Mediaeval Lincoln Jewry and its Synagogue

Roth, Cecil; Gustave Tuck (Foreword)

Verlag: The Jewish Historical Society of England, London, England, 1934

Beschreibung

X, 11-28, [4] pages. 4 plates: 2 show the delegation of the society, another the Jews' Court in Lincoln, and a fourth the monumental doorway to the house of Bellassez the Jewess, Steep Hill, Lincoln. 260 x 195 mm. Contains a chronological summary of the Jews of Lincoln in the Middle Ages at rear. The double leaves are folded as they came out of the printer and are uncut, untrimmed and not sewn. This work also deals with the blood libel against the Jews of Lincoln in 1255. In his foreword Gustave Tuck calls the visit one of the most successful functions in the history of the society. The foreword also makes reference to and condemns, in unison with Lincoln city officials and ministers, the German "Jew-baiting organ, Der Stürmer, that revived the infamous claim that Jews commit Ritual Murder. Hugh of Lincoln (1246 - 27 August 1255) was an English boy whose death was falsely attributed to Jews. Hugh is sometimes known as Little Saint Hugh or Little Sir Hugh to distinguish him from Hugh of Lincoln, an adult saint. Hugh became one of the best known of the blood libel 'saints'; generally children whose deaths were interpreted as Jewish sacrifices. Little Sir Hugh was never canonized, so "Little Saint Hugh" is a misnomer; still, many local "saints" of the early medieval period were not formally canonized but were dubbed and worshiped as saints by their contemporaries, and considered thus through the centuries. It is likely that the Bishop and Dean of Lincoln steered events in order to establish a profitable flow of pilgrims to the shrine of a martyr and saint. The event is particularly significant because it was the first time that the Crown gave credence to ritual child murder allegations, through the direct intervention of King Henry III. As a result, in contrast to the other English blood libels, the story entered the historical record, medieval literature and popular ballads that circulated until the twentieth century. Accusations of ritual child murder had become increasingly common following the circulation of The Life and Miracles of St. William of Norwich by Thomas of Monmouth, the hagiography of William of Norwich, a child-saint said to have been crucified by Jews in 1144. Other accusations followed, such as that of Harold of Gloucester (1168) and Robert of Bury (1181). The story of William and similar rumors clearly influenced the myth that developed around Hugh. The accusations may have been promoted by church officials hoping to establish local cults to attract pilgrims and donations. The years running up to the accusation were particularly hard for the English Jewish community. King Henry III taxed Jews very harshly. This in turn forced Jewish moneylenders to ensure their debts were paid, with no flexibility, and also to sell their debt bonds to Christians. Henry's relatives and courtiers in particular would buy debt bonds, with the intention of dispossessing the debtors of their lands, which would stand forfeit on a default. These policies of Henry's would later help provoke the Second Barons' War. Church teachings against Jews also built up in the period. Pronouncements were made by the Vatican demanding that Jews were kept physically separate from Christians, that Christians not work for Jews, especially in their homes, and that Jews wear badges to identify themselves. Church pronouncements in particular led to a number of English towns expelling their local Jewry. Henry III codified most of the Church's demands and put them into enforceable law in his 1253 Statute of Jewry. At the time of the Hugh of Lincoln murder accusations, Henry III had sold his rights to tax the Jews to his brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall. Having lost this source of income, he declared that if a Jew was convicted of a crime, any money he had would then belong to the king. Additionally, a number of influential Jews from across England were in Lincoln for a wedding at the time of the child's death. . .

Bestandsnummer des Verkäufers 013329

Bibliografische Details

• Titel: Mediaeval Lincoln Jewry and its Synagogue
• Verlag: The Jewish Historical Society of England, London, England
• Erscheinungsjahr: 1934
• Einband: Paper Wrappers
• Auflage: 1st Edition
• Zustand: Very Good
• Zustand des Schutzumschlags: No Jacket