The story of Lady Godiva is about a noblewoman who rode naked on horseback through the streets of Coventry, England. She was upset by the heavy taxes her husband, Earl Leofric, Earl of Mercia, had placed on the townspeople. This tale is well known but historians believe it to be a myth. As the legend goes, along with history’s version, here’s the story as we have it today. The Legend: Lady Godiva was a wealthy Anglo-Saxon woman. She begged her husband repeatedly to lower the taxes he imposed on the citizens of Coventry. Her husband, Loefric was exhausted from her persistence and he challenged her to ride naked through the town’s marketplace at midday. If she did, he agreed to give in to her demands to reduce the high taxes. Godiva agreed as she was determined to help the people. She told the people to remain indoors with their windows and doors closed during her ride. Overcoming her fear she then rode through the town, with her long hair acting as a cloak to cover her body. Her husband was impressed by her courage and devotion so he kept his word and abolished the taxes. The story of Peeping Tom later emerged. Supposedly, a man named Tom peeked on Godiva as she rode through the square. It was said that he was later struck blind. Historical Content: Godiva was a real person. She was wealthy, noble and influential. She lived in the 11th century. Her husband and her were known for their piety and generosity, especially towards the church. They founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery located in Coventry. There are accounts of Godiva’s wealth and her being generous. There is no mention of her naked ride found in historical accounts. About 100 years after her death her story first appeared in the 13th century writings of the monk Roger of Wendover. His book was called “Flores Historiarum” or “Flowers of History”. While the story is widely known, most historians believe it to be a myth, though Godiva was a real person. The legend of Lady Godiva tells of her courage, compassion and commitment. This piece was a privately minted Halfpenny Token issued from 1792-1795. Great Britain’s Condor Token period had the legendary Lady Godiva naked on horseback with the words “PRO BONO PUBLICO” on the obverse. The translation is “FOR THE PUBLIC GOOD”. She is riding sidesaddle as her right leg is showing. This token was designed by William Mainwaring and struck by William Lutwyche. At the time there was a small change shortage. Private mints struck hundreds of trade tokens, usually with imaginative designs, meeting the public needs. The reverse shows an elephant, Coventry’s symbol, using a castle turret in place of a saddle. The legend reads “COVENTRY HALFPENNY”. The edge of this token reads “PAYABLE AT THE WAREHOUSE OF ROBERT REYNOLDS & CO. There are many varieties of this token mainly due to edge lettering as that reads payable to who and where. In 1795 the public grew tired of these collectible tokens because supply exceeded demand. In 1797 Great Britain started minting copper halfpennies and Pennie’s so the need for private coinage ended. Condor Tokens were named as a series due to James Condor (1761-1823) who wrote a book cataloguing these pieces. His book was published in 1798.
Excellent read, thank you. I did not know any of the history of Lady Godiva, only the myth of her ride.
Me thinks the boys of 'ye olde days" needed some excitement from tending the fields an horses. And so they, invented a game with utter limited recourses. A woman riding horseback with barley a stitch, would envision such a sight, Oh happily I say, go not into that good night...... Longfellow
