The word 'Inn' was derived from the Saxon word meaning 'Room'. At one time each
establishment was named according to what services it was legally allowed to provide. An ale house could only serve ale, a tavern
was the urban equivalent to a country inn both of these provided rooms for travellers, also serving food and ale. With the passage
of time the individual meaning between these establishments has become blurred; inns and taverns now encompass hotels and the
ale house is the modern pub.
Because
reading was uncommon, names of inns or taverns were traditionally depicted by a symbol such as a White Horse, Swan or
Elephant. The most common name for a pub today is 'The Red Lion' of which at last count there 603. This name originates from the
time of James VI of Scotland when he ordered that the heraldic red lion of scotland be displayed on all buildings of
importance. The measure of the pint dates back to 1215 when a measure for ale was standardised in the Magna
Carter. Early inns were private homes , anyone could and did take in travellers, soon one place becoming favourite would
evolve into the town innkeeper. Upper class travellers stayed at monastories, middle and lower class stayed at inns.
Accomodations were not what we would have expected often bed space was shared with strangers or family members. There
would have been no bathrooms, cleanliness lacking, security marginal and food would have been taken in tavern. Inns were
usually poor quality and people who kept inns were considered to be of the lowest class.
