Name Origins
The court took its name from the "Star Chamber" or "Starred Chamber" which was built during the reign of King Edward II specifically for the meetings of the King's Council, though the origins of the name of the room itself are unclear.
The first reference to the chamber is in 1398, as the Sterred chambre; the more common form of the name appears in 1422 as le Sterne-chamere. Both forms recur throughout the fifteenth century, with Sterred Chambre last attested as appearing in the Supremacy of the Crown Act 1534. No clear etymology can be found for the name of the chamber; the most common explanation, dating to the later 16th century, is 'because at the first all the roofe thereof was decked with images of starres gilted'. The ceiling of the chamber in which the court convened was supposedly painted with a representation of the night sky, including stars, so that the accused could gaze upon the decorated ceiling and contemplate his place in the universe. Historian John Stow, writing in his Survey of London (1598), noted 'this place is called the Star Chamber, because the roof thereof is decked with the likeness of stars gilt ...' The chamber's description is regarded as the most likely explanation for its name by the editors of the Oxford English Dictionary.
William Blackstone, a notable English jurist writing in 1769, speculated that the name may have derived from the legal word "starr" meaning the contract or obligation to a Jew (from the Hebrew שטר (shetar) meaning 'document'). This term was in use until 1290 when Edward I had all Jews expelled from England. Blackstone thought the 'Starr Chamber' might originally have been used for the deposition and storage of such contracts. However the Oxford English Dictionary gives this etymology "no claim to consideration". Other etymological theories mentioned by Blackstone on the use of star, include the derivation from steoran (steer) meaning "to govern", it was a court used to punish (crimen stellionatus) (cozenage) or the chamber was full of windows.
The ceiling of the Star Chamber can still be seen at Leasowe Castle, Wirral, England.
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