Towns are often adopted for signs as a point de ralliement for the natives of such places, the birthplace of the landlord being generally the town which has the honour of his selection. The City of Norwich was the sign of a house in Bishopsgate Street in the seventeenth century, either for the reason just alleged, or because “the fall of Niniveh with Norwich built in an hour,” was one of the penny sights at that period. Coventry Cross was the sign of a mercer in New Bond Street at the end of the last century, evidently chosen on account of the silk ribbons manufactured in that town; and the Chiltern Hundred, a public-house at Boxley, near Maidstone, doubtless refers to the well-known range of hills extending from Henley-on-Thames to Tring in Herts. In old times these hills were covered with forests, and infested by numerous bands of thieves. To protect the people in the neighbourhood, an officer was appointed by the Crown, called the steward of the Chiltern Hundreds, and although the duties have long ceased the office still exists, and is made use of to afford members of the House of Commons an opportunity of resigning their seats when they desire it. Being a Government appointment, though without either duties or salary, the acceptance of it disqualifies a member from retaining his seat.
The Wiltshire Shepherd was a sign in St Martin’s Lane in the seventeenth century. The Wiltshire downs were famous for their flocks of sheep. Aubrey, himself a Wiltshireman, says that the innocent lives of those shepherds “doe give us a resemblance of the golden age.” He also states that their sight inspired Sir Philip Sidney in charming pastorals, which on those very downs he sketched from nature, as some of his old relations well remembered. “’Twas about these purlieus,” says he, “that the muses were wont to appeare to Sir Philip Sidney, and where he wrote down their dictates in his table-book, though on horseback.” Many of the customs of these shepherds Aubrey traces down from the Romans.[600] The Gentle Shepherd of Salisbury Plain is the name given to Farmer Peek’s house, on the road from Cape Town to Simon’s Bay, Cape of Good Hope. On his signboard is the following mosaic inscription:—
“Multum in parvo, pro bono publico
Entertainment for man or beast all of a row.
Lekker host as much as you please;
Excellent beds without any fleas.
Nos patriam fugimus—now we are here,
Vivamus, let us live by selling beer.
On donne à boire et à manger ici;
Come in and try it, whoever you be.
The Gentle Shepherd of Salisbury Plain.”
Near Basingstoke there is a public-house sign representing a grenadier in full uniform, holding in his hand a foaming pot of ale; it is called the Whitley Grenadier, and bears the following disinterested verses:—
“This is the Whitley Grenadier,
A noted house for famous beer.
My friend, if you should chance to call,
Beware and get not drunk withal;
Let moderation be your guide,
It answers well whene’er ’tis try’d.
Then use, but not abuse, strong beer,
And don’t forget the Grenadier.”
This sign seems to have been suggested by the tragical death of a grenadier, which is thus recorded on a tombstone in the churchyard of Winchester Cathedral:—
“Here sleeps in peace a Hampshire Grenadeer,
Who caught his death by drinking cold small beer.
Soldiers be warned by his untimely fall,
And when you’re hot, drink strong, or none at all.”
To which a wag appended the following lines:—