MAGNA CARTA
                           (The Great Charter)
                           Runnymede, England
                              June 15, 1215

John by the  Grace of  God  King of  England,  Lord of  Ireland,  Duke of
Normandy and  Aquitaine and  Count of Anjou to his Archbishops,  Bishops,
Abbots, Earls, Barons, Justices, Foresters, Sheriffs,  Stewards, servants
and to all his Officials and Loyal Subjects, Greeting.

Know that before God for the health of  our soul and those of our ancestors
and heirs to the  honour of  God the  exaltation of the Holy Church and the
better  ordering of  our  Kingdom  at the  advice of our  reverend fathers,
Stephen  Archbishop of  Canterbury,  Primate of all England and Cardinal of
the  Holy Roman  Church,  Henry,  Archbishop of  Dublin,  William Bishop of
London, Peter Bishop of Winchester, Jocelin Bishop of Bath and Glastonbury,
Hugh  Bishop of Lincoln,  Walter Bishop of  Coventry,  Benedict,  Bishop of
Rochester,  Master  Pandulf  Subdeacon &  Member  of  the papal  household,
Brother Aymeric master of the  knighthood of the Temple in England, William
Marshal  Earl of  Pembroke,  William  Earl of  Salisbury,  William  Earl of
Warren,  William Earl of Arundel, Allen de Galloway, Constable of Scotland,
Warin Fitz  Gerald,  Peter  Fitz  Herbert,  Hubert de  Burgh,  Seneschal of
Poiters, Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz Herbert, Thomas Basset, Alan Basset,
Phillip Daubeny, Robert de Roppeley, John Marshal, John Fitz Hugh and other
loyal subjects.

First that we have granted to  God & by this present charter have confirmed
for us and our heirs in  perpetuity that the  English church  shall be free
and shall have its rights undiminished and its liberties unimpaired that we
wish this so to be observed appears from the fact that of our own free will
before the outbreak of the  present  dispute between  us and our  Barons we
granted and  confirmed by charter the freedom of the church's elections , a
right  reckoned to be of the  greatest necessity and importance to it & and
caused  this to be  confirmed by  pope  Innocent III. This freedom we shall
observe  ourselves and  desire to be observed in good faith by our heirs in
perpetuity.  To all free men of our kingdom we have also granted for us and
our heirs  for ever all the liberties written out below to have and to keep
for them  and their heirs of us  and our heirs.  If any Earl Baron or other
person that  holds lands  directly of the  crown for military service shall
die and at his death his heir shall be of full age &  owe a relief the heir
shall have his inheritance on payment of the ancient scale of relief.  That
is to  say the  heir or  heirs of an  Earl shall pay  �100 for  the  entire
Earls's Barony the heir or heirs of an knight 100 s. at most for the entire
knight's fee & any man that owes less shall pay less in accordance with the
ancient usage of fees. But if the heir of such person is under age & a ward
when he comes of age he  shall have his inheritance without relief or fine.
The  guardian of the  land of an  heir who is  under age shall take from it
only reasonable revenues customary dues & feudal services. He shall do this
without  obstruction or  damage to  men or  property.  If we have given the
guardianship of the land to a sheriff or to any person answerable to us for
the revenues  & he commits destruction or damage we will exact compensation
from him and the land shall be entrusted to two worthy & prudent men of the
same fee who shall be answerable to us for the revenues or to the person to
whom we have  assigned  them.  If we  have  given or  sold  to  anyone  the
guardianship of such land and he causes destruction or damage he shall lose
the guardianship of it and it shall be  handed over to two worthy & prudent
men of the same fee who shall be similarly answerable to us. For so long as
a guardian has guardianship of such land he shall maintain the houses parks
fish preserves  ponds  mills and  everything else pertaining to it from the
revenues of the land itself.  When the  heir comes of age  he shall restore
the  whole  land to him  stocked with  plough  teams and such implements of
husbandry as the season demands & the revenues from the land can reasonably
bear.  Heirs may be  given in  marriage  but not to someone of lower social
standing.   Before a  marriage  takes place it  shall be  made known to the
the heir's next of kin.At her husband's death a widow may have her marriage
portion and inheritance at once and without trouble.  She shall pay nothing
for her dower marriage portion or  any inheritance that she and her husband
held jointly on the day of his death.  She may remain in her husbands house
for Forty days after his death  and  within this period her  dower shall be
assigned to her. No widow shall be compelled to marry so long as she wishes
to remain  without a husband.  But she must give security that she will not
marry without royal consent  if she holds her lands of the Crown or without
the consent of whatever other lord she may hold them of. Neither we nor our
officials will  seize any land or rent in payment of a debt  so long as the
debtor has  moveable  goods  sufficient to  discharge the  debt.  A debtors
sureties  shall not be  distrained upon  so long as the  debtor himself can
discharge his debt. If for lack of means, the debtor is unable to discharge
his debt his  sureties shall be answerable for it.  If they so desire, they
may have the debtors land & rents until they have received satisfaction for
the  debt that they  paid for him  unless the  debtor can  show that he has
settled his obligations to them. If anyone who has borrowed a sum of monies
from Jews  dies before the  debt has been  repaid,  his  heirs shall pay no
interest on the  debt for  so long as he  remains under age irrespective of
whom he holds his lands.  If such a debt falls into the hands of the Crown,
it will take nothing except the principal sum specified in the bond.   If a
man dies  owing money to Jews  his wife may  have her dower and pay nothing
towards the  debt from it.  If he leaves  children that are under age their
needs may also be  provided for on a  scale  appropriate to the size of his
holding of lands.  The debt is to be  paid out of the residue reserving the
service due to his feudal lords.  Debts owed to persons other than Jews are
to be dealt with similarly. No scutage or aid may be levied in our  kingdom
without its general consent unless it is for the  ransom of one person,  to
make our eldest son a knight,  and once to marry our  eldest daughter.  For
these  purposes only a reasonable aid may be levied.  Aids from the City of
London are to be treated similarly. The City of  London shall enjoy all its
ancient liberties and free customs both by land and by water.  We also will
and grant that all other  Cities, Boroughs, Towns and Ports shall enjoy all
their liberties & free customs.  To obtain the general consent of the realm
for the assessment of an aid except in the three cases specified above or a
scutage we will cause the  Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots,  Earls and greater
Barons to be  summoned  individually by  letter.   To those who  hold lands
directly of us  we will cause a  general summons to be  issued  through the
sheriffs and  other  officials to  come together on a fixed day of which at
least Forty days notice shall be given and at a fixed place. In all letters
of summons the cause of the summons will be stated. When a summons has been
issued th e business  appointed for the day shall go  forward in accordance
with the  resolution of  those  present  even if  not all  those  who  were
summoned have appeared.  In future we will allow no one to levy an aid from
his free men except to  ransom his person,  to make his eldest son a knight
and once to marry his eldest daughter. For these purposes only a reasonable
aid may be levied.  No man shall be  forced to  perform more  service for a
knight's fee or  other free holding of land  than is due from it.  Ordinary
lawsuits  shall not  follow the  royal court around but  shall be held in a
fixed place.  Inquests of  novel  disseisin,  mort d'ancestor, and  darrien
presentment shall be taken only in their proper County court.  We ourselves
or in our absence abroad our  chief justice will send  two justices to each
County four times a year and these justices with four Knights of the County
elected by the  County itself shall hold the assizes in the County court on
the day and in the  place where the  court meets.  If any assizes cannot be
taken on the day of the County court as many knights  and freeholders shall
afterward remain  behind of  those  who have  attended the  Court  as  will
suffice for the  administration of  justice having  regard to the volume of
business to be done.  For a trivial offence a  free man shall be fined only
in  proportion  to the  degree of his  offence and  for a  serious  offence
correspondingly but not so heavily as to deprive him of his livelihood.  In
the same way a  merchant shall be  spared his  merchandise and a husbandman
the  implements of his  husbandry  if they  fall upon the  mercy of a royal
court.  None of these  fines shall be  imposed except by the  assessment on
oath of reputable men of the neighbourhood. Earls and Barons shall be fined
only by  their  equals and in  proportion to the  gravity of their offence.
