This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Francis Davey (talk | contribs) at 16:12, 14 July 2004 (The article muddled the exchequer and the exchequer of pleas, I thought it best to make a new article for the latter. The later history of the exchequer needs amplifying.). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.
Revision as of 16:12, 14 July 2004 by Francis Davey (talk | contribs) (The article muddled the exchequer and the exchequer of pleas, I thought it best to make a new article for the latter. The later history of the exchequer needs amplifying.)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)The Exchequer was that part of the government responsible for the management and collection of the royal revenues of the King of England. At an early stage (certainly by 1190) it split into a purely administrative part (the Exchequer of Receipt) which collected revenue, and a judicial part the Exchequer of Pleas, which was a court concerned with the King's revenue.
Originally the Exchequer referred to a large table, 10 feet by 5, on which counters were placed representing various values. According to the Dialogue concerning the Exchequer -- an early Medieval work describing the practice of the Exchequer -- the name referred to the resemblance of the table with that of a chess board.
By extension exchequer has come to mean the treasury; and, colloquially, pecuniary possessions in general; as, 'the company's exchequer' is low.