15 Jan The legend of Lady Godiva
Lady Godiva was an ancestor of the Sewell family, for whom the Manoir d’Auteuil building was built in 1835. This historical figure is known by the legend dating from the 11th century that has since been attached to her name.
This story says that Lady Godiva allegedly asked her husband, Leofric Count of Chester, to withdraw the many taxes imposed on the people of Coventry, England. In exchange, Leofric would have asked her to parade naked on her horse through the streets of the city, believing that she would never dare to do so. When, to her husband’s surprise, she took up the challenge and he canceled, as promised, several taxes crushing the people of Coventry.
If you’ve ever heard the expression Peeping Tom, meaning “voyeur” ever since, it is recognized that this would come from the legend about Lady Godiva. Before parading through the city streets, Godiva reportedly ordered residents to stay in their homes and close their curtains, in an effort to protect her dignity. Tomas, a tailor in the city, was said to have been the only one to violate the woman’s request and, according to the legend, he instantly went blind. Part of this story appears in documents dating back to the 18th century, starting from a rumor that a tailor watched Lady Godiva on her horseback ride through Coventry.
Although romanticized over the centuries, Lady Godiva and her legend remain icons of the feminist fight for freedom as well as justice for the less fortunate.
At the Manoir d’Auteuil in Quebec city, one of the signature suites is named after this great Lady, of whom the first proprietors of the building were descendants of through many generations. If you’d like to visit our beautiful old city and get a feeling of the wonderful Quebec City history and heritage, you can reserve the Lady Godiva Contemporary Junior Suite, or any other room of your liking, by visiting us at manoirdauteuil.com.
References
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Lady-Godiva/
https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/peeping-tom.html
