Historic Spot on River Thames Where King John Signed Magna Carta on Sale for £4M

Started by cinrit, July 22, 2014, 11:00:12 AM

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cinrit

QuoteAn island in the River Thames in Berkshire - which may have been where the Magna Carta was sealed in 1215 - has gone on sale for nearly £4m.

Magna Carta Island sits in the river opposite the Runnymede Meadow, where, according to historians, the rebellious barons camped ahead of the deal.  King John and his men are thought to have gathered opposite for protection.

The island comes with a Grade II-listed house, a cottage, outdoor swimming pool and mooring for a boat.  A small bridge connects the 3.72 acre (1.5 hectare) island, which has a price tag of £3,950,000, to the mainland.

Although it is not known where exactly the document was signed, it has long been believed that the island was the site of the meeting.  The King is said to have chosen the spot because he was protected by a circle of walnut trees and a gentle curve of the river which kept enemy longbows out of range.

More: Fancy living on your own private island... in Berkshire? Historic spot on River Thames where King John signed Magna Carta on sale for £4m | Mail

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Magna Carta: A Bitter Indictment of King John's Rule? | History Today
QuoteWhen Magna Carta was drafted by baronial rebels in 1215, it was the first document of its kind to be forced on an English king by his subjects. This revolutionary aspect of it has fuelled extreme interpretations of both it and of King John for centuries. John has traditionally been called the worst of the English kings, whilst the Charter's reputation has superseded its reality to become ingrained as a symbol of liberty in England. In this traditional view it was only right that John's maladministration should have provoked as its nemesis a document that would revolutionise the freedom of the subject thereafter.

Magna Carta itself was subjected to a similarly hyperbolic interpretation, giving it a historical reputation that has far surpassed what any of John's contemporaries could have conceived. This is largely the result of Seventeenth-Century lawyers and the Whig school of historians. The idea somewhat tendentiously propagated was that the 25 baronial rebels were visionaries, formulating a document that would strongly protect English liberties and the position of the free man by imposing limits on royal absolutism. In this sense it was a fundamental contract between the ruler and the ruled.
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