The Reverend Nick Devenish, of Cartmel Priory, says the Magna Carta still has great relevance today

ARE the Magna Carta 800th anniversary celebrations an irrelevant waste of time and money?

At the recent Oscars ceremony, the winner of the best supporting actress award for Boyhood, Patricia Arquette, gave a rousing acceptance speech, calling for equal pay for women amid great cheers of support in the Dolby Theatre, Hollywood. She was not arrested or imprisoned for her views.

On our news screens we see the plight and repression of women and other groups in different parts of our world. In our country we celebrate freedom of speech.

How did this come about?

The Lake District has a direct link with Magna Carta in the person of William the Marshal. He was the greatest knight of his time, founded Cartmel Priory in 1189 and, as Prince Regent, was instrumental in giving to the world Magna Carta.

Magna Carta has become a universal model, a blueprint for democracy, bringing about the accountability of monarchs and governments.

It came about from great unrest. King John, a defeated and weaken monarch after a failed attempt to win back France, returned to England in 1214. The Barons had had enough of being taxed to the hilt only for the King to lose it. They took control of London with King John in Windsor.

They met at Runnymede in June of 1215 and both sides entered into dialogue. A settlement was drawn up seeking to avoid Civil War – known as the ‘Articles of the Barons.’ The King made concessions along with The Barons, who needed to appeal to those outside of their aristocratic ranks.

Magna Carta is not just about financial probity or keeping a Government in check. It is so very much more.

It is why an actress can seek at an Oscar night to call for equal pay. It is why we in this country can sleep peaceably at night, knowing that our property will not be taken by force from us.

Articles 39 and 40 are quite simply incredible:

+ (39) 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 way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgment of his equals or by the law of the land.

+ (40) To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice.

This document took a country to Civil War, required the greatest knight to make changes to the original ‘Articles of The Barons’ and then for him to lead the battle of Lincoln to repel the French. In so doing we have been given Magna Carta.

It forms the basis of our living in freedom. No one is above the Law, whether King or Commoner. We have protection for our property, liberty and life. Magna Carta laid the foundation for The Houses of Parliament, with the House of Lords and House of Commons. It brought about fixed courts of law and not justice at the ad hoc discretion of the monarch.

It has formed the foundation for Western democracy, being at the heart of the American constitution.

With our technological instant media world we know only too well that personal freedom is not a right for every human being alive today.

Magna Carta is quite simply a jewel and is to be celebrated, not only as a pivotal historical event, but as a living document that still has much to say to our world.

You are most welcome to be apart of Cartmel Priory’s Magna Carta celebrations from September 25-29, centred around our Flower Festival. Please visit www.cartmelpriory.org.uk for details.