What prompted the Magna Carta to be written?
In the years leading up to 1215, King John had demanded increasing levels of taxes from his knights and barons. Resentment grew into rebellion, and the barons took up arms against the king.
Articles of the Barons
The rebels presented John with a number of demands, known as the ‘Articles of the Barons’. These were aimed at limiting the King’s powers and safeguarding the rights, privileges and liberties of the clergy and nobles.
These demands were sealed – the equivalent of being signed - by the barons and John at Runnymede on 15 June 1215. Establishing that no-one – not even the king – was above the law, they eventually became the document that we know today as Magna Carta.
Although declared null and void only weeks after being sealed by King John, Magna Carta was reissued by his successors and written into the laws of the land in 1297. It remains an enduring and iconic symbol of the struggle for rights and liberties around the world.
The Magna Carta at Durham Cathedral
We have three issues of Magna Carta, although it is not entirely clear why. Like other royal charters, issues of Magna Carta were distributed around the country to sheriffs and bishops. They were read out in public, in county courts and churches, to make sure the people heard about them.
The bishops of Durham, together with many local noble families, deposited important documents with the Priory at Durham for safekeeping. The legal status of the Palatinate, outside the authority of the crown, also made Durham very aware of English law and encouraged good record keeping.
Many cathedrals seem to have kept the most recent version of Magna Carta and disposed of earlier, outdated issues. However at Durham these were carefully stored away for future reference.