Magna Carta Memorial -- Runnymede, near Old Windsor, Surrey, UK - Dartmoor Granite on Waymarking.com

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. The memorial is made of Portland Stone in the form of a Greek temple, with a central engrave pillar of Dartmoor Granite which reads as follows:

"To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of freedom under law."

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)"

Ordnance Survey map reference (10 figure) if within DNP – If outside the Park, add N/A: N/A

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/25/2016 Benchmark Blasterz visited it