lder
foundation.

Of St. Michael's the first notice we have is when Ranulph, Earl of
Chester, in the days of Stephen, about 1150, granted the "Chapel" of
St. Michael to Laurence, Prior, and the Convent of St. Mary, "being
satisfied by the testimony of divers persons, as well Clergy as Laity,
that it was their right." Fourteen dependent chapels in the
neighbourhood or within a few miles went with it and the number of
these dependencies is held to show that it was "a primitive Saxon
parish and of considerable importance." In 1192 Ranulph Blundeville,
grandson of the former Ranulph, gave tithe of his lands and rents in
Coventry and bound his officers under pain of a grievous curse to make
due payment.

In the early thirteenth century a dispute arose between Bishop
Geoffrey de Muschamp and the Priory as to the right of presentation,
the Bishop claiming on the ground of being Abbot as well as Bishop.
This was settled in 1241 by the Priory renouncing its claim in
consideration of receiving a share of the income but in 1248 an
exchange was effected, the Priory giving the advowsons of Ryton and
Bubbenhall[4] (not far from Coventry) for St. Michael and its chapels
and engaging to provide proper secular priests with competent support.
In 1260 the church was appropriated to the monastery together with
Holy Trinity and its chapels and although in the arrangement of 1248
twenty-four marks (L16) had been assigned to the vicarage, in 1291 we
find the priory receiving fifty marks and paying the vicar eight and a
half.

Since 1537 the patronage has with that of Trinity, been exercised by
the Crown.

The internal evidence of the date of the building is given in the
description of the fabric. Of external evidence in the shape of
records or deeds we have very little. Tradition says that there was
once a brass tablet in the church bearing the following lines:

William and Adam built the Tower,
Ann and Mary built the Spire;
William and Adam built the Church,
Ann and Mary built the Choir.

Now we know that William and Adam Botoner, who were each Mayor thrice
between 1358 and 1385, built the tower, spending upon it L100 a year
for twenty-two years, but what foundation there is for the other
statements cannot now be determined. The tower was in building from
1373 to 1394, and the choir is contemporary with it, the nave was in
building from 1432 to 1450, and the spire was begun in 1430. As
William was Mayor in 1358