Coventry

a city in Warwickshire. It is an old English town. A Benedictine monastery was established in 1044 by the Lady Godiva. As early as 1392 mystery and morality plays were presented by the Gray Friars. A series of forty-two of these plays, covering Bible history from the creation of the Garden of Eden to the Last Supper and the day of resurrection, have been preserved, and are known as the Coventry Plays. They are of first importance to the student who is endeavoring to understand the early English drama. The city was fortified. It is stated that at one time Coventry had a military garrison of such repute that a woman seen conversing with a red coat was at once reckoned an outcast. The citizens would hold no intercourse with the soldiers, not even with the officers. Very naturally a young officer, likely enough of good family, was averse to being "sent to Coventry," where he would be debarred from desirable associations. Whatever its exact origin the phrase still lingers. When army men cut the acquaintance of a fellow officer they are said "to send him to Coventry," and when one is excluded from polite society he is said to be "sent to Coventry." The Coventry of today is a modern city. The old walls have disappeared. The cathedral fell in the reign of Henry VIII. According to Chambers the present parish church is the largest in England. Few old buildings remain. Coventry is a manufacturing and market town of some note. The city was at one time famous for the manufacture of ribbons. It is now known for bicycles, clocks, and watches. There are railway connections and an extensive canal system. The population in 1909 was about 80,000.