Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-06-26
SIGNS OF THE OLD TIMES.
Ancient and Carious Signboards of
Great Britain.


yersal and when houses were unnum-
bcred and many streets were UNI
named, but took their cognomen from
the wares vended therein, says the
London Pail Mall Gazette, it was the
custom for all traders, without ex-
ception, to hang out signs above their
doorways in order to make their es-
Establishments and callings the better
known, and in the following lines we
purpose citing some of the more curl
Gus and quaint, in this connection in
GLIDING some referring TO houses for
the refreshmcnt of man and beast,
the proprietors Of which are about the
only traders who have kept green the
memory OF signs and signboards. 1t
was cobblcr who adopted the fol-
lowing sign when he took TO the
calling of a licensed victualer:
Search all the town over, and you'll
find good ale at the Last" On the
Hounslow road in former times was
to be Seen this sign: Poor Jack
striving to live At the sign Of the
Small" was TO be found this inscrip-
ton at house in the Kings road:
The snail is slow,
And am low;
What dye Think
Pray stop and drink
In the days of Walpolc, on the
Greenwich road, an old house bore
the sign:
stand fast. Sir Robert.
showing a little fat man straddling
upon two hogsheads. In Old Fish
street was formerly a house bearing
the sign of the "l.abor in VAIN" the
board showing two women trying to
scrub a negro white; and in Oxford
street was the load of Mischief
showing a man bearing on his back
a woman and a monkey, the former
with glass Of gin in her hand. This
sign has been attributed TO lIogarth,
and certainly il is painted in his style.
The house Is now known as the
primrose" The "Moonrakers" in
the borough derives its name from
the term applied to the natives of
Wiltshire, while the bag o Nails
at Chelsea is q corruption of the
Bacchanals, the original signboard
showing satyrs dancing and carousing
around a figure of Bacchus. In
Clerkcnwell was the Picked Egg
and near knaresborough in York
shire the Ass in a Bandbox, i" upon
the signboard being shown a figure
Of Napoleon the Great, in full uni
form, sitting on a donkey, which
stands on a bandbox which is float
ing across the English channel, and
bearing this inscription: Me viii
make de Jean Bull tremble now |
have found out de grande convey
ance," The signboard Is still in eX-
istence, but the establishment to
which it belonged is no longer an
inn. Nearly everyone knows the lit
tie public house at Lands End, the
signboard of which bears on one side
THE Last Inn in England and on
the other THE First Inn in Eng
land" but it may not be so generally
known that at Witcombe, near
Gloucester, there is an inn at the bot
tom of a hill which also has a dou-
BILE signboard with these two inscrip-
tlons:
Before the hin you do go up.
Step In and have a cheering cup.
and on the reverse side
You're down the hill. all danger past.
Come In and drink friendly glass.
At Falmouth, some time since, the
writer saw signboard with the fol-
lowing inscription:
Temperance Hotel.
Ellen Tone sells, here,
Lemonade and Gingur Beer,
Cow hels and tripe every friday
Sekond hand cloos TO make ce tdy,
CroN and kittles, pans, an all
And Cooley Dukes TO save yer sole.
Man-traps. gins, and pattens likewise.
And on Saturday nights Hot Mutton Pies
We hope this is a genuine sign
board-and your fascia writer plays
strange pranks with the English Ian
guage-but like the Scotsman, we
"ha'e DOR douts.' Another signboard
to be seen at the same establishment
contained the following lines:
JEREMIAH MUTE.
Dealer IN Cod Liver Oil and Treacle, Tur-
keN Rbubarb Tarts and Mustard Saws