Chapter 4

“To Newport Pond my course I next way bent,And in at the sign of the Black Bull went.Where scarcely in a room I had set down,When in came my old friends, kind Mr. Br ...And Mr. Woo ..., two who love their friendWith true and hearty love unto the end;For though they in another town do live,They to their neighbour some kind visits give.’Twas twelve o’clock; dinner time did approach,When men whet knives on wheels of cart or coach.The cloth was laid, and by the scent o’ th’ meat,One might perceive there something was to eat.And so it proved, indeed; for from the potCame forth a rump of beef, was piping hot,And from the spit was brought a loyn of mutton,Would satisfy the stomack of a glutton,For like a loyn of beef it might well have been knighted,To which our hostess kindly us invited;Which we accepted of, and to delight her,Told her that none could deny such an inviter;For she’s a widow of such excellent carriage,Would make a man most happy in her marriage,” &c.

Boyne describes a halfpenny token issued by “Thomas Rvnham at yeBull [represented in the centre] in Newport, 1667.” He assigns the token to Newport in Shropshire; but, as Mr. Joseph Clarke, F.S.A., has informed the author that no less than seven examples have been found at Newport, Essex, and as the man’s name also occurs in the parish register, there can be no doubt that Boyne was wrong.[57]At Chingford Hatch there is a house with the sign of theDun Cow. This is an ancient device, and probably has reference to the feat of Guy, Earl of Warwick, who, according to an old ballad, slew a “dun cow bigger than an elephaunt” on Dunsmore Heath. TheRed Cow, as a sign, may be seen at Chrishall, Ashen, and Shelley. A once well-knownRed Cowat *Chelmsfordis now an equally well-known coffee-tavern with the same sign. At Waltham Holy Cross a beer-shop displays the very strange sign of theSpotted Cow, which is in all probability unique. Larwood and Hotten do not mention it. The sign of theRed Cowis probably intended to express the idea that good drink may be obtained within, as from a cow; but, in former times, especial value seems to have attached to the milk of red cows. At Cold Norton, near Maldon, there is a house with the very strange, and probably unique, sign of theFly and Bullock, kept by one William Pond. It is at first difficult to see what possible sign-board connection the two creatures can have. Farmers have reasons for believing that, during hot weather, a great animosity exists between the two. Inquiry has at last elicited the fact that the sign is a corrupted one, but this was not arrived at until after much amusing and erudite speculation, as the sign in its present form is a very perplexing one. The first guess was that it was a corruption of the “Flying Bullock” or “Winged Bull,” the usual emblem of St. Luke. This seemed the more likely, as we have in Essex signs which might represent at least two other of the Apostolic emblems, namely, theAngelfor Matthew, and theEaglefor John; and who can say but that some of ourLionswere not once winged, thus representing the only remaining Evangelist, Mark? Moreover, Larwood and Hotten, although they do not refer to this sign, mention (p. 73), when speaking of the sign of theFlying Horse, “a facetious innkeeper at Rogate, Petersfield, who has put up a parody in the shape of aFlying Bull.” But then arose the question, “Why should Luke be thus commemorated?” It was next suggested in several quarters that the sign might have originated in the old fable ofLa Mouche et le Toreau, of which Miss Elliot of Gosfield has kindly forwarded a copy, and which is thought to be of Oriental origin. This, however, did not decide the question, so inquiry was made of the landlord, who, though knowing nothing of the origin of his sign, stated that it formerly was, and should now be, theButchers’ Arms, thereby clearing up the doubt, the crest and supportersof those arms being “Flying Bulls.”[58]There can be no doubt, therefore, that theFly and Bullockoriginally represented one of theFlying Bullocksin the Butchers’ Arms. It seems, moreover, that the sign does after all represent the winged ox of St. Luke, that Evangelist being, in a way, the Patron Saint of butchers, for in Chambers’sBook of Days(ii. p. 464) it is stated this symbol has been associated with St. Luke, “because, to quote the words of an ancient writer, ‘he deviseth about the presthode of Jesus Christ,’ the ox or calf being the sign of a sacrifice, and St. Luke entering more largely than the other Evangelists into the history of the life and sufferings of our Saviour.”

