The Leylands and the jewish community

[grumpytramp]

Last winter I researched my fathers family history and after a couple of months established an amazing amount of detail (it transpires that I come from generations of Durham colliers and those that find their way out of the pits became publicans ....... coal and ale, almost the story of my life!). Anyway a colleague of mine whose roots are firmly stuck in rural Kincardineshire & Angus (East Coast of Scotland between Arbroath and Aberdeen) mentioned in passing that his Grandfather came from Leeds and all he knew was his name.Mmmm ...... Friday night in, nothing better to do, several fine bottles of craft cider for company, I decided to set about resolving his puzzle.Cut a long story short it transpires his Grandfather family had two generations previously arrived in Leeds as jewish refugees from the pogroms of Tzar Alexander II in Russian controlled Poland (but actually probably now Kaunas in Lithuania). Like many of their kin they seemed to have gravitated to The Leylands and by the 1880's 75% of the children enrolled in the local board school were jewish. To all intents and purposes in the period between 1860 and the 1920's The Leylands became a jewish "quarter" or "ghetto". There is a grand description of the migration and life in the Leylands at:http://www.saperia.com/Pages/history.htm (based on the Saperia family history)and a much more scientific analysis at:http://eprints.ucl.ac.uk/archive/000006 ... 1.pdfBeing brought up in North Leeds I was obviously very aware of the large Jewish population in the city but confess to being utterly ignorant of its origins or of the very existance of a jewish ghetto in the city.

[cnosni]

Have started a thread on Oldest in Leeds about family history.My dad lived in the Leylands in the 1930s which was a very mixed community as he recalls.Perhaps we could also look at the Irish immigrant community at Quarry hill and the bank,there will be lots of people,including my self who have some ancestors,if not all,from them.

[drapesy]

fascinating stuff grumpytramp - I am from north Leeds too and the contribution of the Jewish community to the history and development of our great city can't be overemphasised in my opinion.I do think though that the word'Ghetto' needs to be treated with caution however.. Strictly speaking your use of the phrase is correct - in its original sense (originating from Venice) as simply being the Jewish'quarter', and often a poor area.However it does have unfortunate undertones now as many associate the word 'ghetto' with the areas of Warsaw, Krakow, etc and the fate of these areas in the Holocaust.

[roundhegian]

drapesy wrote: fascinating stuff grumpytramp - I am from north Leeds too and the contribution of the Jewish community to the history and development of our great city can't be overemphasised in my opinion.I do think though that the word'Ghetto' needs to be treated with caution however.. Strictly speaking your use of the phrase is correct - in its original sense (originating from Venice) as simply being the Jewish'quarter', and often a poor area.However it does have unfortunate undertones now as many associate the word 'ghetto' with the areas of Warsaw, Krakow, etc and the fate of these areas in the Holocaust. Agreed " drapesy " . Ghetto has been an emotive word since the late nineteenth century with an implication of compulsion or living in a compact area for self-protection .As we know the Jewish population in Leeds worked , in the main gradually prospered and moved to the outer suburbs so it was not a population restricted in the way that many ghetto inhabitents in eastern Europe were .

[Hector]

Yes, the leylands was not a ghetto, grandad had a shop on North Street and my mum was brought up there. The main Jewish emigration to leeds took place from the 1880s onwards. There was an anti Jewish riot in Leeds in 1917 and everyday anti semitism was not uncommon.jewish workers were involved in attempting to form tarde unions from the late 1880s and you can still see the name of the union on a building on , near to the barracks.There were lots of concern about Sweating in the Jewish community in this period, which was a huge problemAlso my mum remebers regular fights between Jews and the Irish from the Bank.

[cnosni]

