Preamble:
John, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of
Normandy and Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, to the archbishop, bishops,
abbots, earls, barons, justiciaries, foresters, sheriffs, stewards,
servants, and to all his bailiffs and liege subjects, greetings. Know
that, having regard to God and for the salvation of our soul, and those
of all our ancestors and heirs, and unto the honor of God and the
advancement of his holy Church and for the rectifying of our realm, we
have granted as underwritten by advice of our venerable fathers,
Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, primate of all England and cardinal
of the holy Roman Church, Henry, archbishop of Dublin, William of
London, Peter of Winchester, Jocelyn of Bath and Glastonbury, Hugh of
Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of Coventry, Benedict of
Rochester, bishops; of Master Pandulf, subdeacon and member of the
household of our lord the Pope, of brother Aymeric (master of the
Knights of the Temple in England), and of the illustrious men William
Marshal, earl of Pembroke, William, earl of Salisbury, William, earl of
Warenne, William, earl of Arundel, Alan of Galloway (constable of
Scotland), Waren Fitz Gerold, Peter Fitz Herbert, Hubert De Burgh
(seneschal of Poitou), Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz Herbert, Thomas
Basset, Alan Basset, Philip d’Aubigny, Robert of Roppesley, John
Marshal, John Fitz Hugh, and others, our liegemen.
1. In the first place we have granted to God, and by this our present
charter confirmed for us and our heirs forever that the English Church
shall be free, and shall have her rights entire, and her liberties
inviolate; and we will that it be thus observed; which is apparent from
this that the freedom of elections, which is reckoned most important and
very essential to the English Church, we, of our pure and unconstrained
will, did grant, and did by our charter confirm and did obtain the
ratification of the same from our lord, Pope Innocent III, before the
quarrel arose between us and our barons: and this we will observe, and
our will is that it be observed in good faith by our heirs forever. We
have also granted to all freemen of our kingdom, for us and our heirs
forever, all the underwritten liberties, to be had and held by them and
their heirs, of us and our heirs forever.
2. If any of our earls or barons, or others holding of us in chief by
military service shall have died, and at the time of his death his heir
shall be full of age and owe “relief”, he shall have his inheritance by
the old relief, to wit, the heir or heirs of an earl, for the whole
baroncy of an earl by L100; the heir or heirs of a baron, L100 for a
whole barony; the heir or heirs of a knight, 100s, at most, and whoever
owes less let him give less, according to the ancient custom of fees.
3. If, however, the heir of any one of the aforesaid has been under age
and in wardship, let him have his inheritance without relief and without
fine when he comes of age.
4. The guardian of the land of an heir who is thus under age, shall take
from the land of the heir nothing but reasonable produce, reasonable
customs, and reasonable services, and that without destruction or waste
of men or goods; and if we have committed the wardship of the lands of
any such minor to the sheriff, or to any other who is responsible to us
for its issues, and he has made destruction or waster of what he holds
in wardship, we will take of him amends, and the land shall be committed
to two lawful and discreet men of that fee, who shall be responsible for
the issues to us or to him to whom we shall assign them; and if we have
given or sold the wardship of any such land to anyone and he has therein
made destruction or waste, he shall lose that wardship, and it shall be
transferred to two lawful and discreet men of that fief, who shall be
responsible to us in like manner as aforesaid.
5. The guardian, moreover, so long as he has the wardship of the land,
shall keep up the houses, parks, fishponds, stanks, mills, and other
things pertaining to the land, out of the issues of the same land; and
he shall restore to the heir, when he has come to full age, all his
land, stocked with ploughs and wainage, according as the season of
husbandry shall require, and the issues of the land can reasonable bear.
6. Heirs shall be married without disparagement, yet so that before the
marriage takes place the nearest in blood to that heir shall have
notice.
7. A widow, after the death of her husband, shall forthwith and without
difficulty have her marriage portion and inheritance; nor shall she give
anything for her dower, or for her marriage portion, or for the
inheritance which her husband and she held on the day of the death of
that husband; and she may remain in the house of her husband for forty
days after his death, within which time her dower shall be assigned to
her.
8. No widow shall be compelled to marry, so long as she prefers to live
without a husband; provided always that she gives security not to marry
without our consent, if she holds of us, or without the consent of the
lord of whom she holds, if she holds of another.
