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Mermaid motif on Broad Quay House, 2022	Picture source: Mike Lockwood
The Mermaid was situated on Welsh Back. This pub was present by 1752 when the publican was Ann Davis.
This is one of a number of wonderful motifs on Broad Quay House in Bristol. The spelling interested me so I dug around a bit - it seems "Mremayd on the Backe" or "Mremayd on the Bacee" was found on two 17th century 'trade tokens'. Now .... first of all I didn't know what they were. It seems that in the 17th century, many businesses suffered from too few small denomination coins being in circulation, so they made their own! The two with this Mermaid and spelling "Memayd" both has the same name on the other side of the coin Iohn (I presume this is John) Bradway. The first of these tokens was catalogued in a collection by a William Gilbert about 100 years ago. He thought that it was a token that originated in Hampshire, as the only other known token of this surname came, he thought, from Gosport; Gilbert purchased it in a lot of six tokens, three of which were Hampshire. Turns our Gilbert guessed wrong. Another one with the same mermaid motif was dredge up was from the Bristol Harbour (Nailsea) in April 1896 - it has the same name but of the flip side it says "MREMAYD. ON. THE. BACEE" (it seems John Bradway who issued them couldn't spell so well!). From this I glean that he ran a pub , the Mermaid that was in a road called the Back. I guess the seafaring link is how Gilbert's token ended up in Gosport. The Numismatic Chronicle has lots to say about this second token (I had to look it up: Numismatics is "the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money"). It seems that in the Burgess' Roll of Bristol, 12th April, 1686, is this entry : ''John Breadewaye, Vintner, is admitted into the liberties of this City". So the coin making pub owner became a Freeman of Bristol. Also on page 430 of 'Gouz's Voyages' (published in Paris in 1663) its says that when Monsieur de la Boullage visited Bristol, in 1644, in the course of his travels, he lodged at the "Mermaid,' on the Back". Now several Bristol roads have names related to "Back", but in 1752 a pub called the Mermaid is listed as being on "Welsh Back" a road that is still there apparently. An OS map from 1886 shows Welsh Back and shows 6 pubs on it (!) but doesnt name them so which one was the Mermaid I still dont know! But I do know that Broad Quay House is only 5 minutes walk from Welsh Back. So now I know! ...."Mremayd on the Backe" comes from a pub owner who couldnt spell the name of his own pub or his own name on coins that he minted himself!
Mike Lockwood (September 2022)
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