Welcome to the Licoricia of Winchester Appeal.
Our aims:
- To educate about our important but forgotten medieval Jewish Community.
- Inform about Winchester’s significant Royal medieval past.
- Promote religious tolerance and the value of diversity in the community, and challenge prejudice.
- Inspire women and young people, and promote education in providing opportunity.
Licoricia was a medieval businesswoman, working mother, and leader in her community. Like many Jewish women of her time, she was highly educated. This enabled her to succeed in a man’s world despite prejudice. She made a major forced contribution to the building of Westminster Abbey and financed many other projects. The Jewish community suffered severe religious persecution including having to wear badges for much of the thirteenth century after the Church Fourth Lateran Council of 1215 (there was a complex inter-relationship between the European Catholic Church and States at the time, and the two often could not be separated – please see The Information Board, and the prejudices formed at that time still linger today. The message of “Love they Neighbour as Thyself” at the base of the statue, shared by Jews, Christians and Muslims, is as important to follow now as it was in her time. By the time of her murder, which was never solved, she was probably in very reduced circumstances following the sack of Winchester in the Barons’ War between 1264-7, and continued persecution. Her son Asher was probably forced out of England with the rest of the community in 1290.
For a fascinating view of the period of Jewish presence in England between 1066 and 1290, please read our book –
It is available from Amazon (link), and all good bookshops in Winchester (P&G Wells, City Museum, Great Hall, Tourist Information, Waterstones).
Visitors:
Please also consider following Winchester’s Medieval Jewish Trail (available from the Visitor Centre in the Guildhall) https://www.visitwinchester.co.uk/listing/medieval-jewish-trail/
and downloading out leaflet (please see the button in the middle column).
Teachers:
Please download our Key Stage 3 lessons and year 6-7 lessons from our Schools material page: (https://licoricia.org/schools/
Other material is also available on this page, including a link to the recent Pearson KS4 GCSE material for their Migration Unit.
King Charles III’s visit to the statue and its unveiling
(more photos are available on ‘the Royal Visit and Unveiling’ page.
Video of the visit by HRH Prince Charles (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWzAn290V44
We are very honoured that HRH Prince Charles visited Licoricia of Winchester on Thursday 3 March. Please see our post 0f 3/3/22 for more photos.
The unveiling on 10 February, from the Lord-Lieutenant’s announcement of HRH Prince Charles’ testing positive for Covid, through the unveiling, Maggie Carver’s speech, and the Chief Rabbi’s speech.
The Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis’ speech at our unveiling on 10 February 2022. Other photos (of the Lord-Lieutenant unveiling the statue and our Chairman and Founder Maggie Carver’s speech) and media links can be found on our Unveiling page.
Licoricia of Winchester 