Jews and Labour in Medieval England: Episcopal Theory and Legislative Reality

Irwin, Dean

Abstract

This was an invited presentation to a workshop feeding into the MIREL project, which is exploring Religious Minorities and Labour Specialization.

My paper took, as it's starting point, Robert Grosseteste's letter to Margaret de Quincy (1231-2), and John Peckham's 'De Judeis' (1269-70), both of which draw upon St. Augustine's teachings in relation to Jews and labour. I then considered whether these views were representative of the view of the English episcopacy as a whole in the thirteenth century, through Synodal and Conciliar decrees. This was followed by a discussion of the secular legislation (notably, the Statute of the Jewry (1275)) and the charter evidence.

Citation

Irwin, D. (2024, January). Jews and Labour in Medieval England: Episcopal Theory and Legislative Reality. Paper presented at Religious Minorities and Labour: Towards a New Paradigm, Queen Mary University of London

• Presentation Conference Type: Conference Paper (unpublished)
• Conference Name: Religious Minorities and Labour: Towards a New Paradigm
• Conference Location: Queen Mary University of London
• Start Date: Jan 11, 2024
• End Date: Jan 12, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jan 19, 2024