Coventry Warwickshire Family History Guide

Parishes in Coventry

Fairs

May 2, June 8, (lasts eight days) Nov. 1, — New Cattle Fairs, the third Tuesday in Jan. Feb. March, April, (cheese fair also) July, Aug. Sept.(cheese fair also), Oct. and Dec.

History

The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales 1870

COVENTRY, a town, a district, and a quondam city-county, in Warwick. The town stands on the river Sherbourne, at the depôt of a ramified canal, and at a convergence of railways, nearly in the centre of England, 9 miles NNE of Warwick, 17 ESE of Birmingham, and 91 by road, but 94 by railway, NNW of London. The canal connects with the Oxford, the Ashby-de-la-Zouch, the Fazeley, and the Grand Trunk canals; and gives vast communication, both inland and to ports. The railways are connected with the North-western system; go northward, southward, eastward, and westward; and give communication with all parts of the kingdom.

History. Coventry claims a high but obscure antiquity. The original town is believed, from traces of extensive foundations, to have stood on the north of the present one; and it possibly was founded by the ancient Britons; but does not appear to have been occupied, at least in any military way, by the Romans. A nunnery existed here as early as the 9th century; and was destroyed, in 1016, by the Danes. A new nunnery of great wealth, was founded in 1043, by Leofric, fifth Earl of Mercia, and his Countess Godiva; and this is thought to have originated the name Convent-tre, signifying “convent-town,” and corrupted into Coventry. Godiva is traditionally said to have freed the town from some grievous imposts, and obtained for it many privileges, by acts of self-sacrifice; and she has been held in high esteem by all subsequent generations of the townsmen. The manor came, soon after the Conquest, to the Earls of Chester; passed to the Montalts, the Arundels, and the Crown; and was settled by Edward III., on the Black Prince, under the name of the manor of Cheylesmore, as a perpetual appanage of the dukedom of Cornwall. Cheylesmore, situated on the south side of the town, had been the seat of Leofric; and a castle, of great extent, was built there by the Earls of Chester. The town was walled and fortified, and acquired a prosperous cap and clothing trade, in the times of Edward III. and Richard II. The hostile meeting between Henry Bolingbroke, Duke of Hereford, and Thomas Mowbray, Duke of Norfolk, immortalized in Shakspeare’s King Richard II., took place near it, at Gosford Green, in 1397. A parliament was held in the town, by Henry IV. in 1404: known as the “parliamentum indoctorum, ” from the circumstance that the writs forbade the return of lawyers. Henry VI. visited it in 1436, 1450, and 1456, to see religions plays, hocktide sports, and other pageants for which it had become noted. A parliament was held in it in 1459, passing many attainders against the Yorkists, and thence called by them parliamentum diabolicum. Edward IV. visited it in 1474 and 1477; Richard III., in 1483; Henry VII., in 1485, 1492, and 1495; Mary, in 1525; and Elizabeth, in 1565. Mary Queen of Scots was for some time a prisoner in it in 1566 and 1569. James I. visited it in 1616. It took part with the parliamentarians against Charles I.; and was dismantled at the Restoration. The phrase “to send to Coventry,” appears to have originated in the exclusion of military men, at some period, from the society of the respectable inhabitants. An obnoxious procession, of great splendonr, long took place annually; alleged to commemorate the services rendered to the town by the Countess Godiva, but known to have originated in the licentious times of Charles II. A romantic legend, to which the incidents of it allude, has been well rendered, in his own style, by Tennyson, in the lines ending, –

Even then she gained
Her bower; whence reissuing rob’d and crown’d,
To meet her lord, she took the tax away,
And built herself an everlasting name.

Streets and Public Buildings. The town stands partly on low ground, partly on a gentle ascent. The old streets are generally narrow, and obscured by high, projecting, richly-ornamented gable ends and upper stories; while the modern ones are well-built and commodious. Many remains of the olden times appear in the edifices, both public and private; and are preserved with care. The town walls were 9 feet thick, and about 3 miles in circuit, and had 32 towers and 12 gates; and, though demolished at the dismantling in 1662, some interesting remnants of them, with 3 of the gates, still exist. A striking effect, in exterior views of the town, is produced by its beautiful tapering spires.

A market-cross, erected in 1544, was hexagonal, three-storied, and 57 feet high, with pillars, arches, pinnacles, and numerous niches and statues; but was taken down in 1771. St. Mary’s Hall, or the Guildhall, was built, about the beginning of the 15th century, for an ancient guild, and passed to the borough corporation; shows a noble main window, of very fine masonry; includes a very spacious kitchen, with liberal arrangements for cooking, and a modernized parlour, used till 1864 as a police court; and contains a great hall, 63 feet long, 30 feet wide, and 34 feet high, with timbered roof and minstrels’ gallery.

The county-hall was built in 1785; has Doric columns; and is commodious. A corn exchange was built in 1866; and a memorial cross of Sir Joseph Paxton erected in 1868. The Drapers’ hall was rebuilt in 1832; and is a neat Doric edifice. The borough jail, with house of correction, was rebuilt in 1730, at a cost of £16, 000; and has capacity for 90 male and 10 female prisoners. The barracks, in Smithford-street, occupy the site of an inn where Henry VII. was entertained, and Mary Queen of Scots was imprisoned; and have accommodation for twc full troops of cavalry. Other public buildings will be noticed in subsequent paragraphs.

