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This thesis examines Sephardic melodies that were adopted into the liturgy of the Ashkenazic Jews in London during the early twentieth century. The work begins by presenting a history of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews from the time they settled in England to the end of the nineteenth century. Through an analysis of social and religious changes taking place among English Jews of the nineteenth century, this thesis explicates reforms in the synagogue service that led to the inclusion of polyphonic music into the synagogue and eventually, to the incorporation of Sephardic melodies into Ashkenazic synagogue practice. The attempt to canonize the music of Ashkenazic Jews in England was manifested in the widely successful Handbook of Synagogue Music (1889, revised 1899). The second edition is the focus of this thesis. Edited by Francis Lyon Cohen and David M. Davis under the auspices of the United Synagogue and the Chief Rabbi, this volume included Ashkenazic pieces by English as well as non-English Jewish composers. Fifteen melodies of Sephardic origin from the Sephardic compilation The Ancient Melodies, compiled by David de Sola and Emanuel Aguilar in 1857, as well as from The Music Used in the service of the West London Synagogue of British Jews, compiled by Charles Verrinder in 1880 were included in the 1899 edition of the Handbook. This thesis examines the reasons these Sephardic melodies were chosen for inclusion by the editors of the Ashkenazic Handbook during a period of reform.

Edward I's Jewish policy attempted to curb usury and transform the lives and financial practices of the Jews. Historians have claimed that the policy, which is embodied in the Statutum de Judeismo of 1275, was a failure and resulted in the Expulsion of 1290. Although the Expulsion has received some attention from historians, very little work has been done on Edwardian Jewry as a whole and therefore it has not been possible to discern the exact effect of the Statutum within a general context. The best account and examination of the source material for the Expulsion still remains that of B.L.Abrahams. In the light of his work, the majority of historians have seen the Statute as an end to Jewish moneylending, a curtailing of Jewish livelihoods and an anti-semitic prelude to the Expulsion. It has not, however, always been clear how such historians have reached such conclusions. This thesis re-examines the Statutum de Judeismo and analyses, from the records of over 2000 bonds, the shift in Jewish financial interests that it brought about. In doing so, it highlights the way in which, in Edward's reign, certain Jews tempered their moneylending activities with commercial concerns. The method used to illustrate this change is tripartite. Firstly, Anglo-Jewish society and its relationship with the host community in the late thirteenth century is examined. Secondly, the specific histories of the three Jewish communities of Canterbury, Hereford and Lincoln are scrutinised. Finally, a discussion of Jewish financial practices after 1275 attempts to identify the changes brought about by the Edwardian Experiment.

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