
At the time, tailors and drapers travelled from around the country to buy and sell, and by Tudor times the Cloth Fair had become more regimented. Merchant Tailors would check cloth by measurement and those caught disobeying strict rules were brought to this pub for their case to be heard in the court upstairs.
The pub was eventually given a formal role by the Merchant Tailors, and was allowed to carry the sign of the guild, the 'hand and shears', from where it gets its name. Whilst the Cloth Fair itself was last held in the mid 19th-century, the name and association with the trade continues.
For more, see http://www.pubs.com/main_site/pub_details.php?pub_id=105%22#
Fascinating piece of history, and a great little boozer as well!
ReplyDeleteA court above a pub? What an interesting use of space available!
ReplyDelete