If you enjoy history, I've just discovered a very interesting blog called Jane's London which contains lots of great photos and comment on old London.
Amongst the discussion is one on the derivation of the name of the Elephant & Castle which is both a pub and an area of London south of the river. The chief theory is that it is an English corruption of Infanta de Castille, the courtesy title of Princess Maria Anna of Spain who was identified as a bride for Charles I. However, the marriage fell through when Charles refused to convert to Catholism and he married a French princess on the way back home to England. It's unlikely pubs would have been named in honour of his ex-fiance, however. Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII is a more likely candidate - she was also an Infanta, much loved in England and the names could honour her.
Knights travelling to the Crusades in the Holy Land in the 12th Century encountered Persian knights who rode into battle and fought from castle-like structures on the back of elephants. These descriptions made their way into Medieval bestiaries - illustrated stories of mythical animals that weren't always anatomically correct.
Many church carvers used these bestiaries as inspiration. The 13th Century cathedral at Exeter has an elephant with a castle on its back (although the elephant has horse's legs), as does the 15th Century Ripon Cathdral. Similar carvings would have been familiar to pilgrims therefore and, as landlords often used church imagery for their pub names, it wouldn't be unusual to find Elephant & Castle migrating onto a pub sign.
Henry III also maintained a private zoo at the Tower of London in the 13th Century. The zoo contained an elephant and the story could have gone around England about the "elephant at the castle"
More mundanely, it could also be a trade sign. Top quality knives had ivory handles. The coat of arms of the Worshipful Company of Cutlers has three elephants on it, one of which carries a castle on its back. The pub could have been a meeting place for cutlers.
The fascinating thing about pub names is that there is no real right answer. Everything is open to debate whilst standing at the bar.
Adapted from A Book About Pub Names by Elaine Saunders. Click here to read a free extract and find details of how to buy.
4 comments:
Which theory do you subscribe to? I think the zoo at the Tower of London is a reasonable explanation. I don't see it being named after Maria Anna if Charles refused to go through with the marriage. Also, the theory about pub signs using church bestiaries as inspiration seems like another good explanation.
Steven Till
http://steventill.com
The great thing about pub name history is that it's not an exact science and there's always room to order another drink whilst you mull it over.
If pushed, I'd go for the illustrations from bestiaries but they all sound credible. I think Charles I's prospective bride, the Infanta, is probably the least convincing for me.
Thanks for visiting.
Elaine Saunders
How fun! There are some wonderful pub names in England. I do like those with animals, like Soho's Dog and Duck or the Intrepid Fox (though that was named for a political fox!). Have you covered Barking's Barking Dog and Spotted Dog (though I guess with a town named Barking, the origin of the name is probably not a secret).
I have covered the Spotted Dog as they were once popular carriage dogs and the sign is found along old stage coach routes. We know them now as Dalmations but the Talbot was an older breed and is also found on pub signs.
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