Ecclesiastical Affairs. A bishopric, first founded at Lichfield, was moved, in 1075, to Chester; and in 1102, to Coventry. The five bishops who followed were styled Bishops of Coventry; their successors, till the time of Charles II., were styled Bishops of Coventry and Lichfield; and the successors thence, till 1836, were styled Bishops of Lichfield and Coventry. The church of the priory, founded by Earl Leofric, was the cathedral; and, till the time of Henry VIII., had its own dean and chapter, distinct from Lichfield. The edifice resembled Lichfield cathedral, but was destroyed at the Reformation; and a portion of one of its western towers, and doorways to a crypt, are the chief fragments of it which remain. An archdeaconry of Coventry, comprising fourteen rural deaneries, represents the territory over which the cathedral ruled, but was transferred, in 1836, to the diocese of Worcester. A white friars’ monastery was founded in the town about 1342; a grey friars’ monastery, about 1358; and a Carthusian monastery, in 1381. The white friars’ monastery, greatly altered, but with many portions of the original edifice in good preservation, is now the workhouse; the grey friars’ church steeple, a structure in good early decorated English, stands now attached to Christ Church, built by Rickman in 1834; and the Carthusian monastery has disappeared.

The livings in the borough are St. Michael, Christ Church, St. John, St. Thomas, Holy Trinity, and St. Peter; and St. John is a rectory, Christchurch a p. curacy, the others vicarages, in the diocese of Worcester. Value of St. Michael, £300; of Christ Church, £175; of St. John, £180; of St. Thomas, £160; of Holy Trinity, . £650; of St. Peter, £170. Patron of St. Michael, the Crown; of Christ Church, the Vicar of St. Michael; of St. John, the Mayor and Corporation; of St. Thomas, alternately the Crown and the Bishop; of Holy Trinity, the Lord Chancellor; of St. Peter, the Vicar of Holy Trinity. The vicarage of Keresley and Coundon also is a separate benefice.

The places of worship within the borough in 1851, were 6 of the Church of England, with 7,981 sittings; 4 of Independents, with 2,548 s.; 3 of Baptists, with 1,160 s.; 1 of Quakers, with 300 s.; 1 of Unitarians, with 460 s.; 1 of Wesleyan Methodists, with 750 s.; 1 of Primitive Methodists, with 260 s.; 1 undefined, with 1,028 s.; 1 of Latter Day Saints, with 250 s.; and 1 of Roman Catholics, with 800 s.

St. Michael’s church was pronounced by Sir Christopher Wren a master-piece of architecture; and is not unaptly called the boast of Coventry. It measures 293¾ feet, by 127; has a nave of seven bays and 50 feet high, built in 1434, a chancel of six bays, ending in an hexagonal apse, light pillars, very broad aisles, panelled clerestory, and windows so closely arranged as to give a blaze of illumination; and contains very fine stall-work seats, a perpendicular chest, and a cinque-cento monument to Wade, who died in 1556. The tower of it is a magnificent early perpendicular structure of four stories, niched and panelled, 136 feet high, built in 1373-95; surmounted by a two-banded spire, 130 feet high, springing from an embattled lantern 32 feet high within the parapet, and built in 1434.

Christ Church is an edifice in the early decorated style, erected in 1834, at a cost of £9, 702; and, as already noticed, has incorporated with it the ancient steeple of the Grey-friars’ monastery.

St. John’s church is a cruciform structure of the time of Edward III.; was erected by the members of St. John’s guild, stood some time in neglect after the suppression of the guilds, and was made a parish church in 1734; has a good panelled clerestory, a magnificent west window, and a handsome central square tower; and contains a font, copied from that of St. Edward’s church at Cambridge, and erected in 1843.

Holy Trinity church is later English; was partly rebuilt, partly repaired in 1832; has a central steeple, 237 feet high; and contains a font of 1394, a panelled and battlemented stone pulpit of 1500, a good brass lectern, and a monument to Dr. Holland, the first translator of Camden’s “Britannia.” A curious fresco, representing the last judgment, was discovered under the white-wash of the tower in 1832.

St. Peter’s church was erected in 1841; St. Thomas’ in 1849; St. Mark’s and All Saints’ in 1869. The Roman Catholic church was built in 1843; measures 115 feet by 50; and is in the decorated style. The new Coventry cemetery was laid out by Sir Joseph Paxton.

Schools and Charities. The schools within the borough in 1851 were 17 public day schools, with 1, 667 scholars. 41 private day schools, with 1,138 s.; and 21 Sunday schools, with 3, 913 s.

The free grammar school is held in the chapel of St. John’s hospital, founded in the time of Henry II.; was converted into a school, by John Hales, in the time of Henry VIII.; has an endowed income of £1, 070, with five exhibitions, three fellowships, and one scholarship; and numbers among its pupils Dugdale the antiquary.

Wheatly’s school has £887 from endowment; Baker’s Cow Lane school, £400; Bayley’s school, £154; Southern’s school, £89; Fairfax’s school, £72; and the girls’ blue coat school, £134. There is an important school of design; and a new building for it, in the Gothic style, estimated to cost £2, 130, was founded in 1862.

Ford’s hospital was founded in 1529; is a well-preserved specimen of the half-timbered architecture of the 16th century; serves now as an alms-house for aged females; and has an endowed income of upwards of £500. Bond’s hospital was founded in 1506; was, a number of years ago, renovated and enlarged; stands compacted in a square with Wheatly’s school and St. John’s church; has a hall with good timber roof; serves as an alms-house for poor men; and has an endowed income of £1, 001.

