The Lincoln Jewry, II: Memory, Myth, and Archaeology

Irwin, Dean

Abstract

This is the second of two sessions that I have organised for the Leeds International Medieval Congress. The proceedings will be published in due course.

There was a Jewish community at Lincoln by the 1150s. It was one of the leading communities of the kingdom and from the 1250s (at the latest) onwards, it seems to have been the second community in the realm, after London. The Lincoln Jewry was home to some of the greatest Jews in medieval English history including Hagin son of Master Moses who, from 1257, was the Archpresbyter of the Jews. As would be expected, therefore, the Lincoln Jewry is richly documented, in both the Latin and Hebrew sources. Equally, it occupies a difficult position in terms of memory, notably as the home of the Little Hugh of Lincoln case. Despite the richness of sources which allow us to access the community, Lincoln’s importance has not always been reflected in the historiography. Consequently, these panels will work to redress that imbalance, beginning a conversation on how we access the medieval Lincoln Jewry. The diverse nature of the sources allows that conversation to be multidisciplinary, in a way that is not possible for most other Anglo-Jewish communities. The speakers will situate Lincoln within its local and national context, as well as within the landscape of history and memory.

301-a - Jews and Ideas of Property in Medieval Lincoln
Hannah Boston, University of Lincoln

301-b - Little Hugh and the Jews of Lincoln, 1255: A Re-Appraisal
Emily Rose, University of Oxford

301-c - An Evaluation of the Material Evidence for the Medieval Lincoln Jewry
Esther Robinson Wild, Independent Scholar

Citation

Irwin, D. (2024, July). The Lincoln Jewry, II: Memory, Myth, and Archaeology. Presented at Leeds International Medieval Congress, University of Leeds

• Presentation Conference Type: Other
• Conference Name: Leeds International Medieval Congress
• Conference Location: University of Leeds
• Start Date: Jul 1, 2024
• End Date: Jul 4, 2024
• Deposit Date: Jun 14, 2024
• Publisher URL: https://www.imc.leeds.ac.uk/