Wooden Money In England

Wooden money, in the shape of exchequor tallies, was, prior to the establishment of the Bank of England n 1094, cnrrent in the country named. Tallies was the name tfiven to the notohed sticks formerly in use in Engand for keeping the accounts in the exehequer. They are described by ■'id-lits as square rods of hazel or wilv. Inscribed on one side with notches the sum for which the tally v.is an aaknowledffment, and on two othor sidos uith the same sum in oman charaeters. When the transaction was completed, the tally recording it was split lengthwise, so that each section contained a half of each notch and one of the written sides. One-half, called the tally or check, was given to the person for whose service t was intended; the other half, called he counter tally, was retained in the xchcquer until its tally should be broug-ht in by the person who had last g-iven value for it. It thua became a current token representing cash. After th e establishment of the Bank of England government payments were made through its agency. The use of tallies in the exchequer was abolished by statute 38, George III. The old tallies were, by acts 4 and 5, William IV., ordered to be destroyed, and it was the burning of them that caused the conflagration by which the old houses of parliament were demolished.