The Spon hospital, or St. Mary Magdalene’s hospital, for lepers, was founded by one of the Earls of Chester; and some portions of it, with rich wood-work, still remain. The total of endowed charities is £9,440.

Trade. Coventry has a head post office, a telegraph station, three banking offices, and four chief inns; is a polling-place and an excise collection; and publishes three weekly newspapers. Markets are held on Fridays; and fairs on the second Friday after Ash-Wednesday, 2 May, Trinity week, 26 and 27 Aug., and 1 Nov. A considerable transfer traffic exists, both by canal and by railway; and races are run in March. Manufactures are carried on in ribbons, gimp trimming, silk plush, elastics, broad-cloth, cotton, watches, brass, dyeing, and some other departments. The ribbon trade includes every style of plain and fancy weaving; employs about 8,000 hands; and gives support to many persons in the neighbouring town and villages. The watch trade also is very various and large; and has been at least doubled within the last twenty-five years.

The Borough. Coventry was first chartered by Edward III.; has sent two members to parliament since the time of Henry VI.; and is governed by a mayor, twelve aldermen, and thirty-six councillors. The parliamentary borough is conterminate with the registration district; and comprises 3,665 acres of the parish of St. Michael-with-St. John, and 1,824 acres of the parish of Holy Trinity-with-St. Peter. St. Michael-with-St. John parish is sometimes described as St. John the Baptist-with-St. Michael; includes the manor of Whitley and Pinley within the borough; and lies, to the extent of 1, 058 acres, constituting the hamlet of Keresley, in the district of Foleshill. Holy Trinity-with-St. Peter parish includes Radford hamlet within Coventry district; and lies, to the extent of 1,046 and 440 acres, constituting the hamlets of Coundon and Willenhall, in the districts of Meriden and Foleshill. The municipal borough is co-extensive with the parliamentary borough, exclusive of Radford hamlet. Real property of the p. borough in 1860, £142, 157; of which £6, 635 were in the canal, and £4, 000 in gas-works. Direct taxes in 1857, £22, 471. Electors in 1868, 4, 967. Pop. of the p. borough in 1841, 30, 743; in 1861, 41, 647. Houses, 9, 154. Pop. of the m. borough, 40, 936. Houses, 8, 991. The town gives the title of Earl to the Coventrys of Croome-Court. And it numbers among its natives Vincent, the eminent Franciscan of the 13th century; Maklesfield, the eminent Dominican; Bird, the last provincial of the Carmelites, afterwards bishop of Bangor and of Chester; wanley, the antiquary, and author of the “Wonders of the Little World;” Carte, the antiquary; and Tipper, the original publisher of the “Lady’s Diary.”

The District. The registration district, conterminate with the parliamentary borough, is divided into the sub-districts of St. John and Holy Trinity; the former comprising the borough portion of St. Michael-with-St. John parish, the latter the borough portion of Holy Trinity-with-St. Peter parish; and it is administered under a local act. Poor-rates in 1862, £19,097. Marriages in 1860, 389; births, 1,665, of which 85 were illegitimate; deaths, 886, of which 404 were at ages under 5 years, and 14 at ages above 85. Marriages in the ten years 1851-60, 4,538; births, 15,542; deaths, 9,914. The workhouse, as already noticed, was originally the White friars’ monastery; and it has remains of a gate and early perpendicular cloisters, and of the refectory and dormitory.

The County of the City. A tract around the town, and including it, 7½ miles long, 20 miles in circuit, and including the parishes of Anstey, Exhall, Foleshill, Stoviehall, Stoke, Wyken, and parts of St. Michael, Holy Trinity, and Sowe, was constituted by Henry VI., a separate county, under the jurisdiction of the magistrates of Coventry; but this was abolished by the boundary act of 1842, and annexed to the Kirby division of Knightlow hundred.

Source: The Imperial Gazetteer of England & Wales [Wilson, John M]. A. Fullarton & Co. N. d. c. [1870-72].

Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales 1850

Coventry, 10 m. N.N.E. Warwick, and 91 miles N.W. by N. London. Mrkt. Fri. P. 30,743

Source: Leonard’s Gazetteer of England and Wales; Second Edition; C. W. Leonard, London; 1850.

Parish Registers

Marriages Out of Parish

DetailsPlace of Marriage
John Astley, p. Coventry, & Mary Unite, of No. [?], lic. [no month or day] 1682Fenny Compton
James Francis, p. Coventry, & Hannah Constance, p. Draicot 15 May 1749Bourton on Dunsmore

Parish Records

FamilySearch

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Archives and libraries – Inventories, registers, catalogs ( 4 )
The Confederation of British Industry Predecessor Archive
Author: Wilcox, Michael; Grant, Wyn; Storey, Richard; University of Warwick. Library. Modern Records Centre

Confederation of British Industry Predecessor Archive : Federation of British Industries, directors general’s papers, economic directorate subject files
Author: University of Warwick. Library. Modern Records Centre; Jenkins, Deborah G.

