The late Mr. Jewitt, who had an excellent knowledge of Heraldry, in his article already referred to, clearly recognizes the important part which that art has played in giving origin to many of our commonest signs; but the same cannot be said for Mr. Pengelly’s treatise on the _Signs of Devonshire_. The connection between Heraldry and the origin of our trade-signs is so intimate, that no one is fully competent to discuss the latter unless well acquainted with the former; and, although the signs of the 1,123 inns existing in Devonshire are carefully classified and treated of at length by Mr. Pengelly, numerous passages make it evident from the outset that he has little or no knowledge of the herald’s art. Consequently, his remarks lose very much of their interest. For instance, he says:--“So far as I have been able to discover, the HARP AND LION at Plymouth is without parallel anywhere. Its meaning, if it have any, seems very far to seek.” Had the writer been acquainted with Heraldry, he would have known that a lion and a harp are the principal charges in the arms of Scotland and Wales respectively, as shown on the backs of our florins. Again, he says: “Three is the popular numeral, and is not, at all times, easily accounted for.... There seems to be no explanation for the THREE CRANES at Exeter, the THREE PIGEONS at Bishop’s Tawton, the THREE HORSESHOES, of which there are four examples, or the THREE TUNS, met with as many as seven times, unless we suppose the number to have some direct or indirect allusion to the doctrine of the Trinity, or to the very popular belief that ‘Three are lucky.’” The frequent appearance of the number three on our sign-boards has been already explained, and the origin of its use will be made still clearer hereafter. It is certainly true that one of Mr. Pengelly’s headings is “Heraldry,” but under it he speaks of but little else than those inns which have the “Arms” of some person or place as their sign. In this connection he says: “The Devonshire inn-keepers appear to be fond of heraldic signs; but it may be doubted whether some of the arms they have set up are known at the Heralds’ office. There are in the county as many as 253 sign-boards--_i.e._, 22 per cent. of the entire number--bearing arms of some kind. There is, however, a sufficient recurrence of the same names to reduce the number to 165 distinct signs or names of coats. The list contains the arms of a hero who had died, and a hierarchy that had passed away--Achilles and the Druids--before the founding of the Heraldic System; of royal, noble, and other distinguished personages; of proprietors of the soil; of countries, counties, cities, towns, and villages; of trades and employments; and of objects difficult of classification.” With Mr. Pengelly’s treatment of non-heraldic signs there is, of course, no fault to be found.