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Jews Acre, Bristol
The Jews Acre (alias Jews Churchyard) in Cliftonwood, Bristol, England was the burial ground of Bristol's medieval Jewish community from the late 12th century until the Edict_of_Expulsion, expulsion of the Jews from England in 1290. Bristol's jews lived a mile east in the centre of the town, initially around the head of the harbour - an area that was later known as the Old Jewry. It was one of England's smaller Jewish communities, never exceeding about fifteen households. If the average household had five people, the mean population would have been about seventy-five people. Life expectancy at birth in pre-modern societies rarely exceed forty, with at least 2.5 per cent of any community dying each year. That would imply about two interments per year in the cemetery. Jews Acre is associated with Jacob%27s Well, Bristol, Jacob's Well, which lies about a hundred metres further down the valley. The well is believed to have been a ''bet tohorah'' (ritual bath) where corpses were was ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jacob%27s Well, Bristol
Jacob's Well in Cliftonwood, Bristol, England is an early medieval structure incorporated into a 19th century building on the corner of Jacob's Wells Road and Constitution Hill. It is thought to be a Jewish ritual bath. The stone structure is built round a natural spring and on a lintel there is an inscription that includes Hebrew characters. It was initially suggested that these might form part of the Hebrew word ''zochalim'', "flowing". Following the well's rediscovery in 1987, the archaeologists involved in its survey suggested that the well might be a mikveh or Jewish ritual bath. They noted that the small chamber 'filled with clear water issuing from a fissure in the rock, at a constant 53 °F, and left from another opening feeding the presumed conduit.' The temperature reference has led some to characterise it as a 'hot spring'. However, 53 °F (12 °C), is close to average for groundwater in the UK (10 °C-11 °C). The interpretation of the w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
