Exchequer of the Jews facts for kids
The Exchequer of the Jews (which means Jewish Treasury in Latin) was a special part of the Court of Exchequer in London. This court kept records and managed the taxes and legal cases for Jewish people living in England and Wales. It worked from the late 1190s until 1290, when all Jews were expelled from England.
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Why the Exchequer Started
Jewish people began to live in England shortly after the Norman Conquest in 1066. They mostly avoided the terrible events of the First (1096–1099) and Second (1145–1149) Crusades. Even though they sometimes had to pay special taxes, their numbers and wealth grew because the king protected them.
The king protected Jewish people for a good reason. Old records from the time of King Henry I show that Jewish communities in England were a major source of money for the king. The idea was to use the Jewish community as a way to gather extra wealth from the people around them. This way, the king would always have money when he needed it. Jewish people were allowed to charge interest on loans, which also brought tax money to the king.
As trade and business grew under Henry I and Henry II, the money the king received from Jewish people kept increasing. This led to a demand for a special department within the main treasury to handle Jewish finances.
How it Began
The first special treasury seems to have been created to manage the large amount of money left by Aaron of Lincoln when he died in 1186. This required a treasurer and a clerk to look after it. This office was called "Aaron's Exchequer."
The riots that happened after King Richard I became king showed how risky it was if no records were kept of debts owed to Jewish people. So, in 1194, Richard ordered that copies of all Jewish debt records should be made. These copies were kept in this new office or other central places. He said that all debts, pledges, and property of Jewish people must be registered. No new agreements or payments could be made without these special officials present.
Soon after, it became clear that a central place was needed for all Jewish business. This office was connected to the Exchequer at Westminster and was called the "Exchequer of the Jews." It was first mentioned in 1200. At that time, four "justices of the Jews" were named. Two of them were Jewish: Benjamin de Talemunt and Joseph Aaron. These justices had a high rank, similar to important officials of the Exchequer. They worked under the treasurer and chief justice. They also had a clerk and an escheator (an official who dealt with property that went to the king). Jewish people could hold these jobs, but only the two mentioned above became justices. The justices were also helped by the presbyter judaeorum, who probably advised them on questions of Jewish law.
What the Exchequer Did
The Exchequer of the Jews handled legal cases between Jewish people and Christians. These cases were mostly about debts owed to Jewish lenders. The court claimed it had the only power to deal with these matters, but there were many exceptions. For example, in 1250, cases about property disputes in London were given to the mayor's court. Sometimes, these cases went before other regular judges.
In 1257, the trial of the Chief Rabbi, Elyas of London, took place before this Jewish Exchequer court. The court also decided how much Jewish communities had to pay to the royal treasury. This included reliefs (one-third of a deceased Jew's property), escheats (property taken by the king for serious crimes), fines (for special permissions), and tallages (general taxes that the king could demand whenever he wanted).
To figure out the tallages, the justices regularly checked the lists of debts. These lists were kept in special chests called archae in each regional center. These chests held important Jewish documents like chirographs (debt agreements) and starrs (documents canceling debts). Each chest had three locks. Two designated Jewish people held one set of keys, two designated Christians held another, and two royal clerks held the third. This meant the chests could only be opened if all six people worked together.
The chests, or more often the lists of debts kept by the royal clerks, were sent to Westminster for review. There, the justices would tell the king how much more tax the Jewish community could afford to pay. By the mid-1200s, the number of these archae was reduced to twenty-five. If tallages were not paid, the Jew's wife and children were often put in prison as hostages. Sometimes, the Jew himself was sent to the Tower of London, and his property was taken.
The Exchequer of the Jews was one way kings could put pressure on less powerful nobles. Because of this, in 1251, these nobles demanded the right to choose one of the justices of the Jews. At first, these justices were important people like Hugh Bigod and Philip Basset. During the early reign of King Henry III, the justices were mostly chosen by Hubert de Burgh. Later, they were chosen by the king's favorites, like Robert Passelewe.
During King Edward I's rule, justices held their jobs for only a short time. In 1272 and 1287, some were fired for corruption. They had received large gifts, supposedly for the king, to speed up legal cases. The court did not continue after the expulsion of Jewish people in 1290. However, some legal cases referring to Jewish debts still appeared in court records until the time of King Edward II.