Consolidated guide to the Modern Records Centre
Author: University of Warwick. Library. Modern Records Centre; Tough, Alistair G.; Storey, Richard; Woodland, Christine

Finding aids
Author: Coventry (Lanchester) Polytechnic

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Business records and commerce – Inventories, registers, catalogs ( 1 )
The Confederation of British Industry Predecessor Archive
Author: Wilcox, Michael; Grant, Wyn; Storey, Richard; University of Warwick. Library. Modern Records Centre

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Cemeteries ( 15 )
Coventry Holy Trinity burials 1837-1900
Author: Coventry Family History Society

Coventry London Road Civic Cemetery burial registers
Author: Coventry Family History Society

A guide to the cemetery and burial registers of the Coventry London Road Civic Cemetery
Author: Dunkley, Kay; Barwick, Geoff; Middleton, Barry

Holy Trinity Church, Broadgate, Coventry, Warwickshire
Author: Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

Monumental inscriptions from the London Road Cemetery, Conventry
Author: Conventry Family History Society

The monumental inscriptions in the parish church of S. Michael, Coventry, together with drawings of all the arms found therein.
Author: Astley, John

Monumental inscriptions, Independent churches, Coventry
Author: Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

Monumental inscriptions, various Church of England churches, Coventry
Author: Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

Monumental inscriptions, Walsgrave Cemetery, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, about 1700-1950

Removal of graves and tombstones for Cow Lane burial ground
Author: Coventry (Warwickshire). Health Department

Removal of graves and tombstones for the Society of Friends’ burial ground, Hill Street, Coventry
Author: Coventry (Warwickshire). Town Council

Society of Friends burial notes, Coventry & Warwick, 1837-1861

St. John the Baptist, Coventry, Warwickshire
Author: Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

St. John the Baptist, Westwood Heath, Coventry, Warwickshire
Author: Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

West Orchard Chapel Graveyard, Hill Street, Coventry, Warwickshire
Author: Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census ( 1 )
Census returns for Coventry, 1841-1891
Author: Great Britain. Census Office

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census – 1841 ( 2 )
Coventry 1841 census
Author: Coventry Family History Society

Coventry 1841 census
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census – 1851 ( 1 )
Coventry 1851 census
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census – 1851 – Indexes ( 1 )
Coventry 1851 census index
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census – 1861 ( 2 )
1861 census [Coventry, Foleshill & Sowe, Kenilworth & Meriden]
Author: Coventry Family History Society

Coventry 1861 census : (including surrounding parishes)
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census – 1871 ( 2 )
Coventry 1871 Census
Author: Coventry Family History Society

Family tree magazine (Huntingdon, England) – v. 21, no. 7 (June 2005) supplemental CD

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census – 1891 – Indexes ( 1 )
Coventry 1891 census surname index : (including surrounding parishes)
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Census – 1901 – Indexes ( 1 )
Coventry 1901 census surname index : (including surrounding parishes)
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Church history ( 9 )
200 years of Methodism in Coventry : the bicentenary of John Wesley’s visit

Catholicism, antiquarianism and gentry honour : the writings of Sir Thomas Shirley
Author: Cust, Richard

Centenary celebration of West Orchard Chapel, Coventry
Author: Delf, E. H.

Pastors and people : the biography of a Baptist Church, Queen’s Road, Coventry
Author: Binfield, Clyde, 1940-

The pictorial guide to Coventry Cathedral
Author: Williams, H. C. N.

Pulpit & pew : a history of Warwick Road Church 1891-1991
Author: Rimmer, David; Warwick Road United Reformed Church (Coventry)

St. Michael’s Baptist Church, Coventry, 1858-1908
Author: Soddy, Thomas E.

The steeple, bells, and ringers of Coventry Cathedral (formerly St. Michael’s Church) : with an account of the clock and chimes
Author: Pickford, Christopher J.
The third spire : a history of Christ Church, Coventry
Author: Munden, A. F. (Alan F.)

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Church records ( 38 )
Baptisms, 1777-1837
Author: Presbyterian Church. The Great Meeting, Smithford Street (Coventry, England)

Births and baptisms, 1757-1837
Author: Vicar Lane Chapel (Coventry, Warwickshire : Independent)

Births and baptisms, 1807-1828
Author: Gosford Street Chapel (Coventry, Warwickshire : Wesleyan)

Births and baptisms, 1820-1837
Author: Wesleyan Church. Warwick Lane (Coventry, England)

Births and burials, 1785-1837
Author: Longford Chapel (Coventry, Warwickshire : Baptist)

Births, 1761-1836
Author: Cow Lane Baptist Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Births, 1826-1837
Author: General Baptist Church. Whitefriar’s Lane (Coventry, England)

Births, baptisms and burials, 1766-1837
Author: West Orchard Chapel (Coventry, Warwickshire : Independent)

Bishop’s transcripts for Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, 1662-1848
Author: Church of England. Holy Trinity Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Bishop’s transcripts for Keresley and Coundon, 1847-1852
Author: Church of England. Chapelry of Keresley and Coundon (Warwickshire)

Bishop’s transcripts for St. John’s Church, Coventry, 1752-1841
Author: Church of England. St. John’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Bishop’s transcripts for St. Michael’s Church, Coventry, 1663-1847
Author: Church of England. St. Michael’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

The Bishop’s transcripts of the registers of St. Michael’s, Coventry, Warwickshire
Author: Tildesley, Norman W. (Norman William), 1900-; Woodburn, P., Mrs.; Merritt, A., Mrs.; Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry; Church of England. St. Michael’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Bishops’ transcripts of St. Michael’s church Coventry, Warwick County : baptisms, marriages, burials 1640-1726
Author: Tildesley, Norman W. (Norman William), 1900-; Church of England. St. Michael’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Church records for the church of The Most Holy Sacrament and St. Osburg, Coventry, 1745-1959
Author: Catholic Church. The Most Holy Sacrament and St. Osburg (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Church records, 1822-1911
Author: Catholic Church. St. Austin (Kenilworth, Warwickshire)

Coventry diocesan calendar, A. D. 1937
Author: King, M. J. G.

