Merry Christmas from the Temple Church
Founded in 1119, this church was where the Magna Carta was drafted in January 1215 after King John was confronted here by the barons
Magna Carta was sealed 5 months later & would become the basis for Rule of Law, democracy & human rights.
“No freeman shall be taken or [&] imprisoned or disseised or exiled or in any way destroyed, nor will we go upon him nor send upon him, except by the lawful judgment of his peers or [&] by the law of the land”
MAGNA CARTA
Midnight mass at Temple Church is over
It’s #Christmas!
King John Lackland signed the Magna Carta in a water meadow called Runnymede near Windsor on 12 June 1215.
The treaty went on to influence key declarations of human rights & its principles of freedom, democracy & the rule of law still drives continuing protests around the world.
“At Runnymede, at Runnymede,
Your rights were won at Runnymede”
I’ve not been able to find out for certain, but I’m fairly sure that the artwork, ‘Writ in Water’, built where Magna Carta was signed is identical in circumference to Temple Church’s round nave where it was drafted
As often happens in politics, the King reneged on his commitments & it took 49 years & 2 battles - the final one in Lewes - before the Magna Carta was adopted
In 1620, the Magna Carta formed the basis of the Mayflower Compact
Thomas Paine also went from Lewes to America in 1775
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