9. Neither we nor our bailiffs will seize any land or rent for any debt,
as long as the chattels of the debtor are sufficient to repay the debt;
nor shall the sureties of the debtor be distrained so long as the
principal debtor is able to satisfy the debt; and if the principal
debtor shall fail to pay the debt, having nothing wherewith to pay it,
then the sureties shall answer for the debt; and let them have the lands
and rents of the debtor, if they desire them, until they are indemnified
for the debt which they have paid for him, unless the principal debtor
can show proof that he is discharged thereof as against the said
sureties.
10. If one who has borrowed from the Jews any sum, great or small, die
before that loan be repaid, the debt shall not bear interest while the
heir is under age, of whomsoever he may hold; and if the debt fall into
our hands, we will not take anything except the principal sum contained
in the bond.
11. And if anyone die indebted to the Jews, his wife shall have her
dower and pay nothing of that debt; and if any children of the deceased
are left under age, necessaries shall be provided for them in keeping
with the holding of the deceased; and out of the residue the debt shall
be paid, reserving, however, service due to feudal lords; in like manner
let it be done touching debts due to others than Jews.
12. No scutage not aid shall be imposed on our kingdom, unless by common
counsel of our kingdom, except for ransoming our person, for making our
eldest son a knight, and for once marrying our eldest daughter; and for
these there shall not be levied more than a reasonable aid. In like
manner it shall be done concerning aids from the city of London.
13. And the city of London shall have all it ancient liberties and free
customs, as well by land as by water; furthermore, we decree and grant
that all other cities, boroughs, towns, and ports shall have all their
liberties and free customs.
14. And for obtaining the common counsel of the kingdom anent the
assessing of an aid (except in the three cases aforesaid) or of a
scutage, we will cause to be summoned the archbishops, bishops, abbots,
earls, and greater barons, severally by our letters; and we will
moveover cause to be summoned generally, through our sheriffs and
bailiffs, and others who hold of us in chief, for a fixed date, namely,
after the expiry of at least forty days, and at a fixed place; and in
all letters of such summons we will specify the reason of the summons.
And when the summons has thus been made, the business shall proceed on
the day appointed, according to the counsel of such as are present,
although not all who were summoned have come.
15. We will not for the future grant to anyone license to take an aid
from his own free tenants, except to ransom his person, to make his
eldest son a knight, and once to marry his eldest daughter; and on each
of these occasions there shall be levied only a reasonable aid.
16. No one shall be distrained for performance of greater service for a
knight’s fee, or for any other free tenement, than is due there from.
17. Common pleas shall not follow our court, but shall be held in some
fixed place.
18. Inquests of novel disseisin, of mort d’ancestor, and of darrein
presentment shall not be held elsewhere than in their own county courts,
and that in manner following; We, or, if we should be out of the realm,
our chief justiciar, will send two justiciaries through every county
four times a year, who shall alone with four knights of the county
chosen by the county, hold the said assizes in the county court, on the
day and in the place of meeting of that court.
19. And if any of the said assizes cannot be taken on the day of the
county court, let there remain of the knights and freeholders, who were
present at the county court on that day, as many as may be required for
the efficient making of judgments, according as the business be more or
less.
20. A freeman shall not be amerced for a slight offense, except in
accordance with the degree of the offense; and for a grave offense he
shall be amerced in accordance with the gravity of the offense, yet
saving always his “contentment”; and a merchant in the same way, saving
his “merchandise”; and a villein shall be amerced in the same way,
saving his “wainage” if they have fallen into our mercy: and none of the
aforesaid amercements shall be imposed except by the oath of honest men
of the neighborhood.
21. Earls and barons shall not be amerced except through their peers,
and only in accordance with the degree of the offense.
22. A clerk shall not be amerced in respect of his lay holding except
after the manner of the others aforesaid; further, he shall not be
amerced in accordance with the extent of his ecclesiastical benefice.
23. No village or individual shall be compelled to make bridges at river
banks, except those who from of old were legally bound to do so.
24. No sheriff, constable, coroners, or others of our bailiffs, shall
hold pleas of our Crown.
25. All counties, hundred, wapentakes, and trithings (except our demesne
manors) shall remain at the old rents, and without any additional
payment.
26. If anyone holding of us a lay fief shall die, and our sheriff or
bailiff shall exhibit our letters patent of summons for a debt which the
deceased owed us, it shall be lawful for our sheriff or bailiff to
attach and enroll the chattels of the deceased, found upon the lay fief,
to the value of that debt, at the sight of law worthy men, provided
always that nothing whatever be thence removed until the debt which is
evident shall be fully paid to us; and the residue shall be left to the
executors to fulfill the will of the deceased; and if there be nothing
due from him to us, all the chattels shall go to the deceased, saving to
his wife and children their reasonable shares.
