| Popular
heroes have always featured on inn-signs. There
is a Prince Albert in Aveley and a Prince of
Wales in South Ockendon, although which Prince
the latter refers to is not known. At least we
know that he came after 1828, since the sign is
not recorded in the Alehouse Recognizances before
that date. But sign painters are seldom deterred
by historical accuracy, and the hero changes with
the fashion of the day. It is normal to represent
the King's Head by a painting of Henry VIII - not
Charles I, as is frequently thought - but almost
every King from Henry VIII to recent times has
been delineated. If the symbols on a sign are in groups of three - Three Crowns, Rainham - or if the colour of the animal represented is unknown to naturalists, then a heraldic origin is indicated. In this category are the Red Lion and the White Hart, Grays, and the White Lion **, Fobbing. The Red Lion was the badge of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, who bore the lion of Castille on his arms as a token of his claim to the throne of that country, while the White Lion was the badge of Edward IV, although the Dukes of Norfolk, the Earls of Surrey and others also displayed the same animal. The White Hart was the favourite badge of Richard II, while another Richard, he of the Lion Heart, displayed the Rising Sun, a sign found in Grays and in Stanford-le-Hope. |
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Why do trivial incidents stick longest in the popular mind - burnt cakes and Boscobel oak, for example? As far as I know Alfred's carelessness has given rise to no inn sign, but Charles' adventure is commemorated in every county in England. Thurrock has a Royal Oak in South Ockendon - a finely painted sign, too - and on the Parade in Grays is the Oak. This is indeed, an exceptional inn since it has produced an Acorn on the nearby Fairway Estate! |
