Little Saint Hugh of Lincoln (1246 – 27 August 1255) was an English boy whose death prompted a blood libel. Hugh is known as Little Saint Hugh to distinguish him from Saint Hugh of Lincoln, an adult saint. The style is often corrupted to Little Sir Hugh. The boy disappeared on 31 July, and his body was discovered in a well on 29 August.
Shortly after his disappearance, a local Jew named Copin (or Jopin), under torture, admitted to killing the child. Copin was executed, and the story would have ended there were it not for a series of events that coincided with the disappearance.
Some six months earlier, King Henry III had sold his rights to tax the Jews to his brother, Richard, Earl of Cornwall. Having lost this source of income, he decided that he was eligible for the Jews' money if they were convicted of crimes. As a result, some ninety Jews were arrested and held in the Tower of London, while they were charged with involvement in the ritual murder. Eighteen of them were hanged for refusing to participate in the proceedings and refusing to throw themselves on the verdict of a Christian jury. It was the first time ever that the civil government handed out a death sentence for ritual murder, and King Henry was able to take over their property. The remainder were pardoned and set free, most likely because Richard, who saw a potential threat to his own source of income, intervened on their behalf with his brother.
Read more about Little Saint Hugh Of Lincoln: Cultural Influence, From The Ballad of Little Sir Hugh, The Contemporary Theological Consideration
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