<P> Mr. John Barry having sent the Fox Hounds to a different place to what was ordered was sent to Coventry, but return'd upon giving six bottles of Claret to the Hunt . </P> <P> By 1811, the meaning of the term was defined in Grose's The Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue: </P> <P> To send one to Coventry; a punishment inflicted by officers of the army on such of their brethren as are testy, or have been guilty of improper behaviour, not worthy the cognizance of a court martial . The person sent to Coventry is considered as absent; no one must speak to or answer any question he asks, except relative to duty, under penalty of being also sent to the same place . On a proper submission, the penitent is recalled, and welcomed by the mess, as just returned from a journey to Coventry . </P> <P> According to William Clark in Tales of the Wars (1836), the phrase originates from a story about a regiment that was stationed in the city of Coventry but was ill - received and denied services . </P>

Where does sending someone to coventry come from