Licoricia of Winchester Statue

Licoricia of Winchester was a successful Jewish businesswoman and a community leader in England during the 13th century.

The first information found about Licoricia (early 13th century-1277) is from 1234, indicating that she was a widow moneylender who had three sons and a daughter.

Licoricia married David of Oxford, the wealthiest Jew in England, and became his business partner in 1242. Their son, Asher, was born a year later.

Tragically, two years into the marriage, David died.

The kings held Licoricia at the Tower of London until the loans David gave were repaid. Licoricia paid 5000 marks to the king, which he used to build Westminster Abbey and a shrine to Edward the Confessor. Licoricia returned to live in Winchester, managed David’s business, and launched some of her own, expanding her assets across England. Her close connections with the king and the royal family, who were also her clients, helped the Jewish community. In 1277, she was murdered in her home, probably during a robbery.

Life conditions for the Jewish community got worse due to high taxes, restrictions, and pressure to convert their religion. In 1290 they were forced to leave the country.

In 2009, Suzanne Bartlet published the book Licoricia of Winchester about the story of Licoricia and the significant Jewish community who lived in Winchester during medieval times. It led to the incorporation of the Licoricia of Winchester Appeal on August 2017, with the mission “‘To educate the public about Winchester’s medieval Jewish community, its role in society and its royal connections, and to promote religious tolerance and understanding.”

The Charity decided to commemorate Licoricia with a statue and chose the sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley to create it. Due to the lack of photos or portraits of Licoricia, he researched medieval-era clothes and used his daughter and grandson as models.

The sculpture depicts Licoricia in movement, wearing wealthy woman’s clothes. Her left hand holds Asher while her right holds the tallage demand, the high tax Jews had to pay. Asher holds a dreidel, a game that is played during Chanukah.

On the bronze plinth, the words from Leviticus 19:18 in the Bible and Matthew 22:39 in the New Testament are inscribed in English and Hebrew ‘LOVE THY NEIGHBOUR AS THYSELF’.

It stands outside the Discovery Centre (library), close to the medieval Jewish quarter, where the city’s thirteenth-century synagogue and Licoricia’s house once stood.

The sculpture was dedicated on February 10th, 2021. It was supposed to be unveiled by Prince Charles (later King Charles III), but at the last minute, he tested positive for Covid-19 and could not attend the ceremony. He arrived on March 3rd, 2022, to visit the statue.

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