England, Warwickshire, Coventry, Catholic parish records of St. Mary & St. Benedict, 1889-1920
Author: Catholic Church. Saint Mary and Saint Benedict (Hillfields, Coventry, Warwickshire); Catholic Church. Archdiocese of Birmingham (England)

Holy Trinity Coventry Warwickshire
Author: Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

Holy Trinity, Coventry, banns 1653-1661, baptisms 1561-1837, marriages 1561-1837, burials, 1561-1839, monumental inscriptions
Author: Merritt, A., Mrs.; Chubb, Annette; Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry; Church of England. Holy Trinity Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Non conformist registers of Coventry, Warwickshire (including Foleshill), 1761-1837
Author: Houghton, F., Mrs.; Cato, J., Mrs.; Haddleton, O., Mrs.; Smithies, B., Mrs.; Twist, E., Mrs.

Parish registers and poor law records for Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, 1561-1909
Author: Church of England. Holy Trinity Church (Coventry, Warwickshire); Warwick County Record Office (Warwickshire)

Parish registers for All Saints Church, Coventry, 1869-1912
Author: Church of England. All Saints Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Parish registers for Christ Church, Coventry, 1875-1922
Author: Church of England. Christ Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Parish registers for Keresley and Coundon, 1847-1932
Author: Church of England. Chapelry of Keresley and Coundon (Warwickshire); Warwickshire (England). County Record Office

Parish registers for St. John Baptist’s Church, Coventry, 1734-1893
Author: Church of England. St. John Baptist’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire); Warwickshire (England). County Record Office

Parish registers for St. John’s Church, Coventry, 1865-1908
Author: Church of England. St. John’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Parish registers for St. Mark’s Church, Coventry, 1869-1905
Author: Church of England. St. Mark’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Parish registers for St. Michael’s Church, Coventry, 1670-1966
Author: Church of England. St. Michael’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire); Warwickshire (England). County Record Office

Parish registers for St. Peter’s Church, Coventry, 1841-1931
Author: Church of England. St. Peter’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Parish registers for St. Thomas’ Church, Coventry, 1849-1913
Author: Church of England. St. Thomas’ Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

Record of members, 1844-1872
Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Coventry Branch (Warwickshire)

Record of members, ca. 1848-1948
Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Birmingham Conference (Warwickshire)

Registers of St. Michael’s, Coventry, Warwickshire
Author: Tildesley, Norman W. (Norman William), 1900-; Church of England. St. Michael’s Church (Coventry, Warwickshire); Birmingham and Midland Society for Genealogy and Heraldry

Registers of the Church of Holy Trinity, Coventry, Warwickshire
Author: Church of England. Holy Trinity Church (Coventry, Warwickshire); Merritt, Alma

Society of Friends, Warwickshire North, church records, 1623-1890.
Author: Society of Friends. Warwickshire North Monthly Meeting (England)

Some parish register extracts from Bishops Itchington 1752-1840, Coventry 1745-1812, Long Itchington 1653-1850
Author: Gardner, David Ensign, 1915-2007

A transcript of parish register, 1561-1745
Author: Church of England. Holy Trinity Church (Coventry, Warwickshire)

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Church records – Indexes ( 9 )
Computer printout of Coventry, Holy Trinity, Warws., Eng

Computer printout of Coventry, St. Michael, Warws., Eng

Computer printout of Coventry, Vicar Lane Independent, Warws., Eng

Computer printout of Coventry, West Orchard Independent, Warws., Eng

Parish register printouts of Coventry, Warwick, England (Independent, Vicar Lane) ; christenings, 1757-1837
Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department

Parish register printouts of Coventry, Warwick, England (Independent, West Orchard Chapel) ; christenings, 1775-1837
Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department

Parish register printouts of Coventry, Warwick, England (St. John) ; christenings, 1734-1812
Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department

Parish register printouts of Coventry, Warwick, England, (Holy Trinity), christenings, 1813-1848
Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department

Parish register printouts of Coventry, Warwick, England, (Saint John), christenings, 1813-1876
Author: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Genealogical Department

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Court records ( 5 )
Conflict in a monastic borough : Coventry in the reign of Edward II
Author: Rohrkasten, J.

Court records, 1632-1832
Author: Great Britain. Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace (Warwickshire)

Court records, 1687-1834
Author: Great Britain. Court-Leet (Coventry)

Coventry constables’ presentments, 1629-1742
Author: Fox, Levi; Dugdale Society

Rolls of the Warwickshire and Coventry sessions of the peace, 1377-1397
Author: Kimball, Elisabeth G. (Elisabeth Guernsey); Pluncknett, Theodore Frank Thomas; Great Britain. Court of Quarter Sessions of the Peace (Warwickshire)

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Directories ( 3 )
1822 trade directory of principal cities & London bankers

The Coventry complete directory

Robson’s London and Birmingham directory, street key, and classification of trades : particularizing the residence and profession of the merchants, manufacturers, and traders, of the following places, Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Wolverhampton, and their immediate environs; also, of Sheffield

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Genealogy – Periodicals ( 1 )
Journal (Coventry Family History Society)
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Genealogy – Societies – Directories ( 1 )
Coventry Family History Society members’ interests
Author: Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – History ( 13 )
The ancient records of Coventry : a paper read before the Dugdale Society at St. Mary’s Hall, Coventry, on Saturday, October 25th, 1924
Author: Harris, Mary Dormer

Coventry : its history & antiquities
Author: Poole, Benjamin

Coventry : past into present
Author: Richardson, Kenneth

Coventry through the ages : some descriptions of the city, c. 1540-1934
Author: Smith, D. J. H (David J. H.); Montes, Mary

The early history of Coventry
Author: Davis, Ralph H. C. (Ralph Henry Carless), 1918-1991

A history of Coombe Abbey
Author: Moore, Robin

A history of Coventry
Author: McGrory, David

Illustrative papers on the history and antiquities of the city of Coventry…
Author: Sharp, Thomas; Fretton, William George

Irish immigrants and public disorder in Coventry, 1845-1875
Author: Mulkern, Paul

The John Gulson story
Author: Short, John E.

