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 שטר (shtar, "document").
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 at Westminster. It was once speculated that the room where these were kept became known as the "starr-chamber" as a result, although this theory is dismissed by the Oxford English Dictionary.
See also
References
- ^ Henry C. Black, Black's Law Dictionary, rev. 4th ed. 1968, 1578.
- William Blackstone, Blackstone's Commentaries on the Law, 266, 267, note a.
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