York, London and Northampton at various times. By the late 12th century it had taken to sitting in a fixed location, the one body of government in England to do so. By the 1170s it was possible to distinguish the Exchequer's work from that of the other parts of the curia regis, although the king of the time considered the Exchequer to simply be an element of the curia. It was referred to as the Curia Regis ad Scaccarium, or King's Court at Exchequer. The word "Exchequer" derives from the chequered cloth laid on a table for the purposes of counting money. In the 1190s the Exchequer began separating from the curia regis, a process which continued until the beginning of the 13th century. Academics have suggested that this was due to an increasing demand on the revenue side of the court, which led to part of the common law element being split off to form the Court of Common Pleas. Although the Exchequer of Pleas was the first common law court, it was the last to separate from the curia regis. Increasing work and transformation There are few records known to date from before 1580, as bills were not dated before then. Until the 16th century, the Exchequer carried out its duties with little variation in its function or practice. A small court, the Exchequer handled around 250 cases a year, compared to 2,500 in the Court of King's Bench and 10,000 in the Court of Common Pleas. Under the Tudors, the Exchequer's political, judicial and fiscal importance all increased. This was partially thanks to the Lord High Treasurer. Although the Lord Chancellor was more traditionally important, the Lord High Treasurers from 1547 to 1612 were politically influential figures, including Robert Cecil, Thomas Sackville and William Paulet. Since the Lord High Treasurer was head of the Exchequer, with the Treasurer's increased influence came increased importance for the Exchequer. The appointment of the second and third Dukes of Norfolk as Lord High Treasurers from 1501 to 1546 led to a gradual reduction in the Exchequer's power. The Dukes were seen by the government as too independent to be trusted with any real power, but too useful to be removed. As a result, to indirectly reduce their power, the Exchequer was deliberately weakened. When William Paulet was appointed Treasurer in 1546 the Exchequer again increased in power, absorbing the Court of