  manner  as  the  child's  coat,  the  Ministek's 
Gown  figured  at  the  door  of  the  shop  where  this  article  was 
sold.  There  is  a  shopbiU  of  such  a  one  in  Booksellers'  Eow, 
St  Paul's  Churchyard,  among  the  Bagford  bills. 

The  Tabaed  was  the  well-known  inn  in  Southwark  whence 
Chaucer  and  the  other  pilgrims  started  on  their  way  to  Canter- 
bury. Mr  Edmund  OUier  has  recently  contributed  a  very  inter- 
esting paper  on  this  old  inn  to  All  the  Tear  Bound,  and  several 
paragraphs  have  appeared  in  other  journals  upon  the  same  sub- 
ject. A  very  few  words,  therefore,  wUl  be  sufficient  for  the  pre- 
sent purpose.  Originally,  it  was  the  property  of  the  Abbot  of 
Hyde,  near  Winchester,  who  had  his  town  residence  within  the 
inn-yard.  The  earliest  record  relating  to  this  property  is  in  33d 
Edw.  I.,  (1304,)  when  the  Abbot  and  convent  of  Hyde  purchased 
of  WiUiam  of  LategareshaU  two  houses  in  Southwark,  held  by 
the  Archbishop  of  Canterbury  at  the  annual  rent  of  5s.  l^d., 
and  suit  to  his  court  in  Southwark,  and  Id.  a  year  for  a  pur- 
presture  of  one  foot  wide  on  the  king's  highway ;  £i  per  anuum 

•  BaBbB  Bills. 


4o8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

to  John  de  Tymberhutts,  and  3s.  to  the  Prior  and  convent  of  St 
Mary  Overie,  in  Southwark  ;  value  clear,  40s. 

It  is  a  fact  on  record  that  Henry  Bayley,  the  hosteller  of  the 
Tabard,  was  one  of  the  burgesses  who  represented  the  borough 
of  Southwark  in  the  Parliament  held  in  Westminster  in  the  50th 
Edw.  III.,  (1376  ;)  and  he  was  again  returned  to  the  Parliament 
held  at  Gloucester  in  the  2d  Eichard  II.,  in  1378.*  The  tavern 
itself  is  named,  at  the  very  period  when  Chaucer's  poem  is  supposed 
to  have  been  written,  in  one  of  the  rolls  of  Parliament,  where,  5th 
Eichard  II.,  (1381,)  in  a  list  of  malefactors  who  had  partici- 
pated in  the  rebellion  of  Jack  Cade,  occurs  the  name  of  "  Joh'es 
Brewersman,  manens  apud  le  Tabbard,  London."  Stow  thus 
notices  the  old  inn  : — 

"  From  thence  to  London,  on  the  same  side,  be  many  fair  inns  for  receipt 
of  travellers,  by  their  signs — the  Spuere,  Cheistopheb,  Bull,  Queen's 
Head,  Tabards,  George,  Haet,  Kino's  Head,  &o.  Amongst  the  which  the 
most  ancient  is  the  Tabard ;  so  called  of  the  sign,  which,  as  we  now  term  it, 
is  a  jackfct  or  sleeveless  coat,  whole  before,  open  on  both  sides,  with  a  square 
collar,  winged  at  the  shoulders,  a  stately  garment  of  old  time,  commonly 
worn  of  noblemen  and  others,  both  at  home  and  abroad  in  the  wars,  but 
then,  (to  wit,  in  the  wars,)  their  arms  embroidered  or  otherwise  depict  upon 
them,  that  any  man  by  his  coat  of  arms  might  be  known  from  others ;  but 
now  these  tabardes  are  only  worn  by  the  heralds,  and  be  called  their  coate 
of  armes  in  service." — Stom,  p.  154. 

Formerly  there  stood  in  the  road,  in  front  of  the  Tabard,  a 
beam  laid  crosswise  upon  two  uprights,  upon  which  was  the 
following  inscription  : — "  This  is  the  Inne  where  Sir  Jeffrey 
Chaucer  and  the  nine-and-twenty  pilgrims  lay  in  their  journey  to 
Canterbury,  anno  1583."  Over  this  the  sign  was  hung,  but  that 
disappeared  with  the  rest  of  them  in  1766.  The  writing  of  this 
inscription  seemed  ancient,  yet  Tyrwhitt  is  of  opinion  that  it  was 
not  older  than  the  seventeenth  century,  since  Speght,  who  de- 
scribes the  Tabard  in  his  edition  of  Chaucer  1602,  does  not 
mention  it.  Perhaps  it  was  put  up  after  the  fire  of  1676,  when 
the  Tabard  changed  its  name  into  the  Talbot. 

At  the  present  day  the  inn  is  known  by  the  name  of  the 
Talbot;  and  although  the  building  is  by  no  means  the  same  that 
sheltered  Chaucer  and  his  merry  pilgrims,  yet  it  is  fall  of  tradi- 
tionary lore  concerning  them.  In  the  centre  of  the  gallery  there 
was  a  picture,  said  to  be  by  Blake,  and  well  painted,  representing 
the  Canterbury  Pilgrimage,  almost  invisible  from  dirt,  age,  and 
smoke.     Behind  this  picture  was  a  door  opening  into  a  lofty  pas- 

*  G.  A.  Comer,  on  the  Inns  of  Southwark. 


DRESS— PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL.  409 

sage,  witli  rooms  on  eithei?  side,  one  of  wliich,  on  the  right  hand, 
was  still  designated  as  the  Pilgrims'  Room.  The  house  was  re^ 
paired  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  and  from  that  period, 
probably,  dated  the  fireplace,  carved  oak  panels,  and  other  parts 
spared  by  the  fire  of  1676,  which  were  still  to  be  seen  in  the  be- 
ginning of  this  century. 

As  leather  breeches  were  much  used  for  riding  in  the  seven- 
teenth and  eighteenth  centuries,  the  occupations  of  breeches-maker 
and  glover  were  frequently  combined;  hence  the  sign  of  the 
Breeches  and  Glove  on  old  London  Bridge,  the  shop  of 
"  Walter  Watkins,  Breeches-maker,  Leather-seller,  and  Glover." 
But  what  made  a  Cornish  publican  of  the  present  day,  (at  Camel- 
ford,)  choose  the  sign  of  the  Cotton  Breeches,  is  more  than  we 
can  pretend  to  explain. 

Stockings  or  Legs  are  of  constant  occurrence  in  the  seven- 
teenth century  trades  tokens,  as  the  signs  of  hosiers — frequently 
real,  not  painted,  stockings  were  suspended  at  the  door. 
**  On  hosier's  poles  depending  stocMngs  ty'd. 
Flag  with  the  slaoken'd  gale  from  side  to  side." — Gat's  Trivia. 

Boots  and  shoes  occur  in  greater  variety  and  abundance  than 
any  other  article  of  dress.  The  Boot  is  a  very  common  inn  sign, 
either  owing  to  the  thirsty  reputation  of  cobblers,  or  from  the  pre- 
mises where  they  are  found  having  been  at  one  time  occupied  by 
shoemakers.  The  Boot  and  Supper  may  be  seen  at  Smethwick, 
near  Birmingham  ;  the  Golden  Slipper  at  Goodrange,  in  West 
Riding;  the  Hand  and  Slippers  was  a  sign  in  Long  Lane, 
Smithfield,  in  1750.  The  Shoe  and  Slap  occurs  in  the  follow- 
ing handbill : — 

"It  MR  CROOME'S,  at  the  sign  of  the  Shoe  and  Slap,  near  the  Hospital 
£^  Gate,  in  West  Smithfield,  is  to  be  seen 

The  "Wonder  of  Nature, 
A  GiBL  above  Sixteen  Years  of  Age,  born  in  Cheshire,  and  not  above 
Eighteen  inches  long,  having  shed  her  Teeth  seven  several  Times,  and  not 
a  perfect  Bone  in  any  Part  of  her,  only  the  Head,  yet  she  hath  all  her 
senses  to  Admiration,  and  Discourses,  Reads  very  well.  Sings,  Whistles,  and 
all  very  pleasant  to  hear. 

"  Sept.  i,  1667.  '  God  save  the  King.' " 

A  slap  was  a  kind  of  "  ladies  shoe,  with  a  loose  sole,"  *  the  origin, 
probably,  of  the  present  word  slipper.  Another  kind  of  shoe  is 
also  mentioned  in  an  advertisement — the  Laced  Shoe  in  Chan- 
cery Lane.t     "  Laced  shoes,"  says  Randle  Holme,  "  have  the  over 

*  Handle  Holme,  b.  iii..  ch.  1.,  p.  14.        1  London  Gazette,  July  31  to  Aug.  4, 1679. 

3F 


4 1 0  THE  HI  ST  OB  Y  OF  SIGN  BO  A  RDS. 

leathers  and  edges  of  the  shoe  laced  in  orderly  courses  with 
narrow  galloon  lace  of  any  colour ;"  this  places  the  use  of 
laced  boots  much  earlier  than  we  would  have  been  apt  to  imagine. 
The  Clog  is  often  used  as  a  shoemaker's  sign  in  Lancashire  and 
the  midland  counties,  and  also  in  those  parts  of  London  where 
that  article  is  worn.  The  Fite  Clogs  was,  in  1718,  the  sign  of 
William  Wright,  a  quack,  who  lived  over  against  Prescott  Street, 
Goodman's  Fields.*  Perhaps  he  occupied  apartments  at  a  clog- 
maker's.  Even  the  primitive  Wooden  Shoe  {sabot)  of  France 
has  figured  as  a  tavern  sign  in  that  country.  In  a  farce  of  the 
f  orarteenth  century,  entitled,  "  Pemet  qui  va  an  Vin,"  the  husband 
names  the  following  taverns  : — 

"  A^  Sabot  ou  Ma  Lanterne 
J'ai  mis  en  oubli  la  taveme." 

Eonsard  addressed  some  of  his  verses  to  the  hostess  of  this 
tavern,  which  was  situated  in  the  Faubourg  St  Marcel : — 

"  Je  ne  suia  point,  ma  guerrifere  Casaandre, 
Ni  Mirmidon,  ni  Dolope  soudard." 
"  [1  n'y  a  personne,"  says  Purretifere  in  his  Soman  BourgeoU,  "  qui  ne  se 
figure  qu'on  parle  d'une  PentasilSe  ou  d'une  Talestris ;    cepandant  cette 
guerrifere  Cassaudre  n'4tait  reellement  qu'une  grande  haUebreda  qui  tenit 
le  cabaret  du  Sabot  dans  le  faubourg  Saint  MarceL"'h 

This  sign  has  given  its  name  to  a  street  in  Paris. 

The  Patten,  the  quaint  little  contrivance  in  which  our  great- 
grandmothers  tripped  through  the  winter's  sludge,  was  the  sign 
of  a  toy-shop  in  the  Haymarket,  "  over  against  Great  Suffolk 
Street,  and  by  Pall  MaU ; "  J  at  the  present  day  it  is  still  ex- 
tant as  a  fishmonger's  shop  in  Whitecross  Street,  near  the  prison. 

The  very  common  sign  of  the  Stab  and  Garter  refers  to 
the  insignia  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter.  Anciently  it  was 
simply  called  the  Garter,  and  thus  it  is  designated  by  Shake- 
speare in  his  "  Merry  Wives  of  Windsor."  Charles  L  added  the 
star  to  the  insignia,  and  his  example  was  followed  on  the  sign- 
board. At  that  time  the  Garter  was  treated  with  a  great  deal 
more  respect  than  at  present,  for  Sandford,  Lancaster  Herald 
in  1686,  complained  that  several  coffee-houses  had  the  sign  of  the 

*  Weekly  Jtmrnal,  Jan.  4,  1718. 

t  "  I  am,  my  warlike  Cassandra, 

Neither  a  Myrmidon  nor  a  Dolopian  warrior." 
"Eyerybody  that  reads  those  lines,"  says  Jurretifere in  hia  EofOoA  Bourgeois,  "will 
certainly  imagine  that  he  alludes  to  some  Fentosilea  or  Talestris;  yet  this  warlike 
Cassandra  was  after  all  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  tall  manly  looking  wench  who  kept 
the  Wooden  Shoe  (Sabot)  public-bouse  in  the  Fauboure  Saint  MaiceL" 
1  Bagtord  BllU. 


DRESS— PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL.  411 

Garter  with  coffee-pots,  &c.,  painted  inside,  which  he  considered 
downright  desecration ;  hence,  order  was  given  to  those  offenders, 
"  to  amcjnd  the  same,  or  else  they  should  be  pulled  down." 

The  Garter  Inn  at  Windsor,  where  Falstaff  lived  in  such  grand 
styie,  "as  an  emperor  in  his  expense,"  was  not  a  creation  of 
Shakespeare's  fancy,  but  did  really  exist,  and  most  probably  on 
the  same  site  at  present  occupied  by  the  Star  and  Garter.*  The 
first  Star  and  Garter  at  Richmond  was  built  in  173|,  on  what 
was  then  a  portion  of  the  waste  of  Petersham  Common ;  it  was 
rented  at  40s.  a  year.  A  drawing  by  Heame,  of  the  compara- 
tively insignificant  tenement  then  raised,  is  still  preserved  at  the 
hotel. 

It  was  also  the  sign  of  a  famous  ordinary  in  Pali  MaU.  Here 
the  Duke  of  Ormond,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  gave  a  dinner 
to  a  few  friends,  and  was  charged  £21,  6s.  8d.  for  the  two 
courses,  each  of  four  dishes,  without  any  wine  or  dessert,  which, 
considering  the  value  of  money  in  those  days,  was  certainly  a 
considerable  sum.  In  this  house,  in  1765,  Lord  Byron,  the 
poet's  grandfather,  killed  Mr  Chaworth  in  an  irregular  duel,  the 
result  of  a  dispute  whether  Mr  Chaworth,  who  preserved  his 
game,  or  Lord  Byron,  who  did  not,  had  more  game  on  his  estate. 
About  the  same  time  there  was  another  Star  and  Garter  tavern 
at  the  end  of  Burton  Street,  near  the  famous  Five  Fields  in 
Chelsea,  "  a  place  where  robbers  he  in  wait,"t  the  site  now  oc- 
cupied by  Eaton  Square  and  Belgrave  Square.  At  this  tavern, 
Johnson  the  equestrian  rode  in  July  1762,  for  the  gratification 
of  the  Cherokee  king,  when  on  a  visit  in  this  country.  The 
newspapers  of  the  day  describe  the  feats  he  performed  : — "  He 
rides  three  horses,  and  when  in  fuU  speed,  tosses  his  cap  and 
catches  it  several  times  ;  he  stands  with  both  feet  on  the  horse 
whilst  it  goes  three  times  round  the  green  in  full  speed,"  and 
similar  "  astounding "  acts,  wliioh  would  now  be  thought  very 
little  of. 

The  Glove  is,  in  France,  the  common  sign  of  the  glove-makers ; 
generally  it  is  a  colossal  represenjiation  of  a  glove  in  tin  painted 
red.  This  article  of  dress  has  had  more  honour  conferred  upon 
it  than  any  other ;  anciently  it  was  given,  by  way  of  delivery  or 
investiture,  in  sales  and  conveyances  of  lands  and  goods  ;  it  was 
worn  by  magistrates  on  certain  occasions,  presented  to  them  on 
others  ;  it  was  the  challenge  and  sacred  pledge  of  a  duel ;  the 
*  See  J.  0.  Halliwell's  folio  Shakcsjieare,  vol.  U,,  p.  468.  t  The  3'a«ar. 


4 1 2  THE  HISTOS  Y  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

rural  bridegroom  in  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth  wore  gloves  on 
his  hat  as  a  sign  of  good  husbandry  ;  noblemen  wore  their  ladies' 
gloves  in  front  of  their  hats ;  in  some  parts  of  England  it  used 
to  be  the  custom  to  hang  a  pair  of  white  gloves  on  the  pew  of 
unmarried  villagers,  who  had  died  in  the  flower  of  their  youth  ; 
it  is  used  in  marriage  by  proxy,  and  is  connected  with  innumer- 
able other  customs  and  ceremonies. 

The  Fan,  the  Crowned  Pan,  the  Two  Fans,  &c.,  were  the 
ordinary  signs  of  miUiners  who  sold  fans. 

The  Pincushion  is  the  sign  of  a  public-house  at  Wyberton, 
Boston,  but  why  chosen  it  is  difficult  to  say;  and  the  Puese  occurs 
amongst  the  trades  tokens  of  W.  Smithfield,  with  the  date  1669. 
This  last  object  was  also  the  sign  of  one  of  the  taverns  visited  at 
Barnet  by  Drunken  Barnaby,  where  he  had  the  misfortune  with 
the  bears. 

The  EiNG  was  the  sign  of  one  of  the  booksellers  in  Little 
Britain,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne ;  and  the  Golden  BiEiQ 
was,  in  1723,  the  sign  of  G.  Corners  on  Ludgate  Hill,  who  pub- 
lished a  black  letter  edition  of  "  The  Merry  Tales  of  the  Mad  Men 
of  Gotam."    An  old  tradition  that  Guttenberg  received  the  first 
idea  of  printing  from  the  seal  of  his  ring  impressed  in  wax,  may 
have  led  those  booksellers  to  adopt  that  object  for  their  sign. 
"  Respicit  arehetypos  auri  vestigia  lustrana, 
Et  secum  tacitus  talia  verba  refert : 
Quam  belle  pandit  oertas  hseo  orbita  voces, 
Monstrat  et  exactis  apta  reperta  libris."* 

A  red  or  a  bipartite  TJmbeella  or  Paeasol  is  the  invariable 
sign  of  the  umbrella-maker.  This  now  indispensable  article  was 
brought  into  fashion  by  Hanway  the  philanthropist,  towards  the 
end  of  the  eighteenth  centiiry.  Before  his  time,  a  cloak  was  the 
only  protection  against  a  shower.  Pepys  writes  in  his  Diary, 
"  This  day  in  the  afternoon,  stepping  with  the  Duke  of  York  in- 
to St  James'  Park,  it  rained,  and  I  was  forced  to  lend  the  duke 
piy  cloak,  which  he  wore  through  the  park."  On  another 
occasion  Pepys  was  out  with  no  less  than  four  ladies,  "  and  it 
rained  all  the  way,  it  troubled  tis  ;  but,  however,  my  cloak  kept 
us  aU  dry."  Pepys  sheltering  the  four  ladies  under  his  cloak 
of  charity  would  make  a  very  pretty  picture.  In  the  reign 
of  Queen  Anne,  good  housewives   defied  the  winter's   shower, 

*  "Helooked  intently  at  the  seal,  observing  the  impression  left  by  the  gold,  and  spoke 
the^e  words  to  himself,  '  How  beautifully  and  distinctly  does  this  impression  render  the 
words,'  ^nd  he  proved  his  useful  discoveiy  in  exact  books." 


DBE8S— PLAIN  AND  ORNAMENTAL. 


413 


"  underneatli  th'  umbrella's  oily  shed,"  *  but  Hanway  was  the 
first  who,  braving  laughter  and  sarcasm,  accustomed  the  Lon- 
doners to  the  sight  of  a  man  carrjdng  that  useful  contrivance. 
John  Pugh,  who  wrote  Hanway's  Ufe,  says  : — 

"  When  it  rained,  a  small  pa/rapluie  defended  his  face  and  wig ;  thus  he 
was  always  prepared  to  enter  into  any  company  without  impropriety  or  the 
appearance  of  negligence.  And  he  was  the  first  man  who  ventured  to  walk 
the  streets  of  London  with  an  umbrella  over  his  head ;  after  carrying  one 
near  thirty  years  he  saw  them  come  into  general  use." 

There  is  a  small  umbrella  shop  in  Old  Street,  Shoreditch, 
called  the  Umbrella  Hospital ;  two  placards  are  in  the  window, 
one  setting  forth  the  analogy  between  a  human  being  and  an 
umbrella,  the  second  giving  a  list  of  the  prices  charged  for  curing 
the  several  ills  an  umbrella  is  heir  to,  thus  : — 


8.  d. 

Restoring  a  broken  rib,             .           .           .           .           .           0    6 

Bestobino  a  spine, 

0    6 

Insebting  a  new  spine,   . 

1     0 

Eesusoitatinq  the  muscularia,  . 

0    6 

A  NEW  membranous  attachment, 

2    6 

BESioiimG  a  shattered  constitution, 

1     0 

Setting  a  dislocated  neck, 

0    6 

Restoring  a  broken  neck. 

0     9 

A  NEW  set  of  nerves. 

1     0 

A  NEW  rib. 

0    6 

A  NEW  muscle,     . 

0     3 

A  NEW  motive  power,     . 

0    6 

A  CRENATBD  attachment. 

0     6 

Restoring  the  muscular  power. 

1     6 

Fixing  on  a  new  head,     . 

!           '            0    3 

Supplying  a  new  head,    . 

1    0 

*  Gay's  Trivia,  fcoek  I.,  p.  221. 


CHAPTEE  XIII. 

GEOGRAPHY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY. 

FoBEMOST  ill  this  division  stands  the  Globe, — "  the  great  Globe 
itself,"  a  trade  emblem  common  to  publicans,   outfitters,  and 
others,  who  rely  upon  cosmopolitan  customers.      One  of  the 
theatres,  where  Shakespeare  used  to  perform,  was  called  The 
Globe,  from  its  sign  representing  Atlas  supporting  the  world. 
It  was  accompanied  by  the  motto,  ToTirs  Mundds  agit  His- 
teionem;  upon  which  Ben  Jonson  made  the  following  epigram : — 
"  If  but  stage  actors  all  the  world  displays, 
Where  shall  we  find  spectators  to  their  plays  f" 
To  which  Shakespeare  is  said  to  have  returned  this  answer  :^— 
"  Little  or  much  of  what  we  see  we  do. 
We  are  all  actors  and  spectators  too." 

The  house  stood  on  the  Bankside,  Southwark,  and  was  burnt 
down  in  June  1613,  having  been  set  on  fire  during  one  of  the 
plays  by  a  piece  of  wadding  fired  from  a  cannon  falling  on  the 
thatched  roof.  It  was  rebuilt,  but  finally  taken  down  in  1644 
to  make  room  for  dweUing-houses. 

One  of  the  most  famous  Globe  taverns  stood,  tiU  the  begin- 
ning of  this  century,  in  Fleet  Street.  It  had  been  one  of  the 
favourite  haunts  of  Oliver  Goldsmith,  who,  it  appears,  was  never 
tired  of  hearing  a  certain  "  tun  of  a  man"  sing  "  Nottingham 
Ale."  Goldsmith's  face  was  so  well  known  here  that  a  wealthy 
pork-butcher,  another  habitue  of  the  house,  used  to  drink  to 
him  in  the  famihar  words,  "  Come,  NoU,  old  boy,  here 's  my  ser- 
vice to  you."  Several  actors,  also,  "  used"  the  house, — amongst 
others,  the  centenarian  Macklin,  Tom  King,  and  DunstalL  Many 
amusing  anecdotes  concerning  the  place  have  been  preserved  in 
the  "  Fruits  of  Experience,"  a  delightful  book  of  city  gossip, 
written  in  his  eightieth  year  by  Joseph  Brasbridge,  a  sUversmith 
in  Fleet  Street.     Brasbridge  was  a  constant  visitor  at  this  tavern. 

At  Aldborough,  near  Eoroughbridge,  there  is  a  Globe  public- 
house,  in  which  a  tessellated  pavement,  part  of  a  Roman  viUa, 
may  be  seen.  The  publican  informs  passers-by  of  this  by  the 
following  inscription  on  his  signboard  : — 

"  This  is  the  ancient  manor-house,  and  in  it  you  may  see 
The  Romans  work  a  great  curiositee.  ' 


QEOORAPHY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.  415 

And  the  absence  of  the  apostrophe  certainly  makes  it  so.  Finally, 
John  Partridge,  the  almanac-making  shoemaker,  so  amusingly 
ridiculed  in  the  Taller,  lived  at  the  Globe  in  Salisbury  Street. 
From  the  pursuits  of  that  great  man,  we  may  surmise  his  globe 
to  have  been  a  celestial  one. 

Sometimes  the  Globe  was  gUt,  "  for  a  difference."  Thus  the 
Golden  Globe  was  the  sign  of  WiUiam  Herbert,  printseUer,  and 
editor  of  Joseph  Ames's  well-known  work  on  "  Typographical 
Antiquities."  This  shop  was  under  the  Piazza  on  London  Bridge, 
where  he  continued  till  1758,  when  the  house  was  taken  down. 

Of  aU  the  signs  which  may  be  termed  "  Geographical,"  those 
referring  to  our  own  island  are,  of  course,  the  most  common  in 
this  country.  Britannia  is  very  general.  Hone,  in  his  "  Every- 
day Book,"  mentions  a  public-house  in  the  country  where  London 
porter  was  sold,  and  the  figure  of  Britannia  was  represented  in  a 
lanjjuishing,  reclining  posture,  with  the  motto, 

"  PEAY,  SUP-POETEE." 

TTie  first  inhabitants  are  commemorated  by  the  sign  of  the 
Ancient  Beiton  ;  but  this  is  not  one  of  the  "  Caerulei  Britanni," 
though  true  blue  for  aU  that,  but  refers  simply  to  a  true  patriot  in 
the  best  sense  of  the  word.  Thus  BosweU  uses  the  expression  in 
one  of  bis  letters  to  Dr  Johnson  : — 

"  I  trust  that  you  will  be  liberal  enough  to  make  allowance  for  my  dif- 
fering from  you  on  two  points,  [the  Middlesex  election  and  the  American 
war,]  when  my  general  principles  of  government  are  according  to  your  own 
heart,  and  when,  at  a  crisis  of  doubtful  event,  I  stand  forth  with  honest 
aeal  as  an  ancient  a,nd  faithful  Briton," 

That  this  is  the  meaning  attached  to  the  word  is  evident  from 
other  signs  of  the  same  family,  as  Teue  Beiton,  Geneeotjs 
Beiton,  &c.,  all  common  signatures  to  political  letters  in  the 
newspapers  of  the  Junius  period.  The  modern  John  Bull,  and 
the  stiU  later  Old  English  Gentleman,  descend  from  the  same 
stock,  and  are  all  equally  common. 

England,  Scotland,  and  Ieeland  was,  in  1673,  the  sign  of 
John  Thornton,  in  the  Minories,  hydrographer  to  the  Hon.  East 
India  Company.  As  he  also  sold  maps,  he  had  probably  a  map 
of  the  United  Kingdom  as  his  sign.  Formerly  signs  representing 
buUdings  or  localities  in  London  were  common,  though  generally 
they  bore  very  little  resemblance  to  the  places  intended.  Among 
the  trades  tokens  we  find  the  Exchange,  a  tavern  in  the  Poultry 
in  1 651 ;  the  East  India  House,  in  Leadenhall  Street,  like 


41 6  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

most  of  this  description  of  signs,  prompted  by  the  vicinity  of 
the  building  represented ;  Chaeing  Ceoss,  the  sign  of  a  shop  in 
that  locaUty  where  they  sold  canaries  in  1699,  and  also  a  sign 
at  Norwich  in  1750;  The  Old  Peison,  in  Whitechapel — ^tlos 
Old  Prison  was  intended  for  King's  Cross;  Camden  House, 
in  Maiden  Lane,  1668, — this  must  have  been  in  honour  of  Bap- 
tist Hicks,  the  opulent  mercer,  at  the  White  Bear,  in  Cheapside, 
who  died  as  Viscount  Camden  in  1628.  He  built  Hicks  Hall  on 
Clerkenwell  Green,  and  presented  it  to  the  county  magistrates  as 
their  session-house. 

Further,  there  was  the  Temple,  the  sign  of  Mr  Buck,  book- 
seller, near  the  Inner  Temple  Gate,  in  Fleet  Street,  in  1700;  and 
at  the  same  period,  Hyde  Paek,  a  shop  or  tavern  in  Gray's  Inn 
Lane.  A  public-house  in  Bridge  Row,  Chelsea,  mentioned  before 
1750,  and  still  in  existence,  bears  the  name  of  the  Chelsea 
Wateewoeks.  The  Waterworks,  after  which  it  was  named, 
were  constructed  circa  1724 ;  a  canal  was  dug  from  the  Thames, 
near  Bauelagh,  to  Pimlico,  where  an  engine  was  placed  for  the 
purpose  of  raising  the  water  into  pipes,  which  conveyed  it  to 
Chelsea,  Westminster,  and  various  parts  of  western  London.  The 
reservoirs  in  Hyde  and  Green  Park  were  supplied  by  pipes  from 
the  Chelsea  Waterworks,  which,  in  1767,  yielded  daily  1740  tons. 

The  Lancashxre  Witch,  a  sign  of  an  exhibition  of  shell-work 
and  petrifactions  in  Shoreditch,  1754,  was  doubtless  named  after 
our  old  friend.  Mother  Shipton,  bom  near  the  Petrifying  Well  at 
Knaresborough. 

Even  on  the  Continent  we  meet  with  a  London  sign, — ^viz.,  at 
Verona,  where,  in  1825,  the  Tower  op  London  was  one  of  the 
inns  which  recommended  itself  to  English  travellers  in  the  fol- 
lowing grand  circular : — 

"  Circulatory. — The  old  inn  of  London's  Tower,  placed  among  the  more 
agreeable  sitaation  of  Verona's  Course,  belonging  at  Sir  Theodosius  Zi- 
gnoni,  restored  by  the  decorum  most  indulgent  to  good  things,  of  life's 
eases,  which  are  favoured  from  every  art  at  same  inn,  with  all  object 
that  is  conoem'd,  conveniency  of  stage-coaches,  proper  horses,  and  good 
foragers,  and  coach-house ;  do  offers  at  innkeeper  the  constant  hope  to  be 
honoured  from  a  great  concourse,  where  politeness,  good  genius  of  meats 
to  delight  of  nations,  round  table,  [table  d'hdte,]  coffee-house,  hackney- 
coach,  men  servant  of  place,  swiftness  of  service,  and  moderacion  of  prices, 
shall  arrive  to  accomplish  in  him  all  satisfaction,  and  at  Sir's  who  will  do 
the  favour  honouring  him  a  very  assur'd  kindness." 

York  figures  more  frequently  on  the  signboard  than  any  other 
place  in  England.     From  the  trades  tokens  we  see  that  the  City 


pEXTHA) 


PLATE  24. 


"magpie    &   STUMP."  "old  SEIGNIOR  JOHN." 


PEACOCK. 


u 


RAVEN. 


"rose." 


"rose   fe   CROWN."  "royal    MARTYR." 


U  " 

SAINT     PAUL. 


SALUTATION. 


SERPENT. 


"ship" 


SHEARS. 


"sir  CLOUDESLEY  shovel"  "sTAR  *   CARTEr" 


(I  » 

SUN. 


S  WA  N 


LONDON     TAVERN      SIGNS,     CIRC:     I700-I720. 


QEOGRAPBY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.  41 7 

OP  York  was  a  sign  in  Middle  Row,  Holborn,  in  tlie  seventeenth 
century.  The  York  Minster  is  one  of  the  few  cathedrals  ever 
seen  represented  out  of  its  own  city,  probably  for  no  other  reason 
than  because  it  stands  in  the  capital  of  the  county  from  whence 
the  Yorkshire  stingo  comes.  York,  however,  seems  to  have  been 
a  right  merry  city,  second  only  to  the  city  of  London,  for  one  of 
the  oldest  Roxburghe  ballads,  dated  1584,  says : — 

"  Torke,  Torke,  for  my  monie,  of  all  the  cities  that  ever  I  see, 
For  mery  pastime  and  companie,  except  the  cittie  of  London." 

The  Castle  being  such  a  general  sign,  many  traders  adopted 
some  particular  castle.  Dotee  Castle,  or  Walmee  Castle,  is 
amongst  the  most  frequent.  The  first  is  mentioned  in  the  fol- 
lowing amusing  advertisement : — 

"  Fob  Femat.k  Satisfaction. 
"  TTTHEREAS  THE  mtstekt  of  Freemasonry  has  been  kept  a  profound 

V  V  secret  for  several  Ages,  till  at  length  some  Men  assembled  themselves 
at  the  Dover  Castle,  in  the  parish  of  Lambeth,  under  pretence  of  knowing 
the  secret,  and  likewise  in  opposition  to  some  gentlemen  that  are  real 
Freemasons,  and  hold  a  Lodge  at  the  same  house ;  therefore,  to  prove  that 
they  are  no  more  than  pretenders,  and  as  the  Ladies  have  sometimes  been 
desirous  of  gaining  knowledge  of  the  noble  art,  (sic,)  several  regular-made 
Masons,  (both  ancient  and  modem,)  members  of  constituted  Lodges  in  this 
metropolis,  have  thought  proper  to  unite  into  a  select  Body  at  Beau  Sil- 
vester's, the  sign  of  the  Angel,  Bull  Stairs,  Southwark,  and  stile  themselves 
Uniohs,  think  it  highly  expedient,  and  in  justice  to  the  fair  sex,  to  initiate 
them  therein,  provided  they  are  women  of  undeniable  character;  for  tho' 
no  Lodge  as  yet  (except  the  Free  Union  Masons)  have  thought  proper  to 
admit  Women  into  the  Fraternity,  we,  well  knowing  they  have  as  much 
Right  to  attain  to  the  secrets  as  those  Castle  Humbugs,  have  thought 
proper  so  to  do,  not  doubting  but  they  will  prove  an  honour  to  the 
Craft ;  and  as  we  have  had  the  honour  to  inculcate  several  worthy  Sisters 
therein,  those  that  are  desirous,  and  think  themselves  capable  of  having 
the  secret  conferred  on  them,  by  proper  Application,  will  be  admitted, 
and  the  charges  will  not  exceed  the  Expenoes  of  our  Lodge." — Pvilick  Ad- 
vertiser, March  7,  1759. 

The  sign  of  the  Angel  at  Beau  Silvester's  was  certainly  well 
chosen  by  those  gallant  soi-disant  Masons  ;  but  would  not  the 
Silent  Woman  have  been  still  more  appropriate  ?  Be  that  as  it 
may.  Lodges  for  ladies  there  were — ^witness  the  following  adver- 
tisement, a  good  specimen  of  "  Stratford-le-Bow"  French  : — 

"  C.  LOQB  C. 

"  i  VEETISSEMENT  AUX  DAMES,  etc.     Pour  vincre  que  les  Francs 

J\_    Massons  ne  sont  pas  telles  que  le  public  les  a  representees  en  parti- 

culier  la  sexe  Feminine,  cet  Loge  juge  a  propos  de  recevoir  des  Femimes 

aussi  bien  que  dea  Hommes. 

3  Gr 


4l8  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"  N.  B. — Lea  Dames  serout  introduita  dana  la  Loge  avec  la  CeremoDW 
accoutum^e  ou  le  Serment  ordinaire  et  le  reel  Secret  leur  aeront  adminis- 
tr^es.  On  commencera  a  recevoir  dee  Dames  Jeudy  11  de  Mars  1762,  at 
Mrs  Maynard'a,  next  door  to  the  Lying-in  Hospital,  Brownlow  Street,  Long- 
acre.  La  Porte  sera  ouverte  a  6  Heurea  du  Soir.  Les  Dames  et  Mes- 
sieurs sont  prices  de  ne  pas  venir  aprSs  S0pt,  Le  prix  est  £i.  Is." — (News- 
paper, 1762.) 

How  the  ladies  were  initiated — or,  as  the  worthy  secretary  of 
Beau  Silvester's  Lodge  calls  it,  "  inculcated," — we  are  not  in- 
formed ;  but  certainly  some  modification  must  have  been  made 
in  the  usual  ceremony  attending  the  initiation  of  novices. 

Llangollen  Castle  is  painted  on  a  sign  in  Deansgate,  Man- 
chester :  under  it  is  the  following  rhyme  : — 

"  Near  the  above  place  in  a  vault, 
There  is  such  liquor  fixed. 
You  'U  say  that  water,  hops,  and  malt. 
Were  never  better  mixed." 

Many  other  castles  occur,  such  as  Jeesey  Castle,  on  the 
token  of  Philip  Crosse  in  Finch  Lane,  in  the  seventeenth  century ; 
EocHESTEE  Castle,  Miteoed  Castle,  Heeefoed  Castle, 
Waewick  Castle,  Edinburgh  Castle,  &c. 

Towns  are  often  adopted  for  signs  as  a  point  de  ralliement  for 
the  natives  of  such  places,  the  birthplace  of  the  landlord  being 
generally  the  town  which  has  the  honour  of  his  selection.  The 
City  or  Noewich  was  the  sign  of  a  house  in  Bishopsgate  Street 
in  the  seventeenth  century,  either  for  the  reason  just  alleged,  or 
because  "  the  fall  of  Nirwiieh  mth  Norwich  built  in  an  hour," 
was  one  of  the  penny  sights  at  that  period.  Coventet  Ceoss 
was  the  sign  of  a  mercer  in  New  Bond  Street  at  the  end  of  the 
last  century,  evidently  chosen  on  account  of  the  silk  ribbons 
manufactured  in  that  town ;  and  the  Chilteen  Hundeed,  a 
public-house  at  Boxley,  near  Maidstone,  doubtless  refers  to  the 
well-known  range  of  hills  extending  from  Henley-on-Thames  to 
Tring  in  Herts.  In  old  times  these  hills  were  covered  with 
forests,  and  infested  by  numerous  bands  of  thieves.  To  protect 
the  people  in  the  neighbourhood,  an  officer  was  appointed  by  the 
Crown,  called  the  steward  of  the  Chiltern  Himdreds,  and  although 
the  duties  have  long  ceased  the  office  stiU  exists,  and  is  made 
use  of  to  afford  members  of  the  House  of  Commons  an  oppor- 
tunity of  resigning  their  seats  when  they  desire  it.  Being  a 
Government  appointment,  though  without  either  duties  or  salary, 
the  acceptance  of  it  disqualifies  a  member  from  retaining  his  seat. 


GEOGBAPHY  AND  TOPOGRAPHT.  419 

The  "Wiltshire  Shepherd  was  a  sign  in  St  Martin's  Lane  in 
the  seventeenth  century.  The  Wiltshire  downs  were  famous 
for  their  flocks  of  sheep.  Aubrey,  himself  a  WUtshireman,  says 
that  the  innocent  lives  of  those  shepherds  "  doe  give  us  a  re- 
semblance of  the  golden  age."  He  also  states  that  their  sight 
inspired  Sir  Philip  Sidney  in  charming  pastorals,  which  on  those 
very  downs  he  sketched  from  nature,  as  some  of  his  old  rela- 
tions well  remembered.  "  'Twas  about  these  purlieus,"  says  he, 
"  that  the  muses  were  wont  to  appeare  to  Sir  Pliilip  Sidney,  and 
where  he  wrote  down  their  dictates  in  his  table-book,  though  on 
horseback."  Many  of  the  customs  of  these  shepherds  Aubrey 
traces  down  from  the  Eomans.*  The  Gentle  Shepherd  op 
Salisbury  Plain  is  the  name  given  to  Farmer  Peek's  house,  on 
the  road  from  Cape  Town  to  Simon's  Bay,  Cape  of  Good  Hope. 
On  his  signboard  is  the  following  mosaic  inscription  : — 
"  Multum  in  parvo,  pro  bono  publico ; 

Entertainment  for  man  or  beast  all  of  a  row. 

Lekker  host  as  much  as  you  please ; 

Excellent  beds  without  any  fleas. 

Nos  patriam  fugimus — now  we  are  here, 

Vivamus,  let  us  live  by  selling  beer. 

On  donne  k  boire  et  ^  manger  ioi ; 

Come  in  and  try  it,  whoever  you  be. 
The  Gentle  Shepherd  of  Salisbury  Plain." 

Near  Basingstoke  there  is  a  public-house  sign  representing  a 
grenadier  in  full  uniform,  holding  in  his  hand  a  foaming  pot  of 
ale  ;  it  is  called  the  Whitley  Grenadibh,  and  bears  the  follow- 
ing disinterested  verses : — 

"  This  is  the  Whitley  Grenadier, 

A  noted  house  for  famous  beer. 

My  friend,  if  you  should  chance  to  call. 

Beware  and  get  not  drunk  withal ; 

Let  moderation  be  your  guide. 

It  answers  well  whene'er  'tis  try'd. 

Then  use,  but  not  abuse,  strong  leer. 

And  don't  forget  the  Grenadier." 

This  sign  seems  to  have  been  suggested  by  the  tragical  death 
of  a  grenadier,  which  is  thus  recorded  on  a  tombstone  in  the 
churchyard  of  Winchester  Cathedral : — 

"  Here  sleeps  in  peace  a  Hampshire  Grenadeer, 
Who  caught  his  death  by  drinking  cold  small  ieer. 
Soldiers  be  warned  by  his  untimely  fall. 
And  when  you  're  hot,  drink  strong,  or  none  at  aU." 

*  Aubrey,  Remains  of  Judaisme  and  Gentilisme.    MS.  Lansdowne  CoUectioa. 


420  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONLOABBS. 

To  which  a  wag  appended  the  following  lines  : — 
"  An  honest  soldier  never  is  forgot, 
Whether  he  die  by  musket  or  by  pot." 

The  Flitch  op  Dunmow  is  a  common  sign  in  Essex,  and  is 
sometimes  seen  in  other  counties.  The  custom  of  giving  a  flitch 
of  bacon,  on  the  well-known  conditions,  is  not  peculiar  to  Dun- 
mow.  In  the  reign  of  Edward  IIL,  the  Earl  of  Lancaster, 
lord  of  the  honour  of  Tutbury,  granted  a  manor  near  Wichnor 
village,  Burton-upon-Trent,  to  Sir  Philip  de  SommerviUe,  stipulat- 
ing that  he  was  to  give  a  flitch  of  bacon  on  the  same  conations 
as  at  Dunmow.*  At  the  abbey  of  St  Mjlaine,  near  Eennes,  in 
Normandy,  the  same  custom  was  observed,  but  the  practice  was 
still  less  successful,  for  Dunmow  at  least  has  six  times  given  the 
side  of  bacon  away,  but — 

"  A  I'abbaye  de  Saint  Milaine  prfes  Kennes  y  a  plus  de  six  cents  ans  ont 
un  cost^  de  lard  encore  tout  fraia  et  non  corrompu ;  et  n^anmoins  ont 
vouS  et  ordonn^  aux  premiers  qui  par  an  et  jour  ensemble  mariez  ont 
vescu  sans  debat,  grondement  et  sans  s'en  repentir."  + 

Our  next  sign  is  geographical  only  in  its  relationship.  At  Wans- 
ford  Bridge,  which  crosses  the  river  Nen  in  Northampton,  there 
is  the  Haycock  Inn,  deriving  its  name  from  a  curious  incident : 
the  river  overflowed  its  banks  and  carried  away  a  haycock  with  a 
man  upon  it.  Taylor,  the  Water  poet,  says  of  the  circumstance : — 
"  On  a  haycock  sleeping  soundly, 

The  river  rose,  and  took  me  roundly 

Down  the  current ;  people  cried, 

As  along  the  stream  I  hied. 

'  Where  away  ? '  quoth  they, '  From  Greenland  ?' 

'  No ;  from  Wansf ord  Bridge,  in  England.' " 
The  stone  bridge,  of  thirteen  arches,  carries  the  Great  North 
Koad  across  the  river,  so  much  traversed  in  the  coaching  times ; 
and  well  known  to  many  a  traveller  in  those  days  was  the  Hay- 
cock Inn,  at  one  end  of  the  bridge,  which  has  on  the  signboard  a 
pictorial  representation  of  the  scene. 

Scotland,  which,  besides  Edinburgh  ales  and  Highland  whisky, 
produces  a  great  many  publicans,  is  honoured  in  numberless  signs. 
Land  o'  Cakes,  the  name  given  by  Bums  to  the  country  of  the 
"  brighter  Scotch,"  is  a  sign  at  Middle  Hill  Gate,  near  Stockport. 
And  here  we  may  observe  the  popularity  of  Burns  among  the 

*  See  Gvnt.'s  Mat).,  Jan.  1819,  where  the  conditions  are  given  in  extenso. 

t  "  At  the  abbey  of  Saint  Milaine,  near  i&ennes,  there  has  been  for  more  than  600  years 
a  flitch  of  bacon,  still  perfectly  fresh  ami  good  ;  yet  it  is  promised  and  ordered  to  be  giTen 
to  the  first  couple  that  has  been  married  for  a  year  and  a  day  without  quarrelling,  scold- 
ing, or  regretting  that  they  were  married." — Contes  (TEutrap. 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  TOPOORAPHT.  42 1 

publicans,  for  not  only  is  the  poet  himself,  and  several  of  his 
amusing  heroes,  exalted  in  innumerable  places  among  the  "  living 
dead,"  but  at  Kirby  Moor  some  of  his^ verses  are  even  introduced 
on  the  sign  : — 

"  When  neebors  anger  at  a  plea, 

An'  just  as  wud  as  wud  can  be. 

How  easy  can  the  barley  bree 
Cement  the  quarrel  ? 

It 's  aye  the  cheapest  lawyer's  fee, 
To  taste  the  barrel." 
Very  good  advice  indeed. 

Since  the  Highlander's  love  for  snuff  and  whisky  was  such, 
that  he  wished  to  have  "  a  Benlomond  of  snuff,  and  a  Loch 
Lomond  of  whisky,"  nobody  could  make  a  better  public-house 
sign  than  the  Highland  Laddie,  nor  a  better  snuff-shop  sign 
than  the  kilted  Highlander  who  stands  generally  at  the  door  of 
these  establishments.  Two  others  of  the  lares  and  penates  of 
the  tobacconist  are  the  SaUor  and  the  Moor  or  Oriental.  The 
first  presiding  over  the  snuff,  the  second  over  the  chewing,  the 
third  over  the  smoking  "  department," — as  the  drapers  term  the 
divisions  of  their  shop.  After  the  rebellion  of  1745,  when 
everything  was  done  by  the  Government  to  extinguish  the  na- 
tionality of  the  Scotch,  when  Scotch  ballads  were  forbidden,  and 
the  names  of  some  clans  were  deemed  more  odious  than  the  word 
raka  to  the  Jews,  the  ,kilt  was  forbidden  by  the  legislature  as  an 
abomination.  On  that  occasion  the  following  trifle  appeared  in 
the  newspapers  : — 

"  We  hear  that  the  dapper  wooden  Highlanders,  who  guard  so  heroically 
the  doors  of  snuff-shops,  intend  to  petition  the  Legislature,  in  order  that 
they  roay  be  excused  from  complying  with  the  act  of  Parliament  with  re- 
gard to  their  change  of  dress  :  alledging  that  they  have  ever  been  faithful 
subjects  to  his  Majesty,  having  constantly  supplied  his  Guards  with  a  pinch 
out  of  their  Mulla  when  they  marched  by  them,  and  so  far  from  engaging 
in  any  Rebellion,  that  they  have  never  entertained  a  rebellious  thought; 
whence  they  humbly  hope  that  they  shall  not  be  put  to  the  Expense  of 
buying  new  deaths." 

The  ubiquity  of  the  Scotch  packman  produced  the  sign  of  the 
Scotchman's  Pack,  St  Michael's  HUl,  Bristol,  and  in  some  other 
places.  From  the  following  passage  it  appears  that  these  Scot- 
tish packmen,  in  the  sixteenth  century,  penetrated  even  as  far 
as  Poland  : — "  Ane  pedder  is  called  ane  merchod  or  cremar  quha 
beirs  ane  pack  or  creame*  upon  his  bak,  quha  are  called  beirares 

*  Creame — Dutch,  kraam — a  temporary  booth  erected  in  fair-time  to  serve  as  a  shop. 
Fjvea  at  the  present  day  those  meu  ttxat  go  from  village  to  village  selling  cheap  jewel- 


42  2  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

of  the  puddill  be  the  Scotteamen  in  the  realme  of  Polonia,  quhaii 
I  saw  an  greate  multitude  in  the  town  of  Cracovia,  anno  Dom. 
1569."* 

Gketna  Geeen  used  at  one  time  to  be  a  not  very  uncommon 
sign  on  the  Border ;  there  is  one  at  Ayeliffe,  Darlington.  The 
origin  of  marriages  at  this  place  is  not  so  generally  known  that  it 
would  be  superfluous  to  introduce  it  here.  Marriages  ia  Scotland 
at  aU  times  having  been  considered  legal  if  two  parties  accepted 
each  other  for  man  and  wife  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  a  dis- 
sipated tobacconist,  named  Joseph  Paisley,  about  a  century  ago, 
conceived  the  idea  of  opening  an  establishment  on  the-  Border  to 
unite  runaway  couples  ia  wedlock.  For  this  purpose  he  selected 
the  common,  or  green,  between  Graitney  an'd  Springfield,  in 
Dumfries-shire,  a  place  called  Megshill,  the  first  Scottish  ground 
on  entering  the  country  from  Cumberland ;  there  he  commenced 
business.  In  1791  he  settled  in  the  then  newly-built  village  of 
Springfield,  but  the  reputation  of  his  impromptu  marriage-temple 
on  Graitney  Common,  (or  Gretna  Green,  as  the  English  called  it,) 
had  already  so  widely  spread  that  the  name  of  the  place  had 
passed  into  a  by-word  for  clandestine  marriages.  Paisley  died 
in  1814,  but  marriage-mongering  had  become  a  trade  in  Spring- 
field, and  several  self-appointed  parsons  started  up  to  fill  the 
office.  Pennant  says  that  in  1771  a  young  couple  might  be 
united  "from  two  guineas  a  job  to  a  dram  of  whisky"  by  a 
fisherman,  a  joiner,  or  a  blacksmith ;  but  the  prices  rose  much 
higher  afterwards,  varying  from  £40  to  half-a-guinea,  and  this 
last  sum  was  only  accepted  from  pedestrian  couples.  As  a  rule, 
the  fee  was  settled  by  the  po.st-boys  from  Carlisle,  each  patronis- 
ing certain  houses,  and  the  hymeneal  priests,  knowing  the  value 
of  their  patronage,  permitted  them  to  go  snacks  in  the  proceeds. 
It  is  estimated  that  about  300  couples  a  year  used  to  get  married 
in  this  off-hand  manner. 

Of  our  colonies,  Gibraltae  and  the  Cape  op  Good  Hope 
seem  to  be  almost  the  only  ones  considered  worthy  the  honour 
of  the  signboard.  Gibraltar  became  popular  as  soon  as  the  ac- 
quisition had  been  esteemed  at  its  proper  value.  As  for  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope,  the  frequency  of  tins  sign  all  over  England  seems 
to  render  it  probable  that  it  was  not  so  much  adopted  in  honour 

lery  and  other  articles,  which  they  carry  in  a  hox  or  baslcet,  are  called  mars-AromerA^ 
apparently  from  marcharj  to  walk,  and  the  above  hraam,. 
*  Skene,  De  Verborum  Significatlone  at  the  End  of  his  Lawes  and  Actes.  Edinburgh 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.  423 

of  the  colony  as  to  express  the  landlord's  hope  of  success,  and 
therefore  as  a  sort  of  equivalent  to  the  Hope  and  Anchor,  or  the 
Hope.*  The  Jamaica  tavern,  too,  may  have  been  christened  in 
compliment  to  the  birth-place  of  mm.  There  is  a  house  with  this 
name  in  Bermondsey,  which  is  one  of  the  many  houses  stated  iu 
our  time  to  have  been  a  residence  of  Oliver  Cromwell.  "  The 
building,  of  which  only  a  moiety  now  remains,  and  that  very 
ruinous,  the  other  having  been  removed  years  ago  to  make  room 
for  modem  erections,  presents  probably  almost  the  same  features 
as  when  tenanted  by  the  Protector.  The  carved  quatrefoils  and 
flowers  upon  the  staircase  beams,  the  old-fashioned  fastenings  of 
the  doors  —  'bolts,  locks,  and  bars'  —  the  huge  single  gable, 
(which  in  a  modern  house  would  be  double,)  even  the  divided 
section,  like  a  monstrous  amputated  stump,  imperfectly  plastered 
over,  patched  here  and  there  with  planks,  slates,  and  tiles,  to  keep 
the  wind  and  weather  out,  though  it  be  very  poorly — all  are  in 
keeping;  and  the  glimmer  of  the  gas,  by  which  the  old  and 
ruinous  kitchen  into  which  we  strayed  was  dimly  lighted,  seemed 
to  'pale  its  ineffectual  fires'  in  striving  to  illumine  the  old 
black  settles,  and  stiU  older  wainscot."  t  After  the  Restoration, 
this  house  seems  to  have  become  a  tavern,  and  here,  according 
to  the  homely,  kind-hearted  custom  of  the  times,  Pepys,  on  Sun- 
day, April  14,  1667,  took  his  wife  and  her  maids  to  give  them  a 
day's  pleasure.  "  Over  the  water  to  the  Jamaica  house,  where  I 
never  was  before,  and  then  the  girls  did  run  wagers  on  the  bowl- 
ing green,  and  there  vrith  much  pleasure  spent  little,  and  so 
home."  Subsequently,  he  frequently  returned  to  this  place, 
which  seems  to  have  been  the  same  he  elsewhere  calls  The  Half- 
way House.  Besides  this,  there  is  the  Jamaica  and  Madeira 
coffee-house,  a  well-known  business  club  or  tavern  in  St  Michael's 
Alley,  ComhiU. 

Only  a  few  European  nations  and  towns  are  represented. 
Amongst  the  Bagford  shopbiUs  there  is  one  of  a  perfumer,  named 
Dighton,  who,  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  sold  "  true  Hungary 
Water,  all  sorts  of  snuff  and  perfiimes,"  <fec.  His  shop  was  next 
door  to  the  King's  Head  Tavern  at  Chancery  Lane  End,  and  had 
the  sign  of  the  City  of  Sevilla'j  the  woodcut  above  his  shop- 
biU  presents  a  distant  family  resemblance  to  that  place,  and  with 
a  little  goodwill  one  may  recognise  the  Alcazar,  the  Giralda,  San 

*  See  in  this  same  chapter,  p.  417,  for  particulars  of  a  signboard  at  the  Cape,  ex- 
hibited by  Farmer  Peek.  t  "  ^^1  leaves,"  1854. 


424  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Clementi,  and  San  Juan  de  la  Palma ;  the  view  is  taken  from 
the  suburb  of  Triana,  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  This 
"  famous  Henry  Dighton,"  as  he  styles  himself  in  an  advertise- 
ment in  1718,  "sworn  perfumer  in  ordinary  to  H.  M.  King 
George,"  had  chosen  the  sign  of  the  City  of  Sevilla  from  the 
fact  of  his  importing  Spanish  snuff,  the  fashionable  mixture  in 
those  days,  which  the  gallants  dislodged  with  such  airy  elegance 
from  among  the  lace  frills  of  their  shirts  and  neckties.  His  suc- 
cessor, Henry  Coulthurst,  promised  "  to  furnish  greater  variety 
of  the  choicest  and  truest  snuff  than  any  perfumer  in  England, 
viz.,  Havana,  Port  St  Mary's,  Barcelona,  Port  Mahon,  Seville, 
plain  Spanish,  and  fine  Lisbon."  These  Spanish  snuffs  had  come 
greatly  into  fashion  at  the  capture  of  Puerta  St  Maria,  near 
Cadiz,  when  the  fleet,  under  Sir  George  Rooke,  captured  several 
thousand  barrels  of  snuff.  But  long  before  that  time  enormous 
quantities  of  Spanish  tobacco  had  been  yearly  imported  into 
England. 

"  There  was  wont  to  come  out  of  Spain,"  said  Sir  Edwin  Sandys,  in  1620, 
"  a  great  mass  of  money  to  the  value  of  £100,000  per  annum  for  our  cloths 
and  other  merchandises ;  and  now  we  have  from  thence  for  all  our  cloth  and 
merchandises  nothing  but  tobacco  :  nay,  that  wUl  not  pay  for  all  the  to- 
bacco we  have  from  thence,  but  they  have  more  from  us  in  money  every 
year,  £20,000 ;  so  there  goes  out  of  this  kingdom  as  good  as  £120,000  for 
tobacco  every  year."* 

The  Theee  Spanish  Gypsies,  in  the  New  Exchange,  was  the 
shop  of  the  future  "  Monkey  Duchess,"  the  nickname  given  by 
her  aristocratic  friends  to  Anne  Monk,  Duchess  of  Albemarla 
"  She  was  the  daughter  of  John  Clarges,  a  farrier  in  the  Savoy, 
and  horse-shoer  to  Colonel  Monk.  In  1632  she  was  married,  in 
the  church  of  St  Lawrence  Poultney,  to  Thomas  Eadford,  son  of 
Thomas  Radford,  late  a  farrier,  servant  to  Prince  Charles,  and 
resident  in  the  Mews.  She  had  a  daughter  who  was  bom  in 
1634,  and  died  in  1638.  She  lived  with  her  husband  at  the 
Three  Spanish  Gypsies,  in  the  New  Exchange,  and  sold  wash- 
balls,  powder,  gloves,  and  such  things,  and  taught  girls  plain 
work.  About  1647,  being  a  sempstress  to  Colonel  Monk,  she 
used  to  carry  him  his  linen.  In  1648  her  father  and  mother 
died.  The  year  after  she  fell  out  with  her  husband,  and  they 
parted.  But  no  certificate  from  any  parish  register  appears  re 
citing  his  burial.  In  1652  she  was  married  in  the  church  of 
St  George,  Southwark,  to  General  Monk,  and  in  the  following 

*  Parliamentary  History,  vol.  i.,  p.  1195. 


OEOQBAPHY  AND  TOPOORAPHY.  4^5 

year  was  delivered  of  a  son,  Christopber,  (afterwards  the  second 
and  last  Duke  of  AllDemarle,)  wlio  was  suckled  by  Honour  MilLs, 
who  sold  apples,  herbs,  and  oysters."*  What  became  of  her  first 
husband,  and  when  he  died,  is  not  known. 