A fine  imposed upon the  lay  property of a  clerk in holy orders shall be
assessed upon the  same  principles without  reference to the  value of his
ecclesiastical benefice. No town or person shall be forced to build bridges
over rivers except those with an ancient obligation to do so.   No sheriff,
constable,  coroners or  other  royal  officials are to hold  lawsuits that
should be held by the  Royal justices.  Every county  hundred wapentake and
tithing shall  remain at its ancient rent without increase except the royal
demesne manors. If at the death of a man who holds a lay fee of the Crown a
sheriff or  royal official  produces royal  letters patent of summons for a
debt due to the Crown it shall be lawful for them to seize and list movable
goods  found in the  lay fee of the  dead man to the  value of the  debt as
assessed by worthy men.  Nothing shall be  removed until the  whole debt is
paid when the residue shall be given over to the executors to carry out the
dead man's will. If no debt is due to the Crown all the movable goods shall
be regarded as the property of the dead man except the reasonable shares of
his wife and children.  If a free man dies intestate  his movable goods are
to be distributed by his next of kin and  friends under the  supervision of
the Church. The rights of his debtors are to be preserved.  No constable or
other  royal  official shall  take the corn or other movable goods from any
man  without  immediate  payment   unless  the  seller  voluntarily  offers
postponement of this.   No constable may  compel a  knight to pay money for
castle guard if the  knight is willing to  undertake the guard in person or
with  reasonable excuse to  supply some other  fit man to do it.  A  knight
taken or  sent on  military service shall be  excused from castle-guard for
the period of this service. No sheriff royal official or other person shall
take  horses or carts for  transport from any free man without his consent.
Neither we nor any royal official will  take wood for our castle or for any
other purpose without the consent of the owner.  We will not keep the lands
of people convicted of felony in our hand for  longer than a year and a day
after which they shall be returned to the lords of the fees concerned.  All
fish weirs shall be removed from the Thames,  the Medway and throughout the
whole of England except on the sea coast. The writ called precipe shall not
in future be  issued to anyone in respect of any  holding of land if a free
man could  thereby be  deprived of the  right of  trial in his  own  lord's
court.   There shall be standard measures of wine,  ale and corn the London
quarter  throughout the kingdom.   There shall also be a  standard width of
dyed  cloth russett and  haberject,  namely two ells within the  selvedges.
Weights are to be  standardised similarly.  In future nothing shall be paid
or accepted for the  issue of a writ of inquisition of  life and limbs.  It
shall be given gratis and not refused.  If a man holds land of the Crown by
free  farm  socage or  burgage and  also  holds  land of  someone  else for
knight's service  we will not have guardianship of his heir nor of the land
that belongs to the other person's fee by virtue of the free farm socage or
burgage  unless the  fee farm  owes knights service.  We will  not have the
guardianship of a  man's heir or of  land that he holds of  someone else by
reason of any small property that he may hold of the Crown for a service of
knives,  arrows or the like.  In future no  official  shall  place a man on
trial  upon h is  own  unsupported  statement  without  producing  credible
witnesses to the truth of it.  No free man shall be seized or imprisoned or
stripped of his rights or possessions or  outlawed or exiled or deprived of
his standing in any other way nor will we proceed with force against him or
send others to do so except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the
law of the land.  To no one will we  sell to no one  deny or delay right or
justice. All merchants may enter or leave England unharmed and without fear
and may  stay or  travel within it by  land or  water for purposes of trade
free from all  illegal  exactions in  accordance with  ancient  and  lawful
customs.  This  however does not  apply in  time of war to merchants from a
country that is at  war with us.  Any such  merchants  found in our country
at the outbreak of war shall be detained without injury to their persons or
property  until  we or  our  chief  justice  have  discovered how  our  own
merchants are  being  treated in the  country at  war with us.  If our  own
merchants are save they shall be safe too. In future it shall be lawful for
any man to  leave and  return to our  Kingdom  unharmed and without fear by
land or  water  preserving his  allegiance to us  except in time of war for
some  short  period for the  common benefit of the realm.  People that have
been imprisoned or outlawed in accordance with the Law of the Land,  people
from a country that is at  war with us and  merchants,  who shall be  dealt
with as stated above,  are excepted from this  provision.   If a man  holds
lands  of  any  escheat  such  as  the  Honor of  Wallingford,  Nottingham,
Boulogne,  Lancaster or of other escheats in our hand that are baronies, at
