Magna Carta

The chairs at Runnymede are 12 intricately worked bronze chairs standing together on the ancient meadow at Runnymede, created by artist Hew Locke to examine the changing and ongoing significance of Magna Carta. The Jurors is not a memorial, but an invitation to sit down and reflect upon the histories depicted in the artwork. Magna Carta Libertatum (Medieval Latin for “Great Charter of Freedoms”), commonly called Magna Carta (also Magna Charta; “Great Charter”), is a royal charter of rights agreed to by King John of England at Runnymede, near Windsor, on 15^th June 1215. Magna Carta was written by a group of 13th-century barons to protect their rights and property against a tyrannical king. The chairs memorial were placed in the meadow at Runnymede in 2015, to commemorate the 800^th Anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta. Why does Magna Carta matter 800 years after it was first sealed? Magna Carta is a cornerstone of the individual liberties that we enjoy, and it presents an ongoing challenge to arbitrary rule. But over time, while not envisaged at the time of its drafting, Magna Carta has for many been seen not only as a foundation of liberty, but also one of democracy. And this broader notion of the wider significance of Magna Carta makes it especially relevant today. Sadly, the concept of democracy was lost on Blake & Josh, who opted for a more feudal approach. They were still ‘jousting’ when we left and as far as we know are still fighting in a field somewhere near Windsor.