THE small class which will next receive notice contains what may be called “Nautical Signs.” Essex supports quite a considerable fleet of ships upon its sign-boards. These are of widely different builds, and are very variously rigged. Most of them are, of course, situated near the coast; but others are, strange to say, far inland. The author would be guilty of great impropriety did he not speak first of Noah’s Ark—the greatest feat of early ship-building on record. As a sign, it was to be seen at Kelvedon twenty years ago, but is now non-existent. An ark or, on the top a dove argent, holding in the beak an olive-branch vert, forms the crest of the Shipwrights’ Company, incorporated in 1605. As already stated, no less than twenty-two Ships are to be found in different parts of the county. The surmise that some of these are intended to represent sheep has been elsewhere advanced (p. 23). Mr. King finds evidence in ancient deeds of no less than three different houses at Leigh which have formerly borne the sign of the Ship. The existing example was probably converted into an inn about the end of last century. It was a private house in the middle of the century. Another inn is first spoken of as the Ship in 1728. In 1732, it was “known by the sign of the Ship,” but before 1756, when it was spoken of as “formerly known by the sign of the Ship,” it had ceased to be an inn. The third and probably the earliest house of this name was a private residence in 1756, having formerly been called the Ship. A Ship is depicted on the tokens of “William Martin at the Key [? Quay] in Barking,” and of “Thomas Pollard at the [Ship] in Plaistowe,” 1668, and the Ship at *Colchester is several times mentioned in the advertisements appearing in the various numbers of the Chelmsford Chronicle issued during February, 1786. The first and last are, perhaps, identical with the houses of the same name still existing at those places. In addition to the foregoing we have five Old Ships. If Mr. Plimsoll were informed of this fact it would probably cause him some alarm; but he would be reassured on learning that, with one exception, all are some distance inland. They are situated respectively at West Thurrock, Debden, Chelmsford, Aveley, and Rochford. The *Old Ship at the last-named place must be in very unseaworthy condition, for it was described as old in an advertisement in the Chelmsford Chronicle for January 27, 1786. There is also a *New Ship at Rochford—doubtless a house started in opposition to the Old Ship at the same place. The sign of the *Ship and Anchor, which occurs at Maldon, is a combination the meaning of which will be at once apparent. The Ship and Shovel at Rippleside, Barking, is at least forty years old. It is probably in some way connected with Sir Cloudesley Shovel, as there is a portrait of that gentleman in the inn. The sign also occurs elsewhere, namely, in Steel Yard, St. Thomas’ Street, London, S.E. An old newspaper cutting says a house known as the Ship and Shovel “is situated near to Dagenham Beach, in Essex, eleven miles from London, where Parish and Hadbrook fought a hard battle of 41 rounds, on the 13th of March, 1820, which terminated in favour of Parish in thirty-eight minutes. The Ship and Shovel was the house of call for that day.” There is a Lobster Smack at Canvey Island, a Fishing Smack at Barking, an Oyster Smack at Burnham, and a Smack at Leigh, concerning which Mr. H. W. King writes, that it was no doubt so named when the oyster-fishery flourished there in the last century. There is not now a smack belonging to the port. The house itself was for centuries a private residence of persons of good account. The sign of the Peter Boat, which also occurs at Leigh, is apparently unique. A peter-boat was a sort of fishing-vessel, sharp both stem and stern, and half-decked, with a spritsail, instead of a mainsail and boom. Mr. King states that the inn derives its name from the fact that “all the fishing-boats at Leigh were formerly peter-boats. But, out of a fleet of 120 or more fishing-boats here now, only one peter-boat, I am told, remains, and that I have not seen. The house itself, of the descent of which I have a complete record since 1645, is built of timber and is of the middle of the seventeenth century or earlier. The present owners have held it since 1662, the landlord who now keeps the inn being about the sixth in direct descent. It is first mentioned as known by the sign of the Peter-boat in 1757. The then owner had come into possession in 1739, and had so named the house between those years.” At Vange there is a Barge, at North Woolwich an Old Barge House, at Forest Gate a Steamship, and at Chelmsford a Royal Steamer (probably an impaled sign). The Barge here mentioned was formerly the Man with Seven Wives, as Mr. King can recollect. At the time it belonged to a man named Wife. Presumably his family numbered seven individuals. There is also a beer-house of the same name at Rettendon, up to which place the river Crouch is navigable for barges. The Packet occurs at *Harwich and *Manningtree. Sixty years ago there was another example at *Colchester. The sign of the Ferry-boat occurs at Walthamstow, North Fambridge, and Canewdon. Another house of the same name has recently disappeared from the county, as also a Ferry House. Sixty years ago the sign of the Wherry (not noticed by Larwood and Hotten) occurred at *Mistley. The sign of the Hoy still occurs at Tollesbury and at South Benfleet. Mr. King remarks that one would naturally expect to find this sign at the latter place, “as a long succession of hoymen carried on a lucrative business there. The Hoy is now pictorially represented on the sign-board by a barge, though the house is still called the Hoy; and a trade in hay, straw, and corn is still carried on in two or three barges.” The sign is not referred to in the History of Sign-boards. The following epitaph upon a Hoyman appears in the churchyard at South Benfleet. Though not a very scholarly production, it is said to be the work of a former rector of the parish.

