A THE HISTORY OF COVENTRY, BEING A CONCISE ACCOUNT OF THE Ancient Institutions, Customs & Public Buildings, OF THE CITY, AND A COMPLETE EPITOME OF MODERN CHANGES ; TOGETHER WITH AN APPENDIX, INCLUDING A COPIUS AND INTERESTING CHRONOLOGY OF LOCAL OCCURANCES. ------------------------------------ EMBELLISHED WITH NUMEROUS ENGRAVINGS. --------------------------- COVENTRY: PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY D. LEWIN, HERTFORD STREET. ii iii ii iii AUTHOR’S PREFACE. The present publication being accompanied by an Appendix, requires a few prefatory remarks. The first issue of 1847, in bound-up volumes entire, being, sold off, the Proprietor determined to send out the remaining portion of the edition in numbers, with a view of rendering its circulation more convenient to the working classes of his fel- low-townsmen ; for perhaps there is no topic upon which even the reading public of Coventry are so much in the dark, as that of the History of their own City ; and yet there is none with which they ought to be more conversant. In making this second issue in numbers, it was at the same time determined to add a supplementary Appendix, fur- nishing such corrective or explanatory remarks to the first publication as had become necessary, and comprising all the additional matters of History in connexion with the town, which has occurred since the month of July, 1847,—an interval replete with incidents and changes, of great interest, and equal importance. iv AUTHOR’S PREFACE. v In perusing the Appendix therefore, it must be borne in mind, that its compilation took place from four to five years after the first part of the work ; which will account for some passages and statements appearing as it were disconnected from the relative portion of the same subject in the antecedent pages. Should a reprint of the work be called for, this defect will be obviated by a re-arrange- ment of the entire contents. The main object of the Appendix is, to place upon record the facts worthy of notice : which it is hoped will prove of some advantage to the local public. By the turning over of a few pages, back- wards or forwards, the reader will be enabled without much difficulty, to connect the particular subjects, (as those of the principal parish churches for instance,) which, under the circumstances described, are divided. It should also be under- stood, that nearly twelve months elapsed between the printing of the first and the last sheets of the Appendix. BENJN. POOLE. October, 1852. iv v CONTENTS. Page in Page. Appendix. Engraving—View of Coventry - - - - - - - - - - - - 1 Preface - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 2 Introduction - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 3 Antiquity of Coventry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 4 Position and General Appearance - - - - - - - - - - 6 Ancient Convent and Cathedral - - - - - - - - - - - 7 12 Lady Godiva and Peeping Tom ( with en- graving ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9 Woodcut of Peeping Tom - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 11 Order of the Godiva Procession ( with en- graving ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 14 Manor of Cheylesmore and Park - - - - - - - - - - - 17 Great Fair - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 21 City Walls and Gates ( with four woodcuts ) - - - - - 22 Incorporation by Edward III - - - - - - - - - - - - - 29 Charter of Henry VI - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. Boundaries of Coventry, past and present - - - - - - - 31 Monastic institutions—. The Priory - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 36 Woodcut of Cathedral Remains - - - - - - - - - 41 Grey Friars - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. White Friars’ Monastery (with woodcut) - - - - - 43 Woodcut of Old Gateway - - - - - - - - - - - 44 Carthusian Monastery, or Charter House - - - - - 45 The Cross ( with woodcut ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - 47 Spon Hospital - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 49 Ford’s Hospital ( with woodcut and en- graving ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 50 Bond’s Hospital ( with woodcut ) - - - - - - - - - - - 52 St. John’s Hospital—the Free School (with woodcut ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 54 The Gilds—St. Mary’s Hall ( with woodcut and engraving ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 58 vi CONTENTS vii Page in Page. Appendix. Drapers’ Hall - - - - - - - - - - - - 64 County Hall ( with woodcut ) - - - - - - - - 66 The Gaol - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 67 St. Michael’s Church ( with engraving ) - - - - - ib. Trinity Church ( with engraving ) - - - - - - 74 4 Trinity Church Schools - - - - - - - - - ib. St. John’s Church ( with engraving ) - - - - - - 79 ib. Christ Church ( with engraving ) - - - - - - - 82 5 St. Peter’s Church - - - - - - - - - - - 83 District of St. Thomas - - - - - - - - - - ib. 6 Dissenting Places of Worship— The Great Meeting - - - - - - - - - 85 Vicar-lane Chapel - - - - - - - - - ib. West-orchard Chapel - - - - - - - - 86 The Friends’ Meeting