The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-29
ORIGIN OF OLD TAVERN SIGNS
The Bush Served for Many Centuries
 md Still Holds Forth.

than the bush-a bunch of ivy or ever greens-hung over the doorway of town and country inns alike. The bush was very common in ancient Rome. It's pop ularlty seems to have spread in all the 1 provinces of the old Roman empire, and it has remained 6 distinctive inn sign in these islands and on the conti- nent ever since. But while the roadside hostelries were content with bunch of foliage, more distinctive signs became necessary in towns and cities, where taverns or inns were often in close proximity. Arms, badges and crests of the noble lord whose residence was near the inn would usually be put up over the door to attract his numerous re- tainers or partlsans. Thus at Lewes the Three Pelicans took It's name from the fact that these birds constituted the arms of the Pelham family.
 In many cases, however, the nnkeep- CTS as well as travellers being acquaint- ed with the mysteries of heraldry, Hon gules or lion azure went by the name of Red Lion or Blue Lion while the two leopards argent in the arms of the Dorset family were familiarly called The Cats. The numerous lions, bulls and dragons of all shades, as well as magpies crosses and crescents which have survived to the present day have all some hefaldic origin.
 The Royal Arms were, of course, 9 favorite sign then as they are now, and the Crown is undoubtedly one of the oldest of English signs, In 1497 a cer- tain Walter Walters, who kept the Crown in Cheapside, lost his life for having made the innocent coclSney pun that he would make his son helr to the Crown.
 The different kings and queens heads which have adorned English inns for the last five centuries are too num- erous to record Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth have been by far the most popular figures of all royal modern signboards, the former being usually represented as a merry bloated Bac- chus, the personification of jolliy and good cheer.
 After royal and heraldic signboards, none were more numerous in medieval England than those of religious char acter. Besides the numerous church, church gates and church style inns which are still to be met with in the country, there were many dedicated to the Virgin, saints and digntaries of tho church.
 .l The Salutation was very popular sign in pre-Reformation times, repre- senting the annunciation of the Virgin I Mary Even now this sign is still to be seen one of the best hotels in the lake district displaying 1t to this day. But It was almost universally changed soon after the Reformation for the angel, the I Virgin Mary being painted over and the Angel Gabriel left alone on the board. I Curlously enough many other tavern signs of Catholic England retained their popularity during and after the Reformation. Such are the cross keys, a sgin which Is far from uncommon \ now, and which is intended for the keys of St, Peter the papal arms. The pope's arms and the pope's head also survied the Reformation; there were four Pope's Head taverns in London in 16S6, the most famous of which was that in Cornhill which dated back to the reign of Edward III and was not definitely pulled down until the close of tho eighteenth century.
 The cardinals hat was the sign of a London tavern situated in Lombard street in 1459. This sign became com- mon when the popularity of Cardinal Wolsey was at its height, but there are no such signs in England known to the writer at the present time Not so the signboards representing saints and martyn.
 St. George, With or without dragon, is the most popular in England, and st. Patrick in Ireland, while the Scots are fond of raising St. Andrew to the dignity of public house sign. the same being also true of the Welsh saint, David.
 One of the old religious slgnboards the origin of which Is not commonly known is the Catherine Wheel, some times degenerated into the Cat and Wheel, which was originally intended as dedication to St. Catherine. This martyr was placed between wheels armed with spikes, device which was adopted in the Turner's arms.
 St. Martin, the patron of vintners, was often to be seen in signboards as also St. Dunston, St. Luke and many others. One of the signs under which some of the most famous of English taverns have flourished is the hitter. 1 The most famous was the Miter in Miter court, Fleet street, one of Dr. Johnson's favorite haunts, where Gold smith and tho other literary celebri- ties of the day used to meet.
 There are quite twenty Miter taverns of more than passing interest. either from literary or historical point of view, which shows what a general sign 1t was In the "Quack Vintners" (1712) the reason cf the partiality of the tav- ernkeepers for this sign Is explained az follows:
 May Smith, whose prosperous Miter is | his signg
 To show the Church no enemy to wine, Still draw such Christian liquor none Tho eer' so pious, 'tis sin to drink
 Besides royal heraldio and religious emblems innkeepers adopted at 6 very early date as sign the arms or badge of the class of customers they particu- larly wished to attract to their house; thus he who wished fo rthe patronage of soldiers would hang two crossed swords as sign, while another, whose tavern stood near the wharf or quay, I o1,n \.