The Northampton Medieval Synagogue is an

archaeological Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

site and medieval

synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...

building in Sheep Street,

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. The synagogue was discovered in 2010 by Marcus Roberts of National Anglo-Jewish Heritage Trail (JTrails) after many years of researching Northampton's medieval

Jewish history Jewish history is the history of the Jews, and their nation, religion, and culture, as it developed and interacted with other peoples, religions, and cultures. Although Judaism as a religion first appears in Greek records during the Hellenisti ...

. Records tell that the synagogue appeared to have survived the expulsion of Jews in 1290 and the great fire of Northampton in 1674. Town clerk records from 1751 describe the building as "very substantial; a fair stately hall." The remains of the medieval synagogue include stone walls and a stone staircase located 12 feet underneath a

kebab Kebab (, ; ar, كباب, link=no, Latn, ar, kabāb, ; tr, kebap, link=no, ) or kabob (North American) is a type of cooked meat dish that originates from cuisines of the Middle East. Many variants of the category are popular around the wor ...

shop, the Kebabish takeaway, and a neighbourhood

pub A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

. A wall in the cellar of the pub, named "The Bear," was part of the ancient synagogue. Northampton was among the largest medieval Jewish communities in England. Remnants of a Jewish

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

have also been discovered by archaeologists.

References

External links

Northampton's Medieval Jewish Community
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''Jewish Communities and Records - UK''
(hosted by ''jewishgen.org''). {{coord, 52.2389354, -0.8979419, format=dms, type:landmark, display=title Archaeological sites in Northamptonshire Jews and Judaism in England Medieval synagogues in England

Synagogue A synagogue, ', 'house of assembly', or ', "house of prayer"; Yiddish: ''shul'', Ladino: or ' (from synagogue); or ', "community". sometimes referred to as shul, and interchangeably used with the word temple, is a Jewish house of worshi ...