27. If any freeman shall die intestate, his chattels shall be
distributed by the hands of his nearest kinsfolk and friends, under
supervision of the Church, saving to every one the debts which the
deceased owed to him.
28. No constable or other bailiff of ours shall take corn or other
provisions from anyone without immediately tendering money therefor,
unless he can have postponement thereof by permission of the seller.
29. No constable shall compel any knight to give money in lieu of
castle-guard, when he is willing to perform it in his own person, or (if
he himself cannot do it from any reasonable cause) then by another
responsible man. Further, if we have led or sent him upon military
service, he shall be relieved from guard in proportion to the time
during which he has been on service because of us.
30. No sheriff or bailiff of ours, or other person, shall take the
horses or carts of any freeman for transport duty, against the will of
the said freeman.
31. Neither we nor our bailiffs shall take, for our castles or for any
other work of ours, wood which is not ours, against the will of the
owner of that wood.
32. We will not retain beyond one year and one day, the lands those who
have been convicted of felony, and the lands shall thereafter be handed
over to the lords of the fiefs.
33. All kydells for the future shall be removed altogether from Thames
and Medway, and throughout all England, except upon the seashore.
34. The writ which is called praecipe shall not for the future be issued
to anyone, regarding any tenement whereby a freeman may lose his court.
35. Let there be one measure of wine throughout our whole realm; and one
measure of ale; and one measure of corn, to wit, “the London quarter”;
and one width of cloth (whether dyed, or russet, or “halberget”), to
wit, two ells within the selvedges; of weights also let it be as of
measures.
36. Nothing in future shall be given or taken for a writ of inquisition
of life or limbs, but freely it shall be granted, and never denied.
37. If anyone holds of us by fee-farm, either by socage or by burage, or
of any other land by knight’s service, we will not (by reason of that
fee-farm, socage, or burgage), have the wardship of the heir, or of such
land of his as if of the fief of that other; nor shall we have wardship
of that fee-farm, socage, or burgage, unless such fee-farm owes knight’s
service. We will not by reason of any small serjeancy which anyone may
hold of us by the service of rendering to us knives, arrows, or the
like, have wardship of his heir or of the land which he holds of another
lord by knight’s service.
38. No bailiff for the future shall, upon his own unsupported complaint,
put anyone to his “law”, without credible witnesses brought for this
purposes.
39. No freemen 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.
40. To no one will we sell, to no one will we refuse or delay, right or
justice.
41. All merchants shall have safe and secure exit from England, and
entry to England, with the right to tarry there and to move about as
well by land as by water, for buying and selling by the ancient and
right customs, quit from all evil tolls, except (in time of war) such
merchants as are of the land at war with us. And if such are found in
our land at the beginning of the war, they shall be detained, without
injury to their bodies or goods, until information be received by us, or
by our chief justiciar, how the merchants of our land found in the land
at war with us are treated; and if our men are safe there, the others
shall be safe in our land.
42. It shall be lawful in future for anyone (excepting always those
imprisoned or outlawed in accordance with the law of the kingdom, and
natives of any country at war with us, and merchants, who shall be
treated as if above provided) to leave our kingdom and to return, safe
and secure by land and water, except for a short period in time of war,
on grounds of public policy — reserving always the allegiance due to
us.
43. If anyone holding of some escheat (such as the honor of Wallingford,
Nottingham, Boulogne, Lancaster, or of other escheats which are in our
hands and are baronies) shall die, his heir shall give no other relief,
and perform no other service to us than he would have done to the baron
if that barony had been in the baron’s hand; and we shall hold it in the
same manner in which the baron held it.
44. Men who dwell without the forest need not henceforth come before our
justiciaries of the forest upon a general summons, unless they are in
plea, or sureties of one or more, who are attached for the forest.
45. We will appoint as justices, constables, sheriffs, or bailiffs only
such as know the law of the realm and mean to observe it well.
46. All barons who have founded abbeys, concerning which they hold
charters from the kings of England, or of which they have long continued
possession, shall have the wardship of them, when vacant, as they ought
to have.
47. All forests that have been made such in our time shall forthwith be
disafforsted; and a similar course shall be followed with regard to
river banks that have been placed “in defense” by us in our time.
48. All evil customs connected with forests and warrens, foresters and
warreners, sheriffs and their officers, river banks and their wardens,
shall immediately by inquired into in each county by twelve sworn
knights of the same county chosen by the honest men of the same county,
and shall, within forty days of the said inquest, be utterly abolished,
so as never to be restored, provided always that we previously have
intimation thereof, or our justiciar, if we should not be in England.
