At the end of 2014 two new books were published on William of Norwich, the young Christian boy whose murder in 1144 in Norwich was blamed on the Jews, despite the fact that this was later disproved, it was the first Blood Libel known, and did spread to other towns. The Life and Passion of William of Norwich (Penguin Classics) by Miri Rubin is based on the relatively contemporary account of Thomas of Monmouth. Miri Rubin is the acknowledged expert on this piece of history and has spoken in Norwich last year.
Another novel which rather unexpectedly appeared on the market just after Miri Rubin’s is called, Norwich 1144 A Jew’s Tale by Bill Albert, who is Jewish and a retired UEA lecturer. It is a novel, not fact, but it is a good tale painting a vivid picture of the difficulties of life in mediaeval Norwich and the mistrust of the Jews by the Anglo-saxons of Norwich. Its hero is a crippled Jew who was befriended by William and the story is vividly portrayed and has a very interesting twist at the end. A good read. There is a copy in the shul library.