Statue of 13th century Jewish businesswoman to be erected in Winchester

The statue of a prominent 13th century Jewish businesswoman is to be erected in Winchester to commemorate a “woman of national significance” and celebrate the city’s Jewish roots.

The statue of Licoricia of Winchester by classically trained sculptor Ian Rank-Broadley, who attended the Slade School of Fine Art, will be erected on Jewry Street near where she lived.

It will be a life-size bronze sculpture depicting the businesswoman with her youngest son Asser at the age of four, holding her hand.

Licoricia of Winchester was a prominent Jewish businesswoman who developed working relationships with high-profile figures and members of the Royal family.

Records first place Licoricia of Winchester in the historic city in 1234, where she came to run a thriving money lending business, according to the author and historian Suzanne Bartlet.

Winchester lived in a stone house on Jewry Street as a young widow with her four children before she married her second husband the wealthy David of Oxford, who passed away in 1244.

She became a prominent figure in the Jewish community after developing a close working relationship with Henry III and Queen Eleanor.

She was stabbed to death in her home in the spring 1277 but the motive for the attack remains unknown.

A maquette of the statue will be unveiled at the Art Workers’ Guild in London from 12.30pm on April 11.