The name Red Lion adorns the sign above hundreds of drinking holes throughout the country - 514 to be exact.
According to Historic UK, the naming of inns and pubs became common by the 12th century. With pub names came pub signs - as the majority of the population could not read or write. In 1393, King Richard II passed an Act making it compulsory for pubs and inns to have a sign (his own emblem the ‘White Hart’ in London) in order to identify them to the official Ale Taster.
Ever since then, inn names and signs have reflected, and followed, British life at that time. And, as everybody knows, it's not hard to stumble across a place to grab a pint in England - there's practically a pub within eyesight wherever you go. But why are so many called the Red Lion?
Well, in 1603, James VI of Scotland inherited the throne to become James I of England. The only problem was that he wasn't particularly fond of England because his predecessor and mother, Mary, Queen of Scots, spent over 18 years in captivity before ultimately being beheaded. The charge against her being a plot to assassinate Queen Elizabeth I. So when he ascended to the throne, he ordered that all buildings of importance display the red lion of Scotland - and that included pubs. The idea was that any Englishman or woman would constantly be reminded that their king was Scottish every time they went for a tipple.
The Red Lion name isn't the only frequent repetition. Many pubs across the country share exactly the same name, like The Crown (474 pubs), Royal Oak (401 pubs), and White Hart (299 pubs). There are over 60,000 pubs in the UK (53,000 in England and Wales, 5,200 in Scotland and 1,600 in Northern Ireland).
So, if you find yourself planning to meet friends out for a pint, it's probably wise to give more concrete instructions on where to meet because the pub's name alone might lead to confusion.
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