“On Friday, April 6,” (1781) says Boswell,[129] “Dr Johnson carried me to dine at a club, which, at his desire, had been lately formed at the Queen’s Arms in St Paul’s Churchyard. He told Mr Hoole that he wished to have a City-club, and asked him to collect one; but, said he, don’t let them be patriots. The company were that day very sensible well-behaved men.” This same tavern was also patronised by Garrick. “Garrick kept up an interest in the city by appearing about twice in a winter at Tom’s coffeehouse in Cornhill, the usual rendezvous of young merchants at Changetimes; and frequented a club established for the sake of his company at the Queen’s Arms Tavern in St Paul’s Churchyard, where were used to assemble Mr Samuel Sharpe, the surgeon; Mr Paterson, the City solicitor; Mr Draper, the bookseller; Mr Clutterbuck, a mercer; and a few others: they were none of them drinkers, and in order to make a reckoning, called only for French wines. These were his standing counsel in theatrical affairs.”[130]
Sometimes we meet with the King’s or Queen’s Arms in very odd combinations; thus in the reign of Queen Anne there was a Queen’s Arms and Corncutter[131] in King Street, Westminster; the sign of Thomas Smith, who, according to his handbill, (in the Bagford collection,) had, “by experience and ingenuity learnt the art of taking out and curing all manner of corns without any pain;” he also sold “the famoustest ware in all England, which never fails curing the toothache in half an hour.” It was customary with those who were “sworn servants to his Majesty,”—i.e., who had the lord chamberlain’s diploma, to set up the royal arms beside their sign. The said Thomas, however, does not appear to have had this honour, for not a word about it is mentioned in his bill, so that he must have set up the Queen’s Arms merely to blind the public. The name of the person who filled the important office of corncutter to Queen Anne, I am afraid is lost to posterity, but, en revanche, we know who drew King Charles II.’s teeth, for the Rev. John Ward has recorded in his Diary.[132] “Upon a sign about Fleetbridge this is written,—‘Here lives Peter de la Roch and George Goslin, both which, and no others, are sworn operators to the king’s teeth.’”
Royal badges, and the supporters of the arms of various kings, were in former times largely used as signs. The following is a list of the supporters:—
- Richard II., Two Angels, (blowing trumpets.)
- Henry IV., Swan and Antelope.
- Henry V., Lion and Antelope.
- Henry VI., Two Antelopes.
- Edward IV., Lion and Bull.
- Edward V., Lion and Hind.
- Richard III., Two Boars.
- Henry VII., Dragon and Greyhound.
- Henry VIII., Lion and Dragon.
- Edward VI., Lion and Dragon.
- Mary, Eagle and Lion.
- Elizabeth, Lion and Dragon.
- James I., Lion and Unicorn, which have continued ever since.
Of early royal badges an interesting list occurs in Harl. MS., 304, f. 12:—
“King Edward the first after the Conquest, sonne to Henry the third, gave a Rose gold, the stalke vert.
“King Edward the iij gave a lyon in his proper coulor, armed azure langued or. The oustrich fether gold, the pen gold, and a faucon in his proper coulor and the Sonne Rising.
“The prince of Wales the ostrich fether pen and all arg.
“Queen Philipe, wyff of Edward the iijd. gave the whyte hynd.
“Edmond, Duk of York, sonne of Edward the iij, gave the Faucon arg. and the Fetterlock or.
“Richard the second gave the White hart, armed, horned, crowned or, and the golden son.
“Henry, sonne to the Erl of Derby, first Duk of Lancaster, gave the red rose uncrowned, and his ancestors gave the Fox tayle in his prop. coulor and the ostrich fether ar. the pen ermyn.
“Henry the iiij gave the Swan ar. and the antelope.
“Henry the v gave the Antelope or, armed, crowned, spotted (?) and horned gold and the Red Rose oncrowned and the Swan silver, crown and collar gold, by the Erldom of Herford.
“Henry the vi gave the same that his father gave.
“Edward the iiij gave the Whyte Lyon and the Whyte Rose and the Blak Bull uncrowned.
“Richard the iij gave the Whyte Boar and the Whyte Rose, the clayes gold.
“Henry the seventh gave the hawthorn tree vert and the Porte Cullys and the Red Rose and the Whyte Crowned.
“The Ostrych fether silver, the pen gobone sylver and azur, is the Duk of Somerset’s bage.
“The Shypmast with the tope and sayle down is the bage of . . .
“The Cresset and burnyng fyer is the bage of the Admyraltye.
“The Egle Russet with a maydenshead, abowt her neke a Crowne gold, is the bage of the mannor of Conysborow.
“The Duk of York’s bage is the Faucon and the Fetterlock.
“The Whyte Rose by the Castell of Clyfford.
“The Black Dragon by the Erldom of Ulster.
“The Black Bull horned and clayed gold by the honor of Clare.
“The Whyte Hynd by the fayre mayden of Kent.
“The Whyte Lyon by the Erldom of Marche.
“The ostrych fether silver and pen gold ys the kinges.
“The ostrych fether pen and all sylver ys the Prynces.
“The ostrych fether sylver, pen ermyn is the Duke of Lancasters.
“The ostrych fether sylver and pen gobone is the Duke of Somersets.”
Many of these badges, as will be seen afterwards, have come down on signboards even to the present day. Equally common are the Stuart badges, which were:—
The red rose of Lancaster and the white rose of York frequently placed on sunbeams; sometimes the red rose charged with the white.
The rose dimidiated with the pomegranate, symbolical of the connexion between England and Spain by the marriage of Catherine of Arragon; for the same reason the castle of Castille, and the sheaf of arrows of Granada, occur amongst their badges.
The portcullis, borne by the descendants of John of Gaunt, who was born in Beaufort Castle, whence, pars pro toto, the gate was used to indicate the castle.