FAQs

Is it true that Jews couldn’t join guilds so were forced into moneylending?

No. This is a myth (and part of an antisemitic trope). Guilds in medieval England did not enjoy economic monopolies on the scale of their continental counterparts of the Later Middle Ages. English Guilds of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries were more important as religious fraternities, which Jews didn’t need to engage with. In reality, only a small minority of Jews were moneylenders. Even those who were likely engaged in other mercantile activities and trade. We also have evidence to suggest that Jews undertook all those roles which were necessary to support their community (e.g. ritual slaughterers of animals).

Is it true that Jews and Christians had to live on opposite sides of the street.

No. The property holdings of Jews in Lincoln are well documented and these list the location of the house, in relation to the surrounding properties / features (e.g. the highway). From these, it is clear that Jews and Christians lived next door to each other. Equally, there was a high turnover in property ownership and rentals in medieval towns, so a property occupied by somebody of one denomination might soon be occupied by the other, and vice versa.