his death his heir  shall give us only the relief and service that he would
have made to the  Baron had the  barony been in the  Baron's hand.  We will
hold the escheat in the  same manner as the  Baron held it. People who live
outside  the forest need not in  future appear before the royal justices of
the forest in answer to general summonses unless they are actually involved
in proceedings or are sureties for someone who has been seized for a forest
offence.   We will  appoint as  justices,  constables,  sheriffs  or  other
officials only men that know the law of the realm and are minded to keep it
well. All Barons who have founded Abbeys and have charters of English Kings
or  ancient tenure as  evidence of this may have  guardianship of them when
there is no  abbot as is their due.  All forests that have been  created in
our reign  shall at  once be  disafforested.   River  banks that have  been
enclosed in our reign shall be treated similarly. All evil customs relating
to forests and  warrens, foresters, warreners, sheriffs & their servants or
river  banks and  their  wardens are at  once to be  investigated  in every
County by twelve sworn knights of the County and within forty days of their
enquiry the evil customs are to be abolished completely and irrevocably. We
will at  once  return all  hostages  and  charters  delivered  up to  us by
Englishmen as  security for  peace or  for  loyal service.   we will remove
completely from their  Offices the kinsmen of Gerard De Athee and in future
they shall hold no Offices in England.  The people in question are Engleard
de Cigogne, Peter Guy and Andrew de Chanceaux,  Guy de Cigogne, Geoffrey de
Martigny and his brothers  Philip  Marc and his  brothers with  Geoffry his
Nephew and all their followers. As soon as peace is restored we will remove
from the kingdom all the foreign knights, bowmen,  their attendants and the
mercenaries that  have come to it to its harm with  horses and arms. To any
man whom we have  deprived or  dispossessed of lands, castles, liberties or
rights without the  lawful  judgement of his equals we will at once restore
these. In cases of dispute the matter shall be resolved by the judgement of
the  Twenty Five  Barons  referred to  below in the clause for securing the
peace.   In cases  however  where a  man was  deprived or  dispossessed  of
something without the lawful  judgement of his  equals by our  father  King
Henry or our brother King Richard and it remains in our hands or is held by
others under our  warranty  we shall have  respite for the  period commonly
allowed to Crusaders unless a lawsuit had been begun or an enquiry had been
made at our  order  before we took the  Cross as a Crusader.  On our return
from the  Crusade  or if we  abandon it  we will at  once render justice in
full.  We shall have under respite in connexion with forests that are to be
disafforested when these were  first afforested by our father  Henry or our
brother Richard with the guardianship of lands in other persons fee when we
have hitherto  had this by  virtue of a fee held of us for knight's service
by a  third party and with  Abbeys founded in another person's fee in which
the  Lord of the fee claims to own a right.  On our return from the Crusade
or if we  abandon it  we will at  once do full justice to  complaints about
these matters.   No one shall be  arrested or imprisoned on the appeal of a
woman for the death of any person except her husband.   All fines that have
been given to us  unjustly and  against the  Law of the Land and all finest
that we have  exacted  unjustly  shall be  entirely  remitted or the matter
decided by a  majority  judgement of the  Twenty  Five  Barons  referred to
below in the clause for securing the peace together with Stephen Archbishop
of Canterbury  if he can be  present and  such others as he wishes to bring
with him.   If the  Archbishop cannot be present proceedings shall continue
without  him  provided  that  if  any of the  Twenty  Five  Barons has been
involved in  a  similar  suit himself his judgement shall be cast aside and
someone else  chosen and  sworn in his place as a substitute for the single
occasion by the rest of the TwentyFive. If we have deprived or dispossessed
any  Welshmen of Lands,  liberties or anything else in  England or in Wales
without the  lawful  judgement of  their  equals  these  are at  once to be
returned to them.   A dispute  on this  point  shall be  determined  in the
marches by the judgement of equals. English law shall apply to holdings  of
land in England,  Welsh law to those in Wales and the law of the marches to
those in the marches. The Welsh shall treat us and ours in the same way. In
cases where a Welshman was deprived or dispossessed of anything without the
lawful judgement of his equals by our father King Henry or our brother King
Richard and it remains in our hands or is held by others under our warranty
we shall have respite for the period commonly allowed to crusaders unless a
lawsuit had been begun or an enquiry had been  made at our  order before we
took the cross as a crusader.  But on our return from the  crusade or if we
abandon it we will at  once do full  justice according tot he laws of Wales
and the said regions. We will at once return the son of Llywelyn, all Welsh
