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Read Next View. Telegraph Hotel - Coventry. Holiday Inn Coventry M6, Jct. Genesis Home Serviced Apartment. Beautiful Homes - Holyhead Road. After she repeatedly asked him to lessen the burden, Leofric quipped that he would lower taxes only if she rode naked on horseback through the center of town. Determined to help the public, Godiva stripped off her clothes, climbed on her horse and galloped through the market square with only her long flowing hair to cover herself.
After finishing her naked ride, Godiva confronted her husband and demanded that he hold up his end of the bargain.
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Find out more about page archiving. On this page Who was Lady Godiva? The Godiva legend Page options Print this page. Who was Lady Godiva?
Hands on History: Ancient Britain. Travel back in time to Ancient Britain and create your own stone circle. Eric voiced by Daniel Roche visits Roman Britain , where he lives a life of privilege. It seems unlikely that Godiva, no matter how long her hair, would have disrobed and ridden through Coventry.
One thing to remember, though, is that Coventry was not a major settlement at that time, or even a town. It probably had a population of less than people and was not much more than a village. So if Godiva had indeed ridden 'through the streets of Coventry', it would have been a short ride. It seems highly likely that the Godiva story was just one version of similar stories that have been told about other British places, including St Briavels in Gloucestershire and Otmoor in Oxfordshire.
The story also bears similarities to much earlier pagan myths involving a naked goddess figure. The idea of a naked woman riding in a procession is common to several early rites invoking a goddess of fertility. The story of Godiva's naked ride certainly grabbed the attention of later writers and artists. The story has been painted numerous times, and many of the most important paintings, including works by John Collier, Edwin Landseer and Alfred Woolmer, are on display in the Herbert Museum in Coventry.
The earliest artistic impression of the event comes in a 14th-century stained glass window in Holy Trinity Church in Coventry. The window originally bore the inscription.
Unfortunately, the window was removed in and only a few fragments remain in the church. Interestingly, images of Godiva proliferated in Coventry in the aftermath of the Reformation, when overtly Catholic imagery was banned. Godiva came to symbolise civic freedom, and Coventry held regular Godiva Processions from During these processions civic dignitaries including the Mayor, Aldermen, and city guild members proceeded through the streets, following the imagined route taken by Godiva on her famous ride, accompanying a man dressed as St George, men in black armour, and a girl on horseback clad in a flesh-coloured costume.
The processions had a lot in common with medieval mummers plays. The celebrations sometimes got out of hand, and on one famous occasion 'Godiva' had too much to drink and had to be held upright on her horse. Godiva processions ceased by but are still held on occasion to mark special events, such as coronations of a monarch or the Festival of Britain. If you visit Coventry the image of Godiva is hard to escape. Her statue adorns the front facade of Council House , the civic offices on Earl Street.
More famously, a statue of Godiva mounted on her horse stands on Broadgate, under the gaze of a clock in a nearby tower. When the hour strikes, a figure of Godiva appears, riding across the clock face on a white steed, while a small figure of Peeping Tom watches. Even today, almost years after the original events, the story of Lady Godiva lives on in Coventry.
Godiva lived another decade after her husband's death and was supposedly buried in the Priory. However, it seems much more likely that she was buried at Evesham Abbey in Worcestershire.
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