A short history of Warwickshire and Birmingham
Author: Bird, Vivian

The story of Coventry
Author: Harris, Mary Dormer

Urban design in medieval Coventry
Author: Lilley, Keith D.

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – History – Sources ( 2 )
The manuscripts of Shrewsbury and Coventry corporations; the Earl of Radnor, Sir Walter Corbet, bart., and others
Author: Great Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England); Corbet, Walter Orlando, Sir, 1856-1910; Tillard, Philip Edward, 1836-1913; Tillard, William, b. 1675; Carr-Ellison, John Ralph, 1832-1907

The manuscripts of Shrewsbury and Coventry corporations; the Earl of Radnor, Sir Walter Corbet, bart., and others
Author: Great Britain. Royal Commission on Historical Monuments (England); Corbet, Walter Orlando, Sir, 1856-1910; Tillard, Philip Edward, 1836-1913; Tillard, William, b. 1675; Carr-Ellison, John Ralph, 1832-1907

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Land and property ( 3 )
Bullish markets : the property market in thirteenth-century Coventry
Author: Goddard, Richard

Parish registers and poor law records for Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, 1561-1909
Author: Church of England. Holy Trinity Church (Coventry, Warwickshire); Warwick County Record Office (Warwickshire)

Translation of deeds, (Holy Trinity), Warwick, England, 1259-1610

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Maps ( 1 )
Geographers’ plan of Coventry
Author: Gross, Alexander

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Medical records – Indexes ( 1 )
The midwife’s register : Mary Eaves, midwife of Spon End, Coventry, 1847-1875
Author: Wishart, Beverley; Coventry Family History Society

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Newspapers ( 2 )
England, Warwickshire, Coventry : Family Notices, 1855-1918

England, Warwickshire, Coventry : Obituaries, 1855-1918

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Obituaries ( 2 )
Cholera : reported deaths from cholera in the Coventry Herald, August and September 1849
Author: Wishart, Beverley

England, Warwickshire, Coventry : Obituaries, 1855-1918

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Occupations ( 24 )
Accounts, 1653-1679
Author: Worsted and Silkweavers’ Company (Coventry)

Accounts, 1653-1760
Author: Cordwainers’ Company (Coventry)

Accounts, 1683-1829
Author: Whittawers’ Company (Coventry)

Closed shops? : the Coventry cappers and carpenters in the later Middle Ages
Author: Fonge, C. R. (Charles Richard), 1973-

Company records, 1438-1840
Author: Carpenters’ Company (Coventry)

Company records, 1475-1840
Author: Fullers’ Guild (Coventry)

Company records, 1523-1915
Author: Broadweavers’ Company (Coventry)

Company records, 1599-1891
Author: Drapers’ Company (Coventry)

Company records, 1602-1854
Author: Mercers’ Company (Coventry)

Company records, 1660-1808
Author: Bakers’ Company (Coventry)

Courtaulds register of hands 1909-1932

Coventry apprentice enrolments 1781 to 1882
Author: Coventry Family History Society

Coventry car component industry, 1895-1914
Author: Beaven, Bradley

Coventry diocesan calendar, A. D. 1937
Author: King, M. J. G.

Custom, culture and conflict : a study of the Coventry ribbon trade in the first half of the nineteenth century
Author: Beaven, Bradley

Enrollment of apprentices and indentures, Coventry, 1781-1856

Freemen admissions, Coventry, 1722-1935

A guide to the index of entries from the Coventry apprentice enrolment registers: 1781 onwards
Author: Robinson, Barbara; Coventry Family History Society

Order book, 1605-1742
Author: Tanners’ Company (Coventry)

Order book, 1686-1777
Author: Wheelwrights and Millwrights’ Company (Coventry)

Order book, 1728-1766
Author: Tailors’ Company (Coventry)

Records and accounts, 1682-1815
Author: Shoemakers’ Company (Coventry)

Records and accounts, 1686-1822
Author: Smiths’ Company (Coventry)

The Register of the guild of the Holy Trinity, St. Mary, St. John the Baptist and St. Katherine of Coventry

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Occupations – Directories ( 1 )
Coventry apprentices and their masters, 1781-1806
Author: Lane, Joan, 1934-2001

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Politics and government ( 1 )
Popular politics in the Midlands : the Coventry Political Union and the Great Reform Act
Author: Lopatin, Nancy

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Poorhouses, poor law, etc. ( 3 )
The Coventry workhouse death registers, 1845-1943
Author: Wishart, Beverley

Parish registers and poor law records for Holy Trinity Church, Coventry, 1561-1909
Author: Church of England. Holy Trinity Church (Coventry, Warwickshire); Warwick County Record Office (Warwickshire)

Poor rate, 1732 to 1736, Much Park St. Ward, St. Michael’s parish
Author: Old, Barbara

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Probate records ( 1 )
Records of Coventry
Author: Bloom, J. Harvey (James Harvey), b.1860

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Public records ( 4 )
A calendar of the books, charters, letters patent, deeds, rolls, writs, and other writings in the cases and drawers of othe new muniment room of St. Mary’s Hall
Author: Jeaffreson, John Cordy

Freemen admissions, Coventry, 1722-1935

The Register of the guild of the Holy Trinity, St. Mary, St. John the Baptist and St. Katherine of Coventry

The statute merchant roll of coventry, 1392-1416
Author: Beardwood, Alice

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Schools ( 1 )
The John Gulson story
Author: Short, John E.

