Today, we discuss the Star Chamber in our class. The term
appears to originate in the period 1066-1290, when Jews came to England and became
a formidable merchant class. By edict of the king, contracts with Jews were
presumed to be treacherous—so, their contracts were required to be filed with the king’s
court. In Hebrew, Jews called these contracts “she’tar” (meaning document), a word that people around
them heard as “star.” In 1657, Oliver Cromwell allowed Jews back to England—and
by them, the meaning of the Star Chamber changed to mean a special court that
could be used to enforce the laws of England against powerful politicians.
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