Coventry Myths, Legends and Folktales

Hi All, Was recently thinking about the old myths and legends surrounding Coventry's History. I made a small list of the ones I've heard of: •  St. Catherine's Well, Coundon, being the entrance to hell (mostly likely a story made by mothers attempting to keep their young children away from the dangers of falling into the well). [Folktale] •  A mummified cat in the wall of the Old Mill Hotel / pub in Baginton. The folktale suggests that its removal is accompanied by 'bad luck'. [Folktale] • St. George living in Coventry and the associated stories including him slaying a dragon which lived in a lair at Quinton Pool, Cheylesmore. The Dragon apparently demanded maidens as a sacrifice at the Cheylesmore gate. [Legend] • William Shakespeare jilting a Coventry woman to marry Anne Hathaway [Legend / old Rumour] • The "spinning Circular Cafe" in the Lower Precinct. This is a personal one for me, I remember as a child my Uncle telling me that it used to spin and that the motor had broken many years before [Local urban Legend (tongue-in-cheek)] •  The Coventry Panther (2010, but across Warwickshire and surrounding areas for many decades of 'big cats' being spotted) [Unable to verify therefore:- Myth]   I was wondering if anyone else knew of anymore or more details of these ones? Hope you're all well and having a nice weekend

What a good idea , there'll be quite a few myths, legends and ghostly tales along with superstitions etc. The mummified cat isn't a unique one in Coventry, there was another pub (a former M&B pub) on Stoney Stanton Rd which also had a mummified cat in the chimney. If my memory serves me correct, somewhere around Broad St/Station St Est area.

Nice collection Garlands. Mummified cats were a thing at one time and stories of them turning up in walls and under stairs pop up in the news periodically. I'm not sure whether they were to ward off witches or rats. Godiva and Leofric (but who remembers his name) were both myth and history. There was the Dun Cow myth connected to the city (eg the Dunn Cow pub) - A humble cupbearer, Guy of Warwick, had to prove his valour and become a knight to marry his love, the Lady Felice, the daughter of the Earl of Warwick. As part of his feats, a legendary, enormous cow from Shropshire was slain by the knight on Dunsmore Heath near Warwick and Rugby, not Coventry itself. Supposedly a witch milked the cow into a sieve, causing her to go on a rampage. In reference to the myth here was a large bone - looked like a shoulder, rather than a reputed rib - on the Gosford Gate. It was so large, it looked to be bigger than an aurochs shoulder so was possibly a whale bone or maybe a fossil. In the 1950s, artist Alma Ramsey-Hosking created a sculpture depicting the fight which was at one point placed on the archway above the pavement between Bull Yard and Shelton Square. I don't know if it's still there.

I remember Coventry streets back in the olden days before Health and Safety was invented. As a little boy, I was a right little b...... I mean, a right little so-and-so. I never believed in "luck", or anything to do with the "spirit" world. I still don't. (Sad, I can hear a lot of you thinking. But hey, it was what it was, and it still is what it is. No turning the clock back and re-living my life.) Any road up, back in the olden days there would often be a ladder leaning against a building, resting on the pavement. My mum would always say "Don't walk under the ladder, it's bad luck!". So on every occasion, I deliberately walked underneath the ladder just to prove her wrong. Of course, in later years, I realize that statistically, there is more chance of being hit by someone dropping something whilst walking under a ladder, as opposed to giving the ladder a wide berth. But luck? Nah.

Being born and having lived in Coventry all of my life. I have never heard of any of those !!

Same here Mick, I've never heard of those stories except the nonsense with regard to the round caff in The Lower Precinct revolving. It's never revolved. Clearly the person who made that up drank too much pop.

This is not a folk tale, but it is folklore. There is the Mayor of Hobbs Hole (Hobbs Hole was where the Transport Museum is now.) It is sometimes said that the election of Hobbs Hole was an old fertility custom (because it involved a well) and dated back over centuries. It does not; the election of 'mock mayors' was a fairly common custom around the 18th century, and the custom was simply a parody of the elaborate mayor making ceremonies that were for real at the time. & there was the occasion when Spring-heeled Jack appeared in Coventry!

Jabettsash. There are two claimed locations for the Hob or Hobb's Hole. The second was near the Bastille Gate (Cox Street gate) and I'm inclined to favour that position because it's mentioned as getting the well in 1689 and was also included on the 1850 Board of Health map. While the well was constructed at that time, given the location, there may have been an older spring in the area.