Next time you are walking near St Giles Cripplegate, that ancient church somehow at home in the middle of the Barbican, pause for a minute to wonder what may lie beneath your feet. As revealed in a temporary exhibition recently in the church, organised by the Jewish Mile Foundation, this was in fact the site of the UK’s oldest Jewish cemetery, from a time when the community was very much part of medieval City life.

It is thought the first Jewish men and women settled in Britain following the Norman invasion of 1066. The cemetery was established on land that would have been outside the City walls and was used until Edward 1 expelled all the Jews in 1290. The land passed to the Dean of St Paul’s cathedral in a private capacity, and it was nearly 350 years before Oliver Cromwell formally welcomed the community back.

Jewish people were deemed the property of the king, which meant they could be taxed at will.  This has left quite detailed records of the people and businesses of this thriving community and includes information for example that Jewish taxes were used in the construction of the outer walls of the Tower of London.

The Jewish dead were buried in a similar way regardless of social status, in a plain wooden coffin and wrapped in a shroud.  For a while, this was the only place in the country where Jews were permitted to bury their dead.

After 1290, the area was known as the Jewish Garden, and over time was built upon and repurposed. The extensive WW2 bombing gave an opportunity for excavation of the site; evidence of burial was found but no complete skeletons.

The history of the City is full of human stories, of those that lived and worked and died in the Square Mile. Nothing remains visible of the cemetery now, but thanks to the recent exhibition in St Giles, it has been possible to glimpse the City of the medieval world, long before the concrete of the Brutalist present.