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More than 5000 entries on the history, culture and life of Britain (published in 1993 by Macmillan, now out of print)
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Elephant and Castle
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(London SE1) Name of a major road junction, south of the Thames, deriving from an 18C tavern which stood there. Its origin has caused much speculation. An elephant with a castle on its back has long been a feature of both chess and heraldry, and is the sign of the Cutlers' Company (one of the *City Livery Companies). More fanciful is the theory that the name comes from the Infanta of Castile, who was in the 1620s a prospective bride for *Charles I.
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