Lady Godiva
Late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman and legendary figure who rode naked through Coventry to protest taxation.
Lady Godiva (died between 1066 and 1086) was an Anglo-Saxon noblewoman whose Old English name, Godgifu or Godgyfu, meant "gift of God." The Latinised form "Godiva" is more familiar today. She is historically documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and as a generous patron of churches and monasteries.
The couple had nine children, including a son named Ælfgar. Godiva’s name appears in various charters and the Domesday survey, though spellings differ. The name was common, so there were contemporaries with the same name. Some claim she was born in Bucknall, Lincolnshire around 995, but historians consider the charter used as evidence for this to be spurious. A 12th-century history of Ely Abbey records a woman named Godiva; if this is the same person, she would have been a widow when she married Leofric.
Both Godiva and Leofric were among the most generous Anglo-Saxon donors in the decades before the Norman Conquest. In 1043, Leofric founded a Benedictine monastery at Coventry on the site of a nunnery destroyed by the Danes in 1016. Writing in the 13th century, Roger of Wendover credited Godiva with persuading him to do so. In the 1050s, her name appears alongside her husband’s on a land grant to the monastery of St. Mary, Worcester, and the endowment of the minster at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire. They are also commemorated as benefactors of monasteries at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock, and Evesham. Godiva gave Coventry works in precious metal by the goldsmith Mannig and bequeathed a necklace valued at 100 marks of silver. Another necklace went to Evesham, to be hung around a figure of the Virgin Mary accompanying a gold and silver rood she and her husband had donated. St Paul’s Cathedral in London received a gold-fringed chasuble. Early Norman bishops later carried off or melted down many of these gifts, but the memory of Godiva and Leofric survived; in 1122 their names appeared in the mortuary roll of Saint Vitalis of Savigny.
Before the Norman Conquest, the manor of Woolhope in Herefordshire and four others were given to Hereford Cathedral by the benefactresses Wulviva and Godiva—usually identified as the legendary Godiva and her sister. A 20th-century stained glass window in the church there represents them. A charter purportedly given by Thorold of Bucknall to the Benedictine monastery of Spalding bears her signature: *Ego Godiva Comitissa diu istud desideravi* ("I, The Countess Godiva, have desired this for a long time"). Many historians consider this charter spurious, though Thorold, who appears in the Domesday Book as sheriff of Lincolnshire, may have been her brother.
After Leofric’s death in 1057, Godiva lived on into her mid-fifties and died sometime between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and 1086. The Domesday Book lists her as one of the few Anglo-Saxons—and the only woman—to remain a major landholder shortly after the conquest. By the time of the survey in 1086, she had died and her lands were held by others. Her burial place is debated. The Evesham Chronicle claims she was buried at the Church of the Blessed Trinity at Evesham, which no longer stands. However, the Oxford Dictionary of National Biography states there is no reason to doubt she was buried with her husband at Coventry, despite that chronicle’s assertion. Her husband was buried in St Mary’s Priory and Cathedral in 1057.
According to William of Malmesbury’s *Gesta pontificum anglorum*, Godiva directed in her will that a circlet of precious stones threaded on a cord—used to count prayers by fingering them one after another—be placed on a statue of the Virgin Mary. This is the oldest known textual reference to a Rosary-like string of prayer beads. William Dugdale noted in 1656 that a window with representations of Leofric and Godiva had been placed in Trinity Church, Coventry, around the time of Richard II.
The legend of her nude ride first appears in the 13th century, in the *Flores Historiarum* and Roger of Wendover’s adaptation. Modern historians do not regard it as plausible, and it is not mentioned in the two centuries after her death, whereas her church donations are frequently recorded. In the typical version, Godiva pitied the people of Coventry suffering under her husband’s oppressive taxes. After she repeatedly appealed to him, he said he would lower the taxes only if she rode naked through the streets. She agreed, issued a proclamation that everyone should stay indoors and shut their windows, and then rode through the town covered only by her long hair. The name "Peeping Tom" for a voyeur comes from later versions, in which a man named Thomas watched her and was struck blind or dead.
