ABSTRACT
The settlement of the Templars in the British Isles coincided with the growth of an international money economy. The crown and members of the nobility who had lands on both sides of the Channel needed a mechanism to transfer revenues backwards and forwards between their estates; trade and commerce needed to exchange foreign currency into sterling, and vice versa; kings and merchants needed credit to finance their operations. The Templars already had experience in money management and in transporting cash over long distances, and because crusaders needed to be able to draw on funds once they reached the Holy Land without being weighed down with bullion, the Templars had developed a system which transferred money between their preceptories on paper rather than as specie. As they were an international organisation with a network of communication they were able to do this easily.
