The Great Charter of King John

John, by the grace of God, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine and Count of Anjou; to his Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls, Barons, Judiciaries, Foresters, Sheriffs, Governors, Officers and to all Bailiffs and his other faithful subjects, greeting. Know ye, that from our respect to God, and for the salvation of our own soul, and of the souls of our ancestors, and of our heirs, to the honour of God, and the exaltation of the Holy Church and amendment of our kingdom, 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, Joceline of Bath and Glastonbury, Hugh of Lincoln, Walter of Worcester, William of Coventry, Benedict of Rochester, Bishops; Master Pandulf the Pope’s subdeacon and faithful servant ; Brother Eymeric, master of the KnightsTemplars in England; and of the noble persons, William Marechal, Earl of Pembroke;William Earl of Salisbury, William Earl of Warren, William Earl of Arundel, Allan of Galloway, Constable of Scotland; Warin Fitz-Gerald, Peter Fitz-Herbert, Hubert de Burgh, Senechal of Poitou, Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz-Herbert, Thomas Basset, Allan Bassett, Philip de Albany, Robert de Roppel, John Marischal, John Fitz-Hugh, and of others our liegemen, have granted to God, and by this our present charter have confirmed, for us, and for our heirs for ever: –

I. That the Church of England shall be free, and enjoy her rights entire, and her liberties inviolable; and we will have this to be observed, that it may appear from thence that the freedom of elections, which was deemed most necessary for the Church of England, which we granted, and by our charter confirmed, and obtained the confirmation of it from Pope Innocent the Third, before the rupture between us and our Barons, was of our own free will. Which charter we shall observe, and will it to be observed with good faith by our heirs for ever.

II. We have also granted to all the freemen of our kingdom, for all the underwritten liberties, to be enjoyed and to be held by them and their heirs for ever, of us and our heirs.

III. If any of our Earls, Barons, or others who hold of us in chief by military service, shall die, and at the time of his death his heir shall be of full age, and shall owe a relief, he shall have his inheritance for the ancient relief; viz. the heir or heirs of an Earl, for a whole Earl’s barony, one hundred pounds; the heir or heirs of a Baron, for a whole barony, one hundred pounds; the heir or heirs of a Knight, for a whole Knight’s fee, one hundred shillings at most; and he who owes less shall give less, according to the ancient custom of fees.

IV. But if the heir of any such shall be under age, and in wardship, when he comes of age, he shall have his inheritance without relief or fine.

V. The warden of an estate of an heir who is under age, shall only take of the lands of the heir reasonable issues, reasonable customs and reasonable services, and that without destruction and waste of the men or goods; and if we shall commit the custody of any such lands to the Sheriff, or to any other person who is answerable to us for the issues of them, and he shall make destruction or waste upon the ward-lands, we will exact satisfaction from him, and the land shall be entrusted to the care of two lawful and discreet tenants of that fee, who shall account for the issues to us or to him to whom we shall assign them. And if we shall give up or sell to any one the guardianship of such estate and he shall make destruction or waste, he shall lose the guardianship, which shall be entrusted to the care of two lawful and discreet tenants of that fee, who shall be accountable to us in like manner as hath been before said.

VI. And the guardian, so long as he shall have the guardianship of the estate, shall keep in order the houses, parks, warrens, ponds, mills and other things belonging to the estate, out of the revenue of the estate; and shall deliver to the heir, when he comes of age, his whole estate provided with ploughs and other implements of husbandry, according to what the season may require, and the profits of the estate can reasonably afford.

VII. Heirs shall be married without disparagement; and so that, before the marriage be contracted, it shall be notified to the relations of the heir by consanguinity.

VIII. A widow, immediately after the death of her husband, shall, without any difficulty, Â be allowed the liberty of marrying again, and shall have her inheritance; nor shall she pay anything for that liberty, nor for her dower, nor for that inheritance which was in the actual possession of her husband and herself on the day of her husband’s death; and she may remain in her husband’s house forty days after his decease within which her dower will be assigned to her.

IX. No widow shall be compelled to marry, so long as she shall choose to remain single; she shall, however, give security, that she will not marry without our consent, if she hold of us; or without the consent of her superior lord, if she hold of another.

X. Neither we nor our bailiffs shall seize any land or rents for any debt, so long as the chattels of the debtor be sufficient to pay the debt; nor shall the sureties of the debtor be distrained so long as the principal debtor be able to discharge the debt.

XI. And if the principal debtor fail in the payment of the debt, not having wherewithal to discharge it, the the sureties shall answer for the debt; and if they please, they shall have the lands and rents of the debtor, until satisfaction shall be made to them for the debt which they have paid for him; unless the principal debtor can shew that he has acquitted himself towards the said sureties.

XII. If any one hath borrowed any thing of the Jews, be it more or less, and dies before the debt be discharged, there shall be no interest paid for that debt so long as the heir shall be a minor, of whomsoever he may hold. And if the debt fall into our hands, we will only take the particular chattels specified in the bond.

