_The Benedictine Monastery_ 24 CHAPTER III _The Chester Lordship_ 37 CHAPTER IV _Beginnings of Municipal Government_ 45 CHAPTER V _Prior's-half and Earl's-half_ 56 CHAPTER VI _The Seigniory of the Prior and Queen Isabella_ 66 CHAPTER VII _The Corporation and the Guilds_ 73 CHAPTER VIII _The Mayor, Bailiffs, and Community_ 84 CHAPTER IX _Coventry and the Kingdom of England_ 95 CHAPTER X _The Red and White Rose_ 112 CHAPTER XI _The Last Struggle of York and Lancaster--the Tudors and Stuarts_ 135 CHAPTER XII _The Lammas Lands_ 169 CHAPTER XIII _The Companies of the Crafts_ 212 CHAPTER XIV _Daily Life in the Town--the Merchants and the Market_ 233 CHAPTER XV _Daily Life in the Town (continued)--Religion and Amusements of the Townsfolk_ 269 CHAPTER XVI _Old Coventry at the Present Day_ 317 _Index_ 346 ILLUSTRATIONS _King Henry VI._ (_From a painting in the National Portrait Gallery; painter unknown_) _Photogravure Frontispiece_ HALF-TONE FACING PAGE _A Courtyard in Little Park Street_ 6 _Smithford Street_ 82 _Palace Yard_ 166 _Council Chamber, showing Panelling_ 174 _Bablake and S. John's Church_ 208 _New Street_ 224 _Butcher Row_ 228 _Mayoress' Parlour, showing State Chair_ 338 LINE PAGE _The Two Spires from top of Bishop Street_ 2 _8 Much Park Street_ 5 _Remains of Old Wall--back of Godiva Street_ 7 _Saint John the Baptist, Coventry_ 9 _Gosford Green_ 11 _24 Gosford Street_ 12 _130 Far Gosford Street_ 13 _Godiva Window_ 20 _Heraldic Tile found in Hales Street_ 21 _Peeping Tom_ 23 _Cathedral Ruins_ 24 _Carved Miserere Seat, S. Michael's Church_ 25