“cataleptic fit” and was then “buried alive” by family presumed dead. 17 Arieti recounts that
the Jews were still blamed for this death. 18 David Hinton considers the deteriorating
‘relationship’ between Christians and Jews, and how “the Jews’ position became
increasingly parlous” as accusations circulated that they were “responsible for the shedding
of Christ’s blood”. 19 Matthew Paris (1200-1259) was a monk, chronicler, and historian of St
Albans. He was known for his manuscripts, religious drawings, and his renowned seminal
work, the Chronica Majora; a historical study, in which he depicted Creation, up to 1253. He
is known, moreover, for his antisemitism. Sophia Menache reflects that he had a “large
reading public”, who would have been influenced by his stereotypes of Jews, and claims
that they were “sorcerers” and “guilty of secret crimes” like murder. 20 According to
Menache Paris also contributed to the blood-libel accusation. 21 Thus, it is no wonder that
anti- Jewish feelings spread. They were reflected in Henry III’s Statute of Jewry, which
segregated Jews and claimed that “no Jew should remain in England unless he do the King
service”. 22 It is probable that Edward looked at the combination of growing antisemitism
and his father’s statute and determined that he did not want the Jews to remain in England.
These were contributing factors.
It is credible that the Jews were expelled not just because they were no longer
economically helpful, but also because of the unpopularity they had gained through their
dealings with the Queen-consort, Eleanor of Castile. Historians have been conflicted over
17 Arieti, p. 196. 18 Arieti, p. 196. 19 David Hinton, ‘Medieval Anglo - Jewry: the Archaeologist Evidence’, in Jews in Medieval Britain, ed. by Patricia Skinner, (Woodbridge: The Boydell Press, 2003), pp. 97-112 (p. 107). 20 Sophia Menache, ‘Matthew Paris’s attitudes toward Anglo - Jewry’, Journal of Medieval History, 23.2 (1997), 139-162 (p. 140). 21 Menache, p. 140. 22 National Archives, Source Five: The Stature of the Jewry (2000s), <https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/jews-in-england-1216-72/source-five-the-statute- of-the-jewry/> [16 th November 2023] (para. 3 of 3).
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