A hoy was a one-masted, sloop-rigged coasting vessel, formerly much used. It is extremely difficult to suggest any likely origin for the sign of the Plough and Sail, which occurs no less than four times in the county, namely, at Tollesbury, East Hanningfield, Paglesham, and Maldon. Larwood and Hotten do not allude to it. The two first are each at least forty years old. At first one might suppose it a meaningless impalement of two distinct signs, the Plough and the Sail, but it does not appear that the latter figures as a sign, either singly or in combination with any other article except a plough, in any part of England. Moreover, it is hardly likely that the two signs would appear impaled four times in Essex, while the combination is (with one exception) unknown in all other counties of England. An examination of the lists of signs in thirty of the principal counties of England will show that it does not occur in any of them, with the exception of the adjoining county of Suffolk, wherein the sign occurs twice. It appears probable, therefore, that the sign has some local significance, though it is difficult to say exactly what. Several gentlemen have offered suggestions as to its origin. It has been thought to be a corruption of the “Plow and Flail” (and therefore doubly agricultural), or a representation of the old toast of “Agriculture and Commerce” (represented by a plough and a ship), but the most likely suggestion seems to be one put forward by the Rev. H. L. Elliot, who thinks it is intended as an appeal for the custom of thirsty souls working both on land and sea. All our Essex examples, except that at Hanningfield, are upon the coast. The same gentleman suggests that the sign may be a corruption of the “Plough-tail” or handle, which Edwards, in his Words, Facts, and Phrases, says is probably derived from the Anglo-Saxon stail, a handle. The word is still in use, meaning a handle, in Warwickshire and other parts of the country. An appeal to the readers of Notes and Queries has so far thrown no light on the meaning of this sign. Forty years ago there was a Ship and Excise Office at Waltham Abbey and a Privateer at Harwich. At Wivenhoe there is a Ship at Launch. Forty years ago it was known as the Ship Launch. This large fleet of sign-board ships is, however, supplied with only eighteen Anchors; and, as some of these may represent the symbol of Hope, the supply must be regarded as very inadequate. One of them, belonging to Barking, is described as a Blue Anchor. Another of the same description used formerly to exist on Canvey Island, but it appears to have been lost in some storm during the last forty years; while another at Mersey, which is mentioned in the Rev. Baring-Gould’s Mehalah, has also disappeared, unless it be identical with the Anchor still existing at that place. The Anchor at Canewdon seems to have existed there since at least 1787, as it is mentioned in an advertisement in the Chelmsford Chronicle for the 5th of January in that year. At Grays there is an Anchor and Hope. The Crown and Anchor, the emblem of the Royal Navy, occurs at Aveley and Braintree; and the Sun and Anchor, which is probably nothing but an impaled sign, occurs at Steeple. A token is extant bearing an Anchor, the initials “R. S. I.,” and the inscription, “At the Anker, in Lee [Leigh], 1664.” Mr. H. W. King writes:[91] “This is undoubtedly the token of Robert Sayer and Joan his wife, shopkeepers, at this precise date. The Anchor was their shop sign. There was no inn of that name. Joan Sayer survived her husband and died in 1689.” Most of our Anchors are situated upon the sea coast, but there are not a few inland—at Ingatestone, Chelmsford, Abbots Roothing, &c. In 1789 there was one at Chipping Ongar.