TheBlue Boaris, perhaps, the most interesting of all our Essex signs. At present it occurs five times in the county—namely, at *Prittlewell, *Maldon, *Colchester, *Stratford, and Abridge. The two first-named houses have been in existence at least a century, as they are mentioned in advertisements in theChelmsford Chroniclein 1786 and 1788 respectively, while the last-named is marked on Greenwood’s Map of Essex, published in 1824. Forty years ago there was another example of the sign at Stanford Rivers, and Mr. H. W. King informs the author that the house at Hadleigh, now known as theCastle, displayed the sign of theBlue Boaruntil late in the last century. Taylor (see p. 28) mentions anotherBlue Boarat Ilford in 1636. In 1789, too, there was one at Fyfield. In the year 1750, aBlue Boar’s HeadInn existed opposite the Church at Waltham Abbey. Mr. Charles Golding, of Colchester, in writing toNotes and Queries[59]to inquire the latest date at which bull-baiting is known to have taken place in England, mentions that an entertainment of this kind was announced, in an old advertisement that he had seen, to take place at the above house on Whitsun Monday, 1750, and “any gentleman bringing a dog should be entertained ata dinner free.” The same house is referred to in an entry in the parish registers in 1647, when 12s. 6d. was “paid for a dinner at the Borsehed when the ould Churchwardens gave up their accounts.” The sign of theBoar’s Headoccurs at East Horndon, *Braintree, and *Dunmow. The first of these houses appeared in the list forty years ago as theOld Boar’s Head. Our houses of this name have, perhaps, been named after the famousBoar’s Headtavern which used to exist in Eastcheap, or they may have had a separate origin. As to the derivation of the sign itself, Larwood and Hotten are inclined to believe that it represents the boar’s head as formerly often brought to table, rather than a charge taken from some one’s arms; but, in this, it is difficult altogether to agree with them. A boar’s head forms part of the arms of the Butchers’ Company (p. 34), and we have had in Essex several families bearing the same charge in their arms, such as the Borehams of Haverhill, the Welbores of Clavering, and the Tyrrells, Baronets, of Boreham House—the charge and the name of the place being very probably connected in some way in the latter case. Indeed, so far as theBoar’s Headat East Horndon is concerned, there can be no doubt whatever that it represents the crest of the family of Tyrrells, Baronets (connected with the Boreham Tyrrells), formerly of Heron Hall, in the same parish, which was demolished about the year 1789. Their crest, which wasa boar’s head, couped and erect, argent, issuant out of the mouth a peacock’s tail proper, is now correctly represented on the sign-board, exactly as upon several of the family monuments in the church. Both the sign-board and the heraldic device it bears are new, having been recently set up under the supervision of the rector of the parish. The old board, which is altogether unheraldic, is displayed over the door, and exhibits the head of an extremely ferocious-looking boar emerging from a clump of rushes in a most threatening manner.

There can be very little doubt that in Essex the sign of theBlue Boarrepresents theboar azure, armed, unguled, and bristled or, which served as a crest, as one of the supporters,and also as one of the principal badges of the once powerful De Veres, Earls of Oxford, formerly of Hedingham Castle. This is shown to be the more probable by the fact that we have still no less than five examples of the sign in the county, while the adjacent counties of Kent, Middlesex, and Herts possess none. Elsewhere, too, the sign is very uncommon. Not a single example now appears in Surrey, Sussex, Durham, Devonshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Northumberland, Cumberland, Westmoreland, or Cheshire. Norfolk, Kent, and Cambridge have one each. Leicestershire and Suffolk (in which county the De Veres also had large estates) have, however, two each. In London, although there is both aBoar’s Headand aBlue Boar’s Head, there is not now aBlue Boar. However, a tradesman’s token issued “at the Bleu Boore without Bishopsgate” in the seventeenth century still exists. Much valuable information concerning theBlue Boaras used by the De Veres, is contained in a paper by the Rev. H. L. Elliot, of Gosfield,On Some Badges and Devices of the De Veres, on the Tower of Castle Hedingham Church.[60]Four of these—the Boar, the Mullet, the Whistle, and the Windlass—are here reproduced.

Image not available: BLUE BOAR. MULLET. WHISTLE. WINDLASS. (Badges of the De Veres.)BLUE BOAR.MULLET.WHISTLE.WINDLASS.(Badges of the De Veres.)

Image not available: BADGE OF THE DE VERES. (Front the Black Boy, Chelmsford.)BADGE OF THE DE VERES. (Front the Black Boy, Chelmsford.)

