The Trade Signs of Essex: A popular account of the origin and meanings of the public houses & other signs — John Stuart Mill — John Shaqi
The Trade Signs of Essex: A popular account of the origin and meanings of the public houses & other signs
John Stuart Mill · en
In a hunting district like Essex it is in no way surprising that there
should be as many as twenty-five references to the fox on our
sign-boards. Although twenty years ago the sign of the Fox only occurred
five times, it now occurs eleven times; while there are ten signs of the
FOX AND HOUNDS, and three of the FOX AND GOOSE. The latter is a
combination which mediæval artists never tired of representing. It may
be seen, among other places, on a carved oak screen in Hadstock Church.
Of the FLYING FOX at Colchester, Larwood and Hotten say (p. 170)--“It
may represent some kind of bat or flying squirrel (?) so denominated, or
is a landlord’s caprice.” It seems much more probable, however, that the
device is intended to represent a fox flying before the hounds.
There is a beer-house known as the WOLF at Great Coggeshall. The origin
of the sign, which is not mentioned by Larwood and Hotten, is hard to
explain. Probably it is unique.
The sign of the HARE AND HOUNDS, of which, as previously stated (p. 76),
we have seven examples, is, doubtless, entirely derived from the sport
of coursing; but the RABBITS, a very old house still in existence at
Little Ilford, has probably an heraldic origin. Most likely the sign is
derived from three coneys appearing on some family coat of arms, but
whose, it is now difficult to say. The sign appeared in the list as the
THREE RABBITS forty years ago, and as the THREE CONEYS on Jean Roque’s
_Map of Ten Miles Round London_, published in 1746. Lysons, in his
_Environs of London_ (1796, vol. iv. p. 157), says--
“A great mart for cattle from Wales, Scotland, and the North of
England is held annually, from the latter end of February till the
beginning of May, on the flat part of the forest of Waltham
(commonly called Epping Forest), within the parishes of Ilford,
Eastham, Westham, Leyton, and Wanstead. A great part of the
business between the dealers is transacted at the RABBITS in this
parish--on the high road.”
There is also a beer-shop known as the RABBITS in Stapleford Tawney
parish. It is probably named after the foregoing. There is another
beer-house so called at West Thurrock. Larwood and Hotten do not mention
the sign under any of the above forms, although they say that in 1667
Hugh Conny, of Caxton and Elsworth, Cambridge, had THREE CONIES for a
sign, and a RABBIT is depicted on the farthing token of one William
Hutchenson, of Chelmsford.
[Illustration: FLEECE.]