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 shetar, document.

By an ordinance of Richard I

Richard I of England

Richard I was King of England from 6 July 1189 until his death. He also ruled as Duke of Normandy, Duke of Aquitaine, Duke of Gascony, Lord of Cyprus, Count of Anjou, Count of Maine, Count of Nantes, and Overlord of Brittany at various times during the same period...

, no English starr was valid unless deposited in one of certain repositories, the best-known of which was the King's exchequer

Exchequer of pleas

The Exchequer of Pleas or Court of Exchequer was a court that followed equity, a set of legal principles based on natural law, and common law, in England and Wales. Originally part of the curia regis, or King's Council, the Exchequer of Pleas split from the curia during the 1190s, to sit as an...

 at Westminster. It is possible, but by no means certain, that the room where these were kept became known as the "starr-chamber" as a result.