The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-10-20
A HISTORY OF sIeNBoARDs

n curious DJoki entitled Tine History OF Sign
boards from the Earliest Times 10 the Present
Day." by Jacob LarWood and John Camden
Hotten, has just appeared in London IL shows
that slenboard history In England begins with
were painted on signs IN former DAYS, and that
there was often display of epgrammatic wit
before The doors of public houses and i'm the
lanes and by-ways of England.
In days when few could read, SAYS an English
iouinal-and when only the most imnortant
streets had names, while none OF the houses in
them were distinguished by numbers-nearlv
every BODY set up some mark Of his calling. The
tailor showed a pair of scissors the h0sier a
stocking, the cutler knife, the bootmaker an
awl; the winner put in prominent place the
picture OF bunch OF grapes or bush of ever
greens--tbe most common Roman sipn for a
public hOuse-Whence is derived the savino
Good wine needs no bush.n Other onbliC
house signs were started in the Middle Ages In
those times, say Messrs: Larwood and Hotten,
tine houses OF the nobility, both in town and
country, when the family was absent, were used
as hostelries Tor travellers. The family arms
always hung in 'front.' of the house, and the mot
conspicuous OBJECT in those arms gave name
TO the establishment among travellers who
unacquainted with the mysteries of hera,drc,
called lion gules or azure by the vernacuar
name OF the Reu' or Blue Lion Such coats
oi-arms gradually became very popular Inti-
mat ion that there was good entertainment for
all mat passes horses mares, men, and asses:i
and lnnkeepeTs began 10 adopt them hanging
out red lions and green dragons as the best way
NV PUOhN thdt JlltJ lOOu
and sheltern
AS eaIly as l4l9, when the 'Iiber Albusr of
Gulldhall was compiled, it was subject of com
plant that "tbe ale-stakes projecting in trout of
tavems in Chepe, and elsewhere in the city. ex-
tended too far over the Kings highways to the
impeding OF riders and others, and by reason of
their excessive weight to the great deteriora-
ton OF the houses In which they are fixed u and
thence'orh it was ordained That no tayerner
should have a sign Extending or living over the
Kings highway OF greater length than seven
ieet at most" Though forbidden to have signs
lnordnately large, all lllnnkeepeFs were bound by
law 10 put forth some prominent token of their
calling. In 1898 brewer OF Chelsea was pun
ished ''lor not putting up the usual sign;" and
the taking down OF publicans sIgnboard was
equivalent TO Withdrawing his license. Thus
we read IN "a New Way to Pay Old Debts:"-
"FOr this gross fault here do damn tny license
Fort ldding thee ever to lap or dIaw;
For instantly Will, in mlne own person.
Command the constab!es to pull down thy sign"
In England, 'King's Headsn exist without
number, great many being in;honor of Henry
the Eighth; great many Others in honor, or in
mocBeIy, OF Charles the First. John Tavlor
the water poet, set up a Mourning Crown at
his tavern IN Longacre, with pictdre OF King
Charles head. But that was soon pulled down.
and then he set up his own portrait instead ac
companying it by this rhyme1 advert !sement:-
MY siPne was once C,oa0ne, but now it is
changed by sudden metamOrpho,is.
The crowne was taken doHne, and in the stead
Is placed John Tal lor's, or the Poets Head
painter did my picture graf make,
And Oor sI9ne) hang'd 1t for his sake
Now, II my pictures drawing can preYa le
Twill draw my friends TO me, ana Il draw ale.
Two strings are bett' L to bow than one,
And poetiDg does me small good alone.
So ale alone yields but small good 10 me,
Except II as some spice OF possie.
Ihe fruits o ale are unto drunkards such,
] o make 'em sweare and ye that drinks too much.
But my ale being drunb with mocerahon,
Nv MN 9uen1h nG thirst gS and make merry recreation
4 invite my honest, CIVIL so0er riends.
From such as are not such, kindly pray,
\ Ill kpp
From Ph9niG Atley, the Gto6s 1dUerR nears
The middle Of Long Acrs daceH there.
John TAYLOR, P@tG Aqudticus"
The following extracts from the volume are
ADDIsoN's RESORT.
At the White Horse, in Kensington, Addison
wrote several of his Spectators. His iavorite
dinner, when he stayed at this house was a
inlet of veal and bottle OF claret, The old inn
remained in It's original state till about forty
years ago, when it was pulled down and the
name changed to the Holland Arms; but the
sign is still preserved in the parlor OF the new
establishment.
THE "wHITE HORSE"
Edinburgh also has its famous White Horse
in q close III the Canongate an inn, dating from
the time of Queen Mary Stuart, and which Scott
has introduced in one of his novels, may still be
seen. 1t was well known to runaway couples,
and hundreds have been made happy or un-
happy for life Sat momen notice" IN its large
rooms in which, as well as in The White Hart
in the GIassmarket these imprOmptu marriages
were as regularly performed as at Gretna Green
The White Horse Cellar, Piccadilly, now tame
omnibus Office, was tor more than century one
of the busting coacblng inns Tor the west
''Some persons think the sublimest object in
nature is a ship launched ON the bosom of the
/ ocean; but give me, Tor 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 Lands End. Hazllh
This place calls up pleasant fancies o
travelling by the mail, through merry roads,
with blooming hawthorn and chesnUt trees,
| lalks singing aloft, the village bells and the
! but another White Horse Inn shows the dark
| side OF the picture-the unsatety OF the roads
! for the White Horse, corner OF Welbeck street.
| CaVendsh square, was long detached public
! house, where travellers customarily stopped fol
| retreshment, and to examine their firearms
before crossing the fields to Llsson green. The
| last White Horse we shall mention was in Popei
| Head alley, the sign OF John Sudbury anC
| George Trumble, the first man that opened
| print shop in London, in the beginning of the
| seventeenth century. Peacham, in his 'Com
| pleat Gentleman" says that Goitzius' engraviug
| were commonly 10 be hal in Pope's Head alley
| There, also in l6ll the first edition OF Speed
''Great Britain" was published.
OTHER QUEER SIGNS.
Abusive of the softer sex is the man LOADED
with mischief the sign Ofan ale house in OXforC
street The original said to be painted b.
Hogart is fastened to the front OF the house, ant
the premises as one OF the fixtures. An engrav
ing of it is exhibited in the window IL repre-
sents man carrying woman magpe, ana
monkey, the woman with glass OF gun IN ne
hand. in the background, on the ieit nan
side, is a pubic house with pair OF horns q
n ''6n,al" on the gable end; tins house Is caiie
0Cuckhold's Fortune;" a woman is passing III q
the door, and SOW Is asleep IN pothouse' WI
a label above, "She is as drunk as SOW" VIM al
two cats are making love on the root. On tn
| rioht hand is n sbop of S. Gripe, PawnbrokeI