The Split Wooden Stick That Recorded A Debt
Long before digital accounts and printed receipts, people used carved wood to record financial transactions. In medieval England, government officials relied on tally sticks to track taxes, payments, loans, and debts. These simple tools helped manage public money for centuries. A tally was usually a narrow piece of wood marked with notches. Each cut represented a value. Written details could identify the people involved and explain the payment. The English Exchequer used such sticks from the medieval period into the 1800s.