authors of the _History of Sign-boards_ state that the two words “ship” and “sheep” were once commonly pronounced almost promiscuously, as now in Essex. At Berkhampstead, in Hertfordshire, moreover, there is a house which formerly had a pictorial representation of a ship in full sail as its sign. Of late, however, the sign-board has merely borne the word “ship;” and, quite recently, on the advent of a new landlord who had been a cattle-dealer, the sign was changed into the SHEEP. On the other hand, there is, at Chipping Norton, in Oxfordshire, a house styled the SHEEP AND ANCHOR, which, doubtless, should be, and originally was, the SHIP AND ANCHOR. The old sign of the FALCON AND FETTERLOCK, representing the badge of John of Ghent, is now often corrupted into the HAWK AND BUCKLE, or even into the HAWK AND BUCK. In speaking of Essex examples of corrupted signs, it may be mentioned that the GOAT AND BOOTS (p. 81) appears at Colchester for the GOAT IN BOOTS, and that the DE BEAUVOIR’S ARMS (p. 43) at Downham is locally known as “the BEAVERS.” In the _Post Office Directory_, too, the HORSE AND WELL (p. 57) at Woodford appears as the HORSE AND WHEEL, the ROMAN URN (p. 44) at Colchester as the ROMAN ARMS, and the SUNDERLAND ARMS (p. 31) at Wakes Colne as the SUTHERLAND ARMS. Some of these are not corruptions which have actually taken place on the sign-board; but they well show the tendency towards such corruption. There can be but little doubt, too, that the sign of the HARROW (p. 171) represents the _Portcullis crowned_ which Henry VII. and other sovereigns used as a badge. When the knowledge of heraldry declined the common people called the sign by the name of the Harrow, not knowing of anything else which resembled the device displayed. It thus became an agricultural sign, and was sometimes combined with another sign of the same kind, namely, the PLOUGH, as at Leytonstone (p. 170). In other counties, according to Larwood and Hotten, the sign is still commonly known as the PORTCULLIS, but we have no example in Essex. Some forty years ago it was recorded in the _Worcester Journal_ that the landlord of the WHITE HART Inn at Dudley decided that his sign, which had until then been merely written, should be made pictorial; but instead of having depicted the ordinary White Hart with golden chain and collar, he (whether through ignorance or intent) had painted in white, on a black ground, a large Elephant’s _Heart_! Of this absurd corruption we have now an example in Essex, as mentioned hereafter (p. 53). [Illustration: PORTCULLIS.]