The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1888-07-21
ORIGIN OgY IN SIGNS.
Queer Old UOstelriec Y1at Nestle in Ro-
mantle Mou..---H Passes.

mantle MOu..---A Passes.
What T. the origin Of inn signs? The
earliest signs are certainly heraldic.
We have still In many villages the
"SO-and-sO Arms" with the shield Of
the lord 81 the manor emblazoncd upon
r., with all is quarterings. Or we have
the Red Lion. or the White Hart, or
the Swan, all either crcsts or cOgniz-
anccs Of family, or Of "A sovereign or
Queen. The swan sign Is said 90 date
from Anne Of Clcycs; the white hart
was the badge Of Richard H., and inns
with this sign probably were erected
In that reign, and have retained this
sign unchanged since. We know Of
inns under the name Of the Rose,
which, there can be- little question,
came into life ~ hOstclrics in the time
OF the YOrkists and Lancastrians. The
wheat shcaf was the Burleigh badge,
the elephant that Of Beaumont, the
bulls head was BOlcyn cOgnizance,
the blue boar the badge Of
the Dc Ycrc-, Earls Of Oxford,
the green dragOon Of the Earls Of
Pembroke, the falcon Of the Marquis
Of Winchester. II does not, however,
follow that the inns that have these
signs date from the periods when, let
us say, Anne Bolcyn was Queen, be-
cause they boar the token Of the bulls
head; or from the reign Of Queen Eliza
beth, when Burlcigh was in power, be-
cause Of the wheat -hcaf for il will not
infrcqucuuy be found that they take
their titles and sign. from much moro
local origin the coat or cognizance Of
the squire who holds the manor.
There was "a reason for this the inn
was originally the place whore the true
landlord that is, the lord Of the manor
received his guests, and every tray
present day there l. but one inn at
Rcykiayik, the capital, and that is kept
by Dane. The traveller in the island
goes 10 any farmhouse or parsonage
and is taken in. Indeed. by law "A
traveller can not bee refused hospitality.
When hc leaves he either makes "A pres
cnt Of money or Of something else that
will be valued, but this is "a present and
not payment. IN many parts Of Tyrol
il is much the same. The excursion
list is put up at the priests house. Tho
writer has been thus received, among
other places, at llciligkrcutz, in the
Octz Thai.
In the evening the room the cures
parlor-was filled with peasants who
asked for wine. and were supplied
When they let they put money in the
hand Of the pastors sister, while he,
smoking his pipe, looked out Of the
window. When the writer left next
morning the same farce was enacted.
Farther up the same valley is Vent,
whore again the cure receives travellers
and his sister receives the payment, but
there definite charge is made, but at
lIciliglrcutz what was given was ac-
ccptcd rs "a present.
The priests who entertain do not, OF
course, hang up signs over their doors.
The pastor is supposed TO be given TO
hospitality, and would give Of his all
freely and chccrlully if he could afford
it, but Of late years as travellers have
become moro numerous, his pittancc
has become smaller, 50 that his hos
pitality can no lOnger be gratuitous.
In the old rOmanccs of Chivalry we
read Of travellers always seeking the
castle OF some Knight and asking. al
most demanding, lodging and enter
tainmcnt.- CorHhW Haga.iHc.