The Eagle & Child

History

History at The Eagle & Child

The Story Behind the Eagle & Child

The name Eagle & Child has a fascinating history, rooted in a centuries-old legend associated with the Stanley family of Lancashire.  The story takes us back to the 14th century and Sir Thomas Latham, who lived near Lytham St Annes.

Sir Thomas had a daughter, Isabel, but no legitimate son to carry on the family name.  According to legend, Sir Thomas had fathered an illegitimate son.  To introduce the child into his household, it is said that he arranged for the baby to be discovered beneath a tree where a bird's nest — described in some versions of the story as an Eagle's nest — could be seen above.  The child was taken in and named Oskatel. However, when Sir Thomas died, his estate ultimately passed through his daughter Isabel, who married Sir John Stanley.  The legend tells that the image of an eagle and child subsequently became associated with the Stanley family and appeared in their heraldry.

Over the centuries, the story has become closely linked with inns and pubs bearing the Eagle & Child name.

Our Eagle & Child

Here in Auckley, the Eagle & Child has an impressive history of its own. Records suggest that an inn has stood on this site since 1492, while the present building dates from around 1820.

Tradition also associates 23 April with the birth of the child from the Eagle & Child legend, and it has long been regarded as the pub's own historic birthday.  And while the official name is, of course, The Eagle & Child, generations of locals have known it by a rather more colourful nickname — "The Bird & B*d".

It's a name that still raises a smile and reflects the centuries-old story behind one of Auckley's best-known pubs.

Ghosts of the Eagle & Child

Of course, no pub with more than five centuries of history would be complete without a ghost story or two.

The Eagle & Child is traditionally said to be home to three ghosts, but one particular visitor appears to be rather more regular than the others.  Over the years, there have been stories of a mysterious man seen sitting quietly at a table. Some accounts even describe the smell or sight of cigarette smoke lingering after he has disappeared. Local legend has an explanation. During one of the pub's many refurbishments, a former landlord is said to have barred a workman from entering while wearing his dirty work clothes.  Tragically, the man reportedly died the following day.  The story goes that he had become rather fond of one of the pub's cleaning staff — and subsequently returned to the Eagle & Child to see her.  Whether you believe in ghosts or not, it's another story that has become part of the folklore surrounding this historic Auckley pub.