The Silent Woman Inn, in sleepy Wareham, Dorset caused uproar this week when it announced plans to change its name to the more amiable ‘The Angel’.
Its owners – Hall & Woodhouse – were blasted for bowing to the ‘woke‘ brigade and erasing the moniker first given to the 400-year-old pub in the 1920s.
But surprisingly, locals have since come out and defended the name change and said there is slightly more to it than trying to be politically correct.
The pub’s name was inspired by Dorset-born author Thomas Hardy, who referred to it as ‘The Quiet Woman’ in his 1878 novel, The Return of the Native.
Despite its literary local links, Hall and Woodhouse want to give it a complete refurb and are splashing £250k on its transformation.
When the Daily Mail visited the watering hole, there was no sign of the pub’s name on signs outside.
In fact, painters and builders were busy adding new layers of paint to hide the previous history.
Peter Houghton, 71, claimed the pub’s rebranding has less to do with being PC and more to do with its previous landlords.
Caretaker Peter Houghton, 71, says the name change has more to do with previous landlords than PC culture
Painters and decorators set to work to remove any last signs of the pub’s previous name, which included artwork of a beheaded woman with the inscription: ‘since the woman is quiet, let no man breed a riot’
Pictured: the previous exterior of the pub before they announced plans to change its century-old name from The Silent Woman Inn to The Angel
He claimed: ‘The landlords are no secret…they let the pub fall into disrepair and they’re now trying to put a new face on it.
‘The regulars are happy that it’s all being tidied up and we haven’t had any complaints. What they do want is a new landlord!’
Peter added that he thought: ‘They don’t think it’s sexist or anything, the name change is just to give it a new image because it lost some of its reputation from the landlord, who let it fall into disrepair.’
Indeed, all of the pub regulars we spoke to living in The Silent Woman Residential Park behind the pub laughed when asked if they thought the name was offensive or sexist, with only one woman admitting ‘it’s certainly unique!’
Artwork on the side of the pub, now painted over, used to depict a beheaded woman with the inscription: ‘since the woman is quiet, let no man breed a riot’.
It was thought to refer to a local legend whereby a talkative landlady had her tongue cut out by smugglers after revealing their secrets.
Perhaps that’s what happened to the previous landlords – who apparently few had a good word to say about.
Ingrid Nemitz, 66, lives just behind the pub and told us: ‘One ex-landlady was very rude, and when they came in and took it over I think they just took the whole reputation of the pub downhill.
The pub’s former name was inspired by the famous author, and Dorset native, Thomas Hardy (pictured) who referred to it as ‘The Quiet Woman’ in his 1878 novel The Return of the Native
Residents of the Silent Woman Residential Park just behind the pub are worried that if their name also changes, their letters won’t get delivered
Married couple, Maureen and Ronald Young, 88 & 92, have lived in The Silent Woman Residential Park for over 40 years. They say the name is ‘definitely unique’ but they don’t find it offensive
‘It’s always been a nice pub. The idea that [the pub name] was sexist is a load of cobblers.’
She claimed: ‘It was downtrodden a fair bit by the previous landlords and that’s why they’re changing it, but it’s a shame really because it was a part of this whole area – and its history.’
Another Wareham resident and regular pubgoer at the inn said: ‘It all feels a bit woke to me, a bit of an over-reaction.
‘I think everyone local will go on calling it the Silent Woman for a few more years yet.
‘They say that the historic, original name was The Angel, but there’s no one in Wareham who will remember that, it’s always been the Silent Woman as long back as we can remember and I believe no one takes offence at that.
‘The pub sign wasn’t gory or disrespectful, they’ve held weddings and receptions here over the years and if brides were happy to have their big day there, that probably says all you need to know’, Peter added.
Hall & Woodhouse, said the change was to ‘breathe new life into it while staying true to its rich history and heritage.’
The Silent Woman pub, also a wedding venue, was historically a popular haunt for travelling priests and travellers in Wareham Forest sheltering from the cold.
Empty chairs at empty tables: the pub is currently closed while its owners, Hall & Whitehouse, are splashing out on a £250,000 refurbishment
The pub will be renamed ‘The Angel’ – its original name before it changed in the 1920s following inspiration by a Thomas Hardy novel, in which he referred to it as ‘The Quiet Woman’
But residents living in The Silent Woman Residential Park are now scared their ‘letters won’t get delivered’ if their park is also forced to change names.
