Dialogus de Scaccario

The Dialogus de Scaccario, or Dialogue of the Exchequer, written by Richard fitzNigel - an insider at the court of Henry II (1154-89), has long formed the basis of historical knowledge of royal finance in the later twelfth century. It focuses on the annual audit of the sheriffs' accounts that led to the writing of the documents known as the pipe rolls. The Dialogus details the personnel and procedures of revenue collection at a time of critical importance for English government, administration, law, and economic development. It is a practical handbook rather than a theoretical treatise, and it occupies a unique place in English history. The Constitutio Domus Regis, dating from the reign of Henry I (1100-35), is the first document to describe the payments made to that group of men (and one woman) whose duty it was to look after the king's bodily needs.