La Rose Lane, formerly Black Boy Lane - the original name was probably after The Black Boy pub.
The road was renamed La Rose Lane on 23 January 2023 after the black publisher John La Rose.
The thoroughfare which became known as Black Boy Lane features as an unnamed road on the 1619 Dorset Survey of Tottenham map.
In 1690, the Manorial Court rolls of Tottenham included two listings for the name ’Black Boy’. Publicans had to seek a licence from the Manor Court to serve ale and ’Black Boy Hanger Green’ was one of these two entries.
The origin of the name ‘Black Boy’ for pubs remains unknown. The oldest pub with this name in England dates back to the 16th century, making it quite a mystery.
But Charles II was known as the Black Boy King – because of his supposedly dark complexion, his mother Henrietta Maria of France had started to call him this.
According to some accounts, Charles’ supporters adopted "Black Boy" as a symbol for their movement during the 1650s fight towards restoring the Monarchy. It is speculated that inns using this name could have been declaring their loyalty to the crown.
There are also strong associations connecting this name to the slave trade. There were wealthy Tottenham residents during the 17th century who were involved in this business.
Black Boy Lane was renamed following a decision by Haringey Council in February 2022.
