History of the Jews of Grimsby
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A Jewish presence in Grimsby (in Lincolnshire, England) was first reported around 1182, and further mentioned during the 13th century, often in connection with the Jews of Lincoln;[1] however in 1290 Edward I expelled the Jews from England.[2]
In the 1840's Victor Abrahams, born 1810 in Prussia, settled as a jeweller, later his son became mayor.[3][4] After the opening of a deep water dock in 1852, continental migrants came into Grimsby for its railway terminus, eventually including by 1914 hundreds of thousands of East-European Jews, mostly bound for Liverpool en route to America; other settled in (e.g.) Leeds and Manchester, with Grimsby the third port of entry for Jews, after London and Hull.[5] They originated especially from Poland and Greater Lithuania, and after 1860 some stayed, with Jews reported resident in Grimsby numbering 87 in 1871, 450 in 1914, but dwindling to 45 by 2021.[6][7] Initially living close to the port, they later moved out along Cleethorpes Road and Hainton Avenue into suburbia. As well as traditional Jewish craft trades and retail businesses, like tailoring, cabinet-making, and jewelry, glaziery was prominent. The growth and decline of the Grimsby community parallels others in England's North Sea ports, especially Hull, its larger sister community directly across the Humber estuary.[1][6][8][9][3]
