Salisbury Cathedral (en-route to Devon)

We had intended to stay in the Salisbury area but found it difficult to get accommodation. So instead we decided to go to the south coast of Devon.

We drove via Salisbury as we were keen to visit the Salisbury Cathedral. Not only is it a magnificent cathedral but it has one of the four remaining original Magna Carta documents. Magna Carta (is Latin for "Great Charter") and is one of the most celebrated documents in English history. At the time it was the solution to a political crisis in Medieval England but its importance has endured as it has become recognised as a cornerstone of liberty influencing much of the civilized world.

Salisbury Cathedral - just magnificent.

The Magna Carta is kept in the Charter House and no photos are allowed. This shows the interior of the Cathedral.

 

The feudal system was bound medieval society together in a hierarchy of relationships. Under the feudal system the King was all-powerful. Disputes grew between the barons and bishops and King John over his poor government, heavy war taxes and quarrels with the Pope. Weakened by his defeat by the French in 1214 and keen to avoid a civil war he feared losing, King John met the barons at Runnymede (between Windsor and Staines in Southern England) on 15 June 1215 and agreed to the terms of the Magna Carta. Its content, driven by the concerns of barons and church, was designed to re-balance power between the King and his subjects. When King John set his seal on Magna Carta he conceded the fundamental principle that even as king he was not above the law. Once the Magna Carta was agreed and sealed ten of the thirteen copies made, one of which was given to the original cathedral at Old Sarum (now in  Salisbury Cathedral).

The Magna Carta today:

Magna Carta contains 63 clauses written in Latin on parchment. Only three of the original clauses in Magna Carta are still law today. One defends the freedom and rights of the English Church, another confirms the liberties and customs of London and other towns, but the third is the most famous:

No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled. Nor will we proceed with force against him 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.

The Magna Carta has come to symbolise the rule of law in England, protecting the rights of the individual. Its basic principles have been used in the constitutions of Commonwealth and other countries worldwide.
In August 2009 the worldwide significance of Magna Carta 1215 was recognised as it was inscribed in the UNESCO Memory of the World register. The register was started in 1992 to protect and promote the world’s documentary heritage through preservation and access.

Two copies of the Magna Carta are kept in the British Library, one at the Lincoln Cathedral and one at Salisbury Cathedral.

The Avon River near the Cathedral.

 

It was well worth the stop to see this ancient document.

Salisbury is a beautiful city located on the Avon River.