| Surviving records of the Exchequer Pipe Roll of the reign of Henry I show that the Jews of England constituted a major source of royal revenue to the Crown early in the twelfth century. With the further advance of commerce and industry under Henry I and Henry II, the Jews of England continued to increase their royal revenues and the demand for the creation of a distinct department of the Great Exchequer for the Jews capital management had grown.[1]
With the Crusaders mania reaching England (around 1190), so did attacks against the Jews by the fanatic Christians who would kill them and took their money, leaving debts uncollected. Richard I, then the king, became concerned about how violence against the Jews will affect his access to their capital, given how the Jews' wealth was one of the main sources of money for the Crown [2]. Around the same time, the estate left by Aaron of Lincoln (a Jew who died in 1186 and was believed to be the richest man in England) was so big, that it required a treasurer and clerk to manage all the debtors. An arrangement termed "Aaron's Exchequer." [3] |