Contents [hide]

Coventry History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Coventry History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The present generation of the Coventry family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in Coventry in the county of Warwick.

Early Origins of the Coventry family

The surname Coventry was first found in Warwickshire at Coventry. "In ancient records this place is called Coventre, and Conventrey, probably from the foundation of a convent, of which St. Osberg was abbess in the year 1016, when it was burnt by Canute, King of Denmark, and Edric the traitor, who, having invaded Mercia, destroyed many towns in Warwickshire. " 1

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Thomas de Coventre, Oxfordshire; and William de Covingtre, Oxfordshire while the Testa de Nevill, sive Liber Feodorum, temp. Henry III-Edward I list Walter de Coventre, Lincolnshire, Henry III-Edward I. 2 The Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III lists Alexander de Coventre, Warwickshire, 20 Edward I (during the twentieth year of Edward I's reign.) 3

The early Scottish branch of the family claim descent from the county of Warwick, England. "Peter de Coventre rendered homage at Berwick, 1291. The earliest bearers of the name in Scotland appear to have been churchmen. Johannes de Couentre was a charter witness in Angus, 1344, and William de Couentre granted anew the church of Inhyrharyte (Inverharity) in the diocese of St. Andrews the following year." 4

Barons Coventry descend from John Coventry who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1426.

Early History of the Coventry family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Coventry research. Another 216 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1160, 1291, 1348, 1426, 1509, 1539, 1564, 1575, 1578, 1604, 1606, 1607, 1612, 1619, 1621, 1625, 1626, 1628, 1629, 1636, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1652, 1660, 1661, 1672, 1674, 1679, 1680, 1681, 1685, 1686, 1687, 1689 and 1699 are included under the topic Early Coventry History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Coventry Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Coventry include Coventry, Coventrie, Coventre, Coventreye and many more.

Early Notables of the Coventry family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Thomas Coventry, 1st Baron Coventry (1578-1640), English lawyer, politician and judge, Lord Keeper of the Great Seal (1625)
Thomas Coventry, 2nd Baron Coventry (1606-1661), an English politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1626 and 1629, member of the House of Lords, supporter of the Royalist cause in the Engli...
The Honourable Henry Coventry (1619-1686), an English politician, Secretary of State for the Northern Department (1672-1674)
George Coventry, 3rd Baron Coventry (1628-1680), an English nobleman, the eldest son of Thomas Coventry, 2nd Baron Coventry, Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire (1661-1680)
Thomas Coventry, 1st Earl of Coventry (ca. 1629-1699), Member of Parliament for Droitwich (1660-1661), for Camelford (1661-1679) and Warwick (1681-1687), Custos Rotulorum of Worcestershire (1689-1699)
John Coventry (died 1652) was an English politician, Member of Parliament for Evesham (1641-1642)

Coventry migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Coventry were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Coventry Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Joseph Coventry, who arrived in America in 1654-1679 5
Jonathan Coventry, who arrived in Maryland in 1659 5
William Coventry, who arrived in Maryland in 1661 5
Richard Coventry, who arrived in Maryland in 1678 5

Coventry Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Coventry, who settled in New England in 1732
Charles Coventry, who settled in New England in 1769
George Coventry, who arrived in New York in 1791 5
Robert Coventry, who landed in Virginia in 1792 5

Coventry migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Coventry Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Weston Coventry, English convict who was convicted in Berkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 20th May 1821, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6
Murray Coventry, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1848 7
Christina Coventry, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1848 7
Janet Coventry, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1848 7
Mary Ann Coventry, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Baboo" in 1848 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Coventry migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Coventry Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Henry Coventry, aged 18, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hurunui" in 1877
Fred Coventry, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Hurunui" in 1877

Coventry migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 8

Coventry Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Joseph Coventry, who settled in Barbados in 1654

Contemporary Notables of the name Coventry (post 1700) +

Flight Lt. Robert Coventry (1913-1940), Canadian RAF pilot born in Oak Bay, British Columbia, Canada who was piloting an RAF Bristol Blenheim on Sept. 23, 1940 back from a training mission when one of the bomber's engines failed. He managed to steer the bomber away from a busy school in Quedgeley, Gloucester, before it crashed in a field. Coventry died in the wreck. In 2021 it was announced a memorial stone would be placed near the crash site
George William Coventry (b. 1939), 13th Earl of Coventry, English peer
Edward George William Oscar Coventry (1957-1997), Viscount Deerhurst, English peer
Francis Henry Coventry (1912-2004), 12th Earl of Coventry, English peer
George William Coventry (1934-2002), 11th Earl of Coventry, English peer
George William Reginald Victor Coventry (1900-1940), 10th Earl of Coventry, English peer
George William Coventry (1865-1927), Viscount Deerhurst, English peer
George William Coventry (1838-1930), 9th Earl of Coventry, English peer
George William Coventry (1784-1843), 8th Earl of Coventry, English peer
George William Coventry (1758-1831), 7th Earl of Coventry, English peer
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Coventry Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Candide et constanter
Motto Translation: Fairly and firmly.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Testa de Nevill or "Liber Feodorum" or "Book of Fees," thought to have been written by Ralph de Nevill, for King John (1199–1216)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BABOO 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Baboo.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies