Kingston upon Hull, on England's East Coast was, by 1750, a major point of entry into Britain for traders and migrants,[1][2][3] second only to London for links to the continent.[4] Around then, a few Jews from German and Dutch cities lodged and settled in Hull.[5][6][7] Selling jewelry and dealing goods in the thriving port and market town, they maintained contacts with Europe, London, and many other – particularly Northern – towns. The small community produced its own institutions and leaders, which were tested by anti-Jewish sentiment, and later by an influx of East-European refugees.[5][8]
Communal efforts to support the arrival of Jews – mostly bound for America – encouraged some to stay, who then thrived particularly well in retail trades, and grew to be a community of over 2,500.[5][9] Although probably never more than 1% of the area population, by the end of the twentieth century the Jews of Hull made an impact on the life of the city, and some became known in the broader world.[10] Among the sons and daughters of the Jews of Hull (as well as many Lord Mayors and Sheriffs of Hull) were three Fellows of the Royal Society,[11] the founder of the world's largest furniture maker,[12] numerous doctors and lawyers, as well as actress Dame Maureen Lipman.[13] See List of Jews from Kingston-upon-Hull.
^Evans, Nicholas (2017). "The making of a mosaic: Migration and the port-city of Kingston upon Hull". In Starkey DJ (ed.). Hull: Culture, History, Place. Liverpool: Liverpool University Press. pp. 144–77. ISBN978-1-78138-420-6.