After last week's villain, it's appropriate that we talk about a well-loved hero in this post.
John Manners, the 18th Century Marquis of Granby, pursued a military career, eventually becoming the commander of the British army during the Seven Years War. In 1760 he led the cavalry charge at Warburg, galloping into battle ahead of his troops. As can be seen from the pub sign shown, his hat (and wig) blew off, leaving us with the expression "to go into something bald headed".
Throughout the campaign he showed incredible bravery; leading from the front and fighting beside ordinary soldiers. He also showed intense concern for the welfare of his men. At the time, there were no pensions for soldiers invalided out of the army so, rather than let his men starve, the Marquis bought pubs for every one of his disabled non-commissioned officers. His generosity put him £37,000 in debt at his death (£4million today). However, he earned the undying respect of his men and many of those pubs were named in his honour
John Manners, the 18th Century Marquis of Granby, pursued a military career, eventually becoming the commander of the British army during the Seven Years War. In 1760 he led the cavalry charge at Warburg, galloping into battle ahead of his troops. As can be seen from the pub sign shown, his hat (and wig) blew off, leaving us with the expression "to go into something bald headed".
Throughout the campaign he showed incredible bravery; leading from the front and fighting beside ordinary soldiers. He also showed intense concern for the welfare of his men. At the time, there were no pensions for soldiers invalided out of the army so, rather than let his men starve, the Marquis bought pubs for every one of his disabled non-commissioned officers. His generosity put him £37,000 in debt at his death (£4million today). However, he earned the undying respect of his men and many of those pubs were named in his honour
If you know of any other pub sign heroes that deserve a mention, please email me with details. If you want to find out more about the ones I've discovered, why not order A Book About Pub Names at the link on the right?
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