JOSHUA BUGG BECOMES NORFOLK HOWARD

DON'T LET THE NORFOLK HOWARDS BITE

By Richard Jones

If it's not a personal question, might I ask - when did you last have a Norfolk Howard in your bed?

Now, to be honest, even the most assiduous amongst us may have, at some stage, inadvertently encountered a Norfolk Howard, or two, or three, or lots in our beds

I'll come to the reason why later in this article.

But, for now, let's go on a journey back in time and aim our time-machine to materialise in the year 1862. In fact, let's be even more specific and materialise on June 26th, 1862.

Of course, we need to know what's going on in the world, or at least in the country, on our day of arrival. So, let's buy a copy of The Times.

Let's leaf through it. Wait. What's this? A special announcement, no less.

"I, Norfolk Howard, heretofore called and known by the name of Joshua Bugg, late of Epsom, in the county of Surrey, now of Wakefield, in the county of York, and landlord of the Swan Tavern, in the same county, do hereby give notice, that on the 20th day of this present month of June, for and on behalf of myself and heirs, lawfully begotten, I did wholly abandon the use of the surname of Bugg, and assumed, took, and used, and am determined at all times hereafter, in all writings, actions, dealings, matters, and things, and upon all other occasions whatsoever, to be distinguished, to subscribe, to be called and known by the name of Norfolk Howard only.

I further refer all whom it may concern to the deed poll under my hand and seal, declaring that I choose to renounce the use of the surname of Bugg, and that I assume in lien thereof the above surnames of Norfolk Howard, and also declaring my determination, upon all occasions whatsoever, to be called and distinguished exclusively by the said surnames of Norfolk Howard, duly enrolled by me in the High Court of Chancery.

Dated this 23rd day of June, 1862. Norfolk Howard, late Joshua Bugg."

A BUGG BY ANY OTHER NAME IS STILL A BUGG

To be historically accurate about this, I should point out that the actual announcement of Joshua Bugg's change of name that appeared in The Times was probably placed by somebody else as a joke at Norfolk Howard's expense. Indeed, there were later claims that the man himself never actually existed, a fact that would make the remainder of this article pretty pointless, so, for now, now let's just accept that he did.

However, the press of the day soon picked up on the seeming pretentiousness of the name change, and very soon poor old Joshua Bugg found himself mocked in the pages of newspapers the land over.

The Northampton Mercury was one of the newspapers that saw fit to take Mr Howard - formerly known as Bugg - to task in its edition of Saturday, 28th June, 1862:-

“Joshua is not perhaps the best sounding of Scriptural names, and it is hard for a respectable member of society never to be introduced into a drawing-room without exciting recollections of what young ladies, more nice than wise, term "bed insects." Under such a trial human nature might so easily forget sense and dignity that a slight error might claim forgiveness.

If, for instance, Mr. Bugg had modestly slipped - say into the name of Buggins, or even Big, few censors could have done more than smile at man's weakness. To throw aside the name of the Jewish hero was, at the best, a want of judgement, but, here too, excuse may be found by the charitable.

Doubtless Joshua Bugg was familiarly called "Josh," and to desire to escape from so odious a name was a natural wish.

Had he, for a year or two, passed as J. Buggins, and then come forth as John or Joseph Buggins, we should never have denounced the innocent fraud.

But he has gone much further than the perpetration of a white lie.

The man who calls himself Norfolk Howard must be the snob of snobs.

To be ashamed of his own name is bad, but to affect a new high-sounding title, is atrocious vulgarity.

For such a criminal, no plea can avail to obtain mercy.

He should be hung in terrorem as an example to all respectable men who are conscious of a sneaking wish to cease from being plain Jones or Robinson, and, as the law cannot punish his folly, let us hope that the facetiousness or confusion of his acquaintance may dub him for ever as Norfolk Bug.

Let him be fair game for all the punsters and witlings of his acquaintance, unprotected by any of those rules either of good sense or of good taste, which he has so outrageously set at defiance."

THE ONLY THING WORSE THAN BEING TALKED ABOUT

Oscar Wilde famously observed that, "There is only one thing in life worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about." But, in the case of Joshua Bugg, Oscar's wisdom may have been somewhat wide of the mark. Because, although Norfolk Howard most certainly did find himself being talked about a great deal, he, no doubt, came to rue the reason for which he was the subject of conversations the country over.

For, so constant was the barrage of mockery that came his way from the newspapers, that the name Norfolk Howard soon found its way into common parlance as the slang term for a bed bug.

In consequence, whenever any household suffered an infestation of the dreaded bed bugs, they would refer to them as "Norfolk Howards", and, in so doing, they would be recalling the Yorkshire publican, whose effort to bestow a more grandiose sounding name upon his family, resulted in an immortality that he could never have envisaged - or, for that matter, wished for - on that June day in 1862 when he put his name to that name-changing deed!

So, in closing, may I take this opportunity to wish you all a very good goodnight - oh, and don't let the Norfolk Howards bite.