Life's Great Mysteries - Who is Tom, and why does he peep?

The phrase “peeping Tom” has been around for a long time, to describe a voyeur, someone who spies on other people, particularly for sexual gratification. Why do we always say Tom? Why not peeping Oliver, or peeping Hubert? Or, to be fair, why not peeping Jennifer? It’s always poor Tom.

Well, we need to look at some history to understand this seemingly unfair judgement of the Toms of the world. It all starts with Lady Godiva, who lived in the 11th century. A noblewoman, she was the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. Mercia was one of three kingdoms founded when Anglo-Saxons settled in Sub-Roman Britain, now known as the English Midlands. Lady Godiva was a patron of several churches and monasteries.

In the 13th century (and possibly earlier), a legend emerged, in which Lady Godiva rode naked on a horse through the streets of the city of Coventry. According to the story, Lady Godiva pitied the people of Coventry, who were suffering because of her husband’s harsh taxation. She repeatedly asked her husband to lower his taxes, but he refused. Finally, to get her to stop pestering him, he said he would lower the taxes if she would remove all her clothing and ride a horse through the streets of Coventry naked. She decided to do it, but not before ordering all people to shut their windows and stay indoors. She rode through the city, covered only by her long hair. In later versions of the legend, starting in the 1700s, people added an interesting detail: a tailor named Tom, who was the only person in the city who peeked at her through his window to see her naked. Most versions of the story have Tom abruptly being killed or struck blind for this misbehavior (either by the local townspeople or by divine intervention).

Most historians do not consider this story to have much truth to it, and numerous versions have evolved over the centuries. The idea of adding Tom the peeping tailor to the story probably originated in verbal stories in the area of Coventry, and it didn’t show up in literature until the late 1700s.

Although Tom probably didn’t really exist, his deed has become part of our culture. Voyeurism is a punishable offense in many countries, usually a misdemeanor with a fine, which is nothing compared to Tom’s punishment of blindness or death.

Image Credit:
Peeping Tom - Midjourney 7