Lunchtime Speaker – Keith Tatlock – Runnymede.

Birthplace of Modern Democracy
Our very own Rotarian Member.This week’s speaker was Keith Tatlock, who gave us a talk about Runnymede. The name is derived from Old
English runig (meeting place) and mede (a meadow). Anglo-Saxon Kings sometimes used it for meetings of the
Witan, comprising noblemen and bishops who advised the King (a forerunner of the House of Lords). In 1215
Runnymede was the site of the sealing of Magna Carta; it being between Windsor, with its royal castle, and
Staines where the barons were encamped. The original document, drafted by Archbishop Cardinal Stephen
Langton was an attempt to broker a peace between the rebellious barons and King John. The 49 clauses in the
draft, which still exists, were expanded to 63 in the completed document. There were 13 copies of Magna Carta,
of which 4 still exist. It was condemned by Pope Innocent III. The peace broke down which led to the First
Barons War. The barons wanted Louis son of Philip III of France to take the English throne. However, when
King John died in 1216, he was succeeded by his son Henry III who was 9. The royal government under the
regent William Marshall reissued the charter as way of drawing support from the rebels. A revised text was
agreed in 1217. Its most important clauses- that no-one is above the law, people accused of a crime should be
tried by their peers (jury trial), no imprisonment without just cause (habeas corpus) and no taxation without
representation- survive to this day and are also enshrined in the US constitution. The Runnymede meadows
were acquired and then gifted to the National Trust by Lady Fairhaven in 1929. Further land was gifted in 1963
by Egham UDC. At the entrances to Runnymede, at either end, are memorials to Urban H Broughton, Lady
Fairhaven’s late husband, designed by Lutyens. The American Bar Association Memorial was opened in 1957; it
was designed by Sir Edwin Maufe. The John F Kennedy Memorial was dedicated in 1965 and opened by the
Queen Elizabeth II and Jacqueline Kennedy. The Jurors is an array of 12 bronze chairs which was installed in
2015 to mark the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. It symbolises the rule of law.Writ in Water
was erected in 2018. It is a building with an interior pond on which is reflected extracts from Magna Carta. The
Angerwyke Yew, which could be 2,500 years old, is on the north side of the Thames near a ruined medieval
Priory. The President gave the vote of thanks. She thanked Keith for his interesting and well-researched talk.