49. We will immediately restore all hostages and charters delivered to
us by Englishmen, as sureties of the peace of faithful service.
50. We will entirely remove from their bailiwicks, the relations of
Gerard of Athee (so that in future they shall have no bailiwick in
England); namely, Engelard of Cigogne, Peter, Guy, and Andrew of
Chanceaux, Guy of Cigogne, Geoffrey of Martigny with his brothers,
Philip Mark with his brothers and his nephew Geoffrey, and the whole
brood of the same.
51. As soon as peace is restored, we will banish from the kingdom all
foreign born knights, crossbowmen, serjeants, and mercenary soldiers who
have come with horses and arms to the kingdom’s hurt.
52. If anyone has been dispossessed or removed by us, without the legal
judgment of his peers, from his lands, castles, franchises, or from his
right, we will immediately restore them to him; and if a dispute arise
over this, then let it be decided by the five and twenty barons of whom
mention is made below in the clause for securing the peace. Moreover,
for all those possessions, from which anyone has, without the lawful
judgment of his peers, been disseised or removed, by our father, King
Henry, or by our brother, King Richard, and which we retain in our hand
(or which as possessed by others, to whom we are bound to warrant them)
we shall have respite until the usual term of crusaders; excepting those
things about which a plea has been raised, or an inquest made by our
order, before our taking of the cross; but as soon as we return from the
expedition, we will immediately grant full justice therein.
53. We shall have, moreover, the same respite and in the same manner in
rendering justice concerning the disafforestation or retention of those
forests which Henry our father and Richard our brother afforested, and
concerning the wardship of lands which are of the fief of another
(namely, such wardships as we have hitherto had by reason of a fief
which anyone held of us by knight’s service), and concerning abbeys
founded on other fiefs than our own, in which the lord of the fee claims
to have right; and when we have returned, or if we desist from our
expedition, we will immediately grant full justice to all who complain
of such things.
54. No one shall be arrested or imprisoned upon the appeal of a woman,
for the death of any other than her husband.
55. All fines made with us unjustly and against the law of the land, and
all amercements, imposed unjustly and against the law of the land, shall
be entirely remitted, or else it shall be done concerning them according
to the decision of the five and twenty barons whom mention is made below
in the clause for securing the pease, or according to the judgment of
the majority of the same, along with the aforesaid Stephen, archbishop
of Canterbury, if he can be present, and such others as he may wish to
bring with him for this purpose, and if he cannot be present the
business shall nevertheless proceed without him, provided always that if
any one or more of the aforesaid five and twenty barons are in a similar
suit, they shall be removed as far as concerns this particular judgment,
others being substituted in their places after having been selected by
the rest of the same five and twenty for this purpose only, and after
having been sworn.
56. If we have disseised or removed Welshmen from lands or liberties, or
other things, without the legal judgment of their peers in England or in
Wales, they shall be immediately restored to them; and if a dispute
arise over this, then let it be decided in the marches by the judgment
of their peers; for the tenements in England according to the law of
England, for tenements in Wales according to the law of Wales, and for
tenements in the marches according to the law of the marches. Welshmen
shall do the same to us and ours.
57. Further, for all those possessions from which any Welshman has,
without the lawful judgment of his peers, been disseised or removed by
King Henry our father, or King Richard our brother, and which we retain
in our hand (or which are possessed by others, and which we ought to
warrant), we will have respite until the usual term of crusaders;
excepting those things about which a plea has been raised or an inquest
made by our order before we took the cross; but as soon as we return (or
if perchance we desist from our expedition), we will immediately grant
full justice in accordance with the laws of the Welsh and in relation to
the foresaid regions.
58. We will immediately give up the son of Llywelyn and all the hostages
of Wales, and the charters delivered to us as security for the peace.
59. We will do towards Alexander, king of Scots, concerning the return
of his sisters and his hostages, and concerning his franchises, and his
right, in the same manner as we shall do towards our owner barons of
England, unless it ought to be otherwise according to the charters which
we hold from William his father, formerly king of Scots; and this shall
be according to the judgment of his peers in our court.
60. Moreover, all these aforesaid customs and liberties, the observances
of which we have granted in our kingdom as far as pertains to us towards
our men, shall be observed b all of our kingdom, as well clergy as
laymen, as far as pertains to them towards their men.
