There were reports earlier this year that pub closures have slowed to 25 per week in the UK, although this figure is less than in previous years, it’s still grave news for the industry with local pubs still effectively being the hub of local social life.  So, it’s nice to hear a hearty tale once in a while… Locals in Crosby near Penrith have clubbed together to save their local, The Butchers Arms. The pub, which has been closed for 6 months has now been resurrected by local shareholders, some 300 people investing in shares of £250 (minimum) and raising around £300,000.   With new Landlords Kev Taylor and Bev Percy at the helm, they have been quoted as saying “We have been amazed by the dedication and efforts of the community and volunteers” (source BBC News).

The Butchers Arms will – through the dedication of it’s local community no doubt continue to flourish. The co-operative purchase model could well be that the future of local pubs-in-need, turning to their local communities for financial support. Prime Minister David Cameron even visited The Butchers Arms keen to promote the local community spirit as part of his plans to rebuild British society in the wake of the abysmal rioting. You can read the full story on the Lyvennet Community Pub website.

The Butchers Arms is the not the only co-operative owned pub in the county, The Old Crown at Hesket was purchased by more  than 100 locals in a similar deal.

If you’ve any comments you’d like to add about The Butchers Arms you can do so in our comments section below or join in the conversation on our Facebook page.

Wind the Great British history clocks back to the 16th Century and you would have noticed a fair few pubs, inns and taverns with Roman Catholic sentiment titles; “The Lamb” a representation of the innocence of Christ (the Lamb of God), “The Ark” a nod to Noah’s nautical challenge, “The Cross” a symbol of the crucifixion of Christ and a way-point sign for pilgrims and soldiers heading East to Jerusalem. These were historic references to symbols of the holy crusades (1096-1204) and an earlier religious-militarist Britain.

In 1533 Henry VIII was the charismatic, educated king of the day, famous for his trail of destruction through the female population in a quest for an heir to his throne. It was due to his second marriage that the king incurred the anger of the Pope. Still married to Catherine of Aragon, Henry also attempted to marry Anne Boleyn but the marriage was annulled. In 1534 the Pope ex-communicated England from the Roman Catholic Church because of Henry’s marital affairs. It was no bother to the king though, Henry set up his own church, the Church of England, and assumed himself the title of supreme ruler. In a show of allegiance to the Kings decision, and perhaps so as to not fall ill-of-favour with him, many pubs changed their names, or adopted monarchy associated titles, such as “The Kings Arms”.

”The Kings Arms” literally means, the King’s Coat of Arms, essentially the kings logo. Emblazoned upon his shield in the heat of battle, if you saw the king’s logo you’d instantly know whether to capture its wearer for ransom, or give your life to protect it.

“The Kings Arms” continues to be a very popular British pub name, commemorating Kings of Britain since Henry VIII’s reign. No doubt when Britain receives a new king some pub landlords will continue the patriotic, royalist British custom of celebrating the monarch by reflecting it into their pub name.

Other pub names that Henry VIII is said to have influenced also include;
“The Bull and Bush” celebrating his victory at Boulonge, or “Boulogne Bouche” as it was known. Some pubs named “The Greyhound” were a reflection of Henry’s love of greyhounds, as well as keeping them for sport he had a variation of the royal coat of arms displaying a white greyhound as a charge.

“The Kings Arms” is number 10 in BITEs most popular pub names (2011) with 203 pubs in our database using “The Kings Arms” in their title, another ambiguous fact is that during the writing of this blog-post without any influence by us, our most popular pub page based on views yesterday (16/08/2011) was The Kings Arms, Waterloo – BITE users are all in agreement this is “a gem of a pub”.
We’ll be discussing the origins of the other 9 most popular pub names in weekly posts, so stay tuned.  If you’ve got any comments feel free to leave them in our comments section below, or join in the conversation on our Facebook page.