Cow Lane Site Excavations

August 1937

COW LANE SITE

Cow Lane is mentioned in history books of Coventry less than any other lane or street I know. It could not have been looked upon as an important lane. Its name denotes the use it was put to, viz., for the driving of cattle to the Cheylesmore Park. From about 1550 until 1788 this park was used for pasturing cattle, and many were the poor men or cow keepers who had one or more cows kept up his yard at the back of his house. In 1850 there were 39 cow keepers in Coventry, one only in Cow Lane, named W. Taylor, and strange as it may be, I have a token with the name "Taylor, Cow Lane," on it, and it appears to be a man carrying a vessel, possibly containing milk.

There were also 17 farmers in 1850, living in Coventry, making a total of 56 people who kept cows in the town. In 1874 there were 30 cow keepers, and Cow Lane is again mentioned once, this time a cow keeper named Thomas Reynolds, possibly of the family of Reynolds living in Little Park Street forty years ago. Only about 11 farmers were at this time living in Coventry, making a total of 41 cow keepers."

Coming again to 1550, we have a very interesting tablet in St. Mary's Hall recording a charity to the poor cow and horse keepers, by the Earl of Warwick, later Duke of Northumberland who was beheaded on Tower Hill on 22nd August, 1553, for proclaiming Lady Jane Grey as Queen of England. It is to the effect that the Cheylesmore Park was leased to the Corporation of Coventry for 99 years on condition that the 80 poor cow keepers of Coventry should be able to turn a cow into the park for the sum of 1d. per week, and 20 poor horse keepers one horse each for 2d. per week. In consequence of the Duke losing his head, his son Robert, Earl of Leicester, obtained a grant from Queen Elizabeth in 1568 to hold the park in fee farm for ever, and the same number of cattle be pastured. The "for ever" in this case is like many other cases, it soon ends, for after about 60 years it passed to Henry, Prince of Wales, the son of James the First, as belonging to the Duchy of Cornwall. In 1620 however Prince Charles, later Charles the First, granted a lease to the City for 21 years, with the privilege of pasturing the usual number of cattle, to complete the 99 years. In 1659 the park came to the Commonwealth, but on the restoration of Charles the Second to the throne, he passed the park away from the City to Sir Robert Townsend, probably as a punishment for refusing his father entrance to the city in 1642. In 1690 Sir Robert permitted the inhabitants to pasture for three months of the year at 4d. per week for a horse, and 2d. per week for a cow. This went on until 1730, when it again came to the Corporation, and Freemen of the City were allowed to pasture. From 1740 until 1788 the pasturing was let half-yearly at a charge from May Day until Michaelmas of 6/- for a cow, and 8/- for a horse, and from Michaelmas until May Day 4/- for a cow and 6/-for a horse.

Note: This article was repeated in the next edition of April 1938.

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