hostages and the  charters delivered to us as security for the peace.  With
regard to the  return of the  sisters and  hostages of  Alexander  King  of
Scotland his liberties and his rights we will treat him in the same way  as
our other  Barons of  England unless it  appears from the  charters that we
hold from his  father  William formerly  King of Scotland that he should be
treated otherwise.  This  matter shall be  resolved by the judgement of his
equals in our court.  All these customs and  liberties that we have granted
shall be  observed in our  Kingdom in so far as  concerns our own relations
with our subjects.  Let all  men of our  Kingdom whether  clergy or  laymen
observe them similarly in their relations with their own men. Since we have
granted all these things for god for the better ordering of our Kingdom and
to ally  the discord that has arisen between us and our Barons and since we
desire that  they shall be enjoyed in their  entirety with lasting strength
for ever we give and grant to the Barons the following security. The Barons
shall elect  Twenty Five of their  number to keep and  cause to be observed
with all their might the  peace and liberties granted and confirmed to them
by this charter.  If we,  our  Chief  Justice,  our officials or any of our
servants  offend  in any  respect  against any man or transgress any of the
articles of  the peace of this  security and the  offence is  made known to
Four of the said Twenty Five Barons they shall come to us or in our absence
from the  Kingdom to the  Chief  Justice to  declare it and claim immediate
redress.  If we or in our absence abroad the  Chief Justice make no redress
within  Forty days reckoning from the day on which the offence was declared
to us or to him the  Four Barons shall  refer the matter to the rest of the
Twenty  Five  Barons  who may  distrain  upon and  assail  us in  every way
possible with the support of the whole community of the land by seizing our
castles, lands, possessions or anything else saving only our own person and
those of the Queen and our children until they have secured such redress as
they have determined upon.  Having secured the redress they may then resume
their normal  obedience to us.  Any man who so  desires may take an oath to
obey the  commands of the  Twenty Five  Barons for the achievement of these
ends and to join with them in  assailing us to the utmost of his power.  We
give public and free permission to take this oath to any man who so desires
& at no time will we prohibit any man from taking it. Indeed we will compel
any of our  subjects  who are  unwilling  to  take it to  swear  it  at our
command.  If one of the Twenty Five Barons dies or leaves the country or is
prevented in  any  other way from  discharging his duties the  rest of them
shall  choose another  Baron in his  place at their discretion who shall be
duly sworn in as they were.   In the event of disagreement among the Twenty
Five Barons on any matter  referred to them for decision the verdict of the
majority present shall have the same validity as a unanimous verdict of the
whole twenty five  whether these were all present or some of those summoned
were unwilling or unable to appear.  The  Twenty Five Barons shall swear to
obey all the above articles faithfully and shall cause them to be obeyed by
others to the best of their power.  We will not seek to procure from anyone
either by our own efforts or  those of a  third party anything by which any
part of these  concessions or  liberties  might be  revoked or  diminished.
Should such a thing be procured it shall be null and void and we will at no
time  make use of it  either  ourselves or  through a third party.  We have
remitted and  pardoned fully to  all men any  ill will hurt or grudges that
have arisen between us and  our subjects whether clergy or laymen since the
beginning of the dispute.   We have in addition remitted fully and four our
own part have also pardoned to all clergy and laymen any offences committed
as a result of the said dispute between Easter in the Sixteenth year of our
Reign and the  restoration of  peace.  In  addition we have  caused letters
patent to be made for the  Barons bearing  witness to this  security and to
the  concessions  set out  above  over the  seals of  Stephen Archbishop of
Canterbury  Henry  Archbishop of  Dublin the other  Bishops named above and
master Pandulf.  It is  accordingly our  wish and command that the  English
Church shall be free  and that  men in our  Kingdom shall have and keep all
these  liberties,  rights  and  concessions  well and  peaceably  in  their
fullness and  entirety for  them and their heirs of us and our heirs in all
things and all places for ever.  Both we and the Barons have sworn that all
this shall be  observed in  good  faith and  without  deceit.  Witness  the
abovementioned people and many others. Given by our hand in the meadow that
is called  Runnymede between  Windsor and  Staines on the  Fifteenth day of
June in the Seventeenth Year of our Reign --

       John

Irrevocably, but we or our chief justice if we art not in england are first
to  be  informed  We shall  have  similar  respite in  rendering justice in
connexion  with  Forests that are to be disafforested or to remain forests.

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