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Social life and customs ( 1 )
A History of Women’s Lives in Coventry
Author: Hunt, Cathy

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Taxation ( 1 )
The passive rates resisters in Coventry, 1904
Author: Wishart, Beverley; Hunnisett, Peter

England, Warwickshire, Coventry – Vital records ( 1 )
The Coventry workhouse birth registers, 1854-1930 : and births from other workhouse sources
Author: Wishart, Beverley

Bankrupts

Below is a list of people that were declared bankrupt between 1820 and 1843 extracted from The Bankrupt Directory; George Elwick; London; Simpkin, Marshall and Co.; 1843.

Adkins William. Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, January 7, 1826.

Alcock Ralph Henry, Coventry, timber merchant, July 29, 1831.

Bird Josiah, Coventry, fringe manufacturer. April 15, 1842.

Buckler James, Coventry, builder, Aug. 12, 1831.

Burbery John, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, April 7, 1821.

Burbery Richard, Coventry, silk manufacturer, March 17, 1821.

Burbery Rich.; & Geo. John Wigley; Coventry, ribbon manufact., Dec. 4, 1829.

Burbury Richard, Coventry, silk manufacturer, March 3, 1821.

Bushill Serjeant, Foleshill, Coventry, Warwickshire, builder, May 26. 1829.

Cattell Samuel, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Dec. 11, 1829.

Cave John, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, June 10, 1823.

Cherry James, Coventry, painter, carver, and gilder. Jan. 18, 1831.

Clarridge Richard, Coventry, victualler, Feb. 26, 1828.

Clements Richard, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, April 7, 1821.

Congreve Henry; and Richard Hill, jun.; Bedworth and Coventry, and Wood street, Cheapside, silk and ribbon manufacturers, March 25, 1826.

Cooke John, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Jan. 3, 1826.

Cooke Samuel, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Jan. 12, 1830.

Crofts Richard, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, March 17, 1837.

Crossby Samuel, Coventry, dyer, March 3, 1835.

Day John, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Jan. 29, 1839.

Dickens Worthington, Coventry, chemist and druggist, Jan. 31, 1826.

Dodd Thomas, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Sept 24, 1833.

Eld George. Foleshill, Coventry, miller, Dec. 25, 1838.

Elliott George, Foleshill, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Мaу 26, 1829.

Essex Mich., Coventry, & Wood st., Cheapside, silk manufac., April 21, 1821.

Everton Edward, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, May 27, 1834

Eyre George, Coventry, and Bedworth, ribbon manufacturer, Oct. 23, 1829.

French Joseph, jun., Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Jan. 7, 1840.

French Josh., West Orchard, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, March 13, 1821.

Gilbert John, Coventry, Warwickshire, coach proprietor, Feb. 14, 1832.

Gill Thomas Watson; and John Loake Gill ; Coventry, drapers, Aug. 15, 1826.

Godson Spyers, jun., Coventry, grocer and tea dealer, April 20, 1830.

Greenwell George ; John Benjamin David Dearberg; and William Whitehall, Fore street, London, and Coventry, silk manufacts., May 17, 1842.

Haines Elizabeth. Coventry, Warwickshire, dyer, Dec. 11, 1829.

Halford Thomas, Coventry, cabinet maker, Sept. 7, 1827.

Hands Joseph; and Elizabeth Gill ; Coventry, ribbon manufa, April 26, 1842.

Harper Edw.; & Rich. Carter, jun.; Coventry, ribbon manufs., May 26, 1829.

Harris George, Coventry, Warwickshire, corn factor, Jan. 1, 1836.

Hawkes Wm. ; and John Johnson ; Coventry, ribbon manufs., Oct. 20, 1840.

Hedger Hen.; & Jas. Hedger; Coventry, watch manufacturers, Oct. 25, 1542.

Holland Henry Leneve, Coventry, late Birmingham, builder, Dec. 11, 1821.

Holt Charles, Coventry, baker and grocer, April 25, 1828.

Horsfall John, Coventry, maltster and victualler, M a y 12, 1837.

Howard Edward, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Nov. 10, 1840.

Hull William, Coventry, watch manufacturer. June 18, 1833.

Hyams John, Coventry street, Haymarket, jeweller, July 8, 1823.

Jackson George, Coventry, Warwickshire, ribbon manufacturer, Feb. 5, 1828.

Jackson Richard, jun., Coventry, Warwickshire, ribbon manufac., Feb. 5, 1828.

Jacombs John and William, Coventry, ribbon manufacturers, Feb. 12, 1833.

Jeffs Francis, Coventry, Warwickshire, shopkeeper, April 7, 1821.

Jenson Thomas, Coventry, druggist and grocer, March 18, 1834.

King Robert, Coventry court, Haymarket, grocer and chandler, Jan. 22, 1822.

Kirkland Joseph; & Jas. Badenoch; Coventry, ribbon manufs., Mar. 16, 1822.

