Black Boy Inn
Encyclopedia
The Black Boy Inn in the Royal Town of Caernarfon
in Gwynedd
, Wales
is a hotel and public house
which is thought to date back to 1522, making it one of the oldest surviving inns in North Wales
. It is within the medieval walls of Caernarfon, a few hundred yards from Caernarfon Castle
.
Formerly the 'King's Arms' and the 'Fleur de Lys', one landlord bought the other out and created the Black Boy Inn as it is today. Prior to 1828, the 'King's Arms' was known as the 'Black Boy'. The Inn signs each show a 'black buoy
' on one side and a 'black boy' on the other.
The Inn's name has caused controversy and there are least three theories to explain its name. One is believed to come from a 'black buoy' which existed in the harbour in the early days of the Inn. Another refers to the nickname given to Charles II
by his mother because of the darkness of his skin and eyes, as well as the fact that Royalists met at the Inn secretly at that time. Later, the place became the local fishermen's favourite drinking place and the name of ‘black boy’ may come from this period.
. Northgate Street's Welsh
name Stryd Pedwar a Chwech translates to "Four [shillings] and Six [pence] Street": what the sailors are reputed to have paid for a room, a bottle of gin, and the services of a woman for the night.
The 'North Gate' archway found at the end of Northgate Street was added in or about the 1820s. It was designed to help facilitate the flow of traffic in and out of the old town, and is not part of the original town wall design. Prior to the 'North Gate' archway, a census carried out in 1794 revealed this street was commonly referred to as 'Black Boy' street. The earliest reference to the "Black Boy" can be found in Caernarfon's archives dated 1717, a Deed of Sale of a house in "Street Y Black Boy" between Thomas Wynne, Glynllifon and a Henry Robyns.
The ghost
of a nun is said to pass through the inn on her way to a nunnery that was once situated at the rear.
.
In 1990 an archaeological excavation was carried out alongside the Black Boy Inn. Archaeologists discovered the skeleton of an old woman, believed to have been buried there to save the expense of a funeral.
During restoration work in 2009 workmen uncovered a range of relics underneath the dining room floorboards. The collection included a child's shoe, clay pipes, and a coin thought to date back to 1860. Upstairs rooms unveiled old beams which are thought to come from old sailing ships.
In 2008 and 2009, the Black Boy Inn was presented with the Cask Marque award for its cask ales. It is also included in CAMRA's 2010 edition of its annual Good Beer Guide
, which features the best real ale venues in the United Kingdom.
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
in Gwynedd
Gwynedd
Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
is a hotel and public house
Public house
A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...
which is thought to date back to 1522, making it one of the oldest surviving inns in North Wales
North Wales
North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
. It is within the medieval walls of Caernarfon, a few hundred yards from Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle
Caernarfon Castle is a medieval building in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. There was a motte-and-bailey castle in the town of Caernarfon from the late 11th century until 1283 when King Edward I of England began replacing it with the current stone structure...
.
Formerly the 'King's Arms' and the 'Fleur de Lys', one landlord bought the other out and created the Black Boy Inn as it is today. Prior to 1828, the 'King's Arms' was known as the 'Black Boy'. The Inn signs each show a 'black buoy
Buoy
A buoy is a floating device that can have many different purposes. It can be anchored or allowed to drift. The word, of Old French or Middle Dutch origin, is now most commonly in UK English, although some orthoepists have traditionally prescribed the pronunciation...
' on one side and a 'black boy' on the other.
The Inn's name has caused controversy and there are least three theories to explain its name. One is believed to come from a 'black buoy' which existed in the harbour in the early days of the Inn. Another refers to the nickname given to Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
by his mother because of the darkness of his skin and eyes, as well as the fact that Royalists met at the Inn secretly at that time. Later, the place became the local fishermen's favourite drinking place and the name of ‘black boy’ may come from this period.
History
In Caernarfon's heyday as a port-town, Northgate Street – on which the Black Boy Inn is situated – was the heart of the red-light districtRed-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
. Northgate Street's Welsh
Welsh language
Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
name Stryd Pedwar a Chwech translates to "Four [shillings] and Six [pence] Street": what the sailors are reputed to have paid for a room, a bottle of gin, and the services of a woman for the night.
The 'North Gate' archway found at the end of Northgate Street was added in or about the 1820s. It was designed to help facilitate the flow of traffic in and out of the old town, and is not part of the original town wall design. Prior to the 'North Gate' archway, a census carried out in 1794 revealed this street was commonly referred to as 'Black Boy' street. The earliest reference to the "Black Boy" can be found in Caernarfon's archives dated 1717, a Deed of Sale of a house in "Street Y Black Boy" between Thomas Wynne, Glynllifon and a Henry Robyns.
The ghost
Ghost
In traditional belief and fiction, a ghost is the soul or spirit of a deceased person or animal that can appear, in visible form or other manifestation, to the living. Descriptions of the apparition of ghosts vary widely from an invisible presence to translucent or barely visible wispy shapes, to...
of a nun is said to pass through the inn on her way to a nunnery that was once situated at the rear.
Present day
The Black Boy Inn is one of the few remaining free houses owned by an independent family business in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
In 1990 an archaeological excavation was carried out alongside the Black Boy Inn. Archaeologists discovered the skeleton of an old woman, believed to have been buried there to save the expense of a funeral.
During restoration work in 2009 workmen uncovered a range of relics underneath the dining room floorboards. The collection included a child's shoe, clay pipes, and a coin thought to date back to 1860. Upstairs rooms unveiled old beams which are thought to come from old sailing ships.
In 2008 and 2009, the Black Boy Inn was presented with the Cask Marque award for its cask ales. It is also included in CAMRA's 2010 edition of its annual Good Beer Guide
Good Beer Guide
The Good Beer Guide is a book published annually by the Campaign for Real Ale listing what they consider to be the best cask ale outlets in the United Kingdom.-Details:...
, which features the best real ale venues in the United Kingdom.