On this page, we have published some of the best videos from our partners who have commemorated the Great Charter throughout 2014 and 2015. To see a full listing of events, including upcoming activities, click here.
Treason? The Mock Trial of the Magna Carta Barons
The Mock Trial took place at Westminster Hall on the 31st July 2015. A panel of judges including the Hon. Justice Stephen Breyer, Lord Neuberger, President of the UK Supreme Court, and Dame Sian Ellis, delivered a verdict of ‘Not Guilty.’ Click here for more information and to download the judgements.
Sir Robert Worcester: Magna Carta and threats to the Rule of Law today
Speaking at the Conference on Cultural Diplomacy in Berlin, Sir Robert Worcester, Chairman of the 800th Committee, presents Magna Carta alongside modern threats to the Rule of Law, Human Rights, & Trial by Jury today.
The BBC: Horrible Histories
Horrible Histories aired an adaptation of the Proclaimers’ ‘500 Miles’, as well as an excellent Magna Carta rap battle.
Magna Carta, 800 Years
Epic Magna Carta Rap Battle
The British Library
The British Library are a major partner of Magna Carta events in 2015. ‘Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy‘ was the largest exhibition of its kind ever hosted (and the largest in the Library’s history), and the most popular. It featured a unification of the four extant 1215 issues of Magna Carta (below). The 800th Committee had worked extensively with the Library. Click here for more information about the Library and the Great Charter.
What is Magna Carta?
Narrated by Monty Python’s very own Terry Jones, this animation asks why Magna Carta was originally created and what it meant to those living in the 13th century.
800 Years of Magna Carta
Magna Carta Unification
Magna Carta: An Embroidery
The Magna Carta Chronicle
The Magna Carta Chronicle is the official Young Persons’ Guide to the importance of the Great Charter and 1215 from What on Earth? Publishing. Click here for more information.
BBC News – launch of the Magna Carta Chronicle
Magna Carta and Canada
Magna Carta has a special relationship with Canada. It has influenced the development of Canadian Constitutional Law and politics.
Magna Carta: Our Shared Legacy of Liberty
In 2015 Canadian academic Dr John Robson visited sites across England to film a new Magna Carta documentary.
Professor Ailsa Henderson discusses the influence Magna Carta has had on the shaping of Canadian policies and reform.
Magna Carta and the City of London
The history of the Great Charter and the City of London are inextricably linked.
Magna Cart:Story of the City.
The shared story of the City of London and the Great Charter is explained, featuring Reverend Robin Griffith – Jones, Master of the Temple, and Tony Halmos, Director of Communications at the City of London, who are both members of the 800th Committee.
Professor Linda Colley – Magna Carta at the Guildhall.
Magna Carta Son et Lumiere – the Guildhall, 19th September
Guildhall Fundraising Dinner
On the 12th January 2015, the 800th Committee hosted a Magna Carta Fundraising Dinner at the Guildhall, City of London, to raise funds for the exciting year of events ahead. Speakers included Lord Dyson, Master of the Rolls; Philip Hammond, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom; and His Excellency Matthew Barzun, United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom.
Lord Dyson, Master of the Rolls.
Philip Hammond, UK Foreign Secretary.
His Excellency Matthew Barzun, US Ambassador to the United Kingdom
Guy Fox: The Story of Magna Carta
Guy Fox History Project is an educational charity in London, with a simple mission: to create innovative activities and publications that encourage children to explore the world around them. Click here for more information about Guy Fox and Magna Carta.
King’s College London: Magna Carta – 800 Years of the Great Charter
For more information about King’s College and Magna Carta, click here.
Magna Carta and Parliament
The Great Charter had an enormous influence on the development of Parliamentary authority. For more information about Magna Carta and Parliament, click here
UK Parliament: Magna Carta and the emergence of Parliament
UK Parliamentary Archives: Magna Carta in Parliament
UK Parliament: Magna Carta and De Montfort
Magna Carta: Tube short
University of Bristol: Women in Parliament.
Professor Sarah Childs of the University of Bristol discusses the role of Women in Parliament today alongside a backdrop of Parliamentary history which began in 1265 with the De Montford Parliament, a product of the precedents set by Magna Carta in 1215.
Magna Carta and Social Contracts
Professor Brooks, from the Law & Government department at Durham University, outlines Magna Carta’s influence on Law throughout history.
Magna Carta Triennial Symposium
The Baronial Order of Magna Carta (BOMC), through funding from the 800th Committee, has established an annual scholarship at Washington & Lee University’s School of Law and will host a triennial symposium to be held every three years in Washington DC, in honor of the Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary. Click here for more information about this project.
Featured Article
Today is the very anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta, that great charter which laid down the basis for English common law, now spread throughout the world. Magna Carta gave protection of law against despotism by...
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