The Jews Of South West England

The Rise and Decline of their Medieval and Modern Communities

By (author) Bernard Susser

Book cover: The Jews Of South West England

Extent: 383 pages

Publisher: University of Exeter Press

Subjects: Cultural Studies, Medieval Studies, Social Sciences 

Language: English

Hardback (Published)

(September 1993)

ISBN: 9780859893664

6.18 x 9.37 inches

Price: $105.00

In stock

The definitive study of the once-important Jewish communities of Devon and Cornwall, providing an in-depth study of the demography and economic activity as well as the political, cultural, religious and social life of South-Western Jewry.


The definitive study of the once-important Jewish communities of Devon and Cornwall, providing an in-depth study of the demography and economic activity as well as the political, cultural, religious and social life of South-Western Jewry.

Acknowledgements, viii
Glossary, xi
List of Abbreviations, xv
List of Maps, xvi
List of Tables, xvii
List of Illustrations, xx
Preface, xxi
1 Early Settlement
PART 1: Ancient Traces, 1
PART 2: The Medieval Jewry, 4
2 Immigration and Emigration: The Jewish Communities after 1656
PART 1: Composition and Growth, 26
PART 2: Towns of Minor Jewish Settlement, 47
PART 3: Area of Town Occupied by Jews, 52
PART 4: Movement of Jews Within and Without the South West, 54
3 Demographic Structure
PART 1: The Immigrants, 68
PART 2: Births, Marriages and Deaths, 71
4 Occupations, 92
5 Cemeteries and Synagogues, 126
6 Communal Organization
PART 1: Lay and Religious Leadership, 136
PART 2: Synagogal Finances, 159
PART 3: Internal Communal Discipline, 168
7 Religious Life, 172
8 Philanthropy, 192
9 Inventors, Writers and Artists, 206
10 Acculturation and Assimilation, 221
Notes and References, 265
Additional Notes, 335
Selected Bibliography, 337
Index, 341,


Acknowledgements, viii; Glossary, xi; List of Abbreviations, xv; List of Maps, xvi; List of Tables, xvii; List of Illustrations, xx; Preface, xxi; 1 Early Settlement; PART 1: Ancient Traces, 1; PART 2: The Medieval Jewry, 4; 2 Immigration and Emigration: The Jewish Communities after 1656; PART 1: Composition and Growth, 26; PART 2: Towns of Minor Jewish Settlement, 47; PART 3: Area of Town Occupied by Jews, 52; PART 4: Movement of Jews Within and Without the South West, 54; 3 Demographic Structure; PART 1: The Immigrants, 68; PART 2: Births, Marriages and Deaths, 71; 4 Occupations, 92; 5 Cemeteries and Synagogues, 126; 6 Communal Organization; PART 1: Lay and Religious Leadership, 136; PART 2: Synagogal Finances, 159; PART 3: Internal Communal Discipline, 168; 7 Religious Life, 172; 8 Philanthropy, 192; 9 Inventors, Writers and Artists, 206; 10 Acculturation and Assimilation, 221; Notes and References, 265; Additional Notes, 335; Selected Bibliography, 337; Index, 341.


  • By (author) Bernard Susser

"This well-documented account of the communities of Plymouth, Exeter, Falmouth and Penzance during the medieval and modern eras offers an affectionate account of provincial Jewish life in an overwhelmingly gentile environment, which led inexorably to a process of assimilation and eventual decline... The author, who was for many years the minister of Plymouth Hebrew Congregation ... augments what is an essentially scholarly work with a wealth of anecdotes." Jewish Chronicle
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"This well-documented account of the communities of Plymouth, Exeter, Falmouth and Penzance during the medieval and modern eras offers an affectionate account of provincial Jewish life in an overwhelmingly gentile environment, which led inexorably to a process of assimilation and eventual decline… The author, who was for many years the minister of Plymouth Hebrew Congregation . . . augments what is an essentially scholarly work with a wealth of anecdotes." (Jewish Chronicle)

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