One married couple, Maureen and Ronald Young, 88 & 92, have lived in The Silent Woman Residential Park for 40 years.
‘The Park was named that already when we moved in 40 years ago.
‘If we have to change the name of the caravan park too then it will cause a lot of problems.
‘Because all our letters, email addresses, wifi etc will have to change.’
They added: ‘We don’t think it’s offensive.
‘It’s definitely a bit unique haha. When people ask where do you live and you say ‘we live behind the Silent Woman Inn’ they go ‘ooh, there’s no such thing!’
‘We’ve only seen one other pub in England about 20 years ago called the Silent Woman and that was Yorkshire way.
A plaque inside the pub proudly explains the history of the ill-fated name. It reads: ‘Once a smuggler’s haunt, legend has it that a once talkative landlady gave away their secrets in Wareham marketplace and so, to silence her, the smuggler removed her tongue. Hence the name’
Wareham is a small market town in Dorset with a rich history of smugglers and highwaymen due to its strategic location near to the coast
Famous smugglers including Isaac Gulliver operated in the region in the 18th and 19th centuries, using secret tunnels, hidden cellars, and even the Silent Woman pub as a hideout, according to locals
‘We’ve only seen one other pub in England about 20 years ago called the Silent Woman and that was Yorkshire way.
‘There’s so much history here. Wareham used to be a highway man hotspot and the pub itself used to be a coaching station – it would be a shame to lose some of that history.’
Hall & Woodhouse business development partner Izzy Hersom said: ‘We are excited to announce that The Silent Woman is being renamed to The Angel, a return to its original name dating back over 400 years.
‘This change is part of our vision to breathe new life into the pub while staying true to its rich history and heritage – it’s a character property situated in an area popular with locals, diners and holidaymakers, has an attractive patio and great garden areas, but it is dated.
‘While we are refreshing the pub with a major investment, we’re also committed to maintaining its traditional charm to ensure the historic character of the building is preserved.
‘The name The Angel perfectly captures this balance – we think it symbolises a rebirth, yet still honours the pub’s original essence.’
Another local and regular pubgoer said upon hearing of the name change: ‘Well I was quite surprised.
‘The problem is, the whole park is called the silent woman park and the thing is, are we going to have to change the park’s name to the angel’s park? I mean, I just think it’s ridiculous.
Painters set about removing any remnants of the previous pub name this week
Pictured: the old artwork on the side of the pub depicting a beheaded woman with the inscription ‘since the woman is quiet, let no man breed a riot’ – but it has now been painted over
‘It used to be a good talking point – if you told people where you live on the phone they would say ‘I’ve never heard of a silent woman.’
‘It’s ridiculous, why not keep the name?’ they added.
Local Paula Wellbeloved, 68, said: ‘I don’t think it was sexist before, it didn’t offend anyone, it was fine.
‘And I think it’s looking a lot better than before – it needed a facelift. I’ll still go back in after the name change though.’
Jane Bull said: ‘I travelled miles to come and drink in this pub just because of its name.
‘I am a feminist and did not find the historical reference offensive. So sad.’
Local councillor, Beryl Ezzard, said: ‘The great difference reverting back to the Angel Inn will be that it has been refurbished, which will encourage renewed interest and trade.
‘Being a local person, I remember hearing folk joking about the previous name of The Silent Woman, concerning a woman who chatters on too much, may find her head under her arm, as depicted on the Inn Sign…
‘A warning maybe back in the day, Victorian times, that minor offences were rather harshly punished…Oops ugh…’
A spokesperson for Hall & Woodhouse said: ‘Hall & Woodhouse plans to invest significantly in this historic pub.
‘As part of this investment and to signal a change, The Silent Woman in Wareham will be returned to its original name, The Angel.
‘This is the name the pub held until the 1920s, and recognises its rich history and heritage.’
Hall & Woodhouse says it has and continues to own the pub and has let it to various business partners across several decades.
The Daily Mail reached out to the previous landlords for comment.
The historic boozer is just the latest pub which has been rumoured to change its name to avoid offending modern patrons.
In November last year, a pub in Abingdon called The Midget – named after the classic MG sports car which was made in the Oxfordshire town – announced it was changing its name to the Roaring Rainbow after another MG vehicle.
The change was prompted by disabilities studies lecturer Dr Erin Pritchard who started a petition claiming it was ‘disablist hate speech’.