61. Since, moveover, for God and the amendment of our kingdom and for
the better allaying of the quarrel that has arisen between us and our
barons, we have granted all these concessions, desirous that they should
enjoy them in complete and firm endurance forever, we give and grant to
them the underwritten security, namely, that the barons choose five and
twenty barons of the kingdom, whomsoever they will, who shall be bound
with all their might, to observe and hold, and cause to be observed, the
peace and liberties we have granted and confirmed to them by this our
present Charter, so that if we, or our justiciar, or our bailiffs or any
one of our officers, shall in anything be at fault towards anyone, or
shall have broken any one of the articles of this peace or of this
security, and the offense be notified to four barons of the foresaid
five and twenty, the said four barons shall repair to us (or our
justiciar, if we are out of the realm) and, laying the transgression
before us, petition to have that transgression redressed without delay.
And if we shall not have corrected the transgression (or, in the event
of our being out of the realm, if our justiciar shall not have corrected
it) within forty days, reckoning from the time it has been intimated to
us (or to our justiciar, if we should be out of the realm), the four
barons aforesaid shall refer that matter to the rest of the five and
twenty barons, and those five and twenty barons shall, together with the
community of the whole realm, distrain and distress us in all possible
ways, namely, by seizing our castles, lands, possessions, and in any
other way they can, until redress has been obtained as they deem fit,
saving harmless our own person, and the persons of our queen and
children; and when redress has been obtained, they shall resume their
old relations towards us. And let whoever in the country desires it,
swear to obey the orders of the said five and twenty barons for the
execution of all the aforesaid matters, and along with them, to molest
us to the utmost of his power; and we publicly and freely grant leave to
everyone who wishes to swear, and we shall never forbid anyone to swear.
All those, moveover, in the land who of themselves and of their own
accord are unwilling to swear to the twenty five to help them in
constraining and molesting us, we shall by our command compel the same
to swear to the effect foresaid. And if any one of the five and twenty
barons shall have died or departed from the land, or be incapacitated in
any other manner which would prevent the foresaid provisions being
carried out, those of the said twenty five barons who are left shall
choose another in his place according to their own judgment, and he
shall be sworn in the same way as the others. Further, in all matters,
the execution of which is entrusted, to these twenty five barons, if
perchance these twenty five are present and disagree about anything, or
if some of them, after being summoned, are unwilling or unable to be
present, that which the majority of those present ordain or command
shall be held as fixed and established, exactly as if the whole twenty
five had concurred in this; and the said twenty five shall swear that
they will faithfully observe all that is aforesaid, and cause it to be
observed with all their might. And we shall procure nothing from anyone,
directly or indirectly, whereby any part of these concessions and
liberties might be revoked or diminished; and if any such things has
been procured, let it be void and null, and we shall never use it
personally or by another.
62. And all the will, hatreds, and bitterness that have arisen between
us and our men, clergy and lay, from the date of the quarrel, we have
completely remitted and pardoned to everyone. Moreover, all trespasses
occasioned by the said quarrel, from Easter in the sixteenth year of our
reign till the restoration of peace, we have fully remitted to all, both
clergy and laymen, and completely forgiven, as far as pertains to us.
And on this head, we have caused to be made for them letters testimonial
patent of the lord Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, of the lord Henry,
archbishop of Dublin, of the bishops aforesaid, and of Master Pandulf as
touching this security and the concessions aforesaid.
63. Wherefore we will and firmly order that the English Church be free,
and that the men in our kingdom have and hold all the aforesaid
liberties, rights, and concessions, well and peaceably, freely and
quietly, fully and wholly, for themselves and their heirs, of us and our
heirs, in all respects and in all places forever, as is aforesaid. An
oath, moreover, has been taken, as well on our part as on the art of the
barons, that all these conditions aforesaid shall be kept in good faith
and without evil intent. Given under our hand – the above named and many
others being witnesses – in the meadow which is called Runnymede,
between Windsor and Staines, on the fifteenth day of June, in the
seventeenth year of our reign.
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This is but one of three different translations I found
of the Magna Carta; it was originally done in Latin,
probably by the Archbishop, Stephen Langton. It was in
force for only a few months, when it was violated by the
king. Just over a year later, with no resolution to the
war, the king died, being succeeded by his 9-year old son,
Henry III. The Charter (Carta) was reissued again, with
some revisions, in 1216, 1217 and 1225. As near as I can
tell, the version presented here is the one that preceded
all of the others; nearly all of it’s provisions were soon
superseded by other laws, and none of it is effective today.
The two other versions I found each professed to be the
original, as well. The basic intent of each is the same.
– Gerald Murphy (The Cleveland Free-Net – aa300)
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Prepared by Nancy Troutman (The Cleveland Free-Net – aa345)
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