The first Jewish communities are recorded in
England some time after the
Norman Conquest in 1066, moving from
William's towns in northern France.
[2] Jews were viewed as being under the direct jurisdiction and property of the king,
[3] making them subject to his whims, who could tax or imprison them as he wished, without reference to anyone else.
[4]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edict_of_Expulsion#cite_note-7 A very small number of Jews were wealthy, as
Jews were allowed to lend money at interest, while the Church forbade Christians from doing so, as this was regarded as the sin of usury.
[6] Capital was in short supply and necessary for development, including investment in monastic construction and facilitating aristocrats to pay heavy taxes to the crown, so Jewish loans played an important economic role,
[7] although they were also used to finance consumption, particularly among the overstretched landholding Knights.
[8]
The Church's highest authority, the
Holy See, had placed restrictions on Jews mixing with Christians, and
mandated the wearing of distinctive clothing such as tabula, or Jewish badges, at the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215.
[9] These measures were adopted in England at the Synod of Oxford in 1222.
Church leaders made the first allegations of ritual child sacrifice, such as crucifixions at Easter in mockery of Christ, and the accusations began to develop themes of conspiracy and occult practices.
King Henry III backed allegations made against Jews of Lincoln after the death of a boy named Hugh, soon known as
Little Saint Hugh.
[10] Such stories coincided with the rise of hostility within the Church to the Jews.
[11]
www.bbc.com
