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The 1217 Charter of the Forest

by Peter Sinclair on July 2, 2017

To mark the 800th anniversary of the Charter of the Forest, issued by Henry III together with his reissue of the Charter of Liberties (to be known as Magna Carta in 1218 to differentiate it from the Charter of the Forest), a lecture was given by Christian Liddy of the University of Durham on 29 April 2017. It was entitled ‘Common Rights and Natural Resources: The 1217 Charter of the Forest in Historical Perspective‘ and took place in Newcastle.

After the Conquest, the crown enjoyed exclusive rights over large parts of England. The Charter of the Forest established wider access for hunting, grazing and fuel for the country’s free men. Christian’s lecture uses the charter as a historical starting point to consider conflicts over our rights of access to common land. Thanks to the Medievalists.Net and YouTube we are able to include it here.

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The Magna Carta Barons book

by Peter Sinclair on April 16, 2016

MC Book Cover Draft visual 51web copy2After all our work leading up to the 800th anniversary celebrations in 2015, we’re proud to announce the publication in June 2016 of the  first and only book to tell the story of the 25 Magna Carta Barons: who they were, what they did, and what happened to them after Magna Carta was sealed 800 years ago. For more information…

Copies will be available in June from all the Barons’ villages and towns, who will be able to use the income from sales to fund Magna Carta legacy projects. Some copies might find there way into UK bookshops, but you can now order a copy here.

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Magna Carta – did she die in vain?

September 29, 2015

As an antidote to the “Treason” video from Westminster Hall in July, here is a  short clip from Tony Hancock’s “Twelve Angry Men”, first broadcast by the BBC on 16 October 1959 in the fifth series of “Hancock’s Half Hour”.

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Treason? The trial of the Magna Carta Barons, Westminster Hall, 31 July 2015

September 28, 2015

For those lucky enough to have a ticket, an unusual event took place at Westminster Hall on 31 July 2015 – a mock trial of the Magna Carta Barons, organised by the Magna Carta 800th Anniversary Commemoration Committee and the UK Supreme Court. It was narrated by Gavin Esler, supported by the Usher, Derek Allen. […]

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Magna Carta Suite

August 21, 2015

Alex Hutton is a British composer/player with a different take on piano-trio jazz. The Magna Carta Suite, inspired by a walk through the Windsor woodlands, features classically pure double bassist Yuri Goloubev and exciting drummer Asaf Sirkis, plus occasional vocals, baroque flute and cor anglais. Flute whispers and Goloubev’s beautiful bowed sound weave through the […]

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Curry Mallet celebrations

July 2, 2015

Curry Mallet in Somerset, one of our smallest member villages, has done tremendous work organising and planning its events for June 2015. They’ve just posted a short film of what they’ve done – an achievement in itself!

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The Ballad of the Magna Carta

June 23, 2015

You may have heard this in the British Library exhibition. A cantata for narrator and bass soloists, SATB chorus and orchestra, first performed February 4, 1940, New York, CBS Radio, Burgess Meredith, narrator, Mark Warnow Orchestra, Mark Warnow, conductor. Music by Kurt Weill, text by Maxwell Anderson.

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Day 3: Lance sets off from Stansted Mountfitchet

June 22, 2015
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Day 1: Lance sets off from Curry Mallet

June 20, 2015

Lance Allan starts his epic tour of all the Magna Carta barons villages and towns today, Saturday 20 June. We’ll try and capture his journey as he departs from each one and keep a record in an event page…

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Stansted Mountfitchet at Mansion House

June 7, 2015

Stansted Mountfitchet was represented at the Magna Carta Barons reception at Mansion House on 12 May. The photograph shows its representative signing a unique memorial of the event, courtesy of the Herts and Essex Observer. Read more here… Stansted has its new website now at www.stanstedmagnacartaevents.co.uk.

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