Venice  was  the  sign  of  B.  Martin,  a  bookseller  in  the  Old 
Bailey,  circa  1640,  adopted  probably  in  honour  of  the  Aldi,  the 
famous  printers,  who  carried  on  business  in  this  city.  In  the 
reign  of  Charles  II.  there  was  a  house  of  indifferent  fame  in 
Moorfields,  called  the  Etjssia  House,  whether  opened  during  the 
time  that  the  Russian  ambassadors  visited  the  king,  or  how  it 
obtained  its  name,  is  not  known.  The  house  became  notorious 
in  1667  through  the  trial  of  Gabriel  Holmes  and  a  band  of  in- 
cendiaries, among  whom  were  two  young  boys,  sons  of  James 
Montague  of  Lackham,  grandsons  of  the  Earl  of  Manchester. 
The  boys  turned  king's  evidence,  and  Holmes  was  hanged. 
Eussia  House  was  one  of  the  places  where  they  planned  their 
expeditions  and  spent  their  money  :  the  object  of  their  incendi- 
arism, it  came  out  at  the  trial,  was  simply  that  they  might  steal 
the  goods  which  would  be  flung  into  the  streets  by  the  terrified 
■  inmates  of  the  burnitig  houses. 

The  Antwbep  tavern  was  a  famous  house  behind  the  Ex- 
change, in  the  seventeenth  century,  of  which  tokens  are  extant, 
representing  a  view  of  Antwerp  from  the  river.  The  extensive 
trade  of  Flanders,  in  the  middle  ages  and  long  after,  made 
Antwerp  a  favourite  subject  for  signboards,  it  beiug  the  best 
harbour  in  Flanders.  In  Dieppe  there  is  stUl  a  house  on  the 
Quai  Henri  IV.,  bearing  a  stone  bas-relief  sign  of  Antwerp,  Qa 
■ville  d'Anvers,)  with  the  date  1697  ;  but  this  house  and  sign  are 
nained,  as  early  as  1645,  in  a  MS.  list  of  rents  of  houses  in 
Dieppe,  due  to  the  Archbishop  of  Rouen. 

Dutchmen,  in  some  instances,  have  been  appointed  the  tutelar 
saints  of  public-houses,  on  account  of  their  reputed  love  for  drink.; 
thus  we  have  the  Two  Dutchmen  at  Marsden,  near  Hudders- 
field,  and  the  Jovial  Dutchman  at  Crick,  in  Derbyshire.  Now, 
though  the  Dutchman's  joviality  is  questionable,  yet  he  certainly 
has  at  aU  times  been  reputed  a  heavy  drinker.  Shakespeare 
names,  "  your  swag-beUied  Hollander,"  along  with  the  Dane  and 
German,  as  the  only  (though  unsuccessfd)  rival  of  the  English  in 
the  art  of  hard  drinking.  Massinger,  in  his  "  Duke  of  Florence," 
has  &  similar  remark  ;  and  Sir  Richard  Baker,  in  his  "  Chronicles," 

*  See  Gent's  Mag.,  Jan.  1792,  p.  19.  „  _ 


426  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGN  BOA  EDS. 

says  that  the  English  "  in  these  Dutch  wars  learned  to  be  drunk- 
ards, and  as  we  do  not  like  to  do  things  by  halves  in  this  country, 
we  soon  surpassed  our  masters."  Decker  remarks  that  "  Drunk- 
enness, which  was  once  the  Dutchman's  headake,  is  now  become 
the  Englishman's."  *  Upsy  Dutch  and  upsy  freeze  (for  "  op  zyn 
Dutch,"  and  "  op  zyn  Vriesch,"  h  la  Dutch  and  h  la  Vriesch)  are 
terms  constantly  used  by  Decker  to  denote  a  very  drunken  con- 
dition. Yet  there  was  a  time,  long  before  the  "  Dutch  wars," 
when  the  English  did  not  want  any  foreign  masters  to  teach  them 
dripking  j  how  could  it  have  been  otherwise  with  descendants  of 
the  beer-drinking  Saxons  and  Danes?  Malmesbury  complains 
that  in  his  time  "  the  English  fashion  was  to  sit  bibbing  whole 
hours  after  dinner,  as  the  Normane  guise  was  to  waike  and  get 
up  and  downe  in  the  stretes  with  great  waines  of  idle  serving 
men  following  them ;  "  t  and  HoUinshed,  who  wrote  at  the  very 
time  of  the  Dutch  wars,  mentions  among  the  improvements 
which  old  men  in  his  time  observed,  was  that  the  farmers  could 
pay  their  rent  without  selling  a  cow  or  a  horse,  as  they  had  been 
wont  to  do  in  former  times,  "  owing  to  too  much  attention  to  the 
ale-house,  and  too  little  to  work." 

Notwithstanding  this,  the  Jovial  Dutchman  is  a  very  good  sign 
for  Kcensed  victuallers,  since  the  general  opinion  is  : — 
"  Death's  not  to  be  — ,  so  Seneca  doth  think. 
But  Dutchmen  say  'tis  death  to  cease  to  drink."  J 

Besides  drinking,  the  Dutchman  has  long  had  a  reputation  for 
smoking,  whence  the  tobacconists  of  the  last  century  used  fre- 
quently to  have  on  their  sign,  a  Scotchman,  a  Dutchman,  and  a 
sailor,  with  the  following  rhyme  : — 

"  We  three  are  engaged  in  one  cause, 
I  snuffs,  I  smokes,  and  I  chaws." 

A  tobacconist  in  Kingsland  Boad  had  the  same  men,  but  a 
different  reading  of  the  text : — 

"  This  Indian  weed  is  good  indeed. 
Puff  on,  keep  up  the  joke, 
'Tis  the  best,  'twill  stand  the  test. 
Either  to  chew  or  smoke."  § 

The  introduction  of  coffee  produced  signs  of  various  sultans, 
but  the  Tuek's  Head  may,  perhaps,  date  from  earlier  times, 

*  Tho.  Decker's  A  Knight's  Conjuring, 
t  Quoted  in  Lambavde's  Perambulation  of  Kent,  p.  S56. 
1  Witt's  Recreation,  1640. 

§  Banks  collection  of  shopbills,  where  amateurs  of  tobacco  cariosities  may  find  a 
reiy  rich  collection  of  all  sorts  of  tobacco-paper  rhymes,  signs,  &c. 

«. 


OEOGRAPBY  AND  TOPOQRAPET.  427 

possessing  an  origin  similar  to  the  Saracen's  Head.  The  Turks 
throughout  the  fifteenth,  sixteenth,  and  seventeenth  centuries, 
were  a  common  topic  of  conversation,  and  the  bugbear  of  the 
European  nations.  This  is  well  exemplified  in  the  church- 
wardens' accounts  of  St  Helen's,  Abingdon,  where  the  following 
entry  occurs  : — "  Anno  mdlxv — 8  of  Q.  Eliz. — payde  for  two 
bokes  of  common  prayer  agaynste  invading  of  the  Turke,  0.  6.'' 
That  year  the  Turks  had  made  a  descent  upon  the  isle  of  Malta, 
where  they  besieged  the  town  and  castle  of  St  Michael ;  but  upon 
the  approach  of  the  fleet  of  the  Order,  they  broke  up  the  siege 
and  suffered  a  considerable  loss  in  their  flight.  During  the  war 
of  Emperor  Maximilian  against  the  Turks  in  Hungary,  similar 
prayer-books  were  annually  purchased  for  the  parish.  The  fijst 
prototypes  of  newspapers,  also,  were  the  printed  despatches  concern- 
ing the  battles  and  engagements  of  the  emperor  with  the  Turks,* 
and  even  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century  no  newspaper 
was  complete  without  its  news  from  the  Danube  and  "  move- 
ments  of  the  Turks."  One  of  the  earliest  patents  granted  for 
pistols,  contains  a  clause  that  square  balls  are  not  to  be  used, 
"  except  against  the  Turks."  The  number  of  Turk's  Heads  in  Lon- 
don in  the  seventeenth  century  was  considerable  ;  not  less  than 
eight  trades  tokens  of  different  houses  with  this  sign  are  known 
to  exist. 

In  1667,  Eobert  Boulter,  at  the  Turk's  Head  in  Bishopsgate, 
published  the  first  edition  of  Milton's  "  Paradise  Lost."  It  was 
with  difficulty  that  the  author  sold  the  copy  for  Jive  powiids  !  he 
was  to  receive  &5  more  after  the  sale  of  the  1300  copies  which 
comprised  the  first  impression,  and  £,5  more  after  the  sale  of  each 
new  impression  of  1300  copies  each.  "  And  what  a  poor  con- 
sideration was  this,"  says  one  of  his  biographers,  "  for  such  an 
inestimable  performance,"  and  how  much  more  do  others  get  by 
the  works  of  great  authors  than  the  authors  themselves  !  And 
yet  we  find  that  Hoyle,  the  author  of  the  "  Treatise  on  the 
Game  of  Whist,"  after  having  disposed  of  the  whole  of  the  first 
-  impression,  sold  the  copyright  to  the  bookseller  for  two  hundred 
guineas. 

Dr  Johnson  used  often  to  take  supper  at  the  Turk's  Head  in  the 
Strand  :  "  I  encourage  this  house,  (said  he ;)  for  the  mistress  of  it 

*  In  the  Typographical  Antiquities  of  Great  Britain,  London  1816,  vol.  iii.,  p.  116, 
Bach  a  paper  is  given,  entitled:  "The  triumphant  victory  of  the  Imperyall  Mageste 
airainst  the  Turkes  the  xxvi  day  of  Septembre,  the  yere  of  our  lord  mccccoxxiLii.  in 
Steuermarke  by  a  Capytayne  named  Michael  Meschsaer,'' 


428  THE  HISTORY  OF  8IQNB0ARD8. 

is  a  good,  civil  woman,  and  has  not  much  business."*  At 
another  Turk's  Head,  Garrard  Street,  Soho,  Johnson  formed,  in 
1763,  that  well-known  club,  which  was  long  without  a  name,  but 
which  after  Garrick's  funeral  became  distinguished  by  the  name 
of  the  Literary  Club. 

"  Sir  Joshua  Beynolds  had  the  merit  of  being  the  first  proposer  of  it,  to 
which  Johnson  acceded,  and  the  original  members  were  Sir  Joshua  Rey- 
nolds, Dr  Johnson,  Mr  Edmund  Burke,  Dr  Nugent,  Mr  Beauclerck,  Mr 
Langton,  Dr  Goldsmith,  Mr  Chamier,  and  Sir  John  Hawkins.  They  met 
at  the  Turk's  Head  in  Gerrard  Street,  Soho,  one  evening  every  week,  at  seven, 
and  generally  continued  their  conversation  till  a  pretty  late  hour.  This 
club  has  been  gradually  increased  to  its  present  [1791]  number  thirty-five. 
After  about  ten  years,  instead  of  supping  weekly,  it  was  resolved  to  dine 
together  once  a  fortnight  during  the  meeting  of  Parliament."  t 

After  the  death  of  the  landlord  of  this  house,  the  club  removed 
to  the  Peince  in  SackviUe  Street ;  and  after  two  or  three  more 
changes,  it  finally  settled  down  at  the  Thatched  House,  St 
James's.  The  original  portrait  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynolds,  presented 
to  the  club  by  the  painter  himself,  is  stUl  preserved ;  one  of  its 
peculiarities  is,  that  the  artist  has  represented  himself  wearing 
spectacles.  The  club  is  stUl  in  existence,  under  the  name  of  the 
Dilettanti  Club.  "  The  Turk's  Head  in  Gerrard  Street,  Soho,"  says 
Moser  in  his  Memorandum-book,  "  was,  more  than  fifty  years 
since,  removed  from  a  tavern  of  the  same  sign,  the  corner  of 
Greek  and  Compton  Streets.  This  place  was  a  kind  of  head- 
quarters for  the  Loyal  Association  during  the  rebellion  of  1745."  } 

About  that  time  there  was  a  waiter  in  this  tavern,  who,  like 
Tennyson's  waiter  at  the  Cock,  Templebar,  had  obtained  consider- 
able celebrity.  His  name  was  Littk  Will.  On  an  engraving 
dated  1752,  he  is  represented  as  a  small  man  with  a  large  head 
and  a  periwig,  dressed  in  a  long  apron,  with  a  pair  of  snuffers 
suspended  from  the  waist.  The  Eev.  Mr  Huddersford,  of  Trinity 
College,  Oxford,  in  a  letter  to  Granger,  says, — 

"  Little  Will,  as  I  have  heard,  was  a  great  favourite  with  the  gentlemen 
of  the  coffee-house  j  there  is  a  print  representing  him  in  his  constant  atti- 
tude, apparently  insensible  to  anything  around  him,  but  swallowiiig  every 
article  of  politicks  that  dropped,  which,  I  am  told,  he  understands  better 
than  any  of  his  masters." 

The  Three  Turks  was  a  sign  at  Norwich  in  1750,§  and  even 
now,  though  the  crescent  is  decidedly  in  the   "last  quarter," 

»  Boswell's  Johnson,  vol.  i,,  p.  304.  f  Ibid.,  vol.  L,  p.  327. 

t  noser's  Memoranaiiin-Book,  M.S.   dated  1709,  as  quoted  in  Notes  and  Queries 
December  22,  1849. 
S  Gent.'s  Hag,,  March  1842. 


GEOGRAPHY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.  429 

there  are  still  signs  of  Turks  to  be  found,  as  the  Turk  jind 
Slave,  Brick  Lane,  Spitalfields ;  the  Great  Tuek  {i.  e.,  the 
Sultan)  at  Wolverhampton — ^the  last  is  of  considerable  antiquity, 
for  in  1600  it  was  the  sign  of  John  Barnes,  a  bookseller  in  Fleet 
Street.  One  of  the  most  opulent  Turkish  towns  was  commem- 
orated by  the  Smyrna  cofifee-house,  in  Pall  Mall,  a  fashionable 
coffee-house  in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  when  the  wits  and 
beaux  used  to  take  their  constitutional  in  St  James'  Park,  and 
then  go  to  the  Smyrna,  where,  sitting  before  the  open  windows, 
they  could  see  the  ladies  carried  past  in  their  sedans  or  coaches, 
on  their  return  from  the  Mall.  This  coffee-house  seems  to  have 
had  a  reputation  for  politics.  In  the  Tatler,  (No.  10,)  a 
"  cluster  of  wise  heads "  is  said  to  sit  every  evening  from  the 
left  side  of  the  fire  at  the  Smyrna  to  the  door  ;  and  in  No.  78, 
the  public  is  informed  that  "  the  seat  of  learning  is  now  removed 
from  the  comer  of  the  chimney  on  the  left  hand  towards  the 
window,  to  the  round  table  in  the  middle  of  the  floor,  over 
against  the  fire ;  a  revolution  much  lamented  by  the  porters  and 
chairmen,  who  were  greatly  edified  through  a  pane  of  glass  that 
remained  broken  all  the  last  summer."  Prior,  Swift,  and  Pope, 
were  constant  visitors  at  this  house. 

There  was  a  Grecian  coffee-house  in  Devereux  Court,  Strand, 
which  for  nearly  two  centuries  was  equally  well  frequented.  It 
derived  its  name  probably  from  having  been  opened  by  a 
Greek,  the  natives  of  that  country  having  been  among  the  first  to 
open  coffee-houses  in  London.  It  was  a  very  fashionable  house 
in  the  time  of  the  Spectators  and  Toilers :  "  My  face  is  likewise 
very  well  known  at  the  Grecian,"  says  Addison  in  Speetator,  No. 
1.  It  seems  generally  to  have  been  frequented  by  literati  and 
savants,  some  of  them  rather  hot-headed  : — 

"  I  remember  two  gentlemen,  who  were  constant  companions,  disputing 
one  evening  at  the  Grecian  coffee-house,  concerning  the  accent  of  a  Greek 
word.  This  dispute  was  carried  to  such  a  length  that  the  two  friends 
thought  proper  to  determine  it  with  their  swords ;  for  this  purpose  they 
stept  into  Devereux  Court,  where  one  of  them  (whose  name,  if  I  rememoer 
right,  was  Fitzgerald)  was  run  through  the  body,  and  died  on  the  spot."  * 

In  this  coffee-house  Mrs  Mapp,  the  famous  bone-setter,  (see  p. 
113)  performed  her  cures  before  Sir  Hans  Sloane  : — 

"  On  Saturday  and  yesterday,  Mrs  Mapp  performed  several  operations  at 
the  Grecian  coffee-house,  particularly  one  upon  a  niece  of  Sir  Hans  Sloane, 

*  Dr  King's  Anecdotes,  p.  117. 


430  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

to  his  great  satisfaction  and  her  credit.  The  patient  had  her  shoulder-bone 
out  for  about  nine  years." — Orvb  Street  Journal,  October  21,  1736. 

The  cofiFee-house  was  closed  in  1843 ;  a  bust  of  Essex  is  in 
front  of  the  house  it  fonnerly  occupied  with  the  inscription, 
"This  is  Devereux  Court,  167fi." 

Various  reasons  are  given  to  account  for  the  sign  of  the  Saea- 
cen's  Head.  "  When  our  countrymen  came  home  from  fighting 
with  the  Saracens,  and  were  beaten  by  them,  they  pictured  them 
with  huge,  big,  terrible  faces,  (as  you  still  see  the  sign  of  the 
Saracen's  Head  is,)  when,  in  truth,  they  were  like  other  men. 
But  this  they  did  to  save  their  own  credit."  *  Or  the  sign  may 
have'  been  adopted  by  those  who  had  visited  the  Holy  Land, 
either  as  pilgrims  or  when  fighting.the  Saracens.  Others,  again, 
hold  that  it  was  first  set  up  in  compliment  to  the  mother  of 
Thomas  8,  Becket,  who  was  the  daughter  of  a  Saracen  :  formerly 
the  sign  was  very  general  During  the  time  of  the  Common- 
wealth, the  Saracen's  Head  in  Islington  was  a  place  of  resort  foi 
the  Londoners.  In  the  "  "Walks  of  Islington  and  Hogsden,  with 
the  Humours  of  Wood  Street  Compter,"  a  comedy  by  Thomas 
Jordan,  gentleman,  1648,  the  scene  is  laid  at  that  tavern.  It  was 
also  the  sign  of  the  house  occupied  by  Sir  Christopher  Wren  in 
Friday  Street,  which  remained  almost  unchanged  tiU  it  was  taken 
down  in  1844.  The  Saracen's  Head,  Snow  Hill,  is  one  of  the 
last  remaining,  and,  at  the  same  time,  one  of  the  oldest,  being 
named  in  Dick  Tarlton's  Jests  as  "  the  Sarracen's  Head  without 
Newgate ;"  and  Stow  says,  "  next  to  this  church  [St  Sepulchre's 
in  the  Bailey]  is  a  fair  and  large  inn  for  receipt  of  travellers,  and 
hath  to  sign  the  Sarrazen's  Head."  The  courtyard  has  still  many 
of  the  characteristics  of  an  old  English  inn,  with  galleries  all 
round  leading  to  the  bed-rooms,  and  a  spacious  gate,  through 
which  the  dusty  mail-coaches  used  to  rumble  in,  the  tired  pas- 
sepgers  creeping  forth,  and  thanking  their  stars  in  having  escaped 
the  highwaymen,  and  the  holes  and  sloughs  of  the  road.  How 
many  hearts,  beating  with  hope  on  their  first  entry  into  London, 
have  passed  under  this  gate,  that  now  lie  mouldering  in  the  quiet 
little  churchyards  of  the  metropolis :  some  finding  a  restiug-place 
in  Westminster,  whilst  others  ceased  to  beat  at  Tyburn.  It  was 
at  this  inn  that  Nicholas  Nickleby  and  his  uncle  waited  upon 
Squeers,  the  Yorkshire  schoolmaster.  Mr  Dickens  describes  the 
old  tavern  as  it  was  in  the  last  years  of  our  mail-coaching,  when  it 

•  Scldon's  TabloTalk. 


6E00RAPBY  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.  431 

was  one  of  the  most  important  places  for  arrivals  and  departures 
in  London : — 

"  Near  to  the  jail,  and  by  consequence  near  to  Smithfield  also,  and  the 
Compter  and  the  bustle  and  noise  of  the  city ;  and  just  on  that  particular 
part  of  Snow  Hill  where  omnibus  horses  going  eastwards  seriously  think 
of  falling  down  on  purpose,  and  where  horses  in  hackney  cabriolets  going 
westwards  not  unfrequently  fall  by  accident,  is  the  coach-yard  of  the  Sara- 
cen's Head  Inn,  its  portals  guarded  by  two  Saracens'  heads  and  shovdders, 
which  it  was  once  the  pride  and  glory  of  the  choice  spiiits  of  this  metro- 
polis to  pull  down  at  night,  but  which  have  for  some  time  remained  in 
undisturbed  tranquillity,  possibly  because  this  species  of  humour  is  now 
confined  to  Saint  James's  parish,  where  door-knockers  are  preferred  as 
being  more  portable,  and  bell-wires  esteemed  as  convenient  toothpicks. 
Whether  this  be  the  reason  or  not,  there  they  are,  frowning  upon  you  from 
each  side  of  the  gateway;  and  the  inn  itself,  garnished  with  another  Sara^ 
cen's  Head,  frowns  upon  you  from  the  top  of  the  yard ;  while  from  the 
door  of  the  hind  boot  of  all  the  red  coaches  that  are  standing  therein,  there 
glares  a  smaU  Saracen's  Head  with  a  twin  expression  to  the  large  Saracen's 
Head  below,  so  that  the  general  appearance  of  the  pile  is  of  the  Saracenic 
order." 

Blackamoors  and  other  dark-skinned  foreigners  have  always 
possessed  considerable  attractions  as  signs  for  tohacconists,  and 
sometimes  also  for  public-houses.  Negroes,  with  feathered  head- 
dresses and  kUts,  smoking  pipes,  are  to  be  seen  outside  tobacco- 
shops  on  the  Continent,  as  well  as  in  England.  Thus,  in  the 
seventeenth  century,  there  was  one  in  Amsterdam  with  the  fol- 
lowing inscription : — 

"  Josua  badt  den  Heere  van  herten  aan 

Dat  de  zon  en  maan  bleef  stille  staan. 

Puik  van  Terinis  en  goe  Blaan 

Haalt  men  hier  in  den  Indiaan."  * 
In  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries,  the  Vikginian 
was  the  most  common  in  England,  owing  to  the  first  tobacco 
having  been  imported  from  that  country  : — 

"They  returned  nomewards,  passing  by  Virginia,  a  colony  which  Sir 
Walter  Baleigh  had  there  planted,  from  whence  Drake  brings  home  with 
him  Walter  Lane,  who  was  the  first  that  brought  tobacco  into  England, 
which  the  Indians  take  against  crudities  of  the  stomach."  f 

Publicans  have  a  strange  fancy  for  Indian  Kings,  Queens, 
and  Chiefs,  thus  bearing  out  Trinculo's  assertion  of  the  nation 
at  large  : — "  When  they  will  not  give  a  doit  to  relieve  a  lame 
beggar,  they  wiU  lay  out  ten  to  see  a  dead  Indian."    There  is  a 

*  "Joshua  prayed  to  the  Lord  &om  the  bottom  of  his  heart, 

That  the  sun  and  moon  might  stand  still. 

The  best  Varinas  and  good  tobacco  in  the  leaf 

Are  sold  here  at  the  Indian." 
t  Sir  Richard  Baker's  Chronicles,  anno  1588. 


432  THE  HI8T0UT  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

sculptured  sign  of  an  Indian  Chief  at  Shoreditch,  having  all 
the  appearance  of  an  old  ship's  figure-head ;  and,  as  a  nomen  ac 
prceterea  nihil,  it  figures  in  many  places.  In  Dolphin  Lane, 
Boston,  (Line.,)  there  used  formerly  to  be  a  sign  with  some 
fanciful,  masked-ball  dressed  figures  on  it,  which  were  meant  to 
represent  the  Three  Kings  of  Cologne ;  but  they  conveyed  so 
little  the  idea  of  those  holy  personages,  that  the  profanum  mlgus 
called  them  the  Theee  Mekey  Devils.  Eventually,  by  a  meta- 
morphosis more  strange  than  any  in  Ovid,  these  three  merry 
devils  were  transformed  into  one  very  strangely  dressed  female 
called  the  Indian  Qcjeen.  The  African  Chief,  in  Sommers- 
town,  is  evidently  a  variety  of  these  Indian  chiefs. 

Another  sign  of  venerable  antiquity  is  the  Black  Boy.  That 
this  is  of  old  standiug,  appears  from  an  entry  in  Machyn's  Diary : 
"  The  XXX  day  of  Desember  1562,  was  slayne  in  John  Street, 
Gylbard  Goldsmith,  dweUyng  at  the  sene  of  the  Make  Boy,  in 
the  Cheap,  by  ys  wyffs  sun." 

This  Black  Boy  seems  to  have  been  a  tobacconist's  sign  from 
the  first ;  for  iu  Ben  Jonson's  "  Bartholomew  Fair "  we  find  : — 
"  I  thought  he  would  have  run  mad  o'  the  Black  Boy  in  Bucklers- 
bury,  that  takes  the  scurvy  roguy  tobacco  there." — -Act  L,  Scene  1. 
In  the  seventeenth  century,  it  was  the  sign  of  a  celebrated 
ordinary  in  Southwarfc  : — 

"  Jove,  and  all  his  hous'hold  a'ter 

Him,  yesterday  went  crosse  the  water. 

To  th'  signe  of  the  Black  Boy  in  Southwarke, 

To  th'  ordinary,  to  find  his  mouth  worke. 

Here  he  intends  to  fuddle 's  nose 

This  fortnight  yet,  under  the  rose.'' 

Homer  &  la  Mode,  1665. 
At  the  Black  Boy  in  Newgate  Street,  the  Calves'  Head  Club 
was  sometimes  held.  It  was  not  restricted  to  any  particular  house, 
but  moved  yearly  from  one  place  to  another,  as  it  was  found 
most  convenient.  An  axe  was  hung  up  in  the  club-room  crowned 
with  laurel :  the  bUl  of  fare  consisted  of  calves'  heads,  dressed  iu 
various  ways;  a  large  pike,  with  a  small  one  in  his  mouth,  (an 
emblem  of  tyranny ;)  a  large  cod's  head ;  and  a  boar's  head,  to 
indicate  stupidity  and  bestiality.* 

One  of  the  early  editions  of  Cocker's  Arithmetic  was  published 
at  the  Black  Boy.  Such  was  the  fame  of  this  work,  that  even  as 
the  Pythagorians  swore  in  verba  magistris,  and  aiirog  I^tj  settled 

*  See  Secret  History  of  the  Calves'  Head  Club.    London,  1706. 


QEOQRAPBY  AND  TOPOGRAPHT.  433 

all  questions,  so  our  ancestors  proved  their  points  "  according  to 
Cocker."     The  title  of  the  work  we  must  not  abbreviate  : — 

"  Cookek'b  Akithmetic  :  Being  a  plain  and  familiar  method,  suitable  to 
the  meanest  capacity,  for  the  full  understanding  of  that  incomparable  art, 
as  now  taught  by  the  ablest  schoolmasters  in  city  and  country.  Composed 
by  Thomas  Cooker,  late  praotioner  in  the  art  of  writing,  arithmetic,  and 
engraving.  Being  that  so  long  since  promised  to  the  world.  Perused  and 
published  by  John  Hawkins,  writing-master,  near  St  George's  Church,  in 
Southwark.  By  the  author's  correct  copy,  and  commended  to  the  world 
by  many  eminent  Mathematicians  and  writing-masters  in  and  near  London. 
Licensed  September  1677.  London:  printed  by  J.  R.  for  T.  P.,  and  are  to 
be  sold  by  John  Back,  at  the  Black  Boy,  on  London  Bridge.    1694.    12o." 

The  Black  Giel  is  a  variety  of  this  sign  at  Clareborough, 
Notts.  So,  too,  appears  to  be  the  Abab  Boy,  an  ale-house  on 
the  road  between  Putney  and  East-Sheen.  The  Two  Black  Boys 
occurs  on  one  of  the  London  trades  tokens,  where  they  are  repre- 
sented shaking  hands.  The  Black  Boy  and  Comb  was,  in  1730, 
a  shop  on  Ludgate  Hill,  either  a  perfumer's  or  a  mercer's,  for 
he  advertises  "  right  Trench  Hungary  water,  at  Is.  3d.  a  half 
pint  bottle;  fine  Florence  oil,  at  2s.  per  flask;  right  orange  flower 
water,  at  Is.  6d.  per  flask;  Barbadoes  citron  water,  at  14s.  per 
quart;  and  aU  sort  of  Bermudas,  Leghorn,  and  fine  silk  hats  for 
ladies,"  &c.*  The  combination  on  the  sign  arose  from  the  combs 
dangling  at  the  doors  of  the  shops  where  they  were  sold. 

The  Black  Boy  and  Camel  (doubtless  a  black  boy  leading  a 
camel)  was  not  many  years  ago  the  sign  of  a  tavern  in  Leadenhall 
Street,  where  it  was  already  in  existence  in  the  year  1700. 
"  rilHE  Annual  feast  for  the  Parish  of  St  Dunstan,  in  Stepney,  being 

X.  revived,  will  be  kept  the  29fch  instant,  at  the  Bang's  Head,  in  Stepney, 
where  Tickets  may  be  had,  and  at  Tho.  Warham's,  at  the  Black  Boy  and 
Camel,  Leaden  Hail  Street,"  &o. — London  Gazette,  August  15-19, 1700. 

These  parish  feasts  show  most  unmistakably  the  general  con- 
viviality of  the  time.  Natives  of  the  same  county  used  also  to 
have  their  public  feasts.  Thus  the  London  Gazette  for  May  30 
to  June  3,  1700,  advertises  "the  annual  feast  for  gentlemen  of 
the  county  of  Huntingdon;"  and  the  Gazette  for  October  21-24, 
"  the  anniversary  feast  for  the  gentlemen,  natives  of  the  county 
of  Kent."  It  is  easy  to  imagine  the  attraction  of  such  festivals 
in  times  when  travelling  was  both  very  expensive  and  very 
dangerous, — when  the  post  was  badly  conducted  and  extravagant 
in  its  charges ;  and,  moreover,  but  few  people  could  write.  Such 
meetings,  then,  were  the  only  ties  that  connected  the  provincial 

*  Caunzry  Journal,  or  Craftsman,  Saturday,  April  25,  1730i 

31 


434  T^^  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDa. 

residing  in  London  witli  the  home  of  his  childhood.  At  such 
times  friends  brought  up  in  the  same  town  or  village  could  meet 
each  other,  talk  over  bygone  times,  call  up  the  recollections  of 
early  years,  remember  mutual  friends,  and  drink  a  bumper  to 
those  left  behind.  Sometimes  these  feasts  took  a  religious  turn, 
when  a  native  of  the  county  or  district  preached  in  the  neigh- 
bouring church  or  chapel.  Blessed  occasions  were  these  religious 
yet  merry  feasts  of  the  olden  time.  But  the  "  march  of  intel- 
lect"— that  is  to  say,  improved  locomotion,  the  spread  of  reading, 
writing,  and  high  notions — have  done  away  with  these  meetings 
of  warm  hearts  and  jovial  tempers  as  things  low  and  vulgar. 

Jerusalem  was  sure  to  figure  early  on  signboards  of  those 
inns  at  which  pilgrims,  on  their  way  to  the  Holy  Land,  were 
wont  to  put  up  ;  and  long  after  pilgrimages  were  discontinued  it 
was  stUL  retained  as  a  sign.  In  1657  we  find  it  in  Fleet  Street. 
What  the  sign  was  like  it  is  impossible  now  to  say,  but  on  the 
trades  token  of  the  house  the  Holy  City  is  represented  by  one 
single  building.  There  is  another  token  extant  of  a  house,  also 
in  Fleet  Street,  without  date  or  name  of  the  shop,  on  which 
there  is  a  view  of  a  town,  with  the  usual  conventional  represen- 
tation of  the  temple  of  Solomon.  It  was  equally  common  in 
France.  Kegnard  mentions  one  in  Nogent  :— 
"■  Entrant  dans  la  bonne  villa 
Cit^  Nogent 

Jerusalem  f  ut  I'asile 
Soleil  couchant, 

Bon  sejour  pour  le  pelerin, 

Vin  du  Vaulx,  et  le  bon  Tin."  * 
On  a  house  in  the  Rue  Etoup6e,  at  Rouen,  there  is  a  stone  carved 
sign  of  Jerusalem,  represented  as  a  fortified  town,  with  a  figure 
arriving  on  each  side,  evidently  meant  for  pilgrims.  A  similar 
idea  seems  to  be  conveyed  by  the  sign  of  Trip  to  Jeeusaxem, 
a  public-house  in  Nottingham,  and  the  Pilgrim  in  Coventry. 
There  is  still  an  Old  Jerusalem  tavern  in  Clerkenwell,  so  called 
after  the  Knights  of  St  John,  of  whose  hospital  this  house  was 
the  principal  gateway. 

Mount  Pleasant  is  a  name  frequently  bestowed  upon  public- 
houses,  not  always  with  any  allusion  to  such  a  locality,  but  simply 
on  account  of  its  being  an  alluring  name  of  the  same  maudlin  class 
as  Cottage  of  Content,  Bank  of  Friendship,  &c.     There  is 

^  "  On  entering  Uie  good  town  of  Nogent  by  sunset,  I  put  up  at  the  Jerusalem,  whicb 
offers  good  accommodation  for  travellers,  vine  of  Vaulx,  and  that  good." 


GEOORAPHT  AND  TOPOGRAPHY.  435 

said  to  be  a  mountain  of  that  name  in  America,  which  obtained 
some  celebrity  from  being  the  locahty  on  which  the  sassafras 
[Orchis  masculd)  was  gathered,  the  plant  which  produces  the 
saloop.  This  drink  came  in  vogue  at  the  beginning  of  the 
eighteenth  century.  Keide's  coffee-house  in  Fleet  Street  was  the 
first  respectable  house  where  it  was  sold.  When  it  was  opened 
in  1719,  the  following  lines,  painted  on  a  board,  hung  in  front  of 
the  house  ;  in  latter  times,  until  the  closing  of  the  establishment 
in  1833,  they  were  preserved  in  the  coffee-room  : — 
"  Come  all  degrees  now  passing  by, 

My  charming  liquor  taste  and  try; 

To  Lockyer*  come  and  drink  your  fill, 

Mount  Pleasant  has  no  kind  of  ill. 

The  fumes  of  wines,  punch,  drama,  or  beer. 

It  will  expel ;  your  spirits  cheer ; 

From  drowsiness  your  spirits  free ; 

Sweet  as  a  rose  your  breath  shall  be. 

Come  taste  and  try,  and  speak  your  mind. 

Such  rare  ingredients  here  are  joined. 

Mount  Pleasant  pleases  all  mankind." 
Lockyer  had  begun  life  with  half-a-crown,  and  by  selling  salop, 
or  saloop,  at  Meet-ditch,  amassed  sufficient  to  open  the  above 
place  in  Fleet  Street,  where  he  died  worth  £1000,in  March  1739.t 
Our  old  friend  Pepys  mentions  going  to  China  Hall,  but 
gives  no  further  particulars.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  this  was  the 
same  place  which,  in  the  summer  of  1777,  was  opened  as  a 
theatre.  Whatever  its  use  in  former  times,  it  was  at  that  period 
the  warehouse  of  a  paper  manufacturer.  In  those  days  the 
West-end  often  visited  the  entertainments  of  the  East,  and 
the  new  theatre  was  sufficiently  patronised  to  enable  the 
proprietors  to  venture  upon  some  embellishments.  The  prices 
were — boxes,  3s. ;  pit,  2s. ;  gallery.  Is. ;  and  the  time  of  com- 
mencing varied  from  half-past  six  to  seven  o'clock,  according 
to  the  season.  "  The  Wonder,''  "  Love  in  a  Village,"  the  "  Co- 
mical Courtship,"  and  the  "  Lying  Valet,"  were  among  the  plays 
performed.  The  famous  Cooke  was  one  of  the  actors  in  the 
season  of  1778.  In  that  same  year  the  building  suffered  the 
usual  fate  of  all  theatres,  and  was  utterly  destroyed  by  fire. 

One  name  we  omitted  to  notice  when  speaking  of  signs  de- 
rived from  European  cities — Copenhagen  House.  Until  very 
recently,  this  stood  isolated  in  the  fields  north  of  the  metropolis, 

*  The  landlord 

f  Kead's  WcekLy  JournaZ,  March  31, 1739. 


436  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

near  tlie  old  road  to  Highgate.  It  was  said  to  have  derived,  its 
name  from  the  fact  of  a  Danish  prince  or  ambassador  having 
resided  in  it  during  a  great  plague  in  London.  Another  tradition 
is  to  the  effect  that,  early  in  the  seventeenth  century,  upon  some 
political  occasion,  great  numbers  of  Danes  left  that  kingdom,  and 
came  to  London ;  whereupon  the  house  was  opened  by  an  emi- 
grant from  Copenhagen,  as  a  place  of  resort  for  his  countrymen 
resident  in  the  metropolis.  This  tradition  probably  refers  to  the 
reign  of  James  L,  who  was  visited  in  London  by  his  brother-in- 
law,  the  King  of  Denmark,  at  which  time  it  is  very  probable 
that  there  was  a  considerable  influx  of  persons  from  the  Danish 
capital  Goopen-Hagen  is  the  name  given  to  the  place  in  the 
map  accompanying  Camden's  Britannia,  1695.  For  many  years 
previous  to  its  demolition,  the  house  had  a  great  reputation 
amongst  Cockney  excursionists,  and  its  tear-gardens,  skittle-ground, 
Dutch  pins,  and  particularly  Fives  Play,  were  great  attractions. 
For  this  last  game  especially  the  place  was  very  famous.  The 
house  possessed  another  attraction.  From  its  windows  a  very 
fine  view  of  London,  the  Thames,  and  the  Surrey  ^illa  beyond, 
was  obtainable.  The  New  Cattle  Market  now  occupies  its  site, 
and  a  modem  public- house  only  perpetuates  the  name. 

Besides  the  above-mentioned  geographical  signs,  we  have 
others  of  more  modem  introduction,  such  as  the  South  Austea- 
LiAN  in  Cadogan  Street,  Chelsea,  and  the  NoETJH  Pole  in  Oxford 
Street,  which  last  commemorates  one  of  those  equally  brave  and 
unsuccessful  expeditions  that  have  taken  place  every  now  and 
then  since  Admiral  Frobisher  first  started  on  the  discovery  of 
the  Meta  Incognita. 

There  exists  a  class  of  signs  in  some  respects  geographical,  yet, 
from  their  indefinite  character,  they  are  more  adapted  for  iasertion 
in  the  following  chapter  than  here.  We  allude  to  such  tavern 
decorations  as  that  picture  of  the  fiery  sun  going  down  behind  a 
lull,  which  is  called  The  World's  End,  at  St  George's,  near 
Bristol ;  The  First  and  Last  Inn  in  England,  a  sign  which 
may  be  seen  in  many  other  localities  besides  at  the  Land's  End, 
in  Cornwall ;  and  No  Place  Inn,  a  public-house  in  the  suburbs 
of  Plymouth,  the  sign  representing  an  old  woman  standing  at  the 
door,  accosting  her  husband,  just  arrived — "  Where  have  you 
been  ?"  "  No  place."  Many  others  of  an  equally  indefinite  char- 
acter might  be  given  here,  but  they  would  be  found  to  be  even 
less  topographical  than  those  just  named. 


CHAPTEK  XIV. 

HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC. 

Animals  performing  human  actions,  or  dressed  in  human  gar- 
ments, are  great  items  in  signboard  humour.  This  is  a  kind  of 
comicality  undoubtedly  dating  from  the  first  development  of 
human  wit.  The  "  Batromyomachia,"  is  one  of  the  oldest  per- 
formances of  the  same  description  in  literature,  but  the  joke  was 
already  too  well  understood  at  the  period  that  piece  was  produced 
to  have  been  a  first  attempt.  The  Fable  was  the  higher  walk  of 
art  in  this  branch,  the  simple  Caricature  the  lower. 

Numerous  Egyptian,  Greek,  and  Komau  caricatures  of  animals 
personating  men  have  come  down  to  us  ;  from  them  this  conceit 
was  borrowed  by  the  mediaeval  limners.  Their  MSS.  teem  with 
such  subjects  ;  and  so  much  was  this  kind  of  humour  relished 
at  that  period,  that  even  in  church  decoration  the  caricatures  of 
animals  were  liberally  mixed  up  with  the  sacred  subjects  of 
biblical  history.  Not  only  the  fable,  conferring  a  moral  lesson, 
but  even  the  plain  and  unpretending  animal-caricature  was  ad- 
mitted indiscriminately  with  representations  of  saints  and  miracles. 
Thus  the  well-known  sign  of  Pig  and  Whistle  is  seen  in  more 
than  one  church.  In  the  stall  carving  of  Winchester  Cathedral 
a  sow  is  represented  sitting  on  her  haunches,  playing  on  a 
whistle,  the  companion  carving  to  which  is  a  pig  playing  on  a 
violin,  in  accompaniment  to  which  another  pig  appears  to  be 
singing.  These  musical  pigs  are  also  common  in  illustrated 
MSS.  In  HarL  MS.,  4379,  a  sow  is  represented  dressed  in 
the  fuU  fashion  of  the  fifteenth  century,  with  homed  head-dress 
and  stilted  heels,  playing  on  a  harp. 

In  old  towns,  such  as  Chester,  Macclesfield,  Coventry,  (fee, 
the  Pig  and  Whistle  is  still  found  on  signboards.  Very  dif- 
ferent and  learned  explanations  have  been  given  for  its  origin, 
some  saying  it  was  a  corruption  of  the  pig  and  wassail  howl,  or 
of  the  pix  and  housel ;  others  that  it  is  a  facetious  rendering  of 
the  Bear  and  Ragged  Staff.  Very  lately  the  correspondents  of 
a  learned  periodical  have  busied  themselves  in  claiming  for  it  a 
Danish-Saxon  descent,  as  pige-washail,  our  Ladies'  Salutation. 
The  Scotch  also  claim  it  as  their  own  ;  pig  being  a  pot  or  pot- 
sherd J  whistle,  small  change  ;  and  "  to  go  to  pigs  and  whistles,"  a 


438  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

free  translation  of  "going  to  pot,"  which  Mr  Jamieson  states 
(quoting  two  examples)  to  have  been  at  one  time  a  colloquial 
phrase.  Non  nostrum  est  tantas  componere  lUes;  but  the  proverb 
says,  "  a  hog  though  in  armour  is  still  but  a  hog ;"  and  there- 
fore we  are  inclined  to  think  that  a  pig  with  a  whistle  is  still 
but  a  pig,  and  not  relating  in  any  way  to  the  Virgin ;  and  we 
can  see  nothing  in  the  Pig  and  Whistle  but  simply  a  freak  of  the 
mediaeval  artist. 

As  little  hidden  meaning  i»  there  in  the  Cat  and  Fiddle,  still 
a  great  favourite  in  Hampshire,  the  only  connexion  between  the 
animal  and  the  instrument  being  that  the  strings  are  made  from 
the  cat's  entrails,  and  that  a  small  fiddle  is  called  a  kit,  and 
a  small  cat  a  kitten.  Besides,  they  have  been  united  from  time 
immemorial  in  the  nursery  rhyme — 

"  Heigh  diddle  diddle. 
The  cat  and  the  fiddle." 
Amongst  other  explanations  offered  is,  the  one  that  it  may  have 
originated  with  the  sign  of  a  certain  Gaton  fidele,  a  staunch  Pro- 
testant in  the  reign  of  Queen  Mary,  and  only  have  been  changed 
into  the  cat  and  fiddle  by  corruption ;  but,  if  so,  it  must  have 
lost  its  original  appellation  very  soon,  for  as  early  as  1589  we 
find  "  Henry  Carr,  signs  of  the  Catte  and  Fidle  in  the  Old 
Chaunge."  Formerly,  there  was  a  Cat  and  Fiddle  at  Norwich,  the 
cat  being  represented  playing  upon  a  fiddle,  and  a  number  of 
mice  dancing  round  her.  The  bagpipes  being  the  national  instru- 
ment of  the  Irish,  the  sign  is  there  frequently  changed  into  the 
Cat  and  Bagpipes.  This  was  also,  some  twenty  or  thirty  years 
ago,  a  public-  and  chop-house,  of  considerable  notoriety,  at  the 
comer  of  Downing  Street,  Westminster,  where  the  clerks  of  the 
Foreign  Office  used  to  lunch ;  at  the  present  day,  it  is  the  sign 
of  a  public-house  near  Moate,  King's  Co.,  Ireland.  The  Ape 
AND  Bagpipes  occurs  on  trades  tokens  as  the  sign  of  John 
Tayler,  in  St  Ann's  Lane.  This,  too,  was  a  joke  not  confined  to 
our  country,  for  in  the  marginal  Ulustrations  to  the  title-page  of 
"P.  Dioscoridse  Pharmacorum  Simplicum,"  &c.,  printed  at 
Strasbnrg  by  John  Schot  in  1529,  an  ape  is  represented  playing 
on  the  bagpipes,  and  a  camel  dancing  to  the  tune,  with  these 
words,  xd/iTiXov  aXKuTriv.  The  French  were  equally  fond  of  this 
kind  of  caricature.  The  Spinning  Sow  (la  Truie  qui  jile)  is 
common  even  at  the  present  day,  and  has  given  its  name  to  more 
than  one  street  in  Paris  and  other  cities.     It  is  said  to  have 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  439 

originated  from  a  legend  : — A  certain  Christian  queen,  Pedauca, 
wtiose  honour  was  in  danger,  imitated  the  chaste  heroines  of 
mythology  ;  but,  instead  of  praying  to  be  metamorphosed  into  a 
tree  or  a  bird,  she  merely  asked  to  have  one  of  her  feet  changed 
into  a  goose's  foot,  ■which  was  enough  to  frighten  her  ardent  lover 
away.*  Another  young  lady,  under  similar  circumstances,  pre- 
ferred going  the  whole  hog, — to  use  a  colloquialism, — and  was 
changed  into  a  sow,  merely  praying  to  be  permitted  to  keep  her 
spindle,  as  a  token  of  her  former  condition  :  henoe  the  sign.  It 
is  also — (and  hence,  probably,  the  legend  of  the  metamorphosis, 
to  remove  the  prejudices  of  the  godly) — represented  in  relief 
carving  on  the  exterior  of  the  cathedral  of  Chartres.  In  the 
Fishmarket  of  the  same  town  there  is  a  stone  carved  sign  of  a 
Donkey  playing  on  a  Hurdy-gurdy,  (L'Ane  qui  teille.)  Both 
this  sign  and  another,  representing  a  Cat  playing  at  Racket,  (La 
Chattb  qtji  pelote,)  have  transmitted  their  names  to  streets 
in  Paris.  The  French  seem  to  have  delighted  above  all  things 
in  such  comicalities.  Besides  those  named  above,  they  had  the 
Fishing  Gat,  (La  Chatte  qui  peche,)  the  Dancing  Goat,  (La 
Chetee  qui  dance,)  both  of  which  Walpole  mentions.  We  have 
one  modern  sign  in  London  of  this  class — ^namely,  the  Weishing 
Oystee,  the  name  of  an  oyster-shop  in  Drury  Lane. 

Tte  Jackanapes  on  Horseback  was,  unfortunately  for  the 
monkeys,  a  painful  truth.  A  jackanapes  or  monkey  on  horseback 
was  generally  the  winding-up  of  a  bear  or  bull  baiting  at  Paris 
Garden.  HoUinshed,  in  his  Chronicles,  anno  1562,  relates  how, 
at  the  reception  of  the  Danish  ambassadors  at  Greenwich — 

"  For  the  diveision  of  the  populace,  there  was  a  horse  with  an  ape  on 
his  back  which  highly  pleased  them,  so  that  they  expressed  their  inward 
conceived  joy  and  delight  with  shrill  shouts  and  variety  of  gestures." 
The  "  inward  conceived  joy,"  we  may  safely  conclude,  was  not 
expressed  by  either  the  monkey  or  the  horse,  particularly  when 
we  remember  that  in  those  days  dogs  were  often  let  in  the  ring 
to  frighten  both  the  horse  and  its  animal  Mazeppa.  The  preval- 
ence of  this  sport  is  to  be  inferred  from  an  admonition  to  Parlia- 
ment by  Tho.  Cartwright,  published  in  1572,  in  order  to  show 
the  impropriety  of  an  established  form  of  prayer  for  the  church 
services,  in  which  he  remarks  that  the  clergyman 

"  Posteth  it  over  as  fast  as  he  can  galope,  for  eyther  he  has  two  places  to 

*  The  "goose's  foot"  she  obtained  was  most  probably  that  at  the  corner  of  her  eye — 
t.e.,  she  became  an  old  woman — for  the  French  call  patte  (fote— goose's  foot — that  first 
attack  of  time  upon  beauty  which  we  term  the  crow's  foot. 


440  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

serve,  or  else  there  are  some  games  to.  be  playde  in  the  afternoon,  as  lying 
for  the  whetstone,"  heathenish  daunciug  for  the  ring,  a  teare  or  a  biJl  to 
be  baited,  or  else  a  jacJcannpes  to  ride  on  horsebacke,  or  an  interlude  to 
be  playde  in  the  church.  We  speak  not  of  [bell-]  ringing  after  matins  is 
done." 

Not  mucli  more  than  ten  years  ago,  the  good  people  of  Paris 
were,  every  Thursday  afternoon,  in  the  summer,  entertained  in 
the  Hippodrome,  with  "jackanapes  on  horseback,"  dressed  up 
like  Arabs,  and  followed  by  miniature  chasseurs  d'Afrique,  to  the 
great  gratilBcation  of  our  martial  neighbours.  This  sign  is  named 
in  an  advertisement,  of  the  year  1700,  for  a  mare  stolen  by  a 
"lusty  black  man  with  a  brown  coat,"t  notice  of  the  mare  to  be 
given  "  to  Mr  John  Wright,  at  the  Jackanapes  on  Horseback," 
in  Cheapside.  The  grinning,  or,  as  it  was  written,  "  Geenning 
Iackauapbs,"  is  a  sign  mentioned  by  Ehot  in  his  "  Fruits  for 
the  French,"  or  "  Parlement  of  Pratlers,"  1593,  "  ouer  against  the 
Vnicome  in  the  lewrie."  The  Hog  in  Akmoue,  in  Hanging 
Sword  Court,  Fleet  Street,  is  mentioned  in  an  advertisement,^  in 
1678,  as  the  place  where  there  was  to  be  sold  "seacole  sutt  for 
the  great  improvement  of  all  sorts  of  lands,  as  well  as  gardens 
and  hop  grounds."  It  is  named  amongst  the  absurd  London  signs 
in  the  Spectator  28,  April  2,  1711,  and  is  still  occasionally  seen, 
as  in  James'  Street,  Dublin.  Though  the  sign  does  not  exist  any 
longer  in  London,  yet  the  name  is  not  lost  among  the  lower  orders, 
it  being  a  favourite  epithet  applied  to  rifle  volunteers  by  coster- 
mongers,  street  fishmongers,  and  such  like.  A  jocular  name 
for  this  sign  is  the  "pig  in  misery."  There  is  also  a  Goat  ik 
Armode  on  the  Narrow  Quay,  Bristol,  and  a  Goat  in  Boots  on 
the  Fulham  Koad,  Little  Chelsea.     In  1663  this  house  was  called 

*  A  whetstone  was  anciently  the  name  given  in  derision  to  a  liar.  The  reason  of  it 
is  explained  in  the  following  rhymes  under  an  old  engraving  in  the  Bridgewater  collec- 
tion, representing  a  man  with  a  whetstone  in  his  hand  : — 

"  The  whettstone  is  a  man  that  all  men  know, 

Yet  many  on  him  doe  much  cost  bestowe  : 

Hee  's  us'd  almost  in  every  shoppe,  but  why  ? 

An  edge  must  needs  be  set  on  every  lye," 

How  old  is  this  connexion  between  lies  and  whetstones  may  be  seen  from  Stow ; "Of 

the  like  counterfeit  physition  have  I  noted  (in  the  Sununarie  of  my  Chronicles^  anno 
1382,)  to  be  set  on  horsebacke,  his  face  to  the  horsetaile,  the  same  taile  in  his  hand  as  a 
bridle,  a  collar  of  jordans  about  his  necke,  o  whetttont  on  his  breast,  and  so  led  through 
the  citie  of  London  with  ringing  of  basons,  and  banished."— iStoto's  Chronicle,  Howe's  edi- 
tion, 1614,  p.  604.  It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  in  Prance  and  Germany  a  knife — the 
Bodomont  knife— was  handed  over  to  outrageous  liars.  A  vestige  of  this  custom  was 
still  preserved  at  the  university  of  Sonn  at  the  end  of  the  last  century,  where,  when  one 
of  the  company  at  the  students^  mess  drew  the  long  bow  a  little  too  strongly,  it  was  cus-"^ 
tomaiy  for  all  who  sat  at  the  table,  without  making  any  remarks,  to  lay  their  dinner 
knives  on  the  top  of  their  glasses,  all  pointing  towards  the  offender, 
t  London  Gatettr,  Dec.  23-26,  1700.  }  Ibid.,  Jan.  10-14, 1678. 


(kXTRjlJ  PLATE  25. 


THREE    MORRICE    DANCERS. 


■^'three     CLUEENS." 


a 


THREE     TUNS. 


"welsh    harp." 


"white   horse!' 


"windmill" 


"woolsack."  "coopers' arms!'  "cROCERs'aRMS."  "guy    of    WARWICK." 


"q.ueen's  arms." 


"rope  -  dancer'.' 


LONDON     TAVERN     SIGNS,     CIRC:    I700- I720. 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  441 

the  Goat,  and  enjoyed  the  right  of  commonage  for  two  cows  and 
one  heifer  upon  Chelsea  Heath. 

"How  the  goat  became  equipped  in  boots,  and  the  designation  of  the 
house  changed,  have  been  the  subject  of  Tarious  conjectures,  the  most  pro- 
bable of  which  is,  that  it  originated  in  a  corruption  of  the  latter  part  of  the 
Dutch  legend — 

'  Mercurius  is  der  Ooden  Boode,' 

(Mercury  is  the  messenger  of  the  gods,) —  , 

which  being  divided  between  each  side  of  the  sign,  bearing  the  figure  of 
a  Mercury — a  sign  commonly  used  in  the  early  part  of  the  last  century  [?] 
to  denote  that  post-horses  were  to  be  obtained — '  der  Goden  Boode'  became 
freely  translated  into  English,  '  the  Goat  in  Boots.'  To  Le  Blond  *  is  at- 
tributed the  execution  of  this  sign  and  its  motto  ;  but  whoever  the  original 
artist  may  have  been,  or  the  intermediate  re-touchers  or  re-painters  of  the 
god,  certain  it  is  that  the  pencil  of  Morland,  in  accordance  with  the  desire 
of  the  landlord,  either  transformed  the  Petasus  of  Mercury  into  the  horned 
head  of  a  goat,  his  talaria  into  spurs  upon  boots  of  huge  dimension,  and 
his  caduceus  into  a  cutlass,  or  thus  decorated  the  original  sign,  thereby 
liquidating  a  score  which  he  had  run  up  here,  without  any  other  means  of 
payment  than  what  his  pencil  afforded.  The  sign,  however,  has  been 
painted  over,  with  additional  embellishments  from  gold  leaf,  so  that  not 
the  least  trace  of  Morland's  work  remains,  except,  perhaps,  the  outline."  f 

With  all  deference  to  the  opinion  of  Mr  Croker,  we  cannot 
help  thinking  of  this,  as  of  many  other  signboard  explanations, 
"  Se  non  i  vero  e  ben  trovato."  1°.  the  house  was  called  the 
Goat  in  1663 ;  2°.  there  is  no  proof  that  it  ever  was  called 
the  Mercury,  (nor  was  that  sign  ever  so  common  as  Mr  Croker 
asserts.)  From  the  following  quotation  it  will  appear  that  as 
early  as  "1738  some  Goats  in  Boots  had  already  appeared,  not 
the  result  of  any  mythological  metamorphosis.  The  Craftsman 
for  June  17,  1738,  in  ridiculing  some  lenient  measures  taken  by 
Government,  blames  the  signs  for  putting  a  martial  spirit  in  the 
nation,  and  proposes  that  "  no  lion  should  be  drawn  rampant, 
but  couchant ;  and  none  of  his  teeth  ought  to  be  seen  without 
this  inscription,  '  Though  he  shows  his  teeth  he  wont  bite.'  All 
bucks,  buUs,  rams,  stags,  imicorns,  and  all  other  warlike  animals 
ought  to  be  drawn  without  horns.  Let  no  general  be  drawn  in 
armour,  and  instead  of  truncheons  let  them  have  muster-rolls  in 
their  hands.  In  like  manner,  1  would  have  all  admir.als  painted 
in  a  frock  and  jockey  cap,  like  landed  gentlemen.  The  common 
sign  of  the  two  Fighting  Cocks  nfight  be  better  changed  to  a 

*  James  Christopher  le  Blond,  a  Fleming  by  birth,  obiit  1740,  made  preparations  to 
copy  the  Hampton  Court  tapestry  cartoons.  For  this  pui-pose  he  built  a  house  in  Mul- 
berry Gardens,  Chelsea,  but  the  project  failed. 

t  A  Walk  from  London  to  Fulham.    JSy  the  late  T.  C.  Cnker.    18B0. 

