Royal Order, England 1253 Royal Document
The king has provided and ordained that no Jew shall remain in England unless that person performs service for the king. From the hour of birth, every Jew, whether male or female, shall serve us in some capacity.
There shall be no Jewish synagogues in England except in those places where synagogues existed during the reign of King John, the king’s father. In their synagogues, all Jews shall conduct their religious services in subdued voices so that Christians can’t hear them.
Every Jew shall answer to the rector of the church in the parish where that Jew lives for all parochial dues connected with the Jew’s house. No Christian nurse shall henceforth suckle or care for the child of a Jew.
No Christian man or woman shall serve a Jewish man or woman, eat with Jews or stay in their houses. No Jewish man or woman shall eat or purchase meat during Lent.
No Jew shall speak against the Christian faith or dispute publicly concerning it. No Jewish man shall have secret or intimate relations with a Christian woman, and no Christian man shall have such relations with a Jewish woman.
Every Jew shall wear a clearly visible badge upon the breast. No Jew shall enter any church or chapel except when passing through, nor shall a Jew remain there in any manner that dishonors Christ.
No Jew shall obstruct another Jew who wishes to convert to the Christian faith. No Jew shall be received into any town without the king’s special permission, except in those towns where Jews have customarily lived.
The justices assigned to the custody of the Jews are commanded to put these provisions into effect and ensure that they are strictly observed. Jews who violate them shall incur the forfeiture of their property.
Witnessed by the king at Westminster on the thirty-first day of January. Issued by the king and council.
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