The Eagle and Child

[Lalwendë]

Seeing as there's been mention lately of Tolkien's beloved pub, the Eagle and Child, I thought that it might be interesting to post something of the legend surrounding the name.

The extraordinary story of The Eagle and Child, the crest of the Stanleys, is associated with the house of Lathom. Its outline is as follows :-Sir Thomas Lathom, the father of Isabel, afterwards the wife of Sir John Stanley, having this only child, and cherishing an ardent desire for a son to inherit his name and fortune, had an intrigue with a young gentlewoman, the fruit of which connexion was a son. The lord of Lathom contrived to have the infant conveyed by a confidential servant to the foot of a tree in his park frequented by an eagle, and he and his lady, taking their usual walk, found the infant as if by accident. The old lady, considering it a gift from heaven brought hither by the bird of prey and miraculously preserved, consented to adopt the boy as their heir.

"Their content was such, to see the hap,
That the ancient lady hugs yt in her lap
Smoths it with kisses, bathes yt in her tears,
And unto Lathom House the babe she bears."

The name of Oskatel was given to the little foundling, Mary Oskatel being the name of his mother. From this time the crest of the Eagle and Child was assumed; but, as the old knight approached the grave, his conscience smote him, and on his death. bed he bequeathed the principal part of his fortune to Isabel, his daughter, now become the lady of Sir John Stanley, leaving poor Oskatel, on whom the King had conferred the honour of knighthood, only the manors of Irlam and Urmston, near Manchester, and some possessions in the county of Chester in which county he settled and became the founder of the family of Lathom of Astbury.

Why was I interested enough to look this up? It has always intrigued me that a pub in Oxford should bear this name, as the legend and the family mentioned in it are Lancastrian. I also often find it fascinating that Tolkien chose to spend so much time in a pub with such an unusual name, one which requires a legend to explain its name. Did he choose this pub as a meeting place for the Inklings? And if so, did the name have anything to do with it? Somehow, it would be difficult to imagine him drinking in a Red Lion or Railway Tavern. Maybe another 'Downer can explain this? Or perhaps they know of other Eagle and Child pubs or connections?

Hope this is the right area for this topic by the way.

[Bêthberry]

Well, here are some very personal observations about "The Bird and Baby, since I visited this pub in Oxford last summer. Please note that the entire sum of my great experience in British pubs amounts only to two weeks (by no means continuous), so I suspect that others of you across the pond could speak with greater experience.

It is, first of all, not a terribly fancy pub, in fact, not at all. It is plain but comfortable, with simple wooden backed benches and chairs. It has uneven floor boards and wainscotting painted brown, with plain yellow walls. I cannot recall cushions but it does have small heaters in each room. It is convivial without being ostentatious and would, I think, lend itself very well to simple meetings that occured regularly and often. That is, I suspect the Inklings could meet there and not make a horrendous dint in their academic paycheques. (I would not say the same of it now, as a mug with the name and insignia costs 20 pounds sterling, an outrageous sum to me, with which I refused to part.)

It is, also, just around the corner (essentially) from one of Tolkien's early houses in Oxford, so that ensured ease of access, which the Mitre, another of Tolkien's favourite pubs, did not.

I have to admit that I laughed much when I saw the sign with the eagle bearing the child. I could not help but think there must be some kind of joke there, with Tolkien writing of Gwahir carting Gandalf off. But then, I have a hunch that Tolkien had a stronger sense of humour than he is often given credit for.

The Lancastrian connection is interesting. If I find anything, I'll return.

[Lalwendë]

I've been doing the amateur historian bit and found some more interesting clues to the history of the pub.

During the English Civil War (1642 - 1651) Oxford became the Royalist capital of England. Charles I set up home at Christ Church, his wife Henrietta Maria kept court at the neighbouring Merton College and the Eagle and Child Tavern in St Giles served as the Exchequer.

The building has been a pub since 1650, which suggests that rather than the Exchequer being set up in the pub, the Exchequer eventually became a pub.

As to why it is named The Eagle & Child, I have found the following from a history of the Earls of Derby and the Stanley family, whose emblem this is:

William Stanley (1561-1642). William married Elizabeth de Vere daughter of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford (1550-1604). Their son James Stanley (1607-1651) succeeded to the earldom on his father's death. James was a staunch Royalist. In 1643 he moved to the Isle of Man and established it as a Royalist stronghold. He was beheaded by the Parliament forces. His wife was Charlotte de la Trémouille (?-1663) daughter of Claude de la Trémoille, Duc de Thouars, is known as the heroine who defended Lathom House in 1644 and the Isle of Man in 1651.

So, the building may have come into the family upon marriage in the late 1500s, and then been used as the Exchequer during the Civil War. There may have been a family crest on the building depicting an Eagle and Child, hence the name when it became a pub! Why waste a relatively new crest (as it would have been, judging by the dates above) when it could make a serviceable pub sign?

Please note that the entire sum of my great experience in British pubs amounts only to two weeks (by no means continuous), so I suspect that others of you across the pond could speak with greater experience.

Bethberry - my answer to that one is "oh yes!". It sounds like my kind of place in your description; funnily enough I do not drink (well, not to get drunk anyway) but this does sound the ideal place to sit with a beer or two for a few hours. I am just waiting to hear what it will be like after the recent 'renovation'.

I always think of Frodo and Sam being plucked from the slopes of Mount Doom when I think of Eagle & Child.

Interesting topic, this. Lalwende will know that the original Eagle and Child is in Lancashire (in a tiny village called Bispham Green) and, as it happens to be my local and opposite the house where I grew up, I've done some research into its history.

The pub has been there since the early 18th Century, although the current building is much later. Most interestingly, the village of Bispham Green was originally called "Derby", though it bears very little resemblance to the town of the same name. What is now the car park of the Eagle and Child was, until very early in the 19th Century, the main square of the village, and known as Derby Square. All of the original buildings are now gone, with the exception of the barn, built in the 1820s. The village was renamed at about that time when the village green was established as common land - it seems the name was chosen for no other reason than that the neighbouring village is called Bispham. Lord Derby built houses in the new village, and they're really fine examples of Georgian architecture.

The name The Eagle and Child quickly spread (there are many pubs with the same name across Lancashire) and, as Lord Derby's influence spread across the country, so did the name. It would be interesting to know what links Lord Derby has with Oxford.

And with that, I'm off to prepare for a long days drinking in the aforementioned public house tomorrow