Medieval Jewish Cemetery, Oxford

Beneath this garden lies a medieval cemetery. Around 1190 the Jews of Oxford purchased a water meadow outside the city walls to establish a burial ground. In 1231 that land, now occupied by Magdalen College, was appropriated by the Hospital of St John, and a small section of wasteland, where this memorial lies, was given to the Jews for a new cemetery. An ancient footpath linked this cemetery with the medieval Jewish quarter along Great Jewry Street, now St Aldates. For over 800 years this path has been called 'Deadman's Walk', a name that bears silent witness to a community that contributed to the growth of this City and early University throughout the 12th and 13th centuries. In 1290 all Jews were expelled from England by King Edward I. They were not permitted to return for over 350 years. May their memory be blessed יהא זכרונם לברכה

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