House - - - - - - ib. Cow-lane Chapel - - - - - - - - - 87 Wesley Chapel - - - - - - - - - - ib. Spon-end Chapel - - - - - - - - - 88 White Friars’-lane Chapel - - - - - - - ib. Well-street Chapel - - - - - - - - - ib. Grove-street Chapel - - - - - - - - - ib. Hill-field Chapel - - - - - - - - - - ib. Roman Catholic Church ( with en- graving ) - - - - - - - - - - - 89 Endowed Schools— Bablake School - - - - - - - - - - 90 Baker, Billing, and Crow’s - - - - - - 91 Blue Coat Girls - - - - - - - - - - 92 Bayley’s Charity - - - - - - - - - - 93 Southern and Craner’s - - - - - - - - 94 Fairfax’s Charity - - - - - - - - - - ib. Unendowed Schools— British School - - - - - - - - - - 95 The National Schools - - - - - - - - 96 St. John’s Day and Sunday Schools - - - - ib. Roman Catholic Schools - - - - - - - ib. Infant Schools - - - - - - - - - - 97 School of Design - - - - - - - - - ib. Mechanics’ Institution - - - - - - - - - - ib. Religious and Useful Knowledge Society - - - - 98 Coventry Subscription Library - - - - - - - ib. The Barracks ( with woodcut ) - - - - - - - 99 vi CONTENTS vii Page in Page. Appendix. Post Office - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 100 Theatre - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 103 Gas Works - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. Waterworks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 105 Cemetery ( with engraving ) - - - - - - - - - - - - 106 8 Baths ( with engraving ) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27 Railway Station - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 110 The Canal - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 111 Banks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 112 Savings’ Banks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 113 Medical Institutions— Provident Dispensary - - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. Coventry and Warwickshire Hospital - - - - - 115 Lying-In Charities - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 116 Industrial Home - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. Provident Institution and Loan Society - - - - - - - 117 The Coventry Charities - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 118 Trustees of Sir T. White’s Estates - - - - - - - - - - 120 Trustees of Church Charities - - - - - - - - - - - - 121 Trustees of General Charities - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. Lammas Lands - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 122 Seniority Fund - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 123 Magistracy - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 124 Corporation - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 125 Directors of the Poor - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 126 Trades of Coventry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. Bishopric of Coventry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 130 Earldom of Coventry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 131 Fairs, Races, &c. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 132 Inns—Newspapers - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 133 Population—Distance from London Mar- ket Days - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 135 25 Parliamentary Representatives - - - - - - - - - - - 136 26—30 Chronology of Events - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 148 13 Eminent Natives of Coventry - - - - - - - - - - - 169 City Arms ( with woodcut and engraving ) - - - - - 170 City Revenue - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ib. 2 3 2 3 THE HISTORY OF COVENTRY. N presenting to the public a concise History of the City of Coventry, embracing an epitome of its ancient history and greatness, and supplying a directory to the interesting relics of antiquity which it still affords, as well as to its existing institutions, the compiler of the present work will invent nothing by way of an affectation of originality as to matters of fact but, neverthe- less, being aware that there are extensive stores of information which are as yet but little known, his object will be to draw therefrom, and to arrange the contents of these pages with such clearness, that all the main points of the subject shall make a fixed impression on the mind of the reader, and be easy for reference. At the same time, a considerable amount of new intelligence —intelligence which has never before appeared 4 ANTIQUITY OF COVENTRY. 5 in any work of this kind,—will be supplied here in many of the sections, according to the order in which they are given. This task cannot be more appropriately com- menced, than by quoting the initiatory passage from the great work of our eminent local historian Sir William Dugdale, who, writing nearly two hundred years ago, in his own quaint terms and form of expression, observes, on the ANTIQUITY OF COVENTRY: “Coventre is still a City of eminent note, yet much short in glory and riches to what heretofore it hath been, as I shall show anon : but for the originall of its name I can give no positive reason ; and therefore, whither the first part thereof, viz., Coven, was occasioned