The
Domus Conversorum (
House of the Converts) was a building and institution in
London for
Jews who had converted to
Christianity. It provided a communal home and low wages. It was needed because all Jews who converted to Christianity forfeited all their possessions.
It was established in 1253 by
Henry III. With the
expulsion of the Jews by
Edward I in 1290, it became the only way for Jews to remain in the country. At that stage there were about eighty residents. By 1356, the last one of these died. Between 1331 to 1608, 48 converts were admitted. The warden was also
Master of the Rolls.
The building was in
Chancery Lane. No records exist after 1609, but, in 1891, the post of chaplain was abolished by
Act of Parliament and the location, which had been used to store legal archives, became the
Public Record Office.
"
Domus Conversorum" was sometimes used also to describe the living quarters of
lay brothers in
monasteries.