Lady Godiva

Who was Lady Godiva? Did she exist? Did she make the naked ride in Coventry?

The Name Godiva is the Latinised form of the Old English name Godgyfu. She did exist though it is not known when or where she was born nor who her parents were exactly. It has been written she was the daughter of the Sheriff of Lincoln. Dubious, though there are certainly close ties with Lincoln. See the section on St Mary's stow.  

In her story, Ride, Octavia  Randolph  sets Godiva in Newark, just 20 miles from Lincoln, as she maintains that Godiva had large estates in Newark. You can read more of Octavia's writings on Godiva here in The Narrative Magazine.

It is undoubted Godiva married Leofric, Earl of Mercia. It is said she was much younger than Leofric. She was supposed to be around 16 when married to Leofric who was said to be in his 60's by some! Yet in contradiction of this supposed fact she died only 10 years after her husband when she was an old woman! These two supposed facts are mutually exclusive - but so much about Lady Godiva is ambiguous in this way. What is know about Lady Godiva is derived from references to her in charters, contemporary and much later chronicles some of which are forgeries.

It is thought that Lady Godiva had considerable properties before she married, inherited from her family -  like wealthy women of her time. Perhaps the area around Coventry (Cofa's tree) was one such parcel of land in her portfolio of properties. 

The Domesday Book lists the Coventry of her time as having just a few families. It was a relatively small place and not very indicative of there being much of a "town" through which to ride. More a hamlet of, not necessarily grouped, dwellings.  

It is undoubted that Godiva and Leofric were patrons of the church. The Benedictine prior of St Mary in Coventry was said to have been funded by them and their remains are allegedly buried therein. St Mary figures much in connection with Godiva. The church she founded in Lincolnshire is also named St Mary's -the  priory church at Stow, some 5 miles from Lincoln.

Leofric died on the 30th October 1057 as recorded in the Anglo Saxon Chronicles and Godiva bestowed further gifts to the church in various midlands towns.

Godiva and Leofric had one child, a son, named Ælfgar. Godiva died in 1067.