Starr, or starra, was a term used in pre-fourteenth century
England for the contract or obligation of a
Jew. It derives from the Hebrew (''shtar'', "document").
[Henry C. Black, ''Black's Law Dictionary'', rev. 4th ed. 1968]
1578
By an ordinance of
Richard I, no English starr was valid unless deposited in one of certain repositories, the best-known of which was the
King's exchequer
Kings or King's may refer to:
* Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings
*One of several works known as the "Book of Kings":
**The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts
**The '' Shahnameh ...
at Westminster.
It was once speculated that the room where these were kept became known as the "
starr-chamber" as a result,
[William Blackstone, ''Blackstone's Commentaries on the Law'', 266, 267, note ''a''.] although this theory is dismissed by the
Oxford English Dictionary.
See also
*
Exchequer of the Jews
*
Star Chamber
The Star Chamber (Latin: ''Camera stellata'') was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (c. 1641), and was composed of Privy Counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judic ...
References
English contract law
Jewish English history
Medieval English law
{{Jewish-hist-stub