A mushy floodplain pasture near the River Thames in Surrey as chosen as the site of the sealing of the Magna Carta in 1215.
Today, a modest memorial and a couple of interpretive signs mark this historic moment that laid the foundation for the rise of the great democracies of the world centuries later.
An interpretive sign nearby reads as follows:
"AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION MEMORIAL TO MAGNA CARTA
THE MAGNA CARTA TRUST
The Memorial and the land on which it stands is vested in the Magna Carta Trust under the chairmanship of the Master of the Rolls. The principal object of the Magna Carta Trust is the perpetuation of the principles of Magna Carta. The Trust also maintains and cares for the upkeep of the Memorial which was commissioned by the American Bar Association.
THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION MEMORIAL TO MAGNA CARTA
The memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe RA and dedicated on the 28 July 1957 in ceremonies attended by over 5000 people. Built of Portland stone and supported on eight octagonal pillars, the memorial is a domed classical Temple in the Greek style. In the center of the memorial is a pillar of English granite inscribed:
TO COMMEMORATE MAGNA CARTA
SYMBOL OF FREEDOM UNDER LAW
Surrounding the memorial are eight English oak trees. To further oak trees on either side of the path were planted by HRH the Duke of Gloucester in 1987 and the Prime Minister of India in 1994.
MAGNA CARTA THROUGHOUT THE AGES
After the third and final amendment in 1225 by King Henry III, the Magna Carta was confirmed in 1297 by King Edward I and placed in the first or ‘great’ roll of English statute, thus becoming the first constitutional document in the world. It has throughout the ages formed the basis for law and democracy in the civilized world. Seen by every Englishman as a safeguard for their constitutional rights against unjust and arbitrary rule, the tenets of the Magna Carta have been upheld and used extensively throughout history.
During the Tudor and Stuart Raines of the 16th and 17th centuries, religious intolerance and persecution was rife. By the early 1600s, Puritans no longer tolerated by the Church and Crown set off to seek a new life of religious tolerance in the new world of the American Colonies. In 1620, upon the Mayflower, the Pilgrim fathers set sail from Plymouth taking with them a copy of the Magna Carta. The principles of the charter granting – ‘Freedom under the law’ - went on to form the basis for the Constitution of the United States and later the Bill of Rights, of which Thomas Jefferson said:
‘ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL IN LIFE LIBERTY AND IN THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.’
This pursuit of equality and liberty as laid down in the Magna Carta brought about the abolition of the slave trade by William Wilberforce and President Abraham Lincoln.
Magna Carta is still, in the 20th century, some 780 years after its inception, forming the basis of human rights. Its passages recorded by Nancy Aster in her battle for votes for women during the Suffragette Movement of the early 1900s. The principles of Magna Carta formed the basis for human rights during times of war under the Geneva Convention and in times of peace in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on 10 December 1948 by the General Assembly of the United Nations. The constitutions of India and the emerging democracies of Eastern Europe have enshrined key elements and principles first established by Magna Carta.
THE PRINCIPLES OF MAGNA CARTA
In the original charter there were 63 clauses. Although the Runnymede charter was subsequently amended many of its principles were continued and are still in practice today, enshrined in law, custom, and practice.
Clause 1 to 5: The rights of inheritance. The right to inherit at the age of 21- the coming-of-age.
Clause 6: Permission to marry from one’s next of kin.
Clauses 9 to 11: The setting of standards for the collection of debts.
Clause 13: The liberties and freedom of cities and borrows granted by the sovereign. The last town to be granted city status by ruling sovereign were Preston, Newport, Sterling, Lisburn, and Newry in 2002
Clauses 17 to 40: The end of feudalism - birth of the rule of law. Including: the punishment to fit the crime; trial by jury; provision of the will; law of probate; right of freedom under law.
Clauses 41 to 42: The right of free and safe passage.
For further details on the work of the Magna Carta trust contact: [Name address and telephone].
The shields shown here are the colors of the 25 barons and of Stephen Langton (The Archbishop of Canterbury)"
It is absolutely mind-boggling that Americans revere this place and the Magna Carta more than the English do -- and it's THEIRS!
See: (
visit link)
"Magna Carta: Runnymede, the meadow where history was made
By Tanya Gupta
BBC News
15 June 2015
The eyes of the world will be on Runnymede this week as the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta is celebrated. But should you visit the birthplace of modern democracy, what exactly will you find?
In 1215, Magna Carta simply described Runnymede as a meadow between Windsor and Staines.