3K 


442 


THS  HISTOEY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


Cock  and  Hen,  and  that  of  the  Valiant  Trooper  to  a  ffog  in 
Armour,  or  a  Goat  in  Jackboots,  as  some  Hampshire  and 
Welsh  publicans  have  done  already  for  the  honour  of  their  re- 
spective countries."  The  sign,  then,  seems  to  be  a  sort  of  cari- 
cature of  a  Welshman,  the  Goat  having  always  been  considered 
the  emblem  of  that  nation,  and  the  jackboots  an  indispensable 
article  of  Taffy's  costume.  Thus,  Captain  Grose,  in  his  "  Essay 
on  Caricatures,"*  mentions  a  Welshman  with  his  goat,  leek,  hay- 
loots,  and  long  pedigree,  as  a  standard  joke.  Not  improbably 
the  switch  cariied  by  the  goat  on  this  sign  was  originally  a  leek. 
Of  the  same  origin  is  the  well-known  Welsh  Tboopee,  repre- 
senting a  man  with  a  leek  in  his  hat  riding  on  a  goat.  This 
sign  may  still  be  seen  in  London.  In  the  Roxburghe  ballads 
the  Welshman  with  his  jackboots  and  leek  occurs  in  an  old 
woodcut ;  in  other  places  he  is  drawn  riding  a  goat,  and  similarly 
dressed. 

Puss  IN  Boots  occurs  at  Windley,  Duffield,  near  Derby.  The 
Goat  in  Boots  may  have  suggested  the  idea  of  making  a  sign  of 
this  nursery-tale  hero.  The  Dutch  shoemakers,  in  pursuance  of 
the  proverb,  seem  to  have  taken  a  particular  delight  in  these 
booted  animals.  Various  creatures  in  boots  occur  amongst  the 
Dutch  signboard  inscriptions  of  the  seventeenth  century.  One 
was  the  Ox  in  Boots,  (in  den  gelaarsden  as,)  with  this  inscrip- 
tion : — 

"  't  Leer  geeft  den  Sohoenmaker  de  os  daar  hy  schoenen  van  maakt  om  te 
verslyten ; 
Ik  heb  den  os  weer  met  leer  tot  dank  gelaerst  en  gespoord  doen  conter- 

fyten." + 
Another  innkeeper  put  up  the  Cow  in  Boots,  (de  gdaersden 
Jcoe,)  and  wrote  beneath  : — 

"  Ziet  drees  koe  heeft  laarzen  aan 
Was't  noch  een  Bui  dan  kon  het  gaan."'  J 
A  third,  in  Amsterdam,  had  the  Cock  in  Boots,  {de  gelaat 
de  Haan,)  with  the  following  extraordinary  rhymes  : — 
"  Dit  is  de  gelaars  de  haan 
Christus  is  naar  't  kruya  gegaan. 
Met  een  doornenkroon  op  't  hoofd. 
Hy  slaoht  Thomas  die  "t  niet  gelooft."  § 

*  Antiquarian  Repertoiy,  vol.  i. 

i  "  Tlie  ox  gives  the  stioeraalcer  leatlier  of  which  he  malces  boots  to  be  worn.     As  a 
grateful  return  I  have  ordered  the  ox  to  be  porti-ayed  here  in  boots  and  spurs." 
J  *'  Look  here,  this  cow  wears  boots  ; 
Were  it  a  bull  it  would  be  less  odd." 
§  ''  This  is  the  Cock  in  Boots.    Christ  has  been  crucified,  with  a  crown  of  thorns  on 
His  head.     He  that  does  not  believe  it  is  as  bad  as  Thomas." 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIO.  443 

The  Jackass  in  Boots  (de  gelaarsde  ezel)  was  the  sign  of  a, 
publican,  with  this  inscription  : — 

"  In  den  gelaars  den  ezel  zeer  kloek, 
Verkoopt  men  toebak,  brandewyn,  en  knapkoek."* 

The  Dog  also  appears  dressed,  as  the  Dog  in  Doublet,  a  sign 
which  may  be  seen  at  Pyebridge,  Derby,  at  Northbank,  Cambridge, 
and  a  few  other  out-of-the-way  places.  Dr  Johnson  did  this 
sign  the  honour  of  applying  it  as  a  metaphor.  Speaking  of  an 
old  idea  newly  expressed,  he  said  :  "  It  is  an  old  coat  with  a 
new  facing."  Then  (laughing  heartily)  "  it  is  the  old  dog  in  a 
new  doublet !"  + 

The  Dog  occurs  in  various  other  humorous  combinations. 
Ned  Ward  mentions  a  famous  inn,  in  Petty  Cury,  Cambridge — 

"the  sign  of  the  Devil's  Lapdog,  kept  by  an  old  grizly  curmudgeon, 
comiferously  wedded  to  a  plump,  young,  gay,  brisk,  black,  beautiful,  good 
landlady,  who  I  afterwards  heard  had  so  great  a  kindness  for  the  Univer- 
sity, that  she  had  rather  see  two  or  three  gowns'  men  come  into  her  house, 
than  a  c crew  of  aldermen  in  all  their  pontificalibusses."  J 

The  Dog's  Head  in  the  Pot  is  mentioned  on  the  Pardoner's 
RoU  in  "  Cocke  Lorell's  Bote  :  "— 

"  Also  Annys  Angry  with  the  croked  buttocke 
That  dwelled  at  ye  sygne  of  ye  Dogges  hede  in  ye  Pot, 
By  her  crafte  a  brechemaker." 
It  seems  originally  to  have  been  a  mock  sign  to  indicate  a  dirty, 
slovenly  housewife.  A  woodcut  above  the  second  part  of  the 
Eoxburghe  ballad  of  "  The  Coaches'  Overthrow"  represents 
various  dirty  practices.  From  the  upper  windows  of  one  of  the 
houses  a  woman  is  emptying  the  unsavoury  contents  of  a  do- 
mestic vase  almost  on  the  heads  of  the  people  underneath,  and 
the  sign  of  that  house  is  the  Dog's  head  in  the  Pot,  representing 
a  dog  licking  out  a  pot.  A  coarse  woodcut  sheet  of  the  com- 
mencement of  the  last  century  —  evidently  copied  from  a 
much  older  original — ^to  judge  by  the  costumes,  represents  two 
ancient  beldames  with  high-crowned  hats,  starched  ruffs  and 
collars,  and  high-heeled  boots,  in  a  very  disorderly  room  or 
kitchen  ;  one  of  the  women  wipes  a  plate  with  the  bushy  tail  of 
a  large  dog,  whose  head  is  completely  buried  in  a  capacious  pot, 
which  he  is  licking  clean  ;  under  it  : — 

"  All  sluts  behold,  take  view  of  me, 
Your  own  good  housewifry  to  see. 

*  "  At  the  brave  Jackass  in  Boots, 

There  is  tobacco,  brandy,  and  gingerbread  for  Bale." 
t  Boswell's  Life  of  Johnson,  ToL  iii.,  p.  261..    1819. 
t  A  Trip  to  Stirbitch  Fair,  1703. 


444  ^^^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

It  is  (methinks)  a  cleanly  care, 
My  dishelout  in  this  sort  to  spare, 
Whilst  Dog,  you  see,  doth  lick  the  pot, 
His  taile  for  dishelout  I  have  got,"  &c. 

One  of  the  Eoxburghe  Ballads,  voL  i.,  foL  385,  entitled,  "  Sel- 
dome  Cleanely,"  has  the  same  idea  : — 
"  If  otherwise  she  had 

But  a  dishcloute  faile. 

She  would  set  them  to  the  dog  to  licke, 

And  wipe  them  with  hys  tayle." 
In  Holland  there  is  a  proverb  still  in  use,  to  the  eflfect  that 
when  a  person  is  late  for  dinner  he  is  said  to  "  find  the  dog  in 
the  pot,"  {hy  vindt  den  hondin  depot,)  meaning  that  he  has  arrived 
late, — that  the  empty  -pot  has  been  given  to  the  dog  to  hck  out, 
previously  to  being  washed,  a  custom  still  daily  practised  by  the 
peasantry  of  that  coimtry.  This  sign  is  sometimes  also  called 
the  Dog  and  Ceock,  as  in  the  Blackfriars'  Eoad;  at  Michel- 
mouth,  Eomsey,  Hants,  and  elsewhere.  In  the  western  counties 
the  word  "crock"  is  indiscriminately  applied  to  iron  or  earthen 
pots.  From  the  latter  application  comes  the  term  "  crockery 
ware.'' 

The  Dancing  Dogs  was  a  sign  at  Battlebridge  in  1668,  as 
appears  from  the  trades  tokens.  This  kind  of  canine  entertain- 
ment was  one  of  the  attractions  of  Bartholomew  Fair,  where  Ben 
Jonson  mentions  "  dogs  that  dance  the  Morris." 

The  Laughing  Dog  {le  chien  qui  rit)  was  formerly  a  sign  in 
Eouen,  and  gave  its  name  to  a  street,  now  called  Du  Guay 
Troin,  from  the  name  of  a  celebrated  admiral.  This  was  one  of 
those  quaint  signs  of  which  we  have  some  specimens  in  this 
country,  as  the  Two  Sneezing  Cats,  which  is  said  to  be  some- 
where in  London ;  the  Flying  Monkey,  Lambeth ;  the  Mon- 
key Island,  at  Bray,  near  Maidenhead  ;  the  Gaping  Goose,  at 
Leeds,  Oldham,  and  various  parts  of  Yorkshire ;  and  the  Lov- 
ing Lamb,  two  in  Dudley.  In  Paris  there  was  the  old  sign  of 
the  Geeen  Monkey,  {le  singe  vert,)  and  some  fifteen  years  ago 
LiUe  could  boast  of  the  Hunchbacked  Cats  (les  chats  bossus) 
in  the  Eue  Sec-Arembault. 

Equally  absurd  is  the  Cow  and  Snutfees,  at  Llandaff,  Gla- 
morgan.    In  a  play  of  George  Colman,  entitled  the  "  Eeview,  or 
the  Wags  of  Windsor,"  the  foUovsdng  lines  occur  : — 
"Judy  's  a  darling;  my  kisses  she  suffers; 

She  'a  an  heiress,  that  's  clear, 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  445 

For  her  father  sella  beer, 
He  keeps  the  sign  oE  the  Cow  and  the  Snuffers." 

The  same  song  also  occurs  in  the  "  Irishman  in  London,  or  the 
Happy  African.''  At  Llandaff  the  sign  is  represented  by  a  cow- 
standing  near  a  ditch  full  of  reeds  and  grasses,  with  a  pair  of 
snuffers,  placed  as  if  they  had  fallen  from  the  cow's  mouth.  The 
oddity  of  the  combination  in  aU  probability  pleased  a  publican 
who  had  heard  the  song,  and  adopted  it  forthwith  as  his  sign, 
leaving  the  arrangement  of  the  objects  to  the  taste  of  the  sign- 
painter. 

The  Colt  and  Ceadle  might  have  been  seen  in  St  Martin's 
Lane  in  1667.  It  is  stiU  a  common  sign  for  houses  of  evU  re- 
pute in  Holland,  as  may  be  seen  from  two  examples  in  the  Zand- 
straat,  Rotterdam,  where  the  cradle  is  carved  above  the  door, 
with  the  colt  in  it  lying  on  his  back :  the  inscription  is,  "  Het 
paard  in  de  Wieg,"  (the  horse  in  the  cradle.)  And  since,  ac- 
cording to  Stow,  in  ancient  times  "  English  people  disdayned  to 
be  bawdes,  froes  of  Flaunders  were  women  for  that  purpose,"  it 
is  more  than  probable  that  these  "froes"  introduced  this  sign 
from  their  own  country.  In  the  Dutch  language ^aar  means  "a 
couple,"  and  is  constantly  used  for  a  man  and  woman,  either 
united  by  the  bands  of  lawful  marriage  or  otherwise.  The  ori- 
ginal form  of  the  sign,  then,  we  suppose  was  "  the  couple  in  the 
cradle,"  (Jiet  paar  in  de  vneg.)  But  the  Dutch  have  an  inve- 
terate habit  of  adding  diminutives,  so  that  with  this  appendix  it 
became  paartje — ^from  paarltje  to  paar(?je,  a  small  horse,  the  tran- 
sition was  easy  enough ;  and,  covered  with  that  transparent 
veil,  the  indelicate  sign  has  come  down  to  the  present  day. 
This  seems  so  much  the  more  probable  to  be  the  meaning,  since 
the  Cradle  in  London  also  was  a  "  bad  sign,"  (see  p.  394.) 

The  Goose  and  Gridiron  occurs  at  Woodhall,  Lincolnshire, 
and  in  a  few  other  localities  :  it  is  said  to  owe  its  origin  to  the 
following  circumstances: — ^The  Mitre  (see  p.  319)  was  a  cele- 
brated music-house  in  London  House  Yard,  at  the  N.-W.  end  of 
St  Paul's.  When  it  ceased  to  be  a  music-house,  the  succeeding 
landlord,  to  ridicule  its  former  destiny,  chose  for  his  sign  a  goose 
stroking  the  bars  of  a  gridiron  with  his  foot,  in  ridicule  of  the 
Swan  and  Harp,  a  common  sign  for  the  early  music-houses.  Such 
an  origin  does  the  Tatler  give ;  but  it  may  also  be  a  vernacular 
reading  of  the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Company  of  Musicians,  sus- 
pended probably  at  the  door  of  the  Mitre  when  it  was  a  music- 


44&  7*^^-2  HISTOHY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Louse.  These  arms  are,  a  swan  with  his  wings  expanded,  within 
a  double  tressure,  counter,  flory,  argent.  Tliis  double  treasure 
might  have  suggested  a  gridiron  to  unsophisticated  passers-by. 
Paddy's  Goose  is,  at  the  present  day,  a  nickname  for  a  public- 
house  in  Shadwell  called  the  White  Swan  ;  but  why  it  was  thus 
travestied  non,  liquet.  This  tavern  acquired  some  notoriety  during 
the  Crimean  campaign.  When  the  Government  wanted  sailors  to 
man  the  fleet,  the  landlord  of  the  house  used  to  go  among  the 
shipping  in  the  river  and  enlist  numbers  of  men.  His  system  of 
recruiting  was  to  go  iA  one  of  the  small  steamers,  with  flags  and 
colours  flying  and  a  band  playing,  the  heart-stirring  or  heart- 
rending notes  of  which  used  to  awaken  the  martial  ardour  of  the 
merchant  sailors,  and  make  them  enlist  in  the  Koyal  Navy.  This 
sign  also  triumphantly  proclaims  the  presence  of  British  gin  and 
Irish  whisky  in  a  low  public-house  near  the  harbour  of  La  Valette 
at  Malta. 

Not  a  ifew  signs  represent  proverbs  or  proverbial  expressions. 
The  BiED  IN  Hand,  for  instance,  with  occasionally  the  Book  in 
Hand, — the  former  denoting  the  landlord's  full  appreciation  of 
the  truth  of  the  proverb,  "  One  bird  in  the  hand  is  worth  two  in 
the  bush."  It  is  frequently  accompanied  by  the  foUowiog  truthfid 
rather  than  grammatical  distich  : — 

"  A  bird  in  hand  far  better  'tis 
Than  two  that  in  the  bushes  is." 

This  sign  occurs  among  the  trades  tokens,  being  literally  ren- 
dered by  a  hand  holding  a  bird.  Innumerable  are  the  jokes 
resorted  to  by  landlords  to  intimate  that  hard  truth  that  no 
credit  is  given.*  Frequently  the  pill  is  gilt  in  the  most  agree- 
able manner :  a  deceptive  hope  of  "  better  luck  to-morrow"  is 
frequently  held  out,  as 

"  Drink  here,  and  drown  all  sorrov; ; 
Pay  to-day,  I'll  trust  to-morrow." 

Or:— 

" Pay  today  and  trust  to-morrow, 
And  80  endeth  all  our  sorrow." 

The  same  in  Holland  : — 

"  Van  daag  voor  geld,  morg  in  voor  niet."  + 

*  Sometimes  it  is  conveyed  Id  an  ingenious  mRnmer  by  a  watch  face  without  pointers 
accouipaniect  by  the  significant  words,  No  Tick. 
f  "  To-day  for  money,  to-morrow  for  nougtkt  " 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  447 

In  Italy  a  cock  is  sometimes  painted,  with  the  following  in- 
scription : — 

"Quando  questo  gallo  cantara 
Allora  credenza  si  fara."  * 

The  inventive  genius  of  the  French,  with  its  usual  fondness 
for  romance^  has  constructed  a  little  dramatic  incident  to  express 
the  idea : — 

"  Credit  est  mort ;  les  mauvais  payeurs  I'ont  tuS,"  + 
Which  phrase  was  seen  by  Coryatt,  nearly  two  centuries  ago,  on 
one  of  the  inns  where  he  put  up  at  in  France  :  a  similar  idea  is 
expressed  at  Smethwick  in  the  following  inscription  : — 

"  Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Poor  Trust,  who  fought  hard  at  the  battle  of 
Deception,  but  fell  under  General  Bad  Pay." 

A  print  hung  up  in  a  public-house  in  Nottingham,  depicting  a 
black  tombstone  (or  signboard, — it  is  difficult  to  say  which) 
spotted  with  briny  white  tears,  gives  the  inscription  with  still 
greater  force  : — 

"  This  monument  is  erected  to  the  memory  of  Mr  Trust,  who  was  some 
time  since  most  shamefully  and  cruelly  murdered  by  a  villain  called  Credit, 
who  is  prowling  about,  both  in  town  and  country,  seeking  whom  he  may 
devour." 

Others  have  the  picture  of  a  dead  dog,  and  under  him  :— 

"  Died  last  night.  Poor  Trust !     Who  killed  him  ?  Bad  Pay." 
A  very  general  inscription  is  : — 

"  This  is  a  good  world  to  live  in. 

To  lend,  or  to  spend,  or  to  give  in ; 

But  to  beg  or  to  borrow,  or  to  get  a  man's  own. 

It  is  such  a  world  as  never  was  known." 
Or:— 

"  The  rule  of  this  house,  and  it  can't  be  unjust. 

Is  to  pay  on  delivery,  and  not  to  give  trust ; 

I  've  trusted  many  to  my  sorrow. 

Pay  to-day,  I  '11  trust  to-morrow." 

Stuck  up  in  many  tap-rooms  may  be  seen  the  following  : — 

"  All  you  that  bring  tobacco  here 
Must  pay  for  pipes  as  well  as  beer ; 
And  you  that  stand  before  the  fire, 
I  pray  sit  down  by  good  desire, 
That  other  folks  as  well  as  you 
May  see  the  fire,  and  feel  it  too. 

*  •'  When  this  cock  shall  crow, 
Credit  will  be  given." 
t  "  Credit  is  dead :  he  haa  been  killed  by  bad  payers.' 


448  THE  HISTORY  OP  SWNBOARDS. 

Since  man  to  man  is  so  unjust, 
I  cannot  tell  what  man  to  trust. 
My  liquor 's  good,  'tis  no  man's  sorrow. 
Pay  to  day,  I  '11  trust  to-morrow." 

At  an  ale-house  in  Kanston,  Norfolk,  the  usual  infonnation  is 
conveyed  in  the  following  manner,  (to  be  read  upwards,  begin- 
ning from  the  bottom  of  the  last  column)  : — 


MOEE 

BEER 

SCORE 

CLERK 

roR 

MT 

MY 

THEIR 

DO 

TRUST 

PAT 

SENT 

I 

I 

MUST 

HAVE 

SHAIil. 

IF 

I 

BREWERS 

WHAT 

AND 

AND 

MT 

.  At  other  places  it  comes  in  a  stiU  more  "  questionable  shape," 
reminding  us  of  the  curious  literary  conceits  of  the  old  monkish 
rhymesters.  In  the  following,  the  letters  must  be  connected  into 
words,  thus — The  brewer,  (fee. 

Th.     ebr:     Ewe     !     Eh.     eH.     Ass? 

en  .  THI.S.     cLEr 
kaNd    !    IM.    ustp,    A.    YM.    Yb 

cO.     r.    ef,     0 
r  IFIT     r  US.  ?    tandam,     No    tpA. 

1  D  wha.    ts ;     Ha : 
LLID    ,    0?    FoEm.    Or    .e. 
The  little  wayside  inn,  between  Pateley  Bridge  and  Ripon,  has 
the  following  plaintive  appeal  to  a  stiffnecked  race  : — 
"  The  master  doth  crave 

His  money  to  have. 
The  exciseman  says  have  I  must. 
By  that  you  can  see 
How  the  case  stands  with  me ; 
So  I  pray  you  don't  ask  me  for  trust." 
A  small  beer-house  at  Wenington,  in  Devonshire,  yclept  the 
Lengdon  Inn,  has  :^- 

"  Gentlemen,  walk  in,  and  sit  at  your  ease. 
Fay  what  you  call  for,  and  call  what  you  please; 
As  trusting  of  late  has  been  to  my  sorrow, 
Pay  me  to-day,  and  I'll  trust  ee  to-morrow." 

The  Maypole,  near  Haiaault  Forest,  has  : — • 
"  My  liquor's  good. 
My  measures  just ; 
Excuse  me,  sirs! 
I  cannot  trust." 
At  Preston,  in  Lancashire  : — 

"  Qreadley  Bob,  he  does  live  here. 
And  sells  a  pot  of  good  strong  beer ; 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  449 

His  liquor's  good,  his  measure  just, 
But  Bob 's  so  poor  he  cannot  trust." 

The  Green  Man,  on  Finchley  Common,  under  a  trophy  com- 
posed of  two  pipes  crossed  and  a  pot  of  beer,  presents  us  with 
the  following : — 

"Call.  Softly, 
Drink  .  Moderate 
Pay  .  Eorwurably, 
Be  Good  .  Company 
Part .  FRIENDLY 
Go  .  HOME  •  quietly. 
Let  those  lines  te  no  MANS  Sorrow 
Pay  to  DAY  and  i'll  TEUST  to  Marrow.' 
At  Middleton,  Co.  Cork,  the  verses  usually  accompanying  the 
sign  of  the  Bee-hive  are  slightly  altered  to  meet  the  emergency  of 
the  case,  surgit  amari  aliquid  : — 

"  Within  this  hive  we  're  all  alive 
With  whisky  sweet  as  honey ; 
If  you  are  (h-y,  step  in  and  try, 
But  don't  forget  the  money." 

So  old  is  the  necessity  of  informing  the  public  that  they  must 
pay  for  what  they  obtain,  that  even  in  the  ruined  city  of  Pompeii 
a  similar  caution  is  found.  Above  the  door  of  a  house,  once  in- 
habited by  a  surgeon,  occurs  the  following  laconic  intimation  : — 
"  Emb  et  habbbis."  And  so  widely  spread  is  the  evU,  that  even 
in  Chinese  towns  the  shopkeepers  have  found  it  necessary  to  in- 
form the  public  on  their  signs — 

"Former  customers  have  inspired  us  with  caution ;  no  credit  given  here." 
One  publican,  at  Littletown,  in  Durham,  seems  to  have  taken  a 
somewhat  opposite  view,  putting  up,  for  a  sign,  the  Bied  in  the 
Btjsh,  but  it  may  be  doubted  if  his  experience  has  confirmed 
him  in  a  preference  of  the  bird  in  the  bush  to  the  bird  in  the 
hand. 

Another  proverb  illustrated  is  the  Cow  and  Haee,  at  Staf- 
ford, Bottisham,  (near  Newmarket,)  and  other  places,  evidently 
suggested  by  the  adage,  "  A  cow  may  catch  a  hare."  This  sign 
is  mentioned,  about  1708,  in  a  rather  curious  memorandum  from 
the  pen  of  Partridge,  the  almanac-maker,  at  the  commencement 
of  a  book  of  "  the  Cselestial  Motions  and  Aspects  for  the  years 
of  our  Lord  1708  to  1720."*  The  MS.  note  is  as  follows  :— «  At 
the  Cowe  and  Hare  by  Whitechappel  Church,  a  rare  rogue  lives 

*  Barl.  MSS.,  No.  6200. 

3L 


4SO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SWNBOARDS. 

there,  a  pickpocket."  Of  the  same  class  as  the  Cow  and  Hare  is 
Who  'd  ha.'  thought  it  ?  which  sometimes  is  seen  on  an  ale-house 
sign,  as,  for  instance,  at  North  End,  Folham.  A  wag  suggested 
this  as  the  motto  to  the  coat-of-arms  of  a  certain  baronet-brewer  : 
"Who'd  ha'  thought  it? 
Hops  had  bought  it." 

The  sign  of  the  Jolly  Beewbk — Who  'd  ha'  thought  it  ? 
occurs  in  the  Jersey  Koad,  Hounslow.  Originally,  it  seems  to 
have  implied  that,  after  a  hard  straggle  in  some  other  walk  of 
life,  the  landlord  had  succeeded  in  opening  the  long-wished-for 
ale-house.  So  in  Holland  :  many  country  retreats  of  retired 
tradespeople  bear  such  names  as  "  Nooit  gedackt,"  (never  ex- 
pected,) &c. 

Why  not,  the  name  of  a  public-house  at  Essington,  in  Staf- 
fordshire, seems  to  imply  quite  the  reverse,  and  to  have  heen 
adopted  as  the  motto  of  a  more  sanguine  landlord ;  unless, it  may 
be  considered  as  a  ready  answer  to  the  often-repeated  question, 
before  "  popping  in  round  the  corner,"  "  Shall  we  have  a  drop  ?" 

The  Lamb  Dog  is  very  common ;  but  is  particularly  appro- 
priate at  Brierley  Hill,  near  Dudley,  the  establishment  being  kept 
by  a  coUier,  rendered  lame  in  a  pit  accident.  Under  a  pictorial 
representation  of  a  lame  dog  trying  to  get  over  a  stile,  the  fol- 
lowing appeal  is  made  to  the  thirsty  and  benevolent  public  : — , 
"  Stop,  my  friends,  and  stay  awhile 
To  help  the  Lame  Dog  over  the  stile." 

Sometimes,  as  at  Buhner,  Essex,  we  see  a  somewhat  similar  idea 
expressed  by  a  man  struggling  through  a  globe — head  and  arms 
protruding  on  one  side,  Ms  legs  on  the  other — ^with  the  inscrip- 
tion, "  Help  me  through  this  Woeld."  The  same  allegory 
might  have  been  seen  on  a  beer-house  in  Holland  in  the  seven- 
teenth century,  but  the  inscription  was  different — "Busna  ben 
in  door  de  wereld,"  ("  Thus  far  I  have^  got  through  the  world.") 
This  sign  is  also  called  the  Stkugglee,  or  the  Struggling  Man, 
and  at  Hampton,  where  the  house  is  kept  by  a  widow,  the 
Widow's  Struggle.  In  Salop  Street,  Dudley,  the  struggle  is 
represented  by  a  man,  with  a  dog  beside  him,  walking  against  a 
strong  head  wind.  The  Live  and  let  Live  has  a  somewhat 
similar  meaning  ;  it  occurs  at  North  End,  Fulham,  and  in  many 
other  places.  To  this  class,  also,  the  following  seems  to  refer : — 
"  A  witty,  though  unfortunate,  fellow  having  tryed  all  trades, 
but  thriving  by  none,  took  the  pot  for  his  last  refuge,  and  set  up 


BVM0R0U8  AND  COMIO.  45 1 

an  ale-house,  with,  the  sign  of  the  Shirt,  inscribed  under  it, 
'  This  is  my  last  shift.'  Much  company  was  brought  him  thereby, 
and  much  profit."*  Nathaniel  Oldham,  the  friend  of  Sir  Hans 
Sloane,  Poctor  Mead,  and  the  leading  virtuosi  of  that  tune,  him- 
self a  collector,  as  weU  as  a  sporting  man,  at  last  got  so  reduced 
in  circumstances  that  he  had  to  dispose  of  his  curiosities  and 
superfluities.  He  opened  his  house,  therefore,  as  a  curiosity 
shop,  and  wrote  over  the  door,  Oldhanis  last  Shift.  Unfortu- 
nately, it  was  his  "  last  shift,"  for  scarcely  had  he  opened  his 
shop  when  one  of  his  innumerable  creditors  had  ^^m  arrested  and 
sent  to  King's  Bench  Prison,  where  he  died.  J.  T.  Smith,  in  his 
"  Cries  of  London,"  tells  a  similar  device  of  a  sailor,  maimed  at 
the  battle  of  Trafalgar,  who  used  to  go  about  town  with  a  wheel- 
barrow of  ginger  nuts,  which  he  called  "  Jack's  last  shift." 

The  uncertainty  of  success  in  trade  is  expressed  by  the  sign 
of  the  Two  Chances  ;  and  Hit  oe  Miss,  the  good  and  the  bad 
chance  which  innkeepers,  as  well  as  aU  other  mortals,  have  to 
run  in  this  transitory  world.  This  sign  occurs  at  Hannington, 
Northampton,  and  at  Clun,  in  Salop.  At  Openshaw,  near  Man- 
chester, a  similar  idea  is  expressed  by  a  sign  representing  two 
men  running  a,  race,  which  seems  to  promise  a  dead  heat,  with 
the  inscription.  Luck  's  all. 

Others  have  a  sort  of  satirical  humour  in  them,  such  as  the 
well-known  FouE  Alls,  representing  a  king  who  says,  "  I  rule 
all;"  a  priest  who  says,  "I  pray  for  all;"  a  soldier  who  says, 
"  I  fight  for  all ;"  and  John  Bull,  or  a  farmer,  who  says,  "  I  pay 
for  all."  Sometimes  a  fifth  is  added  in  the  shape  of  a  lawyer, 
who  says,  "  I  plead  for  all."  It  is  an  old  and  still  common  sign, 
and  may  even  be  seen  swinging  under  the  blue  sky  in  the  sunny 
streets  of  La  Valette,  Malta.  In  Holland,  in  the  seventeenth 
century,  it  was  used,  but  the  king  was  left  out,  and  a  lawyer 
added ;  each  person  said  exactly  the  same  as  on  our  signboards, 
but  the  farmer  answered  : — 

"  Of  gy  vecht,  of  gy  bidt,  of  gy  pleyt, 
Ik  ben  de  boer  die  de  eyeren  leyt."  f 

The  author  of  "  Tavern  Anecdotes  "  observes  that  he  used  to 
notice  in  Rosemary  Street,  the  sign  of  the  Four  Alls,  but  passing 

*  Cambridge  Jests ;  or,  Witty  Alarams  for  Melancholy  Spirits.  Printed  at  the  Look. 
ing-Crlass,  on  London  Bridge,  for  Thomas  Morris. 

t  "  You  may  fight,  you  may  pray,  you  may  plead. 

But  I  am  the  farmer  who  lays  rne  eggs," — i.  e.,  3nds  the  money. 


452  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

that  way  some  time  after,  he  found  it  altered  into  the  Four  Awls; 
the  sign  painter  who  renewed  the  .picture  had  probably  found 
himself  not  equal  to  a  representation  of  the  four  human  figures. 
In  Ireland,  a  similar  corruption  may  be  observed,  the  four  shoe- 
maker's awls  taking  the  place  of  the  four  representatives  of  society. 
Although  having  no  connexion  with  the  Four  Alls,  it  may  be  men- 
tioned that  three  and  four  awls  constitute  the  charges  in  the  shoe- 
makers' arms  of  some  of  the  continental  trade  societies  or  guilds. 
This  enumeration  of  the  various  performances  coupled  with 
the  word  all  has  been  used  in  numerous  different  epigrams  :  an 
address  to  James  I.  in  the  Ashmolean  MSS.,  No.  1730,  has  : — 
"  The  Lokds  craved  all, 

The  Queeue  grauuted  aU, 

The  Ladies  of  honour  ruled  all. 

The  Lobd-Keefer  seal'd  all. 

The  Intelliggitoeb  marred  all. 

The  Fabliauent  pass'd  all. 

He  thai  is  qone  oppos'd  himself  to  all. 

The  Bishops  soothed  all. 

The  Judoes  pardou'd  all. 

The  Lobds  buy,  Rome  spoil'd  all. 

Now,  Good  King,  mend  all. 

Or  else  the  Devil  will  have  all." 
This  again  seems  to  have  been  imitated  from  a  similar  de- 
scription of  the  State  of  Spain  in  Greene's  "  Spanish  Masquerade," 
1589  :— 

"  The  Caeddtails  solicit  all. 

The  Kdjo  grauntes  all. 

The  Nobles  confirm  all. 

The  Fofe  determines  ali. 

The  Cleargie  disposeth  all. 

The  Duke  of  Medina  hopes  for  all, 

Alonso  receives  all, 

The  Indians  minister  all. 

The  Soldiers  eat  all, 

Tee  People  paie  all, 

The  Monks  and  friars  consume  all, 

And  THE  Devil  at  length  will  carry  away  all." 
The  Naked  Boy  was  a  satirical  sign  reflecting  upon  the  con- 
stant changes  of  the  fashions  of  our  ancestors.  William  Her- 
bert has  this  observation  in  his  manuscript  memoranda,  "I 
remember  very  well  when  I  was  a  lad  seeing  on  TOndmill  Hill, 
Moorfields,  a  taylor's  sign,  a  naked  hoy  with  this  couplet : — 
"  So  fickle  is  our  English  nation, 

I  wou'd  be  clothed  it  I  knew  the  fashion."  * 
■  Annotations  to  Ames's  Typographical  Antiquities. 


HUM0S0U3  AND  COMIC.  453 

The  same  idea  is  expressed  in  the  "  Introduction  to  Know- 
ledge," by  Andrew  Borde,  (the  original  "  Meriy  Andrew,") 
Doctor  of  Physick,  1542,  where  a  naked  man  is  introduced  un- 
decided as  to  the  style  of  dress  he  should  adopt  on  account  of 
the  continual  change  in  the  fashions  : — 

"  Now  am  I  a  frysker,  all  men  doth  on  me  looke. 
What  should  I  do  but  set  cocke  on  the  hoope, 
What  do  I  care  yf  all  the  worlde  me  fayle, 
I  will  get  a  garment  shaU  reche  to  my  tayle.'' 

Coryatt  also  reflects  upon  this  ever-varying  change  in  his 
"  Crudities  : " — "  For  whereas  they  [the  gentlemen  of  Venice] 
have  but  one  colour,  we  use  many  more  than  are  in  the  rainbow ; 
all  the  most  light  garing  and  unseemly  colours  that  are  in  the 
world.  Also  for  feshion  we  are  much  inferior  to  them  :  for  we 
weare  more  phantastical  fashions  than  any  nation  vnder  the 
Simne  doth,  the  French  onely  excepted;  which  hath  given 
occasion  to  the  Venetians  and  other  Italians  to  brand  the  Eng- 
lishmen with  a  notable  mark  of  levity  by  painting  him  stark 
naked  with  a  pair  of  shears  in  his  hand,  making  his  fashion  of 
attire  according  to  the  vain  conception  of  his  brain  sick  head,  not 
to  comeliness  and  decorum." 

So  ancient  is  this  complaint  as  to  the  versatility  of  our  fashions 
that  we  verUy  believe  even  our  tattooed  forefathers  must  have 
been  constantly  altering  the  hue  of  their  blue  stencUling,  and 
bedaubing  themselves  with  new  patterns.  John  Harding,  in  his 
"  Chronicles,"  of  the  reign  of  Richard  II.,  describing  the  various 
materials  and  cuts  of  the  "  unpayed  doublettes  and  gownes," 
even  long  before  his  time,  says,  cL  193  : — 

"  Broudur  and  furree  and  goldsmith  wei'ke  ay  newe, 
In  many  a  wyse  eche  day  they  did  renewe." 

Douglas,  the  monk  of  Glastonbury,  vrrote  not  less  angrily  in 
the  days  of  Edward  III : 

"  Bnglyshmen  hawnted  so  moche  unto  the  folye  of  strawngers  that  fro 
that  tyme  every  yere  thei  chaungedde  them  in  diverse  schappes  and  disgis- 
ingges  of  clothengge  now  long,  now  large,  now  wide,  now  streite,  and  every 
day  clothingges  newe  destitute  and  deserte  from  alle  honeste  of  holde  array 
and  gode  usage."  * 

Indeed  so  angry  does  the  good  monk  become  about  these  ex- 
travagant fashions,  that  he  says, — "  If  I  sethe  shaOe  say,  they 
weren  more  like  to  turmentours  and  Diviles  in  their  clothing  and 
also  in  schoyng  and  other  aray  that  they  semed  no  menne." 

Not  only  did  we  invent,   but  we  borrowed  absurd  foreign 

•  MS.  Harteian.  4690.     19  Bdw.  Ill, 


454  ^^^  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

fashions.     Samuel  Rowland,  in  "  The  Letting  of  Humours  Blood 

in  the  Head  Vaine,"  1611,  says  : — 

"  Behold  a  most  aocomplish'd  cavaleere, 
That  the  world's  ape  of  fashions  doth  appeare ; 
Walking  the  streete  his  humours  to  disclose, 
In  the  French  dowblet  and  the  German  hose. 
The  muffes,  cloake,  Spanish  hat,  ToUedo  blade, 
Italian  ruffe,  a  shoe  right  Flemish  made. 
Like  the  Lord  of  Misrule,  where  he  comes  he'll  revel." 
And  Heywood,  in  the  "Eape  of  Lucrece,"  1638,  epigr.  xxvi., 

has  : — 

"  The  Spaniard  loves  his  ancient  slop. 
The  Lombard  his  Yenetian ; 
And  some  like  breechless  women  go. 
The  Russ,  Turk,  Jew,  and  Grecian ; 
The  thrifty  Frenchman  wears  small  waist, 
The  Dutchman  his  belly  boasteth. 
The  Englishman  is  for  them  all. 
And  for  each  fashion  coasteth." 

Shakespeare  seems  to  allude  to  the  sign  of  the  Naked  Boy  in 
his  "  Comedy  of  Errors,"  act  iv.,  scene  3,  where  Dromio  says, 
"  What,  have  you  got  the  picture  of  old  Adam  new  appareU'd." 
At  Skipton-in-Craven,  there  is  still  a  stone  bas-relief  of  the  Naked 
Boy,  fixed  in  the  front  of  a  house,  with  the  date  1633. 

lie  Good  Woman,  or  the  Silent  Women,  and  at  Pershore, 
in  Worcestershire,  the  Quiet  Woman,  represent  a  headless 
woman  carrying  her  head  in  her  hand.  Brady,  in  his  "  Clavis 
Calendaria,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  203,  says,  "  The  martyrs  who  had  been 
decapitated  were,  therefore,  usually  represented  with  headless 
trunks,  and  the  head  on  some  adjoining  table,  or  more  commonly 
in  their  hands  ;  and  it  was  easy  for  ignorance  and  credulity  not 
only  to  mistake  that  type,  but  to  be  led  into  belief  that  those 
holy  persons  had  actually  carried  their  heads  about  for  the  bene- 
fit of  believers.  The  sign,  yet  preserved,  particularly  by  the  oil- 
shops,  of  the  Good  Woman,  although  originally  meant  as  expres- 
sive of  some  female  saint,  holy  or  good  woman,  who  had  met 
death  by  the  privation  of  her  head,  has  been  converted  into  a 
loke  against  the  females  whose  alleged  loquacity  is  considered  to 
be  satirised  by  this  representation,  which,  to  conform  to  such 
meaning,  they  now  more  commonly  call  the  Silent  Woman.  The 
fact,  however,  of  it  being  particularly  an  oilman's  sign,  makes  it 
possible  that  it  may  have  some  reference  to  the  heecUess  \head 
anciently  was  pronounced  Aeed]  or  foolish  virgins  of  the  parable. 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  455 

who  had  no  oil  in  their  lamps  when  the  bridegroom  came. 
Where  is  your  head  %  is  stUl  a  question  addressed  to  forgetful 
people. 

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  in- 
scription Forte  Bonne.  The  addition  of  the  portrait  of  Henry 
VIII.  has  led  to  the  popular  belief  that  the  headless  woman  is 
meant  for  Anna  Boleyn,  though  probably  it  is  simply  a  com- 
bination of  the  King's  Head  and  Good  Woman. 

This  sign  is  equally  common  on  the  Continent ;  the  book  of 
Dutch  signboard  inscriptions  of  the  seventeenth  century,  from 
which  we  have  constantly  quoted,  gives  several  verses  which 
figured  under  various  signs  of  the  Good  Woman.  Amongst 
them  the  following  are  worth  noticing  : — ■ 

**  Hier  is  de  goede  vrouw  te  vinden, 
Ka't  leven  zeer  net  afgelDeeld, 
Daar  niet  als't  hoofd  maar  aan  en  scheeld, 
Dewyl  dat  draait  met  duizend  winden ; 
Indien  er't  hoofd  waa  aangebleven 
Sy  waa  nooit  goed  haar  gansche  leven."* 
Another  had : — 

"  De  vrouw  die  is  een  mannen-plaag, 
Al  zyn  snot-leepels  daarna  graag ; 
Dies  als  dat  vuur  ia  uitgedoofd 
Dan  wensohen  zy,  haar  zonder  hoofd."  + 

In  Italy,  also,  it  is  known,  and  serves  as  a  sign  to  many  an 
inn.  Keaders  who  may  have  visited  Turin  will  remember  the 
kind  reception  of  "  la  buona  Moglie"  in  that  tovni.  In  Paris  it 
gives  its  name  to  a  street,  Rue  de  la  Fmime  sans  Tete.  The  pic- 
ture in  France  is  generally  accompanied  by  the  legend,  "  Tovi  en 
est  hon,"  the  absence  of  the  head  probably  implying  "fors  la 
tete,"  except  the  head ;  ergo,  everything  is  good  in  woman  ex- 
cept her  head — her  ever-changing  whims  and  fancies.  At  the 
present  day  there  is,  in  the  Eue  St  Marguerite,  a  pork  butchei 

•  *'  Here  you  may  find  a  good  woman, 

Faithfully  portrayed  from  the  life. 

Nothing  is  wanting  but  her  head, 

Because  that  turns  about  with  every  wind. 

If  the  head  had  been  left  her, 

She  would  never  have  been  good  in  all  her  life." 
f  *'  Women  are  a  plague  to  man, 

And  though  young  'spoons'  are  fond  of  them, 

As  soon  as  their  fire  is  quenched, 

They  wish  her  head  was  off." 


456  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARD8. 

who  Las  made  the  following  use  of  this  sign  :  Under  the  usual 
representation  of  the  Good  Woman  he  has  written  in  golden 
letters,  "  Tout  en  est  bon,  depuis  les"  (a  representation  of  four 
pigs'  feet)  "  jusqu'3,  la,"  (a  representation  of  an  enormous  boar's 
head.)  This  ungallant  association  of  ideas  of  a  woman  and  a 
pig  is,  we  are  sorry  to  say,  not  without  an  example  in  our  nation, 
though  fortunately  our  rudeness  was  two  hundred  years  ago,  and 
we  have  grown  more  refined  since  : — 

"  One  Ambrose  Westrop,  vicar  of  the  Parish  church  Much  to  Sham  (?) 
in  the  county  of  Essex,  taught  in  a  Sermon  That  a  Woman  is  worse  than  a 
sow  in  two  respects ;  First :  because  a  sowskin  is  good  to  make  a  cart 
saddle  and  her  bristles  good  for  a  sowter.  Secondly  :  because  a  sow  will 
run  away  if  a  man  cry  but  hoy,  but  a  woman  will  not  turn  her  head, 
though  beaten  down  with  a  leaver,  and  that  all  the  difference  between  a 
woman  and  a  sow  is  in  the  nape  of  the  neck,  where  a  woman  can  bend 
upwards,  but  a  sow  cannot,  etc.  The  said  Westrop  is  a  great  malignant 
and  very  envious  and  full  of  venome  against  the  Parliament.  But  hia 
benefit  is  sequestered,  as  well  he  deserves,  from  his  filthiness  and  unfit- 
nesse  to  the  place." — Remarkahle  Passages  and  Occurrences  of  Parliament, 
d-c.    December  8  to  15,  1644. 

Lawyers,  priests,  and  women  have,  at  all  times  and  in  all 
countries,  received  a  liberal  share  of  abuse  and  slander ;  no 
wonder,  then,  that  the  Lawyer  kept  the  Good  Woman  in  coun- 
tenance. In  a  sign  derived  from  the  Good  Woman  the  man  of 
law  is  "  damned  to  fame"  as  the  Honest  Lawtee,  the  sign  re- 
presenting him  with  his  head  in  his  hand,  as  the  only  condition 
in  which  by  any  possibility  he  could  be  honest.  Another  sign 
abusive  of  the  softer  sex  is  the  Man  loaded  with  Mischief, 
the  sign  of  an  ale-house  in  Oxford  Street.  The  original,  said  to 
be  painted  by  Hogarth,  is  fastened  to  the  front  of  the  house,  and 
has  the  honour  of  being  specified  in  the  lease  of  the  premises 
as  one  of  the  fixtures.  An  engraving  of  it  is  exhibited  in  the 
window.  It  represents  a  man  carrying  a  woman,  a  magpie, 
and  a  monkey,  the  woman  with  a  glass  of  gin  in  her  hand.  In 
the  background,  on  the  left-hand  side,  is  a  public-house  with  a 
pair  of  horns  as  a  "  finial"  on  the  gable  end  ;  this  house  is  called 
"  Otickhold's  Fortune;"  a  woman  is  passing  in  at  the  door,  and  a 
sow  is  asleep  in  a  pot-house,  with  a  label  above,  "  She  is  as 
drunk  as  a  sow,"  whilst  two  cats  are  making  love  on  the  roof. 
On  the  right-hand  side  is  the  shop  of  S.  Gripe,  Pawnbroker, 
which  a  carpenter  enters  to  pledge  his  tools.  The  engraving  is 
signed  :  "  Drawn  by  Experience  ;  engraved  by  Sorrow."  Under 
it  is  the  following  rhyme : — 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  457 

"  A  monkey,  a  magpie,  and  a  wife, 
Is  the  true  emblem  of  strife." 

This  sign  has  been  imitated  in  other  places,  sometimes  called 
the  Mischief,  as  at  Blewbury,  WaUingford,  or  the  Load  of 
Mischief,  as  at  Norwich.  About  twenty  years  ago  there  was 
one  to  be  seen  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Cambridge,  with  this 
expressive  addition,  that  the  man  was  tied  to  the  woman  by  a 
chain  and  padlock.  A  similarly  malicious  reflection  on  the 
"  softer  sex"  is  seen  in  many  parts  of  France,  as  in  Paris,  Troyes, 
and  various  other  towns.  It  is  called  "  Le  trio  de  Malice,"  (the 
three  bad  ones,)  thf  trio  being  composed  of  a  cat,  a  woman,  and 
a  monkey. 

Nobody  was  the  singular  sign  of  John  Trundell,  a  ballad-, 
printer  in  Barbican  in  the  seventeenth  century.  In  one  of  Ben 
Jonson's  plays  Nobody  is  introduced,  "  attyred  in  a  payre  of 
Breeches,  which  were  made  to  come  up  to  his  neck,  with  his 
armes  out  at  his  pockets  and  cap  drowning  his  face."  This 
comedy  was  "  printed  for  John  Trundle  and  are  to  be  sold  at  his 
shop  in  Barbican  at  the  sygne  of  No-Body."  A  unique  ballad, 
preserved  in  the  Miller  Collection  at  BritweU  House,  entitled 
"  The  Well-spoken  No-Body,"  is  accompanied  by  a  woodcut  re- 
presenting a  ragged  barefooted  fool  on  pattens,  with  a  torn 
money-bag  under  his  arm,  walking  through  a  chaos  of  broken 
pots,  pans,  bellows,  candlesticks,  tongs,  tools,  windows,  (fee. 
Above  him  is  a  scroll  in  black-letter  : — 

"  i^ofiolis  .  ts  .  tng  .  i&ame .  ilint .  BegretSf .  (Eirerg .  ISoljgea  . 

aSlame." 
The  ballad  commences  as  follows  : — 

"  Many  speke  of  Bobin  Hoode  that  never  shott  in  his  bowe, 
So  many  have  layed  faultes  to  me,  which  I  did  never  kuowe ; 
But  nowe,  beholde,  here  I  am, 
"Whom  all  the  worlde  doeth  diffame  ; 
Long  have  they  also  scorned  me, 
And  locked  my  mouthe  for  speking  free. 
As  many  a  Godly  man  they  have  so  served 
Which  unto  them  God's  truth  hath  shewed ; 
Of  such  they  have  burned  and  hanged  some. 
That  unto  their  ydolatiye  wold  not  come  : 
The  Ladye  Truthe  they  have  locked  in  cage. 
Saying  of  her  Nobodye  had  knowledge. 
For  as  much  nowe  as  they  name  Nobodye 
I  thinke  verilye  they  speke  of  me : 
Whereffore  to  answei-e  I  nowe  beginne — 

SM 


458  THE  HI8T0ST  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  locke  of  my  mouthe  is  opened  with  ginne, 
Wrought  by  no  man,  but  by  God's  grace, 
Unto  whom  be  prayae  in  every  place,"  &c. 

In  J.  O.  Halliwell's  "Shakespeare,"  voL  i.,  p.  450,  from 
whence  we  borrow  the  above,  the  subject  is  still  farther  illus- 
trated by  the  following  quotation  : — 

"  Nobody  keeps  such  a  rule  in  every  bodies  house  that  from  the  mis- 
tresse  to  the  basest  maide,  there  is  not  a  shrewde  tume  done  without  him : 
for  if  the  husband  finde  his  study  opened  and  enquire  who  did  it  ?  he  shall 
finde  Nobody :  if  the  goodwife  see  her  utensils  disordered  and  demand 
who  displast  them,  the  issue  of  every  servant's  reply  will  bee,  Nobody :  if 
the  servants  discover  the  beds  towsed  and  the  chambers  durtied  it  will  bee, 
Nobody ;  when  every  child  is  examined ;  nay,  if  the  children  fall  and 
break  their  noses,  or  scratch  one  another's  faces,  and  either  mother  or 
nursse  seeme  angry  and  aske,  who  hurt  them,  they  will  quickly  answer 
Nobody  toucht  them  ;  and  their  desire  of  excuse  hath  brought  lying  to  a 
custom." — Rich  Cabinet  fwmhhed  viith  Variety  of  Excellent  Description, 
1616. 

At  present  there  is  an  inn  in  Plymouth  called  No  PiiACE  inn ; 
and  formerly  there  was  at  Norwich  a  public-house  called  No- 
where— a  name  which  would,  to  the  truant  husband  returning 
home  in  the  small  hours  of  night,  suggest  a  ready  answer  to  the 
warm  reception  of  his  partner  for  better  and  for  worse,  who,  for 
the  last  few  hours,  has  been 

"  Gath'ring  her  brows,  like  gath'ring  storm — 
Nursing  her  wrath  to  keep  it  wai-m." 

Another  ancient  sign,  to  which  constant  allusions  are  made  in  the 
old  writers,  is  the  Three  Loggerheads,  which,  old  as  it  is,  and 
stale  as  the  joke  may  be,  has  not  yet  lost  its  charms  for  the  in- 
habitants of  many  of  our  villages  and  quiet  inland  towns.  It 
represents  two  siUy-looking  faces,  with  the  inscription — 
"  We  three 
Loggereceads  be," 
— ^the  unsuspecting  spectator  being,  of  coru^e,  the  third.  Douce, 
in  Ms  "  Illustrations  to  Shakespeare,"  suggests  that  the  original 
picture  should  have  represented  three  fools.  Thus,  in  Shirley's 
"  Bird  in  Cage,"  Morello,  who  counterfeits  a  fool,  says,  "  We  he 
three  of  old,  without  exception  to  your  lordship,  only  with  this 
difference,  I  am  the  wisest  fooL"  In  Day's  "  Comedy  of  Law 
Tricks,"  1608,  Julia  says,  "Appoint  the  place  prest,"  to  which 
the  answer  is,  "At  the  three  fooh."  Sometimes,  as  Mr  Henley 
has  stated,  it  was  two  asses.  Thus,  in  Beaumont  and  Fletcher's 
"  Queen  of  Corinth,"  ac.  iii.,  sc.  1 : — 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  459 

"  Nean.  He  is  another  ass,  he  says ;  I  believe  him. 
Uncle.  We  be  three,  heroical  prince. 
Nean.  Nay,  then  we  must  have  the  picture  and  the  word  Nos  sumus.'' 

In  this  form  it  is  still  seen  on  valentines  and  humorous  cartes  de 
visite.  Shakespeare,  too,  alludes  to  this  sign  in  "  Twelfth  Night," 
ac.  ii.,  sc.  2 : — "  HoW  now,  my  hearts  ?  did  you  never  see  the 
picture  of  We  Three  ?"  Decker,  ridiculing  the  manners  and  cus- 
toms of  his  day,  speaks  of  the  fast  men  sitting  on  the  stage  at 
theatrical  representations — "but  assure  yourself,  by  continual 
residence,  you  are  the  first  and  principal  man  in  election,  to  begin 
the  number  of  We  three."*  In  a  pamphlet,  entitled,  "Heads  of 
all  Fashions ;  being  a  plain  Disection  or  Definition  of  Divers  and 
Sundry  Sorts  of  Heads,"  London,  1642,  the  Loggerheads  are 
thus  mentioned : — 

"  A  Logerhead  alone  cannot  well  be, 
At  scriveners'  windows  many  time  hang  tlvree, 
A  country  lobcocke,  as  I  once  did  Leare, 
Upon  a  penman  put  a  grievous  jeaie. 
If  I  had  been  in  place,  as  this  man  was, 
I  should  have  caUed  this  country  coxcomb  asse." 

This  alludes  to  one  of  the  jokes  in  "  Mother  Bunch's  Merri- 
ments," IGO-t,  where  a  country  fellow  asks  a  poor  scrivener,  sit- 
ting in  his  shop,  "  I  pray  you,  master,  what  might  you  sell  in 
your  shop,  that  you  have  so  many  ding-dongs  hang  at  yourdore?" 
"Why,  my  friend,"  quoth  the  obligation-maker,  "I  sell  nothing 
but  loggerheads."  "  By  my  fay,  master,"  quoth  the  countryman, 
"  you  have  a  fair  market  with  them,  for  you  have  left  but  one  in 
your  shop,  that  I  see ;"  and  so,  laughing,  went  his  way,  leaving 
much  good  sport  to  them  that  heard  him.  This  old  anecdote 
may  have  given  rise  to  scriveners  using  the  Loggerheads  as  their 
sign,  which  otherwise  seems  a  not  very  pleasant  reflection  on 
their  customers.  We  can  scarcely  think  that  any  symbolism  was 
intended,  and  that  the  Loggerheads  were  emblematical  of  the 
secretary's  silence  and  discretion.  In  the  seventeenth  centnry 
the  sign  might  have  been  seen  in  London.  There  was  one  in 
Tooley  Street  in  1665,  having  on  its  trades  token  the  inscription, 
"We  are  3  ;"  another  variety  had  "We  three  Logerheads" 
underneath  the  usual  heads.  In  the  ballad  of  the  "  Arraigning 
and  Indicting  of  Sir  John  Barleycorn,  Knt.,  printed  for  Timothy 
Tosspot,"  the  trial  takes  place  at  the  Three  Loggerheads,  by  the 
Justices  Oliver  and  Old  Nick.     The  witnesses  are  cited  at  the 

*  Gull'B  Hornbook. 


460  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

sign   of  the   Three  Merry  Companions  in  Bedlam — viz.,  Poor 
Eobin,  Merry  Tom,  and  Jack  Lackwit. 

The  Labour  in  Vain  occurs  among  the  trades  tokens,  and 
such  a  sign  gave  its  name  to  Old  Fish  Street,  which  Hatton,  in 
his  "New  View  of  London,"  1708,  p.  ^105,  calls  "Old  Fish 
Street,  or  Labour  in  Vain  HUl."  The  sign  represented  two 
women  scrubbing  a  negro;  hence  it  was  called  by  the  lower 
classes,  the  Devil  in  a  Tub.  "  To  wash  an  ^thiop,"  is  a  pro- 
verbial expression,  often  met  with  in  ancient  dramatists,  for 
labour  in  vain.*  The  Case  is  Altered,  generally  alludes  to 
some  alteration  in  the  affairs  of  the  landlord,  either  "  for  better 
or  for  worse."  A  pubUc-house  near  Banbury  was  so  called  on 
account  of  being  built  on  the  site  of  a  mere  hoveL  Another 
house  of  the  same  name  was,  in  1805,  erected  on  the  road  be- 
tween Woodbridge  and  Ipswich,  to  meet  the  demand  of  the 
thirsty  sons  of  Mars  then  quartered  in  those  two  towns.  Its 
sign  in  those  days  was  tlie  Duke  of  York,  or  some  such  name. 
But  when,  after  the  downfall  of  the  "  Corsican  Tyrant,"  and  the 
subsequent  declaration  of  peace,  the  barracks  were  pulled  dovm, 
the  soldiers  disbanded,  and  the  benches  of  the  ale-house  remained 
empty,  the  old  sign  was  removed,  and  in  its  place  put  up  the  sad 
truth — "The  Case  ia  Altered."  In  another  instance,  the  sign 
was  adopted  at  Oxford  as  a  quiet  hint  by  a  sharp  business  man, 
who  succeeded  as  landlord  to  an  easy-going  Boniface,  under 
whose  sway  the  customers  had  been  allowed  to  run  np  debts ; 
but  the  case  was  altered  under  the  new  regulations.  A  corre- 
spondent of  Notes  and  Queries  (Nov.  21,  1857)  gives  the  fol- 
lowing example  : — "I  saw  this  sign  once  pictorially  represented 
in  the  West  of  England  thus  : — A  person,  with  a  large  wig  and 
gown,  and  seated  at  a  table ;  another,  dressed  like  a  farmer, 
stood  talking  to  him.  In  the  distance,  seen  through  the  open 
door,  was  a  bull.  The  story,  of  course,  is  that  related  of  Plow- 
den,  the  celebrated  lavryer,+  and  which  is  now  in  most  books  of 
fables.  The  farmer  told  Plowden  that  his  (the  farmer's)  buU  had 
gored  and  killed  the  latter's  cow.  'Well,'  said  the  lawyer, 
'  the  case  is  clear,  you  must  pay  me  her  value.'  '  Oh  !  but,'  said 
the  farmer,  '  I  have  made  a  mistake.  It  is  yov/r  bull  which  has 
killed  my  cow.'  'Ah!  the  case  is  altered,'  quoth  Plowden. 
The  expression  had  passed  into  a  proverb  in  Old  Fuller's  time." 

