MAGNA CARTA MEMORIAL
and
JOHN F KENNEDY MEMORIAL
MAGNA CARTA MEMORIAL
and
JOHN F KENNEDY MEMORIAL
If other parts of England lay claim to be the heart of the country then Runnymede is undoubtedly its soul. It was at Runnymede Meadows beside the Thames, on 15 June 1215, that King John met his barons to discuss their grievances and, in order to prevent a civil war, agreed to seal a Great Charter (Magna Carta). In its principles and subsequent interpretations this was to have a profound and significant influence on rights and freedoms, not only in England, but across much of the civilised world.
Immediately before the meeting the King was at his castle at Windsor, while his rebel barons were encamped nearby at Staines. Runnymede lay halfway between and offered a wide, open area with ample space for each side's armies, tents and horses. The rebellion of the barons forced King John to grant them protection from certain injustices, but in doing so, Magna Carta embodied the principle that both the King and the barons were bound by law in the exercise of power and this gave the Charter a far wider and enduring significance. The document we know as Magna Carta has long been the most potent symbol of freedom under the law for Western Civilisation.
"No free man shall be ... imprisoned or ... outlawed ... except by the lawful judgement of his peers or by the law of the land. To no one will we sell, to no one wil we deny or delay right or justice."
These principles were exported to the United States of America and it was the American Bar Association which erected the memorial on the site. This is maintained by the Magna Carta Trust whose chairperson is the Master of the Rolls, one of the leading figures in the English judicial system.
Today, the majority of the meadows beside the Thames belong to the National Trust and are visited by thousands of people throughout the year. The Thames is broad, calm and peaceful here; there is little commercial traffic on the river apart from cruise boats, and the varied attractions close at hand draw visitors from all over the world. Many come to see the Memorial commemorating the men and women of the Commonwealth Air Forces killed in World War II, who have no known grave. From its position on Coopers Hill, above the river, it commands splendid views over the Thames Valley. In the meadows below stand the Magna Carta Memorial set up by the American Bar Association and the Magna Carta Trust. Nearby, the Kennedy Memorial stands in its own acre of land, given by the people of Britian to the USA, honouring the memory of the assassinated President. A little piece of America by the Thames.
Standing at the foot of the Cooper's Hill Slopes is a memorial to the Magna Carta in the form of a domed classical temple containing a pillar of English granite on which is inscribed: 'To commemorate Magna Carta, symbol of Freedom Under Law.' This was built by the American Bar Association on land leased by the Magna Carta Trust. It was paid for by voluntary contributions of some 9,000 American lawyers. The memorial was designed by Sir Edward Maufe R.A. and unveiled on 18 July 1957 at a ceremony attended by American and English lawyers.
click on the picture below for a close up of the writing on the memorial (131k jpeg).
Kennedy Memorial, Runnymede Meadow, EGHAM.
The Memorial stands in the acre of land given to America in memory of President John F Kennedy.
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