Alice Lisle is depicted on the sign and her story is told on Wikipedia:
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'Lady Alice Lisle (c. 1617 – 2 September 1685), commonly known as Dame Alicia Lisle or Dame Alice Lyle, was a landed lady of the English county of Hampshire, executed for harbouring fugitives from the Battle of Sedgemoor.
Alice was born in September 1617, the daughter of Sir White Beconshaw of Moyles Court at Ellingham in Hampshire (who was maternally descended from the Whites of South Warnborough) and his wife, Edith daughter and co-heiress of William Bond of Blackmanston in Steeple in Dorset. She had one younger sister, Elizabeth, who married Sir Thomas Tipping of Wheatfield Park in Stoke Talmage in Oxfordshire. Alice's husband, Sir John Lisle (d. 1664), had been one of the judges at the trial of Charles I, and was subsequently a member of Cromwell's House of Lords - hence his wife's courtesy title. Lady Lisle seems to have leaned to Royalism, but with this attitude she combined a decided sympathy with religious dissent.
On 20 July 1685, a fortnight after the Battle of Sedgemoor, the old lady consented to shelter John Hickes, a well-known Nonconformist minister, at her residence, Moyles Court, near Ringwood. Hickes, who was a fugitive belonging to Monmouth's army, brought with him Richard Nelthorpe, also a partizan of Monmouth, and under sentence of outlawry. The two men passed the night at Moyles Court, and on the following morning were arrested, and their hostess, who had denied their presence in the house, was charged with harbouring traitors.
Her case was tried by Judge Jeffreys at the opening of the Bloody Assizes at Winchester. She pleaded that she had no knowledge that Hickes's offence was anything more serious than illegal preaching, that she had known nothing previously of Nelthorpe (whose name was not included in the indictment, but was, nevertheless, mentioned to strengthen the case for the Crown), and that she had no sympathy with the rebellion. The jury reluctantly found her guilty, and, the law recognizing no distinction between principals and accessories in treason, she was sentenced to be burned.
Jeffreys ordered that the sentence should be carried out that same afternoon, but a few days' respite was subsequently granted, and James II allowed beheading to be substituted for burning. Lady Lisle was executed in Winchester market-place on 2 September 1685. She is buried in a tomb on the right hand side of the porch at St Mary's church, Ellingham, Hampshire. There is a plaque marking the spot of Lady Lisle's execution opposite "The Eclipse Inn" near the Cathedral in Winchester.
By many writers her death has been termed a judicial murder, and one of the first acts of parliament of William and Mary reversed the attainder on the ground that the prosecution was irregular and the verdict injuriously extorted by "the menaces and violences and other illegal practices" of Jeffreys. It is, however, extremely doubtful whether Jeffreys, for all his gross brutality, exceeded the strict letter of the existing law.'
The Daily Echo has an interesting account about this country inn:
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'The Alice Lisle, Rockford
By Julian Robinson, Senior District Reporter
IT could just be one of the bestkept secrets in the New Forest.
But although this picturesque pub is situated in a far off corner of the national park, it shares a famous name with a character from the past.
Alice Lisle was beheaded in 1685 for harbouring fugitives of the Battle of Sedgemoor at her Moyles Court home in Rockford.
Luckily the owners of the pub that now bears her name appear to have their heads well and truly screwed on.
Nestled in chocolate-box scenery, The Alice Lisle Inn backs on to Blashford Lakes and features an enormous beer garden complete with its own play area and aviary.
The former school was converted in to a pub in the 1960s and now has outdoor seating for 450 and can handle around 180 covers inside.
Despite its rural setting, word of mouth and a blossoming reputation for fine seasonal food has ensured that the place is crammed in summer. Up to 32 staff, including six chefs, work flat out on busy weekends to cater for those in the know.
And its quaint setting has also proved a lure for a number of celebrity sportsmen.
Former England Rugby star Dean Richards has been known to drop in for a pint, while Saints legend Matt Le Tissier has also been spotted in the beer garden.
Landlord Alan Dyson, 50, and his wife Maxine took up the reins two years ago and instantly knew they were on to a winner.
Alan said: “This side of the Forest is a real kept secret – it is not like Lyndhurst or Brockenhurst which are busy and bustling. This side is nice and quiet.
“Even when you ask some people in Ringwood, they say, ‘The Alice Lisle? Where’s that?’ and Ringwood is only a few miles down the road.
“I just love the Forest – we could not wish to live anywhere better.”'