The motto of the family,Vero nihil veriusandVerite vientformed a rebus on the name. The boar as a badge was evidently assumed for the same reason. The Latin name for the animal isverres, though the De Veres probably got it through the Dutch (veerorvere), as they were a branch of the House of Blois, and owned the Lordship of Vere in Zetland. The boar has been a favourite device of the De Veres from a very early period. The feet of the cross-legged and mail-clad figure of Robert, the fifth Earl, who died in 1296, still existing at Earls Colne Priory, are placed against a boar, and the same animal appears in different capacities on all, or nearly all, the other existing monuments of the family. Stowe speaks of John, the sixteenth Earl, “riding into the city, to his house by London Stone, with eighty gentlemen in a livery of Reading tawney, and chains of gold about their necks, before him, and one hundred tall yeomen in the like livery to follow him, without chains, but all having his cognizance of the Blew Boar embroydered on their left shoulder.” As a badge, the boar is carved, alternately with the mullet (another device of the De Veres[61]), over the clerestory windows of Castle Hedingham Church; on several parts of Lavenham Church, Suffolk; on the roof of the south aisle of Sible Hedingham Church; over the west door of Chelmsford Church, and elsewhere. In the Chelmsford Museum, moreover, is preserved a wooden boss, taken from the ceiling of a room of the oldBlack BoyInn when it was pulled down. On this is carved a boar, within a circular ribbon charged with seven mullets. Some information as to how these devices came into these positions is given hereafter.For close upon five centuries this mighty family, whose riches were immense, and whose power was second only to that of the sovereign, ruled over a large portion of East Anglia in semi-regal fashion. For 567 years, too, was the same title retained in this one family. It is no wonder, therefore, that their armorial bearings should have been largely used as signs by those who were in various ways dependent upon them; but it is interesting to find at the present day such comparatively clear evidence of this fact. The principal Essex inn exhibiting the sign of theBlue Boar(and the one from which, in all probability, some, at least, of our others have taken the name) was the once famousBlue Boarat Castle Hedingham. This ancient house may be cited as a good example of an inn deriving its sign directly from the armorial bearings of a great historical family which formerly resided in the immediate vicinity, and, without doubt, owned the house. Its sign, of course, represented the badge of the mighty Earls of Oxford. The inn was a fine old house standing in St. James’s Street, where its ornamental chimneys once formed the most prominent feature. After being injured by fire it was pulled down in 1865. On this occasion various old coins and other relics were discovered, the most interesting being an inscription in Early English characters, written in chalk on a blackened beam behind the wainscot. It ran thus:—

“Hans pes withe yore nebor whilom ye maye,For oftyn tymes favore do the passe withe ye daye.”

This may be translated as follows:—

“Be at peace with your neighbour while ye may,For often times the favour will pass with the day.”

According to the authors of theHistory of Sign-boards(p. 116), this sign was originally awhiteboar, and represented theboar argent, which formed the favourite badge of Richard III., as well as one (or, more generally, both) of the supporters of his arms.

Image not available: THE WHITE BOAR. (Badge of Richard III.)THE WHITE BOAR.(Badge of Richard III.)

“The fondness of Richard for this badge appears from his wardrobe accounts for the year 1483, one of which contains a charge ‘for 8,000 bores made and wrought upon fustian,’ and 5,000 more are mentioned shortly afterwards. He also established a herald of arms called ‘Blanc Sanglier,’ and it was this trusty squire who carried his master’s mangled body from Bosworth battle-field to Leicester.... After Richard’s defeat and death theWhite Boarswere changed intoBlue Boars, this being the easiest and cheapest way of changing the sign; and so the [White]Boarof Richard, now painted ‘true blue,’ passed for the [Blue]Boarof the Earl of Oxford, who had largely contributed to place Henry VII. on the throne.”

Shakespeare in Richard III. (act v., scene 3) alludes to the dead king and his badge as follows:—

“The wretched, bloody, and usurping boarThat spoiled your summer fields and fruitful vines;... This foul swine ... lies now ...Near to the town of Leicester, as we learn.”

It is related that in this king’s reign one William Collingbourne was executed for composing the following couplet:—

“The Cat, the Rat, and Lovell our Dog,Rule all Englonde under an Hogge.”

The king and his ministers, Sir Richard Ratcliffe, Sir William Catesby, and Lord Lovell, were, of course, thus referred to. At Earls Colne, as already stated (p. 63), there is aLion and Boar. Here, in all probability, we have again represented the boar of the De Veres, Colne Priory having been another seat of the family, some members of which lie buried there. Other signs, which have, in all probability, been derived (partly, at least) from other badges of the De Veres, will be noticed hereafter.