*  Massinger*s  Farliamenl  af  Love,  ac.  it.,  so.  '2 ;  Roman  Actor,  ac.  iii.,  sc  2,  Ac. 

\  Eiimund  FlowJen,  obiil  1S84,  was  buried  and  has  a  mouument  in  the  Tcmolf^  Church. 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMia.  46 1 

This  sign  also  occurs  in  some  London  localities,  as  at  Upper 
Kensal  Green,  and  elsewhere. 

The  Grinding  Young  is  a  very  curious  sign  at  Harold's 
Cross,  Dublin.  The  subject  is  taken  from  the  old  ballad  of  the 
"  Miller's  Maid  Grinding  Old  Men  Young,"  commencing — 

"  Come,  old,  decrepit,  lame,  or  blind, 
Into  my  mill  to  take  a  grind." 

It  is  also  a  favourite  subject  on  old  chap-prints,  which  represent 
a  kind  of  hand-mill,  into  the  funnel-shaped  top  of  which  various 
decrepit-looking  old  men  creep  by  a  ladder,  most  of  them  glass 
in  hand,  greatly  elated  at  the  prospect  of  a  renewal  of  youth. 
Meanwhile,  a  young  maid  is  turning  the  handle  of  the  mill,  from 
the  bottom  of  which  the  patients  come  out,  quite  young  and  new 
— ^if  not  better — men.  Pretty  girls  stand  at  the  side,  ready  to 
receive  the  rejuvenated  creatures  and  walk  off  with  them,  their 
arms  affectionately  twined  round  their  necks,  and  evidently  pre- 
paring to  play  the  old  game  over  again,  for  "  the  cordial  drop  of 
life  is  love  alone" — the  whole  affair  a  very  decided  improvement 
upon  the  usual  way  of  entering  the  stage  of  this  world. 

A  somewhat  similar  sign,  though  not  quite  so  anacreontic,  is 
of  frequent  occurrence  in  France,  namely  The  Fountain  of 
JuvENCA, — la  Fontaine  de  Jouvence.  A  stone  bas-relief  of  this 
subject,  a  carving  of  the  sixteenth  century,  still  remains  in  the 
Eue  du  Four,  in  Paris.  The  story  was  borrowed  by  the  French 
romancers  from  the  Eastern  tales. 

The  sign  of  the  last  house  in  a  row  on  the  outskirts  of  a  town, 
used  frequently  to  be  the  World's  End.  This  was  represented 
in  various  punning  ways ;  sometimes  by  a  globe  in  clouds,  as  on 
the  trades  token  of  Margaret  Tuttlesham,  of  Golden  Lane,  Barbi- 
can, in  1666.  Others  rendered  it  by  a  fractured  globe  in  a  dark 
background,  with  fire  and  smoke  bursting  through  the  rents, 
and  thus  it  was  represented  at  the  World's  End  in  the  King's 
Road,  Chelsea,  in  1825.  At  Ecton,  Northampton,  it  is  typified, 
with  a  truly  classical  notion  of  physical  geography,  iDy  a  horseman 
-  whose  steed  is  rearing  over  an  abyss  on  the  edge  of  a  world 
terminated  perpendicularly.  A  fourth,  and  more  homely,  way  of 
representing  it  was  a  man  and  a  woman  walking  together  on  the 
margin  of  a  landscape,  with  this  distich : 

"  I  '11  go  with  my  friend 
To  the  world's  end." 

The  out-of-the-way  sites  of  such  houses  was  the  cause  of  their 


4&2       THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

uot  enjoying  the  very  best  of  reputations.  Those,  at  least,  of 
the  World's  End  at  Chelsea  and  at  Enightsbridge  were  rather 
exceptionable.  Both  these  houses  were  much  patronised  by  the 
gallants  of  the  reign  of  Charles  11.  when  breaking  the  seventh 
commandment ;  hence  the  altercation  between  two  sisters  in 
Congreve's  play  of  "Love  for  Love  :" 

"Mrs  Foresight.  I  suppose  you  would  not  go  alone  to  the  World's 
End? 

"  Mrs  Frail.  The  World's  End  1     What,  do  you  mean  to  banter  me ! 

"  Mrs  Foresight.  Poor  innocent;  you  don't  know  that  there  is  a  place 
called  the  World's  End.  I  '11  swear  you  can  keep  your  countenance — 
surely  you'll  make  an  admirable  player. 

"  Mrs  Frail.  I  'U  swear  you  have  a  great  deal  of  impudence,  and  in  my 
mind  too  much  for  the  stage. 

"  Mrs  Foresight.  Very  well,  that  will  appear  who  has  most.  Tou  never 
were  at  the  World's  End!  eh." 

Pepys  also  honoured  a  World's  End,  the  "  drinking-house  by 
the  Park,"  with  an  occasional  visit.  On  Sunday,  the  9th  of 
May  1669,  for  instance,  he  went  to  church  at  St  Margaret's, 
Westminster,  and  that  duty  performed,  walked  "  towards  the 
park,  but  too  soon  to  go  in,  so  went  on  to  Knightsbridge,  and 
there  eat  and  drank  at  the  World's  End,  where  we  had  good 
things,  and  then  back  to  the  park,  and  there  tiU  night,  being 
fine  weather  and  much  company,  and  so  homa"  The  "good 
things"  evidently  proved  a  strong  attraction,  for  three  weeks 
after  he  went  again,  "  and  there  was  merry,  and  so  home  late." 
In  1708  Tom  Brown  thus  alluded  to  its  equivocal  reputation. 
"  The  lady  must  take  a  tour  as  far  as  Knightsbridge  or  Kensing- 
ton, stop,  maybe,  at  the  World's  End  or  the  Swan;  offer  my 
spark  a  small  treat,"  &c.*  Under  the  name  of  le  Bout  du 
Monde,  the  same  sign  was  common  in  France,  where  in  ancient 
Paris  it  gave  a  name  to  the  street  now  called  Eue  du  Cadran. 
With  that  inveterate  weakness  for  punning  inherent  to  sign- 
painters — those  of  the  French  nation  in  particular — it  was 
sometimes  represented  by  a  he-goat  (bouc)  and  a  world. 

The  World  turned  Upside  down  is  still  common,  being 
generally  represented  by  a  man  walking  at  the  south  pole  ;  in  that 
guise  it  was  to  be  seen  some  twenty-five  years  ago  on  the  Green- 
wich Boad.  But  the  meaning  of  the  sign  is  a  state  of  things 
the  opposite  of  what  is  natural  and  usual, — a  conceit  in  which  the 
artists  of  former  ages  took  great  delight,  and  which  they  repre- 

•  Walt  round  London  and  Suburbs,  1708,  p.  16. 


HUMOROUS  AND  OOMIO.  463 

sented  by  animals  chasing  men,  horses  riding  in  carriages,  and 
similar  pleasantries.  This  also  was  a  Dutch  sign  under  the 
name  of  De  Vbekeerde  Wereld,  {fhe  world  reversed.)  It  was 
used  by  a  publican  in  the  seventeenth  century  in  Holland,  with 
this  inscription : 

"De  wereld  staat  Diet  regt, 
Voor  de  deur  hangt  hy  verkeerd 
'K  Heb  wyn  en  bier,  en  't  geen  gy  meer  begeert."  * 

Of  the  MooNEAKEES  we  only  know  one  instance,  that  in 
Great  Suffolk  Street,  Borough,  where  it  has  been  for  at  least 
half  a  century.  The  original  of  this  may  have  been  one  of  the 
stories  of  the  Wise  Men  of  Gotham.  A  party  of  them  going  out 
one  bright  night,  saw  the  reflection  of  the  moon  in  the  water ; 
and,  after  due  deliberation,  decided  that  it  was  a  green  cheese, 
and  so  raked  for  it.  Another  version  is,  that  some  Gothamites, 
passing  in  the  night  over  a  bridge,  saw  from  the  parapet  the 
moon's  reflection  in  the  river  below,  and  took  it  for  a  green 
cheese.  They  held  a  consultation  as  to  the  best  means  of  secur- 
ing it,  when  it  was  resolved  that  one  should  hold  fast  to  the 
parapet  whilst  the  others  hung  from  him,  hand-in-hand,  so  as  to 
form  a  chain  to  the  water  below,  the  last  man  to  seize  the  prize. 
When  they  were  aU  in  this  position,  the  uppermost,  feeling  the 
load  heavy,  and  his  hold  giving  way,  called  out,  "  HaUoo !  yon 
below,  hold  tight  while  I  take  off  my  hand  to  spit  on  it !"  The 
wise  men  below  replied,  "All  right !,"  upon  which  he  let  go  his  hold, 
and  they  all  dropped  down  into  the  water,  and  were  drowned. 

A  Moonraker  is  also  the  nickname  for  a  native  of  Wilt- 
shire, and  a  very  silly  story  is  told  there  as  its  origin. 
Some  Wiltshire  smugglers,  on  one  of  their  nightly  expeditions, 
being  surprised  by  excisemen,  were  compelled  to  hide  a  barrel 
of  brandy  in  a  pond,  which  one  of  the  gang  at  the  first 
opportunity  privately  fished  out  for  his  own  personal  benefit. 
A  few  nights  after,  when  the  Argus  eyes  of  the  Excise  were 
soundly  closed,  the  rest  of  the  band  availed  themselves  of  a  clear 
moonlight  to  return  to  the  spot  in  order  to  "  call  the  spirits 
from  the  vasty  deep,"  and  began  raking  the  water  to  their 
hearts'  content,  for,  taking  the  reflection  of  the  moon  to  be  the  top 
of  the  barrel,  they  could  not  be  convinced  that  the  "  spirit  was 
departed,"  till  morning  came  and  showed  them  that  their  barrel 

*  "  The  world  does  not  go  right, 

Before  my  door  it  hangs  upside  down. 
I  sell  wine  and  beer,  and  all  that  jou  may  desire.** 


464  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

was  all  "  moonshine."     Another  version  substitutes  thieves  and 
a  cheese  for  the  smugglers  and  the  brandy  barrel. 

The  Ckadle  and  the  Coffin,  or  First  and  Last,  was  for- 
merly a  sign  in  Norwich,  and  one  can  still  be  seen  on  the  South 
Quay,  Yarmouth.  This  combination  may  have  its  moral ;  not 
so  the  equally  serious  Mortal  Man,  in  the  little  village  of 
Troutbeck,  near  Ambleside,  for  there  the  denomination  is  simply 
borrowed  from  the  beginning  of  the  inscription  which  has  no- 
thing of  the  memento  mori  about  it : — 

"  Thou  mortal  man  that  liv'st  by  bread. 
What  is  it  makes  thy  nose  so  red  ?" 

"  Thou  silly  elf  with  nose  so  pale, 
It  is  with  drinking  Burkett's  ale.'' 

This  imaginary  dialogue  is  supposed  to  be  held  by  the  two 
figures  on  the  signboard,  the  one  a  poor  miserable-looking  object, 
the  other,  who  indulged  in  Burkett's  ale,  the  chubby  picture  of 
health,  with  a  nose  lite  that  of  Bardolph,  "  clothed  in  purple." 
This  sign  was  the  work  of  Ibbetson ;  the  picture  is  now  gone, 
but  the  verses  remain.* 

At  Hedenham,  on  the  road  between  Norwich,  and  Bungay, 
there  is  a  sign  called  Ttjmblb-down  Dick,  representing  on  one 
side  Diogenes,  on  the  other,  a  drunken  man,  with  the  following 
distich : 

"  Kow  Diogenes  is  dead  and  laid  in  his  tomb. 
Tumble-down  Dick  is  come  in  his  room." 

At  Alton,  in  Hants,  a  drunken  man  is  represented  upsetting  a 
table  covered  with  cups  and  glasses.  The  verses  underneath  this 
picture  are  the  same  as  at  Hedenham,  except  that  it  is  "  Bar- 
naby  "  who  is  said  to  be  defunct,  and  not  Diogenes.  At  Wood- 
ton  in  Norfolk,  another  sign  with  this  name  represents  a  joUy 
old  farmer  in  a  red  coat,  with  bottle  and  glass  in  his  hand,  &Jling 
off  his  chair  in  a  state  of  Bouiehi  plernis.  The  earliest  mention 
we  find  of  the  sign  is  in  the  Original  Weekly  Journal  for  April 
26 — May  3,  1718,  where  a  murder  is  reported  to  have  been 
committed  at  the  Tumbling-down  Dick  in  Brentford.  "  Tumble- 
down Dick,  in  the  borough  of  Southwark,"  says  the  Adventurer, 
No.  9,  1752,  "is  a  fine  moral  on  the  instability  of  greatness, 
and  the  consequences  of  ambition."  As  such  it  was  set  up  in 
derision  of  Richard  Cromwell,  the  allusion  to  his  fall  from  power, 
or  "  tumble  down,"  being  very  common  in  the  satires  published 

'  A  somewhat  different  version  of  these  rhjmes  is  given  on  page  40. 


."^  'fSVaii*  ;^OV.' 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIO.  465 

after  the  Restoration,  and  amongst  others,  Hudibras;  thus,  part 
iii.,  canto  ii.,  231  : — 

"  Next  him  his  son  and  heir  apparent 

Succeeded,  though  a  lame  viceregent^ 

Who  first  laid  by  the  Parliament, 

The  only  crutch  on  which  he  leant ; 

And  then  sunk  underneath  the  state 

That  rode  him  above  horseman's  weight." 

The  same  idea,  and  almost  the  identical  words,  occur  again 
in  his  "  Remains,"  vo.  the  tale  of  the  Cobbler  and  the  Vicar  of 
Bray : — 

"  What 's  worse,  old  IToll  is  marching  off. 
And  Dick,  his  heir  apparent. 
Succeeds  him  in  the  Government, 

A  very  lame  Vice-regent; 
He  '11  reign  but  little  time,  poor  tool. 

But  sinks  beneath  the  state. 
That  will  not  fail  to  ride  the  fool 
'Bove  common  horseman's  weight." 
We  meet  it  also  in  the  ballad,  "  Old  England  is  now  a  brave 
Barbary,"  i.e.  horse,  from  a  "Collection  of  Loyal  Songs,"  re- 
printed in,  1731,  vol.  iL,  p.  231, — 

"  But  Nol,  a  rank  rider,  gets  first  in  the  saddle, 

And  made  her  show  tricks,  and  curvate,  and  rebound ; 
She  quickly  perceiv'd  he  rode  widdle-waddle, 
And  like  his  coach-horses*  threvr  his  highness  to  ground. 

"  Then  Dick,  being  lame,  rode  holding  the  pummel. 
Not  having  the  wit  to  get  hold  of  the  rein ; 
But  the  jade  did  so  snort  at  the  sight  of  a  Cromwell, 
That  poor  Dick  and  his  kindred  turn'd  footmen  again." 
Dick's  bacchic  propensities  are  also  sung  in  many  an  old  song. 
Two  of  the  Luttrell  Ballads,  vol.  ii.,  pp.  11  and  36,  allude  to 
his  weakness  in  this  respect ; — 

"  Then  thirdly  Oliver  he  took  place, 
And  set  up  young  Dick  the  fool  of  his  race ; 
Dick  loved  a  cup  of  nectar." 
In  another : — 

"Drunken  Dick  was  a  lame  Protector." 
Perhaps  to  the  same  origin  may  be  referred  the  sign  of  Sol- 
dier Dick,  which  occurs  near  Disley,  Stockport;  and  Happy 
Dick,  at  Abingdon.     Tumbling-down  Dick  was  also  the  name 
of  a  dance  in  the  last  century,  which  gives  additional  strength  to 

♦  In  allusion  to  Cromwell's  accident  in  Hyde  Park,  October  1654,  when  his  coach- 
horses  ran  away,  and  his  highness,  who  was  driving,  fell  from  the  box  between  the 
traces,  and  was  dragged  along  for  a  considerable  distance. 

3N 


466  THE  HISTORY  OP  SIONBOARDS. 

the  supposition  that  Dick  Cromwell  was  intended,  since  other- 
wise an  ordinary  signboard  would  scarcely  have  come  to  such 
honour. 

The  Jolly  Topee  is  a  common  public-house  sign,  probably 
put  up  as  a  good  example  to  the  customers  ;  in  London,  there  is 
a  Tippling  Philosopher,  "  the  right  man  in  the  right  place," 
for  he  "  hangs  out "  in  Liqvar  Pond  Street,  opposite  Keid's  great 
brewery.  Here  we  have  Vemharras  du  choix  ;  which  philosopher 
was  intended  by  the  sign, ,  for  they  all,  more  or  less,  "  pleaded 
guilty  to  the  soft  impeachment."  Theophrastus,  in  his  "  Treaty 
on  Drunkenness,"  tells  us  that  the  seven  sages  of  Greece  often 
met  together  to  indulge  in  a  cheerful  glass.  Plato  not  only  ex- 
cuses a  drop  too  much  occasionally,  but  even  orders  it.  Hera- 
chtus,  the  weeping  philosopher,  never  laughed  but  when  he  was 
"  half  seas  over."  Xenocrates  gained  a  golden  crown,  awarded 
by  Dionysius  the  tyrant  to  the  deepest  drinker.  Seneca  states  that 
Solon  and  ArcesUaus  are  believed  to  have  "  indulged  in  wine," 
and  Cornelius  Gallus  says  that  Socrates  "  carried  ofif  the  palm 
from  his  contemporaries  by  his  drinking  capacities."  Cato,  we 
know  from  various  sources,  liked  his  glass ;  Horace  teUs  us — 
"  Narratur  et  prisci  Catonis 
Ssepe  mero  caluisse  virtus ; "  * 
and  Seneca  says  of  him  :  "  Cato  vinum  laxabat  animum  curis 
pubHcis  fatigatum;"t  elsewhere  he  remarks  :  "Catoni  ebrietas  ob- 
jecta  est,  at  faciUus  eflSciet  quisquis  qui  objecerit  honestum  quam 
turpe  Catoni."  t  Seneca  was  certainly  a  biassed  judge,  for  he 
says  :  "  Habebitur  aliqnando  ebrietas  honor  et  plurimum  men 
cepisse  virtus  erit."  §  Other  tippling  philosophers  are  enumerated 
in  the  following  quaint  Latin  verses,  the  author  of  which  is  not 
known : — 

"Tunc  vix  Democritus  poterat  oompesoere  risum, 

Eiderent  cum  sibi  vina  labris. 
Tergeret  ut  fletus  contrarius  alter  amaros, 

Sugebat  lacrymas  saepe,  lagena,  tuas. 
Divinum  ut  Bacchi  semper  spiraret  odorem, 

Diogenes  medii  vixit  in  orbe  cadi 
Dicitur  ardentem  cum  sese  misit  in  ^thnam, 

Empedocles  modico  non  caluisse  mero. 

•  "  It  is  said  that  tlie  virtue  of  Cato  the  elder  was  frequently  wanned  by  wine." 

t  "Cato  refreshed  his  mind  with  wine  when  it  was  wearied  with  the  cares  of  the 
commonwealth." 

\  "Cato  has  been  blamed  for  drunkenness,  but  it  is  easier  to  find  reason  to  praise, 
than  to  blame  Cato." 

§  "Drunkenness  will  be  sometimes  considered  as  honourable,  and  to  drink  a  great 
quantity  of  pure  wine  as  a  virtue." 


HUMOROUS  AND  COMIC.  467 

Teque  ferunt  veteres  guttaa,  Epicure,  Lysei 
Vel  miuimas  atomis  antetulisse  tuis. 

Talia  ne  dubiter  potare  exempla  seoutus, 
Qui  sapit  ille  bibit,  qui  bibit  ergo  sapit."  • 
In  Holland  they  have  a  curious  practice,  which  the  Spectator 
thus  describes  : — 

"  The  Dutch  who  are  more  famous  for  their  industry  than  for  their  wit 
and  humour,  hang  up  in  several  of  their  streets  what  they  call  the  sign  of 
the  Gapeb  ;  that  is,  the  head  of  an  idiot  dressed  in  a  cap  and  bells  and 
gaping  in  a  most  immoderate  manner ;  this  is  a  standing  jest  in  Amster- 
dam." 

But  the  statement  is  slightly — probably  wilfully — incorrect. 
Carved  wooden  busts  of  Gapers  are  still  used  at  the  present  day 
in  Holland,  but  are,  and  have  always  been,  chemists',  or  rather, 
druggists'  signs,  to  intimate  that  narcotics  are  sold  within,  as 
gaping  or  yawning  is  a  precursor  of  sleep.  The  costume  of 
these  busts  is  generally  somewhat  Oriental,  as  Eastern  nations 
were  supposed  to  be  not  only  expert  in  herbs  and  medicines, 
but  also,  because  opium  came  from  Eastern  climes. 

A  very  curious  and  rare  sign  is  to  be  seen  in  the  little  village 
of  Nidd,  near  Knaresborough ;  this  is  the  Ass  in  the  Band-Box. 
We  find  it  mentioned  in  1712  in  Partridge's  MS.  book  of 
"  Celestial  Motions."  t  In  the  month  of  October  of  that  year  he 
entered  the  following  memorandum  : — "  At  the  end  of  this 
month  the  villains  made  the  Band-box  plot,  to  blow  up  Robin 
and  his  family  with  a  couple  of  inkhoms,  and  that  rogue  Swift 
was  at  the  opening  of  the  band-box  and  the  discovery  of  the  plot. 

The  truth  of  it  all  was  :  ' in  a  Band-box.'  "J     It 

figured  also  as  one  of  the  signs  in  Bonnel  Thornton's  signboard 
exhibition  of  1762.§  It  seems  to  have  originated  from  an  ex- 
tremely indelicate  joke  called  "  selling  bargains,"  with  which  the 

*  "When  the  wine  sparkled  on  the  lips  of  Democritus,  it  was  then  that  he  could  not 
restrain  himself  from  laughter.  Another  [Heraclius]  on  the  contrary,  often  drank  thy 
tears,  0  bottle,  in  order  to  dry  his  own  tears.  Diogenes  lived  in  a  barrel  so  that  he 
might  always  smell  the  odour  of  divine  wine-  It  is  said  that  Empedocles,  when  he 
jumped.down  burning  Etna,  had  first  warmed  himself  with  no  small  quantity  of  wine. 
They  also  say  that  thou,  0  Epicurus,  didst  prefer  even  the  smallest  drops  of  old  wine 
to  thine  atoms.  In  imitation  of  these  examples,  I  do  not  hesitate  in  drinking,  for  he  who 
tastes  drinks,  consequently  he  that  drinks  is  wise."  It  is  almost  impossible  to  ti-ans- 
late  this  last  line,  on  account  of  the  pun  contained  in  the  verb  sapere^  which  at  the 
same  time  means  "to  taste"  and  "to  be  wise."    The  secondline  is  evidently  imperfect. 

+  Harl.  MSS.,  6200,  p.  68. 

t  This  alludes  to  the  well-known  plot  of  a  bandbox  sent  to  the  Loi*d  Treasurer,  con- 
taining a  very  poor  infernal  machine;  made  of  inkhoms.  The  affair,  however,  has 
never  been  satisfactorily  cleared  up.  Swift  is  called  a  rogue  by  the  indignant  Part- 
ridge, because  h6  had  made  a  droll  ballad  and  epitaph  upon  the  "  Supposed  death  of 
Partridge,  the  Almaiaac-maker,"  which  Swift  had  predicted  and  Partridge  publicly  denied. 

§  See  Appendix. 


468  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

maids  of  honour  amused  themselves  in  Swift's  time,  (see  his 
"  Polite  Conversation  j")  unless  it  be  a  vernacular  reading  of 
some  crest,  such  as  an  antelope  or  a  unicorn  issuing  out  of  a 
mural  crown. 

In  the  borough  of  Southwark  is  a  sign  on  which  is  inscribed 
' "  The  Old  Pick-my-tob,"  which,  in  the  absence  of  any  better 
origin,  we  may  suppose  to  be  a  vulgar  representation  of  the 
Boman  slave  who,  being  sent  on  some  message  of  importance, 
would  not  stop  to  pick  a  thorn  out  of  his  foot,  until  he  had 
completed  his  mission.  Probably  this  was  the  same  sign  as  that 
represented  on  the  trades  token  of  Samuel  Bovery  in  George 
Lane,  a  naked  figure  picking  one  of  its  feet;  but  the  name  of  the 
house  is  not  given  on  the  token.  Jack  of  Both  Sides,  at  Eead- 
ing,  is  so  named  because  the  house  stands  at  a  point  where  two 
roads  meet  in  the  form  of  a  T,  and  the  house  being  wedge- 
shaped,  has  an  entry  at  each  side.  Such  a  house  in  London  is 
often  called  by  the  vulgar  a  "  Flat-iron." 

The  Old  SMtros  is  a  sign  on  the  trades  token  of  Joseph  Hall, 
at  Newington  Butts,  1667,  representing  a  smith  and  an  anvil; 
but  whether  John  Hall  himself  was  "  old  Smvgs,"  or  whether  he 
kept  a  tavern  frequented  by  blacksmiths,  history  does  not  inform 
us.  This  last  is  also  the  name  of  one  of  the  characters  in  the 
"  Merry  Devil  at  Edmonton."  The  Batteked  Naggin  {sic 
for  Noggin)  is  an  Irish  sign,  it  being  in  that  country  a  figurative 
expression  for  a  man  who  has  got  more  than  is  good  for  him, 
— "  he  has  got  a  lick  of  a  battered  naggin."  The  Noggin,  with- 
out the  adjective,  occurs  at  a  few  places  in  Lancashire  and 
Yorkshire.  The  Tumbling  Sailobs,  representing  three  seamen 
"  half-seas-over,"  and  reeling  arm-in-arm  down  a  street,  may  be 
seen  near  Broseley ;  at  Dudley,  and  in  other  places.  The  Crip- 
ple's Inn  at  Stockingford,  Warwick,  is  doubtless  nothing  more 
than  a  very  "lame"  attempt  at  comicality.  The  Hat  in  Hand, 
in  Portsea,  promises  a  polite  host ;  but  what  can  be  expected  of 
Old  Cabeless,  the  ominous  name  of  a  public-house  at  Staple- 
ford,  Notts,  of  Spite  Hall  at  Brandon,  Durham,  or  of  Old  No, 
which  occurs  in  Silver  Street,  Sheffield?  Slow  and  Easy  is 
the  unpromising  name  of  an  ale-house  at  Lostock,  Chester ;  let 
us  hope  that  it  may  be  meant  for  a  version  of  the  Italian  pro- 
verb, "  clii  va  piano  va  sano,"  meaning  that  the  landlord  wiU  be 
content  with  small  and  fair  profits,  and  acquire  fortune  by  slow 
and  easy  steps. 


CHAPTEK  XV. 

PUNS  AND  EEBUSES. 

Punning  on  names,  or  a  figurative  rendering  of  names,  was  pro- 
bably at  first  adopted  not  so  much  with  any  intent  at  joking,  as 
means  to  assist  the  memory,  giving  the  name  a  visible  token,- 
which  would  take  the  place  of  writing  at  a  time  when  but  few 
persons  could  either  read  or  write.  At  the  revival  of  learning, 
and  the  spread  of  what  we  may  term  the  refinement  of  society, 
punning  was  one  of  the  few  accomplishments  at  which  the  fine 
ladies  and  gentlemen  aimed.  From  the  twelfth  to  the  sixteenth 
century,  it  was  at  its  greatest  height.  The  conversation  of  the  witty 
gallants  and  ladies,  and  even  of  the  clowns  and  other  inferior 
characters,  in  the  comedies  of  Shakespeare  and  his  contemporaries, 
which  we  may  be  sure  was  painted  from  the  life,  is  full  of  puns 
and  plays  upon  words.  The  unavoidable  result  of  such  an  ex- 
cess was  a  surfeit,  and  the  consequent  degout,  which  lasted  for 
more  than  a  century.*  Like  other  diseases,  it  broke  out  again 
subsequently  with  redoubled  virulence,  and  made  great  havoc  in 
the  reign  of  Queen  Anne.  "Several  worthy  gentlemen  and 
critics,"  says  the  Tatkr  for  June  23,  1709,  "  have  applied  to  me 
to  give  my  censure  of  an  enormity,  which  has  been  revived  after 
being  long  suppressed,  and  is  called  Punning.  I  have  several 
arguments  ready  to  prove  that  he  cannot  be  a  man  of  honour 
who  is  guilty  of  this  abuse  of  human  society." 

Bagford  makes  the  following  remark  on  this  subject : — 
**  As  for  rebuses  or  name  de'vices,  thei  ware  brought  into  use  heare  in 
England  after  King  Edward  ye  3  had  conquered  France,  and  this  was 
taken  up  by  most  people  heare  in  this  nation,  espesiaUy  by  them  which 
had  none  armes ;  and  if  their  names  ended  in  ton,  as  Haton ;  Boulton ; 
Luton ;  Grafton ;  Middellton ;  Seton ;  Norton ;  they  must  presently  have 
for  their  signes  or  devises  a  hat  and  a  tun ;  a  boult  and  a  tun  ;  a  lute  and 
a  tun,  and  so  on,  which  signifies  nothing  to  ye  name,  for  all  names  end- 
ing in  Trni  signifieth  a  toune  from  whence  they  tooke  their  name.  It 
would  make  one  very  merry  to  loke  ouer  ye  learned  Camden  in  his  '  Ee- 
maines,'  and  to  consider  ye  titles  of  our  ould  books  printed  by  Haryson, 
Kingston,  Islip,  Woodcooke,  Payer,  Bushell,"  &o. — Harl.  MSS.,  5910,  p.  ii. 
Camden,  in  his  "  Kemains,"  mentions  these  punning  signs, 
and  gives  a  like  statement  with  Bagford,  that  they  were  intro- 
duced   from   France,    where   they   are   still   much  in  fashion. 

*  In  the  oW  sermons  and  religious  treatises  ol  tiie  seventeenth  century,  however,  we 
occasionally  find  punning  resorted  to  by  the  preachers  of  the  time. 


470  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"These,"  says  Oriindeii,  "were  so  well  liked  by  our  English 
there  and,  sent  hither  ouer  the  straight  of  Calice  with  full  sayle, 
were  so  entertained  here  although  they  were  most  ridiculous,  by 
aU  degrees  of  the  learned  and  unlearned,  that  he  w<i8  nobody 
that  could  not  hammer  out  of  his  name  an  invention  by  this  wit- 
craft,  and  picture  it  accordingly :  whereupon  who  did  not  busy 
his  brain  to  hammer  his  device  out  of  this  forge."  After  many 
examples  too  long  to  quote,  he  concludes  with  the  following  : — 
"  Morton,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  a  man  of  great  wisedome,  and 
come  to  the  universall  good  of  this  realme,  was  content  to  use  mor  upon 
a  ton,  and  Bometimea  a  mulberry-tree,  called  Moms  iu  Latine,  out  of  a 
ton.  So  Luton,  Thornton,  Ashton,  did  note  their  names  with  a  Lute,  a 
Thorn,  and  an  Ash  upon  a  Ton.  So  an  hare  on  a  bottle  for  Harebottle,  a, 
Maggot-pie  upon  a  Goat  for  Pigot.  Med  written  on  a  Calf  for  Medcalfe  ; 
Chester,  a  chest  with  a  starre  over  it ;  Allet,  a  Lot ;  Lionel  Ducket,  a  Lion 
with  L  on  his  head,  where  it  should  have  beene  in  his  tayle ;  if  the  lion 
had  been  eating  a  ducke  it  had  been  a  rare  device, — worth  a  Duckat  or  a 
duck-egge.  And  if  you  require  more,  I  refer  you  to  the  wittie  inventions 
of  some  Londoners ;  but  that  for  Garret  Dewes  is  most  memorable  :  two 
in  a  garret  casting  dews  at  dice.*  This  for  rebus  may  suffice,  and  yet  if 
there  were  more,  I  think  some  lips  would  like  such  kind  of  Lettice."  t 

How  punning  signboards  were  concocted  we  may  gather  from 
a  scene  in  Ben  Jonaon's  "  Alchymist,"  act  ii.,  scene  1,  where  a 
rebus  sign  is  to  be  found  for  Abel  Drugger,  who  for  that  purpose 
goes  to  a  Idnd  of  fortune-teUer,  styling  himself  an  alchymist, 
and  who  provides  our  shopkeeper  in  the  following  manner  : — 
"  He  shall  have  a  bell,  that's  Abel, 
And  by  it  standing  one  whose  name  is  Dee 
In  a  rug  gown,  there 's  D  and  rug,  that 's  drug. 
And  right  anenst  him  a  dog  snarling  er. 
There  'a  Drugger,  Abel  Drugger.     That 's  his  sign. 
And  here  'a  no  mystery  and  hieroglyphic." 
This  wonderful  sign  the  Alchymist  terms  a  "  mystic  character," 
the  "  radii  "  of  which  are  to  produce  no  end  of  good  results  to 
Abel's  trade. 

The  Cockneys  ("gentle  dulness  dearly  loves  a  joke")  have  at 
all  times  been  celebrated  for  this  kind  of  pleasantry.  The  men- 
tion of  a  few  of  their  signs  will  be  sufficient  to  show  the  extent  of 
their  v?it  and  originality  in  this  direction.     The  well-known  bird- 

»  He  was  a  printer  who  kept  his  shop  at  the  sign  of  the  Swan  in  St  Panl's  Church- 
yard in  the  reign  of  Queen  Elizaheth.  This  Garatt  D'Ewes  was  grandfother  of  the  cele- 
brated antiquary,  Sir  Symond  lyEwes  ;  he  amassed  a  handsome  fortune,  which  enabled 
him  to  purchase  the  manor  of  Gains  near  Upminster,  Essex,  and  thus  laid  the  foun- 
dation of  the  future  greatness  of  his  family.  D'Eweswas  of  Dutch  origin,  being  a  native 
of  the  province  of  Geldortand.  Some  of  the  letters  of  this  early  printer  are  presei-ved 
in  the  Harl.  MS.,  No.  381. 

t  Camden's  Remains,  p  140,  it  seq.    1629. 


PUNS  AND  BEBUSES.  471 

bolt  through  a  tun,  or  Bolt  in  Tun,  for  Bolton,  the  device  of 
one  of  the  priors  of  St  Bartholomew,  is  still  in  existence  in  Fleet 
Street. 

"  It  may  seem  doubtful,"  says  Camden,  "  whether  Bolton,  prior  of  St 
Bartholomew,  in  Smithfield,  was  wiser  when  he  invented  for  his  name  a 
bird-bolt  through  his  Tun,  or  when  he  built  him  u  house  upon  Harrow 
Hill,  for  fear  of  an  inundation  after  a  great  conjunction  of  planets  in  the 
watery  triplicity." 

From  an  entry  in  the  Patent  Eoll  of  21  Henry  VI.,  (1443,)  this 
house  in  Fleet  Street  appears  to  have  been  an  inn  at  that  period. 
In  a  licence  of  alienation  to  the  Friars  Carmehtes  of  London,  of 
certain  premises  in  the  parish  of  St  Dunstan,  Fleet  Street, 
"  Hospitium  vocatum  le  Boltenton  "  is  mentioned  as  a  boundary. 
On  some  of  the  seventeenth  century  trades  tokens,  we  meet  with  a 
tun  pierced  by  three  arrows ;  this  variation  of  the  Bolt  in  Tun  was 
called  the  Tun  and  Arbows,  (or  Narrows,  as  the  Cockney  tokens 
have  it.)  There  was  one  in  Bishopsgate  Street  Within,  and 
another  in  Bishopsgate  Street  Without,  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II. 
A  Hand  and  Cook  was  the  punning  sign  of  John  Hancock, 
in  Whitefriars.  George  Cox,  in  the  Minories,  tallow-chandler  by 
trade,  had  Two  Cocks  for  his  sign.  Thomas  Cockayne,  a  dis- 
tiller in  Southwark,  had  the  same  sign,  as  a  feeble  pun  on  part 
of  his  name ;  whilst  Christopher  Bostock,  not  seeing  any  possi- 
bility "  to  hammer "  a  rebus  out  of  his  own  patronym,  fortu- 
nately for  him  lived  at  Cock's  Key,  and  so  could  make  up  for 
this  misfortune  by  punning  on  the  name  of  that  place,  whence 
his  sign  triumphantly  exhibited  the  Cock  and  Key.  John 
Drinkwater,  a  publisher,  intimated  his  name  by  a  Fountain  ; 
and  William  Woodcock,  a  bookseller  in  St  Paul's  Church- 
yard in  the  seventeenth  century,  happily  rendered  his  by  a  cock 
standing  on  a  bundle  of  wood.  WUliam  HUl,  another  book- 
seller in  St  Paul's  Churchyard  in  1598,  lived  at  the  sign  of 
the  Hill.  John  Buckland,  who  followed  the  same  profession 
in  Paternoster  How,  in  1750,  was  modestly  content  with  half  a 
pun,  and  adopted  the  sign  of  the  Buck,  while,  in  the  same 
manner,  another  of  his  colleagues,  Samuel  Manship,  who  in  1720 
lived  "  against  the  Eoyal  Exchange,  Cornhill,"  was  satisfied  with 
the  Ship.  The  Sun  and  Eed  Ceoss,  in  Jewin  Street,  was  the 
sign  of  John  Cross,  who,  taking  a  house  with  the  sign  of  the 
Sun,  added  to  it  a  Gross.  In  the  same  manner  Pelham  More,  in 
Moorsg?AB,  had  the  Sun  and  Mooe's  Head.     John  Cherry,  of 


472  THE  HISTORY  0-F  SIGNBOARDS. 

Maidenhead,  adopted  a  Cheeey-teee  as  his  sign,  showing  in 
this  as  much  wit  as  the  ancestor  of  the  Creqni  femily  in  France, 
who  chose  a  Crequier  (old  French  for  cherry-tree)  as  his  coat  of 
arms.  Hugh  Conny,  of  Caxton  and  Elsworth,  Cambridge,  had 
in  1666  Theeb  Conies,  or  rabbits,  for  a  sign.  Kichard  Lion,  in 
the  Strand,  had  the  Lion.  Bartholomew  Fish,  at  Queenhithe, 
in  1667,  Theee  Fishes.  William  Home,  in  Oak  Lane,  1671,  the 
HoBNS.  Thomas  Fox,  in  Newgate  Market,  a  Fox.  William 
Geese,  King  Street,  Westminster,  Theeb  Geese.  EUinor  Gandor, 
Upper  ShadweU,  1667,  a  Gandbb  ;  whilst  H.  Goes,  a  native  of 
Antwerp,  printer  at  York  in  1506,  next  at  Beverley,  and  finally, 
in  London,  had  for  his  sign  a  Goose  with  an  H  above  it 
Joseph  Parsons,  "at  the  sign  of  Paeson's  Green,"  Market 
Place,  St  James,  seems  to  have  had  a  view  of  Parson's  Green, 
Fulham,  for  his  sign ;  though  why  he  did  not  simply  take  a 
parson  is,  we  fear,  a  secret  he  has  carried  with  him  to  the  grave. 
John  Hive,  St  Mary's  HUl,  1667,  had  the  sign  of  the  Beehive. 
Grace  PesteU,  in  Fig-tree  Yard,  EatcUffe,  the  Pestle  aitd  Moe- 
TAE.  John  Atwood,  in  Eose  Lane,  the  Man  in  the  Wood. 
Andrew  Hind,  over  against  the  Mews,  Charing  Cross,  a  Hind. 
Taylor,  the  Water  poet,  mentions  a  similar  sign  at  Preston  : — 

"  There  at  the  Hinde,  kinde  Master  Hinde,  mine  host. 
Kept  a  good  table,  bak'd,  and  boyld,  and  rost."  * 

Jane  Keye,  Bloomsbury  Market,  1653,  a  Key.  The  Lion  and 
Key  was,  in  1651,  a  sign  in  Thames  Street,  punning  perhaps  on 
the  neighbouring  Lion's  Quay ;  it  is  stUl  the  sign  of  a  public- 
house  in  HuU,  whilst  the  Ebd  Lion  and  Key  stiU  occurs  in 
Mill  Lane,  Tooley  Street.  A  grocer,  named  Laurence  Green, 
proved  that  to  the  "fortem,  ac  tenacem  propositi  virum  "  nothing 
is  impossible,  and  found  means  to  pun  upon  his  untractable 
name  by  painting  his  dooiposts  green,  and  called  his  shop  the 
Green  Posts.  We  meet  with  him  in  a  newspaper  advertise- 
ment, which,  as  it  gives  the  price  of  various  articles  at  that  date, 
is  not  uninteresting.     Green  sold — 

"  Chocolate,  made  of  the  best  nuts,  at  Ss.  a  pound ;  the  besc,  with  sugar, 
at  2s.  a  pound ;  a  good  sort  of  all  nut,  at  2iL  6d. ;  with  sugar,  Is.  8d.  To 
the  buyers  of  three  pounds,  a  quarter  gratis.  The  best  coffee,  at  5s.  4d.  a 
pound;  to  the  buyer  of  three  pounds,  Is.  allowed.  Bohee  tea,  at  16, 
20,  24s.,  the  very  finest,  al  28s.  a  pound.  Fine  green  tea,  at  14s.,  good, 
at  lOs.  a  pound.     Fine  Spanish  snuff,  at  49.  a  pound,"  &c.i- 

*  Taylor's  Pennylesse  Pilgrimage,  1G30. 
t  Postman,  January  26-27, 1711. 


PUNS  AND  KEBUSES.  473 

The  Haep  was  the  sign  of  Eichard  Harper,  West  Smithfield ; 
it  occurs  on  a  trades  token.  The  house  seems  afterwards  to  have 
assumed  the  sign  of  the  Bible  and  Harp.  What  occupation 
Richard  Harper  followed  does  not  appear  from  his  token,  but  in 
1641  a  Eichard  Harper  at  the  sign  of  the  Bible  and  Harp,  pub- 
lished a  tract  called 

"  BiiETHOLOMEW  FaYBE, 
or 
Varieties  of  Fancies  where  you  may  find, 
A  fayre  of  Wares  and  all  to  please  your  mind." 

In  1670  the  house  was  occupied  by  a  certain  J.  Clarke,  and  at 
a  subsequent  period  by  J.  Bisset;  both  these  men  published 
numerous  ballads. 

The  Hat  and  Tun  is  a  pun  on  the  name  of  Hatton,  and  is 
still  preserved  on  a  public-house  sign  in  Hatton  Wall.  A  man 
named  Nobis,  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  opened 
an  inn  on  the  road  to  Pappenburgh,  which  he  called  Nobis  Inn, 
and  made  free  with  grammar  in  order  to  find  a  ptmning  motto, 
viz. :  "  Si  Deus  pro  nobis  quis  contra  Nobis."  Behs  have 
been  used  by  innumerable  persons  of  the  name  of  Bell.  The 
Salmon  was  the  sign  of  Mrs  Salmon,  the  Madame  Tussaud  of 
the  eighteenth  century;  her  gallery  was  first  in  St  Martin's-le- 
Grand,  near  Aldersgate,  whence  she  removed  to  Fleet  Street, 
opposite  what  is  now  Anderton's  Hotel,  then  called  the  Horns 
Tavern.  The  Brace  Tavern,  in  Queen's  Bench  prison,  was  so 
called  on  account  of  its  being  kept  by  two  brothers  of  the  name 
of  Pa/rtridge.  The  Golden  Heart  was  the  sign  of  Thomas 
Hart,  a  tailor  in  Monmouth  Street,  St  GUes.  (Harl.  MSS., 
Bagford  BUls,  5931.)  Bat  Pidgeon,  the  hairdresser  immortal- 
ised in  the  Spectator,  lived  at  the  Three  Pigeons,  "  the  corner 
house  of  St  Clement's  churchyard,  next  to  the  Strand,"  says 
Pennant,  where  he  "  cut  my  boyish  locks  in  the  year  1740." 

The  Black  Swan  in  Bartholomew  Lane,  nicknamed  Cobweb 
Hall,  was  kept  by  Owen  Swan,  parish  clerk  (hence  the  Black 
Swan?)  of  St  Michael's,  ComhiU.  It  was  a  tavern  of  great 
resort  for  the  musical  wits  in  the  seventeenth  century.  Failing 
in  this  business,  Owen  set  up  as  a  tobacconist  in  St  Michael's 
Alley;  on  the  papers  in  which  he  wrapped  tobacco  for  his  cus- 
tomers, were  the  following  rhymes: — 

"  The  dying  Swan  in  sad  and  mourning  strains 
Of  his  near  end  and  hapless  fate  complains, 

3  0 


474  ^^-®  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

In  pity  then  your  kind  assistance  give, 

Smoke  of  Swan's  best  that  the  poor  bird  may  live." 

To  which  a  friend  of  his  wrote  the  following  reply : — 
"  The  aged  Swan  opprest  with  time  and  cares, 
With  Indian  sweets  his  funeral  prepares. 
Light  up  the  pile  !  thus  he  '11  ascend  the  skies 
And  Phoenix-like  from  his  own  ashes  rise." 

There  is  a  well-known  anecdote  of  a  man  named  Farr,  who 
opened  a  tobacco  shop  on  Fish  Street  Hill,  and  soon  obtained  a 
good  custom  from  the  pun  over  his  door,  "  The  best  tobacco  hy 
Farr,"  rather  than  from  the  quality  of  his  tobacco.  Opposite 
him  there  was  another  tobacconist  who  lost  his  customers  through 
his  pun,  but  he  regained  them  in  the  same  way  as  he  lost  them, 
for  he  fought  Farr  with  his  own  weapons,  and  wrote  up  '^Far 
better  tobacco  than  the  best  tobacco  by  Farr."  This  joke  was 
thought  so  good  that  aU.  his  customers  returned.  Tobacco-papers 
of  the  original  "  finest  tobacco  hy  Farr "  are  preserved  among 
the  Banks  hand-bills  in  the  British  Museum,  as  a  proof  of  the 
truth  of  this  history. 

A  Ling,  or  codfish,  strange  to  say,  entwined  with  honey- 
suckles, was  the  sign  of  Nicholas  Ling,  at  the  nprth-west  door 
of  St  Paul's,  where,  in  1595,  he  published  "Pierce  Pennylesse 
his  Supplicacion  to  the  DivelL"  An  Oak  was  the  sign  of 
Nicholas  Okes,  a  bookseller  dwelling  at  Gray's  Lm,  publisher  of 
some  of  Taylor  the  Water  Poet's  works.  His  colophon  repre- 
sents Jupiter  seated  on  an  eagle  between  two  oak  trees.  A 
French  publisher,  Nicholas  Cheneau,  in  the  Eue  St  Jacques, 
Paris,  in  1580,  had  also  an  oak  for  his  sign,  (chene,  an  oak.) 

John  Day,  another  publisher  of  the  time  of  Queen  Elizabeth, 
had  a  sort  of  pun,  or  charade,  on  his  name  in  the  sign  of  the 
Eesureection,  his  device  representing  a  man  waking  a  sleeper, 
with  the  words,  "Arise,  for  it  is  day."  The  Castle  and  Falcon 
was  another  of  his  signs.  Bichard  Grafton,  the  first  printer  of 
the  Common  Prayer,  who  also  printed  the  proclamation  of  Lady 
Jane  Grey  as  Queen  of  England,  for  which  he  fell  under  the 
displeasure  of  Queen  Mary,  had  a  tun  with  a  grafted  fruit-tree 
growing  through  it.  Stow  made  a  pun  upon  this  sign,  saying 
that  one  of  Grafton's  works  was  "  a  noise  of  empty  tonnes  and 
unfruitful  graftes,"  to  which  Grafton  retaliated  by  calling  Stew's 
Chronicle  "  a  collection  of  lyes  foolishly  stowed  together."  Hugh 
Singleton  had  a  Golden  Ton;  Harrison,  1560,  a  hare  shelter- 


PUNS  AND  REBUSES.  475 

ing  under  a  com-slieaf  tied  with  a  ribbon,  and  with  the  letters  ri 
and  a  sun  shining  above  ;  but  the  moat  absurd  rebus  of  all  was 
that  of  one  Newberry,  who,  according  to  Camden,  had  a  Yew 
Tree  with  several  berries  upon  it,  and  in  the  midst  a  great 
golden  N  upon  one  of  the  branches,  which  by  the  help  of  a 
little  false  spelling  made  N-yew-berry. 

A  few  punning  signs  still  remain.  At  Oswaldstwistle,  near 
Accrington,  a  man  named  Bellthorn  has  the  Eell  in  the 
Thorn  ;  at  Warbleton,  in  Sussex,  an  old  pubHc-house  has  the 
sign  of  a  war-bill  in  a  tun,  which  sign  of  the  Axe  and  Tun  is 
further  intended  as  an  intimation  to  "axe  for  beer"!  Another 
innkeeper  named  Abraham  Lowe,  who  lives  half  way  up  Rich- 
mond HUl,  near  Douglas  in  the  Isle  of  Man,  has  the  following 
innocent  attempt  at  punning  on  his  name : — 

"  I  'm  Abraham  Lowe,  and  half  way  up  the  Hill, 
If  I  were  higher  up,  what 's  funnief  still, 
I  should  be  liywe.     Come  in  and  take  your  fill. 
Of  porter,  ale,  wine,  spirits,  what  you  will, 
Step  in,  my  friend,  I  pray,  no  further  go ; 
My  prices,  like  myself,  are  always  low." 

Besides  rebuses,  and  puns  on  names,  the  French  have  another 
class  of  punning  signs,  for  which  we  have  only  very  few  equiva- 
lents, namely,  rebus  signboards.  One  of  the  most  common  is 
the  BcEUF  A  LA  Mode,  which  some  twenty  or  thirty  years  ago 
was  thus  Englished  in  golden  letters  on  a  low  boarding-house  at 
Brussels : — 

"The  Board  House  of  the.  Fashionable  Beef." 
It  is  the  usual  sign  for  eating-houses,  being  the  standard  dish  of 
the  French  bourgeoisie.  The  picture  represents  an  ox  dressed  up 
in  the  height  "f  female  elegance,  with  bonnet,  shawl,  &c.  A  good 
repartee  is  told,  originating  in  this  method  of  representing  the 
sign :  a  citizen's  wife,  of  aldermanic  proportions,  was  coming  out 
of  a  magadn  de  nouveautis  in  Paris,  just  as  two  "  social  evils " 
were  going  in;  "Bis-done,  Pelagie,"  said  one  of  the  girls  to  her 
companion,  "look  at  that  Boeuf-Wa-Mode  who  is  going  out." 
"  Yes,"  replied  the  indignant  matron,  who  had  overheard  the 
remark,  "  and  now  game  is  coming  in  !" 

Other  French  punning  signs,  such  as  St  Jean  Baptiste,  Au 
JxJSTE  Peix,  Le  Bout  du  Monde,  Le  Signe  de  la  Croix,  and 
many  more,  have  been  noticed  in  former  chapters,  and  need  not, 
therefore,  be  again  mentioned  here. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

MISCELLANEOUS    SIGN'S. 

Signs  which  could  not  well  be  classed  under  any  of  the  former 
divisions  will  find  their  place  in  this  chapter,  and  hence  a  motley 
gathering  may  be  expected.  As  in  all  inquiries  it  is  proper  to 
begin  with  the  a.  b.  c,  we  shall  do  so  here.  The  A.  b.  c.  was 
th^  sign  of  Eichard  Fawkes,  a  bookseller,  as  the  imprint  of  his 
works  says : — 

"  In  the  Buburbss  of  the  famous  Cytye  of  Lodon,  withoute  Templebarre 
dwellynge  in  Durreame  rentes  [part  of  Durham  House,  where  now  the 
Adelphi  stands]  or  else  in  Powles  churche-yerde  at  the  sygne  of  the  A.  B.  c. 
The  year  of  our  Lorde  Mcccccxxx." 

This,  we  must  admit,  was  a  very  reasonable  sign  for  a  "  man 
of  letters."  Continental  booksellers  also  employed  it ;  amongst 
others,  Jacob  Pietersz  Paetsy,  of  Amsterdam,  in  1597;  in  the 
Hague  such  a  sign  gave  its  name  to  a  street.  About  1825  there 
was  a  public-house  in  Clare  Market  called  the  a,  b.  c,  where  the 
alphabet  from  A  to  Z  was  painted  over  the  door.  Even  at  the 
present  day  many  public-houses  are  called. the  Letters;  thus 
there  are  two  in  Shrewsbury,  two  in  Carlisle,  one  in  Oldham, 
and  others  in  various  places.  Grand  A  is  a  public-house  near 
East  Dereham,  Norfolk.  Little  A  was  the  sign  of  a  tobacconist 
in  Leadenhall  Street,  circa  1780;  his  tobacco-papers,  preserved 
among  the  Banks  bUls,  were  adorned  with  a  portrait  of  "  Sir 
Jeffrey  Dunstan,  or  Old  Wigs,"  one  of  the  mayors  of  Gfarrat, 
styled  "  Old  Wigs  "  from  his  practice  of  buying  those  articles,  by 
which  he  made  an  honourable  living  before  ambition  flamed  his 
soul  and  he  entered  upon  a  political  career.  Grand  B  may  be 
seen  at  Long  Framlington,  Morpeth ;  Q  Inn  at  Staleybridge ; 
and  Q  IN  THE  Corner  in  Sheffield.  Rhyming  alphabets  and 
nursery  rhymes  present  us  with  the  first  and  last,  but  the  second 
we  confess  is  somewhat  mysterious  :  the  Crowned  Q,  (au  Q 
Courronne,)  which  was  an  old  sign  in  the  Rue  de  la  Ferronigre, 
Paris,  is  easy  enough  to  understand,  and  one  of  those  broad 
Rabelaisian  strokes  of  humour  which  the  public  de'ighted  in  a 
century  or  two  ago  ;  indeed  the  sign  contuiued  in  its  old  quarters 
until  1828.  The  Y  was  formerly  a  mercer's  sign  in  France,  and 
may  have  originated  from  the  custom  of  tying  ribbons  up  in 
festoons,  when  they  would  assume  somewhat  the  shape  of  that 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  477 

letter.  It  was  also  the  sign  of  Nicholas  Duchemin,  a  bookseller 
in  Paris,  1541-1576.  He,  however,  took  a  Pythagorean  view  of 
this  letter,  and  considered  it,  as  the  freemasons  do,  an  emblem 
of  the  double  path  of  life,  the,broad  way  leading  to  destruction, 
the  narrow  way  unto  life ;  hence  the  top  of  the 
left  hand  branch  terminated  in  flames,  the  right 
hand  in  a  crown.  The  idea  was  evidently  bor- 
rowed from  Matt,  vii  13,  unless  it  be  from  Per- 
sius,  who  says — 

"  Et  tibi  quse  Samios  deduxit  litera  ramos,  ^  'A 

Suigentem  dextro  monstravit  limite  callem." 

Z  was  formeriy  a  grocer's  sign  in  this  country,  and  was  said  to 
stand  for  Zinzibar,  (ginger,)  but  this  Z  after  all  was  perhaps  only 
a  corruption  of  the  figure  4  which,  we  are  informed,  is  or  was  a 
constant  grocer's  sign  in  some  parts  of  Scotland,  as  for  instance 
in  Stirling,  implying  that  their  provisions  came  from  the  four 
quarters  of  the  world.  Number  IV  is  still  the  sign  of  an 
ale-house  at  74  Hope  Street,  Salford,  Manchester.  Number 
Three  is  to  be  seen  at  Great  Layton,  near  Blackpool.  In  1633 
it  was  the  sign  of  a  bookseller)  Jean  Brunet,  in  the  Eue  Neuve 
S.  Louis,  Paris.  He  says  on  the  imprints  of  his  books,  au  Trois 
de  chiffres,  in  contradistinction  to  the  Eoman  numerals,  which  at 
that  time  were  not  named  chiffres  but  nomhres;  chiffres  applied 
only  to  the  Arab  numerals.  The  latter  were  introduced  by  Pope 
Silvester  II.  (999 — 1003)  who,  having  studied  at  Seville,  ac- 
quired them  from  the  Moors. 

