Starr, or starra, was a term used in pre-fourteenth century
England
England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...
for the contract or obligation of a
Jew
Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
. 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
Richard I (8 September 1157 – 6 April 1199), known as Richard the Lionheart or Richard Cœur de Lion () because of his reputation as a great military leader and warrior, was King of England from 1189 until his death in 1199. He also ru ...
, no English starr was valid unless deposited in one of certain repositories, the best-known of which was the
King's exchequer 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
The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' (''OED'') is the principal historical dictionary of the English language, published by Oxford University Press (OUP), a University of Oxford publishing house. The dictionary, which published its first editio ...
.
See also
*
Exchequer of the Jews
*
Star Chamber
The court of Star Chamber () was an English court that sat at the royal Palace of Westminster, from the late to the mid-17th century (), and was composed of privy counsellors and common-law judges, to supplement the judicial activities of the ...
References
English contract law
Jewish English history
Medieval English law
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