The sign of theFlitch of Baconis most conveniently described in connection with the boar. The authors just quoted say (p. 420), “TheFlitch of Dunmowis a common sign in Essex, and is sometimes seen in other counties;” but it does not appear that we have had more than one in the county for forty years past, that one being, of course, the well-known inn at *Little Dunmow. How the sign originated is too well known to need any explanation here. A similar custom has occasioned a similar sign at Wichnor, near Lichfield (Gent’s Mag., 1819). A beer-shop,about thirty years old, in the market-place at Romford, is known by the appropriate name of thePig in the Pound. APig and Whistleis in existence at Thames Haven, and there are beer-shops of the same name in Broomfield and Writtle parishes. The origin of this sign appears not to have come down to us out of the mists of antiquity. Very many and very learned are the explanations which have, of late, been proposed as the solution of it. Half the European languages have been ransacked for its derivation, but so far without any satisfactory results. Larwood and Hotten dismiss it as “simply a freak of the mediæval artist.” Possibly it may represent, in a corrupted form, the peg said to have been placed in the wassail-bowl by King Edgar, who, in order to discourage drunkenness, imposed a penalty upon any one who drank so deeply as to leave it uncovered. There is, however, a by-no-means-unlikely origin for the sign, and one which the author believes has never before been suggested. In Mr. Elliot’s interesting paper just quoted (p. 70) it is stated that, in addition to theblue boar, the De Veres, among several other devices, made use of aWhistle and Chainas a household badge. Thus, among the devices of this one family, are found the two objects—a pig (or boar) and a whistle—which, when combined, constitute this most perplexing sign. It is very difficult—perhaps impossible—to prove now that the sign was actually derived from these two badges of the De Veres, but, remembering the enormous past importance of the family, it must be admitted that the sign was in no way unlikely to have been so derived. Mr. Elliot himself writes that he considers this suggestion not unlikely to be the correct one. Very probably this description of the Earl’s badges was a derisive one, applied to them by the Yorkist party during the Wars of the Roses. A whistle, like that adopted by the De Veres, was formerly worn by sea-captains, even of high rank; and Mr. Elliot is of opinion that it was assumed by the De Veres as a symbol of the office of Lord High Admiral, an appointment held by John, the thirteenth Earl, who was very active on behalf of the Lancastrian party.

Forty-six inns in Essex exhibit signs which are more or less canine. A few of these may have had their origin in Heraldry; but there can be no doubt that, in the great majority of cases, the signs have originated in the modern use of the dog, whether for sporting or other purposes. At Wethersfield and Halstead theDogappears alone; at East Horndon there is anOld Dog; aPointerexists at Alresford; and at Colchester, East Mersey, and Tolleshunt Knights theDog and Pheasantappears; while at Stifford and Great Leighs (beer-house) theDog and Partridgeis used, as it was also at *Halstead sixty years ago. The sign of theSpotted Dog, although it is not mentioned by Hotten, occurs four times, namely at Witham, Barking, Chelmsford, and West Ham, and there is a beer-house of the same name at Braintree. The sole use of the Spotted, or Dalmatian, Dog in this country, says a writer in theGentleman’s Magazine, “is to contribute, by the beauty of its appearance, to the splendour of the stable establishment, constantly attending the horses and carriage to which he belongs.” On October 22, 1804, a disastrous and fatal fire took place at theSpotted Dog, *Chelmsford. The details are given in a scarce pamphlet, reprinted in Hughson’sLondon(vol. vi. p. 246). It seems that about 120 Hanoverian soldiers marched into Chelmsford on the day in question, and about 70 of them took up their lodgings in the stables of this inn. While most of them were asleep it was discovered that the straw upon which they lay had caught fire. All were, of course, at once aroused, but being unused to the fastening of the door, they were unable to open it. When at last it was opened and the inmates liberated, many of them were sorely burned, and others had their clothing on fire. The flames were got under after a time, but not until they had extended to other stables and burned several horses. On clearing away the rubbish, the bodies of no less than thirteen of the Hanoverian soldiers who had perished in the flames were found. They were afterwards buried with military honours in the church. At Hordon-on-the-Hill there is aBlack Dog(beer-house). TheShepherd and Dogis a device which

Image not available: DOG’S HEAD IN POT. (After Larwood and Hotten.)DOG’S HEAD IN POT.(After Larwood and Hotten.)

