Abraham of Coventry (1180)

Jews may have been in England from Roman times, but the first definitive records we have is of their arrival as part of entourage of the Norman Conquest from 1066. Initially Jews were allowed to live only in London, with special permission being needed to live elsewhere. Those permissions were progressively granted and communities were established in major towns across the land.

The earliest specific reference to Jews in Coventry is to Abraham, Jew of Coventry. The reference appears on page 153 of The Great Roll of the Pipe for the Twenty-Sixth year of the reign of King Henry the Second - That is, the year of his reign ending in 1180. The Great Rolls of the Pipe, are a collection of financial records maintained by the English Exchequer, or Treasury of the King. 

The record for Abraham of Coventry records, in Latin, that: 

     Abraham Judeus de Couintre debet .j. m. ut sit quietus de appellation Beleasez.

This translates roughly as:

     Abraham, Jew of Coventry, owes the amount of 1 mark to be quit of the appeal of one known as Belasez.

One Mark, was 2/3 of one pound (£1) i.e. 160 pence, or 13 Shillings and 4 Pence. This would be equivalent to around £1,000 in the early 21st Century.

See these Links for further information:  (Note: These are external links for which we have no responsibility for the content)

• Catalogue of archival sources for Jews in the medieval City of London and  the Tower of London