Medieval Jewish cemetery in York granted protected status

The site of York's medieval Jewish cemetery, known as Jewbury, has been granted protected status as a Scheduled Monument by the Government, following advice from Historic England. The Foundation for Jewish Heritage contributed to the consultation with key stakeholders.

The newly-protected site lies just outside York's medieval city walls. The cemetery is of critical importance to our understanding of the small, but significant medieval Jewish population of York.

As one of England’s first and largest medieval Jewish cemeteries, the site is a rare and exceptional survival. This designation now ensures its preservation for future generations

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The application for scheduling this site was prompted by pre-application planning discussions for a mixed-use redevelopment scheme. The scheduling will not affect existing structures above ground, which are excluded from the designation.

The decision follows consultation with key stakeholders including the Office of the Chief Rabbi, The Committee for the Preservation of Jewish Cemeteries in Europe, Foundation for Jewish Heritage, York Liberal Jewish Community, and the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture, all of whom supported designation.

General view along the south-west wall of the Fossbank Car Park, showing the Jewbury Cemetery Plaque in the foreground, commemorating the site of the medieval Jewish cemetery of York. © Historic England Archive

Historic England carefully considered the historic and religious significance of the site in determining the scheduling boundaries, which include both the medieval cemetery and a designated reinterment plot from the 1980s. Reinterment is the act of burying remains in a different location or grave than their original burial site. 

Duncan Wilson, Chief Executive of Historic England, said: “The scheduling of Jewbury recognises the exceptional historical and cultural significance of this site. Medieval Jewish Cemeteries are very rare, with only ten having been positively identified in England, and none are as extensively understood as this one. It represents an irreplaceable archaeological and cultural resource that deserves protection.”

The Jewbury site has been designated for several key reasons:

• Rarity: Only ten medieval Jewish cemeteries have been positively identified in England, with Jewbury being the most extensively understood.

• Survival: Excavations have demonstrated that approximately 50% of graves remain undisturbed, with well-preserved remains.

• Documentation: The site is exceptionally well-documented through historic records and archaeological study.

• Historical importance: The cemetery provides critical insight into York's medieval Jewish population, particularly significant given the 1190 massacre at Clifford's Tower, and the expulsion of all Jews from England a century later, in 1290.

  
  

The site of Jewbury is extremely important to British Jews, who objected strongly to the cemetery being disturbed in the early 1980s when the land was developed.

Historic England has carefully considered the importance of the site in determining the scheduling boundaries.

First edition Ordnance Survey map of the Jewbury area of York showing the site of the cemetery as a parcel of land used at that time as an orchard. (1:10,560 scale, surveyed 1846-1851, published in 1853)

The scheduling includes the core of the excavated cemetery, the reinterment plot containing the remains of individuals excavated in the 1980s, and a protective margin around the known extent of burials.

According to Jewish tradition, cemeteries are holy places considered more sacred than synagogues, and graves should be left undisturbed in perpetuity. 

The scheduling ensures that any future development plans for the area will need to consider the archaeological significance of the site and obtain Scheduled Monument Consent for any works that might affect it.

York is already one of only five English cities designated as an Area of Archaeological Importance (AAI), which grants a level of protection by requiring the local authority and York Archaeological Trust to be notified before any disturbance of the ground. The Jewbury site falls within the York City Centre AAI.