Origins of English Pub Names: A fascinating and informative look into their origins and meanings

Origins of English Pub Names

A fascinating and informative look into their origins and meanings

By Anthony Poulton-Smith

Publisher Information

First published as an eBook in 2018 by Apex Publishing Ltd

12A St. John’s Road, Clacton on Sea, Essex, CO15 4BP, United Kingdom

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Digital edition converted and published by Andrews UK Limited in 2018

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Copyright © 2018 Anthony Poulton-Smith

The author has asserted his moral rights

Cover design: Hannah Blamires

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Introduction

Pub names are derived from the English language but seem to have a dialect all of their own. Cracking the codes and imagery will show a little more of the history of the place and the locality than we could ever imagine.

Although it may seem odd, the inn sign pre-dates the first recognisable inns in this country by a significant period of time. Once upon a time, every family brewed their own ale. It made sense as the water could rarely be trusted to be safe to drink and the boiling part of the brewing process effectively sterilises the liquid. In order to earn a copper or two, some settlements would offer some of the brew to travellers on the road. Such refreshment, perhaps accompanied by a hunk of bread and pottage or similar, brought much-needed revenue to the household. We are not talking about the larger communities where the main road ran straight through the village but more isolated communities.

Yet these services would have to be advertised as any well-worn path was unlikely to run past the front door. Hence, to draw attention to the home brew, a sheaf of barley would be tied to a prominent tree. The bole of a large tree with its lower branches removed would be noticeable enough. With a sheaf of barley tied at, or just above, eye level, they would be guaranteed to receive a thirsty guest or two before long. These marked and still-living trees were known as ale stakes and are easy to see as the forerunner of the modern pub sign. This is how the logical order of pub - name - sign was, in reality, quite the reverse.

In later years, landlords and owners were quick to realise the sign was the advertising hoarding of its day. Just as modern advertisers use humour and eye-catching imagery to give their product any edge over the competition, so early inns employed every trick they could think of to bring in the customers. There was one big difference, however. Today we read the name, yet literacy is a fairly modern development and our forefathers will have had to recognise the image on the sign and be able read the message it contained.

As the centuries passed a central core of pub names developed, instantly recognisable as a reference to an inn - for example the Red Lion would never be taken literally. There are also those rare, even unique, names that have a story to tell. In the following pages these pub names are listed alphabetically, with explanations. These names come from a surprising number of areas, as we shall see as we journey through a selection of pub names - some among the most common, while others are not only unique but have a story to tell.

A Bit on the Side

Humour is never far away when naming public houses and here we see a name most often used for an annex or when an extension has been added to an existing pub. Such are often used to increase the area given over to dining and, once again, the name is suitable as it can also refer to condiments, sauces and other side dishes. Of course, the most common use of the phrase is to refer to a lover of a married man or woman.

Aboard Inn

A Cumbrian pub name defined in several ways, indeed even the name itself is disputed. Normally referred to as the Aboard Inn, the sign appears to show the name as the A Board Inn and the black and white squares on the tabletop clearly show the painter interpreted this as an indication of a board game being played within. Others suggest this should be a’Board, said to be a term for ‘intoxicating liquor’ but this has received little support. Perhaps this points to a place with board and lodgings, yet this seems unlikely. Most promising is the suggestion this invites us to ‘come aboard’, a likely meaning should this have been coined by a man with links to the sea.

Admiral Byng

A naval man who had his home at Wrotham Park, not far from this Potters Bar establishment. Soon after arriving here he was dragged before Royal Navy representatives to account for the failure of the Minorca campaign. He was held to blame for the debacle and shot.

Admiral Sir Lucius Curtis

Opened as the Cork and Bottle, in Southampton’s Eastern Docks, it is today named after the man who was to become Admiral of the Fleet, chosen to lay the foundation stone for the tidal dock in Southampton on 12 October 1838.

Aleppo Merchant

Numerous explanations have been proposed for this pub in Carno, Powys. Among these examples of creative etymology is the idea it refers to a pudding created in the Syrian city of Aleppo. The ship depicted on the sign is the SS Aleppo, a steamer of the Cunard line. This can also be dismissed for that vessel launched in the early 19th century, more than two centuries after the licence was first granted to sell spirits.

The history of the place is sketchy, a fire in the 19th century destroyed valuable records which would help to explain this unique name. Yet this seems to refer to the man who worked for the Mercer’s Company, John Matthews, born around the end of the 16th century. He took wool and linen from Britain and travelled to the Middle East, returning with spices, cotton and silks from his business contacts in the city of Aleppo, Syria.

By the time he came to the village of Carno, making his way to his home town of Llangollen, he was a very wealthy man indeed. It was here he met a young lady, a member of a family of farmers named Wilson. He stayed for a time but, finding farming an unrewarding occupation, turned the farmhouse into the inn, obtaining the licence in 1632. Whatever he planned to do here is not clear, he died just eight years later.