The  Bell  is  one  of  the  commonest  signs  in  England,  and  was 
used  as  early  as  the  fourteenth  century,  for  Chaucer  says  that  the 
"  gentil  hostelrie  that  heighte  the  Tabard,"  was  "  faste  by  the 
Belle."  Most  probably  bells  were  set  up  as  signs  on  account  of 
our  national  fondness  for  bell-ringing,  which  procured  for  our 
island  the  name  of  the  "ringing  island,"  and  made  Handel 
say,  that  the  beU  was  our  national  musical  instrument ;  and  long 
may  it  be  so  !  We  confess  to  have  derived  infinitely  more 
pleasurable  feelings  from  hearing  the  melodious  bells  on  a  sum- 
mer afternoon  ringing  through  the  clear  air  and  sending  their 
sweet  sounds  over  corn-field  and  meadow,  over  brook  and  stream, 
than  from  any  cavatina  or  cantata,  sung  by  the  dearest  paid 
Italians  in  crowded  operas,  and  at  over-heated  concerts.  Paul 
Hentzer,  a  German  traveller,  who  visited  this  country  in  the 


478  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

reign  of  Queen  Elizabeth,  says,  "  the  English  are  vastly  fond  of 
noises  that  fill  the  air,  such  as  firing  of  cannon,  beating  of  drums, 
and  ringing  of  hells  ;  so  that  it  is  common  for  a  number  of  them 
to  go  up  into  some  belfry,  and  riag  bells  for  hours  together  for 
the  sake  of  exercise."  Aubrey  makes  a  similar  remark ;  and,  for 
further  reference,  we  may  go  to  Sir  Symonds  D'Ewes,  who  writes 
in  his  "  Memoirs,"  that,  in  1618,  he  was  ringing  the  large  beU  of 
St  John's  College,  Cambridge,  for  exercise,  when  the  great  comet 
was  in  the  heavens ;  the  consequence  was,  that  he  got  entangled 
in  the  ropes,  and  nearly  fractured  his  skull,  whereupon  he  wisely 
resolved  not  to  ring  so  long  as  the  mischievous  comet  was  to  be 
seen.  Generally,  for  a  merry  peal,  the  different  toned  octave 
bells  are  rung  in  succession  ;  then  changes  are  introduced,  which, 
by  continually  altering,  the  succession  of  the  bells  produces  a 
most  pleasing  effect.  A  peal  of  bells  usually  consists  of  eight, 
hence  the  frequency  of  the  Eight  Bells  ;  besides  these,  there 
are  the  FouK  Bells,  the  Five  Bells,  the  Six  Bells,  the  Ten 
Bells  ;  the  Eight  Eingbbs,  (Norwich  and  elsewhere,)  the  Old 
EiNG  o'  Bells,  Wolverhampton,  Birmingham,  &c.  Three 
Swans  and  Peal,  Walsall,  Staffordshire  ;  the  Nelson  and 
Peal,  also  in  Warwickshire,  and  many  others  mentioned  in  a 
previous  chapter.  In  some  old  belfries,  the  rules  and  fines  of  the 
ringers  are  painted  in  rhymes  on  the  walls ;  as  for  instance,  in 
St  John's  Church,  Chester,  (dated  1687,)  in  AH  Saints'  Church, 
Hastings,  (dated  1756,)  &c.  One  of  the  oldest  Bell  taverns  in 
Middlesex  stood  in  King  Street,  Westminster ;  it  is  named  in 
the  expenses  of  Sir  John  Howard,  (Jockey  of  Norfolk,)  in  1466. 
Pepys  dined  at  this  house,  July  1, 1660,  invited  by  purser  Wash- 
ington ;  but  came  away  greatly  disgusted,  for,  says  he,  "  the 
rogue  had  no  more  manners  than  to  invite  me,  and  let  me  pay 
my  club.''  In  November  of  the  same  year,  he  was  there  again, 
"  to  see  the  7  Sanders  mares  that  my  Lord  has  bought 
lately."  In  Queen  Anne's  reign,  the  October  club,  consisting  oi 
about  one  hundred  and  fifty  county  members  of  Parliament,  all 
unmitigated  Tories,  used  to  meet  at  this  tavern.  The  Bell,  in 
Warwick  Lane,  Newgate  Street,  is  another  example  of  the  old 
London  coaching  inns,  still  in  its  original  condition,  the  galleries 
being  propped  up  to  prevent  their  falling  down:  everything 
about  the  place  has  a  seventeenth  century  look, — ^the  country 
carts,  the  chickens  here  in  the  very  heart  of  the  city,  the  inw 
kitchen  with  its  old  black  clock,  its  settles  and  white  benches. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  479 

the  very  smell  of  the  cookery  going  on  seems  more  homely  iind 
old  English  than  the  hot  greasy  vapours  emanating  from  the 
areas  of  modern  taverns.  Coming  into  this  yard  from  the 
adjacent  crowded  streets,  is  like  entering  a  latter-day  Pompeii. 
It  was  at  this  inn  that  Archbishop  Leighton,  the  honest,  steady 
advocate  of  peace  and  forbearance,  died  in  1684. 

**  He  often  used  to  say  that  if  he  were  to  choose  •■*■  place  to  die  in,  it 
should  he  an  Inn ;  it  looks  like  a  pilgrim's  going  home,  to  whom  this 
world  was  all  as  an  Inn,  and  who  was  weary  of  the  noise  and  confusion  in 
it.  He  added,  that  the  officious  tenderness  and  care  of  friends  was  an  en- 
tanglement to  a  dying  man ;  and  that  the  unconcerned  attendance  of  those 
that  could  be  procured  in  such  a  place  would  give  less  disturbance.  And 
he  obtained  what  he  desired."  * 

At  the  Bell,  in  the  Poultry,  lived,  in  the  reign  of  ELing  Wil- 
liam and  Queen  Anne,  Nathaniel  Crouch,  the  famous  bookseller, 
who  was  the  first  to  condense  great  and  learned  works  into  a 
small  and  popular  form.  He  generally  wrote  under  the  name  of 
"  John  Burton."  His  "  Historical  Earities  in  London  and  West- 
minster," was  one  of  the  books  Dr  Johnson,  in  his  old  age, 
desired  to  read  again  in  remembrance  of  the  pleasure  derived 
from  their  teaching  in  the  days  of  his  youth. 

At  Finedon,  three  miles  from  Wellingborough,  there  is  an  old 
inn,  called  the  Bell,  having  for  a  sign  the  portrait  of  a  female 
with  the  following  lines  beneath  : — 

"  Queen  Edith,  lady  once  of  Finedon, 
Where  at  the  Bell  good  fare  is  dined  on." 

The  Bell  Inn,  kept  by  John  Good,  at  Oxford,  has  : — 
"  My  name,  likewise  my  ale,  is  good, 
Walk  in  and  taste  my  own  home  brew'd; 
For  all  that  know  John  Good  can  tell. 
That,  like  my  sign,  it  bears  the  BeU." 

There  was  a  Golden  Bell,  in  St  Bride's  Lane,  Fleet  Street, 
in  the  reign  of  Queen  Anne,  next  door  to  which  lived  Lydia  Bur- 
craft,  a  female  hairdresser,  who,  as  appears  from  her  bill,t  sold 
an  infallible  pomatum  to  make  the  hair  grow  long  and  curly. 
The  Black  Bell  is  mentioned  by  Stowe,  p.  81  : — 

"  Above  this  lane's  [Crooked  Lane]  end  upon  Fish  Hill  Street,  is  one 
great  house,  for  the  most  part  built  of  stone,  which  pertained  some  time 
to  Edward  the  Black  Prince,  son  to  Edward  III.,  who  was  in  his  lifetime 
lodged  there.  It  is  now  altered  to  a  common  hostelry,  having  the  BTack 
BeU  for  a  sign." 
The  Monument  now  stands  on  the  site  of  this  house. 

♦  Burnet's  Own  Times,  vol.  ii.,  p.  426,  ed.  1823. 
t    Hail.  MSS.,  6931.     Baeford  Bills. 


480  THE  HISTORY  OP  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  Bell  occurs  in  innumerable  combinations,  most  of  which 
seem  to  have  no  particular  meaning,  but  simply  to  arise  from 
the  old  custom  of  quartering  signs.  Among  them,  we  may  men- 
tion the  Bell  and  Anchoe,  Hammersmith,  which  was  much 
visited  by  the  fashion  in  the  beginning  of  the  reign  of  George  IIL 
Eepresentations  of  the  place  and  its  visitors  may  be  seen  in 
several  of  the  caricatures  of  that  period,  published  by  Bowles 
and  Carver,  of  St  Paul's  Churchyard.  It  is  still  in  existence, 
but  its  days  of  glory  are  past,  for,  instead  of  youth  and  beauty, 
and  "  names  known  to  chivalry,"  its  customers  now  mostly  con- 
sist of  the  Irish  labourers  who  live  in  the  lanes  and  back  slums 
of  North  End.  Further,  we  meet  with  the  Bell  and  Lion, 
Crew,  Cheshire;  the  Bell  and  Bullock,  Netherem,  Penrith, 
probably  united  on  account  of  the  aUiteratiou ;  the  Bell  and 
Cuckoo,  Erdington,  near  Birmingham;  and  the  Bell  and 
Candlestick,  also  in  Birmingham. 

The  Bell  and  Ceown  is  very  common,  and  withal  is  a 
reasonable  combination,  for  the  bell  has,  from  time  immemorial, 
been  rung  to  express  the  loyalty  of  the  nation  on  royal  entries, 
whether  into  the  world  or  into  a  town,  on  occasion  of  royal  mar- 
riages or  deaths,  at  times  of  great  victories  and  declarations  of 
peace,  and  other  loyal  celebrations.  Hence  many  bells  are  in- 
scribed vdth  the  words,  "Fear  God,  lionoTir  the  Kmg,"  which,  in 
the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century,  seems  also  to  have  been 
a  common  inscription  on  the  sign  of  the  Bell.*  This  sentiment 
was  thus  versified  by  a  sign-painter,  who  evidently  had  more 
loyalty  than  poetical  genius  : — 

"Let  the  King 
Live  Long, 
Dong  Ding, 
Ding  Dong." 

Few  signs  have  so  often  been  wrongly  explained  as  the  Bell 
Savage,  on  Ludgate  HilL  Stow,  generally  so  accurate,  says  it 
received  its  name  from  one  Isabella  Savage,  who  had  given  the 
house  to  the  company  of  cutlers.  Where  he  gathered  that  in- 
formation we  do  not  know,  but  he  was  "  burning,"  as  the  children 
say,  and  was  certainly  much  nearer  the  truth  than  the  Spectator, 
who  states  that  it  was  called  after  a  French  play  of  "  la  Belle 
Sauvage."    The  "Antiquarian  Repertory,"  following  Stow,  asserts 

*  Bee  Craftsvian,  Sept.  30,  1738. 


MISCBLLANEO  US  SIGNS.  48 1 

that  the  inn  was  once  the  property  of  the  Lady  Arabella  Savage, 
familiarly  called  "  Bell  Savage,"  which  name  was  represented  in 
a  rebus  by  a  wild  man  and  a  bell,  and  so  it  was  always  drawn 
on  the  panels  of  the  coaches  that  used  to  run  to  and  from  it, 
until  the  railways  changed  our  style  of  travelling.  The  true 
origin  of  the  name  is  manifest  from  a  document  in  the  Clause 
KoU,  31  Henry  VI.* 

"  D.  Script,  irrot.  FrenBsh. 
Omnib;  Xpi  fidelib;  ad  quo3  p'sens  Scriptum  p'ven.  Joh'nea  Frenssli,  filiua 
primogenitus  Joh'is  Frenssh,  Gentilman,  quondam  oivis  et  aurifabri  Lon- 
don' salutem  in  Domino.  Sciatis  me  dedisse,  concessisse,  et  hoc  p'senti 
Boripto  meo  confirmasse,  Johanne  Frenssh,  vidue,  matri  mee,  totum  teil  sive 
hospicium,  cum  suis  p'ten',  vocat'  Savagesynne,  alias  Tocat'  le  Belle  on  the 
Hope,  in  parochia  S'ce  Brigide  in  Fleteatreet,  London',  h'end  et  tenend, 
totum  p.'dcm  ten'  sive  hospicium,  cum  suis  p't'  in  p'fat'  Johanne  ad 
t'  minu  vite  sue,  absq'  impeticoe  vasti.     In  cugis  rei  testimoniu,  &o."  f 

In  the  sixteenth  century,  the  Belle  Savage  appears  to  have 
been  a  place  of  amusement.  "Those  who  go  to  Paris  garden, 
the  Bel  Savage,  or  theatre,  to  behold  bear-baiting,  interludes,  or 
fence  play,  must  not  account  of  any  pleasant  spectacle  unless 
they  first  pay  one  penny  at  the  gate,  another  at  the  entry  of  the 
scaffold,  and  a  third  for  quiet  standing. "J  Oii3  of  the  attrac- 
tions about  that  period  was  Banks's  wonderful  horse,  Marocco, 
which  here  performed  his  tricks  before  a  half-admiring,  half-awe- 
stricken  audience,  many  of  whom  doubtless  considered  the 
animal  a  witch,  if  not  a  devil.  "To  mine  host  of  the  Bel 
Sauage  and  all  Ms  honest  guests,"  was  dedicated  the  satirical 
tract  of  "  Marocco  Extaticus,"  in  which  this  horse  is  introduced.  § 
During  the  civil  wars  we  find  this  inn  mentioned  as  apparently  a 
Royalist  house :  "  Upon  search  at  Bell  Savage  (by  order  of  Par- 
liament) great  quantities  of  plate  were  found,  intended  for  York, 
but  stayed  by  order."  ||  A  very  odd  accident  happened  in  this 
inn  during  the  terrific  st«rm  of  November  26,  1703.     A  Mr 

*  Archseologia,  xviii.,  p.  198. 

t  "  To  all  true  Christiaa  people  to  whom  this  present  writing  shall  come :  John 
Frenssh,  eldest  son  of  John  Frenssh,  gentleman,  late  citizen  and  goldsmith  of  London, 
sends  greeting  in  cm*  Lord.  Know  ye  that  I  have  given,  gi-anted,  and  by  this  my  pre- 
sent writing  confirmed  to  Joan  Frenssh,  widow,  my  mother,  all  that  tenement  or  inn, 
with  its  appurtenances,  called  Savage's  Inn,  otherwise  called  the  Bell  on  the  Hoop,  in 
the  parish  of  St  Bride,  in  Fleet  Street,  London,  to  have  and  to  hold  the  aforesaid 
tenement  or  inn,  with  its  appurtenances,  to  the  said  Joan,  for  the  term  of  her  life,  with- 
out impeachment  of  waste.  In  witness  whereof,"  &c.  (here  follow  the  names  of  six  wit 
Desses.)  Dated  at  London  the  5th  day  of  February,  in  the  thirty-first  year  of  the  reign 
of  King  Henry  VI.  after  the  conquest. 

X  Lambarde's  Perambulation  of  Kent,  1576. 

S  See  Bosom's  or  Blossoms  Inn,  under  ''Legendary  and  Biblical  Signs,"  p.  297, 

u  Special!  Passages  from  Westminster,  London,  York,  &c.,  Jur?  26— July  5, 1643. 

3P 


482  THE  HI8T0BY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Hempson,  we  are  told,  was  blown  in  his  sleep  out  of  an  upper 
room  window,  and  knew  nothing  of  the  storm  nor  of  his  aerial 
voyage,  tOl  awaking,  he  found  himself  lying  in  his  bed  on  Ludgate 
hill.  No  doubt  the  good  wine  of  mine  host  must  have  had  some- 
thing to  do  with  this  miraculous  flight.*  Having  been  for  cen- 
turies a  coaching  inn,  its  name  spread  to  the  provinces,  and  some 
inn-keepers  copied  its  sign,  whence  we  meet  with  La  Belle  Sau- 
VAGB,  Macclesfield,  and  in  one  or  two  other  places. 

Balls  were  extremely  common  in  former  times,  frequently  in 
combination  with  other  objects ;  this  arose  from  the  custom  of 
the  silk  mercers  in  hanging  out  a  Golden  Ball.  Constantine 
the  Great  adopted  a  golden  globe  (termed  Hesa)  as  the  emblem 
of  his  imperial  dignity,  on  which,  after  he  embraced  Christianity, 
he  placed  a  cross,  and  with  this  addition  it  continues  as  one  of  the 
insignia  of  royalty  at  the  present  day.  The  early  silk-mercers 
adopted  this  golden  globe,  or  ball,  as  their  sign,  because  in  the 
middle  ages,  aU  silt  was  brought  from  the  East,  and  more  par- 
ticularly from  Byzantium  and  the  imperial  manufactories  there, 
whence  it  was  called  serica  Constantinopolitana,  pannus  imperi- 
alls,  Basilica,  de  Badlido,  ^riyixhv,  &c.  The  Golden  Ball  con- 
tinued as  a  silk-mercer's  sign  until  the  end  of  the  last  century, 
when  it  gradually  fell  to  the  Berlin  wool  shops,  and  with  them 
it  continues  at  the  present  day. 

Balls  of  various  colours  were  invariably  the  signs  of  quacks 
and  fortune-tellers  in  the  eighteenth  century;  the  Bagford  Bills 
are  full  of  Bed,  Blue,  Black,  White,  and  Green  Balls,  aU  signs 
of  those  gentry  who  profess  to  cure  all  the  evils  flesh  is  heir  to. 
How  they  came  to  choose  this  sign  is  hard  to  say,  for  we  can 
scarcely  imagine  that  they  were  intended  to  represent  magnified 
piUs.  Moorfieldst  was  the  head-quarters  of  this  trade  : — 
"  If  in  Moorfields  a  Lady  stroles 
Among  the  Globes  and  Golden  Balls, 
*  Pamphlet  in  the  Harleian  Miscellany,  Index,  vol.  x.  This  dreadM  storm  is  said 
to  have  caused  more  damage  than  the  fire  or  1666.  Bishop  Kedder  and  his  wife  were 
killed  in  it  by  the  fall  of  a.  house  in  which  they  were  sleeping.  Admiral  Beanmont  was 
shipwrecked  and  lost  with  nearly  the  whole  of  his  ship's  company.  The  Eddystone 
lighthouse  was  blown  down  and  swallowed  by  the  sea,  with  its  architect,  Mr  Henry  Win- 
Btanley.  A  sermon  is  still  yearly  preached  at  Little  Wild  Street  Baptist  Chapel,  Lin- 
coln's Inn  Fields,  in  memory  of  this  fearful  storm,  a  Mr  John  Taylor,  bookseller  of 
Paternoster  Row,  having  left  £40  to  it  as  a  thank-offering  for  his  miraculous  preserra- 
tion  at  the  time  of  the  occurrence. 

t  After  having  been  for  a  long  time  one  of  the  most  secure  strongholds  of  the  devil, 
a  godly  garrison  was  sent  into  MoorBelds  at  the  end  of  the  last  century.  The  Gtuetterr, 
10th  September  1790,  has  the  following  paragraph : — "So  numerous  are  become  the 
Oaapel  shops  in  the  vicinity  of  Mourfields.  that  like  Monmouth  Street,  the  proprietors 
employ  "pluckers  in"  on  Sundays  to  inveigle  customers.  The  cant  phrase  at  the  door 
is,  "  Good  sound  doctrine  here  in  perfection." 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGN'S.  483 

Where  ere  they  hang  she  may  be  certain 
Of  knowing  what  shall  be  her  fortune. 
Her  husband  too,  I  dare  to  say, 
But  that  she  better  knows  than  they." 

Compleat  Vintner,  London,  1720,  p.  38. 

The  Golden  Ball  was  the  sign  of  J.  Osborne,  bookseller  in 
Paternoster  Kow,  drca  1740,  who  printed  one  of  the  earliest 
"  London  Directories ;"  also  of  Doctor  Forman  in  Lambeth 
Marsh,  who  was  deeply  implicated  in  the  murder  of  Sir  Thomas 
Overbury  in  1613.  The  Two  Golden  Balls  at  the  upper  end 
of  Bow  Street, 'Covent  Garden,  was  a  place  famous  for  concerts, 
balls,  and  other  amusements,  in  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  and 
the  beginning  of  the  eighteenth  century.  Prince  Eugene  once 
attended  a  concert  at  this  house.  The  Two  White  Balls,  in 
Marylebone  Street,  was  the  sign  of  a  school  in  1712,  where  Latin, 
French,  mathematics,  &c.,  were  taught ;  in  the  same  house  there 
also  lived  a  clergyman  who  taught  "to  write  well  in  three 
days."* 

The  balls  of  the  silk  mercers  and  the  quacks,  suspended  from 
an  iron  above  the  doot,  were  generally  added  (in  name  at  least) 
to  the  painted  sign,  when  the  house  possessed  one ;  as,  for 
instance,  the  Ball  and  Cap,  Hatton  Garden,  1668 ;  the  Ball 
AND  Eaten,  Spitalfields,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  (both  on 
trades  tokens ;)  the  Eed  Ball  and  Acoen,  Queen  Street, 
Cheapside,  "a  [quack]  gentlewoman,  daughter  of  an  eminent 
physician  in  1722  ;"t  the  Plough  and  Ball,  at  Nuneaton ;  the 
Salmon  and  Ball,  several  in  London  ;  the  Bible  and  Ball,  a 
bookseller's  in  Ave  Maria  Lane,  1761 ;  the  Heart  asd  Ball, 
a  sUk-mercer's  in  Little  Britain,  1710;  the  Geeen  Man  and 
Ball,  on  a  trades  token  of  Charter  House  Lane,  where  the  man 
is  represented  throwing  a  baU ;  and  thus  innumerable  other 
combinations  with  the  Ball  might  be  mentioned. 

The  Theee  Blub  Balls,  generally  a  pawnbroker's  sign,  was 
also  in  old  times  used  for  taverns  and  other  houses,  while  pawn- 
brokers used  at  pleasure  such  signs  as  the  Blackamooe's  Head, 
the  Black  Dog  and  Still,  &c.$  On  26th  March  1668,  Pepys 
tells  us  that,  coming  from  the  theatre  in  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields, 
he  and  his  party  went  to  the  Blue  Balls  tavern  in  the  same 

♦  Posfboy,  Jan.  1,  1711-12. 

t  Advertisements  in  the  Weekly  Jtmrnal  for  that  year. 

i  Both  named  in  the  Daily  Courant  for  1718. 


484  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

locality,  where  they  met  some  of  their  friends,  including  Mrs 
Knipp; 

"  And  after  much  difficulty  in  getting  of  musick,  we  to  dancing  and  then 
to  a  supper  of  French  dishes,  which  yet  did  not  please  me,  and  then  to 
dance  and  sing,  and  mighty  merry  we  were  till  about  eleven  or  twelve  at 
night,  with  mighty  great  content  in  all  my  company,  and  I  did,  as  I  lave 
to  do,  enjoy  myself.  My  wife  extraordinary  fine  to-day,  in  her  flower 
tabby  suit,  bought  a  year  and  more  ago,  before  my  mother's  death  put 
her  into  mourning,  and  so  not  worn  till  this  day,  and  everybody  in  love 
with  it,  and,  indeed,  she  is  very  fine  and  handsome  in  it.  I  having  paid 
the  reckoning,  which  came  to  almost  £4,  we  parted." 

What  a  delightful  flow  of  animal  spirits  that  old  Secretary  of 
the  Admiralty  enjoyed!  Alas,  for  the  awful  dignity  of  his 
modern  successors ! 

There  is  still  a  public-house  sign  of  the  Blue  'Balls,  at  New- 
port, I.W. 

The  Ring  and  Ball,  Fenchurch  Street,  1700,  seems  suggested 
by  the  game  of  pall  mall,  recently  revived  under  the  name  of - 
croquet,  in  which  a  ball  was  struck  by  a  mallet  through  an  iron 
ring.     This  sign  is  mentioned  in  an  advertisement  of  some  valu- 
able trinkets  which  had  been  lost : — 

"  A  gold  watch  in  a  pla,iu  case,  made  by  Thompson,  with  the  hours  of 
the  day  only ;  a  gold  chain,  pear  fashion,  two  lengths,  with  a  gold  watch- 
hook  of  Fiiegrin  Indian  work,  and  hung  on  it  a  diamond  locket,  large 
diamonds  with  hair  in  the  middle  and  death  at  length  on  a  tombstone ; 
another  diamond  locket,  less  diamonds,  with  a  cypher  in  hair;  a  red  cor- 
nelian set  in  gold  engraved  with  a,  head ;  a  plain  locket  with  A.  K.  in 
golden  letters ;  a  civet-box  with  a  white  stone,  and  engraved  on  it  out- 
wards a  small  head  and  a  camel  [cameo?]  Whosoever  stops  them  if 
offered  to  be  pawned  or  valued,  and  gives  notice  to  Mr  Hankey  at  the 
Ring  and  Ball  in  Fenchurch  Street,  shall  have  5  guineas  for  the  whole, 
or  proportionable  for  any  part."*     A  small  inducement  to  honesty! 

The  Bat  and  Ball  is  a  common  sign  for  public-houses  fre- 
quented by  cricketers ;  also  the  Ceicketeks'  Arms,  the  Five 
Cricketers,  and  many  others.  The  Wrestlers  obtain  then- 
name  from  a  sport  formerly  in  great  favour  in  this  country,  and 
stOl  cultivated  in  some  parts.  At  Yarmouth  an  inn  of  that 
name  is  more  celebrated  for  the  jeu  d'esprit  of  the  immortal 
Nelson  than  anything  else.  When  the  fleet  was  riding  in  the  Yar- 
mouth roads,  the  landlord,  desirous  of  the  patronage  of  the  blue- 
jackets, requested  permission  to  call  his  house  the  Nelson  Arms, 
His  lordship  gave  him  f  uU  power  to  do  so,  but  at  the  same  time 
reminded  hira  that  his  arms  were  only  in  the  singular  number. 

•  London  Gatette.  Nov.  18-21,  1700. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  485 

"  Odium  quod  certammibus  ortum  ultra  metum  durat," 
says  Velleius  Paterculus,  and  the  truth  of  the  assertion  is  ex- 
emplified in  the  old  national  antipathy  betwixt  this  country  and 
our  neighbours  across  the  channel,  whence  the  Antigallican 
(th?  name  assumed  by  a  London  association  in  the  middle  of 
the  last  century)  could  not  fail  to  be  a  favourite  sign.  At  pre- 
sent this  feeling  exists  to  only  a  very  small  extent  in  the  minds 
of  our  lower  orders ;  but  formerly  a  Frenchman  could  not  pass 
through  the  streets  of  London  with  impunity.  Stephen  PerUn, 
a  French  ecclesiastic,  who  wrote  in  1558  a  description  of  Eng- 
land, Scotland,  and  Ireland,  says : — 

"  The  people  of  this  country  have  --■  mortal  hatred  for  the  French  aa 
their  ancient  enemies,  and  in~  common  call  us  Prance  chenesve  [French 
knave],  France  dogue,  which  is  to  say,  French  rascals  and  French  dogs. 
They  also  call  us  or  son." 

Grosley*  devotes  a  whole  chapter  to  this  subject,  and  tells  us 
that  the  French  were  ridiculed  on  the  stage,  and  insulted  and 
ill-treated  in  the  streets.  Even  at  the  present  day,  when  the 
penny  romances  are  in  want  of  a  melodramatic  villain,  a  French- 
man is  sure  to  have  the  honour  of  personating  him. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  century  there  was  a  tavern  of  this 
name  in  Shire  Lane,  Temple  Bar,  kept  by  Harry  Lee,  of  sport- 
ing notoriety,  and  father  of  Alexander  Lee,  the  first  and  "  origi- 
nal tiger,"  in  which  capacity  he  was  produced  by  the  notorious 
Lord  Barrymore.  This  tavern  was  much  fl-equented  by  his  lord- 
ship and  other  gentlemen  fond  of  low  life,  pugilism,  and  so-called 
sport.  The  nicknames  of  the  brothers  Barrymore  will  give  a  toler- 
ably good  idea  of  their  amiable  qualities ;  the  eldest  was  called 
Hellgate;  the  second  Gripplegate,  (he  was  lame,)  and  the  third 
Newgate,  so  styled,  because,  though  an  honourable  and  a  reverend, 
he  had  been  in  almost  every  goal  in  England  except  Newgate. 
This  interesting  family  circle  was  completed  by  a  sister,  called 
BUlingsgaie,  on  account  of  the  forcible  and  flowery  language  she 
made  use  of.  The  Antigallican  is  stiU  in  vogue,  as  there  are  three 
public-houses  with  that  sign  in  London,  besides  some  in  the 
country,  and  an  Antigallican  Arms  at  New  Charlton,  Kent. 

On  the  29th  of  September  1783,  the  first  balloon — or  air- 
balloon  as  it  was  then  caRed — was  let  off  at  Versailles,  in  the 

»  Tour  to  London,  vol.  i.,  p.  84.  *'  A  perfectly  fair  judge,  and  writing  in  the  true  spirit 
of  a  philosopher,"  says  his  translator.  Grosley  remarks  that  the  foreigners  would 
be  in  the  wrong  to  complain  of  the  rude  insults  of  the  lower  classes,  since  even  '*  the 
better  sort  of  Londoners  "  liberally  show  their  hatred  to  the  French  whenever  they  can 
find  an  opportunity. 


486  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOAEDS. 

presence  of  Louis  XVI.  and  tlie  Koyal  Family.  A  sheep  was  the 
first  aeronaut,  and  with  this  freight,  in  a  cage,  the  balloon  rose  to  a 
height  of  about  200  yards,  floated  over  a  part  of  Paris,  and  came 
down  in  the  Carrefour  Marlchal.  The  novelty  was  at  ono^  taken 
hold  of  by  caricaturists,  ballad-mongers,  writers  of  comic  articles, 
and  also  by  the  sign-painters.  One  of  the  first  balloon-signs  in 
London  was  that  of  the  Bailoon  Feuit-shop,  in  Oxford  Street, 
near  Soho  Square.*  As  those  primitive  balloons  were,  in  the  opi- 
nion of  the  vulgar,  fiUed  with  smohe,  the  tobacconists  considered 
them  as  within  their  province,  and  thus  it  became  a  favourite  device 
with  this  class  of  shops.  Several  of  their  tobacco  papers  are  pre- 
served in  the  Banks  collection.  One  has  the  following  legend  : — 
"  The  best  Virginia  under  the  Balloon."  Another,  "  Smoke  the 
best  balloon."  A  third,  "The  best  air-balloon  tobacco,"  &c. 
Some  of  these  balloon  cuts  will  be  found  in  our  illustrations.  One 
of  them  represents  a  balloon  ascending,  and  two  smokers  stand- 
ing beneath;  one  says,  "I  wish  them  a  good  voyage;"  the 
other,  "  Smoak  the  balloon."  As  a  sign,  the  Baixoon,  or  Aie- 
BALLOON,  is  still  not  uncommon,  and  may  be  seen  at  Kingston, 
Hants,  Birdlip,  Gloucester,  &c. 

The  Black  Doll,  hung  at  the  doors  of  rag  and  marine  store- 
dealers,  probably  originated  in  these  shops  buying  old  clothes  and 
finery,  which  was  sold  to  the  buccaneers  and  coasting-traders,  who 
exchanged  them  with  the  natives  of  Africa  and  America,  for  gold, 
ivory,  furs,  <fec. ;  just  as  we  see  at  the  present  day,  Mr  Abraham, 
or  Mr  Isaacs,  constantly  advertising  in  the  Times  for  our  "  Left- 
off  clothes  for  Australia  and  the  Colonies."  The  popular  legend, 
however,  has  spread  a  halo  of  romance  around  the  black  doll. 
Once  upon  a  time,  an  ancient  dame  came  to  a  rag-shop  in  Norton 
Folgate,  with  a  bundle  of  old  clothes,  which  she  desired  to  sell, 
but  having  no  time  to  spare,  she  left  them  with  the  man  to 
examine,  promising  to  call  for  the  money  next  day.  The  rag- 
merchant  opened  the  bundle  and  found  amongst  the  clothes  a 
pair  of  diamond  ear-rings,  and  a  black  doU.  Anxious  to  restore 
the  diamonds,  (as  may  be  imagined,)  he  expected  the  old  woman 
to  call  day  after  day,  but  in  vain  ;  at  last,  thinking  that  she 
might  have  forgotten  the  house,  he  hung  up  the  black  doll  at  the 
door,  but  the  old  woman  never  came,  and  the  doll  hung  until  it 
rotted  away,  when  it  was  replaced  by  a  new  one.  The  novelty  of 
the  object  attracted  many  customers  to  the  house,  other  ragmen 

•  Banks  BLUb.  dated  178T. 


MISOELLANEO  US  SIGNS.  487 

imitated  it,  and  so  it  finally  became  a  sign,  one  wMch  is  now  fast 
dying  away,  and  being  supplanted  by  coarse  coloured  prints,  with 
absurd  rhymes. 

At  the  castles  of  the  nobility  the  weary  traveller  formerly  found 
food,  shelter,  and  good  "herborow  ;"  the  lower  hall  was  always 
open  to  the  adventurer,  the  tramp,  the  minstrel,  and  the  pilgrim; 
the  upper  hall  to  the  nobleman,  the  squire,  the  wealthy  abbot, 
and  the  fair  ladies.  It  was  natural,  then,  that  the  Castle  should  at 
an  early  period  have  been  adopted  as  a  sign  of  "  good  entertain- 
ment for  man  and  beast."  Such  a  sign  became  historical  in  the 
Wars  of  the  Koses ;  for  the  Duke  of  Somerset,  who  had  .been 
warned  to  "  shun  castles,"  was  killed  by  Richard  Plantagenet,  at 
an  ale-house,  the  sign  of  the  Castle. 

"  For  underneath  an  ale-house'  paltry  sign, 
The  Castle  in  Saint-Albans,  Somerset 
Hath  made  the  Wizard  famous  in  his  death." 

2  Henry  VI.,  ao.  v.,  sc.  2. 

According  to  Hatton,*  in  1708,  the  Castle  Tavern  in  Fleet 
Street  had  the  largest  sign  in  London  ;  next  to  it  came  the 
White  Haet  Inn,  on  the  east  side  of  the  Borough,  iu  Southwark. 

In  the  reign  of  George  I.,  the  Castle,  near  Covent  Garden,  was 
a  famous  eating-house,  kept  by  John  Pierce,  the  Soyer  of  his 
day.  Here  the  gallant  feat  was  performed  of  a  young  blood 
taking  one  of  the  shoes  from  the  foot  of  a  noted  toast,  filling  it 
with  wine,  and  drinking  her  health,  after  which  it  was  consigned 
to  the  cook,  who  prepared  from  it  an  excellent  ragout,  which 
was  eaten  with  great  relish  by  the  lady's  admirers. 

The  Castle  and  Falcon  probably  a  combination  of  two  signs, 
as  there  is  a  Falcon  Court  close  by,)  is  the  sign  of  an  ion  in 
Aldersgate,  which  house,  or  one  on  its  site,  in  the  reign  of  Queen 
Elizabeth,  was  occupied  by  John  Day,  the  most  considerable 
printer  and  publisher  of  his  time.  In  after  years  the  house  be- 
came a  famous  coaching  inn,  and  its  reputation  spread  to  all  parts 
of  England,  whence  we  meet,  at  present,  with  Castles  and  Falcons 
in  various  towns,  as  at  Birmingham,  Chester,  &c.  Although  we 
incline  to  the  opinion  that  the  sign  arose  from  a  combination, 
stiU  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  crest  of  Queen  Catherine 
Parr  was  a  crowned  falcon,  perched  on  a  castle,  and  of  course 
represiented  as  large  as  the  castle. 

The  Three  Old  Castles  occurs  at  MandeviUe,  near  Somerton ; 

•  "  New  View  of  iiondon,"  1708,  p.  9. 


488  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

the  Castle  and  Bannbe  at  Hunny  Hill,  Carisbrooke,  originating 
in  the  banner  floating  from  the  castle  turret,  when  the  Lord  of 
the  Manor  was  residing  there.  Castles  in  the  Aie  is  to  be 
seen  at  Lower  Quay,  Fareham ;  the  origin  seems  to  be  an  allu- 
sion to  the  ordinary  sign  swinging  in  mid-air—  a  piece  of  humour 
on  the  part  of  the  landlord.  The  Castle  and  Wheelbaeeow, 
at  Eouse  Lench,  was,  doubtless,  another  innkeeper's  notion  of 
suggestive  humour — but  he  was  a  dull  wit. 

Perhaps  the  most  patriarchal  of  all  signs  is  the  Chequbes, 
which  may  be  seen  even  on  houses  in  exhumed  PompeiL  On 
that  of  Hercules,  for  instance,  at  the  comer  of  the  Strada  Ful- 
lonica,  they  are  painted  lozenge-wise,  red,  white,  and  yeUow,  and 
on  various  other  houses  in  that  ancient  city,  similar  decorations 
may  still  be  observed.  Originally  it  is  said  to  have  indicated 
that  draughts  and  backgammon  were  played  within.  Brand,  in 
his  "  Popular  Antiquities,"  ignorant  of  any  existence  of  the  sign 
in  so  remote  a  period  as  that  mentioned,  says  that  it  represented 
the  coat  of  arms  of  the  Earls  of  Warenne  and  Surrey,  who  bore 
checqui  or  and  azure,  and  iu  the  reign  of  Edward  IV.,  possessed  the 
privilege  of  licensing  ale-houses.  A  more  plausible  explanation, 
and  one  which  is  not  set  aside  by  the  existence  of  the  sign  in 
Pompeii,  is  that  given  by  Dr  Lardner  : — 

"  During  the  middle  ages,  it  was  usual  for  merchants,  accountants,  and 
judges,  who  arranged  matters  of  revenue,  to  appear  on  a  covered  banc,  so 
called  from  an  old  Saxon  word,  meaning  a  seat,  (hence  our  Bank.)  Before 
them  was  placed  a  flat  surface,  divided  by  parallel  white  lines,  into  per- 
pendicular columns ;  these  again  divided  transversely  by  lines  crossing  the 
former,  so  as  to  separate  each  column  into  squares.  This  table  was  (^ed 
an  Exchequer,  from  its  resemblance  to  a  chess-board,  and  the  calculations 
were  made  by  counters  placed  on  its  several  divisions,  (something  after  the 
manner  of  the  Roman  abacus.)  A  money-changer's  office  was  generally 
indicated  by  a  sign  of  the  chequered  board  suspended.  This  sign  after- 
wards came  to  indicate  an  inn  or  house  of  entertainment,  probably  from 
the  circumstance  of  the  innkeeper  also  following  the  trade  of  money-changer 
— a  coincidence  still  very  common  in  seaport  towns."* 

Chaucer's  Merry  Pilgrims  put  up  in  Canterbury,  at  the  sign  ot 
the  "  Checker  of  the  Hope,"  (i.e.  the  Chequers  on  the  Hoop.) 
"  They  took  their  in  and  loggit  them  at  mydmorowe,  I  trowe, 
Atte  cTceher  of  the  Hope  that  many  a  man  doth  knowe." 

Ladgate'a  Continuation  of  ike  Canterbury  Tales. 

This  inn  (says  Mr  Wright,  in  his  edition  of  the  above  work) 
is  still   pointed   out    in   Canterbury,   at   the    comer   of   High 

*  Br  Lardnet'a  Arithmetic,  p.  44. 


j^Mmf^M 

il 

ll^^^^fll  f  I 

1 

MTHaELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  489 

Street  and  Mercery  Lane,  and  is  often  mentioned  in  the  Cor- 
poration Reports,  under  the  title  of  the  Chequer.  It  is  situated 
in  the  immediate  -ncinity  of  the  Cathedral,  and  was  therefore 
appropriate  for  the  reception  of  the  pUgrims. 

When  the  inn  had  another  sign  besides  the  Chequers,  these 
last  were  invariably  painted  on  the  door-post ;  an  example  of  this 
may  still  be  seen  at  the  Swiss  Cottage,  Chelsea.  In  or  near 
Calcots  Alley,  Lambeth,  was  formerly  situated  an  inn  or  house  of 
entertainment  called  the  Chequers.  In  the  year  1454  a  licence 
was  granted  to  its  landlord,  John  Calcot,  to  have  an  oratory  in 
the  house  and  a  chaplain  for  the  use  of  his  family  and  guests,  as 
long  as  his  house  should  continue  orderly  and  respectable,  and 
adapted  to  the  celebration  of  divine  service.*  The  Black 
Chequbes  in  Cowgate,  Norwich,  is  so  called  on  account  of  the 
chequers  being  black  and  white,  whilst  others  are  red  and  white, 
blue  and  white,  or  in  such  other  contrast  as  may  be  fancied  by 
the  publican. 

The  Ceooked  Billet  is  a  sign,  for  which  we  have  not  been  able 
to  discover  any  likely  origin ;  it  may  have  been  originally  a  rag- 
ged staiBf,  or  a  pastoral  staff,  or  a  haion  comu — the  ancient  name 
for  a  battle-axe.t  It  is  also  the  name  for  a  part  of  the  tankard. 
Frequently  the  sign  is  represented  by  an  untrimmed  stick  sus- 
pended above  the  door,  as  at  Wold  Newton,  near  Bridlington, 
where  it  is  accompanied  by  the  following  poetical  effusion  on 
one  side  of  the  signboard  : — 

"  When  this  comical  stick  grew  in  the  wood, 
Our  ale  was  fresh  and  very  good; 
Step  in  and  taste,  O  do  make  haste, 
For  if  you  don't  'twill  surely  waste." 

On  the  other  side  : — 

"  When  you  have  viewed  the  other  side, 
Come  read  this  too  before  you  ride, 
And  now  to  end  we  '11  let  it  pass; 
Step  in,  kind  friends,  and  take  a  glass.'' 

Though  a  very  rustic  sign,  it  was  also  used  in  towns;  thus  it 
occurs  among  the  trades  tokens  of  Montague  Close,  and  was  the 
sign  of  Andrew  Sowle,  a  bookseller  in  Holloway  Lane,  Shore- 
ditch,  in  1683. 

•  Allen's  History  of  Lambeth, 
t  Siege  of  Carlaeverock,  c.  11 : — 

■■ — on  li  respont 
De  grosses  pierres  et  cornues.'*  3  Q 


490  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  Golden  Head  appears  to  have  been  a  favourite  with 
artists,  probably  a  classic  or  modem  bust  gilded.  It  was  the 
sign  of  Hogarth's  master  and  of  himself. 

"  Hogarth  made  one  essay  in  sculpture.  He  wanted  a  sign  to  distin- 
guish his  house  in  Leicester  Fields ;  and  thinking  none  more  proper  than 
the  Golden  Head,  he  out  of  a  mass  of  cork  made  up  several  thicknesses 
compacted  together,  carved  a  bust  of  Van  Dyke,  vfhich  he  gilt  and  placed 
over  his  door.  It  is  long  since  decayed,  and  was  succeeded  by  a  head  in 
plaister,  which  has  also  perished,  and  is  succeeded  by  a  head  of  Sir  Isaac 
Newton." — Niehols's  Anecdotes  of  Hogarth. 

At  this  sign  in  1735  Hogarth  published  the  "  Harlot's  Progress," 
and  several  other  engravings.  Sir  Kobert  Strange  the  engraver 
(1721-92)  lived  at  the  Golden  Head,  Henrietta  Street,  Covent 
Garden ;  and  in  1762  the  portrait  of  Cunneshote,  one  of  the 
Cherokee  chiefs,  then  on  a  visit  to  this  country,  was  for  sale  at 
the  Golden  Head  in  Queen  Square,  Ormond  Street ;  it  was  en- 
graved after  a  painting  by  Francis  Parsons.  In  1700  it  was  the 
eign  of  a  Monsieur  Desert,  "almost  over  against  the  King's 
Bagnio  in  Long  Acre,  who  sold  guitars  from  30  gs.  to  30  sh. 
a  piece."*  Thomas  Carte  the  historian  (1686  to  1754)  lived  at 
Mr  Ker's  at  the  Golden  Head,  Newport  Street,  Long  Acre. 
This  sign  also  occurs  in  a  most  amusing  advertisement : — 
"An  Exceeding  Small  Lap  Spaniel. 

A 'NY  ONE  THAT  has  (to  dispose  of)  such  a  one,  either  dog  or  bitch,  and 
of  any  colour  or  colours,  that  is  very,  very  small,  with  a  very  short 
round  snub  nose,  and  good  ears,  if  they  will  bring  it  to  Mrs  Smith,  at  a 
coachmaker's  over  against  the  Golden  Head  in  Great  Queen  Street,  near 
Lincoln's  Inn  Fields,  they  shall  (if  approved  of)  have  a  very  good  pur- 
chaser. And  to  prevent  any  further  trouble,  if  it  is  not  exceeding  sroall, 
and  has  anything  of  a  longish  peaked  nose,  it  wiU  not  at  all  do.  And 
nevertheless  after  this  advertisement  is  published  no  more,  if  any  person 
should  have  a  little  creature  that  answers  the  character  of  the  advertise- 
ment, if  they  will  please  but  to  remember  the  direction  and  bring  it  to 
Mrs  Smith ;  the  person  is  not  so  provided  but  that  such  a  one  will  still  at 
any  time  be  hereafter  purchased." — Daily  Advertiser,  Nov.  1744. 

The  Two  Heads  was  the  sign  of  a  dentist  in  Coventry  Street 
in  1760.  One  head  probably  represented  the  mouth  as  possess- 
ing a  fine  set  of  teeth;  the  other  doubtless  showed  how  unfortu- 
nate is  their  absence.  The  advertisements  of  this  man  are  gems 
in  their  way : — 

"  Ye  Beauties,  Beaux,  ye  Pleaders  at  the  Bar, 
Wives,  Husbands,  lovers,  every  one  beside, 
Wh  'd  have  their  heads  deficient  rectify'd. 
The  Dentist  famed  who  by  just  application 

*  Zondon  GoMttte,  April  29— Ma;  2, 1700. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  49 1 

Excels  eacli  other  operator  in  the  Nation, 

In  Coventry's  known  street,  near  Leicester  Fields, 

At  the  Two  Heads  fvill  satisfaction  yields. 

Teeth  artificial  he  fixes  so  secure, 

That  as  our  own  they  usefully  endure ; 

Not  merely  outside  show  and  ornament 

But  ev'ry  property  of  Teeth  intent ; 

To  eat,  as  well  as  speak,  and  form  support 

The  falling  cheeks  and  stumps  from  further  hurt. 

Nor  is  he  daimted  when  the  whole  is  gone. 

But  hy  an  art  peculiar  to  him  known. 

He  '11  so  supply  you  'U  thiuk  you  've  got  your  own. 

He  scales,  he  cleans,  he  draws ;  in  Fain  gives  Ease, 

Nor  in  each  operation  doth  fail  to  please. 

Doth  the  foul  scurvy  fierce  your  Gums  assault  ? 

In  this  he  also  rectifies  the  Fault 

By  a  fam'd  Tincture.    And  his  Powder  nam'd 

A  Dentifrice  is  also  justly  fam'd. 

Us'd  as  directed  'tis  excellent  to  serve 

Both  teeth  and  gums,  cleanse,  strengthen,  and  preserve ; 

Foul  mouth  and  stinking  breath  can  ne'er  be  loved. 

But  by  his  aid  those  evils  are  removed." 

LoTidmi  Evening  Post,  July  1760. 

Taylor  tie  Water  poet  (1632)  mentions  two  taverns  with  the 
sign  of  the  Mouth,  the  one  without  Bishopsgate,  the  other  within 
Aldersgate.  Trades  tokens  of  the  first  house  are  extant,  repre- 
senting a  human  head  with  a  huge  mouth  wide  open.  An 
inventory  is  stUl  extant  of  the  stock  in  trade  of  this  house  in 
the  year  1612,*  which  is  not  uninteresting.  From  it  we  gather 
that  the  vrines  drunk  at  that  period  in  taverns  were  white  wine, 
V"in  de  Grave,  (a  small  white  Burgundy  wine,)  Orleans  wine, 
Malaga,  sherry,  sack,  Malmsey,  (Malvasia,  a  wine  from  the  coast 
of  Morea,  sweet  and  white,)  Alicante,  (also  sweet,)  claret,  &c. 
Beer  seems  to  have  been  but  little  asked  for  by  those  that  fre- 
quented this  house ;  for  whilst  some  of  the  wines  were  kept  in 
such  large  quantities  as  seven  hogsheads,  there  were  only  two 
dozen  and  eight  bottles  of  ale.  The  names  of  the  rooms  in 
the  house  were  "the  Pomegranate,"  "the  PortcuUis,"  "Three 
Tuns,"  "Cross  Keys,"  "Vine,"  "Kings  Head,"  "Crown,"  "Dol- 
phin," and  "Bell,"  all  of  them  favourite  tavern  signs,  and  (as 
remarked  on  page  280)  the  usual  names  for  tavern  rooms. 
Among  the  utensils  may  be  remarked  fifteen  silver  bowls. 

The  Meeey  Mouth  is  stUl  a  sign  at  Fifield,  Chipping  Norton. 

*  Printed  in  Nichols's  lllustratioBS  of  Manners  and  Expenses  in  Ancient  Times. 
1797. 


492  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

The  Hand  was  the  sign  of  a  victualler  near  the  Marshalsea  in 
Southwark,  in  1680.  Hands  occur  in  many  combinations,  owing 
to  the  custom  of  draughtsmen  and  sign-painters  representing  a 
hand  issuing  from  the  clouds  to  perform  some  action  or  hold 
some  object ;  thus  a  hand  holding  a  coffee-pot  was  a  very  general 
coffee-house  sign.  The  "  Hand "  seems  to  have  been  a  bad  or 
evU  sign : — 

"  I  '11  go  back  to  the  country  of  the  cofFee-houses,  [Fleet  Street,]  where 
being  arrived  I  'm  in  a  wood,  there  are  so  many  of  them  I  know  not  which 
to  enter ;  stay,  let  me  see,  where  the  sign  is  painted  with  a  woman's  hand 
in  it,  'tis  a  bawdy  house,  where  a  mwn'i  it  has  another  qualification ;  but 
where  it  has  a  star  in  the  sign  'tis  calculated  for  every  lewd  purpose."* 

Though  this  is  a  sweeping  denunciation,  yet  we  find  the  Hand 
AND  Stak  occurring  as  the  sign  of  a  very  respectable  bookseller, 
Kichard  TothUl  in  Fleet  Street,  within  Temple  Bar,  who  in  1553 
printed  the  "  Dialogue  of  Comfort,"  by  Sir  Thomas  More.  Not 
unlikely  TothUl  had  adopted  this  sign  from  the  watermarks  in 
paper,  for  one  of  the  most  ancient  of  them  is  a  hand,  either  in 
the  position  of  giving  benediction,  or  in  that  position  called  the 
upright  hand,  with  a  star  above  it.  Messrs  Butterworth,  the 
law-publishers,  who  now  occupy  TothiU's  premises,  possess  all 
the  leases  and  documents  from  the  time  of  that  old  printer  down 
to  the  present  day. 

Quacks,  also,  were  very  fond  of  a  hand  in  their  sign,  point- 
ing to  an  eye  or  an  ear,  to  intimate  that  the  great  doctor 
cured  the  blind  or  the  deaf.  Thus,  in  the  Harleian  collection 
(5931)  there  is  a  handbiU  of  S.  Ketelby,  sworn  physician,  who 
lived  at  the  Hand  and  Eae,  in  Exeter  Street  near  the  Strand, 
and  who  professed  to  cure  deafness,  lameness,  &c. 

"  He  is  capable  now,  not  only  of  curing  those  incurable  by  others,  but 
even  those  he  could  not  cure  himseU  six  months  ago !  Note  :  He  resolves 
aR  persons  deaf  from  external  causes,  whether  curable  or  not,  in  two 
minutes,  in  the  dark  as  well  as  at  noonday,  which  no  other  pretender  can 
do,"  &o. 

The  Hand  and  Face  was  the  sign  of  another  quack,  who 
lived  in  Water  Lane,  Blackfriars,  near  Apothecaries'  Hall,  in 
1735.+ 

A  few  combinations  of  the  hand  refer  to  games,  as  the  Hand 
AND  Ball,  Barking,  (trades  token,)  1650,  which  seems  to  be  de- 
rived from  some  of  the  innumerable  games  at  baU  in  which  our 

•  Tom  Brown's  Amusements  for  the  Meridian  of  London,  p.  71. 
t  Country  Journal  or  Cra^ftsman,  Feb.  1, 1734.5. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  493 

ancestors  delighted,  such  as  handball,  tennis,  balloon  or  windbaU, 
stoolball,  hurling,  football,  stowball,  paUmall,  clubball,  trapbaU, 
northen-speU,  cricket,  bowling,  &c.  The  ELaud  and  Tennis, 
Whitcombe  Street,  Haymarket,  is  so  called  from  the  adjoining 
Tennis  Court,  erected  in  1678.  The  Old  Hand  and  Tankaed 
is  a  public-house  sign  at  Wheatly,  near  Halifax.  The  Hand 
AND  Tench  seems  to  point  to  a  connexion  with  the  followers 
of  Isaac  Walton ;  it  was  a  mug-house  in  Seven  Dials  in  1717. 
The  mugs  in  those  days  used  to  be  suspended  above  the  door,  or 
on  the  sign-iron,  not  only  in  this,  but  in  aU  the  mug-houses,  for 
the  mug  might  be  considered  as  much  a  badge  of  King  George's 
Mends,  as  the  white  cockade  was  the  badge  of  the  Jacobites. 

The  Hand  and  Hjsaet  was,  in  1711,  the  very  appropriate 
sign  of  a  marriage  insurance  office  in  East  Harding  Street,  Shoe 
Lane.*  Two  right  hands  holding  a  heart  was  a  very  old  symbol 
of  concord.  Aubrey  gives  quotations  from  Tacitus,  by  which  he 
derives  it  from  the  Romans,  and  adds  : — 

"  I  have  seen  some  rings  made  for  sweethearts  with  a  heart  enamelled 
held  between  two  hands.  See  an  Epigrame  of  G.  Buchanan,  on  two  rings 
that  were  made  by  Q.  Elisabeth's  appointment,  which,  being  laid  one  upon 
the  other,  shewed  the  like  figure.  The  heart  was  two  diamonds,  w"'' 
joyned,  made  the  Heart.  Q.  Elisabeth  kept  one  moietie,  and  sent  y«  other 
as  a  token  of  her  constant  friendship  to  Mary  Q.  of  Scotts ;  but  she  cutt  off 
her  head  for  all  that."  "I- 

The  Heart  in  Hand  is  still  a  common  ale-house  sign.  A 
similar  meaning  is  conveyed  by  the  equally  common  Hand  in 
Hand  or  Cross  Hands  ;  at  Tumditch,  Derby,  this  sign  is  called 
the  Cross  o'  the  Hands,  and  a  corruption  of  this  again  is  the 
Cross  in  Hand,  at  Waldron,  Sussex.  The  Hand  in  Hand  was 
also  one  of  the  usual  signs  of  the  marriage-mongers  in  Fleet  Street. 
Pennant  says  : — 

"In  walking  along  the  streets  in  my  youth,  on  the  side  next  this 
prison,  (the  Fleet,)  I  have  often  been  tempted  by  the  question,  '  Sir,  will 
you  be  pleased  to  walk  in  and  be  married.'  Along  this  most  lawless  space 
was  most  frequently  hung  up  the  sign  of  a  male  and  female  hand  con- 
joined, with  '  Marriages  performed  within '  written  beneath.  A  dirty 
fellow  invited  you  in ;  the  parson  was  seen  walking  before  his  shop,  a 
squaJid,  profligate  figure,  clad  in  a  tattered  plaid  nightgown,  with  a  fiery 
face,  and  ready  to  couple  you  for  a  dram  of  gin  or  a  roll  of  tobacco." 

The  two  hands  conjoined  is  also  common  in  France — ^where 

*  Postman,  1711. 

i  Aubrey.  Remains  of  Gentillsme  and  Judaisme.    Lansdowne  MSS.,  No.  231. 


494  ^^-®  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

it  is  called  d,  la  honne  FoL  In  1624  it  was  the  sign  of  Pierre 
BUlaine,  bookseller  and  printer  in  the  Kue  St  Jacques,  Paris. 

The  Leg  used  formerly  to  be  at  the  door  of  every  hosier.  It 
was  also  the  sign  of  a  tavern  in  King  Street,  Westminster,  fre- 
quented by  Pepys.  Trades  tokens  are  extant  of  the  Leg  and 
Stae,  kept  by  Eichard  Finch,  in  Aldersgate,  in  the  seventeenth 
century.  It  may  have  represented  a  leg  with  the  garter  round 
it,  and  the  star  of  that  order ;  but  more  probably  it  was  a  com- 
bination of  two  signs. 

The  Old  Man,  Market  Place,  Westminster,  was  probably  in- 
tended for  Old  Parr,  who  was  celebrated  in  ballads  as  "  The 
Olde,  Olde,  Very  Olde  Manne."  The  token  represents  a  bearded 
bust  in  profile,  with  a  bare  head.  In  the  reign  of  James  I.  it 
was  the  name  of  a  tavern  in  the  Strand,  otherwise  called  the 
Hercules  Tavern,  and  in  the  eighteenth  century  there  were  two 
coffee-houses,  the  one  called  the  Old  Man's,  the  other  the 
Young  Man's  Coffee-house. 

The  Fountain  was  a  favourite  sign  with  the  Londoners  before 
the  Eeformation,  perhaps  on  account  of  its  connexion  with  the 
martyrdom  of  St  Paid,  whose  head,  says  the  legend,  on  being 
struck  off,  rebounded  three  times,  when  a  fountain  gushed  up  at 
each  spot  where  the  sacred  head  had  touched  the  ground.  Hence 
there  is  a  church  near  Eome,  in  the  midst  of  the  desolate  Cam- 
pagna,  called  San  Paolo  deUe  Tre  Fontane,  where  altars  are 
raised  over  each  of  those  three  fountains.  Tliere  is  also  a  foun- 
tain connected  with  the  martyrdom  of  St  Alban,  the  English  proto- 
martyr,  and  Saints'  Wells  may  be  met  with  all  over  the  kingdom. 

During  the  Plague  of  1665,  the  following  advertisement  used 
to  figure  constantly  in  the  papers : — 

"  Tl/fONSIEUR  AnoEEE's  famous  Remedies  for  stopping  and  preventing  the 
IVl  plague  having  not  only  been  recommended  by  several  certificates  from 
Lyons,  Paris,  Thoulouse,  &c.,  but  likevrise  experimented  here  by  the 
special  directions  of  the  Lords  of  his  Majesty's  most  honourable  Privy 
Council,  and  proved  by  Witnesses  upon  oath,  and  several  Tryals,  to  be  of 
singular  virtue  and  effect,  are  to  be  had  at  Mr  Drinkwater's,  at  <iie  Foun- 
tain, in  Fleet  Street,  &c."  * 

Mr  Drinkwater  had  evidently  intended  a  pun  by  selecting  a 
fountain  as  his  sign. 

The  Fountain  Tavern  in  the  Strand  was  famous  as  the  meet- 
ing-place of  the  ultrarloyal  party  in  1 685,  who  here  talked  over 
public  affairs  before  the  meeting  of  Parliament.  Eoger  Lestrange, 

♦  The  IntAligmcer,  Sept.  4, 1665, 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  495 

who  had  been  recently  knighted  by  the  king,  took  a  leading 
part  in  these  consultations.  But  "  the  fate  of  things  lies  always 
in  the  dark ;  "  in  the  reign  of  George  II.  this  same  house  became 
a  great  resort  for  the  Whigs,  who  sometimes  used  to  meet  here  as 
many  as  two  hundred  at  a  time,  making  speeches  and  passing 
resolutions. 

For  this  reason  it  was  proposed  that  Master  Jephson  the 
landlord  should  write  under  his  sign  : — 

"  Hoc  Fonte  derivata  libertas 
In  Patriam,  Populumq  :  fluxit." 