is now to be seen at Upminster, Ramsden Cray, and Great Stambridge (beer-house). Two centuries ago it appeared on the farthing token of “Peeter Pearcce” of Braintree; while aDOG WITH CHAIN,passant, occurs on that of “Thomas Peeke, Wyre Street, in Colchstr,” and a dog eating out of a fleshpot (theDog’s Head in Pot) on the halfpenny issued by John Phillips of Plaistow in 1670. This device seems to have been originally used to indicate a dirty, slovenly housewife. It was never common. TheHare and Houndsoccurs seven times, theFox and Houndsten times, and theHuntsman and Houndsonce (at Upminster). Both theFoxand theFox and Houndsare very common beer-house signs. TheHare, an unusual sign when not accompanied by the Hounds, appears at Great Parndon. TheTalbotat North Weald may be named after the famousTalbotin Southwark, which, under its former name of theTabard, sheltered Chaucer’s pilgrims on their way to Canterbury. Talbot is the name of an old variety of hunting dog which, at the present day, is never heard of except in connection with Heraldry; and, as the sign in question is not now a pictorial one, most of the inhabitants of North Weald would probably be much puzzled to explain what it originally represented. There was anotherTalbotin Stapleford Tawney until about ten years ago, but it is now a private house. The county contains no less than thirteenGreyhounds, one of which is anOld Greyhound. The sign of theGreyhoundexisted at Chelmsford in 1786, according to theChelmsford Chroniclefor July 21st in that year, but it is not now extant, though Greyhound Lane still exists. In all probability this was the house that existed under the same name in 1662, as mentioned in theAccount of the Murder of Thomas Kidderminster, to which reference has been already made. TheGreyhoundat Waltham Abbey is mentioned in the parishregisters on June 4, 1735, when “John Munns from yeGreyhound was Bur.” TheGreyhoundat Barking is mentioned in the parish register as early as 1592.[62]An entry states that “Henry, the supposed son of Henry Fisher of London, from the Greyhound, was bapdthe 17th of October.” For this sign we are probably about equally indebted both to the sport of coursing and the art of Heraldry.Greyhounds argentformed either one or both of the supporters of Henry VII., the badge, and often one of the supporters, of Henry VIII., and one of the supporters of Elizabeth and Mary; so that in all probability the sign found its origin in Heraldry, but owes its use in the present day, largely at least, to coursing.

In a hunting district like Essex it is in no way surprising that there should be as many as twenty-five references to the fox on our sign-boards. Although twenty years ago the sign of the Fox only occurred five times, it now occurs eleven times; while there are ten signs of theFox and Hounds, and three of theFox and Goose. The latter is a combination which mediæval artists never tired of representing. It may be seen, among other places, on a carved oak screen in Hadstock Church. Of theFlying Foxat Colchester, Larwood and Hotten say (p. 170)—“It may represent some kind of bat or flying squirrel (?) so denominated, or is a landlord’s caprice.” It seems much more probable, however, that the device is intended to represent a fox flying before the hounds.

There is a beer-house known as theWolfat Great Coggeshall. The origin of the sign, which is not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten, is hard to explain. Probably it is unique.

The sign of theHare and Hounds, of which, as previously stated (p. 76), we have seven examples, is, doubtless, entirely derived from the sport of coursing; but theRabbits, a very old house still in existence at Little Ilford, has probably an heraldic origin. Most likely the sign is derived from three coneys appearing on some family coat of arms, butwhose, it is now difficult to say. The sign appeared in the list as theThree Rabbitsforty years ago, and as theThree Coneyson Jean Roque’sMap of Ten Miles Round London, published in 1746. Lysons, in hisEnvirons of London(1796, vol. iv. p. 157), says—

“A great mart for cattle from Wales, Scotland, and the North of England is held annually, from the latter end of February till the beginning of May, on the flat part of the forest of Waltham (commonly called Epping Forest), within the parishes of Ilford, Eastham, Westham, Leyton, and Wanstead. A great part of the business between the dealers is transacted at theRabbitsin this parish—on the high road.”

There is also a beer-shop known as theRabbitsin Stapleford Tawney parish. It is probably named after the foregoing. There is another beer-house so called at West Thurrock. Larwood and Hotten do not mention the sign under any of the above forms, although they say that in 1667 Hugh Conny, of Caxton and Elsworth, Cambridge, hadThree Coniesfor a sign, and aRABBITis depicted on the farthing token of one William Hutchenson, of Chelmsford.

Image not available: FLEECE.FLEECE.

