820 The Tavern Signs of Wiltshire and their Origin. 
originally the “ Boulogne Mouth” (or Harbour), which became a 
popular sign with loyal publicans after the capture of that port by 
Henry VIII., in 1544: but the French word easily sliding into 
more intelligible English in the pronunciation of downright John 
Bull, soon dropped out of sight altogether, and hence the curious 
combination produced. 
As another instance of a very similar corruption of the original 
meaning of a sign-board, I would mention that near Hever Castle, 
in Kent, where Henry VIII., wooed Ann Boleyn, there is an old 
public-house sign which (I believe) still exists, at all events existed 
very lately, exhibiting the well-known lineaments of bluff King Hal ; 
but the population around for several generations, has always ealled 
it the “ Bull and Butcher,” intending, no doubt, the Boleyn butcher ! 
Other strange combinations arising from similar corruptions, are 
the “Pig and Whistle,’ under which ridiculous title one would 
scarcely expect to recognize the Angel Gabriel’s salutation of the 
Blessed Virgin: “ pige-washail,’ being no other than the Danish- 
Saxon “ Virgin, all hail!” 
Who again would suppose that in the “ Goat and Compasses” 
might be found a corruption of the commonwealth sign of “ God 
encompasses us”? a strange perversion indeed of a Puritanical 
sentiment! 
Who, in the English sign of the “ Quzer Door” would recognize 
the old French sign of the Golden Heart (“ ceur d’or”’) ? 
But stranger than all these was the transformation from a some- 
what pretentious sign which was set up in Pimlico, representing the 
1Mr. Nightingale has kindly reminded me that the sign of the *‘ Goat and 
Compasses”? is found in Cologne Cathedral, engraved on a cask, as the trade- 
mark of a Rhenish merchant, and adds: ‘‘ The presumption is that it was used 
in England to indicate where a favorite Kbenish wine was sold.” It is true 
there is at Cologne a flat stone, professing to be the ‘‘ Grabstein der Bruder und 
Schwester eines Ehrbahren Wein und Fass Ampts, Anno 1693;” and the arms 
exhibit a shield with a pair of compasses, an axe, and a dray or truck, with 
goats for supporters. Possibly this may have given rise to our Englisch sign, 
Others again have conjectured that the goat may have been the original sign, 
to which mine host added his masonic emblem of the compasses, a practice of 
frequent occurrence. (See Larwood and Hotten’s History of signboards, page 
147.) I believe, however, there is good authority for the origin mentioned in 
the text, 
