The longest running encrypted money ledger was the British Tally Stick. A brief history 👇 The British tally stick was a wooden record used for accounting and debt management from the 12th century until the 19th century, primarily by the Exchequer of England. These sticks, typically made from willow or hazel wood harvested along the Thames near the Palace of Westminster, were used to record financial transactions such as taxes, debts, and fines. The system involved carving notches of varying widths and depths onto the stick to represent different monetary values, including pounds (£), shillings (s), and pence (d). The details of the transaction, such as the amount owed and the parties involved, were inscribed on the stick. The key innovation was splitting the stick lengthwise into two parts: the "stock," kept by the creditor, and the "foil," retained by the debtor. The unique grain pattern of the wood ensured that the two halves could only be matched with each other, providing a secure and forgery-proof method of verification. This system was used to record payments made to the Royal Treasury by tax collectors and later served as interest-free IOUs, which were fully transferrable and could even be used to pay taxes, effectively functioning as a form of money. The practice of using tally sticks as a circulating medium of exchange led to the creation of a dedicated exchange space, which eventually evolved into the Stock Exchange. The use of tally sticks was officially abolished in 1826, but a large accumulation of them remained in the Palace of Westminster. In 1834, the Clerk of Works decided to burn the old tally sticks in furnaces to dispose of them, but the fire got out of control and destroyed the Palace of Westminster, including both Houses of Parliament. - Ironic isn't it.