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").^[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 Oxford English Dictionary.