| Date |
Event |
| Before
1066 |
No real evidence
of presence of Jews in Britain |
| Late 11th
Century |
William the Conqueror
brought Jews from Rouen to London |
| 1093c. |
Important disputation
between Gilbert Crispin (Abbott of Westminster) and a Jew |
| 12th
Century |
First Charter of
Protection to Jews in England |
| March, 1144 |
William of Norwich,
the first Ritual Murder charge against Jews in the medieval period. |
| 1158 |
Ibn Ezra visits
London |
| March 1167 or 1168 |
Harold of Gloucester
ritual murder charge. |
| 1177 |
Jews of England
had had to use the burial ground in London, but in 1177 were permitted
to purchase burial grounds outside any city where they lived |
| 1181 |
Jews forbidden to
hold Arms |
| 1183c. |
First Arch Presbyter
of the Jews appointed |
| 1186 |
Death of Aaron of
Lincoln who was considered one of the wealthiest men in England |
| 3 September, 1189 |
Coronation of Richard
Lion-Heart led to a series of massacres of Jews |
| 16/17 March, 1190 |
Massacre in York |
| Late 1194. |
First steps towards
establishment of the Exchequer of the Jews |
| 10 April, 1201 |
King John confirms
Charter of the Jews. It cost them 4,000 marks |
| 1 November, 1210 |
Unprecedented Tallage
on Jews |
| 15 June,1215 |
Magna Carta. Two
clauses concern debts due to Jews |
| 30 March, 1218 |
Jewish badge introduced,
only strictly enforced after 1253 |
| 1231 |
Jews expelled from
Leicester. This proved to be the start of a host of expulsions
from various cities and towns |
| 16 January, 1232 |
Domus Conversorum
established in London |
| 31 January, 1253 |
Restrictive measures
against Jews |
| August, 1255 |
Hugh of Lincoln
ritual murder charge |
| April, 1264 |
Attack on the Jewry
in London and elsewhere |
| 24 November, 1275
|
Statute of the Jewry |
| 1279 |
Jews ordered to
attend sermons delivered by Dominican Friars |
| 18 July, 1290 |
Edict expelling
Jews |
| 1290 -1656 |
The period between
the expulsion of the Jews in 1290 and their readmission in 1656
is generally called ‘The Middle Period’. Although there was no
Jewish community during this period, Jews visited Britain from
time to time for various reasons and some Marranos established
themselves in Britain for periods of time |
| 31 October, 1655
|
Humble address from
Menasseh ben Israel to Oliver Cromwell. A fortnight later on 13
November he submitted a petition for the readmission of Jews to
England |
| December, 1655 |
Whitehall Conference
to discuss the petition. Dissolved by Cromwell before it reached
a decision |
| 1656 |
Although no formal
agreement on readmission, Jewish residents of London began living
openly as Jews |
| December, 1656 |
First Synagogue
established after Readmission |
| February, 1657 |
First Cemetery acquired
in Mile End |
| 14 October, 1663 |
Samuel Pepys visits
the Synagogue on Simchat Torah |
| 1664 |
Bylaws (Ascamot)
of new community agreed |
| 22 August, 1664 |
Jews granted Royal
protection |
| January, 1667 |
Jews allowed to
swear in Court on the Old Testament |
| February, 1674 |
Jews indicted for
holding a service, but the King stopped the proceedings against
them |
| 1671 |
Start of practice
of presenting each Lord Mayor with a gift |
| 1677 |
Court venue changed
to avoid a Jew having to give evidence on a Saturday |
| 1692c. |
Establishment of
first Ashkenazi Synagogue |
| 2 February, 1697 |
Site acquired for
first Ashkenazi cemetery |
| 1697 |
Jews admitted as
brokers on the Royal Exchange |
| 20 September, 1701 |
Bevis Marks Synagogue
inaugurated |
| 1702 |
Great Synagogue
founded |
| 24 June, 1702 |
Act to oblige Jews
to maintain and provide for their Protestant children |
| 20 March, 1705 |
Hambro Synagogue
founded |
| Late 1714 |
Publication of John
Toland’s Reasons for Naturalising the Jews in Great Britain and
Ireland, on the same foot with All Other Nations |
| 1732 |
Talmud Torah attached
to the Great established, which became the Jews’ Free School
(JFS) in 1817 |
| 18 October, 1747 |
Establishment of
the Sephardi Jews’ Hospital (Beth Holim) |
| 1753 |
Enactment and repeal
of the ‘Jew Bill’ |
| 14 December, 1760 |
Foundation of Board
of Deputies |
| May 1761 |
The New Synagogue
founded |
| 1761 |
Beginnings of Western
Synagogue |
| 17 December, 1776 |
Official fast to
wish success against the rebels in America |
| 17 April, 1782 |
Death of the Baal
Shem of London |
| Late 1787 |
Conversion of Lord
George Gordon |
| 19 October, 1803 |
Official fast for
success in the war against France |
| 16 April, 1804 |
Establishment of
The London Board for Shechita |
| 14 April, 1809 |
Three Royal Dukes
visit the Great Synagogue |
| 1817 |