In his will he left the inn and licence to the Wilson family. It remained in their possession for a remarkable 307 years. His will survives, showing what monies and property he bequeathed to his family and includes a charitable trust which is still realising funds. Whilst John Matthews worked for the Mercer’s Company, it seems the Aleppo Merchant must have had dealings outside those of his official channels for he amassed a personal wealth the equivalent of £8 million today.

Alfred Herring

At Palmers Green this takes the name of Second Lieutenant Alfred Herring, awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroism in France during the latter months of the First World War. Joining the army in 1916, he lived in the nearby family home.

Alice Lisle

At Rockwood, in Hampshire, is the sole example of a pub, or indeed anything, with the name of Lady Alice Lisle. She is remembered for being the last woman in Britain to be executed publicly.

Her story starts with the Monmouth Rebellion, a plot to overthrow the Roman Catholic James II. The plot ended following their defeat at the Battle of Sedgemoor, Somerset, in 1685. More than 1,000 of Monmouth’s supporters were taken prisoner, sent to Winchester and were tried at the infamous Bloody Assizes. Many were transported, the ringleaders drawn and quartered.

Among those on trial was Alice Lisle, husband of Sir John Lisle who had left her a widow the previous year and who was one of the judges at the trial of Charles I. She was charged with harbouring two known supporters of Monmouth: Nonconformist minister John Hickes and leading figure Richard Nelthorpe. They were here just one night and all arrested next morning. Alice was certainly more of a Royalist than her husband, although her religious beliefs were likely to make her sympathetic towards the Catholics.

At her trial there was clearly more than a little concern that this woman of 68 years should stand before them. The charge of treason was levelled at all and, those found guilty, faced the same sentence - death by burning. While the jury were reluctant to find her guilty the bullying of Judge Jeffries left them no real alternative. A week later she learned her sentence of burning had been amended to beheading as befitted her position - the Stewart idea of mercy.

Amber Rooms

Among the most creative of modern pub names, this Loughborough pub occupies the site of the town’s electricity works. The word ‘electricity’ is derived from the Greek ‘elektron’ which did not mean ‘electricity’ but ‘amber’, hence the pub name.

Anchor Made Forever

Not so much one name for this pub in Bristol, this really represents two names with very different origins.

When this pub was first opened, in the middle of the 18th century, it was named after the local coal mine which had the unofficial name of Made Forever. It is held this term was coined by those who first discovered this seam, generally held to be Messrs Fudge and Lewis, thinking this would bring them sufficient funds to see them ‘made forever’. We have to look across the road for the Anchor, this being where the local blacksmith’s forge produced ships’ anchors.

Arroyo Arms

Fittingly situated near the England/Scotland border, as it recalls the role of the Border Regiment in victory over the French in the Peninsula War. The name dates back to 1811, when a combined British, Portuguese and Spanish force, under General Rowland Hill, dealt such a crushing defeat to the French, under the command of General Jean-Baptiste Girard, the latter was dismissed by Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.

Ashen Faggot

At Northleigh, in Devon, this pub name recalls a pagan ritual. Here the ‘faggot’ is a bundle of sticks, used to fuel a fire or, correctly, two fires. The faggot is made from ash, purported to be the only wood which burns readily while still green, and is lit by the old fire and used to light the new fire. As the old fire dies away, representing the old year, the new fire comes to life and shows the birth of the new year.

Historically at least, this should not be seen as the change from 31 December to 1 January. From the 12th century until 1752 the Julian calendar made 25 March the start of the new year, prior to that the lengthening hours of daylight marked the start of the coming year.

Aunt Sally

Today the traditional pub game of skittles is making something of a comeback. However, the Aunt Sally is a pointer to how the game came to the pub in the first place. This game began as an outdoor attraction, at fairgrounds as well as pubs, where the image of the head of an old woman with a clay pipe would be created out of straw and cloth. It could also be seen as the origin of the coconut shy.

Many creative suggestions have been put forward to explain where all these games originated. Yet it seems the idea of throwing something at a target will have been practised ever since early man threw a spear, or even a rock, at their potential dinner.

Atmospheric Railway

The idea of an atmospheric railway is not unique to South Devon. Trial routes were tried out in Dublin and in London but the most famous is Brunel’s which it was hoped would take passengers the 20 miles from Exeter to Newton Abbot at up to 70mph.

The idea is ridiculously simple. Rather than have the pump on the rails, which is effectively what a steam engine is, position several large pumps along the length of track to evacuate the air from in front of the piston in the pipe, drawing the piston along the pipe and the carriage, which is attached to the piston, is pulled along.

Two advantages over the traditional locomotive were evident to everyone. Firstly, travel on the atmospheric railway is almost silent by comparison, secondly, the lack of clouds of smoke, except at the pumping stations, would have made a refreshing change. A third advantage was not so apparent but probably even more important for these trains could not collide despite there being no on-board driver. That the air refilled the vacuum behind each carriage reducing potential motive power to a degree where it was insufficient to move it until the previous carriage had passed the next pumping station. Practical problems beset the project which could not be overcome with