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Starr (law)

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Starr, or starra, was a term used in pre-14th-century England for the contract or obligation of a Jew. It derives from the Hebrew shtar, שטר, document.[1]

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.[1] It was once speculated that the room where these were kept became known as the "starr-chamber" as a result,[2] although this theory is dismissed by the OED.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Henry C. Black, Black's Law Dictionary, rev. 4th ed. 1968, 1578.
  2. ^ William Blackstone, Blackstone's Commentaries on the Law, 266, 267, note a.