Laura Brick
Published Oct 18, 2024
METRO UK
METRO UK
Jewish medieval cemetery discovered beneath Barbican (Picture: Instagram)
A medieval Jewish cemetery was found hidden beneath the Barbican after hundreds of years.
Volunteer group The Jewish Square Mile is drawing attention to the cemetery next to the remains of an ancient wall in the Thomas More Garden.
It was the first Jewish burial ground in England and existed until Jews were expelled from England in 1290, after which the cemetery was desecrated and neglected.
Howard and Gaby Morris, founder members of the The Jewish Square Mile project, told Jewish News: ‘The burial ground existed as a rumour, a legend.’
‘Now the ancient burial ground has been found. Gaby and I heard the story when we moved into the Barbican but it was Father Jack Noble of St Giles Cripplegate, the very old church actually in the Barbican (where Oliver Cromwell was married) who, by word of mouth, drew together a group of Jewish residents to find out if there really was a cemetery and its location.’
The project is now comprised of people of all faiths and none including a medievalist historian and writer, researchers, an architect, plus musicians and composers.
A medieval Jewish cemetery was found hidden beneath the Barbican after hundreds of years.
Volunteer group The Jewish Square Mile is drawing attention to the cemetery next to the remains of an ancient wall in the Thomas More Garden.
It was the first Jewish burial ground in England and existed until Jews were expelled from England in 1290, after which the cemetery was desecrated and neglected.
Howard and Gaby Morris, founder members of the The Jewish Square Mile project, told Jewish News: ‘The burial ground existed as a rumour, a legend.’
‘Now the ancient burial ground has been found. Gaby and I heard the story when we moved into the Barbican but it was Father Jack Noble of St Giles Cripplegate, the very old church actually in the Barbican (where Oliver Cromwell was married) who, by word of mouth, drew together a group of Jewish residents to find out if there really was a cemetery and its location.’
The project is now comprised of people of all faiths and none including a medievalist historian and writer, researchers, an architect, plus musicians and composers.
The Barbican cemetery was the first Jewish burial ground in England(Picture: @the_jewish_square_mile/Instagram)
Howard says: ‘The Jews were brought to London by William soon after the Norman occupation. They weren’t free but lived under the protection of William. They didn’t even own the hair on their heads.’
‘They were permitted a place to bury their dead according to our customs and beliefs. That must have given them some sense of permanence and community.’
The goal of the Jewish Square Mile project is to ‘rediscover those people, their lives and the contribution they made to the City.’
The group aim is to move away from anti-Semitic stereotypes ‘help show the impact and contribution of Jewish Londoners then and since” and in so doing “move on from the stereotypes of medieval Jews like Isaac and Rebecca in Ivanhoe or Shylock, as usurers.’
Howard says: ‘The Jews were brought to London by William soon after the Norman occupation. They weren’t free but lived under the protection of William. They didn’t even own the hair on their heads.’
‘They were permitted a place to bury their dead according to our customs and beliefs. That must have given them some sense of permanence and community.’
The goal of the Jewish Square Mile project is to ‘rediscover those people, their lives and the contribution they made to the City.’
The group aim is to move away from anti-Semitic stereotypes ‘help show the impact and contribution of Jewish Londoners then and since” and in so doing “move on from the stereotypes of medieval Jews like Isaac and Rebecca in Ivanhoe or Shylock, as usurers.’
On 5 June next year the project will launch a two week-long exhibition in the church of St. Giles(Picture: @the_jewish_square_mile/Instagram)
On 5 June the project will launch a two week-long exhibition in the church of St. Giles, and will unveil of a plaque in the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden.
A Jewish choir will perform at the Moat Theatre of the City of London School for Girls.
Howard Morris added: ‘The exhibition will go far beyond simply identifying the location of the cemetery and the dates of its history. We will bring the medieval Jewish community to life, show the contribution they made to the success of the City following the conquest of England by William and over the next 200 years until Edward I expelled the Jews from the country.’
‘We’ll cover the massacres and persecutions and the expulsion but also explore the lives of the people, how the community lived, their families, their education, their culture and in this way aim to get past the ghastly stereotype of the Jewish usurer.’
On 5 June the project will launch a two week-long exhibition in the church of St. Giles, and will unveil of a plaque in the Barber-Surgeons’ Garden.
A Jewish choir will perform at the Moat Theatre of the City of London School for Girls.
Howard Morris added: ‘The exhibition will go far beyond simply identifying the location of the cemetery and the dates of its history. We will bring the medieval Jewish community to life, show the contribution they made to the success of the City following the conquest of England by William and over the next 200 years until Edward I expelled the Jews from the country.’
‘We’ll cover the massacres and persecutions and the expulsion but also explore the lives of the people, how the community lived, their families, their education, their culture and in this way aim to get past the ghastly stereotype of the Jewish usurer.’
The goal of the Jewish Square Mile project is to ‘rediscover’ thelives of the Jewish people who lived in the city (Picture: @the_jewish_square_mile/Instagram)
The Reverend Canon Jack Noble of St Giles Cripplegate told Jewish News: ‘I initiated this project and gathered the beginnings of what would become the Jewish Square Mile team over tea in St Giles’ Rectory, because it was so clear that this was important, and needed responding too. It came as a surprise to many of them!’
He said that the initiative ‘Unearths vital realities of our Jewish heritage, not just for The City, but of national significance”.
Reverend Noble added: ‘I am honoured to be something of a ‘token gentile’ in this amazing group of people – residents, workers, academics, school children, musicians, historians – who have become friends as we reveal and share this Jewish Square Mile story.’
‘What will success look like? Well, a joy of this project has been celebrating the past, present and future of Jewish life in the Square Mile, for the good of all.’
The Reverend Canon Jack Noble of St Giles Cripplegate told Jewish News: ‘I initiated this project and gathered the beginnings of what would become the Jewish Square Mile team over tea in St Giles’ Rectory, because it was so clear that this was important, and needed responding too. It came as a surprise to many of them!’
He said that the initiative ‘Unearths vital realities of our Jewish heritage, not just for The City, but of national significance”.
Reverend Noble added: ‘I am honoured to be something of a ‘token gentile’ in this amazing group of people – residents, workers, academics, school children, musicians, historians – who have become friends as we reveal and share this Jewish Square Mile story.’
‘What will success look like? Well, a joy of this project has been celebrating the past, present and future of Jewish life in the Square Mile, for the good of all.’
Anti-Semitic incidents have more than doubled since the 7 October attack on Israel last year(Picture: @the_jewish_square_mile/Instagram)
Other parts of the historic site lie below the City of London School for Girls and adjacent lake stretching south below Mountjoy House, the Barber-Surgeons’ Gardens and the former Museum of London.
Other parts of the historic site lie below the City of London School for Girls and adjacent lake stretching south below Mountjoy House, the Barber-Surgeons’ Gardens and the former Museum of London.
The only publicly accessible part of the burial ground is below the Gardens although the whole area can be viewed from the Defoe House and Wallside Highwalks.
Since the 7 October attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, anti-Semitic incidents in the UK more than doubled in the year to March 2024, from 1,543 to 3,282.
This represents a 113% increase per cent increase and the highest on record.
Since the 7 October attack on Israel and the subsequent war in Gaza, anti-Semitic incidents in the UK more than doubled in the year to March 2024, from 1,543 to 3,282.
This represents a 113% increase per cent increase and the highest on record.
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