330 "JEWS IN CORNWALL"; AND " MARAZION." 



Egyptian mines, and others sold as slaves.*' If the Eomans at 

 this time worked the Cornish mines,t why may not some have 

 been sent here 1 And if, as we know w"as the case, shortly after 

 this there were flourishing communities of Jews in Cyprus, Mi- 

 norca, Spain, &c., why may they not also have settled in Corn- 

 wall, attracted hither by the old-established tin-trade 1 X I have 

 been told by an intelligent Jew that they have a tradition among 

 themselves, that some escaped hither, at the taking of Jerusalem ; 

 and they have their own way of explaining the origin of many 

 local names. 



It is generally supposed that the Jews were first brought into 

 England by William the Conqueror. All that Stowe says is : 

 " King William brought tlie Jewes from Ehoane to inhabite here." || 

 But, even supposing this was the first great immigration of the 

 Jews into England, it must be remembered that Stowe (p. 1) 

 treats Cornwall as the "fourth part of Britaine" — as distinct from 

 England as Wales and Scotland. And Edward the Confessor 

 claimed the Jews iii England and all belonging to them as his 

 own property ("suum proprium") shewing that they were to be 

 found somewhere in his dominions. 



Besides, we know that Jews came to Britain as Christian Mis- 

 sionaries at a very early period. We cannot vouch for what we 

 are told about Simon Zelotes and Joseph of Arimathea coming 



* Wars of the Jews. Book 7, ch. 16. (Maynard's translation). 



f Professor Hunt, in an able Paper entitled " Notes on the Eemaius of 

 early British Tin-woi'ks," read at the Truro Meeting of the Canabrian Ai-chae- 

 ological Association in 1862, says : " Many of the old mine-workings belong, 

 "without doubt, to the Eoman period; and there is evidence that the edu- 

 " cated skill of the Eomans was brought to bear upon the Cornish tin-mines." 

 He mentions adits with stone arches, the description of which agrees with 

 that of the Eoman works in Spain. He proceeds : " We have therefore, in 

 " dealing with this question, to separate with care the Eoman workings, and 

 "the so-called Jews' workings, from the truly early British excavations. 

 "... I believe we may, by a little cautious investigation, separate the 

 " ancient British workings from those which were directed by the Eomans, 

 ^' or those which were carried out by the Jews at a later period." 



I We know from the Acts of the Apostles, c. 2, v. 5, that then as now, 

 the prophecies of the Old Testament were fullilled, that they should be 

 scattered unto " every nation under heaven." They were to be found where- 

 ever trade and commerce flourished, acting as bankers, money dealers, 

 brokers, and mostly living in conamuuities. 



II Annales, 1067. 



