Pub Sign Photo Study The Eagle And Child Ashton-In-Makerfield Lancashire

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I know there are several pubs based around this intriguing Lancashire legend but this was the first one I have seen and my primary reason for choosing Ashton-In-Makerfield for my latest pub sign walk. The story concerns the supposed origins of the heraldic family crest of the Earls Of Derby. Legend has it that one family associate, Sir Thomas Latham, in the 15th Century, sought a male heir but only succeeded in getting a lover pregnant before they could marry. They concealed her pregnancy as best they could and later explained the sudden arrival of their son as having been found and rescued from an eagle’s nest by Lathom during a walk in the woods. The couple, later married and adopted the child as their own. Most people took the cover up story for the boy’s illegitimacy with a pinch of salt but tolerated the boy anyway. Variations of the story have Lathom’s wife too old to conceive a desired heir when the infant was conveniently rescued from the eagle’s nest. The Ashton pub sign depicts quite a developed heavy looking child in his carrying basket-cot and quite a vicious but rather thin harpy-like eagle, though the boy doesn’t look too distressed by his impending fate. His unlikely rescue is not depicted. The Most famous Eagle And Child pub is in Oxford, made famous as a bar frequented by Inkling authors C S Lewis and J R R Tolkien. Arthur Chappell