JD Wetherspoon considers changing pub name due to slave trade association

JD Wetherspoon is considering changing the name of one of its pubs in Wrexham due to its association with the slave trade.

The Elihu Yale pub is named after the 17th century English merchant of the same name, who was a benefactor of Yale University in the United States and is buried in Wrexham.

According to the Yale Center for British Art, as an official of the East India Company, Yale oversaw the company's slave trading activities. A petition to change the name of the pub has been launched.

A Wetherspoon spokesman said: "We were not aware of any connections with the slave trade. We called it the Elihu Yale because he was involved in the foundation of what is now Yale University in the US, as we understand it. We will look into these allegations, which are very concerning.

"Wetherspoon is certainly willing to consider a change of name."

The pub is one of many across the UK considering names and imagery associated with racism and slavery, after a statue of 17th century merchant and slave trader Edward Colston was toppled as part of a Black Lives Matter protest earlier this month.