What's in a name? St Peter's Finger pub

While the Red Lion and the Royal Oak are the most common pub names in Britain, with many hundreds of each, there is probably only one pub in the country called St Peter's Finger. 

There are some places called Peters Finger (or Petersfinger) but the drinking establishment is found in the Dorset village of Lytchett Minster, and seems to have been there for well over two hundred years. Surprisingly though the origin of the name isn't entirely certain.

Pub sign and name St Peters Finger
Pub sign in 2023.

Lytchett Minster is found four miles from Wareham and four miles from Poole. A settlement was recorded here in the Domesday book.  A helpful information board reveals that the village church has no dedication, describing this as unusual but not unique. Parish records date back to 1554 and its font also dates to the 16th century. About 100 yards away from the church is St Peter's Finger pub.

A phrase on the pub wall suggests that St Peter's Finger is a thief's finger, and that the pub was previously a den for thieves. This description references a fish with a gold coin in its mouth that Peter apparently caught. In an account of housebreaker Dick Low, the History of the Lives of the Most Noted Highwaymen, Foot-pads, etc by Capt Alexander Smith published in 1714 suggests that thieves are called St Peter's children, as their every finger has a fish hook. They "carry off what comes next to Hand, for all's fish that comes to Net, with them who are term'd Saint Peter's Children as having every finger a fish-hook..."

But a different local tradition links the name to the Latin Sanctus Petrus ad Vincula, meaning “St Peter in Chains”, a dedication associated with Saint Peter and his imprisonment. This is the name of several churches around the world. According to this account, ad Vincula gradually shifted over time, eventually becoming “Finger”. 

It isn't a particularly obvious linguistic change, and there is no firm evidence to prove the transformation but say the words out loud and you can see where it's coming from. At any rate, the explanation has endured and has been mentioned in many old newspaper accounts of the name.

Whether or not the derivation is exact, it's another useful reminder that place names don't always follow tidy rules. They evolve through use, mishearing, and repetition, shaped as much by everyday speech as by their original meaning.








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