Licoricia of Winchester
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Licoricia of Winchester
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Licoricia of Winchester was a remarkable thirteenth-century Jewish financier.
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Little is known of her early life, however by the end of 1230 she had inherited a vast fortune from her first husband Abraham, and became one of the richest moneylenders in Winchester. Licoricia was a resilient entrepreneur who successfully created a business and secured royal favour at a time when opportunities for Jewish women were extremely limited.
Upon the death of her second husband David in 1244, Licoricia was imprisoned in the Tower of London to prevent her hiding her wealth from royal assessors. She paid a fine of 5000 marks, of which 4000 were used by Henry III to build a shrine to Edward the Confessor at Westminster Abbey. She subsequently received royal support for her business and became an intermediary between the crown and Jewish community.
Sadly, in 1277 Licoricia’s daughter discovered her mother and Christian maid Alice of Bitcon stabbed to death in their home in Jewry Street. Investigations into her death focused on the loss of £10,000 worth of goods, rather than on her murder. Historian Hannah Meyer linked Licoricia’s death to opposition of her son Benedict’s prominence as the only Jewish guildsman in England.
Licoricia of Winchester statue