By virtue of being a free-man, I conceive I have as true a right to all the privileges that doe belong to a free-man, as the greatest man in England, whatsoever he be ….. and the ground and foundation of my freedome, I build upon the Grand Charter of England John Lilburne was a seventeenth … Read more
The Provisions of Oxford are often seen as the starting point of the modern parliament in Britain. But what were they and why were they so important? Like his father before him, King John, Henry III had a difficult relationship with his barons. The First and Second Barons’ War between the kings and their barons … Read more
‘Nicholaa, not thinking about anything womanly, defended … [Lincoln] castle manfully’[1] Nicholaa de la Haye was a medieval noblewoman who defied the social expectations of her day. She held the office of castellan[2] of Lincoln Castle, successfully defending it during the Battle of Lincoln in 1217, and jointly held the office of sheriff of Lincoln … Read more
“Cancel the kitchen scraps for lepers and orphans, no more merciful beheadings, and call off Christmas!” This was Alan Rickman famously portraying the Sheriff of Nottingham in the 1991 film Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves. The Sheriff of Nottingham is one of history’s best known baddies and, unlike the mythical Robin Hood, Rickman’s character was … Read more
The Charter of the Forest is among the first statutes in environmental law of any nation. Crafted to reform patently unjust governance of natural resources in thirteenth century England, the Charter of the forest became a framework through which to reconcile competing environmental claims, then and into the future.[1] On 6th November 1217 the Charter … Read more
On Sunday 4 June 2017, Royal Holloway opened its magnificent North Quad to the public for the first Festival of History. The festival was organised by the team at Citizens 800, a heritage lottery funded project with schools, museums and other organisations to chart the history of the relationship between the citizen and the British … Read more
