“Prefaces to books [says a learned author] are like signs to public-houses. They are intended to give one an idea of the kind of entertainment to be found within.” A STUDENT of the ancient and peculiarly interesting Art of Heraldry can hardly fail, at an early period in his researches, to be struck with the idea that some connection obviously exists between the various “charges,” “crests,” “badges,” and “supporters” with which he is familiar, and the curious designs now to be seen upon the sign-

T HE use of signs as a means of distinguishing different houses of business, is a custom which has come down to us from times of great antiquity. Nevertheless, it is not at all difficult to discover the reasons which first led to their being employed. In days when only an infinitesimally small proportion of the population could read, it would obviously have been absurd for a tradesman to have inscribed above his door his name and occupation, or the number of his house, as is now done. Such inscr

A S the quaint art of Heraldry has given to us many, if not a majority, of our most interesting signs, it is only reasonable that signs of this class should be treated first. In all respects the most purely heraldic sign we have in Essex is the Fleur-de-Lys , which occurs at Widdington. As a sign, this was formerly much more common than at present. Eight of the Essex tokens are described as having borne it. Two of these were issued in Colchester, two in Billericay, and one each in Chelmsford, Co

T HE next great class of signs to be noticed consists of what may be termed “Mammalian Signs.” In Essex no less than 464 houses, or 34·2 per cent. of the whole, display devices derived from the animal kingdom. There are, however, only 102 distinct signs. These may be classified as follows:— This calculation is, moreover, made independent of “man and his parts,” as the heralds say. Signs of human origin have been placed in a separate class, and will be treated of hereafter by themselves. Although

O RNITHOLOGICAL signs stand next in turn for notice. They are fairly numerous, and many are of strictly heraldic derivation. The Eagle appears in one form or another on nineteen Essex sign-boards. On seven occasions a simple Eagle is intended. Twenty years ago, however, there were but three. Ten times the sign of the Spread Eagle occurs, and the same device is depicted on the tokens issued by John Millbank of Colchester in 1665, and by Samuel Wall of Witham in 1668. The Spread Eagle at Harwich,

T HIS class of signs—or rather combination of several small groups, taken together for the sake of convenience—is, naturally, very far from a large one. It contains, indeed, only four signs, all told. The Fish and Eels , which is a very strange device appearing at Roydon, is our only existing sign connected with fish, although Two Fishes appeared on the tokens of the two William Wildmans (father and son) of Saffron Walden, issued in 1656 and 1667 respectively. The former spells the name Saffron

T HE next great class of signs which will be noticed includes those which are derived from the Vegetable Kingdom. These may be called “Botanical Signs.” Though not so numerous as the Zoological Signs, they are, nevertheless, fairly common; but only a comparatively small number can be traced back to an heraldic origin. Those signs will be noticed first which are obviously derived from some prominent tree or trees growing close to the houses called after them. These seem generally to be of very mo

T HE next class of signs to be treated of is that which includes those derived from “Man and His Parts,” as the old books on Heraldry have it. Such signs may be styled “Human Signs.” They are numerous, though usually of but very slight interest; and, as might be expected, very few are of heraldic origin. In speaking of them it will not be necessary to give much more than a mere list. The numerous “heads” obviously indicate a portrait once to have been the sign; and most of these portraits repres

T HE 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

A STRONOMICAL signs fall naturally into another small class, which will be treated of next. In Essex we have six examples of the sign of the Half Moon , which may represent either crescents taken from some one’s arms or else the emblem of temporal power. The Half Moon at *Chelmsford, a small, though ancient, house, possesses a quaint and truly pictorial sign-board. At 94, Great Suffolk Street, London, S.E., there has been for three-quarters of a century, at least, a house with the most extraordi

T HE signs which still remain to be treated of defy all efforts to classify them. All classification, indeed, when applied to this subject, is very vague and unsatisfactory. The following will, therefore, be spoken of as “Miscellaneous Signs,” and will be taken in any order found most convenient. Those already noticed under other headings will not be referred to again, and many are not of sufficient interest to be worth noticing. The great majority are uninteresting modern vulgarisms, while very

Affrontée , full-faced and fronting. Argent , silver or white. Azure , blue. Badge , see p. 15 . Besant , a Byzantine coin, represented in Heraldry as a round flat piece of gold, without impress. Blazon , the proper technical description of armorial bearings. Charge , an heraldic bearing or emblem. Chequy , a shield divided by horizontal and perpendicular lines into equal square spaces, alternately tinctured. Chevron , a charge resembling the rafters of a house. Colours , azure, gules, vert, sab