"  From  this  fam'd  Fountain  Freedom  flow'd. 
For  Britain's  and  the  People's  good." 

In  this  tavern,  Law,  subsequently  famous  as  the  Mississippi 
schemer,  quarrelled  with  the  magnificent  and  mysterious  Beau 
Wilson  ;  Ibey  left  the  house,  adjourned  to  Bloomsbury  Square, 
and  fought  a  duel,  in  which  the  Beau  was  killed.  The  Kit  Cat 
Club,  in  winter,  used  to  meet  at  this  house.  This  club  was  &st 
established  in  an  obscure  house  in  Shire  Lane ;  it  consisted  of 
thirty-nine  distinguished  noblemen  or  gentlemen,  zealously  at- 
tached to  the  Protestant  succession  of  the  house  of  Hanover. 
Among  the  members  were  the  Dukes  of  Bichmond,  Devonshire, 
Marlborough,  Somerset,  Grafton,  Newcastle,  and  Dorset,  the 
Earls  of  Sunderland  and  Manchester,  some  lords,  and  Steele, 
Addison,  Congreve,  Garth,  Vanbrugh,  Manwaring,  Stepney,  Wal- 
pole,  and  Pulteney ;  Lord  Mohun  (implicated  in  the  murder  of 
Mountford  the  actor,  and  killed  in  a  duel  by  the  Duke  of  Hamil- 
ton) was  also  a  member. 

"The  day  Lord  Mohun  and  the  Earl  of  Berwick  were  entered  of  it, 
Jacob  [Tonson,  the  secretary]  said  he  saw  they  were  jvist  going  to  be 
ruined.  When  Lord  Mohun  broke  down  the  gilded  emblem  on  the  top  of 
his  chair,  Jacob  complained  to  his  friends,  and  said  a  man  who  would  do 
that  woijd  cut  a  man's  throat."  * 

Tonson,  for  fulfilling  the  duties  of  this  honorary  office,  was 
presented  with  the  portraits  of  all  the  members.  After  Jacob's 
death,  his  brother  Kichard  removed  the  pictures  to  his  residence 
a.t  Water  Oakley,  near  Windsor.  A  list  of  them  is  to  be  found 
in  Bray's  "  History  of  Surrey,"  vol.  iii.,  p.  318.  Forty-three  of 
them  have  been  engraved  by  Faber  in  mezzotint.  The  name  of 
the  club  is  said  to  have  been  derived  from  the  first  landlord,  who 
was  called  Christopher   Cat;    he   excelled  in  the  making  of 

*  Spence's  Anecdotes^  ed.  by  Singer,  p.  337. 


496  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

mutton-pies,  which  were  immed  after  him  Kit  Cat,  and  were  the 
standard  dish  of  the  club. 

"  Here  did  th'  assembly's  title  first  arise, 
And  Kit  Cat's  wits  sprung  first  from  Kit  Cat's  pies.'' 

Next  door  to  the  Fountain  Tavern  lived  Charles  LiUie,  the 
celebrated  snuff-seller  of  the  Spectators  and  Tatlers,  but  "he  was 
burnt  out  when  he  began  to  have  a  reputation  in  his  way." — 
{Taller,  xcii.) 

The  Fountain  and  Beajb  is  a  sign  named  in  the  following 
quaint  imprint : — 

"  A  Pbesbnt  roB  Teeming  Women,  or  Scripture  Directions  for  Women 
with  ehilde ;  how  to  prepare  for  the  hour  of  Travel  Written  first  for  the 
private  use  of  a  Gentlewoman  of  quality  in  the  West,  and  now  published 
for  the  common  good  by  John  Oliver,  lest  than  the  least  of  saints.  Sold 
by  Mary  Rothwell,  at  the  Fountain  and  Bear,  in  Cheapside,  1663." 

The  Sun  and  the  Moon  have  been  considered  as  signs  of 
Pagan  origin,  typifying  Apollo  and  Diana.  Whether  or  no  this 
conjecture  be  true,  would  be  difficult  to  prove,  but  certain  it  is 
that  they  rank  among  the  oldest  and  most  common  signs,  not 
only  in  England  but  on  the  Continent.  Early  in  the  sixteenth 
century  the  French  poet  Desirfi  Arthus  wrote  in  his  "  Loyaultl 
Consciencieuse  des  Tavemiers  :  " — 

"  Sur  les  chemins  des  grands  villes  et  champs, 
Ne  trouverez  de  douze  maisons  I'une, 
Qui  n'ait  enseigne  d'un  soleU,  d'une  lune. 
Tous  vendant  vin,  chascun  h  son  quartier."* 

Like  the  Star,  (see  p.  501,)  the  Sun  did  not  enjoy  a  good  repu- 
tation. Henry  Feacham  thus  cautions  young  men  from  the 
country  ; — 

"Let  a  monyed  man  or  gentleman  especially  beware  in  the  city,  ah  istis 
calidis  et  callidis  solis  filiabus  as  Lipsius :  these  overhot  and  crafty  daughters 
of  the  Sunne,  your  silken  and  gold  laced  harlots,  everywhere  (especially 
in  the  suburbs)  to  be  found."-|- 

The  reason  of  this  sign  having  been  especially  adopted  by  that 
description  of  houses,  we  are  unable  to  state,  unless  it  be  the'  one 
Tom  p'Urfey  gives  in  "  Collin's  Walk  through  London,"  where, 
speaking  of  a  frail  and  fair  one,  he  says  : — 

"  And  like  the  Sun,  was  understood 
To  all  mankind  a  common  good." 

*  "  On  the  roads  near  large  towns  and  in  the  conntiy,  you  will  not  find  one  honse  in 
twelve  but  It  does  exhibit  the  sign  of  the  Sun  or  the  Moon,  They  all  sell  wine,  eacl 
of  them  to  his  own  neighbourhood." 

1  Henry  Peacham's  Art  of  Living  in  London,  1642. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  497 

But  as  the  sun  shines  alike  over  good  and  evil,  so  respectable 
as  well  as  disreputable  persons  have  used  him  for  a  sign ;  thus 
Wynkyn  de  Worde,  in  Fleet  Street,  and  Anthony  K3rtson,  another 
early  printer,  and  the  publisher  of  some  works  of  Master  John 
Skelton,  poet  laureate,  carried  on  business  under  this  device. 
Taylor  the  Water  poet  mentions  three  Sun  taverns  ;  being  com- 
pelled one  day  on  his  "  pennylesse  pilgrimage,"  to  dine  a  la  belle 
eUdle,  he  says  : — "  I  made  virtue  of  necessity,  and  went  to 
breakefast  in  the  Sunne  :  I  have  fared  better  at  three  Sunnes  many 
a  time  before  now :  in  Aldersgate  Street,  Criplegate,  and  New 
Fish  Street ;  but  here  is  the  oddss  :  at  those  Sunnes  they  will 
come  vpon  a  man  with  a  taueme  bill  as  sharp  cutting  as  a  taylor's 
bill  of  items  :  a  watchman's  bill  or  a  watch  hooke  falls  not  halfe 
so  heauy  vpon  a  man."*  The  Sun  on  Fish  Street  Hill  is  also 
named  by  Pepys  : — 

"  Deo.  22,  1660.— Went  to  the  Sun  Tavern  on  Fish  Street  Hill,  to  a 
dinner  of  Captain  Teddimans,  where  was  my  Lord  Inchequin,  (who  seems 
to  be  a  very  fine  person,)  Sir  W.  Penn,  Captain  Cuttance,  and  Mr  Laurence, 
(a  fine  gentleman  now  going  to  Algiers,)  and  other  good  company,  where 
we  had  a  very  good  dinner,  good  music,  and  a  great  deal  of  wine.  I  very 
merry — went  to  bed,  my  head  aching  all  night." 

But  the  finest  of  all  the  Sun  Taverns  did  not  exist  in  Taylor's 
time  ;  it  was  built  after  the  fire  of  1666,  behind  the  Exchange. 
"  Behind  ?     I'll  ne'er  believe  it ;  you  may  as  soon 
Persuade  me  that  the  sun  stands  behind  noon." 

These  are  the  opening  lines  of  a  ballad  of  1672,  entitled  "The 
Glory  of  the  Sun  Tavern,  behind  the  Exchange."+     From  this 
baJJad  it  is  evident  that  the  tavern  was  splendidly  furnished,  and 
offered  comforts  not  generally  to  be  met  with  at  that  time. 
"  There  every  chamber  has  an  aquaeduct, 
As  if  the  sun  had  fire  for  water  trackt, 
Water  as't  were  exhal'd  up  to  heavens  sprouds, 
To  cool  your  cups  and  glasses  in  the  clouds." 

Pepys  was  a  frequent  visitor  at  this  house,  and,  in  fact,  all  the 
pleasure-seekers  of  tha,t  mad  reign  patronised  it ;  the  profligate 
Duke  of  Buckingham,  in  particular,  was  a  constant  customer. 
Simon  Wadloe,  the  landlord,  had  made  his  fortune  at  the  Devil 
in  St  Dunstan's,  whereupon  he  went  to  live  in  the  country,  and 
spent  his  money  in  a  couple  of  years.  He  then  "  choused  "  Nick 
Colbourn  out  of  the  Siui,  and  Nick,  who  had  amassed  a  handsome 

^  Tavloi-'s  Pennylesse  PilgWmage,  1630. 
f  Luttrell  Ballads,  ii.,  fol.  92. 

3K 


498  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

competence  in  the  house,  was  easily  persuaded  to  retire,  and  left  it 
"  to  live  like  a  prince  in  the  country,''  says  Pepys.  During  the 
reign  of  Charles  II.,  the  house  appears  to  have  had  an  excellent 
custom,  and  was  from  morning  till  night  full  of  the  best  com- 
pany. The  Sun  Tavern,  in  Clare  Street,  was  one  of  the  haunts 
of  the  witty  Joe  MiUer,  and  is  often  given  as  the  locality  of  his 
jokes  : — 

"  Joe  Miller,  sitting  one  day  in  the  window  of  the  Sun  Tavern,  Clare 
Street,  a  fish  woman  and  her  maid  passing  by,  the  woman  cried  .  '  Buy  my 
soals,  buy  my  maids ! '  '  Ah !  you  wicked  old  creature,'  cry'd  honest  Joe, 
'  what,  are  you  not  content  to  sell  your  own  sou],  but  you  must  sell  your 
maid's  too  V  " 

A  stereotype  joke  of  the  publican  connected  with  the  Sun  is 
the  motto,  "the  best  liquor  [generally  beer]  under  the  Sun," 
which,  of  course,  must  be  believed,  for  Solem  quis  dicere  falsum 
ovdfat  ?  Sometimes  the  sign  is  called  the  Sun  in  Splendouk, 
as  at  Nottinghill,  the  "  splendour"  having  reference  simply  to 
the  golden  beams  or  rays  usually  drawn  by  the  painter.  There  is 
still  a  carved  stone  sign  of  the  Sun,  now  gilt,  dating  from  the 
seventeenth  century,  walled  in  the  front  of  a  house  in  the  Poultry. 

The  Golden  Sun  was  the  sign  of  TJIrich  Gering,  in  the  Eue 
St  Jacques,  Paris,  printer  of  the  first  Bible  in  France,  in  1475. 
At  the  end  of  the  volume  the  Bible  thus  addresses  the 
reader  : — 

"  Jam  tribus  undecimus  lustris  Francos  Ludovicua 
Rexerat;  Ulricus,  Martinus,  itemque  Michael 
Orti  Teutonia,  hanc  mihi  composuere  figuram 
Parisii  arte  sua ;  me  correotam  vigilanter 
Venalem  in  vico  Jacobi  Sol  Aureus  offert."* 

Their  successor,  Berthold  Eumbold,  on  removing  the  business 
to  another  house  in  the  same  street,  opposite  the  Rue  Fromentel, 
kept  the  same  sign,  and  there  it  continued  as  late  as  1689, 
having  constantly  been  in  the  hands  of  booksellers.  Not  impro- 
bably the  first  printers,  both  in  England  and  abroad,  adopted  the 
sign  of  the  Sun,  as  an  emblem  of  the  new  era  opened  to. the 
world  by  the  invention  of  printing,  which,  when  they  reflected  on 
their  discovery,  they  saw  would,  at  no  distant  period,  spread  an 

*  "  Already  had  Louis  XI.  reigned  fifteen  years  over  the  French  when  Ulrich  and 
Mnrtin  [Crantz]  and  Michel  [Priburger,]  all  natives  of  Germany,  produced  me  in  this 
shape  at  Paris  by  their  art ;  carefully  corrected,  I  am  now  offered  for  sale  in  the  Rue  St 
Jacques,  at  tho  Oolden  Sun." 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  499 

intellectual  light  over  the  world,  as  brilliant  and  as  vivifying  as 
that  of  the  radiant  sun.* 

The  sign  of  the  Sun  occurs  in  endless  combinations,  often 
capricious,  mthout  any  other  reason  than  a  whim,  and  an  alliter- 
ation, as  the  Sun  aub  Sawyers  ;  the  Sun  and  Swoed  ;  the 
Sun  and  Spoetsman  ;  or  quartered  with  other  signs,  as  the 
Sun  and  Anchor;  Dial;  Falcon;  Last;  Horseshoe,  &c. 
All  these,  and  innumerable  others  of  the  same  sort,  occur  among 
the  London  public-house  signs  of  the  present  day.  The  Sun  and 
Hare  is  a  stone  carved  sign,  walled  up  in  the  fagade  of  a  house 
in  the  High  Street,  Southwark.  Were  it  not  for  the  initials 
H.N. A.,  it  might  be  taken  for  a  rebus  on  the  name  Harrison ;  as 
it  is,  it  may  be  a  jocular  corruption  of  the  Sun  and  Hart,  the 
badge  of  Eichard  IL     (See  p.  109.) 

The  KisiNG  Sun  is  nearly  as  common  as  the  sun  in  his  meridian ; 
perhaps  on  account  of  the  favourable  omen  it  presents  for  a  man 
commencing  business.  In  1726  it  was  the  sign  of  a  noted  tavern 
in  Islington,  where  some  merry  doings  went  on  occasionally  : — 
"  C^  Tuesday  next,  being  Shrove  Tuesday,  will  be  a  fine  hog  barbygu'd 
V^  whole  at  the  house  of  Peter  Brett,  at  the  Rising  Sun,  in  Islington 
Road,  with  other  diversions.  It  is  the  house  where  the  ox  was  roasted 
whole  at  Christmas  last." — Mist's  Journal,  February  9,  1726. 

To  barbecue  a  hog,  was  a  West  Indian  term  for  roasting  a 
whole  pig,  stuffed  with  spice,  and  basted  with  Madeira  wine. 

The  EisiNG  Sun  and  Seven  Stars  was  the  very  appropriate 
sign,  at  which  was  printed  a  work  on  "  Astrological  Optics ;"  but 
better  stiU,  it  was  printed  for  E.  Moon,  whose  shop  was  "in 
Paul's  Churchyarde,  in  the  New  BuUding,  between  the  two  North 
Doors,  1655."  An  old  jest-book  says  that  an  Irishman,  seeing 
the  sign  of  the  Eising  Sun  was  kept  by  A  (nthony)  Moon,  accused 
the  said  Moon  of  having  made  a  bull,  for  saying  that  the  Sun 
was  kept  by  the  Moon. 

One  of  the  learned  questions  propounded  by  Hudibras  to  that 
cunning  man,  Sidrophel,  the  Eosicrucian,  was  : — 
"  Tell  me  but  what 's  the  natural  cause 
Why  on  a  sign  no  painter  draws 
The  full  moon  ever,  but  the  half." — Hudibras,  part  iii.,  0.  3. 

This  might  be  true  in  Butler's  time,  but  is  no  longer  so  ;  at 

*  This  idea  is  in  a  measure  set  forth  in  some  lines  on  the  titlepage  of  *'  Gasparini 
Pergamensis  Epistolarium  opus  per  Joannem  Lapidarlum  Sorbonensis  Scholse  Priorem 
multis  yigiliis  ex  corrupto  integrum  affectum  ingeniosa  arte  impressoria  in  luce 
redactum,"  1470,  beginning; — 

<'  Ut  sol  lumen  sic  doctrinam  fundis  in  Orbem." 


500  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

Leicester,  for  instance,  there  are  two  signs  of  the  Full  Moon, 
and  it  occurs  in  many  other  places.  The  Crescent,  or  HALr-MooN, 
was  the  emblem  of  the  temporal  power,  as  the  Sun  was  the  dis- 
tinction of  the  spiritual. 

Ben  Jonson  once  desiring  a  glass  of  sack,  went  to  the  Half- 
Moon  Tavern,  in  Aldersgate  Street,  but  found  it  closed,  so  he 
adjourned  to  the  Sun  Tarem,  in  Long  Lane,  and  wrote  this 
epigram  : — 

"  Since  the  Half  Moon  is  so  unkind. 
To  make  me  go  about, 
The  Sun  my  money  now  shall  have. 
And  the  Moon  shall  go  without." 

The  Half-Moon,  Upper  HoUoway,  was  famous  in  the  last  cen- 
tury for  excellent  cheesecakes,  which  were  hawked  about  the 
streets  of  London,  by  a  man  on  horseback,  and  formed  one  of  the 
London  cries.  This  circumstance  is  noticed  in  a  poem  in  the 
Gentleman's  Magazine  for  1743,  entitled  "  A  Journey  to  Notting- 
ham." In  April  1747,  the  following  advertisement  appeared  in 
the  same  magazine  : — 

"  TTALF-MOON  Tavekn,  Cheapside,  April  13.  His  Royal  Highness  the 
XI  Dwhe  of  Cumberland  having  restored  peace  to  Britain,  by  the  ever 
memorable  Battle  of  Culloden,  fought  on  the  16th  of  April  1745,  the  choice 
spirits  have  agreed  to  celebrate  that  day  annually  by  A  Geasd  Jubilee  in 
the  Moon,  of  which  the  Stars  are  hereby  acquainted  and  summoned  to 
shine  with  their  brightest  Lustre  by  6  o'clock  on  Thursday  next  in  the 
Evening." 

The  Crescent  and  Anchoe  is  a  sign  at  Norton-in-Hales, 
near  Market  Drayton ;  the  Half-Moon  and  Seven  Stars  at 
Aston  Clinton,  near  Tring  j  and  the  Sun,  Moon,  and  Seven  Stars 
at  Blisworth,  in  Northampton.  These  Seven  Stars  have  always 
been  great  favourites ;  they  seem  to  be  the  same  pleiad  which 
is  used  as  a  Masonic  emblem — a  circle  of  six  stars,  with  one  in 
the  centre;  but  to  teU  to  ears  profane,  what  this  emblem  means, 
would  be  disclosing  the  sacred  arcana^  The  Seven  Staes  was 
the  sign  of  Kichard  Moone,  before  he  was  so  ambitious  as  to  place 
the  whole  firmament  on  his  sign  :  in  1653  he  printed — 

"  The  mest  addresses  to  his  Excellence  the  Lord  General,  &c.,  by  John 
Spittlehouse,  a  late  Member  of  the  Army,  and  a  servant  to  the  Saints  of 
the  Most  High  God,  &e.  London,  printed  by  J.  C,  for  himself  and 
Richard  Moon,  at  the  Seven  Stars,  in  Paul's  Churchyard,  near  the  great 
North  Door.     1653." 

As  a  change  upon  the  Seven  Stars,  a  publican  at  Counte^ 
Blip,  Bristol,  has  put  up  the  Fourteen  Stars. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  50 1 

We  have  seen  (p.  492)  that  the  sign  of  the  Stae  was  "  calcu- 
lated for  every  lewd  purpose ;"  a  great  change  certainly  from 
mediaeval  times,  when  a  star  was  the  emblem  of  the  Holy  Virgin, 
who  was  thus  styled  Maris  Stella  (star  of  the  sea) — the  signi- 
fication of  the  name  Miriam  in  Hebrew — or  Stella  Jacohi,  (star 
of  Jacob,)  Stella  Matutina,  (morning  star,)  Stella  non  erratica, 
(fixed  star,  unerring  star,)  &c. ;  a  star  being  always  painted  either 
on  her  right  shoulder,  or  on  her  veil,  as  may  be  readily  observed 
in  the  works  of  the  early  Italian  masters  in  our  National  Gallery. 
A  star  of  sixteen  rays  is  the  crest  of  the  Innholders'  Company. 
Oliver  Cromwell  used  to  meet  some  of  his  party  at  the  Star  in 
Coleman  Street,  as  was  deposed  by  one  of  the  witnesses  in  the 
trial  of  Hugh  Peters  : — 

"  Gunter.  My  Lord,  I  was  servant  at  the  Star  in  Coleman  Street,  with 
one  Hildesley.  That  house  was  a  house  where  Oliver  Cromwell  and  several 
of  that  party  did  use  to  meet  in  consultation." 

John  Bunyan  died  in  1682  at  the  Star,  on  Snowhill,  in  the 
house  of  his  friend,  Mr  Strudwick,  a  grocer. 

The  Pole  Star  is  now  a  not  uncommon  sign.  To  make  this 
device  more  intelligible,  tavern-keepers  ought  to  attach  to  it  the 
motto  it  bore  in  the  middle  ages,  when  it  was  a  symbol  of  the 
Church  :  "  qui  me  non  aspidt  errat."  (He  who  does  not  look 
at  me  goes  astray.)  The  Stab  and  Crown  was  the  sign  of 
a  haberdasher  in  Princes  Street,  Coventry  Street,  1785,  who, 
among  other  things,  sold  "  dress  and  undress  hoops." 

The  signs  of  the  zodiac  appear  occasionally  to  have  been 
adopted  by  conjurors  and  astrologers.  Ned  Ward  describes  them 
as  figuring,  in  lus  time,  on  the  door  of  "  a  star-peeper,"  in  Prescot 
Street.* 

The  Two  Twins,  or  Naked  Boys,  was  the  sign  of  a  quack  in 
Moorfields,  "  near  the  steps  going  out  of  the  Lower  Field  into 
the  Middle  Field.  There  is  a  door  above  the  steps,  and  another 
below  the  steps,  with  the  Twins,  and  the  name  Langham  on  both 
doors  ; — keep  the  bill  to  prevent  mistaking  the  house  or  being 
sent  to  a  wrong  place. "+  To  such  lengthy  explanations  our  ances- 
tors were  compelled  to  resort  in  the  absence  of  numbers  on  their 
houses.  Either  this  quack  had  adopted  the  Two  Twins  on  ac- 
count of  his  obstetrical  pretensions,  or  he  was  an  astrologer  as 
well  as  a  quack,  for  Moorfields  was  the  head-quarters  of 

•  Londxm  Spy,  part  xiii.,  p.  319, 1706. 

t  Han  ibill  in  Harleian  Collection,  p.  5964. 


502  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

"  Augurs  and  soothsayers,  astrologers, 
Diviners,  and  interpreters  of  dreams." 

In  the  last  case  he  might  have  chosen  it  as  heing  the  ascendant 
of  the  city  of  London,  which  "  stands  in  a  benign  and  temperate 
climate,  in  the  latitude  of  52°  and  longitude  of  19°  15', — Shaving 
(as  artists  reckon)  the  celestial  twins,  the  house  of  Mercury,  patron 
of  merchandise  and  ingenious  arts,  for  her  ascendant."* 

The  Rainbow,  in  Fleet  Street,  opposite  Chancery  Lane,  is  the 
oldest  coffee-house  in  London  : — 

"  I  find  it  recorded  that  one  James  Farr,  a  barber,  who  kept  the  coffee- 
house, which  is  now  the  Rainbow,  by  the  Inner  Temple  gate,  (one  of  the 
first  in  England,)  was,  in  the  year  1657,  presented  by  the  inquest  of  St 
Dunstan's  in  the  West,  for  making  and  selling  a  sort  of  liquor  called  Coffee, 
as  a  great  nuisance  and  prejudice  to  the  neighboorhood,  &c.,  and  who  would 
have  thought  London  would  ever  have  had  near  three  thoiisand  such 
nuisances,  and  that  coffee  would  have  been  (as  now)  so  much  drank  by  the 
best  of  quality  and  physicians."t 

The  presentation  here  alluded  to  is  still  preserved  among  the 
records  of  St  Sepulchre's  Church.     It  says  : — 

"  We  present  James  Farr,  Barber,  for  making  and  selling  a  drink  called 
coffee,  whereby,  in  making  the  same,  he  annoyeth  his  neighboors  by  evill 
smells,  and  for  keeping  of  fire  the  most  part  night  and  day,  whereby  his 
chimney  and  chamber  has  been  set  on  fire,  to  the  great  danger  and  affreight- 
ment of  his  neighboors." 

This  danger  of  fire  was  so  much  the  greater,  as  a  bookseller, 
Samuel  Speedal,  had  his  shop  in  the  same  house.  In  1682,  the 
Phoenix  Fire  Office,  one  of  the  first  in  this  country,  was  estab- 
lished at  this  place. 

The  Thundee  Stoem  is  the  sign  of  a  public-house  at  FramweU- 
gate  Moor,  Durham  ;  and  the  Hailstone,  at  Knowle,  Stafford- 
shire ;  both  these  houses  may  have  taken  their  names  from  a 
severe  storm,  which  visited  the  neighbourhood  at  or  about  the 
time  of  their  opening,  just  as  the  Haylift,  at  Wansforth, 
Northampton,  is  said  to  owe  its  origin  to  the  fact  of  a  man  float- 
ing a  long  way  down  the  river  on  a  haycock,  during  an  inunda- 
tion, and  landing  near  that  place. 

As  for  the  Wild  Sea,  the  sign  of  John  Horton,  over  against 
Parson's  Brewhouse,  Croydon,  J  in  1718,  no  more  plausible  ex- 
planation occurs  to  us  than  that  John  Horton  might  have  been  a 
sailor  in  his  younger  days. 

The  Hole-in-the-Wall  is  beheved   to  have  originated  from 

"  a  Compleat  Description  of  London,  Harl.  MSS.,  5953,  vol.  L 
t  HHtton's  New  View,  of  London.  1708,  p.  30. 
J   Weekly  Journal,  Sept.  27,  1718. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  503 

the  hole  made  in  the  wall  of  the  debtors'  or  other  prison,  through 
which  the  poor  prisoners  received  the  money,  broken  meat,  or 
other  donations  of  the  charitably  inclined.  The  old  sign  of  the 
Hole-in-the-Wall  (see  our  illustrations)  shows  such  an  opening 
in  a  square  piece  of  brickwork.  Generally,  it  is  believed  to  refer 
to  some  snug  comer,  perhaps  near  the  town  walls ;  but  at  the  old 
public-house  in  Chancery  Lane  the  legend  is  as  we  have  given  it. 
Hard  by,  in  Cursitor  Street,  prisoners  for  debt  found  a  temporary 
lodging  up  to  a  very  recent  date.  Trades  tokens  are  extant  of 
this  house,  which,  about  1820,  was  kept  by  Jack  EandaU,  alias 
Nonpareil,  a  famous  member  of  the  P.K. ;  on  one  occasion  some 
verses  were  made  containing  the  following  lines  : — 

"  Then  blame  me  not,  swells,  kids,  or  lads  of  the  fancy, 
For  opening  a  lush  crib  in  Chancery  Lane, 
An  appropriate  spot  'tis,  you  doubtless  all  can  see, 
Since  heads  I  've  oft  placed  there,  and  let  out  again." 

The  poet,  Thomas  Moore,  in  the  fast  days  when  George  IV. 
was  king,  and  when  pugilism  and  gin  drinking  were  fashionable 
accomplishments,  used  to  visit  Mr  Randall's  parlour.  It  was  here 
that  he  picked  up  his  materials  for  those  rhyming  satires  on  the 
politics  and  general  topics  of  his  time  : — "  Tom  Crib's  Memorials 
to  Congress,  by  one  of  the  Fancy ;"  "  Randall's  Diary  of  Pro- 
ceedings at  the  House  of  Call  for  Genius;"  "A  Few  Selections 
from  Jack  Randall's  Scrap  Book,  with  Poems  on  the  late  Fight  for 
the  Championship." 

At  the  Hole-in-the-Wall  in  Chandos  Street,  Claude  Duval  the 
highwayman  was  taken  prisoner ;  whilst  the  Hole-in-the-Wal!  ia 
Baldwin's  Gardens  was  the  citadel  in  which  Tom  Brown  used  to 
intrench  himself  from  duns  and  bailiffs,  with  Henry  Purcell  the 
musician,  as  his  companion  in  revelry  and  merriment.  Tom 
Brown's  introductory  verses,  prefixed  to  Playford's  "  Musical 
Companion,"  1698,  are  dated  "  from  Mr  Stewart's  at  the  Hole-in- 
the-Wall,  in  Baldwin's  Gardens."  Another  Hole-in-the-Wall  stiU 
exists  in  Kirby  Street,  Hatton  Garden.  It  is  a  curious  fact  that 
the  refreshment-room,  or  liquor-bar,  attached  to  the  House  of 
Representatives  at  Washington,  is  known  to  most  thirsty  American 
politicians  as  The  Hole-in-the-Wall. 

Anciently,  instead  of  being  a  painted  board,  the  object  of  the 
sign  was  carved  and  hung  within  a  hoop,  hence  (as  we  had  occa- 
sion to  remark  on  a  former  page)  nearly  all  the  ancient  signs  are 
called  the  " on  the  hoop."     In  the  Clause  Roll,  43  Edward 


504  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

III.,  we  find  the  Geoege  on  the  Hoop  ;  26  Henry  VL,  the 
Hakt  on  the  Hoop;  30  Heniy  VL,  the  Swan,  the  Cock,  and 
the  Hen  on  the  Hoop.  Besides  these  we  find  mentioned  the 
Crown  on  the  Hoop,  the  Bunch  of  Geapes  on  the  Hoop,  the 
MiTEB  on  the  Hoop,  the  Angel  on  the  Hoop,  the  Falcon  on 
THE  Hoop,  &c.  In  1795,  two  of  these  signs  were  stUl  extant,  for 
a  periodical  of  the  time  says  : — "A  sign  of  this  nature  is  still 
preserved  in  Newport  Street,  and  is  a  carved  representation  of  a 
Bunch  of  Grapes  within  a  Hoop.  The  Cock  on  the  Hoop  may 
be  seen  also  in  Holbom,  painted  on  a  board,  to  which,  perhaps,  it 
was  transferred  on  the  removal  of  the  sign-posts."*  These  hoops 
seem  to  have  originated  in  the  highly  ornamented  bush  or  crown, 
which  latterly  was  made  of  hoops,  covered  with  evergreens.  In 
France,  the  Hoop  {le  Cerceau)  was  used  as  a  sign.  Jacques 
Androuet,  a  celebrated  architect,  and  author  of  a  work  entitled 
"  Les  plus  exceUents  Batiments  de  France,"  lived  at  the  sign 
of  the  Hoop,  whence  he  adopted  the  surnames  of  Jacques 
Androuet  du  Cerceau.  In  1570  he  published  a  book  on  metal- 
work,  containing  several  designs  for  ornamental  iron  frames  anc^ 
posts  to  suspend  signboards  from.  That  names  in  this  country 
also  were  occasionally  derived  from  signboards,  has  been  stated  in 
our  introduction.  Of  this  practice.  Sir  Peter  Leiy,  the  portrait 
painter,  was  an  Ulustrious  example.  He  belonged  to  a  Dutch 
family  named  Van  der  Vaas.  His  grandfather  was  a  perfumer, 
and  lived  at  the  sign  of  the  Lily,  (perhaps  a  vase  of  lilies,  with 
a  pun  on  his  name.)  When  his  son  entered  the  English  army 
he  discarded  his  Dutch  name,  and  from  the  paternal  sign,  adopted 
the  more  euphonious  one  of  Lilly  or  Lely;  and  this  name  he  and 
his  children  afterwards  retained.  The  famous  EothscMld  family 
is  another  case  in  point.  From  the  Red  Shield  (the  rothschild) 
above  the  door  of  an  honest  old  Hebrew,  in  the  Juden-gasse,  (or 
Jews'  AUey,)  at  Frankfort,  has  been  derived  the  name  of  the 
richest  family  in  the  world. 

The  Hoop  AND  Bunch  of  Geapes  was  the  sign  of  a  public- 
house,  in  St  Albans  Street,  (now  part  of  Waterloo  Place,)  kept  at 
the  beginning  of  the  present  century,  by  the  famous  Matthew 
Skeggs,  who  obtained  his  renown  from  playing,  in  the  character  of 
Signor  Bumbasto,  a  concerto  on  a  broomstick,  at  the  Haymarket 
Theatre,  adjoining.  His  portrait  was  painted  by  King,  a  friend 
of  Hogarth,  engraved  by  Houston,  and  published  by  Skeggs  hiin- 

•  Loolcer-On,  Jan.  17115. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  505 

self.  The  Hoop  and  Geiffin  was  a  cofifee-house  in  Leadenhall 
Street,  area  1700  ;*  and  the  Hoop  and  Toy  is  a  public-house 
in  Thurloe  Place,  Brompton.  Here  the  original  meaning  of  the 
hoop  seems  entirely  lost,  as  its  combination  with  the  toy  seems  to 
allude  to  the  hoop  trundled  by  children. 

The  Toy  at  Hampton  used  to  be  a  favourite  resort  with  the 
Londoners  till  1857,  when  it  was  pulled  down  to  make  room  for 
private  houses.  Trades  tokens  of  this  house  of  the  seventeenth 
century  are  extant.  "  In  the  survey  of  1653  (in  the  Augment- 
ation office)  mention  is  made  of  a  piece  of  pasture  ground  near 
the  river,  called  the  Toying  place,  the  site,  probably,  of  a  well- 
known  inn  near  the  bridge  now  called  the  Toy."+ 

Cardmakers  usually  took  a  card  for  their  sign,  as  the  Qxjeen 
OF  Hearts  anb  King's  Akms,  which  was  the  sign  of  a  card- 
maker  in  Jermyn  Street  in  1803.  J  One  of  the  Bagford  Bills 
has :  "  At  the  Old  Knave  of  Clubs  at  the  Bridgefoot,  in  South- 
wark,  liveth  Edward  Butling,  who  maketh  and  seUeth  all  sorts  of 
hangings  for  rooms,"  &c.  §  Possibly  he  sold  also  playing-cards. 
These  knaves,  however,  seem  at  one  time  to  have  been  a  badge, 
for  at  the  creation  of  seventeen  knights  of  the  Bath  by  Richard 
III.,  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  was  "richely  appareled,  and  his 
horse  trapped  in  blue  velvet  embroudered  with  the  knaves  of 
cartes  bumyng  of  golde,  which  trapper  was  borne  by  foteman 
from  the  grounde."||  The  Queen  of  Teumps  is  a  public-house 
sign  at  West  Walton,  near  Wisbeach. 

The  Heaet  and  Teumpei  is  a  somewhat  curious  sign  at 
Pentre-wern  near  Oswestry,  perhaps  a  corruption  of  Hearts  and 
Trumps.  Other  games  have  produced  the  sign  of  the  Golden 
Quoit,  in  Whitehaven,  and  the  Coenee  Pin,  which  is  so  com- 
mon that  it  figures  in  a  Seven  Dials  ballad,  a  parody  on  the 
Low-back  Car  : — 

"  When  first  I  saw  Miss  Bailey, 
'Twas  on  a  Saturday, 
At  the  Comefr  Pin  she  was  drinking  gin. 
And  smoking  a  yard  of  clay,"  &c. 

All  bowlers  know  that  the  corner  pins  are  the  most  difficult  to 

♦  London  Gazette,  Dec.  9-12,  1700. 

t  Lyson's  Historical  Account  of  Parishes  in  Middlesex,  p.  75. 

t  Banks  Bills. 

6  Harleian  MSS.,  5962. 

[l  Graiton's  prose  continuation  of  John  Harding's  Chronicle,  p.  183. 

3S 


506  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

strike,  and  that  from  their  fall  -with  the  rest  depends  whether 
the  throw  counts  double  or  not. 

Formerly  the  merriest  day  of  the  year  in  "  Merry  England  " 
was  certainly  the  first  of  May,  but  of  its  many  festivities  scarcely 
a  trace  is  left  except  the  dance  of  the  sweeps  and  the  sign  of  the 
Maypole.  Stubbe,  with  puritanical  horror,  thus  describes  the 
Maypole  : — 

"  They  have  twenty  or  fourtie  yoke  of  oxen,  every  one  having  a  sweet 
nosegay  of  flowers  tyed  on  the  tippe  of  his  homes,  and  these  oxen  draw 
home  this  Maie  pole  (this  stinckyng  Idoll  rather)  which  is  couered  all  ouer 
with  flowers  and  hearbes  bounde  rounde  aboute  with  stringes,  from  the 
toppe  to  the  bottome,  and  sometyme  painted  with  variable  colours  with 
two  or  three  hundred  men,  women,  and  children  following  it  with  great 
devotion.  And  thus  being  reared  up  with  handkerchiefs  and  flagges 
streaming  on  the  toppe  they  strawe  the  ground  aboute,  binde  green 
boughes  aboute  it,  sett  up  sommer  houses,  Bowers,  and  Arbours  hard"  by 
it.  And  then  fall  they  to  banquet  and  feast,  to  leape  and  daunce  aboute 
it,  as  the  Heathen  people  did  at  the  dedication  of  their  Idolles,  whereof 
this  is  a  perfect  pattern,  or  rather  the  thing  itself."* 

The  same  author  also  reports  that  it  was  customary  for  lads  and 
lasses  to  go  the  night  before  May-day  to  the  bills  and  woodlands 
to  gather  branches  and  flowers  to  deck  the  houses  with  on  that 
day,  and  that  they  used  to  "  spende  all  the  night  in  pastymes " 
to  the  great  detriment  of  female  virtue;  Featherstone,  another 
sulky  puritan,  scandalised  the  fair  sex  by  the  assertion  that 
"  of  tenne  maydens  which  went  to  fetch  May,  nine  of  them 
came  home  with  childe."+  The  consequence  of  all  this  grum- 
bling was  that  the  Maypole  was  abolished  in  the  godly  times  of 
the  Commonwealth,  and  as  a  matter  of  course,  revived  at  the 
Restoration — but  its  prestige  was  gone.  At  present  it  is  only 
commemorated  by  hundreds  of  signboards.  There  is  one  on  the 
outskirts  of  Hainault  Forest,  immortalised  in  "  Eamaby  Eudge," 
which  has  all  the  regulations  of  the  house  laid  down  in  rhyme ; 
part  of  these  have  been  quoted  on  p.  449.  There  is  on  the 
stable  door: — 

"  Whosoever  smokes  tobacco  here 

Shall  forfeit  sixpence  to  spend  in  beer. 

Your  pipes  lay  by,  when  you  come  here. 

Or  fire  to  me  may  prove  severe." 
An  old,  and  not  uncommon  sign,  is  the  Wheel  of  FoETUifE, 
which  may  be  seen  at  Alpington,  Norwich,  and  in  other  places. 
This  wheel  is  sometimes  represented  vfith  four  kings,  one  on 

•  Stubbe's  Anatomy  of  Abases,  London,  1585,  p  94. 

t  Featherstone'B  Dialogue  against  Light  and  Loscivioas  Dancing. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  507 

each  quadrant.     In  the  middle  ages  it  was  a  very  common  sym- 
bol, cis  well  in  England  as  on  the  continent,  being  frequently 
painted  in  churches;  there  is  one  stiU  to  be  seen  among  the 
half  obliterated  frescoes  of  Catfield  church  in  Norfolk.     Other 
instances  occur  in  the  church  of  St  Etienne,  at  Beauvais ;  in  St 
Martin,  at  Basle;  in  San  Zeno,  at  Verona;  and  in  the  beautiful 
pavement  of  the  Duomo,  at  Sienna.    Not  only  in  those  countries, 
but  all  over  Europe,  this  device  occurs  as  a  sign.     Peacham  thus 
accounts  for  the  wheel  being  chosen  as  the  emblem  of  Fortune : — 
"  For  like  ourselves,  the  spoke  that  was  on  high 
Is  to  the  bottom  in  a  moment  cast, 
As  fast  the  lowest  riseth  by  and  by, 
All  human  things  thus  find  a  change  at  last." 

Peacliam's  Minerva  Srittana,  p.  76. 
The  MoNSTEE,  at  one  period  an  inn  of  some  resort  in  Willow 
Walk,  Chelsea,  now  a  starting-point  for  the  Pimlico  omnibuses, 
is  perhaps  a  corruption  of  the  Monastery.  Robert  de  Heyle  in 
1368  leased  the  whole  of  the  manor  of  Chelsea  to  the  abbot  and 
convent  of  Westminster  for  the  term  of  his  own  life,  for  which 
they  were  to  allow  him  a  certain  house  within  the  convent  for 
his  residence,  to  pay  him  the  sum  of  £20  per  annum,  to  provide 
him  every  day  two  white  loaves,  two  flagons  of  convent  ale,  and 
once  a  year  a  robe  of  esquire's  sUk.  At  this  period,  or  shortly 
after,  the  sign  of  the  Monastery  may  have  been  set  up,  to  be 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation,  until  the  meaning 
and  proper  pronunciation  were  forgotten,  and  it  became  "the 
Monster."  In  stUl  older  times,  viz.,  during  the  Norman  rule, 
Chelsea  appears  to  have  been  one  of  the  manors  of  Westminster, 
so  that  the  connexion  between  the  village  of  Chelsea  and  the 
monastery  of  Westminster  had  been  of  very  old  standing.  This 
tavern,  we  believe,  is  the  only  one  with  such  a  sign.  Ned  Ward 
mentions  a  Geeen  Monstee  tavern  in  Prescott  Street,  but  that 
may  have  been  one  of  Ned's  jokes  on  the  very  common  Green 
Dragon.  The  tavern  in  question  was  a  very  unlucky  house,  and 
not  less  than  three  or  four  landlords  had  failed  in  it,  which  was 
not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  the  street  appears  at  that  time  to 
have  been  one  of  the  soberest  in  London.  According  to  Ned, 
one  "would  walk  by  forty  or  fifty  houses  and  not  an  ale- 
house."* 

The  Million  Gaedens,  Strutton  Ground,  Westminster,  was 

*  London  Spy,  part  xiii.,  p.  320,  1706. 


5o8  THE  HISTORY  OP  SIGNBOARDS. 

the  singular  name  of  the  house  where  tickets  might  be  obtained 
for  a  lottery  of  plate  in  1718.*  The  name  in  reality  refers  to 
the  "Melon  Gardens,"  which  fruit  was  pronounced  after  the 
signboard  orthography  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centu- 
ries. 

Pepys,  on  the  3d  of  August  1660,  informs  us  that  he  dined  at 
an  ordinary  called  the  Quaker,  a  somewhat  unusual  godfather 
for  a  sinful  tavern.  This  house  was  situated  in  the  Great  Sanc- 
tuary, Westminster,  and  was  only  pulled  down  in  the  beginning 
of  the  present  century  to  make  way  for  a  market-place,  which  in 
its  turn  has  made  room  for  a  new  sessions-house.  Tull,  the  last 
landlord,  opened  a  new  public-house  in  Thieving  Lane,  and 
adorned  the  doorway  of  this  house  with  twisted  pillars  decorated 
with  vine-leaves,  brought  from  the  old  Quaker  tavern.  J.  T. 
Smith  presents  us  with  a  view  of  this  house  in  the  additional 
plates  to  Ms  "Antiquities  of  Westminster." 

The  Pilgrim  has  been  mentioned  incidentally  (on  p.  434)  as  a 
sign  at  Coventry.  There  is  another  public-house  of  this  name 
in  Kew  Lane.  In  1833  a  figure  of  a  pilgrim  was  placed  upon 
the  roof  of  this  house,  which  by  concealed  machinery  moved  to 
and  fro  like  the  Wandering  Jew,  doomed  to  wander  up  and 
down  until  the  end  of  the  world ;  it  was,  however,  of  contemp- 
tible workmanship,  and  very  soon  got  out  of  order. 

The  Gipsy's  Tent  occurs  at  Hagley,  Stourbridge;  the  Gipsy 
Queen  at  Highbury  and  other  places;  and  the  Queen  of  the 
Gipsies  was  the  sign  of  the  so-caUed  gipsy  house  near  Nor- 
wood. The  queen  alluded  to  was  Margaret  Finch,  who  died  at 
the  great  age  of  109  years ;  Norwood  was  her  residence  during 
the  last  years  of  her  life,  and  there  she  told  fortunes  to  the  credu- 
lous. She  was  buried  October  24,  1760,  in  a  deep  square  box, 
as  from  her  constant  habit  of  sitting  with  her  chin  resting  on 
her  knees,  her  muscles  had  become  so  contracted  that  she  could 
not  at  last  alter  her  position.  This  woman,  when  a  girl  of  seven- 
teen, may  have  been  one  of  the  dusky  gang  pretty  Mrs  Pepys 
and  her  companions  went  to  consult,  August  11,  1668,  wluch 
her  lord  duly  chronicled  in  the  evening :  "  This  afternoon  my 
wife  and  Mercer  and  Deb  went  with  PeUing  to  see  the  gypsies  at 
Lambeth,  and  have  their  fortunes  told,  but  what  they  did  I  did 
not  enquire."  A  granddaughter  of  Margaret  Finch,  also  a  so 
styled  queen,  was  living  in  an  adjoining  cottage  in  the  year  1 800. 
*  Weekhj  Jovrnol,  .Tan,  18,  171S. 


MISCELLANEOUS  SIGNS.  509 

The  Tkde  Lover's  Knot  is  a  sign  at  Uxbridge,  the  only  ex- 
ample of  it  we  have  met  with.  In  the  North  of  England  and  in 
Scotland  it  is  stOl  the  custom  with  betrothed  lovers  of  the  lower 
class  to  present  each  other  with  a  curious  kind  of  knot  called  "  a 
true  lover's  knot."  Brand  says  the  word  is  not  derived  from  true 
love,  but  from  trulofa,  Danish  for  fidem  do.  It  was  formerly  a 
common  present  between  lovers  of  all  stations  of  life  in  England. 

The  Folly  is  not  unusual ;  it  is  generally  applied  to  a  very 
ambitious,  extravagantly  furnished,  or  highly  ornamented  house ; 
in  such  a  sense  it  was  already  used  in  Queen  Elizabeth's 
reign : — 

"  Kirby  Castle  and  Fisher's  Folly 
Spinola's  Pleasure  and  Megse'a  Glory.'' 

One  of  the  most  notorious  "  Follies "  was  an  edince  of  timber 
divided  into  sundry  rooms,  with  a  platform  and  balustrade  ou 
the  top,  which  in  the  reign  of  Charles  II.  floated  in  the  Thames 
above  London  Bridge.  At  first  it  was  very  well  frequented,  and 
the  beauty  and  fashion  of  the  period  (Pepys  amongst  them, 
April  13,  1668,)  used  to  go  there  on  summer  evenings,  partake 
of  refreshments  on  the  platform,  and  enjoy  the  breeze  on  the 
river  (then  guiltless  of  the  modern  sewers  and  filth.)  Ou  one 
occasion  Queen  Mary  honoured  it  with  a  visit,  accompanied  by 
some  of  her  courtiers.  Gradually,  however,  it  took  to  evQ 
courses;  loose  and  disorderly  females  were  admitted,  and  un- 
restrained drinking  and  dancing  soon  gave  it  an  unenviable 
notoriety.  In  this  condition  it  was  visited  by  Tom  Brown,  who 
describes  it  with  his  usual  coarse  vigour :  "  This  whimsical  piece 
of  Architecture  was  designed  as  a  musical  Summer-house  for  the 
entertainment  of  quality  where  they  might  meet  and  ogle  one 
another ;  but  the  Ladies  of  the  Town  finding  it  as  convenient  a 
rendez-vous,  overstock'd  the  place  with  such  an  inundation  of 
harlotry,  that  dashed  the  female  quality  out  of  countenance,  and 
made  them  seek  some  more  retired  conveniency."  He  next 
describes  the  company  in  very  glowing  colours,  but  found  it 
such  a  confused  scene  of  folly,  madness,  and  debauchery,  that  he 
— ^no  very  bashful  person — was  compelled  to  return  to  his  boat 
"  without  drinking.'"*  At  length  the  place  became  so  scandalous 
that  it  had  to  be  closed ;  it  went  to  decay,  and  at  last  was  sold 
for  firewood. 

The  sign  of  the  Blub-Coat  Boy,  usually  chosen  by  toj'-shops, 

*  Tom  Brown's  Walk  round  London. 


5  lO  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

printsellers,  and  colourmen,  was  either  in  compliment  to  the 
scholars  of  King  Edward  VI.'s  foundation,  Christ's  Hospital, — 
commonly  caUed  "  the  Blue  Coat  School,"  from  the  blue  tunic 
of  the  lads,  or  was  named  after  the  Bridewell  Boys,  i.e.,  found- 
lings and  deserted  children,  who  wore  a  blue  coat  and  trousers, 
with  a  white  hat.  Until  the  end  of  the  last  century  they  used 
to  attend  at  all  the  fires  with  the  Bridewell  engine,  but  on  the 
whole  they  were  an  unruly  mischievous  set.  There  was  a  Blue 
Coat  coflfee-house  in  Sweeting's  AUey,  near  the  Exchange,  in 
1711.*  At  present  it  is  generally  called  the  Blub  Bot,  as  at 
Old  Swinford,  Stourbridge ;  Minchinhampton,  Gloucester,  and  in  a 
few  other  places.  In  Islington  there  is  stiU  such  a  sign,  and  in 
Aldersgate  Street,  if  we  remember  rightly,  there  is  an  ironmonger 
with  such  a  decoration. 

A  very  strange  sign  occurs  amongst  the  Banks  BUls.  On  a 
shop-biU  dated  1698,  is  the  following  inscription:  "At  the  signe 
of  the  Tare  lives  one  Mr  Grenier  who  makes  all  sorts  of  good 
rasors,  lancets,  sisers,  very  well,  and  all  other  sorts  of  instru- 
ments for  chirugeons."  The  engraving  represents  two  angels  hold- 
ing a  tear  by  a  string,  surrounded  by  a  quantity  of  surgical  instru- 
ments, after  the  true  meat-axe  type,  and  vicious-looking  enough 
to  "  draw  tears  of  molten  brass  from  the  eyes  of  Pluto  himself." 

The  Wbaky  Tkaveller  occurs  at  Sutton  Eoad,  Kiddermin- 
ster; the  Tkavbllee's  Rest  in  a  great  many  places,  sometimes 
accompanied  by  the  phrase  Eest  and  be  Thankfui,,  which  last 
advice  serves  as  a  sign  to  two  public-houses  at  Whitehaven. 
Finally  the  Finish  was  the  sign  of  a  notorious  night-house  in 
Covent  Garden,  kept  at  the  beginning  of  the  present  century  by 
a  Mrs  Butler.  Here,  according  to  "Tom  Crib's  Memorial  to 
Congress,"  the  gentlemen  of  the  road  used  to  divide  their  spoil 
in  the  gray  dawn  of  the  morning,  when  it  was  time  for  the  night- 
birds  to  fly  to  their  roost.  Crib  (in  reality  Thomas  Moore  the 
poet,  see  p.  503)  says  that  the  congress  is : — 

"  Some  place  that 's  like  the  Finish,  lads, 

Where  all  your  high  pedestrian  pads 

That  have  been  up  and  out  all  night, 

Running  their  rigs  amongst  the  rattlers,+ 

At  morning  meet,  and,  honour  bright, 
Agree  to  share  the  blunt  and  taflers." 

This  house  was  originally  named  the  Queen's  Head,  but  waa 

*  Daily  Courant,  Jan.  37,  1711.  t  Carriages. 


MISCELLANEO  US  STONS.  5 1 1 

nicknamed  the  Finish  from  its  being  the  place  where  the  fast  men 
of  the  day  generally  "finished  off."  Ned  Shuter  was  at  one  time 
a  drawer  in  this  house,  but,  inspired  by  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
theatres,  he  left  the  pots  and  bottles  and  took  to  the  stage.  Down 
to  a  recent  date  it  was  a  gloomy  disreputable  coffee-house,  kept 
by  one  Smith,  and  here,  in  interdicted  hours,  beer  and  spirits 
could  be  obtained  when  all  the  public-houses  were  closed.  It 
was  pulled  down  very  recently.  These  last  four  signs  have  in  a 
measure  been  the  expression  of  the  authors'  minds :  who,  weary  of 
their  long  task,  and  fearful  of  having  fatigued  their  readers,  will 
now  betake  themselves  to  rest,  and  be  thankful  if  they  have  given 
a  few  hours'  entertainment  upon  the  subject  of  signboards.  They 
now  take  their  leave  in  the  words  of  an  old  ballad :  — 

"  Then  faire  fall  all  good  tokens. 
And  well  fare  a  good  heart. 
For  by  all  signs  and  toJiens 
'Tie  time  for  to  depiirt." 


APPENDIX. 

BONNELL  THORNTON'S  SIGNBOARD  EXHIBITION. 

On  the  evening  of  Tuesday,  23d  of  March  1763,  the  ladies  and 
gentlemen  of  London  were  informed  at  their  tea-tables,  by  means 
of  the  St  James's  Chronicle,  of  the  following  fact : — 

"  PBOSCBIFr." 

INTELLIGENCE  EXTRAORDINARY. 
"  Strand.  The  Society  of  Manufactures,  Art,  and  Commerce,  are  pre- 
paring for  the  annual  Exhibition  of  Polite  Arts,  hoping  by  Degrees  to 
render  this  Nation  as  eminent  in  Taste  as  War ;  and  that,  by  bestowing 
Prsemiums,  and  encouraging  a  generous  Emulation,  among  the  Artiste,  the 
Productions  of  Painting,  Sculpture,  &c.,  may  no  longer  be  considered  as 
Exotics,  but  naturally  flourish  in  the  Soil  of  Great  Britain." 

Immediately  under  this  notice  was  the  following  : — 
"  Grand  Exhibition.  The  Society  of  Sign-painters  are  also  preparing  a 
most  magnificent  CoUeotion  of  Portraits,  Landscapes,  Fancy  Pieces,  Flower 
Pieces,  History  Pieces,  Night  Pieces,  Sea  Pieces,  Sculpture  Pieces,  &c.,  &c, 
designed  by  the  ablest  Masters,  and  executed  by  the  best  Hands  in  these 
kingdoms.  The  Virtuosi  will  have  a  new  Opportunity  of  displaying  their 
Taste  on  this  Occasion,  by  discovering  the  different  Stile  of  the  several 
Masters  employed,  and  pointing  out  by  what  Hand  each  Piece  is  drawn. 
A  remarkable  Cognoscente  who  has  attended  at  the  Society's  great  Room, 
viith  his  Glass,  for  several  Mornings,  has  already  piqued  himself  on  dis- 
covering the  famous  Painter  of  the  Risiiig  Sun,  a  modem  Claude  Lorraine, 
in  an  elegant  Night-piece  of  the  Manrinrthe-Moon.  He  is  also  convinced 
that  no  other  than  the  famous  Artists  who  drew  the  Sed  Lion  at  Brentford, 
can  be  equal  to  the  bold  figures  in  the  London  'Prentice,  and  that  the 
exquisite  Colouring  in  the  Piece  called  Pyramus  and  Thisbe  must  be  by  the 
same  hand  as  the  Hole-dnrthe-WaU." 

Shortly  after  this  advertisement,  the  Exhibition  was  opened. 
It  was  held  in  BonneU  Thornton's  chambers  in  Bow  Street :  the 
hours  were  from  nine  tUl  four,  admission  one  shilling.  The  tickets 
had  a  catalogue  prefixed  to  them.  The  names  of  the  signboard- 
painters  given  in  this  catalogue  were  those  of  the  journeymen 
printers  in  Mr  Baldwin's  office,  where  it  was  printed  Hagarty 
alone  was  a  transparent  variation  on  the  name  of  Hogarth,  who 
had  largely  contributed  to  the  fun  and  humour  of  the  Exhibition. 

The  opening  of  the  saloons  was  the  signal  for  a  perfect  storm 
among  the  newspapers.  The  artists  and  their  Mends  were  terribly 
ruffled,  and  persisted  in  seeing  in  it  a  persiflage  of  their  exhibi- 
tion just  then  opened  in  the  Strand.     To  this  animosity,  however, 


BONNELL  THORNTON'S  SIGNBOARD  EXHIBITION.  5  I  3 

we  owe  all  tte  particulars  of  the  signs  exhibited.  Catalogues, 
criticisms,  and  reviews  of  the  Exhibition  were  daily  brought  before 
the  public,  giving  full  details.  The  most  important  of  them  we 
present  to  our  readers  : — 

By  Pekmission. 

A  CATALOGUE  of  the  OriginaZ  Paintings,  Bitsts,  Carved  Figwes,  itc, 
Jhc,  &c.,  Now  exhibiting  by  the  Society  of  Sign-Painters,  at  the  Large 
Rooms,  the  Upper  End  of  Bow  Street,  Covent  Garden,  nearly  opposite  the 
Play-Home  Passage. 

In  the  La/rge  Passage  Room. 
[N.B. — That  the  Merit  of  the  Modem  Masters  may  be  fairly  examined 
into,  it  has  been  thought  proper  to  place  some  admired  Works  of  the  most 
eminent  Old  Masters  in  this  Room,  and  along  the  Passage  thro'  the  Yard.] 
No. 

1.  [Over  the  Boor.']    A  Coach  and  Four,  Supposed  to  be  by  Stanhope. 

2.  WrNDSOE,  or  any  other  Castle.    By  Mason.    The  Centinel  apd  Gbeat 

Gmr  by  another  Hand. 

3.  Hamd  and  Look  oe  Hair.     Hand  unknown. 

4.  APakboue,  or IhdianPbinoe, uncertain  which.  /SionAope's  undoubtedly. 

5.  A  Ship  and  Castle.     Thomas  Knife  written  under.     But  it  is  not 

known  whether  this  is  the  name  of  the  Artist  or  the  Publican. 