Establishment of
Jews’ Free School (JFS) |
| 1819 |
Jewish Blind Society
founded |
| 1826 |
University College
London founded, the first university in England to admit students
regardless of race, class or religion |
| 1836 |
Marriage Registration
Act recognising Board of Deputies as a competent authority |
| 1840 |
Successful mission
by Moses Montefiore to secure release of Jews in Damascus accused
of a blood libel |
| 15 April, 1840 |
Religious split
in London Community |
| Late 1841 |
Voice of Jacob and
Jewish Chronicle founded |
| 17 January, 1842 |
West London Synagogue
of British Jews opened |
| 31 July, 1845 |
Act for the relief
of Persons of the Jewish Religion elected to Municipal Offices |
| 18 August, 1846 |
Religious Disabilities
Act. The Jewish religion was no longer connived at, but was placed
under the protection of the law |
| July, 1847 |
Lionel Rothschild
elected an MP, but unable to take seat because oath included the
words “on the true faith of a Christian” |
| 1855 |
Jews College founded |
| 23 July, 1858 |
Oaths and Jewish
Relief Acts |
| 26 July, 1858 |
First Jew (Lionel
Rothschild) takes seat in House of Commons |
| 1859 |
Unsuccessful mission
by Moses Montefiore to Rome to secure release of Edgardo Mortara |
| 1859 |
Foundation of the
Board of Guardians (subsequently Jewish Care) |
| 28 June, 1868 |
Disraeli appointed
Prime Minister |
| 14 July, 1870 |
Establishment of
United Synagogue |
| 1871 |
Formation of Anglo-Jewish
Association |
| 1881 |
Start of mass immigration |
| 1885 |
Establishment of
the ‘Jewish Ladies’ Society for Preventative and Rescue Work’
|
| 28 July, 1885 |
Death of Sir Moses
Montefiore |
| April, 1887 |
The Anglo-Jewish
Historical Exhibition |
| 6 November, 1887 |
Formation of Federation
of Synagogues |
| September, 1889 |
Jewish Tailors Strike |
| 10 December, 1890 |
Public meeting protesting
against condition of Russian Jews |
| 1891 |
Shechitah dispute
and formation of the Machzike Hadath |
| November, 1891 |
Foundation of ‘The
Maccabeans’ |
| 1892 |
Schism at Hampstead
Synagogue |
| 1893 |
Foundation of Jewish
Historical Society of England |
| 1895 |
Foundation of the
Jewish Lads’ Brigade |
| 17 January, 1896 |
First version of
Herzl’s The Jewish State published in Jewish Chronicle |
| 1896 |
Foundation of Brady
Street Boys’ Club |
| 1899 |
English Zionist
Federation founded |
| 1902 |
Anti-Jewish disturbances
in South Wales |
| 18 October, 1902 |
Inaugural service
of the Jewish Religious Union which led to the formation of the
Liberal Jewish Movement |
| 23 April, 1903 |
The Uganda Project |
| August, 1903 |
Report of the Royal
Commission on Aliens leading to the 1905 Aliens Act |
| 12 January, 1904 |
The Limerick ‘Pogrom’ |
| 19 August, 1911 |
Anti-Jewish riots
in Tredegar |
| 1912 |
The Marconi Scandal |
| 1913 |
The Indian Silver
Affair |
| 1914 |
Foundation of Oxford
and St George’s Girls’ Club |
| March, 1915 |
Formation of the
Zion Mule Corps. |
| 24 May, 1917 |
Anti-Zionist manifesto
by the Conjoint published in the Times |
| July, 1917 |
Formation of a Jewish
Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers |
| 2 November, 1917 |
The Balfour Declaration |
| 8 December, 1917 |
Allenby captures
Jerusalem |
| 1919 |
Jewish Memorial
Council founded |
| 13 July, 1919 |
London Jewish Hospital
opens for out-patients |
| January, 1920 |
The Protocols of
the Elders of Zion first published in Britain |
| 25 April, 1920 |
Palestine Mandate
assigned to Britain |
| October, 1930 |
The ‘Passfield’
White Paper |
| April, 1933 |
Community Undertaking
regarding Jewish Refugees from Germany |
| July, 1935 |
Formation of Defence
Committee by Board of Deputies |
| 4 October, 1936 |
Formation of Jewish
People’s Council and ‘The Battle of Cable Street’ |
| 7 July, 1937 |
‘Peel Report’ published |
| May, 1939 |
White Paper on Palestine |
| 11 May, 1941 |
The Great Synagogue,
Dukes Place, destroyed in an air raid |
| 17 December, 1942 |
Confirmation of
extermination of Jews by Nazis announced to House of Commons |
| March, 1945 |
Last German V2 rocket
on London kills 130 persons, nearly all Jewish |
| March, 1946 |
Formation of the
’43 Group’ |
| 22 July, 1946 |
Bombing of King
David Hotel, Jerusalem |
| 8 May, 1948 |
Establishment of
the State of Israel |
| 1954 |
Establishment of
Jewish Book Week |
| October, 1956 |
The Suez Affair |
| 1961 |
The ‘Jacobs’ Affair |
| 10 May, 1991 |
War Crimes Act |
| 1992 |
Jewish Genealogical
Society of Great Britain founded |
| 1996 |
Bloom’s in Whitechapel
Road closes |
| 6 May, 2002 |
Solidarity Rally
in Trafalgar Square in support of peace in Israel |
