Tally sticks

The BBC News online website has an article about medieval tally sticks and similar means of recording money transfers which is of interest to those with a sense of the past, both in terms of the course of the Exchequer and the fate of the old Palace of Westminster. It can be read at

What tally sticks tell us about how money works

Medieval tally sticks illustrate what money really is: a kind of debt that can be traded freely.