Gone Medieval — The Jews of Norwich (December 16, 2025)

Episode Overview

In this episode of Gone Medieval, host Dr. Eleanor Janega, with co-host Matt and guest Dr. Orin Margulis (Associate Professor of Renaissance Studies at UEA), explores the largely forgotten but vital history of the medieval Jewish community in Norwich, England. The episode traces their origins, vibrant community life, critical roles as financiers and scholars, and the subsequent persecution, including the infamous “blood libel” of 1144. Central themes include the dark legacies of antisemitism, the massacre of 1190, and the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290, as well as the rediscovery and memorialization of this community in modern Norwich.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Medieval Jewish Community in Norwich

• Origins and Settlement
  • Jewish communities in Norwich originated from Normandy after the Norman Conquest (08:22).
    • “The Jewish population of medieval England comes after the Norman Conquest and comes on the invitation of William the Conqueror.” — Dr. Orin Margulis (09:23)
  • They were invited primarily as merchants and financiers, but arrived with entire community structures — including ritual specialists and scholars.
• Integration & Location
  • Settled by the city market and castle, central to civic and economic life but barred from guild membership and full civic participation (11:09).
  • Strong links to continental Europe via the North Sea — these were not insular communities.

2. Community Structure and Life

• Institutions
  • Norwich had not only a synagogue but also, notably, a yeshiva (academy of advanced Jewish scholarship) — rare and indicative of wealth and learning (14:36–16:40).
• Occupations and Economic Role
  • Records show an economically diverse population, with some families, such as the Jurnets, becoming among the most significant financiers in England (18:01).
    • “We’re talking about one of the most significant financiers in medieval England in the form of Isaac Journet of Norwich and his son.” — Dr. Orin Margulis (18:01)
  • Financed major projects, including the construction of Norwich Cathedral (18:22).

3. Interfaith Relations and Rising Tensions

• Royal Protection vs. Christian Exclusion
  • Jews operated under royal favour but were barred from guilds and civic corporations.
• Essential Service & Resentment
  • Christian rules against usury led Jews to occupy the niche of moneylenders, stoking resentment and theological suspicion (19:04–21:51).
    • “Means of providing credit for larger projects ... that’s entirely normal. Jewish law provides for loans … But it’s one of the circumstances that made Jewish life always contingent and always at risk.” — Dr. Orin Margulis (19:04)
  • Increasing Christian resentment, driven by both financial dependency and religious prejudice.

4. Antisemitism and the Blood Libel

• Origins of the Blood Libel
  • The 1144 murder of the boy William of Norwich was the first recorded instance of blood libel—accusations that Jews murdered Christian children for ritual purposes (26:51).
    • “The first blood libel in recorded history is William of Norwich.” — Dr. Orin Margulis (26:51)
  • Propagated by Thomas of Monmouth in the 1150s in hopes of developing a local saint cult, this story set a mythic and pernicious template throughout Europe (30:15–31:38).
• Violence and Pogroms
  • Initial riot was avoided when the Jewish community took shelter in the castle, but over time, these narratives fueled resentment and led to further violence—most notably the confirmed massacre of 1190 (32:19).

5. The 1190 Massacre & Archaeological Rediscovery

• The Massacre
  • On February 6, 1190, Crusaders heading for the Holy Land massacred the Jews of Norwich in a wave of religious fanaticism (04:14).
  • Remains of 17 men, women, and children were found in a Norwich well in 2004, later confirmed to be of Jewish origin via DNA analysis. The bodies were buried properly only in 2013 (04:14–05:44, 33:16–38:11).
    • “Their bones were given the dignity of a burial that had been denied them in death by violence, and in death again by erasure.” — Dr. Eleanor Jennica (01:34)
    • “DNA analysis revealed three of them as sisters ... alongside their mother and father.” — Matt (04:14)
  • The genetic legacy links these victims to modern Ashkenazi populations, suggesting medieval England’s Jewish communities feed into the lineage of world Jewry (36:49–39:14).

6. Decline, Expulsion, and Wider European Context

• Continental Echoes
  • The 13th century saw increased antisemitic preaching, violence (e.g., the burning of the synagogue in 1286), and economic decline for the Jews, culminating in the expulsion of 1290 under Edward I (41:33–46:42).
    • “This is the beginning of England as an intolerant country. And that’s a history that has a lot of road to run.” — Dr. Orin Margulis (52:41)
• Legacy
  • England’s 1290 expulsion established a precedent soon followed by France and Spain.
  • Even after the Jews were gone, the myth of the malevolent Jew lived on in English culture, literature (e.g., Chaucer’s “Prioress’s Tale”), and law (46:42–47:40).

