Blue Boar Inn
Names
- Blue Boar Inn
- Old Blue Boar Inn
- Blue Boar near Red Lion Street
Street/Area/District
- High Holborn
Maps & Views
- 1720 London (Strype): Blue Boar Inn
- 1741–5 London, Westminster, Southwark & 10 miles round (Rocque): Old Blue Boar Inn
- 1746 London, Westminster & Southwark (Rocque): Old Blue Boar Inn
Descriptions
from A New View of London, by Edward Hatton (1708)
Blue boar inn, on the N. side of High Holbourn.
from A Survey of the Cities of London and Westminster, by John Strype (1720)
Blue Boar Inn, also considerable as the Three Cups Inn, both which Inns have a back Gate into Eagle street.
from London Signs, by Bryant Lillywhite (1972)
3646 Blue Boar Inn Holborn; High Holborn 1616-1746 “Old Blue Boar Inn”; “Blue Boar near Red Lion Street Holborn” 1772–80s. See George & Blue Boar High Holborn No. 449 and [George Inn] 6966.
from the Grub Street Project (2006–present)
The Blue Boar Inn on the north side of High Holborn next to Red Lyon Street.
See George and Blue Boar Coffee House.
Note that Bryant Lillywhite, London Signs, confuses the Blue Boar (north side of High Holborn) and the George (directly across, on the south side of High Holborn).
from London Signs, by Bryant Lillywhite (1972)
Blue Boar Inn, on the south [sic] side of High Holborn. It is mentioned in the burial register of St. Andrew's, Holborn (in which parish it stood), as early as 1616. Richard Duke of York, father of Edward IV., had for one of his badges of cognisance, "a blewe Bore, with his tuskes, and his cleis, and his membres of gold." It was also the badge of the Veres, Earls of Oxford. [See Cannon Street.]
"The reason," says he [Cromwell to Lord Broghill], "why we would once have closed with the king was this: We found that the Scots and the Presbyterians began to be more powerful than we; and if they made up matters with the king, we should be left in the lurch: therefore we thought it best to prevent them, by offering first to come in, upon any reasonable conditions. But while we were busied in these thoughts, there came a letter from one of our spies, who was of the king's bedchamber, which acquainted us, that on that day our final doom was decreed; that he could not possibly tell what it was, but we might find it out, if we could intercept a letter, sent from the king to the queen, wherein he declared what he would do. The letter, he said, was sewed up in the skirt of a saddle, and the bearer of it would come with the saddle upon his head, about ten of the clock that night, to the Blue Boar Inn in Holborn; for there he was to take horse and go to Dover with it. This messenger knew nothing of the letter in the saddle, but some persons at Dover did. We were at Windsor, when we received this letter; and immediately upon the receipt of it, Ireton and I resolved to take one trusty fellow with us, and with troopers' habits to go to the Inn in Holborn; which accordingly we did, and set our man at the gate of the Inn, where the wicket only was open to let people in and out. Our man was to give us notice, when any one came with a saddle, whilst we in the disguise of common troopers called for cans of beer, and continued drinking till about ten o'clock: the centinel at the gate then gave notice that the man with the saddle was come in. Upon this we immediately arose, and, as the man was leading out his horse saddled, came up to him with drawn swords and told him that we were to search all that went in and out there; but as he looked like an honest man, we would only search his saddle and so dismiss him. Upon that we ungirt the saddle and carried it into the stall, where we had been drinking, and left the horseman with our centinel: then ripping up one of the skirts of the saddle, we there found the letter of which we had been informed: and having got it into our own hands, we delivered the saddle again to the man, telling him, he was an honest man and bid him go about his business. The man, not knowing what had been done, went away to Dover. As soon as we had the letter we opened it; in which we found the king had acquainted the queen, that he was now courted by both the factions, the Scotch Presbyterians and the Army; and which bid fairest for him should haxe him; but he thought he should close with the Scots, sooner than the other. Upon this," added Cromwell, "we took horse, and went to Windsor; and finding we were not likely to have any tolerable terms from the king, we immediately from that time forward resolved his ruin."—Memoirs of Roger, Earl of Orrery, by Rev. Mr. Thomas Morrice, his Lordship's Chaplain, (Earl of Orrery's State Letters), fol. 1742, p. 15.1
Zek. Homespun. So here we be, at last, in London, at the what be your sign, young man?
Waiter. The Blue Boar, Sir; one of the oldest houses in Holborn.
Zek. Oldest! why as you so say, young man, it do seem in a tumble-downish kind of a condition, indeed!—Colman's Heir at Law, Act i. Sc. 2.