the Jew's house Lincoln

thanks Dondi, man's inhumanity to man has legions of avaricious tales through the ages and we never learn

Because charging interest on loans was considered usury by the Catholic Church, all countries in the Middle Ages relied on Jews for the financial industry. When they became too prosperous, charges were trumped up, their property was confiscated, and the Jews were driven out; England wasn't the only country to resort to this extreme form of "debt forgiveness" and "legalized" theft. The Church's persistent strain of anti-Semitism was easily inflamed with outrageous stories, ranging from "the Jews killed Jesus" to the afore-mentioned pseudo-crucifixion of a small boy "in contempt of Christ". The story, wildly fantastical (riddled with inconsistencies, with elements ranging from all the Jews of England conspiring to an annual pseudo-crucifixion of a small boy to a blind woman's miraculous recovery of her sight) became the source of a ballad which persisted for hundreds of years.

thanks Dave, I'll have a go tomorrow, running out of breath tonight and will be going to bed soon

History of Lincoln - email me via my Profile Page on Geograph, June. If you wish.

thanks Dave we like potted histories and yes ebkreug I have read it, a classic adventure with a beautiful and sad heroine. I have read all of Walter Scott's novels, what he loses through bending history a bit he makes up for in telling wonderful tales. Oh to be young again and be able to read all of the old classic tales for the first time.

Presented to the Dean of Lincoln eh, I smell a fat rat.

The Jew's House was the former home of Belesat de Walingford who was hanged for clipping coin. It was presented to the Dean of Lincoln. It is one of the oldest domestic buildings in Britain still in use.

In 1255 the Jews of Lincoln were falsely accused of murdering a boy called Hugh. Afterwards 18 innocent people were taken to London and hanged. King Edward forced all the Jews to leave England in 1290. In 1791 a stone coffin was discovered in the south aisle of Lincoln Cathedral. It was said to contain the remains of the boy, Hugh.

Read Ivanhoe??

going back a few hundred years our Kings tended to borrow from the Jews and didn't feel like repaying the debt so there was an obvious way out

Terrific stone houses, I love 'em!! I didn't realize that Jews were persecuted in England too!!! Thanks June!! :))))))

got it in my head that some king burned all the Jew's houses in Lincoln, was it good king Richard?

Well done! Just like to add that it's geograph.org.uk thanks. Dave