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England Coventry

Guide to Coventry history, family history, and genealogy: parish registers, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.



HISTORY
Coventry is an ancient city that predates Birmingham and Leicester. It is likely that Coventry grew from a settlement of the Bronze Age near the present-day city center where Coventry's bowl-shaped topography and, at that time large flowing river and lakes, created the ideal settlement area, with mild weather and thick woods: food, water and shelter would have been easily found.

The Romans founded another settlement in Baginton and another formed around a Saxon nunnery in about 700 AD.

Leofric, Earl of Mercia and his wife Lady Godiva built on the remains of the nunnery and founded a Benedictine monastery in 1043 dedicated to St Mary. In time, a market was established at the abbey gates and the settlement expanded.

By the 14th century, Coventry was an important center of the cloth trade, and throughout the Middle Ages was one of the largest and most important cities in England. Coventry claimed the status of a city by ancient prescriptive usage, was granted a charter of incorporation in 1345, and in 1451 became a county in its own right

LOCATION
Coventry's central location on the fertile midland plain made it a natural area for development. It is largely flatland, with few natural hills. The area is ideal for the construction of the first canals at the start of the industrial age, and then railways and highways as development proceeded.

RELIGION
Coventry had no particular areas of interest in the religious sphere until WWII. As a city, it had a cathedral (the British definition of a city was that it had a cathedral), but nothing especial stood out in its history.

However due to the firebombing of the city at the start of WWII, the cathedral shell became a sign of hope. St. Michael's Cathedral is now Coventry's best-known landmark and visitor attraction. The 14th century church was largely destroyed by German bombing during the Second World War, leaving only the outer walls and spire.

The new Coventry Cathedral was opened in 1962 next to the ruins of the old. It was designed by Sir Basil Spence. At 303 feet (92 metres) high, the spire of St. Michael's is claimed to be the third tallest cathedral spire in England, after Salisbury and Norwich.[

INDUSTRY
Coventry has for centuries been a center of British manufacturing.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, Coventry became one of the three main British centers of watch and clock manufacture and ranked alongside Prescot, in Lancashire and Clerkenwell in London.

In the late 19th century, Coventry became a major center of bicycle manufacture. The industry energized by the invention by James Starley and his nephew John Kemp Starley of the Rover safety bicycle, which was safer and more popular than the pioneering penny-farthing. The company eventually morphed into the Rover car manufacturing company.

By the early 20th century, bicycle manufacture had evolved into motor manufacture, and Coventry became a major center of the British motor industry. Many British marques were manufactured here, including Morris, Austin, and Rover. Bedford heavy vehicles were also built in the area.

The design headquarters of Jaguar Cars is in the city at their Whitley plant and although vehicle assembly ceased at the Browns Lane plant in 2004, Jaguar's head office returned to the city in 2011, and is also sited in Whitley.

By the early 1980s, Coventry had one of the highest unemployment rates in the country and crime rates rose well above the national average.[citation needed] Some 30 years later, Coventry is now considered as one of the UK's safer major cities and has gradually recovered economically with newer industries locating there, although the motor industry continues to decline.

CEMETERIES AND GRAVEYARDS
UK Cemsearch

Preston Government offices

Findagrave

Genuki

GENEALOGY SOCIETIES
Preston Historical Society

Preston Branch, Lancashire Historical Society

Lancashire BMD organization