PLACE NAME
Anne Boleyn (about 1501 – May 19, 1536), the second wife of King Henry VIII, was Queen of England between 1533 to 1536. Their marriage and Anne’s execution for treason made her a key figure in the political and religious drama that marked the start of the English Reformation. Though that is not the reason the name was chosen here. Although already married to Catherine of Aragon, Henry had become infatuated with the intelligent, beautiful, Anne. As the daughter of a diplomat, she was well used to the ways of courtly life. But it had also taught her the art of negotiation – which she used to full effect on the king. Not for her the prospect of life as the king’s lover – she held out for a grander prize, as his wife. She refused to submit to Henry’s overtures and demanded that the monarch divorce Catherine, setting in chain a series of events that were to have far reaching consequences. Their relationship soon soured however, after three years of marriage Anne had failed to give birth to a son after suffering numerous miscarriages. Accused of adultery, incest and treason, she was swiftly imprisoned and beheaded. The street recalls happier times when Henry and Anne were known to have been regular visitors of a medieval hunting lodge called Langford (also known as Potteles) at nearby King Place. The street was laid out in the first half of the 20thCentury.
