The second cause of difficulty arises from the fact that some signs have become altered and corrupted in the course of time. Many curious examples of signs of this class are given by the authors so often quoted. Most of them seem to have arisen in this way:--A sign was put up which commemorated some incident or personage, often perhaps of only local celebrity. In the course of time the occurrence commemorated or the individual represented by the sign became forgotten (or, at any rate, disconnected from the sign); and, under the influence of vulgar pronunciation (or, possibly, upon the advent of a fresh landlord, who knew nothing as to the significance of the old name), the sign was changed, and given some fresh meaning, which the words seemed to imply or nearly resemble. Such signs as these may be styled “corruptions.” As an example, it may be mentioned that at Hever, in Kent, near which place the Bullen or Boleyn family had large possessions, there was, for many years after the death of the unfortunate Ann, an ale-house with the sign of the BULLEN BUTCHERED; but, on the place falling into fresh hands, the sign was vulgarized into the BULL AND BUTCHER (!), and so remained until a recent date. In exactly the same way, a farm standing on or near the site of one of the old lodges at one of the entrances to the Park of New Hall, Boreham--another ancient estate of the Boleyn or Bullen family--is now known as “Bull’s Lodge Farm,” it having formerly been “Bullen’s Lodge Farm.” Thus, too, the GEORGE CANNING has become changed into the GEORGE AND CANNON, the ISLAND QUEEN into the ICELAND QUEEN, the FOUR ALLS into the FOUR AWLS (and used as a shoemaker’s sign), and the ELEPHANT AND CASTLE into the PIG AND TINDERBOX. It is by no means improbable that, if sufficiently minute inquiry were to be made, it would be found that some of our 22 Essex SHIPS, many of which are situated far from the sea, and in purely agricultural districts, are intended for _Sheep_, that word being, in Essex, invariably pronounced “ship,” both in the singular and plural. The Stock SHIP, for instance, occupies some of the highest ground in the county, and is a well-known landmark for many miles around. It could hardly have reached its present position without undergoing some such strange adventures as Noah’s Ark is said to have experienced. The [Illustration: FALCON AND FETTERLOCK.]