|
The story of Peeping Tom springs from Lady Godiva's infamous ride through the streets of Coventry in England. Unclothed with only her long hair to cover her, she made the ride as a protest to the oppressive taxation of the townspeople by her husband, Leofric III, lord of Coventry. Before her ride, Lady Godiva asked the townspeople to stay inside with their shutters and doors closed so they wouldn't see her in the nude. According to legend, one man, a tailor named Tom, bore a hole in his shutters to catch a glimpse of Godiva as she passed. The tailor, who became known as Peeping Tom, was struck blind (or some say dead) the moment he saw
her. Lady Godiva was a real noblewoman who lived in the 11th century, though it appears that her ride may be more fiction than fact. Peeping Tom is likely a more recent addition to the tale, added some 600 years later. Historians generally credit William Camden, an antiquarian, with the addition. During a visit to Coventry in 1659, Camden was shown a statue of a man with a blank stare and told that it represented Tom after he was struck blind. Most likely the story was a joke, or Tom, the tailor, was sizing the lady up for a new gown. Whatever the case, Peeping Tom has himself become a legend, though for less than noble reasons.
|
