A house where the woman rules; called also a SHE HOUSE, and HEN FRIGATE: the latter a sea phrase, originally applied to a ship, the captain of which had his wife on board, supposed to command him.
Definition taken from The 1811 Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue, originally by Francis Grose.
Hen-hearted * HenpeckedNathan Bailey's 1736 Dictionary of canting and thieving slang
John S. Farmer's collection of canting songs and slang rhymes