6.  A  Hen  and  Chickens.    By  Lodge. 

7.  Thkee  Nuns.     The  Drapery  copied  from  a  Eas-Relief  at  Borne.     By 


8.  An  original  Whole-Length  of  Girr  OE  Warwick.    By  iAe  same. 

9.  A  Major  Wia.    By  Harrison.     \N.B. — The  Tails  appear  to  have  been 

added.] 

10.  A  Barge,  in  Still-Life.     By  Yon  del'  Trout.     [He  cannot  properly  be 

called  an  English  artist ;  not  being  sufficiently  encouraged  in  his 
own  Country,  he  left  Holland  with  WiUiam  the  Third,  and  was  the 
first  artist  who  settled  in  Harp  AUey.*] 

11.  The  Heecdles  Pillars.     The  Architecture  by  Toung  Soames.     The 

Figure  (from  the  Fajmesian  Hercules)  by  the  Father. 

12.  An  Heeoe's  Head,  unknown.     By  Moses  White.     With  the  least  alter- 

ation, may  serve  for  an  Heroe  past,  present,  or  to  come. 

13.  An  original  Three  Quarters  Length  of  King  Charles  the  Second  :  a 

striking  Likeness.     By  Ditto. 

Jn  the  Passage  through  the  Ta/rd. 

1.  A  FLTDta  Swan, — by  some  supposed  to  be  a  Dying  one.     By  Govstry. 

2.  An  Hale-Moon.    By  Masmore. 

3.  An  Original  HaU  Length  of  Camden,  the  great  Historian  and  Antiquary, 

in  his  Herald's  Coat.  By  Van  der  Trout.  [As  this  Artist  was  ori- 
ginally Colour  Grinder  to  Hans  Holbein,  it  is  conjectured  there  are 
some  of  the  great  Master's  Touches  in  this  Piece.] 

4.  A  Bhttook  oe  Beef  stuft.    By  Lynne. 

5.  An  Hair-outter.     By  the  same. 

6.  Adam  and  Eve.    The  first  Attempt  of  that  famous  Artist,  Bamahy 


'  In  Farringdon  Street :  the  head-quarters  of  the  London  Sign-Painters. 

3T 


5  14  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

7.  A  Black  Prinoe.    By  Hitchcock. 

8.  [Over  the  Entv<mce.'\    An  Holt  Lamb  ;  highly  finiBhed.    By  the  swim. 

Grand  Room. 
[The  Society  of  Siok-Painters  take  this  Opportunity  of  refuting  a  most 
malicious  Suggestion,  that  their  Exhibition  is  designed  as  a  Ridicule  on  the 
Exhibitions  of  the  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Arts,  &c.,  and  of  the 
Artists.  They  intend  theirs  as  only  an  Appendix,  or  (in  the  StUe  of  Painters) 
a  Companion  to  the  others.  There  is  nothing  in  their  Collection,  which 
will  be  understood  by  any  Candid  Person  as  a  Reflection  on  any  Body,  or 
any  Body  of  Men.  They  are  not  in  the  least  prompted  by  any  mean 
Jealousy  to  depreciate  the  Merits  of  their  Brother  Artists.  Animated  by 
the  same  Public  Spirit,  their  sole  View  is  to  convince  Foreigners  as  well  as 
their  own  blinded  Countrymen,  that  however  inferior  this  Nation  may  be 
unjustly  deemed  in  other  Branches  of  the  Polite  Arts,  the  Palm  for  SlBN- 
Paintinq  must  be  universally  ceded  to  TTs,  the  DvtcTi  themselves  not  ex- 
cepted.] 

1.  Portrait  of  a  justly  celebrated  Paihteb,  though  an  Englishman  and  a 

Modem. 

2.  A  Crooked  Billbt,  formed  exactly  in  the  Line  of  Beauty*  its  Com- 

panion.   These  by  Adams. 

3.  The  Good  Wohajt.    A  Whole  Length,  but  no  Portrait.    By  Sympson. 

[N.B. — It  is  done  from  Invention,  not  being  able  to  find  one  to  sit 
for  it.] 

4.  A  Star.    By  »  • 

5.  The  Light  Heart.    A  Sign  for  a  Vintner.    ByHogarty.    [N.B. — ^This 

is  an  elegant  Invention  of  Ben  Jonson,  who  in  The  New  Inn  or  Light 
Heart,  makes  the  Landlord  say  (speaking  of  his  Sign  :) — 
An  Heart  weighed  with  a  Feather,  and  outweighed  too  : 
A  Brainrchild  of  my  own  and  I  am  proud  on't.] 

6.  The  Hoo  in  Armoub.    By  Thurmond. 

7.  A  Buttock  oe  Beep.    By  Simmes. 

8.  The  Vioab  of  Brat.     The  Portrait  of  a  Beneficed  Clergyman,  at  FvU 

Length.    By  Allison. 

9.  The  Irish  Arms.     By  Patrick  OBlaney.     [N.B. — Captain  Tererux 

O  Cutter  stood  for  them.] 

10.  The  Gentlemau  oe  Wales.    By  David  Rice. 

11.  Butter  and  Eggs.     By  Simmes. 

12.  The  Scotch  Fiddle.    By  M'Pharsm,,  done  from  Himsble. 

13.  The  Barking  Dogs.    A  Landscape  at  Moonlight.    The  Moon  some- 

■what  eclipsed  by  an  Accident.  Whitalcer. 

14.  Three  Apothecaries'  Gallipots.  D'aeth's  first  Attempt. 

15.  Three  Coeeihs.    Its  Companion.  Finished  by  Shroiod. 

16.  A  Man.     ByHogarty. 

17.  The  Rising  Sun.    A  Landscape.  Painted  for  The.  Moon,  alias  Theo- 

PHiLus  Moon.    By  Morris. 

18.  The  Magpie.    By  Whiiaker. 

19.  NoBODT,  alias  Somebody.    A  Character. 

20.  Somebody,    alias  Nobody.     A  Caricature.     Its  Companion.     Botu 

these  by  Hagarty. 

*  Id  allusion  to  a  well-known  art-theoiy  of  Hogarth's. 


BONNELL  THORNTOlfTS  8IGNB0ABD  EXHIBITION.  5  1 5 

21.  The  Would's  End.    By  Sympson. 

22.  The  STEtTQQLEES.    A  Convereatiou.    By  Sansiey. 

23.  A  Freemason's  Lodob,  or  the  Impenetrable  Secret.  By  a  Sworn  Brother. 

24.  The  Blackamoor.    By  Sympson.    [fLB. — TMs  is  not  intended  as  any 

Beflection  on  the  Gentlemen  who  have  been  lately  WhitewaBhed.J 

25.  A  Mab  ruiiiunq  away  with  the  Monument.    By  WhUdker. 

26.  DETiLHUGGma  THE  Witch.    A  Conversation.    Bj  Bansbey. 

27.  The  Spirit  oh  Contradiction.     Ditto.    By  Hagwrty. 

28.  The  Loggerheads.    Ditto.    By  Ditto. 

29.  The  Man  in  the  Moon  drinks  Claret.    By  BlacTanan. 

30.  The  Dancinq  Bears.    A  Sign  for  N.  Dukes,  or  A.  Hart,  or  any  other 

Dancing-Master  to  Grown  Gentlemen.     By  Hagwtty. 

31.  Mt  a —  in  a  Bandbox.    By  Sympson. 

32.  A  Man  struggling  through  the  World.    By  the  same. 

33.  St  John's  Head  in  a  Charger. 

34.  A  Dog's  Head  in  the  Porridge  Pot.    Its  Companion.    Both  these  by 

Blachmcm. 

35.  A  Man  in  his  Element.    A  Sign  for  an.  Eating  House. 

36.  A  Man  out  op  his  Element.   A  Sign  for  a  PubUck  House  at  Wapping, 

Eotherhithe,  or  Deptford.     Both  these  by  Stainsley, 

37.  The  Bablet  Mow.    By  Whitaker. 

38.  A  Bird  in  the  Hand.    A  Landscape.    By  Allison. 

39.  Absalom  hauginq.    A  Penike-Maker's  Sign.    By  Sclater. 

40.  Welcome  Cuckolds  to  Horn  Fair.     By  Hagarty. 

41.  The  Cat  o'  Nine  Tails.    A  Kit-Cat.    By  Ma&more. 

42.  King  Charles  in  the  Oak.   A  Land-schape.     By  Allison.    The  Face 

in  Miniature.     By  Sclat&i\ 

43.  An  Owl  Dt  an  Ivt  Bush.     Its  Companion.    By  Allison. 

44.  FoOTE  in  the  Character  of  Mrs  Cole.     A  Sign  for  a  Boa/rding:School. 

By  Stainsley. 

45.  Peepdtg-Tom.    a  Sign  for  a  Shoemaker.    By  the  same, 
46. 

47.  A  Pair  of  Breeches. 

48.  A  Green  Canister.    Its  Companion.    Both  these  by  Blachman. 

49.  An  Ha  1  Ha;  ! 

50.  [On  a  parallel  line  with  the  foregoing  on  the  other  side  of  the  chimney.] 

The  Curiositt.  Its  Companion.  [These  two  by  an  unknown  Hand, 
the  Exhibitors  being  favoured  with  them  from  an  unknown  Quar- 
ter.] *,*  Ladies  and  Gentlemen  are  reqjiested  not  to  finger  them, 
as  Blue  Curtains  are  hung  on  purpose  to  preserve  them. 

51.  {Over  the  Chimney.']    A  Stab  of  the  first  Magnitude. 

52.  The  Renowned  Seven  Champions  op  Christendom,  from  an  entire 

New  Design.  1.  St  George  for  England.  2.  St  Andrew  for  Scot- 
land. 3.  St  Denis  for  France.  4.  St  Anthony  for  Italy.  5.  St 
James  for  Spain.  6.  St  David  for  Wales.  7.  St  Patrick  for  Ire- 
land.   This  by  Branslty. 

53.  An  Original  Portrait  of  the  present  Emperor  op  Rdssia. 

54.  Ditto  of  the  Empress  Queen  op  Hungary.    Its  Antagonist.    These 

by  Sheerman. 
65.  The  Silent  Woman,,  or  A  Good  Kiddancb.     A  Family  Piece.     By 
Bamsley. 


5ia 


THE  HISTOEY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


66.  The  Ghost  op  Cook  Lanb.    By  Mias  Fanny * 

57.  Thbbe  Pobtkams  in  One. 

58.  All  the'Wokli>  and  his  Wimi.    By  Blachman. 

59.  Cat  and  BaSpipes.    By  Forster. 

60.  A  perspective  view  of  BiLLmosoATB,  or  Lectures  on  Elocution. 

61.  The  Robin  Hood  Society,  a  Conversation ;  or  Lectures  on  Elocution.t 

Its  Companion.     These  two  by  Bamsley. 

62.  An  Author  in  the  Pillobt.    By ,  Bookseller.    First  Attempt.? 

63.  Liberty  crowning  Britania.  '  By  command  of  his  Majesty. 

64.  View  of  the  Eoad  to  Paddbjgtoin,  with  a  Presentation  (sic)  of  the 

Deadly  Never-Green  §  that  hears  Fruit  all  the  Year  round.     The 
Fruit  at  full  length.    By  Hagwrty. 

65.  The  Salutation,  or  French  and  English  Manners.    "By  Blachman. 

66.  Good  CompaNT.     A  Conversation.     Intended  as  a  Sign  for  a  Tobac- 

conist.   By  Branaley. 

67.  Death  and  the  Doctob  ;  in  Distemper.    By  Hagwrty. 

68.  Hogs  Nobton.H    A  Sign  for  a  Music  Shop.    By  Brandey. 

69.  St  Ddnstan  and  the  Devil. 

70.St  Squintdm**  AND  THE  Devil.     Its  Companion.     By . 

71.  Shave  fob  a  Penny.     Let  BloOd  roa  Nothing. 

72.  Teeth  drawn  with  a  Touch.    A  Caricature.     Its  Companion.    These 

two  by  Bra/nslly. 

73.  A  Man  loaded  with  Mischief.    By  Sympstm. 

74.  Entertainment  foe  Man  and  Hoese.    A  Landscape.    By  Bran$ley. 

75.  First  and  Last.     By  Blachman. 

76.  The  Constitution  ;  Alderman  Pitt's  Entire.     By  Hagarty. 

BUSTS,  CARVED  FIGURES,  &c.,  &o.,  &c. 

1.  A  Blue  Boar.     By  Lester. 

2.  Two  Indian  Kings.     By  Tavemer. 

3.  A  Flaming  Sword  of  Paradise. 

4.  St  Pbteb's  Key.     Both  these  by  Carey. 

5.  A  Bunch  oe  Grapes  from  Portugal.     By  Pendred. 

6.  A  Divided  Crown.    By  Ward. 

7.  Birmingham  Case  op  Knives  and  Forks.     [See  at  the  other  end  of 

this  a  Sheppield  Case.    Its  Companion.]    Both  these  by  AsgiU. 

8.  A  Nag's  Head,  after  the  Manner  of  the  Aitient  Bronzes.    By  JftM- 

wich. 

9.  A  Block,  done  from  the  Life.     By  Brmim. 

10.  An  exact  Representation  of  the  famous  Running  Horse.     Black  and 
All  Black. 

*  railny  ParSt  ins  was  the  girl  who  played  such  an  active  part  in  i^.e  Cock  Lane  ghost 
perfoiiuaDces,  Jan.  and  Feb.  1762. 

t  A  femoua  discussion  club  held  at  the  Bobin  Hood  Tarem,  Essex  Street,  Strand. 

%  Evidently  an  allusion  to  Edmund  Curll,  the  notorious  bookseller,  who  stood  in  the 
Pillory  at  Gheapside. 

2  The  gallows  at  Tyburn. 

I  A  corruption  of  JBoofc-iVorfon,  the  name  of  a  small  village  in  Oxfordshire,  where  the 
hogs  formerly  played  upon  the  chui'ch  organ.     So,  at  least,  ttie  story  runs. 

'*  "St  Squintum"  was  probably  intended  for  John  Whitfield,  the  fomous  preacher, 
vhose  personal  appearance  was  the  subject  of  numerous  lampoons  and  caricatures  at 
this  time. 


BONNELL  THOENTOirS  SIffNBOARD  EXHIBITION.  5  1 7 

.11.  Underneath,  an  Eaeutoheon,  shewing  his- Pedigree,  as  warranted  by 
the  Herald's  office.     These  by  Fiskbowme. 

12.  Bust  of  a  celebrated  Beauty.     By  EMey. 

13.  Head  of  the  Thouhhtless  Philosopher.    By  Masmore. 

14.  Take  Time  by  the  Forblook.     By  Olarh. 

15.  A  Dttub  Bell.     By  the  same. 

16.  The  British  Lion,  and 

17.  Unicorn.    [The  Lion  in  excellent  Condition.]    By  Jones. 

18.  A  French  Pleur-de-Lys  [tarnished.]    By  Garthy. 

19.  Two  Bronzes.     By  Millmch. 

20.  A  Gk>ld  Fish,  considerably  larger  than  the  Life,     By  Cooi:. 

21.  A  MrrRE,  and 

22.  Crown.     'Sj  Hughes. 

23.  A  Dolphin,  painted  with  the  true  Verd  Antique.    By  Qua/rtermati. 

%*  Several  Tobacco  Rolls,  Sugar  Loaves,  Hats,  Wigs,  Stock- 
digs,  Gloves,  &c.,  &c.,  &c.,  hung  round  the  Boom.  By  the 
above-mentioned  Artists. 

24.  [On  the  Left  Hand  of  the  Door,  going  out.']    A  Stand  of  Cheeses,  with 

a  Bladder  of  Lard  on  the  Top. 

25.  A  Westphaiian  Ham.    These  two  by  Bncken. 

—St  James's  Chronicle,  Ap.  20-22.     1762. 
The  next  number  of  tlie  St  James's  Chronicle  contained  an 
article  on  the  Exhibition  from  another  journal,  written  with 
great  animosity  : — 

"  As  your  paper  is  Eilways  ready  to  expose  any  Abuses  on  the  Publick, 
I  beg  you  wiU  give  place  to  the  following  Observations : — 

"  I  acknowledge  myself  to  have  been  one  of  the  Curious  who  went  yes- 
terday morning  to  see  the  Grand  Exhibition,  as  it  is  called,  of  the  Sign- 
Paiuters,  from  which  I  did  not  indeed  expect  any  great  Entertainment ; 
however,  I  did  not  imagine  any  Set  of  Gentlemen  would  have  been  con- 
cerned in  a  senseless  Attempt  at  Satire,  and  along  with  it  the  most 
impudent  and  pickpocket  Abuse  that  I  ever  knew  offered  to  the  Publick. 

"  The  Exhibition  is  really  of  Signs,  and  those,  in  general,  worse  exe- 
cuted than  any  that  are  to  be  seen  in  the  meanest  streets.  The  Busts, 
carved  Figures,  &c.,  are  of  corresponding  Excellence,  all  of  them  being  the 
very  worst  of  Signpost  Work,  and  such  as  seem  collected  for  an  Insult  on 
the  Human  understanding. 

"But that  your  Readers  ra&j  All  save  their  Time,  Money,  and  Credit, 
by  not  falling  into  this  Sum-trap,  I  shall  give  them  an  Account  of  some  of 
the  choicest  Articles  of  this  CoUectiou  as  a  sample  that  must  damp  their 
Curiosity  for  seeing  the  Whole." 

GRAND  ROOM. 

1.  Mr  Hogarth,  or  a  wretched  Figure  done  for  him  drawing  his  five  orders 

of  Periwigs. 

2.  A  Crooked  Billet,  hung  under  it,  on  which  is  written.  The  Exact 

Line  of  Beauty. 

3.  The  Good  Woman.    The  old  stale  Device  of  a  Woman  without  a  Head, 

badly  executed. 


5i8 


THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 


5.  The  Lioht  Hbaet.    A  Feather  weighing  down  a  Heart  in  a  pair  of 

Scales. 
9.  The  Irish  Arms.    A  great  elumsy  pair  of  Legs. 
10.  The  Gentleman  op  Waives.    A  Taffey  with  a  great  Leek  in  his  Hat. 

19.  Nobody.    A  man  all  Legs. 

20.  Somebody.    A  man  all  Belly,  with  a  Constable's  Staft 

23.  A  Freemason's  Lodoe.   A  new  Member  blinded  and  befouling  himself. 
27.  The  Spirit  ow  Contradiction.    Two  Brewers  bearing  a  cask.    The 
Men  going  different  ways. 

30.  The  Dancinq  Beabs.    Bears  in  Men's  cloaths,  learning  to  dance,  a 

great  one  amongst  them,  with  a  gold  Chain  round  his  Neck ;  the 
Dancing  Master  a  Monkey,  holding  a  Eitten  on  his  Breast  with  one 
hand,  and  pincing  its  tail  with  the  other. 

31.  Band-box.    An  Asb  standing  in  a  great  Band-boz.* 

32.  A  Man  SiEuaoLiNa  theouoh  the  World.    The  Sign  of  a  Pasteboard 

Terrestrial  Globe,  with  a  Man  creeping  through  it,  his  Head  being 
out  at  one  End,  and  his  Heels  at  the  other. 

35.  A  Man  in  his  Element.     A  man  gluttonizing.-)- 

36.  A  Man  out  of  his  Element.    A  Sailor  fallen  off  his  Horse. 

44.  FoOTB  in  the  Cluiracter  of  Mrs  Cole.    The  wit  lies  in  the  writing 

under  it,  which  is,  Yowng  Ladies  educated  here. 

45.  Peeping  Tom.  J    A  Shoemaker  trying  on  a  Shoe  on  a  Woman. 

But  the  Cream  op  the  whole  Jest  is  (49  and  50)  two  Boards  behind  two 
Curtains,  (one  on  each  side  of  the  Chimney,)  which,  when  the  Cur- 
tains are  lifted  up,  show  the  written  Laughs  of  ha  ha  ha  and 

HE  HE  HE. 

53  and  54  are  two  old  Signs  of  a  Saracen's  Head  and  a  Qiteen  Anne's, 
with  their  Tongues  lolling  out  at  one  another,  designed  to  represent 
the  Czar  and  the  Queen  of  Hungary.  Over  them  is  a  great  wooden 
Bill,  with  this  inscription,  TTte  present  State  of  Europe. 

64.  A  view  of  the  Eoad  to  Paddington,  with  a  Representation  of  the 

Deadly  Never  Green  that  bears  Fruit  aU  the  year  round.  This  is 
Tyburn,  with  three  felons  hanging  on  it. 

65.  The  Salutation,  or  French  and  English  Manners,  which   shows  a 

Frenchman  cringingly  bowing,  and  an  Englishman  taking  him  by 
the  Nose. 

66.  Good  Compahy.    Three  Men  drunk,  and  burning  one  another's  Faces 

with  their  Pipes. 

69.  St  Dunstan  and  the  Devil.    The  Saint  taking  the  Devil  by  the  Nose 

with  a  Pair  of  Tongs. 

70.  Its  Companion.    Doctor  Squintum  doing  the  same. 

71.  Shave  por  a  Penny,  Let  Blood  por  Nothing.    A  man  under  the 

hands  of  a  barber  surgeon,  who  shaves  and  lets  blood  at  the  same 
time,  by  cutting  at  every  stroke  of  his  razor. 


*  This  seemed  to  be  a  sort  of  slang  phrase  equivalent  to  the  present — "It's  all  my 
eye ;"  it  occurs  in  "  Tom  Brown,"  vol.  ii.,  p.  13, 1708.    See  also  p.  467  of  this  work. 

+  36.  From  another  source  we  learn  that  this  was  very  different : — "No.  35.  A  Maa 
in  his  Element,  a  sign  for  an  Eating-house," — a  cook  roasted  on  a  spit  at  a  kitchen  fire, 
and  basted  by  the  devil 

{  In  allusion  to  Peeping  Tom,  the  shoemaker  of  Coventry, 


BONNELL  THORNTON'S  SWNBOARD  EXHIBITION,  ^ig 

73.  A  Man  ioaded  with  Mischief.    A  Fellow  with  a  Woman,  a  Monkey, 

and  a  Magpie  on  his  Back. 

74.  Entertainment  eob  Man  and  Hoese.    A  Woman  and  a  Hay  Mow. 

75.  FiBST  AND  Last.    A  Cradle  and  a  Coffin. 

76.  The  CoNSTErnriON.    Alderman  Pitt's  Entire.     A  tall  Grenadier  and  a 

short  Sailor. 

"  Such  is  the  Entertainment  that  these  wits  have  been  ahle  to  prepare  for 
the  curious,  with  all  the  assistance  of  the  Virtuosi  which  they  have  heen 
long  advertising  to  procure.  If  there  is  any  Satyre  in  this  Design,  it  must 
be  in  humming  their  Customers.  Wit  or  taste  there  is  certainly  none ; 
but  there  is  a  Magnitude  of  Imposition  that  is  surely  deserving  of  Punish- 
ment. 

It  is  well  known  that  the  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Arts, 
Manufactures,  and  Commerce,  are  at  a  great  Expense  for  making  their 
elegant  Exhibition,  and  give  their  Tickets  jJl  away.  The  Artists,  indeed, 
sell  Catalogues  there  to  those  who  chuse  to  buy  them,  and  dispose  of  the 
Money  that  is  got  by  them  to  Charities. 

The  Body  of  Artists  made  their  Catalogues  Tickets  to  serve  last  year 
for  the  whole  Time  of  Exhibition  in  Spiring  Gardens,  and  sold  them  but 
a  shilling  a-piece,  the  Profits  of  which  were  likewise  distributed  in 
Charities. 

The  Society,  as  they  call  themselves,  of  Signpainters,  or  rather  of  Bites 
who  borrow  that  Name,  have  the  Assurance  to  fix  a  Ticket  to  each  Cata- 
logue, which  they  sell  for  their  own  Profit  at  a  shilling ;  and,  by  obliging 
the  Ticket  to  be  torn  off  at  the  Second  Door,  make  the  Purchase  of  a  New 
Catalogue  absolutely  necessary  for  a  Second  Admission.  It  is  true  most 
Gentlemen  do  refuse  to  let  their  Catalogues  be  torn ;  and  many  of  those 
who  had  submitted  to  the  tearing  of  them,  insisted  upon  their  being  ex- 
changed for  whole  ones,  resolving,  like  Men  of  Spirit,  not  to  be  bubbled 
every  Way. 

In  fine,  this  Mock  Exhibition  is  a  most  impudent  and  scandalous  Abuse 
and  Bubble.  An  Insult  on  Understanding,  and  a  most  pickpocket  Impos- 
ture. The  best  entertainment  it  can  afford  is  that  of  standing  in  the  street, 
and  observing  with  how  much  shame  in  their  Paces  People  come  out  of  the 
House.  Pity  it  will  be,  if  all  who  are  employed  in  the  carrying  on  this 
Cheat,  are  not  seized  and  sent  to  serve  the  King.  And  those  who  are 
Sharers  in  the  Booty  deserve  likewise  to  be  severely  chastised. 
I  am,  SlB,  yours,  &o., 

A  DESPISER  OP  ALL  TRICKERY." 

"  Tlie  Signpainters  return  their  Thanhs  to  the  author  of  the  above  most  ex- 
cdlmt  Letter,  which  is  seemingly  abusive  of  their  Design,  but  is  in  Fact  a  most 
admirable  Irony, 

The  Ledgeb  of  this  Morning,  after  having  pillaged  the  Catalogub  op 
SiGNPAiNTlNa,  is  candid  enough  to  abuse  it.  But  it  is  plain  that  the  author 
has  not  seen  the  Exhibition,  or  could  not  find  out  the  Humour  of  it." 

Fbom  the  GAZETTEER.— (S«  James'  Chronicle,  Ap.  24-27,  1762.)— 
"The  Society  of  Signpainters,  in  their  Catalogue,  tell  us  they  taJse  the 
opportunity  of  refuting  what  they  are  pleased  to  call  a  malicums  Suggestion 
— viz.,  '  Their  Exhibition  being  designed  as  a  Ridicule  on  the  Exhibition 
of  the  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Arts,  etc.,  and  the  Artists,'  and 


520  THE  HISTORY  OF  SIGNBOARDS. 

that  they  intend  theirs  only  aa  an  Appendix  or  (in  the  Style  of  Painters) 
'Companion'  to  the  others.  What  is  that  but  ridiculing,  or  an  attempt 
towards  it  ?  They  say  '  there  is  nothing  in  their  CoUeotion  which  will  be 
understood  by  any  candid  person  as  a  Beflection  on  any  Body  or  any  Body 
of  Men.'  They  might  have  spared  this  Assertion,  for  no  Person,  endued 
with  the  least  Share  of  common  Sense,  can  imagine  so  impotent  and  futile 
an  Attempt  a  Satire  or  Ridicule  on  any  Thing  except  the  few  Spectators 
who  go  there ;  which  would  have  been  better  understood  had  it  opened 
on  the  First  of  April. 

"  They  also  say,  '  'They  are  not  in  the  least  prompted  by  any  mean 
jealousy  to  depreciate  the  Merits  of  their  Brother  Artists.'  Whickis  owing 
to  their  Inability,  not  want  of  Assurance ;  for  an  Attempt  in  them  to  de- 
preciate the  Merit  of  the  Professors  of  Painting  and  Sculpture,  whom  they 
are  impudently  pleased  to  call  their  Brother  Artists,  would  be  (to  borrow 
a  Simile  from  one  of  their  own  Productions)  like  Dogs  barking  at  the 
Moon. 

"Their  sole  View,  etc.,  etc. — 'Their  sole  Tiew'  (without  any  Breach  of 
Charity)  we  may  infer  is  that  of  filling  their  own  Pockets  by  duping  the 
Publiok ;  for  no  private  Men  would  by  an  Advertisement  invite  People 
to  their  House,  and  place  a  Porter  at  the  Door  to  take  a  Shilling  of 
them,  with  a  Pretence  of  being  animated  by  a  public  Spirit,  for  any  other 
Motive. 

"  Bow  Street,  Covent  Garden,  AprU  27. 

"  The  Society  of  Sign-painteks  are  obliged  to  the  GAZETTEER  for  the 
above  RemarJss." 

Articles  and  letters  abusive  of  the  Exhibition  appeared  in 
most  of  the  newspapers,  and  not  a  day  passed  but  it  was  at- 
tacked in  no  very  measured  terms.  The  committee,  however, 
generally  reprinted  the  articles  in  their  own  organ,  thanking  the 
critics  for  so  successfully  advertising  their  eflforts,  after  which  no 
more  was  heard  from  them.  The  following  review,  having  very 
similar  annotations  upon  the  signs  to  those  in  the  letter  signed 
"  A  Despiser  of  all  Trickery ^^  may  have  come  from  one  of  their 
own  pens.  It  appeared  in  a  monthly  sheet,  entitled,  "  The  Lon- 
don Register,"  for  AprU  :  * — 

"  Humour  is  confessedly  one  of  the  chief  characteristics  of  the  English 
nation.  There  is  no  Country  that  delights  in  it  so  much,  exerts  it  on  such 
various  occasions,  or  shows  it  in  so  many  Shapes,  la  conversation,  in 
Books,  on  the  Stage,  we  meet  with  it  every  Day ;  and  it  has  sometimes 
been  introduced,  not  without  success,  even  into  the  Pulpit.  To  an  Artist 
of  our  own  Country,  and  of  our  own  Times,  we  owe  the  Practice  of  enrich- 
ing Pictures  with  Humour,  Character,  Pleasantly,  and  Satire.  Such  an 
Artist  could  not  fail  of  Applause  in  such  a  Nation  as  ours,  and  his  Fame 
is  equal  to  his  Merit. 

The  original  Paintings,  etc.,  the  Catalogue  of  which  now  lies  before  us, 
are  the  Project  of  a  well-known  Gentleman,  in  whose  house  they  are  ex- 

*  Under  the  title  of—"  Particdlar  Accoont  of  the  Grand  ExniBiTioN  in  Bow  Street, 
with  Remarlcs  and  Illustrations  of  It," 


BONNELL  THORNTON'S  SIGNBOARD  EXHIBITION.  52  I 


liibited ;  a  (gentleman  who  has,  in  several  instances,  displayed  a  most  un- 
common Vein  of  Humour.  His  Burlesque  Ode  on  St  Cecilia's  Day,*  his 
Labours  in  the  Brury  Lane  Journal,  and  other  papers,  aU  possess  that 
singular  Turn  of  Imagination  so  peculiar  to  himself.  This  Gentleman  is 
perhaps  the  only  Person  in  England  (if  we  except  the  Artist  above  men- 
tioned) who  could  have  projected,  or  have  carried  tolerably  into  Execution, 
this  scheme  of  a  Grand  Exhibition.  There  is  a  whimsical  droUery  in  all  his 
Plans,  and  a  Comical  Originality  in  his  Manner,  that  never  fail  to  distin- 
guish and  to  recommend  all  his  Undertakings.  To  exercise  his  Wit  and 
Humour  in  an  innocent  Laugh,  and  to  raise  that  innocent  Laugh  in  others, 
seems  to  have  been  his  chief  Aim  in  the  present  Spectacle.  The  Ridicule 
or  Exhibition,  if  it  must  be  accounted  so,  is  pleasant  without  Malevolence ; 
and  the  general  Strokes  on  the  common  Topics  of  Satire  are  given  with  the 

most  apparent  Good-humour 

On  entering  the  Grand  Room,  ....  you  find  yourself  in  a  large  and 
commodious  Apartment,  hung  round  with  green  Bays,  on  which  this 
curious  collection  of  Wooden  Originals  is  fixt  flat,  (like  the  Signs  at  present 
in  Paris,)  and  from  whence  hang  Keys,  Bells,  Swords,  Poles,  Sugar-Loaves, 
Tobacco-RoUs,  Candles,  and  other  ornamental  Furniture,  carved  in  Wood, 
that  commonly  dangle  from  the  Penthouses  of  the  different  Shops  in  our 
streets.  On  the  Chimney-Board  (to  imitate  the  Stile  of  the  Catalogue)  is 
a  large,  blazing  Eire,  painted  in  Water-colours ;  and  within  a  kind  of  Cupola, 
or  rather  Dome,  wMch  lets  the  Light  into  the  Room,  is  written  in  Golden 
Capitals,  upon  a  blue  Ground,  a  Motto  from  Horace,  disposed  in  the  Form 
following : — 

SPBOTATtIM 


From  this  short  Description  of  the  Grand- Room,  (when  we  consider  the 
singular  Nature  of  the  Paintings  themselves,  and  the  Peculiarity  of  the 
other  Decorations,)  it  may  be  easily  imagined  that  no  Connoisseur,  who 
has  made  the  Tour  of  Europe,  ever  entered  a  Picture-Gallery  that  struck 
his  Eye  more  forcibly  at  first  Sight,  or  provoked  his  Attention  with  more 
extraordinary  Appearance. 

We  will  now,  if  the  Reader  pleases,  conduct  him  round  the  Room,  and 
take  a  more  accurate  Survey  of  the  curious  Originals  before  us.  To  which 
End  we  shall  proceed  to  transcribe  the  ingenious  Society's  Catalogue,  add- 
ing (as  we  proposed  before)  such  Notes  and  Illustrations  as  may  seem 
necessary  for  his  Instruction  or  Entertainment. 

*  Eounell  Thornton  composed  an  ode  on  St  Cecilia's  Day,  which  was  set  to  music  by 
Dr  Burney,  and  performed  by  the  aid  of  those  national  instruments,  the  marrow  bones 
and  cleavers.  The  affair  came  off  at  Banelagh,  and  gave  general  satisfaction.  In  a 
former  chapter  we  have  given  full  pai'ticulars  of  this  event.,  Thornton  was  nom  in  Lon- 
don 1724,  educated  at  Westminster  School  and  Christ  Church,  Oxford.  In  connection 
with  Geo.  Colman  the  elder  he  started  the  Connoissmr,  the  St  Jame^  Chronicle,  and 
other  periodicals.    He  died  May  9, 1768,  and  was  buried  in  Westminster  Abbey. 


52  2  THE  HJSTOB  Y  OF  SIGN  BO  A  SDS. 

8.  The  Vicar  of  Bray:  The  Portrait  of  a  Beneficed  Clergyman,  at  Pull 
Length.  [The  vicar  of  Bray  Is  an  Abb  in  a  Feather-topped  Grizzle,  Band, 
and  Pudding  Sleevea. — This  is  a  much  droller  Conceit,  and  has  more  Effect 
when  executed,  than  the  old  Design  of  The  Ass  loaded  with  Preferment.] 

9.  The  Irish  Arms.  By  Patrick  O'Blaney.  [N.B.  Captain  Terence 
C  Cutter  stood /or  them.  [A  Pair  of  extremely  thick  Legs  in  white  Stock- 
ings and  black  Garters.] 

12.  The  Scotch  Fiddle.  By  M'Phamon,  done  from  Himself.  [The  Figure 
of  a  Highlander  sitting  under  a  Tree,  and  enjoying  that  greatest  of  Plea- 
sure of  scratching  where  it  itches.^ 

16.  ji  Ma/n.  [Nine  Taylors  at  Work ;  in  Allusion  to  the  old  Saying  of 
nine  Taylors  make  a  Man.^ 

19.  Nobody,  alias  Sometody.  A  Character.  [The  Figure  of  an  Officer, 
all  Head,  Arms,  Legs  and  Thighs. — This  Piece  has  a  very  odd  Effect,  being 
so  droUy  executed  that  you  don't  miss  the  Body.] 

20.  Somebody,  alias  Nobody.  A  Caricature.  Its  Companion.  Both  these 
by  Hagmrty,  [A  rosy  figure  with  a  little  Head  and  a  huge  Body,  whose 
Belly  swags  over,  almost  quite  down  to  his  Shoe-Buckles.  By  the  Staff  in 
his  Hand  it  appears  to  be  intended  to  represent  a  Constable. — It  might  also 
have  been  mistaken  for  an  eminent  Justice  of  Peace.] 

22.  The  Strugglers.  A  Conversation.  By  Bransley.  [Eepresents  a  Man 
and  Wife  fighting  for  the  Breeches.] 

23.  A  Free-Mason's  Lodge,  or  the  Impenetrable  Secret.  By  a  Sworn 
Brother.  [The  supposed  Ceremony  and  probable  Consequences  of  what  is 
called  maMng  a  Mason,  representing  the  Master  of  the  Lodge  with  a  red 
hot  Salamander  in  his.  Hand,  and  the  new  Brother  blindfold,  and  in  a 
comical  Situation  of  Fear  amd  Good-Luck.'] 

25.  A  Man  running  away  with  the  Monument.  By  Whitaker.  [This 
Picture  of  a  London  Night,  like  the  Farmer  Returned,  represents 

the  Watchmen  in  Town, 

Lame,  feeble,  haJf  blind. 

Two  of  these  Cripples  are  pursuing  the  Thief,  one  crying  out.  Stop  Thief  ! 
and  the  other,  I  can't  catch  him.] 

27.  The  Spirit  of  Contradicticn.  Ditto.  By  Hagarty.  [Two  Brewers 
with  a  Barrel  of  Beer,  pulling  different  Ways.] 

28.  The  Logger  Heads.  Ditto.  By  Ditto.  [Underwritten,  the  old  Joke 
of  We  are  Three.  Shakespeare  plainly  alludes  to  this  sign  in  his  Twelfth 
Night,  where  the  Fool  comes  between  Sir  Toby  Belch  and  Sir  Andrew 
Aguecheek,  and,  taking  each  by  the  Hand,  says,  "  How  now,  my  Hearts, 
did  you  never  see  the  Picture  of  We  Three? " 

30.  The  Dancing  Bears.  By  Hagarty.  [Most  drolly  conceived  and  comi- 
cally executed. — Bepresents  Four  Bears  on  their  hind  Legs,  drest  in 
different  Characters,  one  with  a  gold  Chain  round  his  Neck,  giving  Bight 
Paw  and  Left,  gravely  practising  Country-Dances,  under  the  Tuition  of  a 
Monkey,  drest  like  a  Dancing-Master,  and  fiddling  on  a  KiT-ten. — The 
Seriousness  and  Solemnity  of  each  of  these  Figures  is  incomparable.  Un- 
derneath is  written,  "  Grown  Gentlemen  taught  to  Dance." 

31.  Band  Box.  By  Sympson.  [Hieroglyphically  expressed  ....  an 
Ass  standing  in  a  Bandbox.] 

S3.  St  John's  Head  in  a  Charger.  [The  dead  Saint's  Eyes,  like  those  in 
most  Portraits,  seem  to  be  looking  at  you.] 


BONNELL  THORNTOirS  SWNBOARD  EXHIBITION.  523 

35.  A  Man  in  his  Element.  A  Sign  for  an  Eaiing-House.  [A  Cook 
roasted  upon  a  Spit  at  the  Kitchen-Fire  and  basted  by  the  DeYiL] 

36.  A  Man  out  of  his  Element.  [A  Sailor  fallen  off  his  Horse,  with  hia 
Skull  lighting  against  the  ten  mile  Stone  from  Portsmouth.] 

38.  ^  Eird  in  the  Sand,  a  Landscape.  By  A  llison.  [A  common  sign 
in  various  Farts  of  England,  which  has  usually  this  Inscription, 

A  Bird  in  Hand  is  better  far 

Than  two  that  in  the  Bushes  are. 
But  these  Lines  are  much  improved  in  the  Inscription  that  is  under  this 
Sign  in  the  Exhibition : 

A  Bird  in  Hand  far  better  'tis 

Than  two  that  in  the  Bushes  is.] 

39.  Atsalon  Hanging,  a  Peruke  Maker's  Sign.  By  Sclater.  [Underneath 
is  written — 

If  Absalon  had  not  worn  hia  own  Hair 
Absalon  had  not  been  hanging  there.] 

40.  Welcome  Cuckholds  to  Bom-Fai/r.  By  Eagarty.  [Whimsically  ima- 
gined, and  drolly  executed — Being  a  Picture  of  Horn-Pair  containing 
various  Figures  of  Cuckholds  in  different  Characters ;  some  with  large 
staring  Bulls',  Goats'-Homs,  &c.,  others  with  their  Horns  just  budding. 
The  center  Figure  is  that  of  a  fine  Gentleman  (copied  from  the  fine  Gen- 
tleman in  Lethe)  with  Rams'-Homs.  On  a  Bank,  fast  asleep,  sits  a  Citizen- 
like Figure,  with  large  branching  antlers,  and  on  the  other  side  of  the 
Picture,  is  a  jemmy  Figure  in  Boots,  who  has  no  Horns  upon  his  Head, 
but  carries  them  in  his  Pocket,  out  of  which  the  tops  appear  tipt  with 
Gold.  This  last  Gentleman's  Horse  (to  make  the  Picture  complete)  is  also 
represented  as  a  Cuckhold,  having  a  Horn  in  his  Forehead  like  an  Uni- 
corn's.] 

49.  An  Hal  Hal 

50  \0n  aparaUel  Lime  with  the  foregoing  on  the  other  Side  of  the  Ohimr 
ney"]  The  Cwiosity,  its  Companion.  [These  two  by  an  unknown  Hand,  the 
Exhibitors  ieing  f avowed  with  them  from  an  unknown  Quarter.}  *»*  Ladies 
and  Gentlemen  are  requested  not  to  finger  them,  as  Hue  Curtains  are  hung 
over  in  purpose  to  preserve  them.  [Behind  the  blue  Curtains  on  one 
of  these  Boards  is  written  Ha  I  Ha  I  Ha  I  and  on  the  other  He  I  He  I'  He  I 
At  the  first  opening  of  the  Exhibition  the  Ladies  had  infinite  Curiosity  to 
know  what  was  behind  the  Curtain,  but  were  afraid  to  gratify  it..  This 
covered  Laugh  is  no  bad  satire  on  the  indecent  Pictures  in  some  Collec- 
tions, hung  up  in  the  same  Manner  with  Curtains  over  them.] 

52,  [^Over  the  Chimney}  The  Renowned  Seven  Champions  of  Christendom, 
from  an  entire  New  Design.  [A  Capital  Piece.  The  Seven  Champions  are 
represented  in  the  following  Manner.  1.  St  George  is  an  English  Sailor 
mounted  on  a  Lion,  with  a  Spit  (by  Way  of  Lance)  bearing  a  Sirloin  of 
Beef  in  one  Hand,  and  a  full  Pot  of  Porter  marked  only  Three  Pence  a 
Qtjakt  in  the  other.  By  the  Lion's  Foot  are  two  Scrolls,  like  Ballads,  the 
one  inscribed  0  the  Roast  Beef  of  Old  England :  the  other.  Hearts  of  Oak 
are  our  Men.  2,  St  Andrew  is  a  Highlander  mounted  on  a  Scotch 
Galloway,  with  a  Broad  Sword,  bearing  an  Oat  Cake  at  the  End  of  it  in 
one  Hand,  and  a  Flask  of  Whisky  in  the  other.  3.  St  Dennis  is  a  French- 
man, mounted  on  a  Deer,  a  timorous  swift-footed  Animal  with  a  small 
Sword  in  one  Hand  on  which  a  Frog  appears  to  be  spitted,  and  a  Dish  of 


524  THE  HISTORY  OF  8I0NB0ARD8. 

Soupe  Maigre  in  the  other.  4.  St  Anthony  is  the  Pope,  mounted  on  a 
Bvll,  with  a  Crosier  and  a  Vessel  of  Holy  Water  dangling  from  it,  in  one 
Hand)  and  a  Cod-Fish  inscribed  Food  for  Lent  in  the  other.  From  his 
Eight  Foot  hangs  a  Scroll  inscribed  Kiss  my  Toe,  and  on  the  Ground  seve- 
ral Eollfl  of  Paper,  on  which  are  written.  Pardons,  Indulgeneies,  &;c.  &c. 
5.  St  James  is  a  Spaniard  mounted  on  a  Mule  with  an  Ingot  of  Gold  in 
one  Hand  and  a  Padlock  in  the  other.  6.  St  David  \b  Taffy  mounted  on  a 
Goat  brandishing  a  Leek  in  one  Hand,  and  bearing  a  Cheese,  by  Way  of 
Target,  in  the  <#icr.  7.  St  Palirick  is  an  Irish  Soldier,  mounted  on  a, 
large  Stone-Horse,  at  whose  Feet  is  a  kind  of  Bill  with  this  Inscription — 
To  cover  this  Season  Black  and  All  Black.  He  has  a  Sword,  bearing  a 
Potatoe  on  the  End  of  it  in  one  Hand,  and  a  three-square  Bottle,  inscribed 
Qreen  Usquebaugh  in  the  other,] 

53.  An  original  Portrait  of  the  present  Emperor  of  Russia. 

54.  Ditto  of  the  Empress  Queen  of  Hunga/ry,  its  Antagonist.  [These  are 
two  old  signs  of  the  Saracen's  Head  and  Queen  Anne.  Under  the  first  is 
written  The  Zabb,  and  under  the  other  the  Emfbes  Qudak.  They  are 
lolling  their  tongues  out  at  each  other,  and  over  their  heads  runs  a  wooden 
label,  inscribed.  The  present  State  of  Europe.] 

56.  The  Ohost  of  Cock  Lane.    By  Miss  Fanny .     [The  figure  of  two 

hands,  one  bearing  a  hammer,  the  other  a  curry-comb,  in  allusion  to 
knocking  and  scratching.] 

58.  All  the  World  and  his  Wife.  By  Blachman.  [liie  figure  of  a 
foolish-looking  fellow,  with  the  globe  round  his  body,  (like  Orbis  in  the 
Rehearsal,)  and  his  wife  cudgelling  him.] 

60.  A  Prospective  View  of  Billingsgate,  or  Lectures  on  Elocution. 

61.  The  Rohim,  Bood  Society,  a  Conversation  ;  or  Lectures  on  Elocution. 
Its  Companion.  These  two  by  Bamsley.  [These  two  Strokes  at  a  famous 
Lecturer  on  Elocution,*  and  The  Reverend  Projector  of  a  Rhetorical  Aca- 
demy, are  admirably  conceived  and  executed ;  and  (the  latter  more  especially) 
almost  worthy  the  Hand  of  Hogarth.  They  are  full  of  a  Variety  of  droll 
Figures,  and  seem  indeed  to  be  the  Work  of  a  great  Master,  struggling  to 
suppress  his  Superiority  of  Genius,  and  endeavouring  to  paint  down  to  the 
common  Stile  and  Manner  of  the  School  of  Sign-painting.] 

64.  View  of  the  Road  to  Paddington,  with  a  Presentation  of  the  Deadly- 
Never-Green,  that  bears  Fruit  all  the  year  round.  The  Fruit  at  fall 
Length.  By  Hagarty.  [Tyburn  with  three  Felons  on  the  Gallows.  This 
Piece  is  remarkable  for  the  Execution.] 

65.  The  Salutation,  or  French  and  English  Manners.  By  Blachman. 
[An  English  Jack  Tar,  kicking,  and  taking  a  tawdry  Mouuseer,  cringing 
and  bowing,  by  the  Nose.] 

66.  Good  Company.  A  Conversation.  Intended  as  a  Sign  for  a  Tobacco- 
nist. By  Bransley.  [The  Conceit  and  Execution  are  admirable.  It 
represents  a  Common-CouucU-Man,  and  two  Friends,  drunk,  over  a  Bottle 
and  a  Pipe.  The  Common-Council-Man  is  fallen  back  on  his  Chair  as 
asleep.  One  of  the  Friends,  an  officer,  is  lighting  a  Pipe  at  his  red  Nose, 
while  the  other,  a  Doctor,  is  using  his  Thumb  for  a  Tobacco  Stopper.] 

68.  Hogs-Norton.     A  Sign  for  a  Musick-Shop.    By  Bransley.    [Repre- 
sents (in  allusion  to  the  old  saying  concerning  Hog's  Norton)  an  Hog  drest 
in  a  Laced  Suit,  and  an  enormous  Tye  Wig,  playing  upon  the  Organ.] 
*  Orntor  Henley  is  doubtless  intended. 


BONNELL  THORNTON'S  SIGNBOARD  EXHIBITION.  $2^ 

69.  St  Dunstcm  and  the  Devil.  [The  Saint  Taking  the  Devil  by  the 
Nose.] 

70.  St  Squintum  and  the  Deail,  its  Companion.    By .     [Dr  W d 

doing  the  same.     The  Portrait  is  not  unlike  the  Doctor.*] 

71.  Shane  for  a  Penm/,  Let  Blood  for  Nothing.  [A  Man  under  the 
Hands  of  a  Barber-Surgeon,  who  shaves  and  lets  Blood  at  the  same  Time, 
by  cutting  at  every  Stroke  of  his  Bazor.] 

72.  Teith  Drawn,  with  a  Touch.  A  Caricature.  Its  Companion.  [A 
Man  in  much  the  same  circumstances,  mutatis  mutandis,  under  the  Hands 
of  a  Tooth-Drawer.] 

"  Such,"  says  the  London  Register,  "  are  the  Original  Paintings 
in  the  Society's  Collection."  It  may  be  remarked  that  there  is 
some  humour  in  placing  many  of  the  signs,  which  of  themselves 
would  not  be  very  striking  :  for  instance,  The  Theee  Apothe- 
caries' Gat.tjpots,  with  The  Three  Coffins  as  its  companion ; 
King  Charles  in  the  Oak,  and  by  its  side  The  Owl  in  the 
Ivy  Bush.  Some  of  the  signs  are  very  indelicate,  but  this 
objection  does  not  appear  amongst  the  many  charges  brought 
against  Mr  Thornton  and  his  friends.  The  opinion  of  society 
upon  this  point  was  very  different  in  the  last  century  from  what 
it  is  now. 

Besides  the  official  catalogue  there  also  appears  to  have  been 
a  comic  or  satirical  guide,  for  the  newspapers  of  the  day  adver- 
tise— 

This  Day  was  published,  Price  6d., 

HA !  HA !  HA !  Or  the  Laugher's  Companion  to  the  GRAND  EXHI- 
BITION of  the  SIGN  PAINTERS.    Also  He !   He !   He !  Or  the 
Artist's  Guide  to  the  Society's  Exhibition. 

Printed  for  W.  Nicholl,  at  the  PapermiU,  in  St  Paul's  Churchyard. 

We  shaU  close  this  subject  with  a  paper  in  favour  of  the 
much  abused  exhibition,  a  weak,  but  well  meant,  effusion  in 
doggerel  rhyme  : — 

To  the  Printek  o/the  ST  JAMES'S  CHRONICLE. 
SIR, 

As  the  Sign  Painters  in  this  Catalogue  have  directed  any  Essays  on  their 
Exhibition  to  be  sent  to  you,  I  have  troubled  you  with  the  enclosed  Trifle, 
by  inserting  which  in  your  Chronicle,  you  will  oblige 
Tour  humble  Servant 
And  constant  Reader 

A  Fbiend  to  the  Sign  Paintees. 

•  The  celebrated  preacber,  George  Whitfielcl,  who  was  chaplain  to  Selina,  Oountesa  of 
Huntingdon. 


526 


THE  HISTORY  OF  SIONBOARDS. 


Addressed  to  the  Gentlemen,  of  the  Society  o/SiON  Paintebs. 
ThouqS  Malice  darts  around  malignant  Bays 
And  pow'rful  Envy  all  its  Spleen  displays : 
Go  on,  great  Chiefs,  pursue  your  noble  Play, 
And  nobly  end,  what  nobly  you  began. 
Spite  of  Detraction  shall  your  Mirth  rise 
With  odorif  rous  Flavour  to  the  Skies, 
And  Masnore's,  Lester's,  Wa/rdls,  and  FhKbowrnis  Name, 
With  thine,  Van  Dyke,  shall  live  to  endless  Fame  ; 
For  your  Collection  Wit  and  SkiU  combine. 
And  Humour  ilows  in  ev'ry  well  chose  Sign  j 
To  you  the  Palm,  th'  admiring  World  must  give, 
To  you  the  Honour  ev'ry  Artist  leave. 
Regard  not  they  the  little-minded's  Rage, 
Kor  dread  the  snarling  Critic's  angry  Page ; 
For  conscious  Worth  shall  be  your  safest  Quard, 
And  Immortality  your  sure  Reward. 

April  27-29, 1762.  E.  N". 


INDEX. 


A.  B.  C,  4T6. 
Abel  Drugger,  85. 
Abercrombie,  Sir  Balph,  58. 
Abraham  Offering  his  Son, 

259. 
Absalom,  263. 
Acorn,  246. 
Adam's  Arms,  136. 
Adam  and  Eve,  257,  258. 
Addison's  Head,  68. 
Aftican  Chief,  432. 
Air-Balloon,  486. 
Airesdale  Heifer,  190. 
Albemarle,  Duke  of,  69. 
Albion,  329. 
Ale-stakes,  6. 
Ale-pole,  233. 
Alfred's  Head,  45. 
Almond  Tree,  245. 
Anchor,  832. 
Anchor  and  Castle,  333. 
Anchor  and  Can,  333. 
Anchor  and  Shuttle,  333. 
Ancient  Briton,  415. 
Andrew  Marvel,  63. 
Angel,  266,  267,  268. 
Angel  and  Bible,  270. 
Angel  and  Crown,  270. 
Angel  and  Gloves,  271. 
Angel  and  Still,  271. 
Angel  and  Stilliards,  271. 
Angel  and  Sun,  272. 
Angel  and  Woolpack,  272. 
Angel  on  the  Hoop,  504. 
Angler,  361. 
Annunciation,  279. 
Anodyne  Necklace,  405. 
Antelope,  110. 
Antigallican,  485. 
Antigallican  Arms,  136,  485. 
Antwerp,  425. 
Anvil,  346. 

Anvil  and  BIacksmith,346. 
Anvil  and  Hammer,  346. 
Ape,  161. 


Ape  and  Bagpipes,  438. 

Apollo,  69. 

Apple-tree,  239. 

Apple-tree  and  Mitre,  239. 

Arabian  Horse,  175. 

Archimedes,  62. 

Arethusa,  329. 

Arrow,  326. 

Artichoke,  250. 

Ash-tree,  246. 

Ass  in  the  Bandbox,  467. 

Atlas,  71. 

Auld  Lang  Syne,  81. 

Australian,  ^6, 

Ave  Maria,  280. 

Axe,  346. 

Axe  and  Cleaver,  346. 

Axe  and  Compasses,  346. 

Axe  and  Saw,  346. 

Axe  and  Tun,  475. 

Babes  in  the  Wood,  70. 
Bacchus,  69. 
Bag  o'  Nails,  347. 
Baker  and  Basket,  348. 
Baker  and  Brewer,  348. 
Balaam's  Ass,  261. 
Balcony,  375. 
Bald  Face,  165. 
Bald  Hind,  164. 
Bald-faced  Stag,  164. 
Ball,  482. 
Ball  and  Cap,  483. 
Ball  and  Raven,  483. 
Balloon,  355,  486. 
Barrel,  349. 
Bang  Up,  365. 
Bank  of  Friendship,  434. 
Banner,  322. 
Baptist  Head,  273. 
Barber's  Pole,  341. 
Barber's  signs,  344,  345. 
Barley  Broth,  384. 
Barleycorn,  Sir  John,  79. 
Barley  Mow,  244j  327. 


Barley-Stack,  244. 
Bat  and  Ball,  484. 
Battered  Naggin,  468. 
Battle  of  the  Nile,  61. 
Battle  of  Pyramids,  61. 
Battle  of  Waterloo,  61. 
Bay  Childers,  175. 
Bay  Horse,  171. 
Beadle,  336. 
Beagle,  194. 
Bear,  152,  153,  154. 
Bear  and  Bacchus,  155. 
Bear  and  Harrow,  155. 
Bear  and  Bagged  Staff,  136. 
Bear  and  Bummer,  155. 
Bear's  Paw,  144. 
Bear's  Head,  155. 
Bedford  Head,  99. 
Beech-tree,  246. 
Beet  Steaks,  378. 
Beehive,  231,  472. 
Bee's  Wing,  384. 
Bel  and  Dragon,  256. 
BeU,  473,  477,  478,  479. 
Bell  and  Anchor.  480. 
Bell  and  Black  Horse,  174. 
Bell  and  Bullock,  480. 
Bell  and  Candlestick,  430. 
BeU  and  Crown,  480. 
Bell  and  Cuckoo,  480. 
Bell  and  Horse,  174. 
Bell  and  Lion,  480. 
Bell  and  Mackerel,  230. 
BeU  and  Talbot,  165. 
BeU  in  the  Thorn,  475. 
Bell  Savage,  480,  481. 
Benbow,  Admiral,  67. 
Bess  of  Bedlam,  370. 
Bible,  253. 

Bible  and  BaU,  256,  483. 
Bible  and  Crown,  103. 
Bible,  Crown,  and  Constitu- 
tion, 254. 
Bible  and  Dial,  256. 
Bible  and  Dove,  255. 


528 


INDEX. 


Bible  and  Harp,  473. 

Bible  and  Key,  285. 

Bible  and  Lamb,  255. 

Bible  and  Peacock,  255. 

Bible  and  Sun,  256. 

Bible  and  Three  Crowns,  127. 

Bible,  Sceptre,  and  Crown, 
255. 

Bivch-tree,  246. 

Bird  and  Bantling,  138. 

Birdbolt,  361. 

Bird  in  the  Bush,  449. 

Bird  in  Hand,  446,  447,  448, 
449. 

Bishop  Blaize,  283. 

Bishop  Blaize  and  Two  Saw- 
yers, 252. 

Bishop  of  Canterbury,  64. 

Bishop's  Head,  315. 

Blackamoor's  Head,  485. 

Black  Ball  and  Lillyhead,  64. 

Black  Bell,  479. 

Blackbird,  202. 

Black  Boy,  432. 

Black  Boy  and  Camel,  433. 

Black  Boy  and  Cat,  103. 

Black  Boy  and  Comb,  433. 

Black  Bull  and  Looking- 
Glass,  187. 

Black  Cock,  209. 

Black  Crow,  203. 

Black  Dog,  193. 

Black  Dog  and  Still,  483. 

Black  Doll,  486. 

