Comments on: Bishopsgate Tavern Tokens

By: John

John — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 21:29:56 +0000

The designs are beautiful but made more so by the weathering of time .

Thanks for another quaff of delicious SpittlefieldsLife.

By: Pauline Taylor

Pauline Taylor — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 15:32:42 +0000

How wonderful to know that these tokens have survived, and what stories they could no doubt tell if they could speak. I remember having to write an essay at school entitled a day in the life of a penny. How about one now entitled a day in the life of a tavern token I bet that would make interesting reading!! A real personal interest to me as well as I had so many ancestors living in London in the 16th and 17th centuries, and anything that sheds light on their day to day lives fascinates me. So thank you again GA.

Pauline.

By: Achim

Achim — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 11:34:36 +0000

Ancient graphic design — and it’s current validity…? I think it is just so!

Love & Peace
ACHIM

By: Caroline Murray

Caroline Murray — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 11:13:57 +0000

Wonderful piece: the designs are fascinating. Is the ‘Lion and Line of Candles’ a garbling of another name, like Elephant and Castle v. Infanta of Castile? More on taverns at http://bit.ly/1wdkJzV

By: Gary Arber

Gary Arber — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 10:08:12 +0000

What could the customer get for his token – a pint ? – a bed ?
Did they have a selection of tokens for different values ?
Further research needed for another interesting item from you G A
Keep ur the good work
Gary

By: Vicky

Vicky — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 07:36:49 +0000

Sad to say that the White Hart is now closed for Crossrail.

By: Valerie-Jael

Valerie-Jael — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 07:29:48 +0000

Very interesting to see the tokens. Marvelous that they survived. Valerie

By: Jonathon Green

Jonathon Green — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 06:58:26 +0000

The tokens must have been sufficiently well-known / widely used to provide slang with a couple of terms:

1. to swallow a tavern token: to become drunk

1598 Jonson Every Man In his Humour: Drunk, sir! […] perhaps he swallowd a tavern-token.
1650 The Eighth Liberal Science: No man must call a Good-fellow Drunkard […] But if at any time they spie that defect in another, they may without any forfeit or just exceptions taken, say, […] He hath swallowed an Hair or a Taven-Token [sic].

2. a spot or pimple
1653 Mercurius Democritus 28 Sept.-5 Oct.: The other day a pimple, or Tavern Token coming out on his Brows, he swore it was a Horne.

By: Mick O'Rorke

Mick O'Rorke — Sun, 19 Oct 2014 05:31:15 +0000

This is fascinating stuff! But isn’t it a great shame that the White Hart is now closed – I understand that permission has been granted to demolish whilst retaining the facade.

I recall the Black Raven in the late 60s where Teddy Boys would hang out, they were rather passé by then but I actually encountered a few in a pub in Crystal Palace the other night!