“Surprisingly, the importance of Magna Carta has never had the recognition by the public at large in this country that it deserves. Magna Carta has been at least as important in protecting the public of this country’s liberties as great battles such as that of Trafalgar, whose Bi-centenary we will celebrate later this year.”
The Lord Chief Justice, Lord Woolf, made this remark in his inaugural lecture to the Magna Carta Trust this evening. The Trust, in conjunction with the Royal Hollaway College, is celebrating the 790th anniversary of the signing of the Charter by King John at Runnymede on 15 June 1215.
The judiciary have played an active part in the Magna Carta Trust since its inauguration in 1957, with successive Masters of the Rolls acting as its Chairman. Lord Woolf quoted from a letter written by the then Prime Minister, Sir Anthony Eden, marking the inaugural meeting of the Trust:
“The 15 June 1215 is rightly regarded as one of the most notable days in the history of the world. Those who were at Runnymede that day could not know the consequences that were to flow from their proceedings. The granting of Magna Carta marked the road to individual freedom, to parliamentary democracy and to the supremacy of the law. The principles of Magna Carta, developed over the centuries by the Common Law, are the heritage now, not only of those who live in these Islands, but in countless millions of all races and creeds throughout the world.”
Lord Woolf noted in his lecture that the identification of the actual site at Runnymede where the Charter was signed was an initiative of the American Bar Association in 1957.
He said that thousands of visitors visit the Runnymede site each year: “but they leave with no information of the significance of Magna Carta. No national or heritage money is made available to the Magna Carta Trust but it strives to do its best with the resources that are available to it. There is an undoubted need for a visitors centre at the site.”
Summing up the significance in law of the Magna Carta, Lord Woolf said: “Hitherto, we have not sought to glorify the contribution of this country to the establishment of a world governed by the rule of law. However, the common law has spread and provided a contribution to justice, day in and day out, to about one third of the population of the world. The system has affected all other systems to a greater or a lesser degree.
“We have in our long history symbols of what the common law stands for which have obtained world recognition. Foremost of those is Magna Carta.”
Notes to Editors
- The full text of Lord Woolf’s inaugural lecture.
- A Magna Carta Trust Lecture will be given annually leading up to the 800th anniversary of the Charter’s signing in 2015.
Ends