Records and Cases
The documents recorded in the Jewish Exchequer were mainly chirographs (records of debts) and starrs (documents canceling debts). Some people in the past thought the famous Star Chamber court got its name from being the place where these starrs were kept. However, modern experts say this is not true.
The tax lists for the tallages were created by Jewish assistants of the Exchequer. These assistants knew about the financial situation of each Jewish person on the list. Many of these lists still exist today. Various legal arguments made by Jewish or Christian people dealt with things like interest rates, what happened to interest if an heir was a child, and claims of fake debt documents. These were all recorded in the Exchequer's plea rolls. A book of the most important of these cases was published in 1902.
The End of the Exchequer
The office of the Exchequer of the Jews lasted for almost a century. The expulsion of Jewish people from England in 1290 marked the end of this office. However, some legal cases related to Jewish debts can still be found in court records from the time of Edward II (1284–1327).
Medieval Views of Minorities
At first, it might seem like the unfair treatment of Jewish people was unique. However, if we look closely at history, we see that such unfair treatment was not just for Jewish people. It was part of a historical pattern of blaming "outsiders" or different minority groups for everyday problems. These problems included sudden illnesses, poverty, famine, wars, or natural disasters.
Often, widespread accusations and persecution of minority groups were justified in the name of God. Or, the bad actions of the "chosen minority group" were blamed on the devil. Similar reasons were used to persecute Jewish people during England's time of intense crusades. For example, the extermination of lepers was the first time in Europe that such a large program of separating people was carried out. In later centuries, other groups like the mentally ill, the poor, criminals, and Jewish people would take the place of lepers.
Historians describe a "chain of conspiracy" that was fueled by hostility towards the least protected groups. In this view, there was almost always a Muslim ruler at the top of this chain. These Muslim leaders would secretly work with individuals or groups who were on the edges of society, like Jewish people. They would promise them money to carry out a plot. The plot would then be carried out by other groups, like lepers, who were easily tricked by promises of wealth and power because of their age or low social status.
These conspiracies often led to groups like Jewish people and lepers being forced to live separately in special areas called ghettos. They were also made to wear symbols on their clothes or follow certain dress codes so they could be easily recognized.
Both Jewish people and lepers were vulnerable to persecution. However, a big difference was the wealth of Jewish communities. As one historian put it, Jewish people might have been completely wiped out if their great wealth hadn't made Christians greedy enough to demand money from them. Several times during attacks against minorities, Jewish people ended up with less killing or damage. The main punishment they faced was usually having all their wealth taken away.
Historical Sources and Possible Bias
Most of the information we have about the Exchequer of the Jews comes from Christian historical records of those centuries. While these historians were often very accurate, they usually did not have much sympathy for Jewish people. Some might have even been openly hostile towards them. Since there are very few non-religious accounts of English Jewish life from that time, we mostly have the Christian point of view.
- Rigg, J.M., ed. (1902), Select pleas, starrs, and other records from the Rolls of the Exchequer of the Jews, A. D. 1220–1284
The Jewish Historical Society of England has since published summaries of these records:
- Rigg, J.M., ed. (1905/1971), Calendar of the Plea Rolls of the Exchequer of the Jews Vol. I, Henry III, 1218–1272.
- Rigg, J.M., ed. (1910/1971), – Vol. II, Edward I, 1273–1275.
- Jenkinson, H., ed. (1929), – Vol. III, Edward I, 1275–1277.
- Richardson, H.G., ed. (/1972), – Vol. IV, Henry II, 1272; and Edward I, 1275–77.
- Cohen, S., ed. (1992), – Vol. V, Edward I, 1277–1279.
- Brand, Paul, ed. (2005), – Vol. VI, Edward I, 1279–1281.
The Selden Society has also created a book of summaries of court cases:
- Brand, Paul (2007), Eyre reports 1286-9 and undated Eyre reports, Exchequer of the Jews reports, pre-1290 assize reports, pre-1290 reports from unidentified courts and additional pre-1290 Common Bench reports
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