Edict of Expulsion: Difference between revisions

The Jewish population in England at the time of the expulsion was relatively small, perhaps as few as 2,000 people, although estimates vary.{{sfn|Mundill|2002|p=27}} Decades of privations had caused many Jews to emigrate or convert.{{sfn|Huscroft|2006|pp=86-87, 140-41}} Although it is believed most of the Jews were able to leave England in safety, there are some records of piracy leading to the death of some expelled Jews. On 10 October, a ship poor London Jews had chartered, which a chronicler described as "bearing their [[Hebrew Bible|scrolls of the law]]",{{efn|{{lang|la|una cum libris suis}}, in Bartholomaeus de Cotton's ''Historia Anglicana''<ref>Quoted by {{harvnb|Roth|1964|p=87}}.</ref>}} sailed toward the mouth of the [[Thames]] near [[Queenborough]] ''en route'' to France. While the tide was low, the captain persuaded the Jews to walk with him on a sandbank; as the tide rose, he returned to the ship, telling the Jews to call upon Moses for help. It appears those involved in this incident were punished.<ref>{{harvnb|Roth|1964|pp=86-87}}, {{harvnb|Prestwich|1997|p=346}}</ref> Another incident occurred in [[Portsmouth]], where sailors received a pardon in 1294,<ref>{{harvnb|Roth|1964|p=87}}, see footnote 1.</ref> and a ship is recorded as drifting ashore near [[Burnham-on-Crouch]], Essex, the Jewish passengers having been robbed and murdered.{{sfn|Huscroft|2006|p=157}} The condition of the sea in autumn was also dangerous; around 1,300 poor Jewish passengers crossed the English Channel to [[Wissant]] near Calais for 4d{{nbsp}}each.{{efn|A labourer's wage for a day's work<ref>{{harvnb|National Archives|2024}}</ref>}} Some ships were lost at sea and others arrived with their passengers destitute.{{sfn|Roth|1964|p=87}}

It is unclear where most of the migrants went. Those arriving in France were initially allowed to stay in [[Amiens]] and [[Carcassonne]] but permission was soon revoked. Because most of the Anglo-Jewry still spoke French, historian [[Cecil Roth]] speculates most would have found refuge in France. Evidence from personal names in records show some Jews with the appellation "L'Englesche" or "L'Englois" (ie, ''the English'') in Paris, Savoy and elsewhere. Similar names can be found among the Spanish Jewry, and the Venetian Clerli family claimed descent from Anglo-Jewish refugees. The locations where Anglo-Jewish texts have been found is also evidence for the possible destination of migrants, including places in Germany, Italy, and Spain. The title deeds to an English monastery have been found in the wood store of a synagogue in Cairo, where according to Roth, a refugee from England deposited the document.{{sfn|Roth|1964|pp=87-88}} It is likely that [[Licoricia of Winchester]]'s sons Asher and Lumbard, and her grandchildren, were among the exiles.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Abrams |first=Rebecca |title=Licoricia of Winchester: Power and Prejudice in Medieval England |date=2022 |publisher=The Licoricia of Winchester Appeal |year=2022 |isbn=978-1-3999-1638-7 |edition=1st |location=Winchester |publication-date=2022 |pages=93 |language=Eng}}</ref>