The Murder of William of Norwich

The murder of a child will always shake a community, but this was particularly the case when the local Jews are being blamed for murdering the child for religious reasons. In the mid-twelfth century, the Jews of Norwich in England were faced with such a situation. This is one of the first cases in the long history of ritual murder charges against Jews. This, like all the others, was a false charge.

The Jews of Norwich were fairly well to do. They were of value to the kings for their ability in business and finance and were regarded as the king’s property rather than as citizens. Chronicler William of Malmesbury records that Jews came to England with William the Conqueror and were tolerated, though not liked by the people, and were pressured to convert to Christianity. Their situation was always tentative. In Norwich, they were not permitted to own houses, as they could in most English towns. The clergy particularly hated the Jews, seeing them as the king's men in the clergy’s struggle for power against the king, as well as enemies of the ‘true faith’.

About 1149, Thomas of Monmouth wrote an account of the 1144 murder of William, a boy in Norwich. Thomas arrived in Norwich only several years after the murder of William, but he spoke to many of the citizens who were involved in the events and presents his story from the anti-Semitic viewpoint of the monk that he was. Here is his story as he tells it....

About the author:
Dr. Matthew Schwartz is a well renowned author whose research revolves around ancient history and literature, both Greco-Roman and Jewish. After earning his PhD from Wayne State University, in Detroit, Michigan, Professor Schwartz has been teaching at his alma mater and Lawrence Tech University. His upcoming books are titled "Jews in America: the First 500 Years" and "Riddles and Parables in Greek and Jewish Literature".