Family history website Findmypast has added 284,027 exclusive historical records from Coventry in partnership with Coventry Archives.
The record sets include:
- Coventry bomb damage schedules recording damage caused to homes by the Coventry Blitz (1940-41).
- Air raid records (1940-41).
- Coventry Workhouse admission and discharge registers (1853-1946).
- Burial records from Coventry’s London Road Cemetery (1847-1896).
- Pages from company directories and publications (1908-1966).
- Car vehicle registrations (1921-1944).
- Pages from Coventry newspapers The Graphic, Coventry Standard, Piercy’s Coventry Gazette, Bedworth Times and Foleshill & Bedworth Express, dating from 1747 to 1921.
Mary McKee, UK Archives Manager at Findmypast, said: “This is a significant chunk of historical information which offers an amazing opportunity to understand more about Coventry’s colourful past – as well as uncover family stories.”
The records include stories of many famous people from Coventry throughout the years.
They include the record of the 1850 burial of Ellen Blight at London Road Cemetery.
Ellen was dubbed the ‘Lion Queen’ in her lifetime for taming and exhibiting the big cats at her uncle George’s famous menagerie, ‘Wombwell’s Travelling Menagerie’ which toured the country exhibiting elephants, giraffes, tigers, panthers, lions, a gorilla, and a kangaroo.
Tragically, Ellen died at the age of just 17 when she was mauled to death by a tiger while performing (pictured above).
