A century ago, when the houses in streets were unnumbered, they were
distinguished by sign-boards. The chemist had the dragon (some astrological
device); the pawnbroker the three golden pills, the arms of the Medici and
Lombardy, as the descendant of the ancient bankers of England; the
barber-chirurgeon the pole for the wig, and the parti-coloured ribands to
bind up the patient's wounds after blood-letting; the haberdasher and
wool-draper the golden fleece; the tobacconist the snuff-taking Highlander;
the vintner the bunch of grapes and ivy-bush; and the Church and State
bookseller the Bible and crown. The Crusaders brought in the signs of the
Saracen's Head, the Turk's Head, and the Golden Cross. Near the church were
found the Lamb and Flag, The Bell, the Cock of St. Peter, the Maiden's
Head, and the Salutation of St. Mary. The Chequers commemorated the licence
granted by the Earls of Arundel, or Lords Warrenne. The Blue Boar was the
cognizance of the House of Oxford (and so The Talbots, The Bears, White
Lions, &c. may usually be reasonably referred to the supporters of the arms
of noble families, whose tenants the tavern landlords were). The Bull and
Mouth, the hostelry of the voyager to Boulogne Harbour. The Castle, The
Spread Eagle, and The Globe (Alphonso's), were probably adopted from the
arms of Spain, Germany, and Portugal, by inns which were the resort of
merchants from those countries. The Belle Sauvage recalled some show of the
day; the St. George and Dragon commemorated the badge of the Garter, the
Rose and Fleur-de-Lys, the Tudors; The Bull, The Falcon, {252} and Plume of
Feathers, Edward IV.; the Swan and Antelope were the arms of Henry V.; the
chained or White Hart of Richard II.; the Sun and Boar of King Richard
III.; the Greyhound and Green Dragon of Henry VII. The Bag o' Nails
disguised the former Bacchanals; the Cat and Fiddle the Caton Fidele; the
Goat and Compasses was the rebus of the Puritan motto "God encompasseth
us." The Swan with Two Nicks represented the Thames swans, so marked on
their bills under the "conservatory" of the Goldsmiths' Company. The Cocoa
Tree and Thatched House tell their own tale; so the Coach and Horses,
reminding us of the times when the superior inns were the only
posting-houses, in distinction to such as bore the sign of the Pack-Horse.
The Fox and Goose denoted the games played within; the country inn, the
Hare and Hounds, the vicinity of a sporting squire.