Hector wrote: Yes, the leylands was not a ghetto, grandad had a shop on North Street and my mum was brought up there. The main Jewish emigration to leeds took place from the 1880s onwards. There was an anti Jewish riot in Leeds in 1917 and everyday anti semitism was not uncommon.jewish workers were involved in attempting to form tarde unions from the late 1880s and you can still see the name of the union on a building on , near to the barracks.There were lots of concern about Sweating in the Jewish community in this period, which was a huge problemAlso my mum remebers regular fights between Jews and the Irish from the Bank. Mind you the Irish could cause trouble on their own,there is a tale of how cannon was deployed on the streets of Leeds in response to a supposed threat from Irish Immigrants.Its quite a long post is this but worth reading.To Quote the Illustrated History of Leeds,Steven Burt and Kevin Grady:-In February 1867 magistrates had a serious cause for concern.On the morning of the 11th large numbers of Irish men left Leeds,Bradford,Halifax and Huddersfield apparently with the intention of meeting fellow Fenians in Chester(Fenians were supporters of Home Rule for Ireland and the establishing a Republic) with the object of raiding the large store of arms in the castle and starting an uprising.That day 1200 men "of a very doubtful chracter" arrived in Chester but dispersed at nightfall when the Home Secretary rushed troops and police into town.certainly there was cause for worry in Leeds as well,where that night the constable at Wellington Station saw a young man carrying a bulky parcel of 'suspicious appearance'.He followed him down Basinghall street and challenged him.When the parcel was opened it consisted of 24 packages containing 140 ball cartridges all graesed ready for use.Civil disorder in Ireland over the next few days confirmed the view that the Irishmen had been after arms in Chester Castle.On the 13th packages of rifle carriages were found in Morley railway tunnel,probably having been thrown from a train on the way back from Chester (or it could have been the original LHES on one of their little trips-what about that then phil_d)Any way there was further unrest up and down the country,four Irishmen were hung for the murder of a police sergeant in Manchester,and two fenians were the target of an escape attempt from Clerkenwell gaol in November 1867 when a wall of the Gaol was blown up by the Fenians to free their two comrades in the Gaol.Numbers of people were hurt,killed and houses destroyed.Following the executions of the four Irishmen for the murder of the Police sergeant in Manchester things began to kick off in leeds,back to 'The Illustrated History of Leeds'On 13 December(1867) large placards with deep black borders were posted all over Leeds:God save Ireland!-A funeral procession in honour of the Irish patriots executed at Manchester on November 23rd 1867 will take place in Leeds on Sunday next,the 15th December.The procession will assemble at Vicars Croft and start at two o clock pm and will parade the principle streets to St Patricks cemetery,York Road.All lovers of Ureland,men and women,are requested to attend and show their respects to the memory of their fellow-countrymen.The Leeds magistrates banned the procession,fearing major civil disorder,but preperations for it proceeded and a proposed route was publishedOn Sunday 15th immense crowds gathered in Leeds,no doubt curious to see how events unfolded.The authorities were ready with what must have been one of the biggest shows of force seen in the town for many years.The mounted special constables were present in large numbers and the military came out in great strength in the neighbourhood of Kirkgate.Imagine the scene,150 Infantry men of the 70th regiment waiting in the Corn Exchange,a battery of Royal Field Artillery with field pieces were drawn up in front of the White Cloth Hall Court,guarded by a detachment of Infantry with loaded rifles,the Leeds Squadron of Yeomanry,commanded by the Earl of Harewood,were at the ready nearby.The police took possession of Vicars Croft and drew up in a double line at the entrances of kirkgate,Ludgate Hill and George Street,whilst the magistrates stood ready at Vicars Croft.The great show of strength won the day.when the great bell at the Town Hall struck two o clock no procession started.Instead the mounted artillery and Yeomanry marched down Kirkgate and into York Road follwoed by an immense rush of people.As the local press noted'In York Road very few people were assembled,but here some of the better class of Irish were walking about.The whole proceedings passed off without any occurence'Well done everyone that read that to the end.I know for a fact that some of my Irish ancestors were in the Quarry Hill/York Road area at the time as i have them there in the 1861 and 1871 census at the same address on Quarry Hill,and possibly some of my locally born ancestors were in the crowds that were assembled in town.

[drapesy]

Hector wrote: Yes, the leylands was not a ghetto, grandad had a shop on North Street and my mum was brought up there. The main Jewish emigration to leeds took place from the 1880s onwards. There was an anti Jewish riot in Leeds in 1917 and everyday anti semitism was not uncommon.jewish workers were involved in attempting to form tarde unions from the late 1880s and you can still see the name of the union on a building on , near to the barracks.There were lots of concern about Sweating in the Jewish community in this period, which was a huge problemAlso my mum remebers regular fights between Jews and the Irish from the Bank. Hector - The trade union sign you refer to was the subject of 'where and what no.8' which I've added a post to so it appears in the 'active threads' sectionI'm racking my brain as to what you mean by "Sweating" - do you mean "sweat-shops'?

[geoffb]

My Grandmother lived on Camp Road probably where the Hobby Horse is now, she was born in 1901 and grew up with the Jewish community. In fact she made pocket money by lighting their fires on a Saturday for a ha'penny. She latter worked for a jewish Taylor, Solly Simon whos factory was at the top of Byron Street. Lovell Park opposite, the factory at the top of North Street was known as Jews Park. She had many Yiddish words she used on occasions, probably swear words that us kids didn't recognise

[grumpytramp]

drapesy wrote: I'm racking my brain as to what you mean by "Sweating" - do you mean "sweat-shops'? I think that sweating refers to a form of sub-contracting to individuals in the tailoring trades from (to use the modern parlance) a 'gangmaster' in sweat shopsThere is a report to the Board of Trade about the Sweating System in Leeds 1888 here http://www.saperia.com/leeds/sweating.htmand more about the jewish community in The Leylands in the context of the Saperia Family here:http://www.saperia.com/Pages/history.htm

[grumpytramp]

drapesy wrote: I do think though that the word'Ghetto' needs to be treated with caution however.. Strictly speaking your use of the phrase is correct - in its original sense (originating from Venice) as simply being the Jewish'quarter', and often a poor area.However it does have unfortunate undertones now as many associate the word 'ghetto' with the areas of Warsaw, Krakow, etc and the fate of these areas in the Holocaust. Nick (and also Roundhegian) I appreciate your comments above, they are well made ........ I did very carefully consider my use of word 'ghetto'.It is a fair comment that care should be taken how one uses the word. To be honest from my own perspective the association of the word gthetto to a jewish community in my own city and the ghettos of Warsaw, Lodz, Lakhva, Krakow and the like is an honourable and proud one. The city of Leeds should be proud that a once alien community that sought security within the tight enclave of The Leylands has become so sucessfully assimilated by the city, yet manages retains its own sense of community. The Jewish community of The Leylands is but one of the many communities to arrive in the city and become a vital component making Leeds the great city it is ( Huguenots, Jews, Poles, Irish, Sikhs, Ugandan Asians, Pakistanis, Scots mineworkers etc)G