- born
- Possibly Bucknall, Lincolnshire, around 995 AD (charter evidence considered spurious by several historians)
- died
- Between 1066 and 1086
- field
- Noblewoman, benefactor
- nationality
- Anglo-Saxon
- known_for
- Legend of the nude ride through Coventry; patron of religious houses
Lore & Background
Lady Godiva, a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman who died between 1066 and 1086, is historically documented as the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia, and a significant patron of religious houses. She and her husband were among the most generous Anglo-Saxon donors in the decades before the Norman Conquest, founding a Benedictine monastery at Coventry in 1043 and endowing churches at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire, and elsewhere. Her name appears in charters and the Domesday survey, and she was one of the few Anglo-Saxons—and the only woman—to remain a major landholder shortly after the Conquest. Her defining characteristic in popular memory, however, is a legend first recorded in the 13th century. In this tale, she rode naked through Coventry, covered only by her long hair, to persuade her husband to reduce oppressive taxes on his tenants. The story is not considered plausible by modern historians, as it is absent from records for two centuries after her death, while her church donations are well attested. The figure of Peeping Tom, a voyeur who watched her ride and was struck blind or dead, originates from later versions of the legend.
Reader's Guide
Godiva was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. They had nine children; one son was Ælfgar. 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 name's Latinised form. Since the name was a popular one, there are contemporaries of the same name. It is claimed that Godiva was born in Bucknall, Lincolnshire around 995 AD; however several historians have declared the charter document used as evidence for this to be spurious. A woman named Godiva was recorded in the 12th-century history (called 'Liber Eliensis') of Ely Abbey. If that 'Godiva' were the same person as [the legendary figure] 'Lady Godiva', then she would have been a widow when Leofric married her. Both Leofric and Godiva were generous benefactors to religious houses. In 1043, Leofric founded and endowed a Benedictine monastery at Coventry on the site of a nunnery destroyed by the Danes in 1016. Writing in the 13th century, Roger of Wendover credits Godiva as the persuasive force behind this act of generosity. In the 1050s, her name is coupled with that of her husband on a grant of land to the monastery of St. Mary, Worcester, and the endowment of the minster at Stow St Mary, Lincolnshire. She and her husband are commemorated as benefactors of other monasteries at Leominster, Chester, Much Wenlock, and Evesham. She gave Coventry a number of works in precious metal by the famous goldsmith Mannig and bequeathed a necklace valued at 100 marks of silver. Another necklace went to Evesham, to be hung around the figure of the Virgin Mary accompanying the life-size gold and silver rood she and her husband had donated, and St Paul's Cathedral in the City of London received a gold-fringed chasuble. Both Godiva and her husband were among the most munificent of the several large Anglo-Saxon donors of the last decades before the Norman Conquest; the early Norman bishops made short work of their gifts, carrying them off to Normandy or melting them down for bullion. Nevertheless, the memory of Godiva and Leofric survived during the Norman reign and in 1122 their names were commemorated in the mortuary roll of Saint Vitalis of Savigny. The manor of Woolhope in Herefordshire, along with four others, was given to the cathedral at Hereford before the Norman Conquest by the benefactresses Wulviva and Godiva—usu
Did You Know?
- Godiva and Leofric had nine children; one son was Ælfgar.
- The legend of the nude ride is first recorded in the 13th century, in the Flores Historiarum and the adaptation of it by Roger of Wendover.
- The name 'Peeping Tom' for a voyeur originates from later versions of the legend, in which a man named Thomas watched her ride and was struck blind or dead.
- According to William of Malmesbury, Godiva directed in her will that a circlet of precious stones threaded on a cord be placed on a statue of the Virgin Mary, the oldest known textual reference to a Rosary-like string of
- Godiva died sometime between the Norman Conquest of 1066 and 1086.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"Lady Godiva reveals Libertarian grievance," Eugene Register-Guard (Eugene, Oregon, Saturday, April 16, 1983), p. 4A." — Lady Godiva "J. Henderson, "Lady Godiva, Foe of Taxation," Mises Wire (Ludwig von Mises Institute, 3 April 2006)." — Lady Godiva "Robert LeFevre, "Lady Godiva: Uncovering the Facts About Tax Reform," Past is Present radio series." — Lady Godiva "Ronald J. Meyers, "Waiting for Godiva," ch. 7 of Waiting for Godiva: A Gude for Thinking Women and Men to the Story of Love (2002), p. 343." — Lady Godiva
More in Rulers & Leaders
Elsewhere in the Historical Figures universe
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record