LONDON — It began, PETA says, as a playful attempt to draw attention to animal cruelty in the wool industry: The animal rights group sent a letter asking the English village of Wool to change its name to Vegan Wool.

But the letter from the British branch of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, received on Wednesday by village officials, attracted scorn and ridicule from residents of Wool after it was posted on Facebook by the local parish council clerk, according to news reports.

“With a simple name change, your village can take a stand against this cruelty,” Elisa Allen, director of PETA’s London office, wrote, pointing to evidence of mistreatment of sheep on farms around the world.

In exchange for the name change, Ms. Allen said, “we’d be happy to provide every Vegan Wool household that would like one with a cozy, cruelty-free blanket.”