7. Aftermath and Memory

• Diaspora and Double Diaspora
  • Expelled English Jews integrated with continental Jewish populations, contributing to the emergence of major communities in Central and Eastern Europe (48:03–49:36).
• Return and Modern Commemoration
  • Jews were only officially readmitted to England under Oliver Cromwell in the 17th century, and a Norwich community was reestablished in the 18th and 19th centuries (50:24–52:28).
  • The restoration of Jurnet’s House and memorialization of the victims serve as a touchstone for both Jewish and national history.

Notable Quotes (with Timestamps and Speaker Attribution)

• On the massacre and burial
  “It was only in 2013 that these seventeen souls were finally laid to rest. More than eight centuries after the massacre that destroyed them.”
  — Dr. Eleanor Jennica (01:34)

• Blood libel origins
  “The first blood libel in recorded history is William of Norwich. Everyone knows in the Jewish world, everyone knows of Norwich because of William of Norwich, because of the blood libel.”
  — Dr. Orin Margulis (26:51)

• Role of Jews in urban medieval England
  “Most immediately, the Jews of Norwich are coming from Normandy...they come as merchants and as financiers...But of course, communities don’t live on commerce and finance alone.”
  — Dr. Orin Margulis (09:23)

• Financiers and resentment
  “It’s one of the circumstances that made Jewish life always contingent and always at risk.”
  — Dr. Orin Margulis (19:04)

• Early antisemitic imagery
  “An image... a three-headed forkbeard Isaac Journet, with his assistance, a man and a woman with hooked noses and grotesque features in league with demons. And this is, we all know this imagery...”
  — Dr. Orin Margulis (24:39)

• Expulsion as watershed in English history
  “The Jews are the only one of those populations to be expelled. This is the beginning of England as an intolerant country. And that’s a history that has a lot of road to run.”
  — Dr. Orin Margulis (52:41)

• Modern significance
  “What we have here at Jurnet’s House, the oldest identifiable place of Jewish residence in England, is a touchstone to something of world historical importance.”
  — Dr. Orin Margulis (36:49)

Timestamps for Major Segments

• 01:34: Introduction and memorial site—Dr. Eleanor Jennica
• 04:14: 1190 Massacre and discovery of the Norwich well—Matt
• 08:22–12:12: Origins of the Norwich Jewish community—Dr. Orin Margulis
• 14:36–16:40: Jewish communal institutions, including yeshiva—Dr. Orin Margulis
• 18:01: Jurnet family as financiers, financing the cathedral
• 26:51: The blood libel of 1144 & antisemitic stereotypes
• 33:16–39:14: Discovery, analysis, and meaning of the bodies in the well
• 41:33–46:42: Late medieval persecution and expulsion of 1290
• 50:24–52:28: Readmission and later Jewish community in Norwich
• 54:21–56:59: Walking the old Jewish quarter, reflection on history—Matt & Dr. Eleanor Jennica

Memorable Moments

• Discovery of the 2004 Well:
  The emotional effect of finding the mass grave in the 21st century prompted public and scholarly reflection, ending with the communal reburial in 2013.
• Blood Libel’s Unfolding:
  The hosts discuss how Norwich’s tale became a template for centuries of murderous hatred.
• Physical Legacy in Modern Norwich:
  The oldest surviving Jewish residence, Jurnet’s House, integrates Norwich’s Jewish past with its present and stands as a symbol of both the endurance and loss associated with this history.
• Final Reflection:
  The episode closes with a moving walk through the modern city built over layers of this tragic history, connecting medieval atrocities to today’s ongoing efforts at remembrance and reconciliation.

Tone and Language

The conversation strikes a balance between scholarly precision, respectful commemoration, and accessible storytelling, mixing detailed historical analysis with vivid descriptions of place, emotion, and the ongoing relevance of the past. The hosts take care to contextualize both Jewish achievement and Jewish suffering, always returning to the lived experience and enduring legacy of Norwich’s Jews.

Summary Conclusion

This episode masterfully illuminates a too-often overlooked thread in English and Jewish history, showing how Norwich’s medieval Jewish community played a crucial economic, cultural, and scholarly role, before being shattered by persecution and expulsion. The discussion, driven by forensic evidence, medieval sources, and modern engagement, roots the “Jews of Norwich” not only in local memory, but as a vital chapter in the shared saga of world history.