OTHER RELIGIOUS BODIES
JUDAISM
With no medieval Anglo-Jewish community, the
origin of the Hull Jewry lies in the 18th century. (fn. 1)
The Old Hebrew Congregation met first in a former
Roman Catholic chapel in Posterngate which it
repaired after damage done during the Gordon riots
of 1780. Its leading member may have been Michael
Levy, a watch-maker, who was registered at Hull
in 1770. (fn. 2) In 1796 it was said that 20–30 people
attended the synagogue. (fn. 3) After differences within
the congregation, a second synagogue was established
by Joseph Lyon in the 1820s, but the congregation
was re-united by 1826. (fn. 4) The average Sabbath attendance was said to be only 40 in 1834, (fn. 5) and the
Jewish population of the city was 65 in 1847. (fn. 6) On the
day of the 'Religious Census' in 1851 attendances at
the synagogue were 74 in the morning, 17 in the
afternoon, and 21 in the evening. (fn. 7) There were 80
members in 1854 and 112 in 1870. (fn. 8)
Three other congregations have been established
—the Central in 1886, whose first meeting-place was
in School Street, the Western in 1902, meeting in
Linnaeus Street, (fn. 9) and the New in 1928, meeting
in Lower Union Street. (fn. 10) The New Congregation
ceased to exist during the Second World War. The
successive meeting-places of these congregations, as
well as several mission rooms, have all been situated
in the area immediately to the west of the Old
Town, and since 1903 the Old Congregation has
met there, too. In 1962, when the Jewish population
of Hull was said to be 2,000, the Old Hebrew Congregation had a membership of 250 and the Western
of 360. (fn. 11) In 1964 the Central Congregation numbered
about 80 families. (fn. 12)
The first Jewish burial ground was situated off
Walker Street. Some time after 1812 it was replaced
by a larger ground in Hessle Road, but this was closed
in 1857 and in the following year a cemetery was
opened at Marfleet. An additional cemetery in Ella
Street was opened c. 1900. (fn. 13)
The work of the Hull Hebrew Board of Guardians
includes the provision of homes for old people. A
house in Anlaby Road was bought in 1953 to be used
for flats: in 1961 ten old people were living there,
and five in an old people's home. (fn. 14)
In the list of places of worship below, which was
compiled in 1964, the sources cited by numbers are
as follows:
1. Charity Commission files.
2. General Register Office, Somerset House,
Worship Register.
3. Directories of Hull.
4. Eastern Morning News, 17 April 1928.
5. Sheahan, Hist. Hull.
Adelaide Street: a mission, mentioned in 1926.(3)
Cogan Street: the former Congregational chapel,
acquired in 1914 to replace School Street. It was
replaced by West Parade in 1940(2) and destroyed
during the Second World War (Jewish Year Bk.
1962, 104).
Great Passage Street: a mission, mentioned in
1914.(3)
Great Thornton Street: a mission, used from at
least 1885 to 1900.(3) It was sold in 1922.(1)
Linnaeus Street: registered in 1902.(2) It was
designed by B. S. Jacobs,(4) and built in red brick
with yellow stone dressings.
Lower Union Street: the former Methodist chapel,
used as a Jewish mission from 1916(3) and as a
synagogue from 1928(4) until 1941, when it was
damaged by bombing. It was subsequently repaired
and was still used by Jewish youth organisations in
1964 (ex inf. Rabbi Dr. C. J. Cooper).
Nile Street: in use in 1878 (Wilberforce Ho. MSS,
list of places of worship, 1878).
Osborne Street: opened in 1903, replacing Robinson Row.(2) It was enlarged in 1932. After being
damaged by bombing in 1941, it was rebuilt and
reopened in 1957.(1)
Parade Row (on the site of Prince's Dock): used
in the 1820s after differences within the Posterngate
congregation. They were re-united in 1826 and
replaced by Robinson Row.(3, 5)
Park Street, Cogan House: replaced West Parade
in 1951.(2) The building had housed Alderman
Cogan's School until 1950, and was originally built
as Lister's Hospital.
Posterngate: the former Roman Catholic chapel,
wrecked during the Gordon riots in 1780 and rebuilt by the Jews. It was united with Parade Row
and moved to Robinson Row in 1826. The building
was used as a workshop in 1865.(5) It had apparently
been demolished by 1964.
Prince Street: used for a time towards the end of
the 19th century.(4)
Robinson Row: built in 1826 after Posterngate and
Parade Row were united;(5) 100 sittings (H.O.
129/24/519–20). It was rebuilt in 1852 (Hull
Advertiser, 1 Oct. 1852) and registered in 1856;(2)
250 sittings (O.S. Map 1: 1,056 (1856)). It was
replaced by Osborne Street in 1903(2) and subsequently used as a warehouse; it is said to have been
demolished in 1928.(4)
School Street: opened in 1887 (E. Morning News,
12 Sept. 1887) and replaced by Cogan Street in
1914.(2)
West Parade: replaced Cogan Street in 1940 and
was itself replaced by Park Street in 1951.(2)
ISLAM
A small Moslem community in Hull has used
three successive meeting-places since 1944. The
source used is: General Register Office, Somerset
House, Worship Register.
Great Thornton Street: registered during 1944.
Linnaeus Street: registered in 1959.
Waverley Street: registered from 1944 to 1959.