"The English tally system originated with King Henry the first son of William the Conqueror who took the throne in 1100 AD the printing press had not yet been invented and taxes were paid directly with goods produced by the land. under King Henry's innovative system, payment was recorded with a piece of wood that had been notched and split in half, one half was kept by the government and the other by the recipient. To confirm payment, the two halves were matched to make sure they tallied sense, no stick splits and an even manner on since the notches tally the songs were cut right through both of the pieces of wood. The method was Virtually foolproof against forgery."Source: The Web of Debt
https://www.amazon.com/Web-Debt-Shocking-Truth-System/dp/0983330859