The sign of theFleeceoccurs twice at *Colchester, once at *Coggeshall, and once at Brentwood. That of theGolden Fleeceappears at Chelmsford and East Ham, although the former seems to have become golden only during the last forty years. There were alsoFleecesat Halstead and Witham sixty years ago. Both forms of the sign are, of course, intended to represent Jason’s Golden Fleece, or Gideon’s, and their use commemorates the time when the woollen trade was one of the staple industries of Essex. The Fleece also formed the pendant of the Order of theGolden Fleece, which was founded in 1429 by Philip, Duke of Burgundy and Count of Flanders, “to perpetuate the memory of his great revenues raised by wools with the Low Countries,” as Ashmole says. Ancient encaustic tiles have been found, Mr. Elliot writes, both in Witham and Maldon (St. Mary’s) Churches bearing the arms of the Dukes ofBurgundy, with their badge of flint, steel, and sparks in the upper and side spandrels, and the figure of the Fleece below. A fleece forms a charge in the arms of the town of Leeds,[63]now the principal seat of the woollen trade. Larwood and Hotten facetiously remark that “a fleece at the door of an inn or public-house looks very like a warning of the fate a traveller may expect within.” TheStar and Fleeceis an odd combination, which does not appear to be noticed in theHistory of Sign-boards. It may simply be an impaled sign, or may represent the fleece of one of the mullets in the arms of Leeds. An example has existed at Kelvedon for over forty years, and another was in existence a few years since. Another emblem of the woollen trade is theWoolpack, of which, as already stated (p. 39), we have six examples, arranged in an almost straight line across the county, namely, at *Romford, Ingatestone, Chelmsford, Witham, *Coggeshall, and *Colchester. Three, at least, of these were in existence sixty years since, at which time there was another at Bocking. It is recorded inBufton’s Diary[64]that on May 1, 1693, at Coggeshall, “Yesoldiers set up a Maypole at yeWoolpackedoore.” TheWoolpackis a device which appears commonly on the tokens of the seventeenth century. It is met with at Billericay, Dunmow, Castle Hedingham (twice), Braintree, Bocking, Witham, and Colchester. The sign of theWoolpack, it should be noticed, is still, or was lately, to be seen at the three last-named places. The sign of theShears, as pointed out elsewhere (p. 41), is another relic of the now departed woollen trade. From the middle of the seventeenth to the end of the eighteenth century, the spinning, carding, and weaving of wool formed the staple industry in most of the larger towns and villages of Eastern England. Several prominent families of the district in former days owed their wealth to this trade. In the neighbourhood of Hedingham it is said that several old houses, of which remnants onlynow exist, were once “wool-halls,” combining a residence for the merchant with a warehouse for his wools, worsteds, and “pieces.” Very high wages were earned by the workpeople, even by children and old persons. It has been estimated that, at the middle of last century, not less than 20,000 hands in and around Colchester were employed in the woollen trade; but by the end of the century the number had sunk to less than 8,000. Many old persons still living can remember their parents’ or grand-parents’ accounts of the festivities on St. Blaize’s Day, the 3rd of February, when there were processions in mediæval fashion, with shepherdess and lamb, and men and women spinning and weaving, accompanied by a great deal of noise and fun, bell-ringing and band-playing, ribbons and banners, roystering and drinking. In the evening bonfires were lit upon the hills to commemorate (as the common people thought) the name of their patron, St. Blaize. The weaving of bunting for ships’ flags lingered in and around Sudbury until about twenty years ago, but has now quite died out in East Anglia. TheRam, at North Woolwich, perhaps, represents the crest of the Clothworkers’ Company.[65]Our six examples of the sign of theLambmay, or may not, have had an heraldic origin. They probably represent the Lamb with the flag of the Apocalypse; but this was used as a crest by the Merchant Taylors’ Company.[66]The farthing issued in 1654 by “Tho. Lambe at Bvttls Gate in Colchester” bears aHoly Lamb couchant, and that of “Joseph Lamb of Lee [Leigh], 1664,” bears the same device. In both cases a rebus or pun on the name of the issuer is, of course, intended. TheLambsat *Colchester and *Romford are both at least sixty years old. Probably the sign was first set up as an emblem of the woollen trade. The five instances in which the Lamb occurs in conjunction with a Lion have already been noticed (p. 63), and attention has also been drawn to the fact (p. 23) that some, at least, ofourShipsare probably intended forsheep. TheShoulder of Mutton, which occurs both at Great Totham and Fordham, probably represents the joint so often brought to table.