Eight centuries on, not much has changed. The meadow is still there, along with a hill, some trees and the River Thames. More recent additions include some cottages and a boatyard. Oh, and a National Trust tea room.
Look for Runnymede on a map and you won't find a town or even a village, just a field dotted with memorials, testament to the site's historical significance.
Today, some question the importance of Magna Carta, arguing that much of it is now irrelevant and only three clauses are still valid.
But, problematic though this peace treaty was, it went on to influence key declarations of human rights and its principles of freedom, democracy and the rule of law still drive continuing protests around the world.
Because of Magna Carta's influence, many people are surprised that Runnymede has remained, essentially, a field - and one that attracts a lot of dog-walkers.
"If you live there, Runnymede means the place where you walk the dog," confirms Geri Silverstone of the National Trust, which owns the site.
"If you live in London, it's the first place of green you come to. Or if you're a constitutional lawyer from Illinois, it's the birthplace of constitutional democracy."
The challenge for the National Trust is how to present a story that covers all those aspects, and Mr Silverstone admits it is tricky.
Visiting the Magna Carta memorial at the meadow for myself, I expect to find tourists keen to talk about the rule of law, habeas corpus, the current Human Rights Act debate, issues of democracy and the rise of Islamic State, and detention without trial at Guantanamo Bay, and I am not wrong.
But I am surprised that nearly everyone I meet is taken aback to find out the memorial is American. I find people talking about the names of US lawyers on the paving stones, and the stars on the ceiling that remind them so much of the US flag.
So why the trans-Atlantic influence? As any American knows, the founding fathers turned to Magna Carta for inspiration and guidance when they drew up the US constitution, and so they celebrate the Runnymede parchment.
Perhaps the English are slightly too reticent about Magna Carta's importance?
Jean Gothard, from North Yorkshire, says: "This is beautiful England and it's all American. We would have done it in a more natural way."
Quizzed further, she explains: "We don't get emotional in England. We just don't show it."
But she believes that beneath the surface, English patriotism is still strong, and agrees recent war anniversaries might even have led to a growing interest in Magna Carta and what our history means.
"Look at the VE Day concert on the BBC," she says.
"The English don't wave flags. Then suddenly they come over all patriotic."
Do locals believe there is a problem in explaining Runnymede to visitors?
I got to know Runnymede meadow as a student at nearby Royal Holloway.
It was a good place to watch the sun rise, although dawn over Runnymede was often a bit cloudy and accompanied by the roar of planes from Heathrow.
Someone would always make the predictable comment: "Magna Carta was signed here, you know." The answer would be "Oh, right." We didn't even work out it was sealed, not signed.
We just weren't there as tourists; we were there to enjoy the countryside, the River Thames and a beautiful part of Surrey.
And I have a private theory that sometimes it takes an American to explain what Magna Carta really means to the world.
Lynne Bates used to live by the river at Runnymede until the Thames burst its banks and she and her husband were flooded out.
She says she frequently "rescues" lost tourists searching for a piece of history and believes people are often looking for something that isn't there.
"They go looking for the memorials and it's a bit of a trek and they go towards the fields and they get lost," she says.
"You have to tell them we don't really know where Magna Carta was sealed. There's nothing 100% in history to say we know that place."
She says she has a long-held secret wish that while walking her dog on the meadow, she might one day discover something from King John's time proving what happened there.
Wendy Locker, secretary of Englefield Green Residents Association, believes giving a field a name might have given the wrong impression.
As for that name, it's said to date back to Saxon times - much earlier than Magna Carta. Runnymede is thought to take its name from "runieg" meaning regular meeting, and "mead" meaning meadow.
"The confusing thing is Americans come over and they think 'Where is this place called Runnymede?' and actually it's not a town," she says.
"Runnymede is all the meadows next to the Thames. It's hard for people and you need a good map."
If you visit the Magna Carta memorial, what practicalities should you bear in mind?
First of all, if you're driving, make sure you have enough change for the car park. The National Trust tea room is tiny, and probably won't have enough change. There isn't a shop. As an attraction, Runnymede is just not that commercial.
Remember, it's just a field - although not just any field. Some say the landscape remains more or less unchanged since King John's days.
Don't be surprised if you meet Americans making something of a pilgrimage, and that the United States were the only ones who managed to erect a memorial to the document that means so much to them. Incidentally, the Kennedy Memorial is close by on land donated to the US - an acre of symbolic soil."