sent to Coventry - why there?

I’ve been rereading some of the books I enjoyed when I was younger, among them the ‘Malory Towers’ series by Enid Blyton. They’re about a girls’ boarding school in Cornwall, and were written in the late 1940s. I was wondering about one phrase that is used…when the girls wish to punish one of their number, who is being particularly beastly, they ‘send her to Coventry’ - that is, they don’t speak to her. Does anyone know why Coventry? Is it an especially quiet place? :slight_smile: Thanks.

From this site:

Have you ever BEEN to Coventry? Crikey, it as rough as a bear’s arse!

If I didn’t like someone Conventry is the town I’d send them to.