By far the most famous historical character associated with Coventry is that of Lady Godiva. She is a celebrity of whom Coventrians can feel justifiably proud. The symbolism of an individual’s self sacrifice for the good of others has been the oft-quoted moral of the Godiva story. Doubts remain, however, as to how long her actions would have been celebrated if she had been set a less memorable though none the less humiliating task. The story of a Saxon countess riding naked through the streets of Coventry to save the townsfolk from the harsh taxation of her husband Earl Leofric has had a guaranteed popularity down the ages.

Many books have been written about Godiva, but little space is taken up with writing about her life because there is so little known. Godiva herself is definitely not a creation of legend though a few have grown up around her. We can be certain that she was alive in eleventh century England, married to Leofric, Earl of Mercia and that she died soon after the Norman Conquest. Her link with Coventry is quite clear. The Domsday Book records her ownership of the settlement and she and Leofric are credited with founding a Benedictine monastery at Coventry, supposedly in 1043; this was also their final resting-place. As for the story of her ride through Coventry’s streets, there is no contemporary evidence. The earliest written account was made almost two centuries after Godiva’s death and the first mention of Peeping Tom was not made until the seventeenth century.

The introduction of a procession with a rider representing Lady Godiva as its focus only came about as late as 1678, but then continued more or less annually until the mid nineteenth century. It usually coincided with the city’s Great Whitsun Fair. These sorts of events often got out of hand because occasions for people to let off steam were still comparatively rare. But later the growth of Victorian prudery together with the robust celebration of Godiva’s ride provided a convenient focus for blame by local religious leaders and the city fathers. Local traders did not help by circulating rumours before the event that this ride was to be a totally accurate representation of the original. Such speculation continued into this century’s events spurred on by the money generating potential that those extra visitors would bring. There is no doubt that the commercial attraction of visitors who would at times double the city’s population was a major factor in maintaining the procession in the face of disapproval from some quarters. None of the rumours ever proved to be true except on one occasion, in 1854, when a contemporary streaker on a horse gatecrashed the procession. This rival Godiva upstaged the (always) coyly covered official Godiva creating mayhem around the route. It was to be another eight years before another procession would be risked. The 1862 event was revived against vehement protests by various religious bodies despite assurances that Madam Letitia who was to depict Lady Godiva was unlikely to excite the crowds being ‘fair, fat and forty’. From that time until the Second World War only another fifteen or so processions of any significance were organised. Yet the greater rarity served to raise the profile of the occasion when it did occur and with the advent of photography was celebrated with appropriate souvenirs, even before the popular use of postcards in the twentieth century. Most nineteenth century photographs used here were produced as carte-de-visits, little bigger than a credit card. Photography was expensive and this size kept the costs down. These became available during the 1860s, but some of the later Godivas were also produced as cabinet photographs that were about three times as big.

 Godiva processions have been just as infrequent since the Second World War. They certainly do not attract the crowds as they did in the past. Even the last pre-war procession of 1936 had around 200,000 people (300,000 by some accounts) lining the route. The free spectacle was still a great attraction in the age of the cinema, but even then was losing some of its popularity.  The benefits of greater leisure time, a wider range of leisure activities and greater sophistication took the edge off the novelty of watching a re-enactment of the Lady Godiva legend. But the identification of Godiva with Coventry remains important to Coventrians as can be witnessed by the location of the 1949 statue right at the heart of the town as well as the use of Godiva as the City council logo. Furthermore frequent references to Godiva, in one form or another, in popular culture suggests she has an appeal much beyond the city.  As such Godiva is an important part of Coventry’s heritage and identity.