Preston Pub Sign Study The Black A Moor Head

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A controversial name in the politically correct modern age, the word ties in with pubs called The Turks Head and Saracen’s Head. As a word, Blackamoor dates to the Crusades when European knights added images of the Arabian and Islamic Moors they fought to their coats of arms. The most famous Moor was of course Shakespeare’s Othello. The human head is drawn in silhouette in a very nice art nouveau flower motif. In the 18th and 19th century rich families took in black youngsters as servants, and the phrase ‘Blackamoor’ came back into fashion. There were also Barbary Pirates attacking Britain as ate as the 19th century and many were Turkish. The pub name also draws on the exotic literature of The Arabian Knights which gave us stories about Sinbad and Aladdin among others. The pub dates from 1831 complete with its own Brewhouse, or internal brewery and stabling yards for horses. It was a billeting station for soldiers serving in the army. The pub was a popular place to hold cattle auctions. In 1890 it was owned by James Trainer, the goal-keeper of Preston North End’s Old Invincibles team, who gained that title won the 1899 league without losing a single game all season. Arthur Chappell