Starr (law)  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. 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 OED.