were trusses. Vide the annexed cut of one from the ruins of Robertsbridge Abbey, co. Sussex. After the Reformation, religious edifices sometimes converted into houses of entertainment; and a carved ornament of this kind, upon such an inn, may have suggested the sign. The well-known combat of St. Michael the Archangel and the Dragon, must not be overlooked as an extremely probable origin of it.* CLASS II.-The signs borrowed from Heraldry are, perhaps, more numerous than those derived from all other sources collectively. The full armorials of a family form one of the most usual classes of inn signs, as the Neville Arms, Dorset Arms, Sergisson Arms, Shelley Arms, Pelham * Many of these religious signs are still to be found at Paris and in other continental cities. The following are from a list kindly collected for me by John Sikes, Esq. : A l'annonciation. A l'enfant Jésus. This is over a Au Père Eternel. A la tentation. A la grâce de Dieu. Au St. Esprit; with a golden dove. Nothing can justify the use of such sacred names for so profane a pur pose. Diabolical signs are extremely Au diable à Paris. Maison des pauvres diables. Others are in honour of the saints: Au petit St. Thomas. A Ste. Marie. abundant; e. g. A l'image St. Louis. &c. &c. &c. Au pauvre diable. Au fils de diable. Au grand St. Michel. A l'image Nôtre Dame, Arms. These are abundant in every locality, and point out the local or political influence of the family so honoured. The King's Arms designates a host of inns. The arms of places are also common, as the County Arms, City Arms, Town Arms, Cinque-Port Arms; Kent Arms, Sussex Arms, Lewes Arms, &c. &c. The armorials of the trading companies of London are often employed, as the Bricklayers' Arms, Carpenters' Arms, Blacksmiths' Arms; and arms are often found' for callings not recognised in this kind of heraldry, as the Fisherman's Arms, Founders' Arms, Marine Arms, Miners' Royal Arms, Odd Fellows' Arms, with some others still more absurd, to which I have previously alluded. * I do not imagine that this class of signs is of any great antiquity, and as it cannot, from its very nature, have given rise to any surnames, I shall pass on to another; namely, signs derived from heraldric CHARGES and FIGURES, which have greatly enlarged our family nomenclature. These were originally derived from the most conspicuous feature of the arms of noble families, and from royal and other badges, supporters and crests; and may be classified into 1. Parts of the human figure. 2. Quadrupeds. 3. Birds. 4. Fishes, &c. 5. Vegetable productions. 6. Inanimate objects. 1. Parts of the Human Figure.-The Saracen's Head, the Turk's Head, and the Blackmoor's Head * Vide Vol. I, p. 202. See also some further remarks upon heraldric Inn Signs in Curios. of Herald., p. 186. point to the period of the Crusades, when such charges were first introduced into the arms of eminent Christian heroes. The first is still retained in the achievements of the families of Bourchier, Darrell, Shirley, and others; and the third is allusively employed in those of the families of Blackmore, Moore, &c. The Three Legs occurs at Uxbridge. This is probably the singular ensign of the Isle of Man, antiently quartered by the Stanleys, Earls of Derby, and sovereigns of the island; and may have been adopted as a sign in compliment to some member of that family. In one instance the entire human figure is given as a sign-the Black Boy, which was probably borrowed from the supporters of some noble family. The King's Head, Duke's Head, &c., belong to another class. 2. Quadrupeds. LION. Black Lion, Blue Lion, Red Lion, White Lion, Golden Lion, Silver Lion. HORSE. White Horse, Black Horse, Running Horse ('horse courant'). The White Horse rampant is the arms of Kent, the old Saxon ensign. BEAR. White Bear, Brown Bear, Black Bear. These colours are all 'proper' to the bear, according to the species. The bear is a common heraldric charge, and on signs he is usually represented muzzled and chained. Why the bear should have become a favourite badge of the warrior's shield, it is somewhat difficult to conjecture, though it must be allowed to be a better emblem of his prowess than some other animals, such as the monkey, the ass, and the toad, which found The their way into the quaint heraldry of early times. Bear and Ragged Staff, which occurs as an inn sign, is the badge of the Earls of Warwick. "Old Neville's crest BOAR. The Rampant Bear chained to the Ragged Staff.” The White The wild boar seems to have been an antient sign: hence the surname Wildbore. Boar was the badge of King Richard III. The Blue Boar was another Yorkist badge, and thus, as it became associated with royalty, the Blue Boar and Crown was a rather common sign. This serves to explain what might otherwise appear a very absurd combination of objects. On a road-side inn, near Tunbridge Wells, this sign is oddly corrupted to the Blue Boy and Crown! The Hog in Armour was probably derived from the rhinoceros. DOG. Talbot, Black Dog, Greyhound, common in heraldry. BULL. Black Bull, Pied Bull, Bull's Head. An eminent example of this heraldric bearing occurs in the family of Neville. ANTELOPE. This was antiently a royal supporter. BUCK. Stag, Doe, Roebuck, Hart (Surnames), Buck's Head, White Hart. The last was a badge of the Lancastrian branch of the house of Plantagenet; and it is a curious fact that the sign is still most common in those districts where the "time-honoured" duke and his descendants had the greatest influence. Fox. The Fox and Grapes' reThe 'Cross fers to the classical fable. Foxes' I take to be merely the singular armorial bearings of the family of Williams (Wynne), which are blazoned thus: "Argent, two foxes, countersalient in saltier, gules." GOAT. Goat's Head. Among the ludicrous associations frequently found in inn signs are the Goat in Boots and the Goat and Compasses. The latter is said to be a corruption of the words " God encompasseth us,” which a puritanical innkeeper inscribed upon his house. RAM. Usually heraldric, with golden horns and hoofs. UNICORN. The sinister supporter of the royal arms. ELEPHANT. Elephant and Castle.* 3. Birds. EAGLE. Black Eagle, Golden Eagle, Spread Eagle (eagle displayed). The Eagle and Child is the crest of the Stanleys, Earls of Derby, and originated in a fabulous legend respecting the preservation of an ancestor of the family, in infancy, by an eagle.† The sable eagle with two heads, the imperial ensign of Russia, is corrupted to the Split Crow!! SWAN. White Swan, Black Swan (rara avis in signis!) nicks. The Swan with two Necks': for necks read A nick is the mark cut in the mandible of a swan to distinguish its ownership on rivers and other common waters, where large numbers belonging to dif ferent persons congregate. In these instances certain 'swan-marks' have been immemorially in use; and, from one of these, the sign, thus curiously corrupted, takes its origin. Соск. Cock and Pye (magpie), Cock and Bottle. FALCON. Castle and Falcon: evidently a family crest. OWL. * Similar signs from heraldry occur at Paris, as "Au lion d'argent;" au renard bleu ;"" aux trois agneaux d'or;" "au bras d'or;"" au chien rouge," &c. 66 + Curios. of Heraldry, p. 188. |