108 



THE BRITISH ISLES. 



Coventnj, on the Sherbourne, a small tributary of the Avon, is far more 

 populous than either of the towns mentioned. Its name recalls the ancient 

 convent around which the first houses were built. Originally Coventry was a 

 l)laoe of processions and pilgrimages, and legends and popular sayings testify to 

 the reputation which it enjoyed during the :Middle Ages. Best known amongst 

 these legends is that of Lady Godiva, the wife of Leofric, and "Peeping Tom." 

 St. Michael's Church, with a steeple 303 feet in height, is one of the finest Gothic 

 edifices in the country. Formerly Coventry was noted for its cloth, but for its 



Fig. OS. — Stkatfoud-ox-Avox. 



Scale 1 : 88,400. 



w*«4 IP^ 



1° iJWoFGr 



present prosperity it is mainly dependent upon the manufacture of ribbons, 

 which was introduced by French refugees who settled there after the revoca- 

 tion of the Edict of Nantes. Foleshill and Bedworth, higher up on the Sher- 

 bourne, carry on the same branches of industry, besides which the latter has 

 some collieries. Nuneaton, in the valley of the Anker, on the northern slope of 

 the county, engages largely in cotton-spinning, whilst its neighbour Atherstone, 

 in the same valley, in addition to collieries, carries on the manufacture of hats 

 and caps. 



