During my occasional research into interwar Herefordshire, I came across one Anthony William Hall – an ex policeman from Shropshire who resided in Herefordshire for a time.
Believing himself to be the descendant of an illegitimate son of Henry VIII, he held many meetings around the Midlands, oscillating wildly from merely asking King George to relinquish the throne in favour of him, to calling for his execution ("The King is a German, a pure bred German ... I want to become the first policeman to cut off the King's head.")!
From a local heritage website:
Anthony Hall lived in the village (of Little Dewchurch) and is buried in the churchyard. He announced in 1931 at a big meeting at the Bull Ring, Birmingham, that he was the rightful King of England and that George V was a foreign imposter! He created his own currency and caused the royal family and the government some concerns. But at the end of his life he was working in the ordnance factory in Rotherwas, Hereford. He died in 1947 without any male descendants.
Here are a some links…
Article in the Guardian
Wikipedia entry
BBC Hereford & Worcester feature
Feature in the Telegraph
Feature in the Times
Would the outbreak of civil war prompt Mr. Hall renew his claim to the throne?
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