Lady Godiva

As told by Rainb0w at Deadmen Tales.

Some 900 years ago an extraordinary occurrence took place on Market Day in the English midlands town of Coventry.

Two monks at St. Albans Abbey in Hertfordshire first recorded this amazing story in Latin. As the Abbey stood at an important road junction, it would seem that the monks may have heard the story from travellers who were on their way from the Midlands to London.

The astonishing tale that has come down to us through the centuries, is that sometime in the eleventh-century a proud, pious lady rode through Coventry on Market Day completely naked, covered by nothing but her long hair!

Was this true? Apparently so!

Who was this pious medieval streaker?

Here is the story...
This was the town of Coventry in England in 1057. Many people there were poor because of all the taxes. Leofric, The Earl of Mercia didn't listen to the cries of the poor people.

At the Earl's castle, his wife, Lady Godiva, was angry.

Earl Leofric was one of the all-powerful lords who ruled England under the Danish King Canute.

Lady Godiva was a rich landowner in her own right and one of her most valuable properties was Coventry.

Leofric was a tyrant, he tyrannised the Church and did not hold the same religious convictions as his wife, nor her fondness for the Midlands and its populace.

He mercilessly demanded from the people of Coventry an oppressive tax called the Heregeld. This tax paid for King Canute’s bodyguard and Leofric made sure that the people of Coventry paid it!

Lady Godiva pleaded with Leofric to stop this hated tax "You must stop all these taxes!" she begged him.

"To stop the taxes you must ride naked through the streets of Coventry!" he said. And he laughed. He was quite sure that his demure, modest wife would never do such a thing.

But his wife was not laughing. "Very well," she said. "But are you happy for me to do this?

"Y...yes," said Leofric.

Lady Godiva met the town councillors and told them the news. "Dear Lady, you can't do it!" they exclaimed.

"Oh yes, I can" she said. Then she went back to Leofric.

"When she rides through the city, people must stay in their houses." the councillors said. "They must close their doors and windows. Nobody must see her."

Soon everybody was talking about Lady Godiva. "She wants to ride naked through the town!" they said. "Is it true?"

The day came when Godiva had to ride through Coventry. Her servants took her clothes. "My Lady!" they said. "How can you do this?"

"I must do it for the poor people of Coventry." she told them.

And on Market Day in Coventry she rode naked, veiled only by her long golden hair. As her hair was long enough to cover all her body, only her face and legs could be seen. Everyone was at home.
No windows or doors were open. There was nobody to see her.

Everyone complied except for one man who couldn’t resist peeping, a tailor, ‘Peeping Tom’ who was working in his shop,

Out in the street, Lady Godiva went past on her horse. Suddenly, the horse neighed. Tom heard it in his shop. He opened his window and looked out. And Lady Godiva saw him looking at her.
Suddenly, Tom was blinded by the wrath of Heaven’ for his temerity in not obeying the order. "Help! I can't see"" he cried.

Soon Lady Godiva arrived back at the castle. She put on her clothes, then went to her husband.

"Now, can you stop those taxes, my Lord?" she said.

"Yes, my Lady," replied Earl Leofric.

Leofric was so stunned by the whole incident that he believed it was a miracle that no one had seen his wife’s naked body, and he immediately “freed” the town from paying the hated Heregeld, and at the same time ceased his persecution of the Church.

Leofric appears to have undergone a religious conversion after this incident and he and Godiva funded a Benedictine monastery in Coventry where they were both buried. Unfortunately all traces of this monastery have long since disappeared.

THE END