E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Bell Savage,
or La Belle Sauvage—Pocahontas. According to one derivation it is a contraction of Isabelle Savage, who originally kept the inn. It is somewhat remarkable that the sign of the inn was a pun on the Christian name, a “bell on the Hope” (hoop), as may be seen in the Close Roll of 1453. The hoop seems to have formed a garter or frame to most signs. The site of the inn is now occupied by the premises of Messrs. Cassell & Co.
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“They now returned to their inn, the famous Bell Savage.”—Scott: Kenilworth, xiii.
