Bristol's 18th-century Jewish community

By 1766 Bishop Newton recorded a total of 42 Jews in the city, 40 of whom lived in Temple. Whilst the synagogue provided the focus for most of the community, there were others who must have assimilated into society at large. However, very few Jews seem to have formally converted to the Church of England, if the baptismal records are trustworthy.

According to the law, descendants of any mixed faith marriage would not be considered Jews.  Records indicate, however, exceptions were made and family names were not reliable means to trace families, thus making the task of tracing Jewish heritage in Bristol difficult.