Coventry City Map Poster

About Coventry

The Romans founded a settlement in Baginton, next to the River Sowe, and another formed around a Saxon nunnery (later St Mary's Church), which was later left in ruins by King Canute's invading Danish army. Earl Leofric of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva built on the remains of the nunnery; in time it became known as "Coventry", meaning 'the place of ("by") "Cofa's people"'. The name Coventry is recorded as having been derived from ""Couentre"" or ""Cuinetre"" meaning 'a town among oak trees' (or possibly from an earlier form Covington). In 1043 King Edward granted Coventria to Abbot Aelfric. In 1086 Earl William gave land within Coventry to become part of the Earldom for his son William FitzWilliam who became 1st Baron Coventry when he married Lady Isabel de Beaumont after her father died during The Anarchy that followed Stephen’s death.