Event

Whitehall Conference, 1655

Conference called by Oliver Cromwell in December 1655 on whether Jews should be readmitted to England; it ended without a definite conclusion.

3 links, 1 backed by primary records

Connections 3

Kingdom of England the conference considered whether any law barred readmission Scholarship & press 1 2

Timeline 2 dates

Proof 3 sources

Cromwell, Oliver (The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1906), The Jewish Encyclopedia, 1906. Scholarship & press
Finally, having announced that nothing was to be hoped from the conference, and that he should use his own judgment in acting for the glory of God and the good of the nation, he vacated the chair and brought the proceedings to a close.
When the terms of admission were discussed, a distinctly hostile spirit manifested itself, and the mercantile interests and the clergy united in opposition.
The first question which arose for consideration was whether there existed any law forbidding the readmission of the Jews
The conference met in the Council Chamber at Whitehall, Dec., 1655.
Jews in England: From Expulsion (1290) to Readmission (1656), by Ariel Hessayon, Jewish Communities and Records UK (JCR-UK); article by Ariel Hessayon, Goldsmiths, University of London, 2006. Scholarship & press
Perhaps, like some delegates, the Protector desired the conversion of the Jews to Protestantism.
it was argued that Jewish trading networks would lower the price of imports and provide new markets for exports.
The Whitehall Conference had ended without a definite conclusion.
Jews in England in 1290 (teaching resource with transcribed and translated royal records), The National Archives (UK). Primary record
It was not until 1656 that Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews back into England.

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