TheBearoccurs by himself only twice, namely, at Buttsbury (where he is at least forty years old), and at Romford. TheBearat Buttsbury is mentioned in the Stock parish registers in 1673. Forty years ago there were alsoBearsat Colchester and Great Baddow. We are probably more indebted to the old custom of bear-baiting for this sign than to Heraldry. Larwood and Hotten say that it was originally adopted by ale-houses as a pun on the word “beer.” If so, the pun was a very weak one. TheWhite Bearis to be seen at Galleywood and at Stanford Rivers. At the latter place he has existed at least since 1789, and is represented on a board over the door, but not upon the swinging sign-board, as a Polar Bear picking his way over blocks of ice. The sign of theWhite Bearis not a modern one. It was used in the seventeenth century, and both of our Essex examples are over forty years old. The Queen of Richard III. used a White Bear as her badge, and this perhaps originated the sign.

Of theElephant and Castle, a very old device, we have two instances in Essex, one at Harwich, and the other at Colchester. Neither seems to have been in existence twenty years ago. Most probably they are named after the famous old coaching inn at Newington Butts; but they may have originally been cutlers’ signs. The elephant with a castle on his back (as he was generally represented in the Middle Ages) formed the crest of the Cutlers’ Company.[67]At Great Baddow, Rayleigh, and elsewhere the device serves as a beer-house sign.

TheGoat and Bootson *East Hill, Colchester, though over forty years old, is a sign which is not noticed in theHistory of Sign-boards. It is, doubtless, a corruption of the not-uncommon sign of theGoat in Boots, which appears to be a caricature of Welshmen, and not a corruption of theDutch description of Mercury,der goden boode(the gods’ messenger), as is often stated. We have in Essex no example of the not-uncommon sign of theGoat and Compasses, which is usually supposed to be a corruption of the Puritan motto, “God encompasses us.” This explanation, however, is not sound. The motto could never have been represented pictorially upon the sign-board, and we know that pictorial representation was the sole aim and object of the sign in olden times. Probably the sign is merely a compound one; or it may represent the arms of the Cordwainers’ Company[68]in a corrupted form. To this origin may be certainly traced the sign of theThree Goats’ Heads, which, however, does not occur in Essex.

TheSquirrel’s Headat Squirrel’s Heath, Romford, has no doubt some connection with the locality. It was not in existence forty years ago. The sign of theThree Squirrels, which is not found in Essex, has been in use for over two centuries.

The sign of theSea Horse, which has existed at *Colchester for at least sixty years past, is not noticed by Larwood and Hotten. Very likely it commemorates the capture in the Colne, and subsequent exhibition in the town, of some such strange creature as a seal or porpoise, which vulgar belief set down as a “sea horse.”

The sign of theDolphinoccurs four times in the county, namely, at *Colchester, *Chelmsford, Maldon, and *Romford. The animal also figures as a beer-house sign at Stisted, Goldhanger, &c. The houses bearing it may have taken their sign from the many representations of the dolphin in private coats of arms; but, most likely, they have simply been called after the famousDolphinInn which existed in London for several centuries, and is said to have been occupied by Louis, the Dauphin of France, who, in 1216, came over to contest the English crown with King John. It was once adorned with fleurs-de-lys, dolphins, and other French cognizances. The dolphin formed the badge of the Dauphins of France, just as the three ostrich feathers form the badgeof our own Princes of Wales. Larwood and Hotten do not notice the sign of theWhaleboneof which Essex possesses four examples, namely, at Woodham Ferrers, *Colchester, Fingringhoe, and White Roothing. That at the latter place has apparently been in existence for at least a century, as it is mentioned more than once in theChelmsford Chroniclein the year 1786, while the one at Colchester figured in the list as theOld Whaleboneforty years ago. TheFishbone, however, spoken of by Larwood and Hotten as being “rarely met with as a public-house sign,” though frequently used by dealers in rags and bones, is probably the same sign under a different name. In the museum at Saffron Walden there has been, for nearly fifty years past, a large whale’s scapula, which is said formerly to have hung as a sign in one of the streets of that town. Mr. Joseph Clarke believes it was displayed at theKing’s Head, and it has on it an almost illegible letter R, probably part of the monogram G. R.; but more likely it formed the sign of theWhaleboneat some house not now in existence, or not under that name. Of theSun and Whalebonewhich has existed at Latton since 1789 at least, the authors so frequently quoted say that “it may have originated from a whalebone hanging outside the house or [it may indicate] that the landlord had laid the foundation of his fortune as a rag merchant.” More probably, however, its origin was the impalement of two distinct signs. The sign-board is not pictorial. This sign was very fully discussed inNotes and Queriesin 1862 (3rd series, vol. i. pp. 250, 335, 359, 397, 419, and 473). Several most profound speculations were advanced to account for it, but they were all more or less far fetched. TheWhaleboneat Chadwell Heath has now disappeared, though a beer-shop so named existed there until about the year 1870. From it, in all probability, our four existing houses of this name, as well as theSun and Whaleboneat Latton, have taken their designation; for the sign is a very uncommon one in the adjoining counties, and does not appear at all in London. The house in question originally took its name from two whale’s jaw-bones (notrib-bones, as is commonlysupposed) set up in the form of an archway over the road close at hand. Local tradition says that the bones were those of a whale that was stranded in the Thames near Dagenham during the great storm that prevailed on the night preceding September 3, 1658, when Oliver Cromwell died.

