Lady Godiva

Godiva (/ɡəˈdaɪvə/; Old English: Godgifu;fl. 1010–1067) was an 11th-century Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who, according to a legend dating at least to the 13th century, rode naked – covered only in her long hair – through the streets of Coventry to gain a remission of the oppressive taxation that her husband imposed on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur originates from later versions of this legend in which a man named Tom watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.

Historical figure

Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. They had one known son, Aelfgar. The modern era Kingsbury family have claimed descent from Lady Godiva.

Godiva's name occurs in charters and the Domesday survey, though the spelling varies. The Old English name Godgifu or Godgyfu meant "gift of God"; Godiva was the Latinised form. Since the name was a popular one, there are contemporaries of the same name.

Lady Godiva (song)

"Lady Godiva" is a 1966 single recorded by Peter and Gordon.

The song is a music-hall style number which frivolously references the legend of Lady Godiva, reimagining the legend in the modern day: a director from Hollywood witnesses her legendary ride (with "her long blonde hair" obscuring her breasts and other private parts) and recruits the lady to star in his films, but he turns out to be a director of pornographic films.

Peter and Gordon version

A drastic stylistic shift for Peter and Gordon who had specialized in melancholy love songs, "Lady Godiva" in its music-hall style recalled several Herman's Hermits' hits and also "Winchester Cathedral" by the New Vaudeville Band which was rising up the UK charts when Peter and Gordon recorded "Lady Godiva": eventually "Winchester Cathedral" and "Lady Godiva" would share the US Top Ten with the former succeeding the latter at #1 in Canada. Peter and Gordon's producer John Burgess brought the duo "Lady Godiva" which Burgess had recently produced for the Paul Jones album My Way. Peter Asher, who with Gordon Waller comprised Peter and Gordon, recalls that he [Asher] objected to recording the song with Waller resultantly saying: "It'll be funny [so] shut up". The single was recorded at Abbey Road Studios and reunited Peter and Gordon with Geoff Love who after arranging and conducting the duo's first six singles had sat out their last three A-sides: "Lady Godiva" would be Love's final Peter and Gordon A-side collaboration.

Lady Godiva (film)

Lady Godiva is a 2008 British romantic comedy film written and directed by Vicky Jewson. The film, starring Phoebe Thomas, Matthew Chambers, and Natalie Walter, was shot in 2006 but went unreleased for two years. Based on the historic tale of Lady Godiva, it was set in modern-day Oxford.

Plot

Jemima Honey, a teacher, needs to raise funds for her local creative arts centre. To do so, she accepts the challenge of businessmen and love interest Michael Bartle to ride through the streets of Oxford naked.

Cast

Reception

The film was universally panned by both critics and audiences alike, with criticism mostly focusing on its script and direction. Rob Daniel of Sky Movies wrote that 'all involved should be sent straight to the glue factory', Ellen E Jones of Total Film advised that viewers 'Avoid like you would a naked nutter bouncing down the street', Hannah Forbes Black of Film4 described it as 'relentlessly awful to the point of unintentional comedy, this Godiva would do well to get off the horse and put her clothes back on' and Total Film highlighted 'clunky direction' and a 'hokey script'.

Lady Godiva of Coventry

Lady Godiva of Coventry is an American historical drama film, directed by Arthur Lubin and released in 1955. It starred Maureen O'Hara in the title role. Alec Harford, the English actor who portrayed Tom the Tailor, died eight months before the film's release.

Synopsis

The film is set in 11th century England. King Edward the Confessor (Eduard Franz) wants the Saxon Lord Leofric (George Nader), who rules Coventry, to marry a Norman woman, Yolanda. When he refuses, he is sentenced to jail, where he meets Godiva (Maureen O'Hara), the sheriff's sister. The two fall in love and soon they are wed. The times are turbulent and Godiva proves a militant bride; unhistorically, unrest between the Anglo-Saxon populace and the increasingly influential Norman French led to her famous ride.

The plot is quite notable by the striking leadership qualities of the Maureen O'Hara role. Released in 1955, late in the epoch of this style of historical adventure there are some playful subtleties, a touching opportunity to see the 69-year-old McLaglen in a competent action role, and a very striking example of an archery 'trick-shot'.

Coventry

Coventry (ⁱ/ˈkɒvəntri/) is a city and metropolitan borough in the centre of England. It was the capital of England more than once in the 15th century when the seat of Government was held in Coventry. Coventry's heritage includes the Roman Fort at Baginton, Lady Godiva, St Mary's Guildhall (where kings and queens were entertained) and three cathedrals.

Coventry is located in the county of West Midlands but is historically part of Warwickshire. Coventry is the 10th largest city in England and the 13th largest UK city overall. It is also the second largest city in the West Midlands region, after Birmingham, with a population of 337,400 in 2014.

Coventry is situated 95 miles (153 km) northwest of central London, 19 miles (31 km) east-south-east of Birmingham, 24 miles (39 km) southwest of Leicester and 11 miles (18 km) north of Warwick. Although harbouring a population of more than a third-of-a-million inhabitants, Coventry is not amongst the English Core Cities Group due to its proximity to Birmingham. Approximately half a million people live within 10 miles (16 km) of Coventry city centre.

Coventry, Vermont

Coventry /ˈkɒvəntri/ is a town in Orleans County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,086 at the 2010 census.

Local government

A waste system company paid the town about $800,000 in "tipping fees" in 2009. This allows the town property tax rate to be zero. However, the town still pays school taxes.

Town

School District

History

Etymology

Town was named for the birthplace of one of the founders, Major Elias Buel, who was born in Coventry, Connecticut.

Post bellum

A record exists from 1860, showing that the "Artillery Company" of the 3rd Regiment mustered for annual drill on June 5. An inventory shows they possessed one six pound brass cannon.

In 1861, the 3rd Vermont Infantry, Company B, was recruited in part from Coventry.

Coventry Festival

In 2004, what was billed as the final concert of the band Phish was held in Coventry on August 14–15. The concert was the single largest gathering of people in the town's history. Some fans had to be turned back due to heavy rains. Even so, with 65,000 attendees Coventry's augmented population was the largest in the state at that time, outranking Burlington, Vermont, which had around 39,000 people in the 2000 census.

Coventry (comics)

Coventry is an unfinished Fantagraphics comic book series by Bill Willingham. Coventry is a fictitious state in an alternate history version of the United States of America in which magical and legendary powers, creatures, villains and heroes are real and a part of everyday life. Coventry ran for only 3 issues, from November 1996 to July 1997. Two short novels set in the same universe, detailing the exploits of the legendary hero Beowulf, were written by Willingham and published by Clockwork Storybook in 2002.

The Coventry comics and the following novels have been praised by critics as "a delicious blend of horror, offbeat humor, great characters and cat-and-mouse plotting" and "sharp, stark and needle-point powerful".

Coventry may have served as a prototype for Willingham's later series, Fables (published by DC Comics, under the Vertigo imprint), which deals with various characters from fairy tales and folklore who have been forced out of their Homelands by a mysterious enemy known as the Adversary.