October 7, 2014
British Library Magna Carta ballot goes live!
October 7th sees the ballot going live for an opportunity to see the four remaining 1215 Magna Cartas united at the British Library – the first unification of its kind in 800 years. On the 3rd February, history will be made as the four documents are placed together to mark the commemoration of the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215. The British Library, Lincoln Cathedral & Salisbury Cathedral have pooled resources to stage this one-off, one-day event, sponsored by Linklaters.
1,215 people will be able to visit this exhibition, through the free ballot scheme announced today. Those who are allocated tickets will be welcomed by historian Dan Jones at the Library, as well as given a limited edition gift bag including tickets to other Magna Carta commemorative events.
Click here for more information, and to enter the ballot
September 30, 2014
Salisbury Cathedral awarded grant for new Magna Carta display
Article Excerpt:
‘Salisbury Cathedral has been awarded £415,800 by the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to mark the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta in 2015.
The cathedral is home to one of the four surviving original Magna Carta.
The peace treaty is seen as the cornerstone of the development of constitutional law in England.
The money will pay for a new permanent exhibition of the original 1215 document in the chapter house using interactive stations and film.
Magna Carta was agreed at Runnymede in 1215 and outlined basic rights with the principle that no-one was above the law, including the king.
It charted the right to a fair trial and limits on taxation without representation.’
To read more of the BBC coverage, click here
To read the Heritage Lottery Fund’s statement on the project, click here
September 12, 2014
Why are there so many Magna Cartas?
This article from the BBC discusses the development of Magna Carta, and how each edition & revision of the document is indicative of the thoughts of an age:
Article Excerpt:
‘It is known by many as the document that ultimately resulted in modern democracy. So why are there so many versions around of Magna Carta?
Magna Carta is one of the most important, well-known documents in history and next year marks its 800th anniversary.
To celebrate this, London Metropolitan Archives is putting on display its version in a new heritage gallery.
“People imagine that it’s going to be really pretty, and that it’s going to be an illuminated manuscript, and it’s not, but that’s really interesting because it’s a working document,” said Geoff Pick, director.
“It was a negotiated peace treaty between warring sides.”
It is not the only one that is on display of course – there are in fact 17 copies of the Magna Carta which are known to have survived over the years.
But why are there so many?’
To read more of this article, please click here.
August 15, 2014
Magna Carta Battlefields
The role and significance of dozens of the most significant battlefields and sieges in the story of the fight for Magna Carta are to be highlighted by The Battlefields Trust and The Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee thanks to a grant by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Click here for more information
August 9, 2014
Lance Allan to cycle 800 miles in 8 days
Trowbridge’s Town Clerk Lance Allan is a keen cyclist, but June 2015 will see him engage in an endeavour he describes as being a distance ‘further than I have ever done before.’
Lance will cycle a nearly 800 mile route that will take him through locations key to events preceding the signing of the Magna Carta in June 1215 to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Charter. It is a route that links the towns of the Barons who were able to ensure King John sealed the document, which many consider to be essential to the history of modern democracy.
His route will be to the benefit of two charities: The Dorothy House Foundation Ltd, which provides specialist care for those suffering from life-threatening illnesses in Bath and the surrounding area; and Re-Cycle, a bicycle aid for Africa. Links will take you to Lance’s JustGiving pages that also include a map of his route.
He hopes the achievement will raise the profile of the town, and help others ‘remember its role in the historic document.’ For the full article, click here.
August 8, 2014
Steve Brown delivers Magna Carta Anthem to Temple Church
Odiham resident Steve Brown is currently engaged in a herculean effort to cycle the Magna Carta Cycle Trail in just three weeks. In his possession is a specially commissioned Magna Carta Anthem, composed by Malcolm Archer, and published by The Royal School of Church Music on parchment.
Steve arrived in London on Wednesday 6th August, and presented to the Temple Church a copy of the Magna Carta Anthem, which was received by Alice Pearson, the Magna Carta Project Manager for Middle & Inner Temple. A copy was also presented to Sir Robert Worcester, Chairman of the Magna Carta 800th Committee, and Mark Gill, Executive Director of the 800th Committee.