This was, perhaps, the case, as “Ye Whalebone” is marked against the tenth milestone from London on the map of the high-road from London to Harwich, given in Ogilby’sItinerarium Angliæ, published in 1675, only seventeen years after the whale is said to have been stranded. Also in Dr. Howell’sAncient and Present State of England, first published in 1678, it is stated (6th Ed. p. 263) that, “near about this time [1658], there came up the Thames as far as Greenwich a whale of very great length and bigness.” Daniel Defoe, too, in hisTour through the whole Island of Great Britain, first published in 1724, says (vol. i. p. 3) theWhalebonewas “so called because the rib-bone of a large Whale, taken in the River of Thames, was fixed there in 1658, the year Oliver Cromwell died, for a monument of that monstrous creature, it being at first about Eight and Twenty Foot long.” TheWhale’s Boneis also marked onAndrew and Drury’s Map of Essex, published in 1777. That a storm of most unusual magnitude did rage on the night in question, is certain. Prideaux, in hisIntroduction to History(1682), speaks of “that most horrid tempestuous night which ushered in this day [on which Cromwell died].” Pepys also mentions the storm. Nor is it anything new for whales and similar animals to appear in the Thames. In Sir Richard Baker’sChronicles of the Kings of England(p. 425), published in 1684, it is recorded that on the 19th of January, 1606, “a great Porpus was taken at West Ham, in a small creek a mile and a half within the land; and within a few days after a Whale came up within eight miles of London, whose body was seen divers times above the water, and was judged to exceed the length of the largest ship in the River: but when she tasted the fresh water and scented the land, she returned again into the sea.” On the morning of April 31, 1879, too, a whalealarmed some fishermen by his spouting near Hole Haven. Many other records might be cited. It is, however, a curious circumstance that in M. J. Farmer’sHistory of Waltham Abbey, published in 1735, there is given as an appendix “The Inquisition taken the 17th of King Charles I. [1642] of a Perambulation of Waltham Forest in the County of Essex,” in which occurs the following passage:—[The Forest boundary runs] “from Great Ilford directly by the same King’s High Way leading towards Rumford, to a certainQuadrivium(or way leading four ways), called the Four Wants, where late was placed and yet is a certain side of a whale, called theWhale bone.” From this it would appear that the spot was known as the Whalebone long before Cromwell’s death. Possibly, however, there is an error in the above date, Charles I. being inserted instead of Charles II.

A good deal of discussion upon the subject took place several years ago in the pages ofNotes and Queries. In 1871 (p. 4), “G. S.” wrote that he had often seen whales’ bones set upright in Holland for cattle to rub against, and that he “was once struck with the same in a large park between Ingatestone and Chelmsford. The owner was a Dutch gentleman, who had introduced this sensible idea into England.” Other correspondents wrote that they knew of whales’ bones having been set up in various parts of England. Later on (p. 195), Mr. J. Perry, of Waltham Abbey, wrote that—

“There is (or was lately) a pair of whale’s ribs placed over the old toll-gate at Chadwell Heath, near Romford, Essex, which form a kind of Gothic arch across the roadway. They must have been there for a considerable period, as it is beyond the memory of any of the good old country-folks living in the locality to tell when first erected. At a little distance from the toll-house occurs a similar pair, set up over the carriage entrance to a residence.”

Afterwards (1878, p. 397) “S. P.” wrote as follows:—

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