Anthony William Hall

Who was Anthony William Hall?

Anthony William Hall was a Shropshire man who claimed to be descended directly through the male line from Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn. In 1931, Hall attempted — in an "open letter" to King George V — to claim the British throne. He also made many speeches, in Birmingham and elsewhere, in which he set out his claim and challenged the King to a duel, with the loser to be beheaded. Hall was arrested many times for using "scandalous language", and was fined and bound over to keep the peace. Hall was a Shropshire police inspector.

The theory that Anthony Hall was a descendant of Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn was used as the basis for a 1999 novel called Heir Unapparent, written by John Harrison.