Midlands
Coventry
In the twelfth century
Coventry grew up around the Benedictine priory of St Mary, founded in 1043 by Earl Leofric and his wife Godiva. In 1102 the bishop moves his see here from Chester, and the priory church becomes a cathedral. The town is split between the Prior's Half and the Earl's Half, the earls of Chester being its other lords. During the Anarchy the priory is seized and turned into a fortress by Robert Marmion in 1143–4, and there is fighting around the earl's castle in 1147. Between about 1149 and 1153 Earl Ranulf grants the burgesses free tenure and their own court, confirmed by Henry II in 1182. Coventry is a market town at a meeting of roads. It is still a modest place; its later fame for cloth lies ahead.
Landmark: The Norman cathedral priory church of St Mary (a cathedral from 1102; now only foundations survive).
Known for
- Market for the surrounding countryside (grain and livestock)
- Wool
- Hides and leather
- Road traffic at a crossroads of routes
Caveats (confidence: medium)
Coventry's 12th-century trades are poorly documented; the trade list is a cautious general one, and the cloth and dyeing industries it is famous for are mainly 13th–15th century. The castle's exact site and form are uncertain, and it was short-lived. The see was later shared with Lichfield; the priory church was demolished in the 16th century.
Sources: british-history.ac.uk · british-history.ac.uk · british-history.ac.uk · coventry.gov.uk
Playtest: in development, may be reset
In the playtest world now
What the test world shows at Coventry, as of Year 12, winter, month 10, day 26. About the playtest
Last season's market
Autumn, year 12. Each good's price at the close of last season, against its usual price in this town: dear, usual or cheap.
- Usual
- Pick, Ox cart, Pit saw, Adze, Axe, Iron hammer, Awl, Chisel