COVENTRY, a city, county and parliamentary borough of Warwickshire, England; 94 m. N.W. of London, on L.M.S.R. Pop. (1931) 167,046. Coventry stands on a small hill with higher ground to the west, at the confluence of the Sherbourne and the Radford Brook, tributaries of the Avon. Of its ancient fortifica tions two gates and some portions of the wall are still extant, and several of the older streets have picturesque half-timbered houses. Coventry (Coventreu, Coventre) owed its existence to the founda tion of a Benedictine monastery by Earl Leofric and his wife Godgyfu (Lady Godiva [q.v.] ), in Io43. The manor, which in 1066 belonged to the latter, descended to the earls of Chester and to Robert de Montalt, and from him passed to Isabella, queen of Edward II. and the crown.
St. Michael's church, in fine Perpendicular style, has a beautiful steeple rising to a height of 303 feet. Holy Trinity church, a cruciform structure, has a lofty steeple at the intersection; and St. John's, or Bablake church, which is nearly a parallelogram on the ground plan, is cruciform in the clerestory with a central tower. Christ church dates only from 1832, but it is attached to the ancient spire of the Grey Friar's church. St. Mary's hall was erected by the united gilds in the early part of the i 5th century. The principal chamber, situated above a fine crypt, has a roof of carved oak, and in the north end there is a large stained glass window.
Ranulf, earl of Chester, granted the earliest extant charter to the town in 1153. This, with further privileges, was confirmed by Henry II. in 1177, and by nearly every succeeding sovereign until the 17th century. In 1345, Edward III. gave Coventry a cor poration. In 1452 Henry VI. formed the city and surrounding hamlets into a county, and James I. incorporated Coventry in 1622. It first sent two representatives to parliament in 1295. The prior's market on Fridays was probably of Saxon origin ; a second market was granted in 1348, while fairs were obtained in 1217, 1348 and in 1442. As early as 1216 Coventry was important for its trade in wool, cloth and caps, its gilds later being particularly numerous and wealthy. In 1568 Flemish weavers introduced new methods, but the trade was destroyed in the wars of the 17th century. The arrival of the Flemish weavers, who often had strong religious views, helped to make Coventry in the subsequent centuries a stronghold of Puritanism. During the middle of the 16th century there was a flourishing manufacture of blue thread, but this decayed before 1581.
The popular phrase "to send to Coventry" (i.e., to refuse to associate with a person) is of uncertain derivation. Clarendon (History of the' Great Rebellion, 1647) states that the citizens of Birmingham rose against certain small parties of the king's sup porters, and sent the prisoners they captured to Coventry. Coventry acquired, such a reputation for its dyeing that the expression "as true as Coventry blue" became proverbial. Existing industries are the making of motor cars, cycles and their acces sories, for which Coventry is one of the chief centres in Great Britain; woollens, silk, ribbons, carpets, cotton, art-metal work, watches and iron-founding are also important. Since 1910 the manufacture of artificial silk and of telephone and other electrical apparatus has been introduced, while during the World War munitions and war material took precedence over other manu factures.
There is a free grammar school, founded in the reign of Elizabeth, in modern buildings (1885), a technical school, a school of art, endowed charity schools and many charitable foundations. Swanswell and Spenser Parks were opened in 1883, and a recrea tion ground in 1880. Three branch public libraries were opened in 1913. Parliamentary powers were obtained in 1920 for the widen ing of several narrow streets and the construction of two new arterial roads through the city. A county of itself till 1843, the town became a county borough in 1888, area (1931) 12,82 7 acres. The parliamentary borough returns one member. In 1894 a suffragan bishopric of Coventry was established under the see of Worcester, but was for a time discontinued until Coventry was created a separate diocese in 1918, the church of St. Michael being made the cathedral.