Ever walked past old pub signs and wondered why on earth it’s called The Goat and Compasses or The Pig and Whistle? Those names sound like something out of a riddle, yet they’re part of a tradition that runs deep into England’s medieval past.
These names originated from a time when most people couldn’t read and relied on pictures to understand the world. A hanging sign outside an alehouse told travelers where to find a drink, and over time, those signs turned into names that carried layers of meaning. Religion, royal politics, heraldry, and even a bit of cheeky wordplay all found their way into the language of the local pub.
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Why Medieval Pub Names Feel So Strange
To us, names like The Bag o’ Nails or The Bull and Bush sound odd, but in medieval England, they made perfect sense. Most people couldn’t read a single word, so words on a sign were useless. What mattered was the picture swinging above the door. A painted bull, a fox, a crown, or a pair of crossed keys told you exactly where you were headed. It was advertising for a world without literacy.
To make those names easy to pass on by word of mouth, landlords leaned into rhymes and alliteration. It’s why you find pairs like The Fox and Hounds or The Bull and Bush. These combinations stuck in the mind and rolled off the tongue, which mattered when your only way of finding a tavern was by asking someone who’d been there before.
In 1393, King Richard II ordered every alehouse to hang a sign outside so ale-tasters, the officials who checked the quality of the drink, could find the place. If your ale didn’t measure up, you faced fines or worse. Those signs were the difference between running a legal tavern and getting shut down.
Heraldry and Royalty: Common Themes in Pub Names
Walk into an old English pub called The Red Lion or The White Hart and you’re staring straight at medieval power politics. These names weren’t random; they came from heraldry, the colorful coats of arms carried by kings, nobles, and great families. Hanging a Red Lion above your door showed loyalty to the ruling house. It also didn’t hurt that the lion was a royal symbol going back to Richard the Lionheart.
The White Hart, a favorite of Richard II, was another common choice. Landlords often borrowed badges from local lords or the monarchy because it gave their alehouse prestige. It was a subtle signal that this was a respectable place to drink, not a backstreet den for troublemakers.
Guilds got in on the act, too. The Carpenters Arms, Blacksmiths Arms, and other similar names were straight from the shields and symbols used by working guilds. These signs told you who the regulars were and where to find your own trade.
Religion and the Reformation’s Influence
If you think pub names like The Cross Keys or The Lamb and Flag sound holy, you’re right. In the Middle Ages, religion was everywhere, and alehouses were no exception. The Cross Keys came from the keys of St. Peter, a powerful symbol of the Church. The Lamb and Flag? That’s straight from Christian imagery, with the lamb representing Christ and the flag showing victory over death.
For centuries, these names were normal. Then Henry VIII tore the country away from Rome, and everything changed. Religious references became dangerous, and many pubs quietly switched their names to avoid trouble. The Pope’s Head became the King’s Head. Images of saints disappeared, replaced by royal faces and patriotic emblems.
Some names didn’t just change, they twisted into something new. The Goat and Compasses is the perfect example. It likely started as the phrase “God Encompasseth Us,” a pious motto painted on a sign. Over time, through mishearing and sloppy spelling, it turned into a goat with a set of compasses. Strange but true.
Bizarre Names and Folk-Etymology
Some pub names sound like they were invented after one too many ales, but most have roots that make sense once you dig deep enough. The Pig and Whistle is a classic. It probably comes from “piggin,” a small wooden drinking vessel, and “wassail,” an old toast meaning “be healthy.” Over time, “piggin wassail” slid into “Pig and Whistle.” It’s easy to see how, after a few hundred years of misheard conversations.
The Bag o’ Nails is another favorite. It sounds like a blacksmith’s pub, but it likely began as The Bacchanals, a reference to Roman feasts of wine and excess. Try saying Bacchanals after a few drinks and see where it lands. The Elephant and Castle seems odd too, but it probably came from the crest of the Cutlers’ Company, which featured an elephant carrying a howdah, a kind of castle-shaped seat.
Then there’s The Bull and Mouth. At first glance, it makes no sense, but it was originally “Boulogne Mouth,” celebrating Henry VIII’s capture of Boulogne in France. The name stayed, the meaning didn’t. These oddities are the footprints of centuries of spoken English, bending and twisting as it passed from one tongue to another.
When I was a child back in the 1980s, to get up north from down south, you had to drive through London. These were the days before the M25 went around the city. Often, there was quite a bit of traffic, so to ease the boredom, we played the pub game.
This involved spotting pubs, where whoever found one would add up the number of arms and legs in the name and score that amount. You weren’t very lucky if you ended up with the King’s Head. You have to remember there were no mobile phones or even the Internet in those days.
Why Some Themes Survive
For villages, an old pub name is often the oldest record of that place’s story. A sign bearing a Red Lion or a White Hart ties the pub to medieval heraldry, but it also ties the community to a lineage of kings, landowners, and trades. Changing the name means losing that thread of continuity.
There’s also a legal twist. Some pubs are listed buildings, which means their names are part of their protected heritage. You can repaint the walls, but you can’t scrub away centuries of history without permission. The names themselves have become relics, preserved as much as the beams above the bar.
And then there’s marketing. Odd names like The Goat and Compasses draw people as they’re different. They make you ask questions. In a crowded pub market, curiosity is currency, just as it was when ale-tasters looked for a sign swinging in the wind six hundred years ago.
How to Read a Pub Sign Like a Historian
Next time you walk past an old pub, stop and look at the sign. Ask what story it’s telling. A crown might signal loyalty to a king. A lamb and flag possibly religious roots. These names tell us what mattered to the people who came before us: faith, authority, trade, and the need for a drink at the end of a hard day.
If you’re visiting England, pub names can be a walking guide to history. Follow the Red Lions and White Harts, and you’ll be tracing the shadow of royalty. Look for the Arms pubs, and you’re walking in the footsteps of guildsmen and craftsmen. Find one of the real oddities, and you’re holding a piece of wordplay that has survived for centuries.
