The Tower of London in Jewish History

Tower of London, Author Bob Collowan (CC BY-SA 4.0 Unported)

Used alternately as a palace, a fortress, and a place of execution, the Tower of London has stood on the River Thames for almost 1000 years.   In Jewish history, it has played a paradoxical role [1].

Status as Property of the King

“All Jews, in whichever kingdom they may be, ought to be under the guardianship and protection of the liege king..because the Jews and all their possessions are the king’s…”

-Laws of Edward the Confessor

It is thought that the first Jews arrived in England during the Norman Conquest of 1066 [2].

Under English law, Jews in the Middle Ages were classified as property of the king.  This implied a certain protection.  It, also, meant that Jews could be taxed, and their possessions confiscated at the king’s pleasure.

Though Jews were not permitted to own land and were barred from most occupations other than medicine, they were allowed to act as moneylenders.  This likewise benefited the king, whenever royal funds were in short supply.

Unfortunately, their special relationship with royalty made Jews the targets of mob violence in times of resentment toward the throne, economic downturn, excessive Crusade zeal, or general antisemitism.

Incarceration in the Tower

At least 1000 Jews are believed to have been incarcerated in the Tower of London during the 13th Century.

In 1255, 92 Jews falsely accused of having ritually murdered a  9 y.o. Christian boy (so called “Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln”) were brought to the Tower [3].  Eighteen were immediately hanged on account of this blood libel.  The rest were eventually released.

Sanctuary in the Tower

However, the Tower of London, also, served as a sanctuary.

In 1189, Jews were provided shelter after coming under attack during Richard I’s coronation.  The Tower again afforded them shelter when Henry III was crowned in 1220.

In 1263, when the rebel baron Simon de Montfort, marched on London, three of the Jews who sheltered in the Tower are known by name:  Elias Blund, who died there, most probably of wounds suffered in the revolt; Leo, the son of Preciosa; and Hagin, the son of Master Moses and attorney to the king’s brother.

In 1267 the Jews who sought shelter in the Tower during another revolt actually helped defend the fortress.  This is the only known instance of Jews and Christians fighting alongside one another in Medieval England.

Employment at the Tower

Two Jewish converts to Christianity were employed at the Tower of London.  These were Philip le Convers, a crossbowman for 12 years, and Sir Henry Winchester, part of an undercover investigation into debasement of the currency.

Only one practicing Jew has been identified as working at the Tower.  This was Jurnet, the son of Abraham, employed as a sergeant and believed responsible for carrying bodies to London’s Jewish cemetery for burial.

Expulsion from England

Tragically, between 4,000 and 16,000 Jews were expelled from England in 1290, on the order of Edward I.  Around half the country’s Jews went into exile from a wharf below the Tower of London.

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[1]  Times of Israel, “Why the Tower of London holds a paradoxical place in Medieval England’s Jewish story” by Robert Philpot, 3/11/23, as reprinted in Israel:  The Prophetic Connection, August 2023 Edition.

[2]  Wikipedia, “History of the Jews in England (1066-1290)”, https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=wikipedia+expulsion+of+jews+from+england.

[3]  Wikipedia, “Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln”, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Saint_Hugh_of_Lincoln.

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