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Norwich Pubs

Arderon's List

2. Usefulness   4. Presumptions :   5. Famous Names
6. List of Unknowns

1. : Introduction

Born in Yorkshire, William Arderon
lived from 1703 to 1767.
Along with his "Notes on Inn Signs", he also left
some notes on the Norfolk dialect. Both are still
to be found (we trust) in the British Museum.

The former notes - in which we are presently interested -
purport to cover the period 1745 - 1760.

Arderon was, around 1729, clerk and manager at the
New Mills waterworks, and therefore had a keen
interest in water quality.
A fellow of the Royal Society by 1745, he founded
the Natural History Society in Norwich in 1747.

He was less impressed by the interiors of some pubs,
as the following quotation shows :-

    [There is] a particular custom in Norwich -
    both rich and poor, when they meet in Taverns or
    Alehouses, pis     [sic] into a large pewter Chamber
    pot (when they have occasion) wch stands in the
    Corner of every Publick Room; and there it stands
    stinking till it is full and often it     [sic] runs about
    the Room, in a very nasty manner.
    ^Top^

2. : Usefulness

In so far as any of the listed pubs started life towards
the end of that period, we are little better off than by
consulting the Alehouse Recognizances from 1760;
but we must be grateful for some of the further leeway
that Arderon undoubtedly provides.

On the other hand it is felt that the Notes should be
taken literally : being those of inn-signs, rather than of
pub names.

E.g. it seems likely that Arderon's graphic description
of the Wheel and Bunch of Grapes refers to the
Hoop and Grapes; which itself is quite long enough
for a pub name.
Another, more certain, example would be
Brown Cow and Hare, rather than simple Cow and Hare.

 

3. : Omissions

Arderon very reasonably omits several common names,
to be found in most other places as well as in Norwich
e.g. White Lion,  King's Head and Two Quarts.
However, he bothers to list Red Lion,  King's Arms
and Woolpack!

Nonetheless he lists several more "signs" which
[by 1760] occur more than once within Norwich itself :
e.g. Blue Boar;  Crown & Thistle;  Fighting Cocks;
Lamb;  Fountain.

The most serious omission is, of course, any reference
to location : not even a record of the parish or parishes
involved. This makes all those duplicate names almost
worthless for research purposes.

4. : Presumptions

Conversely, the name may be fairly run-of-the-mill
e.g. Bakers' Arms, but it can be reasonably assumed that
Arderon was referring to the pub in the Recognizances
of 1760, given that only one occurrence of that name
is found therein.

A more notable (single) example is that of the Anchor;
although - in retrospect - it was not until Nelson's time
that this pub-name proliferated.

5. : Famous Names

Admiral Vernon was commemorated in at least three
locations in the 18th Century. Arderon does not mention
him, but includes the sign "Porto Bello" - the site of the
Admiral's victory in 1739.

Also mentioned is Prince Eugene, a brilliant general and
ally of Marlborough : namely Prince Francois Eugene
of Savoy, who died in 1736.

6. : List of Unknowns

A list has been compiled which consists of :-
  • All those inn-signs provided by Arderon for which
         no location whatever has been determined; plus
  • Pubnames per se mentioned in other publications,
         which are (sadly) uncorroborated.
The combined list can be found elsewhere on this site.

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