• Introduction
• History
• Key Dates
• Disability and Access

• Places of interest
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MEDIEVAL LIFE IN BURY

The Jewish population of 12th century Bury is thought to have been relatively large, but information regarding the community is limited. It’s believed they settled on Hatter Street, between the Abbey and the market place, but other accounts place them on either the principal commercial thoroughfare, Church Gate Street, Chequer Square and Bridewell Lane near the Abbey’s Norman tower.

While there are no records of a synagogue in Bury, there’s evidence to suggest the town was a centre of scholarship and learning. According to the historian Cecil Roth, the noted ‘Bury Psalter’ (now housed at the Bodleian Library in Oxford) was produced by members of the community. The existence of this high quality illuminated manuscript would certainly indicate the presence of Talmudic scholars and scribes.