This text traces the Jewish thread throughout English life between the Tudors and the beginnings of mass immigration in the mid-19th century. The author explores a number of subjects in depth, such as the Jewish advocates of Henry VIII's divorce, and the Jewish conspirators of Elizabethan England.

The writing of English history has mainly been framed without taking note of the Jewish presence at all; here, Jews are shown as an integral part of English religious and social history. Katz examines hitherto unexplored topics such as the Jewish advocates of Henry VIII's divorce and the Jewish conspirators of Elizabethan England.