Black  Girl,  433. 

Black  Friar,  319. 

Black  Goat,  192. 

Black  Greyhound,  196. 

Black  Jack,  384,  385,  386. 

Black  Lion,  120. 

Blackmoor's  Head  and  Wool- 
pack,  347. 

Black  Posts,  373. 

Black  Prince,  48. 

Black  Ram,  190. 

Black  Spread  Eagle,  139. 

Black  Swan,  215,  216,  473. 

Blaize,  Bishop,  283. 

Bleeding  Heart,  300. 

Bleeding  Horse,  175. 

Bleeding  Wolf,  143. 

Blind  Beggar  of  Bethnal 
Green,  73. 

Blink  Bonny,  173. 

Block,  363. 

Blossom's  Inn,  297. 

Blue  Anchor,  333. 

Blue  Anchor  and  Ball,  333. 

Blue  and  Gilt  Balcony,  376. 

Blue  Balls,  483. 

Blue  Bible,  253. 

Blue  Boar,  116,  288. 

Blue  Bowl,  305. 

Blue  Boy,  610. 

Blue  Bull,  193. 

Blue-coat  Boy,  509. 


Blue  Cock,  209. 

Blue  Cow,  193. 

Blue  Dog,  194,  195. 

Blue  Plower  Pot,  377. 

Blue  Fox,  195. 

Blue  Garland,  236. 

Blue  Greyhound,  103. 

Blue  Helmet,  326. 

Blue  Horse,  170. 

Blue  Lion,  146. 

Blue  Man,  195. 

Blue  Peruke  and  Star,  404. 

Blue  Pig,  116,  195. 

Blue  Posts,  373. 

Blue  Pump,  397. 

Blue  Bam,  193. 

Blue  Stoops,  406. 

Board,  377. 

Boar's  Head,  378,  379,  380. 

Boat,  334. 

Boatswain,  332. 

Boatswain's  Call,  332. 

Boeuf  i,  la  Mode,  475. 

Bolt  in  Tun,  471. 

Bombay  Grab,  328. 

Bonny  Cravat^  406. 

Book  in  Hand,  446. 

Booksellers'  Signs,  6,  7. 

Boot,  409. 

Boot  and  Slipper,  409. 

Bosom's  Inn,  297,  298, 

Bottle,  387. 

Bottle  and  Glass,  387. 

Bowman,  363. 

Bowls  and  Candle-poles,  362. 

Boy  and  Barrel,  349. 

Boy  and  Cap,  349. 

Brace,  473. 

Brandy  Cask,  349. 

Brass  Knocker,  376, 

Brawn's  Head,  381. 

Brazen  Serpent,  7,  261. 

Breeches  and  Glove,  409. 

Britannia,  415. 

British  Oak,  246. 

Brood  Hen,  178. 

Broughton,  87. 

Brown  Bear,  152. 

Brown  Bill,  336. 

Brown  Cow,  190. 

Brown  Jug,  387. 

Brown  Lion,  150. 

Brunswick,  The,  50. 

Buchanan  Head,  63. 

Buck,  471. 

Buck  and  Bell,  165. 

Bucket,  397. 

Buck  in  the  Park,  127. 

Buckthorn  Tree,  246. 

Buffalo  Head,  186. 

Bugle,  183. 

Bugle  Horn,  340. 

Bull,  182,  183. 

Bull  and  Bedpost.  187. 

Bull  and  Bell,  165. 

Bull  and  Bitch,  187. 


Bull  and  Butcher,  187. 

Bull  and  Chain,  182. 

Bull  and  Dog,  187. 

Bull  and  Gate,  62. 

Bull  and  Garter,  232. 

Boll's  Head,  18S. 

Bull  Inn,  92. 

Bull  and  Magpie,  187. 

Bull  and  Mouth,  6L 

Bull  and  Oak,  188. 

Bull  and  Stirrup,  116. 

Bull  and  Swan,  188. 

Bull  and  Three  Calves,  177, 

Bullen  Butchered,  47. 

Bull  in  the  Oak,  188. 

Bull  in  the  Pound,  188. 

Bull's  Neck,  186. 

Bumper,  390. 

Bunch  of  Carrots,  243. 

Bunch  of  Grapes,  243. 

Bunch  of  Boses,  236. 

Burdett,  Sir  Francis,  63. 

Burnt  Tree,  246. 

Bush,  3, 4,  note,  233,  234. 

Bushel,  347. 

Butler's  Head,  63. 

Butt  and  Oyster,  381. 

Cabbage,  251. 
Cabbage  Hall,  251. 
Cabinet,  393. 
Caesar's  Head,  45. 
Camden  Arms,  68. 
Camden  Head,  68. 
Camden  House,  416^ 
Camel,  162. 
Camel's  Head,  162. 
Canary  House,  £^ 
Cannon  Ball,  327. 
Canute  Castle,  4S, 
Cap  and  Stocking,  402. 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  422. 
Cardinal's  Hat  or  Cap,  315. 
Case  is  Altered,  460. 
Castle,  130,  417,  487. 
Castle  and  Banner,  488. 
Castle  and  Falcon,  487. 
Castle    and    Wheelbarrow, 

488. 
Castles  in  the  Air,  488. 
Castor  and  Pollux,  70. 
Cat,  197. 

Cat  and  Bagpipes,  4S8. 
Cat  and  Cage,  198. 
Cat  and  Fiddle,  43S. 
Cat  and  Kittens,  177. 
Cat  and  Lion,  198. 
Cat  and  Parrot,  198. 
Cat  and  Wheel,  299. 
Caterpillar  Hall,  251. 
Catherine  Wheel,  298,  357. 
Cat  in  the  Basket,  198. 
Centurion's  Lion,  151, 
ChaJTculter's  Arms,  332. 
Chained  Bull,  182. 
Chaise  and  Pair,  116, 


INDEX. 


529 


Chapel  Bell,  321. 
Charing  Cross,  416. 
Charles  the  First's  Head,  48. 
Charles  the  Second's  Head, 

49. 
Charter  about  signs  granted 

by  Charles  I.,  10. 
Chase,  361. 

Chelsea  Waterworks,  416. 
Chequers,  488. 
Cherry  Garden,  240. 
Ch?rry  Tree,  240,  472. 
Cheshire  Cheese,  383. 
Chestnut,  246. 
Child-Coat,  40T. 
Chiltern  Hundred,  418. 
China  Hall,  435. 
Church,  321. 
Church  dates,  321. 
Church  Stile,  321. 
Cinder  Oven,  34S. 
Circe,  329. 
Civet,  162. 
Cleaver,  358. 
Clog,  410. 
Clown,  85. 

Coach  and  Horses,  355,  356. 
Coach  and  Dogs,  357. 
Coble,  334. 
Cock,    205,    206,    207,    208, 

209. 
Cock  and  Anchor,  212. 
Cock  and  Bear,  212. 
Cock  and  Bell,  211. 
Cock  and  Blackbird,  202. 
Cock  and  Bottle,  207,  211. 
Cock  and  Breeches,  212. 
Cock  and  Bull,  212. 
Cock  and  Crown,  212. 
Cock  and  Dolphin,  212. 
Cock  and  House,  212. 
Cock  and  Key,  471. 
Cock  and  Lioa,  151. 
Cock  and  Magpie,  382. 
Cock  and  Pie,  382. 
Cock  and  Pynot,  383. 
Cock  and  Trumpet,  211. 
Cock  and  Swan,  212. 
Cockatrice,  161. 
Cock  in  Boots,  442. 
Cocoa  Tree,  248. 
Cock  on  the  Hoop,  504. 
Cock's  Head,  209. 
Coffee-house,  249. 
Coffee-pot,  394. 
Colt  and  Cradle,  445. 
Complete  Angler,  80. 
Comus,  70. 
Copper  Pot,  396 
Corner  Pin,  505. 
Cottage  of  Content,  434. 
Cotton  Breeches,  409. 
Cotton-tree,  243. 
Coventry  Cross,  418. 
Cow  and  Calf,  177. 
Cow  and  Hare,  449. 


Cow  and  Snuffers,  414. 
Cow  and  Two  Calves,  177. 
Cow  in  Boots,  442. 
Cow  Roast,  378. 
Cow's  Pace,  186. 
Crab  and  Lobster,  381. 
Crab-tree,  247. 
Cradle,  130,  393. 
Cradle  and  Coffin,  464. 
Craven  Arms,  59. 
Craven  Head,  59. 
Craven  Heifer,  190. 
Craven  Ox,  188. 
Craven  Ox  Head,  188. 
Crawfish,  381. 
Crescent  and  Anchor,  500. 
Cricketers,  39. 
Cricketers'  Arms,  484. 
Cripples'  Inn,  468. 
Crispin  and  Crispian,  281. 
Crocodile,  182. 
Cromwell,  46. 
Cromwell,  Oliver,  121. 
Crook  and  Shears,  363. 
Crooked  Billet,  489. 
Cross,  275,  276. 
Cross  Axes,  346. 
Cross  Bullets,  327. 
Gross  Poxes,  142. 
Cross  Guns,  322. 
Cross  Hands,  493. 
Cross  in  Hand,  493. 
Cross  Keys,  131 
Cross  Keys  and  Bible,  131. 
Cross  Lances,  322. 
Cross  0'  the  Hands,  493. 
Cross  Pistols,  322. 
Cross  Scythes,  353. 
Cross  Swords,  322. 
Grow  in  the  Oak,  203. 
Grown,  101,  239,  258. 
Crown  and  Anchor,  103. 
Crown  and  Can,  106. 
Crown  and  Column,  103. 
Crown  and  Cushion,  102, 
Crown  and  Dove,  105. 
Crown  and  Pan,  105. 
Crown  and  Glove,  102. 
Grown  and  Halbert,  106 
Grown  and  Harp,  126. 
Crown  and  Leek,  126. 
Crown  and  Last,  105. 
Crown  and  Mitre,  103. 
Crown  and  Punchbowl,  388. 
Crown  and  Rasp,  105. 
Crown  and  Bolls,  337. 
Crown  and  Sceptre,  103. 
Crown  and  Tower,  103. 
Crown  and  Trumpet,  106. 
Crown  and  Woolpack,  103. 
Crown  and  "Woodpecker,  103. 
Crowned  Q.  476. 
Crowned  Pan,  412. 
Crown  of  Thorns,  275. 
Crown  on  the  Hoop,  504. 
Crow's  Nest,  178. 


Cumberland,  Duke  of,  54. 
Czar's  Head,  52. 

Dagger,  325. 

Dairymaid,  353. 

Daisy,  238. 

Dancing  Dogs,  444 

Dancing  Goat,  439. 

Dandle  Dinmont,  81. 

Dapple  Grey,  171. 

Darby  and  Joan,  79. 

David  and  Harp,  263. 

Davy  Lamp,  346. 

Defiance,  355. 

Denmark  House,  436,  437. 

Devil,  291,  294,  295. 

Devil  and  Bag  of  Nails,  347. 

Devil  and  St  Dunstan,  291, 
292,  293. 

Devil  in  a  Tub.  460. 

Devil's  Head,  295. 

Dick  Tarleton,  83. 

Digby,  Captain,  99. 

Dirty  Dick,  90. 

Dr  Johnson's  Head,  68. 

Doctor  Syntax,  81. 

Dog,  192. 

Dog  and  Bacon,  378. 

Dog  and  Badger,  197. 

Dog  and  Bear,  198. 

Dog  and  Crock,  444. 

Dog  and  Duck,  196,  197. 

Dog  and  Gun,  197. 

Dog  and  Hedgehog,  162. 

Dog  and  Partridge,  197. 
Dog  and  Pheasant,  197. 

Dog  and  Punchbowl,  588. 

Dog  in  Doublet,  443. 

Dog's  Head  in  the  Pot,  443, 

444. 
Dolphin,  227,  228. 
Dolphin  &  Anchor,  228,  220. 
Dolphin  and  Bell,  166. 
Dolphin  and  Comb,  229. 
Dolphin  and  Crown,  129. 
Don  Cossack,  99. 
Don  John,  68. 
Don  Juan,  68. 
Don  Saltero,  93,  04. 
Donkey  Playing  on  Hurdy 

Gurdy,  439. 
Doublet,  407. 
Dove,  219. 

Dove  and  Bainbow,  259. 
Dovecote,  219. 
Dover  Castle,  417. 
Dragon,  111,  158. 
Drake,  218. 
Drake,  Admiral,  56. 
Dray  and  Horses,  349. 
Drovers'  Arms,  136. 
Drover's  Gall,  356. 
Dmid  and  Oak,  100. 
Druid's  Head,  99. 
Drum  and  Trumpet,  322. 
Dryden's  Head.  67. 
3X 


53° 


Duck  and  Mallard,  21S. 
Duke's  Head,  59. 
Dunciad,  67. 
Dun  Gov,  74. 
Durham  Heifer,  190. 
Durham  Ox,  188. 
Dust  Pan,  897. 
Dusty  Miller,  343. 
Dwarf,  89. 

Eagle,  199. 

Sagle  and  Ball,  199. 

Sagle  and  Child,  138. 

Eagle  and  Serpent,  198. 

Eagle's  Soot,  139. 

Early  Christian  signs,  3,  4. 

East  India  House,  415. 

Edinburgh  Castle,  418. 

Bight  Bells,  478. 

Eight  Ringers,  478. 

Elephant  and  Castle,  155, 
156. 

Elephant  and  Fish,  150. 

Elephant  and  Priar,  156. 

Elisha's  Raven,  264. 

Elliott,  general,  58. 

Elm,  246. 

Elysium,  73. 

England,  Scotland,  and  Ire- 
land, 415. 

English  Arms,  129. 

Essex  Arms,  60. 

Essex,  Earl  of,  60. 

Essex  Head,  60. 

Essex  Sei-pent,  80. 

Exchange,  415. 

Exmouth,  Lord,  57. 

Experienced  Eowler,  361. 

Express,  355. 

Ewe  and  Lamh,  177. 

Palcon,  219. 

Ealcon  on  the  Hoop,  220, 

504. 
Palcon  and  Horseshoe,  115. 
Palstaff,  Sir  John,  67,  86. 
Pan,  412. 

Parmer's  Arms,  136,  352. 
Father  Redcap,  96. 
Feathers,  122. 
Ferguson,  James,  63. 
Fiddler's  Arms,  83. 
Fifteen  Balls,  127. 
Fighting  Cocks,  210,  252. 
Pig-tree,  245. 
Pilho,  176. 
Filho  da  Puta,  175. 
Finish,  511. 
Pire-beacon,  117. 
First  and  Last,  436,  464. 
Fir-tree,  246. 
Fish,  230. 

Pish  and  Anchor,  228. 
Fish  and  Bell,  165,  230. 
Pish  and  Dolphin,  230. 
Vish  and  Eels,  231. 


INDEX. 


Fish  and  Kettle,  231. 
Fish  >nd  Quart,  231. 
Fishbone,  231. 
Fishing  Cat,  439. 
Fishing  Smack,  334. 
Five  Bells,  331,  478. 
Five  Clogs,  410. 
Pive  Cricketers,  484. 
Five  Inkhorns,  337. 
Flaming  Sword,  253. 
Plank  of  Beef,  378. 
Flask,  387. 
Fleece,  58. 

Flitch  of  Dunmow,  420. 
Flower  de  Luce,  128. 
Flower  Pot,  376. 
Flowers  of  the  Forest,  81. 
Flying  Bull,  73. 
Flying  Ohilders,  175. 
Plying  Dutchman,  175. 
Plying  Pox,  170. 
Flying  Horse,  72,  365. 
Plying  Monkey,  444. 
Foaming  Quart,  387. 
Foaming  Tankard,  349. 
Polly,  609. 
Fool,  339. 

Forest  Blue  Bell,  238. 
Fortune,  73. 
Foul  Anchor,  333. 
Fountain,  471,  494,  495. 
Fountain  and  Bear,  496. 
Fountain  of  Juvenca,  461. 
(Fam-)  4.  477. 
Pour  Alls,'461,  452. 
Four  Bells,  478. 
Pour  Coffins,  371. 
Fourteen  Stars,  500. 
Fox,  168,  472. 
Pox  and  Bull,  169. 
Pox  and  Cap,  170. 
Pox  and  Crane,  169. 
Pox  and  Crown,  170,  364. 
Pox  and  Duck,  169. 
Fox  and  Goose,  168. 
Fox  and  G-rapes,  169. 
Pox  and  Hen,  169. 
Fox  and  Hounds,  169. 
Pox  and  Knot,  170. 
Fox  and  Lamb,  169. 
Fox  and  Owl,  169. 
Pox  and  Punchbowl,  383. 
Fox's  Tail,  170. 
French  Arms,  128. 
French  Horn,  339. 
French  Horn  and  Half  Moon, 

339. 
French  Horn  and  Queen's 

Head,  339. 
French  Horn  and  Rose,  339. 
French   Horn   and  Violin, 

338. 
French  signs,  8,  11,  16.  17, 

28,  35,  36,  37,  41,  279,  280 
Frighted  Horse,  175. 
FioghaU,  232. 


Frying  Pan,  396. 
Pull  Measure,  349. 
Pull  Moon,  500. 
Full  Ship,  330. 

Galloping  Horse,  173. 

Gander,  472. 

Gaper,  487. 

Gaping  Goose,  444. 

Garden  House,  373. 

Garrick's  Head,  85. 

Garter,  410,  411. 

Gelding,  176. 

General's  Arms,  136. 

Geneva  Arms,  130. 

Generous  Briton,  415. 

Gentle  Shepherd  of  Salis- 
bury Plain,  419. 

George,  287,  288. 

George  and  Blue  Boar,  288. 

George  and  Dragon,  40. 

George  and  Thirteen  Can- 
tons, 289. 

George  and  Vulture,  289. 

George  on  the  Hoop,  504. 

Gibraltar,  61,  422. 

Gipsy  Queen,  508. 

Gipsy  Tent,  508. 

Globe,  414. 

Globe  and  Compasses,  147. 

Glorious  Apollo,  69. 

Glove,  411. 

Goat,  192. 

Goat  and  Kid,  177. 

Goat  in  Armour,  440. 

Goat  in  Boots,  440,  441. 

Godfrey,  Sir  Edmund,  64. 

God's  Head,  279. 

Golden  Angel,  269. 

Golden  Ball,  482. 

Golden  Beard,  405. 

Golden  Bell,  479. 

Golden  Bottle,  386.' 

Golden  Buck,  165. 

Golden  Candlestick,  391. 

Golden  Can,  386. 

Golden  Cross,  276. 

Golden  Crotchet,  339. 

Golden  Cup,  149. 

Golden  Eagle,  198. 

Golden  Parmer,  352. 

Golden  Field  Gate,  62. 

Golden  Fleece,  72. 

Golden  Frog,  232. 

Golden  Pryingpan,  396. 

Golden  Globe,  415. 

Golden  Griffin,  146. 

Golden  Head,  490. 

Golden  Heart,  300  473. 

Golden  Jar,  397. 

Golden  Key,  398. 

Golden  Key  and  Bible,  255, 

Golden  Lion,  146,  201,  327. 

Golden  Maid,  364. 

Golden  Measure,  349. 

Golden  Quoit,  506. 


Golden  Ring,  412. 
Golden' Slipper,  409. 
Golden  Sun,  498. 
Golden  Tiger,  1S2. 
Golden  Tun,  474. 
Goliah,  or  Golias,  262. 
Goliah  Head,  262. 
Good  Samaritan,  274. 
Good  Woman,  454,  455. 
G005e  and  Gridiron,  239, 445. 
Goose  and  Gridiron,  316. 
Gospel  Oak,  278. 
Grafton's  Head,  Duke  of,388. 
Granby,  Marquis  of,  55,  58. 
Grand  A.,  476. 
Grand  B.,  476. 
Grasshopper,  140, 
Gra7e  Maurice,  53. 
Gray  Ass,  221. 
Grazier's  Arms,  352. 
Great  Mogol,  51. 
Great  Turk,  429. 
Grecian,  429. 
Greek  Signs,  1. 
Green  Bellows,  394. 
Green  Dragon,  111. 
Green  Lattice,  375. 
Green  Lettuce,  375. 
Green  Man,  366,  367,  363, 

449. 
Green  Man  and  Ball,  483. 
Green  Man  and  Still,  148. 
Green  Monkey,  444. 
Green  Monster,  507. 
Green  Pales,  373. 
Green  Parrot,  222. 
Green  Posts,  472. 
Green  Seedling,  246. 
Green  Tree,  245. 
Gresham,  Thomas,  63. 
Gretna  Green,  422. 
Grey  Goat,  192. 
Greyhound,  194. 
Grey  Mare,  177. 
Grey  Ox,  188. 
Gridiron,  396. 
Griffln,  145. 
Griffin's  Ai'ms,  136. 
Grinding  Young,  461. 
Grinning  Jackanapes,  440. 
Grouse  and  Moorcock,  223. 
Grouse  and  Trout,  223. 
Guardian  Angel,  269. 
Guilded  Cup,  387. 
Gun,  or  Cannon,  117. 
Guy  of  Warwick,  74. 

Halbert  and  Crown,  327. 
Half  Eagle  and  Key,  130. 
Half-Moon,  327,  600. 
Half-Moon  and  Punchbowl, 

383. 
Half-Moon  and  Seven  Stars, 

600. 
Hailstone,  502. 
Ham,  381, 


INDEX. 

Ham  and  Firkin,  331, 
Hammer,  347. 
Hammer  and  Crown,  149. 
Hand,  492. 
Hand  and  Apple,  239. 
Hand  and  Ball,  492. 
Hand  and  Bible,  299. 
Hand  and  Cork,  471. 
Hand  and  Ear,  492. 
Hand  and  Face,  492. 
Hand  and  Flower,  235. 
Hand  and  Heart,  493. 
Hand  and  Hollybush,  250. 
Hand  and  Pen,  337. 
Hand  and  Scales,  362. 
Hand  and  Shears,  350. 
Hand  and  Slipper,  409. 
Hand  and  Tench,  493. 
Hand  and  Tennis,  493. 
Handel's  Head,  83. 
Handgun.  326. 
Hand  in  Hand,  493. 
Hare,  163. 
Hare  and  Cats,  164. 
Hare  and  Hounds,  163, 164. 
Hare  and  Squirrel,  163. 
Hark  the  Lasher,  361. 
Hark  to  Bounty,  361. 
Hark  up  to  Glory,  361. 
Hark  up  to  Nudger,  361. 
Harlequin,  365. 
Harmer,  Captain,  99. 
Harp,  340,  473. 
Harp  and  Hautboy,  338. 
Harrow,  351. 

Harrow  and  Doublet,  407. 
Hart  on  the  Hoop,  504. 
Harvest  Home,  354. 
Hat,  S99. 

Hat  and  Beaver,  191,  400. 
Hat  and  Feathers,  400. 
Hat  and  Star,  402,  492. 
Hat  and  Tun,  473. 
Hautboyand  Two  Flutes,  338. 
Have  at  It,  209,  210. 
Hawk  and  Buck,  115. 
Hawk  and  Buckle,  115. 
Hawthorn,  117. 
Haycook,  420. 
Haylift,  502. 

Heart  and  Ball,  300,  483. 
Heart  and  Trumpet,  505. 
Heart  i.n  Bible,  299. 
Heart  in  Hand,  493. 
Hearts  of  Oak,  246. 
Hearty  Good  Fellow,  82. 
Heathfleld,  Lord,  58. 
Heaven,  300. 
Hedgehog,  162. 
Hell,  301. 
Helmet,  326. 

Help  me  thro' thisWorld,450. 
Hen  and  Chickens,  178. 
Hen  on  the  Hoop,  504. 
Hercules,  70. 
Hercules'  Pillars,  70. 


531 

Hereford  Castle,  418. 
Hero  of  Switzerland,  100. 
Highland  Laddie,  421. 
Hill,  471. 
Hind,  473. 
Hippopotamus,  162. 
Hit  or  Miss,  451. 
Hob  in  the  WelL  79. 
Hobnails,  347. 
Hobson's  Inn,  92. 
Hog  in  Armour,  440. 
Hog  in  the  Pound,  192. 
Hole  in  the  Wall,  802,  503. 
Hogarth's  Head,  82. 
Holland  Arms,  172. 
HoUybuah,  250. 
Homer's  Head,  65. 
Honest  Lawyer,  456. 
Hood  and  Scarf,  406. 
Hoop,  604. 
Hoop  and  Bunch  of  Grapes, 

252,  504. 
Hoop  and  Griffin,  505. 
Hoop  and  Horseshoe,  180. 
Hoop  and  Toy,  505. 
Hop  and  Barleycorn,  244. 
Hopbine,  244. 
Hope  and  Anchor,  73,  333. 
Hop-pole,  244, 
Hoi-ace's  Head,  65. 
Horn,  340. 

Horn  and  Three  Tuns,  339. 
Horns,  166,  167, 168,  473. 
Horns  and  Horseshoe,  ISO. 
Horse,  170,  171. 
Horse  and  Chaise,  176. 
Horse  and  Dorsiter,  175. 
Horse  and  Parrier,  175. 
Horse  and  Gate,  176. 
Horse  and  Groom,  173, 
Horse's  Head,  176. 
Horse  and  Horseshoe,  180. 
Horse  and  Jockey,  173. 
Horse  and  Stag,  176. 
Horse  and  Tiger,  175. 
Horse  and  Trumpet,  176. 
Horseshoe,  178, 179, 180,  32^ 
Horseshoe  and  Crown,  181. 
Hour-glass,  397. 
Hunchbacked  Cats,  444. 
Huntsman,  361. 
Hyde  Park,  416. 

Ibex,  162. 

Illuminated  Dust  Pan,  397. 
Indian  Chief,  431,  432. 
Indian  Handkerchief,  405. 
Indian  King,  51,  431. 
Indian  Queen,  431,  432. 
In  Vino  Veritas,  144. 
Iron  Balcony,  375. 
Iron  Pear-tree,  239. 
Ironwork,  Signs  suspended 

from  ornamental,  7,  8. 
Ivy  Bush,  233. 
Ivy  Green,  233. 


532 

Jackanapes  on  Horseback, 

489. 
Jackass  in  Boots,  443, 
Jack  of  Both  Sides,  468. 
Jack  of  Newbury,  78. 
Jack  on  a  Cruise,  332. 
Jacob's  Well,  260,  274. 
Jamaica,  423. 
Jamaica  and  Madeira^  423. 
Jane  Shore,  76. 
Jenny  Lind,  83. 
Jersey  Castle,  418. 
Jerusalem,  434. 
Jew's  Harp,  340. 
Jim  Crow,  81. 
Joey  Grimaldi,  85. 
John  Bull,  415. 
John  of  G-aunt,  46. 
John  of  Jerusalem,  274. 
John  o'  Groat's,  79. 
Jolly  Brewer,  450. 
Jolly  Butchers,  302. 
Jolly  Crispin,  281. 
Jolly  Farmer,  352. 
Jolly  Toper,  466. 
JoQson's  Head,  66. 
Jovial  Dutchman,  425,  426. 
Jubilee,  100. 
Judge's  Head,  335. 
Jug  and  Glass,  387. 
Junction  Arms,  136. 
Juno,  69. 

Kangaroo,  162. 

Kettledrum,  322. 

Key,  397,  472. 

King  and  Miller,  74. 

King  Astyages'  Arms,  257. 

King  Charles  in  the  Oak, 
49. 

King  Crispin,  281. 

King  David,  262. 

King  Edgar,  46. 

King  John,  46. 

King  of  Denmark,  52. 

King  of  Prussia,  54. 

King's  Arms,  106. 

King's  Head,  305,  306,  307- 

Kings  and  Keys,  302. 

King's  Head  and  Good  Wo- 
man, 455. 

King's  Porter  and  Dwar^  89. 

Kite's  Nest,  178, 

Knowles,  Sheridan,  60. 

Kouli  Khan,  51. 

La  Belle  Sauvage,  482. 
Labour  in  Vain,  460. 
Laced  Shoe,  409. 
Lads  of  the  Village,  lO.V 
Lady  of  the  Lake,  81. 
Lamb,  191. 

L  ;mb  anrl  Anchor,  300. 
Lamb  HUd  Breeches,  191, 
l^amb  iiDil  Crown,  191. 
Lamb  and  Flag,  800. 


INDEX, 

Lamb  and  Hare,  191. 
Lamb  and  Inkbottle,  229. 
Lamb  and  Lark,  191. 
Lamb  and  Still,  191. 
Lambert,  Daniel,  88. 
Lame  Dog,  450. 
Lamp,  376. 
Land  o'  Cakes,  420. 
Lass  o'  Gowrie,  81. 
Last,  349. 
Lattice,  374,  375. 
Laughing  Dog,  444. 
Leather  Bottle,  386. 
Lebeck's  Head,  93. 
Lebeck  and  Chaffcutfcer,  93. 
Leg,  409,  494. 
Leg  and  Star,  494. 
Leigh  Hoy,  333. 
Leopard,  152. 
Leopai-d  and  Tiger,  152. 
Letters,  476. 
Lilies  of  the  Valley,  238. 
Linskin,  Colonel,  99. 
Lion,  472. 

Lion  and  Adder.  299. 
Lion  and  Ball,  151. 
Lion  and  Castle,  128. 
Lion  and  Dolphin,  150. 
Lion  and  Goat,  299. 
Lion  and  Horseslioe,  180. 
Lion  and  Lamb,  299. 
Lion  and  Pheasant.  150. 
Lion  and  Snake,  299. 
Lion  and  Swan,  150. 
Lion  and  Tun,  150. 
Lion  in  the  Wood,  149. 
Little  A,  476. 
Little  Devil,  294. 
Little  Pig,  192. 
Live  Vulture,  224. 
Live  and  Let  Live,  450. 
Llangollen  Castle,  418. 
Load  of  Hay,  353. 
Load  of  Mischief,  457, 
Lobster,  381. 
Loch-na-Gar,  81. 
Lock  and  Key,  398. 
Lock  and  Shears,  403. 
Locke's  Head,  63. 
Locks  of  Hair,  403. 
Looking-GIass,  392,  393. 
London  Apprentice,  79. 
London  Signs,  tennp,  James 

L,  8.  9. 
London  Signs,  temp.  Charles 

I.,  9,  10 
London  Signs  after  the  Fire, 

16. 
London   Signs  in  1803,  31, 

S2. 
London  Signs  in  1865, 42,  43 

44. 
London    Signs,    Roxburghe 

Ballad  upon  the,  13 
Iiondon  Signs  taken  down, 

28,29. 


Lord  Anglesey,  64 
Lord  Bacon's  Head,  63. 
Lord  Byron,  68. 
Lord  Cobham's  Head,  97. 
Lord  Craven,  59. 
Loving  Lamb,  444. 
Lubber's  Head,  147. 
Luck's  All,  431. 
Lucrece,  80. 

Mad  Oat,  196 
Mad  Dog,  196, 
Maggoty  Pie,  221. 
Magna  Charta,  46. 
Magpie,  40,  220. 
Magpie  and  Crown,  220,  22L 
Magpie  and  Horseshoe,  180. 
Magpie  and  Pewter  Platter, 

221. 
Magpie  and  Punchbowl,  388. 
Magpie  and  Stump,  221. 
Maid  and  the  Magpie,  83. 
Maidenhead,  141. 
Maid's  Head,  142. 
Mail,  355. 

Malt  and  Hops,  244, 
Manage  Horse,  175, 
Man  in  the  Wood,  472, 
Man  Loaded  with  Mischief, 

456. 
Man  of  Bass,  68. 
Man  ir.  the  Moon,  303,  304- 
Mare  and  Foal,  177. 
Marlborough's  Head,  Duke 

of,  59. 
Marquis  of  Granby,  55,  58. 
Marrowbones  and  Cleaver, 

358. 
Martin's  Nest,  178. 
Martyr's  Hea4  48. 
Marvgold,  237. 
Matrons,  321. 
Mattock  and  Spade,  353. 
Maypole,  506, 
Mazeppa,  68. 
Medieval  Signs,  4,  5. 
Melanctbon's  Head,  97. 
Mercury,  70. 
Mercury  and  Fan,  70. 
Merlin's  Cave,  77. 
Merry  Andrew,  368. 
Merry  Harriers,  194. 
Mermaid,  225,  226,  227. 
Merry  Mouth,  491. 
Merry  Song,  339. 
Merry  Tom,  369. 
Middleton,  Sir  Hugh,  63. 
Million  Gardens,  507. 
Millstone,  348. 
Milton's  Head,  67. 
Minerva,  69, 
Miraculous       Draught      of 

Fishes,  275. 
Mitre,  315,  316,  317,  318,  319; 
Mitre  and  Dove,  319. 
Mitre  and  Keys,  319. 


INDEX. 


533 


Mitre  and  Rose,  315,  819. 
Mitre  on  the  Hoop,  504. 
Mischief,  457. 
Mitford  Castle,  418. 
Minister's  Gown,  407. 
Mock-Signs,  12. 
Monck's  Head,  59. 
Monster,  507. 
Moon,  499. 

Moonrakers,  105,  463. 
Moore,  General,  58. 
Moi-tal  Man,  40,  464. 
Mortar  and  Pestle,  341. 
Moses  and  Aaron,  260. 
Moss-rose,  236 
Mother  Huff,  97. 
Mother  Redcap,  96. 
Mother  Shipton,  76. 
Mount  Pleasant,  434. 
Mourning  Crown,  48,  49. 
Mourning  Mitre,  49. 
Mouth,  491. 
Mouth  of  the  Nile,  61. 
Mulberry  Tree,  240,  241. 
Mustard  Pot,  383. 
Myrtle  Tree,  238. 
Mystic  Number  Three,  269, 
note. 


Nag's  Head,  176. 
Naked  Boy,  462,  453. 
Naked  Boy  and  Woolpack, 

272. 
Name  of  Jesus,  279. 
Napier,  Sir  Charles,  57. 
Nell  Gwynne,  97. 
Nelson  and  Peal,  166,  478. 
Neptune,  70. 
Newton,  Sir  Isaac,  62. 
Next  Boat  by  Paul's,  335. 
Nine  Elms,  246. 
Noah's  Ark,  258. 
Nobis  Inn,  473. 
Noblemen's    Badges,     131, 

132, 133,  134,  136,  136. 
Nobody,  457,  458. 
Noggin,  468. 
No  Place,  436,  468. 
North  Pole,  436. 
Noi-wlch,  City  of,  418. 
Nowhere,  458. 
Number  IV.,  477. 
Numbers  versiis  Signs,   29, 

30. 
Number  Three,  477. 

Oak,  246,  474. 
Oak  and  Black  Dog,  203. 
Oak  and  Toy,  246. 
Oakley  Arms,  144. 
Oatsheaf,  252. 
Old  Barge,  334. 
Old  Careless,  468. 
Oldcastle,  Sir  John,  97. 
Old  Coach  and  Six,  363. 


Old  English  Gentleman,  81, 

415. 
Old  Hand  and  Tankard,  493. 
Old  Hobson,  92. 
Old  House  at  Home,  82. 
Old  Knave  of  Clubs,  605. 
Old  Man,  494. 
Old  Parr's  Head,  91. 
Old  Pharaoh,  261. 
Old  Pick  my  Toe,  468. 
Old  Prison,  416. 
Old  King  o'  BeUs,  478. 
Old  Boson,  81. 
Old  Smuggs,  468. 
Old  WiU  Somers,  86,  87. 
Olive-tree,  242. 
One  and  All,  128. 
One  Tun,  148. 
Orange-tree  and  Two  Jars, 

241,  242. 
Ormond's  Head,  59. 
Orpheus,  72. 
Ostrich,  223. 
Our  Lady,  272. 
Our  Lady  of  Pity,  272. 
Owl,  223. 

Owl's  Nest,  169,  223. 
Ox  and  Compasses,  188. 
Oxford  Arms,  127. 
Ox  in  Boots,  442. 
Oxnoble,  251. 

Pack  Horse,  176. 

Paganini,  83. 

Pageant,  50. 

Palatine  Head,  54. 

Palm-tree,  248. 

Panting  Hart,  263. 

Panyer,  348. 

Paracelsus,  64. 

Paradise,  301. 

Parrot,  222. 

Parrot  and  Cage,  222. 

Parrot  and  Punchbowl,  388. 

Parson's  Green,  472. 

Parting  Pot,  349. 

Parta  Tueri,  144. 

Pasqua  Kosee,  92. 

Patten,  410. 

Paltzgrave,  54.* 

Paul's  Head,  290. 

Paul  Pry,  86. 

Paviors'  Arms,  352. 

Peach-tree,  246. 

Peacock,  222. 

Peacock  and  Feathers,  223. 

Pearl  of  Venice,  406. 

Pear-tree,  239. 

Pease  and  Beans,  261. 

Feat  Spade,  363. 

Peel,  348. 

Pelican,  200. 

Periwig,  404. 

Pestle,  341. 

Pestle  and  Mortar,  472. 

Peter'n  F-nger,  291. 


Pewter  Platter,  396. 

Pewter  Pot,  387. 

Philpott,  Toby,  81. 

Phrenix,  199. 

Pickled  Egg,  383. 

Pickwick,  81. 

Pie,  382. 

Pied  Bull,  184 

Pied  Calf,  190. 

Pied  Dog,  194. 

Pig  and  Tinder-box,  156. 

Pig  and  Whistle,  437. 

Pigeon,  218. 

Pigeon  Bow,  219. 

Pilgrim,  608. 

Pindar  of  Wakefield,  75. 

Pindar,  Sir  Paul,  98. 

Pine  Apple,  244. 

Pistol  and  C,  326. 

Pitcher  and  Glass,  387. 

Plate,  326. 

Plough,  351. 

Plough  and  Ball,  483. 

Plough  and  Harrow,  361. 

Plough  and  Horses,  351. 

Poet's  Head,  48,  337. 

Pointer,  194. 

Pole  Star,  601. 

Political  Sign  Pasquinade, 

13. 
Pontack's  Head,  93. 
Pope's  Head,  {the  Poet,)  67. 
Pope's  Head,  312,  313,  314. 
Popinjay,  222. 
Portcullis,  121. 
Porter  Butt,  349. 
Porter  and  Gentleman,  361. 
Portei-'s  Lodge,  351. 
PortobeUo,  39,  67. 
Postboy,  363. 
Prince,  428. 
Prince  Eugene,  53. 
Prince  Rupert,  64. 
Prince  of  Wales'  Arms,  122. 
Prince  of  Wales'  Feathers, 

122. 
Puddlers'  Arms,  352. 
Pump,  396. 
Punchbowl,  388. 
Punchbowl  and  Ladle,  388. 
Purcell's  Head,  83. 
Purgatory,  301. 
Purple  Lion,  146, 
Puss  in  Boots,  442. 


Q  Inn,  476. 
Q  in  the  Comer,  476. 
Quaker,  608. 
Queen  Anne,  47. 
Queen  Catherine,  47. 
Queen  Charlotte,  40. 
Queen  Eleanor,  47. 
Queen  Elizabeth,  47. 
Queen  Mary,  60. 
Queen  of  Bohemia,  47. 


534 


INDEX. 


Queen  of  Hearts  and  King's 

Armr^  S05. 
Queen  of  Hungary,  £5. 
Queen  of  Saba,  263. 
Queen  of  Trumps,  605. 
Queen  of  the  Oipsies,  508. 
Queen's  Arms,  107. 
Queen's   Arms   and    Oom- 

cutter,  107. 
Queen's  Elm,  246 
Queens  Head,  130.  307,  308, 

309,  310,  311,  849,  610. 
Queen's  Head  and  Artichoke, 

312. 
Queen  Victoria,  60. 
Quiet  Woman,  454. 

Bacoou,  162. 

Baffled  Anchor,  333. 

Railway,  334. 

Bainbovr,  502. 

Ealeigh,  Sir  Walter,  56. 

Bam,  190. 

Baven  and  Bell,  165. 

Bam  and  Teazel,  149. 

Barn's  Head,  190. 

Barn's  Skin,  190. 

Ranged  Deer,  165. 

Bat  and  Feiret,  162. 

Raven,  201. 

Recruiting  Sergeant,  322. 

Bed  Ball  and  Acorn,  483. 

Red  Bear,  152. 

Bed  Bull,  185. 

Red  Cat,  197. 

Red  Cow,  188,  189. 

Bed  Dragon,  111. 

Bed  Horse,  171. 

Red  Lion,  119,  327. 

Bed  Lion  and  Key,  472. 

Bed  Lion  and  Punchbowl, 

388. 
Bed  M  and  Dagger,  326. 
Red  Poles,  373. 
Red  Rover,  81. 
Red  Shield,  604. 
Bed  Streak  Tree,  239. 
Red,  White,  and  Blue,  332. 
Reindeer,  167. 
Rembrandt's  Head,  82. 
Resurrection,  277,  474. 
Rest  and  be  Thankful,  510. 
Bhenish  Wine  House,  384. 
Bibs  of  Beef,  378. 
Ring,  412. 
Ring  and  Ball,  484. 
Rising  Buck,  166. 
Rising  Deer,  165. 
Rising  Sun,  118,  499. 
Rising  Sun  and  Seven  Stars, 

499. 
Robin  Adair,  81. 
Robin  Hood  and  Little  John, 

75. 
Robinson  Crusoe,  81. 
Rob  Boy,  81. 


Rochester  Castle,  418. 
Rodney,  Admiral,  57. 
Rodney  and  Hood,  67. 
Rodney  Pillar,  57. 
Roebuck,  165,  166. 
Rolls,  336. 

Roman  Signs,  1,  2,  3. 
Bope  and  Anchor,  333. 
Bose,  124,  125,  126,  236. 
Rose  and  Ball,  126. 
Rose  and  Crown,  121. 
Bose  and  Key,  126. 
Rose  and  Punchbowl,  388. 
Rosebud,  236. 
Rose  Garland,  236. 
Rosemary  Branch,  238. 
Rose  of  Normandy,  237. 
Ross  on  Clinker,    Captain, 

99. 
Round  of  Beef,  378. 
Round  Table,  79. 
Roxellana,  85. 
Royal  Badges,  108, 109,  110. 
Royal  Bed,  377. 
Boyal  Champion,  102. 
Boyal  Charles,  830. 
Royal  Coffee-mill,  394, 
Royal  Hand  and  Globe,  312. 
Royal  Oak,  40,  49. 
Royal  Standard,  105. 
Bummer,  389,  390. 
Rummer  and  Grapes,  239. 
Rum  Puncheon,  349. 
Running  Pootman,  360. 
Running  Horse,  1'73,  327. 
Running  Man,  361. 
Bussia  House,  426. 

Saddle,  357. 

St  Alban,  297. 

St  Augustine,  297. 

St  Clement,  297. 

St  Christopher,  285. 

St  Crispin,  281. 

St  Cuthbert,  296. 

St  Dominic,  320. 

St  Edmund's  Head,  296. 

St  George  and  the  Dragon, 

287. 
St  John  the  Evangelist,  296. 
St  Hugh's  Bones,  282,  283. 
St  Julian,  283. 
St  Luke,  286. 
St  Martin,  284 
St  Mychel,  296. 
St  Patrick,  295! 
St  Peter  and  St  Paul,  291. 
St  Thomas,  296. 
Salamander,  168. 
Salmon,  473. 

Salmon  and  Ball,  231,  483. 
Salmon  and  Compasses,  231. 
Salt-Horn,  377. 
Salutation,  264.  266. 
Salutation  and  Cat,  265,  266 
Samaritan  Woman,  274. 


Samson,  70,  262. 

Samson  and  the  Lion,  262. 

Saracen's  Head,  430,  431. 

Saucy  Ajax,  329. 

Saul,  290. 

Sawyers,  40. 

Scales,  362. 

Sceptre,  312. 

Sceptre  and  Heart,  312. 

Scotchman's  Pack,  421. 

Sedan  Chair,  368,  369. 

Seneca's  Head,  65. 

Setter  Dog,  194. 

Seven  Sisters,  246. 

Seven  Stars,  600. 

Sevilla,  City  of,  423. 

Shakespeare's  Head,  .66,  335 

Shamrock,  127. 

Shears,  360. 

Sheep  and  Anchor,  330. 

Shepherd  and  Crook,  353. 

Shepherd  and  Dog,  353. 

Shepherd  and  Shepherdess, 
362. 

Sheridan  Knowles,  69. 

Sheet  Anchor,  333. 

Ship,  328,  329,  471. 

Ship  and  Anchor,  330. 

Ship  and  Bell,  331. 

Ship  and  Blue  Coat  Boy,  331. 

Ship  and  Castle,  331. 

Ship  and  Pox,  331. 

Ship  and  Notchblock,  331. 

Ship  and  Pilot-boat,  330. 

Ship  and  Plough,  331. 

Ship  and  Punchbowl,  388 

Ship  and  Rainbow.  331. 

Ship  and  Shovel,  331. 

Ship  and  Star,  331. 

Ship  and  Whale,  330. 

Ship  at  Anchor,  330. 

Ship  Priends,  331. 

Ship  in  Pull  Sail,  330. 

Ship  in  Distress,  330. 

Ship  in  Dock,  330. 

Ship  on  Launch,  330. 

Shirt,  451. 

Shoe  and  Slap,  409. 

Shoulder  of  Mutton  and  Cat, 
378. 

Shoulder  of  Mutton  and  Cu- 
cumbers, 378. 

Shovel  and  Sieve,  347. 

Sieve,  395. 

Silver  Lion,  119. 

Simon  the  Tanner,  286. 

Signboard  Ballads,  Modem, 
32,  33. 

Signboai-d,  Heraldic,  Enor- 
mities, 35. 

Signboard  Poetry,  17,  18. 

Sign-Painters,  37,  38,  39,  40, 
41. 

Signs,  bad  spelling  on,  27. 
Signs  temp.  Geoi-ge  II.,  22, 
23,  24,  26. 


INDEX. 


535 


Signs  temp.  Queen  Anne,  18, 

19,  20,  21. 
Signs  during  the  Common- 

wealth,  11, 
Signs,  exhibition  of,  28. 
Signs,  extravagance  in,  26. 
Signs,  family  names  derived 

team,  42. 
Signs,  jocular  alteration  of 

the  names  of,  22. 
Signs,      London     localities 

named  after,  41. 
Signs  of  the  zodiac,  501. 
Signs  of  the  stews,  8. 
Signs,  quarterings  of,  21,  22. 
Silent  Woman,  4d4. 
Sir  Charles  Napier,  57. 
SirEdmundbuiy  Godfrey,  64. 
Sir  Prances  Burdett,  63. 
Sii;  Hugh  Middleton,  63. 
Sir  Isaac  Newton,  62. 
Sir  John  Ealstaff,  67,  86., 
Sir  John  Barleycorn,  79. 
Sir  John  Oldcastle,  97. 
Sir  Paul  Pindar,  98. 
Sir  Ralph  Abercrombie,  58. 
Sir  Koger  de  Coverley,  80. 
Sir  Walter  Raleigh,  66. 
Six  Bells,  478. 
Six  Cans,  388. 

Six  Cans  and  Punchbowl,  388. 
Sloop,  333. 
Slow  and  Easy,  468. 
Smith  and  Smithy,  346. 
Smyrna,  429. 
Snowdrop,  238. 
Snow-shoes,  327. 
Soldier  and  Citizen,  264. 
Sol's  Arms,  149. 
South  Sea  Arms,  149. 
Sow  and  Pigs,  177. 
Spade  and  Becket,  353. 
Spanish  Galleon,  100. 
Spanish  Lady,  405. 
Spanish  Patriot,  100. 
Sparrow's  Nest,  177. 
Speaker's  Erigate,  330. 
SpiUer's  Head,  84. 
Spinning  Sow,  438. 
Spinning  Wheel,  362. 
Spite  HaU,  468. 
Spread  Eagle,  139. 
Spur,  357. 
Squirrel,  163. 
SUffordshire  Knot,  12S. 
Stag,  164. 

Stag  and  Castle,  165. 
Stag  and  Oak,  165. 
Stag  and  Pheasant,  165. 
Stag  and  Thorn,  165. 
Standard,  822. 
.  Star,  601. 

Star  and  Crown,  501. 
Star  and  Garter,  410. 
Stave  Porter,  361. 
etui,  319. 


Stock  Dove,  219. 

Stocking,  409. 

Stork,  203. 

StiTng  of  Horses,  355. 

Straggler,  450. 

Sti-uggling  Man,  450, 

Sugarloaf,  304. 

Sugarloaf  and  Three  Coffins, 

371. 
Sultan  Morat,  51. 
Sultan  Soliman,  51. 
Sun,  272,  381,  496,  497,  498. 
Sun  and  Anchor,  499. 
Sun  and  Dial,  499. 
Sun  and  Falcon,  499. 
Sun  and  Horseshoe,  180,  499. 
Sun  and  Last,  499. 
Sun  and  Moor's  Head,  471. 
Sun  and  Red  Cross,  471. 
Sun  and  Sawyers,  499. 
Sun  and  Sportsman,  499. 
Sun  and  Whalebone,  231. 
Sun  in  Splendour,  498. 
Sun,  Moon,  and  Seven  Stars, 

600. 
Swan,  212,  213,  214,  215,  327, 

379. 
Swan  and  Bottle,  217. 
Swan  and  Palcon,  118. 
Swan  and  Harp,  445. 
Swan  and  Helmet,  218. 
Swan  and  Hoop,  217. 
Swan  and  Maidenhead,  118. 
Swan  and  Rummer,  217. 
Swan  and  Rushes,  218. 
Swan  and  Salmon,  217. 
Swan  and  Soldier,  394,  iiote. 
Swan  and  Sugarloaf,  217. 
Swan  and  White  Hart,  118. 
Swan  on  the  Hoop,  504. 
Swan  with  Two  Necks,  216, 

217. 
Sweet  Apple,  391. 
Swiss  Cottage,  489. 
Sword  and  Ball,  312. 
Sword  and  Buckler,  323, 324. 
Sword  and  Cross,  324. 
Sword  and  Dagger,  324. 
Sword  and  Mace,  312. 
Sword  Blade.  324. 
Sycamore,  246. 
Syntax,  Doctor,  81. 

Tabard,  407. 
Tabor,  83. 
Talbot,  195,  408. 
Tallow-chandler,  362. 
Tally-Ho,  365. 
Tarn  0'  Shanter,  81. 
Tankard,  390. 
Tarlton,  General,  58. 
Telegraph,  356. 
Temple,  416. 
Ten  BeUs,  478. 
Thirteen  Cantons,  289. 
Thistle  and  Crown,  126. 


Thomas  Gresham,  63. 
Thorn,  165. 
Three  Admirals,  332. 
Three  Angels,  269. 
Three  Arrows,  130. 
Three  Bad  Ones,  467. 
Three  Balls,  128,  395. 
Three  Blackbirds,  203. 
Three  Bibles,  254. 
Three  Bibles  and  Three  Ink 

bottles,  254. 
Three  Blue  Balls,  483. 
Three  Brushes,  322. 
Three  Candlesticks,  394. 
Three  Chairs,  368. 
Three  Cocks,  209. 
Three  Coffins  and  Sugarloaf! 

218 
Three  Colts,  178. 
Three  Compasses,  146. 
Three  Conies,  162,  472. 
Three  Cranes,  204. 
Three  Crickets,  393. 
Three  Crosses,  277. 
Three  Crowned  Needles,  350. 
Three  Crowns,  99,  102. 
Three  Crowns  and  Sugarloaf 

218. 
Three  Crows,  203. 
Three  Cups,  149. 
Three  Death's-Heads,  371. 
Three  Elms,  246. 
Three  Eishes,  230,  472. 
Three  Flower  de  Luces,  129. 
Three  Eorges,  346. 
Three  Frogs,  129. 
Three  Funnels,  395. 
Three  Geese,  472. 
Three  Goats'  Heads,  147. 
Three  Hats,  402. 
Three  Hats  and  Nag's  Head, 

403. 
Three  Herrings,  230. 
Three  Horseshoes,  180. 
Three  Johns,  63. 
Three  Jolly  Butchers,  358. 
Three  Jolly  Sailors,  332. 
Three  Kings,  301,  302,  432. 
Three  Legs,  127. 
Three  Legs  and  Bible,  127. 
Three  Leopard's  Heads. 
Three  Loggerheads,  39,  468, 

469. 
Three  Mariners,  331. 
Three  Merry  Devils,  432. 
Three  Morris-dancers,   364, 

366. 
Three  Mumpers,  371. 
Three  Neats'  Tongues,  381. 
Three  Nuns,  320. 
Three  Old  Castles,  487. 
Three  Pheasants  and  Seep. 

tre,  150. 
Three  Pigeons,  218,  219, 47a 
Three  Pots,  389. 
Three  Radishes,  261. 


536 


INDEX. 


Three  Bavens,  202. 

Three  KoseB,  236. 

Three  Spanish  Ladiee,  424. 

Three  Spies,  261. 

Three  Squirrels,  163. 

Three  Stags,  119. 

Three  Sugarloaves,  395. 

Three  Swans  &  Feal,  166,478. 

Three  Tuns,  68,  148. 

Three  Turks,  428. 

Three  Washerwomen,  364. 

Three  Widows,  321. 

Throstle's  Nest,  177. 

Thunderstorm,  302. 

Ticket  Porter,  861. 

Tiger,  1S2. 

Tiger's  Head,  134 

Tiltboat,  334. 

Tinker's  Budget,  369. 

Tippling  Philosopher,  466. 

Tobacco  Plant,  252. 

TobaccoRolliicSugarloaf,213. 

Tobacco  Bolls,  252. 

Toby  Philpott,  81. 

Tom  of  Bedlam,  369,  370. 

Tom  Sayers,  88. 

Topham,  88. 

Tower  of  London,  416. 

Toy.  605. 

Trafalgar,  61, 

Trap,  361. 

Traveller's  Best,  610. 

Trinity,  277. 

Triumph.  50. 

Triumphal  Car,  327. 

True  Briton,  416. 

True  Lover's  Knot,  509. 

Trumpeter,  323. 

Trunk,  394. 

Tub,  397. 

Tulip,  238. 

Tulloch  Oorum,  81. 

Tully's  Head,  65. 

Tumble  Sown  Dick,  464, 465. 

Tumbling  Sailors,  463. 

Tun,  474. 

Tun  and  Arrows,  471. 

Turk's  Head,  426,  427,  423. 

Turk  and  Slave,  429. 

Two  Black  Boys,  433. 

Two  Blue  Flowerpots,  377. 

Two  Brewers,  349. 

Two  Chances,  451. 

Two  Chairmen,  358. 

Two  Coclts,  471. 


Two  Crowns  &  Cushions,  102. 
Two  Draymen,  349. 
Two  Dutchmen,  42S. 
Two  Fans,  413. 
Two  Flowerpots   and  Sun- 
dial, 377. 
Two  Golden  Balls,  483. 
Two  Heads,  400. 
Two  Jolly  Brewers,  349. 
Two  Pots,  389. 
Two  Sawyers,  346. 
Two  Smiths,  34T. 
Two  Sneezing  Cats,  444. 
Two  Spies,  261. 
Two  Storks,  204. 
Two  Twins,  601. 
Two  White  Balls,  483. 

TTmbrella,  412.  , 

ITmbrella  Hospital,  413. 

Uncle  Tom,  81. 

Under  the  Rose,  236,  237 

Union,  100. 

Unicom,  159,  160. 

Unicorn  and  Bible,  159. 

Union  Arms,  136. 

Union  Flag  and  Punchbowl, 

388. 
Up  and  Down  Post,  363. 

Valentine  and  Orson,  76. 
Van  Dyke's  Head,  82. 
Venice,  425. 
Vernon,  Admiral,  57. 
Vine,  243,  244. 
Violin,  Hautboy,  and  Ger- 
man Flute,  338. 
VirgU's  Head,  65. 
Virgin,  272. 
Virginian,  431. 
Vulcan,  70, 

Wallace's  Arms,  45. 
Walmer  Castle,  417. 
Walnut-tree,  240. 
Water  Tankard,  391. 
Waving  Flag,  322. 
Weaiy  Traveller,  610. 
Welch  Head,  98. 
Well  and  Bucket,  374. 
WeUwlth  Two  Buckets,  374. 
Wentworth  Arms,  144. 
Wheatsheaf,  261. 
Wheatsheaf  and  Sugarloaf. 
218. 


Wheel,  357. 

Wheel  of  Fortune,  606. 

Whip,  357. 

Whip  and  Egg,  357. 

White  Bait,  231. 

White  Bear,  93, 154, 165,  296, 

416. 
White  Boar,  116. 
White  Dragon,  111. 
White  Greyhound,  194. 
White  Hart,  112,  487. 
White  Hart  and  Fountain, 

263. 
White  Horse,  171,  172,  29tf, 

327. 
White  Lion,  119. 
White  Peruke,  404. 
Whitley  Grenadier,  419. 
Whittingtonandhis  Cat,  78. 
Who'd  ha'  Thought  it?  450. 
Widow's  Struggle,  450. 
Wild  Bull,  182. 
Wild  DayreU.  175. 
Wild  Man,  367. 
Wild  Sea,  502. 
Wilkes'  Head,  63. 
William  and  Mary,  50. 
Willow  Tree,  247. 
WUtshire  Shepherd,  419. 
Windmill,  348. 
Wolf  and  Lamb,  299. 
Wolfe,  General,  68.  . 
Wolsey,  Cardinal,  63. 
Woodbine,  238. 
Wooden  Shoe,  410. 
Woodman,  355. 
Woolsack,  362. 
World's  End,  436,  461,  462. 
World  Turned  Upside  Down, 

462. 
Wounded  Heart,  300. 
Wrestlers,  484. 

Y,  476. 

Yellow  Lion.  150. 
Yew  Tree,  248,  475. 
Yorick's  Head,  68. 
York,  city  oi;  416,  417. 
York  Minster,  417. 
Yorkshire  Grey,  58, 171. 
Yorkshire  Stingo,  384. 
Young  Devil,  294. 
Young  Man,  494. 

Z,477. 


LONDON  ;  JOHN  CAMDEN  HOTTSN,  FAINTER,  FICCADILLT.