The Who'd a Thought it?
There are a few inns around the country with this name - this one is in Glastonbury. There are said to be two potential origins to the name. One suggests that the inn is in an unlikely place whilst the other implies the landlord was not expected to be granted a licence!
The Blue Boar
Like many animal signs the blue boar has its origins in heraldry. The White Boar was the symbol of Richard III, the last Yorkist king of England. The Blue Boar was, inter alia, the symbol of the Earls of Oxford who were Lancastrian supporters. When Richard was defeated at the Battle of Bosworth it is said that a lot of White Boar inns were hurriedly painted blue! This Blue Boar is at Hay-on-Wye.
Perkin Warbeck
At Taunton in Devon is an inn named after Perkin Warbeck. Warbeck was a fifteenth century Flemish pretender to the English throne. Claimng to be Richard, brother of Edward V, he led a rising against Henry VII.
On 7 September 1497, Warbeck landed at Whitesand Bay, 2 miles north of Land's End, in Cornwall hoping to capitalise on the Cornish people's resentment in the aftermath of their uprising only three months earlier. Warbeck proclaimed that he could put a stop to extortionate taxes levied to help fight a war against Scotland and was warmly welcomed. He was declared "Richard IV" on Bodmin Moor and his Cornish army some 6000 strong entered Exeter before advancing on Taunton. Henry VII sent his chief general, Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney, to attack the Cornish and when Warbeck heard that the King's scouts were at Glastonbury he panicked and deserted his army. Warbeck was captured at Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire where he surrendered. Henry VII reached Taunton on 4 October 1497, where he received the surrender of the remaining Cornish army. The ringleaders were executed and others fined. Warbeck was imprisoned, first at Taunton, then at the Tower of London, where he was "paraded through the streets on horseback amid much hooting and derision of the citizens".
The Talbot
I have previously mentioned the Talbot, I suggested that the inn sign with the pure white dog was wrongly coloured and that it should have black spots. Either my information was incorrect and it could also be white or another sign writer has got it wrong; this one in Crickhowell.
I've just wasted, no not wasted, spent some time reading about your holiday. Lovely place where you stayed. To my colonial ears Perkin Warbeck sounds a very weird name for a pub. They could have trivia nights with questions about the name.
ReplyDeleteFun stories! Probably a great history of the UK could be written just by using names on inn signs, explaining their origins.
ReplyDeleteGreat stories about the signs, especially the White and Blue Boar signs. I enjoy the Martha Grimes mystery series, most of them with titles of old English pubs or inns.
ReplyDeleteI don't know those, Terra. I must investigate. They sound like my cup of tea - or should that be glass of ale?
DeleteThis was interesting! I like the sign for the "Who'd a Thought It", it is modern but not ugly modern.
ReplyDeleteI am a bit confused about the Warbeck story. Was it Henry VIII or the VII? At the start of the paragraph, it is the VIII, further on, the VII. I am not so good at English history as to remember all the kings and the years when they were active, sorry!
Pubs and inns in Germany have rather dull names in comparison. They are very often the same ones, such as Zum Löwen, Zum Bären, Zum Rössle, and so on (Lion, Bear, Horse). But some stand out, and I am thinking about the ones I know - maybe an idea for a post :-)
Oops - typo on my part, Meike. It was Henry VII. I have now corrected it in the text, thanks for spotting it.
DeleteWell I confess to never having heard of Perkin Warbeck. I don't recall seeing a "Who'd have thought it" (with no ? I note) but I do rather like the name.
ReplyDeleteI love how the British Isles name things. What a good post. Do some more.
ReplyDeleteLove the Who'd have thought it. Always fascinating to read the pub signs. I'm sure you're aware that about twenty or so years ago, an American writer named Martha Grimes wrote a bunch of mysteries set in England. The title of each book was actually the name of a real pub. The books were okay, in some places the writing was so beautiful it made you want to weep, in other places I wanted to slap her. I haven't seen anything by her in some long time, so perhaps other people felt the same way!
ReplyDeleteThe names of British pubs have always fascinated me...thanks for this interesting post.
ReplyDeleteLoved The Who'd A Thought It name...very cute.
Very interesting. Whenever I've visited the UK, the names of the pubs have attracted my attention.
ReplyDelete