Steve will return to Odiham on Saturday the 9th August, and will have completed a 1,100 mile trek through a trail famous for its historical significance in the reign of King John and the subsequent tensions that led to the signing of the Magna Carta in Runnymede.
July 30, 2014
Magna Carta Day in Ontario, Canada?
Julia Munro, a Member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, has introduced a Bill to proclaim 15th June each year as Magna Carta Day. You can follow the progress of the Bill by clicking here.
The full text of the proposed law is as follows:
Bill 23 2014
An Act to proclaim Magna Carta Day
Preamble
The Magna Carta is a revolutionary document that influenced the English system of common law and was a precursor in the development of England’s — and later Canada’s — constitutional monarchy.
On June 15, 1215, King John affixed his seal to the Magna Carta, which placed limits on the monarch’s power to overrule the law and protected the rights of ordinary people. The document introduced key principles that hold true in democratic societies today, including equal justice for everyone, freedom from unlawful detention, the right to a trial by jury, and rights for women.
It is important for the Magna Carta to be honoured and remembered as a document that changed the course of history. The fundamental traditions of equality and freedom that characterize our democratic society — particularly that nobody, not even the Crown, is above the law — originated in this important document.
Therefore, Her Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:
Magna Carta Day
1. June 15 in each year is proclaimed as Magna Carta Day.
Commencement
2. This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Short title
3. The short title of this Act is the Magna Carta Day Act, 2014.
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The Bill proclaims June 15 in each year as Magna Carta Day.
July 26, 2014
The most important battle you’ve probably never heard of
Exactly 800 years ago on Sunday, in a field next to what is now the airport of Lille, a battle was fought which determined the history of England.
Today few people in the UK have heard of Bouvines. It has none of the ring of an Agincourt or a Crecy. Probably that it is because England lost it. But the battle of 27 July, 1214 was just as significant as England’s later victories over the French. Maybe more so.
“Bouvines is the most important battle in English history that no-one has ever heard of,” says John France, professor emeritus in medieval history at Swansea University.
“Without Bouvines there is no Magna Carta, and all the British and American law that stems from that. It’s a muddy field, the armies are small, but everything depends on the struggle. It’s one of the climactic moments of European history.”
Click here to read the full BBC News story.
July 11, 2014
MPs call for anniversary debate on a “new Magna Carta”
The 800th anniversary of Magna Carta next year is the right time for a fresh debate on the pros and cons of a written constitution, MPs have said.
The Commons Political Reform Committee said the UK was currently governed by a “sprawling mass” of laws, treaty obligations and unwritten conventions.
It said a written constitution was one of three possible options that could form the basis of a “new settlement”. Click here to read the full BBC News story.
July 3, 2014
Original copies of US Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights to be displayed in UK
Two of the most celebrated documents in American history, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence, will be on display in the UK for the first time next year on loan from the US National Archives and New York Public Library. They will be displayed at the British Library as part of a landmark exhibition, Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy, which runs from 13 March – 1 September 2015 and is sponsored by Linklaters, the global law firm.
For more information, click here.
June 23, 2014
Magna Carta: The Foundation of Freedom 1215-2015
The last few months have seen growing activity and excitement around Third Millenium’s Magna Carta book.
Seven editions of the book are to be published in August 2014 – the original five (for the American Bar Association, the International Bar Association, The Law Society of England and Wales in conjunction with the Bar Council, Lincoln Cathedral in conjunction with the Baronial Order of Magna Charta, and the general edition) are now joined by special editions for both the Law Council of Australia, and HCL, a technology company based in Runnymede and supporter of the MC800th Committee.
The American Bar Association’s AGM in Boston in August will see the book’s first official unveiling and plans are under way for a UK launch to coincide with the Global Law Summit in London in February 2015.
For more information on the book and to see some sample pages, please click here.
June 17, 2014
Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemorations: Round 1 Funding
The Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee today announces the first tranche of grants from the £1m funding provided by the Chancellor in his Budget Speech on 18th March. For more information, click here.
May 13, 2014
Sir James Holt (1922 – 2014)
Sir James Holt, who has died aged 91, was the third Master of Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, and a medieval historian, known in particular for his studies of the Magna Carta.
This was also the title of his best-known work, published in 1965 as part of the celebrations of the 750th anniversary of the meeting between the feudal barons and King John at Runnymede on June 15 1215.
Click here to read the full obituary in The Telegraph.
May 1, 2014
Lincoln Magna Carta goes on display in Bury St Edmunds
One of the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta from 1215 is now on display at the Cathedral in Bury St Edmunds. Click here to read the BBC News story and here for more information about how Bury St Edmunds plans to commemorate Magna Carta.
April 7, 2014
Bury Magna Carta Website
A new website providing details of the Bury St Edmunds Magna Carta 800 commemorations and activities has been launched. Click here to of to the site to find out more about local events being planned and about how Bury St Edmunds fits into the Magna Carta story.
March 20, 2014
UK Government contributes £1m to Magna Carta Trust
The Magna Carta Trust welcomes the decision by George Osborne,
Chancellor of the Exchequer, to provide a grant of £1 million to the
Magna Carta Trust. The grant is intended to support the work of the
Trust’s 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee.
Sir Robert Worcester, Chair of the Magna Carta 800th Committee,
explained that “the Magna Carta is England’s greatest export. It is
the foundation stone supporting the freedoms enjoyed by hundreds of
millions of people today in over 100 countries.”
“This grant will provide a much needed boost to support our
co-ordination and public awareness raising campaigns. But most
importantly, it will be used to support events and activities across
the country to deepen our understanding of the importance of Magna
Carta, both historically and today”.
Click MC800 Why Commemorate for a brochure outlining why we are commemorating 800 years of Magna Carta.
March 15, 2014
An online Magna Carta?
The inventor of the world wide web believes an online “Magna Carta” is needed to protect and enshrine the independence of the medium he created and the rights of its users worldwide. Click here to read the full news report in The Guardian.
March 10, 2014
Lincoln Magna Carta Tour Dates
In addition to visiting St Albans last year and Bury St Edmunds in May this year, Lincoln’s copy of the original 1215 Magna Carta will also tour the USA during 2014 and early 2015. To find out more about the tour, please click here.
February 18, 2014
Service And Sermon At The Temple Church, Radio 4 Morning Service, Sunday 16 February 2014
Sermon: The Rev. Robin Griffith-jones, Master Of The Temple
On the 15th of February 1214, King John arrived in France for his last and most disastrous campaign. Its failure led to rebellion and, in 1215, to the sealing of Magna Carta.
The Temple was the London headquarters of the crusading Knights Templar. It was also King John’s London headquarters during the crisis of 1214-15. From here the King issued charter after charter; here he and the barons met for pivotal negotiations; here three of the Charter’s protagonists were buried, two with effigies that survive to this day.
Today, the Temple is at the centre of legal London – the home of the two legal colleges or Inns of Court, Inner and Middle Temple. That Sunday morning here in February was a fitting place and time at which to reflect upon the fundamental debt all modern law – and so much of our way of life – owes to the principles of Magna Carta and upon the inspiring lives of those who crafted it.
The Temple Singers gathered in the mouth of the Temple’s Round Church, built by 1162. Behind them were the effigies of William Marshal, father and son. In front of the choir was the chancel built for Henry III in 1240. They sang praise where the choirmen and choristers of the Temple Church will in January 1215 have sung to King John and the barons in the constitutional crucible from whose fire emerged the rights, in their earliest form, that now protect from tyranny over two billion people in our world.
On 15th February 1214 King John arrived at Rochelle in Western France at the head of an army. He was determined to recover the lands he’d lost to the French king ten years before. John’s wars were ruinously expensive; he levied ever higher taxes to pay for them. On 27th July 1214, John lost, disastrously, the Battle of Bouvines. His French ambitions were at an end. He returned to England, bankrupt of authority and of cash.
Rebellion was in the air. But its success was not assured. There was no obvious rival to put on the throne. In prospect was a desperate, prolonged civil war. Who could stop it?
One man, vital to the coming months, had returned to England after eight years of exile: Stephen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury, chosen by the Pope in 1205 but acknowledged by King John only under threat of French invasion in 1213. Langton had spent his exile lecturing in theology, in Paris. He’d developed five principles for the constitution of a nation governed justly under God:
- First: For protection against wicked kings in Israel, God had ordered the written codification of laws. Modern laws as well, then, should if necessary be codified.
- Secondly: In honour of God, the people have the right to resist a wicked king if he commands a mortal sin.
- Next: The people have a particular right to resist a king who renders a decision without the judgment of his court.
- Fourthly: The Church is the congregation of all the faithful, including the clergy and laity who elect the king.
- And finally: The Archbishop, because of his particular dignity, has the duty to act in the name of all the faithful, both clergy and laity.
Langton hadn’t been trained for high office. His thought might well have remained the work, deep but arcane, of an academic theologian. But in July 1213 Langton was recalled to England. He really was, at last, Archbishop of Canterbury.
Within weeks, at Winchester he made King John swear to abolish evil laws, establish good laws, and judge all his subjects by the just sentences of his courts. Days later he warned the king: to act against anyone without judgment of his court would violate the Winchester oath. Then Langton found the Coronation Charter of rights granted by the revered King Henry I, and swore to help the barons secure such a charter from John.
When the barons met the king here in the Temple, for a disastrous week of negotiations in January 1215, they invoked once more the Winchester oath and Henry’s charter. It was then, for the first time, that the barons demanded the king’s own allegiance to a charter. The king himself was to be subject to law.
Langton remained loyal to the beleaguered king. But he urged the king to meet the barons’ demands for a charter of rights and liberties. And eventually, at Runnymede on 15 June 1215, the king reluctantly put his seal to ‘the Great Charter’, Magna Carta, ‘for the honour of God and the exaltation of Holy Church and the reform of the king’s realm’.
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Langton is not above reproach; and it was not just his own insistence which brought John to Runnymede. But all the authority he had, he used to keep the peace and to generate a just government under God. Informed by scripture and by years of exile among the king’s enemies, he was ready to be the statesman that England needed.
At the heart of Magna Carta lie two clauses, still part of English law, that have been embedded in every constitution in the Common Law world and in many beyond; they protect from tyranny over two billion people in the world today.
‘No free man shall be taken or imprisoned or dispossessed or outlawed or exiled or in any way ruined, nor will we go or send against him except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.’
And who would check that the King was conforming to the Charter? The barons were to choose twenty-five of their number to maintain the peace and liberties which the King had granted. Those Twenty-Five ‘with the commune of all the land’ could seize the king’s own castles, lands and possessions, to force him to conform.
In such checks and balances on the use of power Magna Carta was reaching out towards principles that were hundreds of years ahead of their time. Within weeks, the Pope annulled the Charter at the king’s request. When Langton refused to publish the annulment, he was suspended by the Pope. The Archbishop was nobody’s man. Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Neither the Church nor its leaders have now the authority in our nation’s life enjoyed by Langton and his English Church. It would be foolish to pine for such lost glory or to fantasize about its return. But Langton stands before us still, an example to all those who lead our Church and to all of us who ask what now should be its role. In this country, we’re all among the heirs, living all over the world, of this man who used his authority to maintain peace and generate justice. And on the freedoms which he helped to secure our whole culture of liberal democracy is ultimately built.
Most of us, most of the time, lead low-key, local and settled lives. May we all be worthy of that Archbishop who sought to realize in the Charter, for the whole endangered kingdom, the biblical conditions for just government under God. His vision, mediation and courage bore fruit that has ever since been a blessing to God’s world. Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for they shall be filled.
Robin Griffith-Jones is Master of the Temple at the Temple Church.
January 30, 2014
Royal wedding dress embroider takes on Magna Carta challenge
If being tasked with embroidering the Duchess of Cambridge’s wedding dress wasn’t enough, a woman from Surrey is taking on her next challenge – to design and embroider a tapestry of the Magna Carta. Click here to see the ITV news report:
January 14, 2014
Salisbury Cathedral’s Magna Carta project wins Heritage Lottery Fund support
Salisbury Cathedral, home to the finest of the four surviving original Magna Carta 1215, is delighted to have been awarded initial support* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to help it prepare for the UNESCO listed document’s 800th anniversary celebrations in 2015.
Plans are advanced to re-display and re-present the Cathedral’s Magna Carta in the Chapter House alongside other documents from the Cathedral’s extensive archive, using the latest interpretation techniques to communicate Magna Carta’s historic background and modern significance to the many extra visitors expected in 2015 and beyond.
Martin Field, Deputy Chapter Clerk and Development Director said “We are delighted to have received this support from the Heritage Lottery Fund allowing us to develop our exciting plans for a new Magna Carta exhibition and other celebratory activities in 2015, bringing Magna Carta to many new audiences. The ‘Great Charter’ has inspired and influenced people to stand up for justice and freedom around the globe and across the ages. People will be able to come to Salisbury and experience for themselves the extraordinary sway the ideas expressed in this document continue to hold.”
Canon Edward Probert, Canon Chancellor and Acting Dean of Salisbury said, “Magna Carta lay unnoticed in our archives for centuries before someone spotted it and realized its huge significance. I’m delighted that this funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund will also enable us to employ a full time archivist so that other important manuscripts from our archives can be experienced by the public for the first time. Salisbury Cathedral’s archive is a real medieval treasure trove with documents going back to the founding of the first Cathedral at Old Sarum – so who knows what else might be discovered?”
Nerys Watts, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “Salisbury Cathedral’s original 1215 Magna Carta is one of the world’s most important documents and is still hugely relevant to our lives today. This initial HLF support will mean the Cathedral can work up detailed plans to restore, re-present and open up the Magna Carta’s fascinating story for visitors long into the future. We are looking forward to seeing these exciting plans progress over the coming months.”
In order to ‘unlock’ Heritage Lottery Fund, the total amount will be over £500,000, the Cathedral will need to raise nearly £200,000 in partnership funding. Wilsons Solicitors LLP, the oldest legal business headquartered in Salisbury, has pledged £30,000 towards this total. Managing Partner Andrew Roberts said, “Magna Carta is probably the most famous document in English legal history. Its application of the rule of law to all, including the state, continues to underlie the personal and commercial freedoms that we enjoy today. We feel privileged to be the first business to support this internationally important project to showcase this document, its context and impact.”
Salisbury Cathedral will be looking to work with a range of partners to deliver its ambitious programme. These include The British Library, Lincoln Cathedral, Magna Carta 800th Committee/Magna Carta Trust, Diocese of Salisbury, the American Bar Association, BBC, Wiltshire Council, Visit Wiltshire, Dorset County Council, Salisbury City Council, AGEAS Salisbury International Arts Festival, Salisbury Museum, Salisbury Playhouse and Sarum College.
Further details of Salisbury Cathedral’s Magna Carta 800th anniversary celebrations will be published in February 2014.
(HLF initial support, or *A first-round pass, means the project meets HLF criteria for funding and HLF believes the project has potential to deliver high-quality benefits and value for Lottery money. The application was in competition with other supportable projects, so a first-round pass is an endorsement of outline proposals. Having been awarded a first-round pass, the project now has up to two years to submit fully developed proposals to compete for a firm award.)
January 8, 2014
HLF supports Bury St Edmunds Magna Carta Plans
Plans to celebrate the 800-year-old link between Bury St Edmunds and the Magna Carta with vibrant events to bring history alive will go ahead following the news of a successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid.
The Bury Society, which is working with St Edmundsbury Cathedral and St Edmundsbury Borough Council to stage a number of events in 2014, put in a bid for £86,400 to cover a spectacular light and sound event as well as bringing the Magna Carta itself to the town and a range of educational activities.
Margaret Charlesworth, Chairman of the local Magna Carta 800 Committee, said: “This is simply wonderful news. We have been determined to celebrate the crucial role that Bury St Edmunds played in the Magna Carta story in the year before it was sealed by King John and now we can put our plans into action.”
You can find more information about Bury St Edmund’s plans here.
Click here for more information on the Bury Society and here to link to the Heritage Lottery Fund.
January 2, 2014
In poll position to commemorate Magna Carta
On the banks of the River Medway in Kent stands the postcard-perfect Allington Castle. Its turrets, moat and portcullis, as yet untested in battle, stand as ready to defend England as they have been since 1281, when their owner applied to Edward I for permission to fortify a manor house. Today – finally – they are gearing up for a challenge 800 years in the making.
That’s because Allington’s current incumbent – the successor to Thomas Wyatt the poet, as well as his son Thomas Wyatt the rebel – is Sir Robert Worcester, the American psephologist who founded the polling company MORI.
Click here to read the full article in The Daily Telegraph (published 2nd January 2014).
November 25, 2013
Why are the Americans so excited by the Magna Carta?
Click here to read the Daily Telegraph’s latest feature on Magna Carta, exploring the American connection to Magna Carta.
October 3, 2013
Magna Carta Barons Association
Eight hundred years ago, Twenty Five barons were elected by the baronial opposition to King John to ensure that he honoured the charter. Without them, it might just have been another piece of parchment long forgotten by history. For the first time since 1215, representatives from what were those barons’ chief manors met in Leicester on 27 September to form the Magna Carta Barons Association.
When the barons rebelled, their manors were small communities of villeins and serfs tied to his land and castle. The towns and villages that developed on them over the next eight centuries were formed by generations of ordinary people working the same fields, living in the same houses, attending services in the same parish churches, and being laid to rest in the same cemeteries.
In 2015, these towns and villages will not only be celebrating the anniversary of Magna Carta and the role their barons played, but also eight hundred years of their own history. Commemorative plaques, heritage signage, walks, themed exhibitions, school history projects, talks, medieval banquets and festivals are just some of the activities their local communities are planning for this very special occasion in their shared histories.
You can find out more information on the Association by clicking here or visiting their website: www.magnacartabarons.info
The 17 founding members of the Magna Carta Barons Association are:
- Alnwick (Northumberland)
- Belvoir (Leicestershire)
- Castle Hedingham (Essex)
- Clare (Suffolk)
- Curry Mallet (Somerset)
- Helmsley (North Yorkshire)
- Huntingfield (Suffolk)
- Leicester
- Long Crendon (Buckinghamshire)
- Pontefract (West Yorkshire)
- Skipton (West Yorkshire)
- Stansted Mountfichet (Essex)
- Thirst (North Yorkshire)
- Topcliffe (North Yorkshire)
- Trowbridge (Wiltshire)
- Walkern (Hertfordshire)
- Warkworth (Northumberland)
September 17, 2013
Lincoln Castle refit designs are unveiled
Lincoln Castle, home of one of the four original Magna Carta, today announces plans for the redesign of its visitor centre to improve access and interpretation of Magna Carta. Click here for more information.
September 8, 2013
Marian Brudenell
Click here to read The Telegraph’s obituary of Marian Brudenell, who in the 1970s discovered a copy of Magna Carta (from 1297) in the family archive. The copy is now on display in the National Archives in Washington D.C.
August 29, 2013
Hereford Magna Carta to be displayed in Texas
Hereford’s copy of the Magna Carta, dated from 1217, is go on display at the Houston Museum of Natural Science, Texas in a special exhibition from February until the middle of August 2014. For more information on the exhibition and the Hereford Magna Carta, please click here.
August 4, 2013
Telegraph reports on Magna Carta Weekend in St Albans
Click here to read the Telegraph’s report of the weekend of Magna Carta commemorations and celebrations in St Albans.
July 15, 2013
Magna Carta originals to be united
The four surviving original copies of Magna Carta will be brought together in 2015 for the first time in history at the British Library.
The event will take place over three days in early 2015 as part of the ongoing commemorations across the UK and the world to mark Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary.
The four original copies are currently held at the British Library (2 copies) and one each at Lincoln and Salsibury Cathedrals. Click here for more information.
June 15, 2013
Magna Carta goes on tour
Click here to read The Telegraph’s latest report on Magna Carta commemorations being planned in St Albans and details of where else you can see a copy of Magna Carta.
June 5, 2013
Local Government Minister: Magna Carta celebrations well under way
Celebrations to mark 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta in Bury St Edmunds are well underway says Local Government Minister Brandon Lewis. In a visit to Bury St Edmunds, the minister saw first hand how preparations are developing to mark the signing of the Magna Carta. On 3 June 2014 the town is looking to hold a pageant, museum displays, school debates and have a choir singing to remind people of the historic moment in British history. To read the full story, click here.
June 1, 2013
Magna Carta in St Albans for 800th Anniversary
A copy of the original Magna Carta is to appear in St Albans for the first time, to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the city’s link with the charter.
A meeting in the city in 1213 ultimately led to the agreement that became the historic document in 1215.
The charter will be displayed in a climate controlled environment at St Albans Cathedral in August.
Read more of the BBC website story here.
May 28, 2013
Committee Comments: A Brief Comment from Sir Robert Worcester
As I write, the 800th Committee awaits the draft “Master Plan” being developed by Surrey County Council in conjunction with the National Trust. The Committee has been promised sight of this at its next meeting, scheduled for 17th June at Royal Holloway, University London preceding the Annual RHUL Magna Carta Lecture. We know that consultants have been commissioned to come up with ideas for suitable events and public consultations have been done locally and a “Survey Monkey” questionnaire has been sent out asking people to give the ‘Local Stakeholders Group’ their views. The 800th Committee will then be able to react, and the Plan will go to the July meeting of the Surrey County Council Cabinet for its decisions on Surrey funding, both for what will happen on the 15 June 2015 at Runnymede, and for the local legacies.
I have just returned from a visit to St Edmundsbury Cathedral, where I joined the 800th Committee Member representing Bury St. Edmunds, Margaret Charlesworth, and others on their local Magna Carta Committee for lunch. We then attended a splendid initiative which gathered representatives of towns and villages across England with links with one or another of the 25 Barons who met at the Abbey 799 years ago this year. It included people from Thirsk, Long Crendon, Castle Hedingham and Castle Clare and Curry Mallet, Trowbridge and Skipton, Walkern and Huntingfield, amongst others, all with such wonderful and evocative towns’ names.
For the most part those attending were local councillors, town clerks and local historical societies, all coming together through the initiative of Peter Sinclair, who we are inviting onto the 800th Committee, so that he can continue his good work with full knowledge of what’s being pulled together for the Commemoration nationally and internationally, and feedback what we are doing to his ‘caputs’.
These are the sites of ancient castles, some long since in ruins and others restored. Others are the villages of the births and deaths of Barons long since forgot except by mediaeval historians and scholars such as Professor Nigel Saul, who is currently doing an inventory of the original 25 barons for our website. They are looking at questions such as why they did what they did then, how they were interlinked, who were, in effect, supporting the rule of law, and the question of the divine right of kings, the return of the ‘old ways’. The ways which had existed in one form or another in England for some 600 years before 15 June 1215 when they were obtained by force majeure, as King John saw it. Indeed he represented it as such in his petition to the Pope, Innocent III, when he appealed for the ‘Great Charter’ to be suspended.
It was heartening to meet these wonderful representatives of the towns and villages, some with populations as small as just 219 and 193, and who were excited to be a part of something that takes their histories back 800 years to link with an event that changed the world in which we live in today. Some arrived with their own plans for what they would be doing on the day, others admitting they’d not thought much about it until contacted by Peter, and others which so far as they knew had nothing to show for their link with Runnymede and were there to learn what others were doing and what might give them an idea that they could take back to their villages.
One such village, Odiham, has impressed us all with their foresight and initiative, and in this issue we highlight the commemorations being planned there already. They have truly embraced the role their village played in this momentous moment in history. They have driven their own progamme of events forward and offer a good model for other communities to mark the 800th Anniversary in their own way.
The Magna Carta Trail is building and developing, led by Visit Kent under the chairmanship of Amanda Cottrell and led by Lynette Crisp of Visit Kent, aided by a committee of some score of tourist officers and Magna Carta townspeople who are linking together tourist trail visits ranging from one day to a fortnight, to serve the interests of both domestic tourists and international visitors.
This will be featured in a travel article in the Daily Telegraph and also on the BBC Website on Saturday, 15 June, this year.
Just a week ago I was hosted by the Director of the National Archives, who are planning their own exhibition of the King’s (Henry III, John’s son) 1217 Magna Carta and Edward I’s copy of 1297 which enshrined it into law (there being no recognised Parliament in 1215 or even 1217, before the de Montford Parliament which is also commemorated in 2015 on its 750th anniversary, especially by the History of Parliament Trust and the Houses of Parliament themselves and to which the 800th Committee is collaborating).
Our aspirations list remains on the website designed by Ratio7, kindly supported by HCL, which can be viewed at www.magnacarta800th.com. We have made some notable progress since the last newsletter, and Greg Spring has kindly written here to update us on plans for a series of commemorative stamps to be produced for 2015.
Thanks also to everyone who is currently following us on Facebook and Twitter. If you haven’t already, please do look for us. This is the very best place to stay up to date with the latest news and developments. Full details can be found below.
And as ever, if anyone has any thoughts on how we should be marking the anniversary, or comments on the work currently taking place, please do not hesitate to get in touch through our direct email addresses, [email protected] or [email protected].
Finally, the Master Engraver, Graham Clarke, who has researched, designed and etched the Magna Carta 800th etching, isn’t just a pretty face, but also a wit and poet. Graham has composed a poem for the 800th anniversary, which will feature in the next edition of this newsletter. Order forms for the Clarke etching can be found on www.magnacarta800th.com.
The International Angle – Canada
The International Angle – Magna Carta
Len Rodness – Chair, Magna Carta Canada
It is a great pleasure to be invited to write for the UK’s Magna Carta 800th Committee newsletter and report to everyone in the UK and beyond on our plans for marking the 800th Anniversary here in Canada. I know there are a great number of people across the globe who share my passion and understanding of the importance of Magna Carta to all of our lives today.
To give you a little background, Magna Carta Canada is a not-for-profit organization based in Toronto, made up of likeminded volunteers who believe the 800th Anniversary offers us a once in a lifetime opportunity to highlight the importance and relevance of Magna Carta to the people of Canada.
The focus of our plans to commemorate the anniversary is going to be ‘Magna Carta 2015 Canada’, a travelling exhibition of an original copy of Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forests. This is being arranged with the support of our wonderful colleagues at Durham Cathedral, whose copies of both charters will be touring the country for six months in 2015, beginning on July 1 in Ottawa (July 1 is Canada Day, the anniversary of the passing of the British North America Act in 1867, pursuant to which Canada became a country in its own right).
Durham Cathedral is fortunate enough to hold three copies of the Magna Carta, and the copy visiting Canada will be the 1225 version, the first document to be issued voluntarily under the seal of the reigning monarch, King Henry III, and was confirmed by King Edward I in 1297. It will be joined by one of only two surviving copies of the 1217 Charter of the Forest, the first document to include the concept of universal rights.
The intention is for the exhibition to travel across the country, visiting Ottawa, Toronto, Winnipeg, and Edmonton. The centrepiece will of course be the two charters, which will be displayed in jewel-like cases.
They will be accompanied by interpretative material, displayed in both English and French, focused on the key themes of ‘the History of the Charters’, ‘Beyond Britannia – how the achievements of the charters spread to the Americas’, and ‘Justice Today’, looking at how Magna Carta influences our lives today.
We will also have an 8 minute long high definition film to accompany the exhibition along with various interactive multimedia material, and a 50 page exhibition catalogue.
We are working with Lord Cultural Resources to design and interpret this important story, as well as find suitable venues and supporters for this venture.
It is hugely exciting to be a part of the programme of events marking the 800th Anniversary of Magna Carta right around the world and I would welcome any support or comments you may have on our plans and how we could work together to ensure the whole world is aware of the importance of Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest to our day-to-day lives.
I can be contacted through Sir Robert and Mark Gill at the 800th Committee or directly at [email protected] and I look forward to working with everyone during the next two years to make the 800th Anniversary a success in Canada and around the world.
Categories