Historic pub accused of 'misogyny' as influencers complain of 'sickening' 200-year-old name

A historic pub has been branded misogynistic as American influencers complain of its "sickening" 200-year-old name.

The Henry VIII pub sits opposite Hever Castle, the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, and has stood proudly in the heart of the Kent village for five centuries.

After going viral on social media, Londoners looking to have their fill of English history now run rampant through the manicured castle grounds, seeking out the perfect Instagram spot outside the Big Smoke.

Tourists' gaze will often fall upon the country pub opposite the attraction, whose name some visitors blame on the "patriarchy".

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Deirdre Rae, an American self-acclaimed life coach who moved to London, was one of the first to rage over the pub's name.

"Imagine being Anne Boleyn and finding out people thought it was a good idea to open a pub dedicated to the man who beheaded you right in front of your childhood home," she said.

"I'm just finding out about this and I'm sickened by the disrespect," one said, while others cried out for a petition to change the "disrespectful as f**k" name. Some proposed the "Anne Bole Inn".

"It's how they've always treated women, nothing changes if nothing changes," another added.

"It's ridiculous to say our pub's misogynistic," one local told Britain's News Channel.

"It's history. That's what it is. If influencers out here think they know better than us, they have another thing coming."

But Ms Rae's claim was met with some mocking responses as others lamented the "deeply-ingrained misogyny" pervading through British history.

"When you get the chance to ask her, let me know," one ridiculed, while another mused that the beheaded Queen was unlikely to find out.

Others condemned her "simplistic analysis", while insisting the story was far more complicated than at first glance.

"I don't think the pub's name is intended as misogynistic or offensive to Anne, who was executed in 1536," royal historian Gareth Russell told the People's Channel.

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"I'm not sure renaming it as 'The Anne Bole Inn' has quite the sense of gravitas you might want for honouring a Queen of England...

"But that being said, I’ve always thought it was an odd choice to name the pub opposite her childhood home after the husband who signed her death warrant," he added.

The Henry VIII was named as such as far back as 1848, although the site has long-served as a boozer for the locals and dates all the way back to the 1500s.

The second Queen Consort to Henry VIII was executed for treason in 1536 following a three-year reign alongside the King.

She spent her early youth in Hever Castle after her father inherited the estate in 1505. The King's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, eventually took over ownership of the property as part of the couple's annulment settlement.

The pub at that time was renamed to the "Bull and Butcher", a pun on "Boleyn Butcher", following her beheading, when the inn was still a part of the castle's estate.

However, with the site serving as a popular tourist attraction, Hever Castle has embraced the Tudor times, with an extensive annual programme including jousting tournaments and archery displays.

With three floors of the property on show, Anne Boleyn's prayer books, along with an extensive collection of Tudor paintings, are available to view – as well as the instruments used to torture her in her final moments.

Mr Russell proposed a name change to The Boleyn Arms or the Ormond Arms, which is connected to the family's old earldom.

"I don’t think it’s intended as an insult to anyone’s memory, but I have personally always thought it was a strange choice to name it after Henry, given where it’s situated," the academic said.

GB News has contacted The Henry VIII for comment.

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