When we went to Salisbury cathedral last year we saw one of the contemporary copies of the Magna Carta, which will be eight hundred years old this coming June.
Signed in 1215 by King John it is a document outlining certain rights… we now think of it as rights for all, but actually it was the rights of the barons of England in regard to the power of the king. However there are aspects of it which do relate to all. It outlined basic rights with the principle that no-one was above the law, including the king and charted the right to a fair trial. It set limits on taxation without representation but maybe it was as an inspiration for other charters and treaties such as the US Constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which show its real worth and relevance. There are only three clauses which are still valid: – a guarantee the liberties of the English Church, the confirmation of the privileges of the City of London and other towns, most important to us ordinary folk, that no free man shall be imprisoned without the lawful judgement of his equals.
I’m sure there will be all sorts of articles, films, TV programmes about it, and many books looking at it from a variety of points of view!
Lois Elsden 