Lewis John ; and Samuel Palmer; Coventry, drapers, Sept. 30, 1834.

Lloyd James Payne, Coventry street, Haymarket, bootmaker, Aug. 6, 1839.

Loone Joseph, Coventry, builder, Feb. 17, 1821.

Marshall James, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Nov. 15, 1836.

Marshall Joseph, Foleshill, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Sept. 22, 1829.

Massey Edward, Eccleston, late Coventry, watchmaker, Feb. 6, 1821.

Masters Richard, Coventry, tailor, June 5, 1821.

Matthews Joseph, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, April 7, 1821.

Merridew Henry, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer and printer, June 14, 1842.

Mew John, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Dec. 31, 1833.

Newark Wm., jun., Coventry, gun maker, milliner, & dressmaker, April 30, 1830.

Newbold William, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Nov. 24. 1829.

Paine Thomas, Coventry, Warwickshirc, silk manufacturer, July 26, 1825.

Parker Thomas, Coventry, Warwickshire, ribbon manufacturer, May 17, 1839.

Pears William Hill, Coventry. silkman, June 23, 1837.

Peters Eli Wise, Coventry, wine and liquor merchant, June 22, 1832.

Pickering Henry Burrows, Coventry, ribbon dresser, Jan. 3, 1826.

Rainbow John, Coventry, victualler, Dec. 25. 1840.

Reynolds George, Coventry, Warwickshire, druggist, April 27, 1832.

Robinson Frederick, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Dec. 31,1839.

Roe Thomas, Whitley, Coventry, miller, April 30, 1841.

Rose Robert, Coventry, grocer and tea dealer, April 2, 1830.

Ryland John, jun. ; William Chapman; and George Manley Smith; Birmingham, and Coventry, mill and press makers. April 17, 1840.

Ryley Thomas, Coventry, dyer, July 19, 1831.

Sanders John, Coventry, auctioneer, Nov. 24, 1821.

Sanders Wm. , Wood st., Cheapside, & Coventry. ribbon manuf., Nov. 20, 1824.

Sawbridge William, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, July 19, 1831.

Sawer Thomas, Wood street, & Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, Jan. 16, 1838.

Smith Elizabeth, Coventry, Warwickshire, coal dealer, Jan. 26, 1827.

Spencer William, Coventry, and Foleshill, ribbon manufacturer, Jan. 26, 1830.

Steane Robert; and Richard Steane; Coventry, ribbon manufs., June 28, 1842.

Strickland Edward Richard, Coventry, chemist and druggist, April 5, 1831.

Thornicraft Joseph, Coventry, Warwickshire, victualler, April 20, 1822.

Troughton Bryan, jun., Coventry, silkman, Feb. 24, 1821.

Troughton Joseph; Charles Atkins Newcomb; James Troughton; and Bryan Troughton, jun. ; Coventry, bankers, March 3, 1821.

Underwood William, Coventry, grocer, April 6, 1830.

Wallis John, Coventry, victualler, May 26, 1837.

Walter Richard, Coventry, and Wооd street, City, ribbon manuf., Jan. 31, 1840,

Walton John, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, May 26, 1829.

Ward Joseph, Coventry, grocer, Sept. 23, 1831.

Ward Thomas, Warwick row, Coventry, silk manufacturer, Feb. 24, 1821.

Ward William, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, March 16, 1830.

Ward William, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, April 10, 1835.

Waterfall Seymour, Coventry, tea dealer, Dec. 14, 1827.

Weatherhead Anth., Coventry st., Haymarket, tea dealer & grocer, Apr. 6, 1827.

Wetton James ; William James ; & Thomas Payne, jun. ; Wood street, Cheapside, Coventry, and Nuneaton, ribbon manufacturers, May 12, 1821.

Wetton William, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer, May 14, 1841.

Wheatley Henry, Coventry, silk dyer, June 2, 1821.

Wills William, Coventry, Warwickshire, grocer, May 11, 1830.

Wilson James Wood, Coventry, Warwickshire, carrier, Jan. 18, 1828.

Winkless Thomas, Coventry, ribbon manufacturer. Jan. 15, 1828.

1915 KINGS HEAD HOTEL COVENTRY WARWICKSHIRE
1915 KINGS HEAD HOTEL COVENTRY WARWICKSHIRE

Warwickshire Historical Directories

Directory Transcriptions

Coventry Universal British Directory 1791 (Principal Inhabitants of)

Coventry – Commercial Directory of the Jews of Gt. Britain. 1894

COVENTRY.

BARRAS LANE. Baum, M. ; Watch manufacturer.

CHAPEL FIELDS. Cohen, P. ; Watch manufacturer.

FLEET STREET. Margolies, S. ; Complete house-furnisher.

HOLYHEAD ROAD. Friedlander, A. E. ; Watch manufacturer.

SPON STREET. Silverston, F. ; (Retired.)

THE BUTTS. Radges, M. & J., Argyle House ; Watch manfrs.

UNION STREET. Auerhahn ; Foreign correspondent. Kalker, E. ; Foreign correspondent.

WARWICK ROAD. Harris, L. ; Manager for Cohen’s Watch Factory.

Source: Commercial Directory of the Jews of the United Kingdom 1894 by Harfield, Eugene G.

Further Reading

The Story of Coventry : Harris, Mary Dormer, 1867-1936 : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The Coventry leet book; or mayor’s register : Coventry, England Court-leet, Coventry (England). Court-leet, Mary Dormer Harris : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive