The Black Goats
Preserved but no longer current.
A public-house sign, High Bridge Lincoln, formerly The Three Goats— i.e. three gowts (gutters or drains), by which the water from the Swan Pool (a large lake that formerly existed to the west of the city) was conducted into the bed of the Witham.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “The Black Goats” mean?
A public-house sign, High Bridge Lincoln, formerly The Three Goats— i.e. three gowts (gutters or drains), by which the water from the Swan Pool (a large lake that formerly existed to the west of the city) was conducted into the bed of the Witham.
Is “The Black Goats” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.