XIII. And if anyone shall die indebted to the Jews, his wife shall have her dower, and pay nothing of that debt. And if the deceased shall leave children under age, necessaries shall be provided for them according to the real estate of the deceased, and the debt shall be paid out of the residue, saving the rights or service of the lords. Let the same rule be observed with debts due to others than Jews.

XIV. No scutage or aid shall be imposed in our kingdom. unless by the common-council of our kingdom; except for the redemption of our person; for the making our eldest son a knight; and for once marrying our eldest daughter; and for these only a reasonable aid should be exacted.

XV. The aids of the city of London shall likewise be subject to the same regulations. And the city of London shall have all it’s ancient liberties and free customs, as well as by land as by water.

XVI. Moreover, we will and grant, that all other cities, and burghs, and towns, and sea-ports, shall have all their liberties and free customs; and shall have the common-council of the kingdom to assess an aid, otherwise than in the three cases before mentioned.

XVII. And to assess a scutage, will cause the Archbishops, Bishops, Abbots, Earls, and superior Barons of the realm, to be severally summoned by our letters.

XVIII. And we will furthermore cause all others who hold of us in chief, to be generally summoned by our Sheriffs and Bailiffs, at a certain day, that is to say, forty days at least, (before their meeting) to a certain place; and in all the letters of summons we will express the cause of the summons.

XIX. And the summons being thus issued, the business shall be proceeded upon on the appointed day, according to the advice of such as shall be present, although all that are summoned shall not attend.

XX. We will not, in future, grant to any one the permission to exact an aid of his own free tenants, unless for the redemption of his body; for making his eldest son a Knight, and for once marrying his eldest daughter; and for these only a reasonable aid shall be levied.

XXI. No man shall be distrained to perform more service for a Knight’s fee, or any other free tenement, than is due from thence.

XXII. Common pleas shall not follow our court, but shall be holden in some certain places. Trials upon the writs of death of the ancestor and of last presentation shall only be taken in their proper counties, and in the following manner: We, or if we shall be out of the realm our Chief Justiciary, shall send two Justiciaries into each county, four times a year; who, with four Knights of the county, chosen by the county, shall hold the said assizes at a stated time and place within the county.

XXIII. And if the aforesaid assizes cannot be finished on the appointed day, let so many knights and freeholders of those who were present on that day, remain, as may be deemed requisite, according to the greater or less importance of the business.

XXIV. A freeman shall only be amerced, for a trivial offence, according to the degree of the offence; and for a great crime, in proportion to it’s magnitude, saving his contentment. And a merchant shall be amerced in the same manner, saving his merchandize.

XXV. And a villain shall be amerced in the same manner, favouring his wainage, (implements of husbandry) if he falls under our mercy; and none of the aforesaid amerciaments shall be assessed, but by the oath of honest men of the neighbourhood

XXVI. Earls and Barons shall only be amerced by their peers, and in proportion to the magnitude of their offence.

XXVII. No clerk shall be amerced for his lay tenement, but according to the manner of others aforesaid, and not according to the value of his ecclesiastical benefice.

XXVIII. Neither a town nor an individual shall be distrained to build bridges, or raise embankments, except those who anciently, and of right, are bound to do it.

XXIX. No sherrif, constable, coroners, or other of our bailiffs, shall hold pleas of the crown.

XXX. All counties, hundreds, wapon-tacks and trithings, shall remain at the ancient rent, without any increase, except in our demesne-manors.

XXXI. If any one holding of us a lay-fee, die and the Sheriff or our Bailiff shall show our letters-patent containing the summons for a debt due to us from the deceased, it shall be lawful for the Sheriff or our Bailiff to attach and register the chattels of the deceased found on the lay-fee, to the value of the debt according to the estimation of the lawful men, so as nothing be removed until our debt be discharged; and the overplus shall be left to the executors to fulfil the will of the deceased; and if nothing be due to us from him, all the chattels shall remain to the defunct, saving to his wife and children their reasonable shares.

XXXII. If any free man shall die intestate, his chattels shall be distributed by his nearest relations and friends, under the inspection of the church; saving to everyone the debts due to him from the deceased.

XXXIII. No constable nor bailiff of ours shall take the corn or other chattels of any man, unless he immediately pay for the same, or can obtain a respite (credit) from the free-will of the vender.

XXXIV. No constable shall distrain any Knight to pay money for castle-guard, if he shall be willing to perform it in his own person, or by another good man, if he cannot, for some reasonable cause, perform it himself.

XXXV. And if we shall lead or send him to the army, he shall be exempted from castle-guard, according to the space of time he shall have remained with the army, at our command.

XXXVI. No sheriff or bailiff of ours nor any other person, shall take the horses or carts of any free man, for the purpose of carriage, without the consent of the said free man.

XXXVII. Neither we nor our bailiffs shall take any man’s wood for our castles or other uses, without the consent of him to whom the wood belongs.

XXXVIII. We will retain the lands of such as shall be convicted of felony, only for one year and one day, and then they shall be restored to the lord of the fee.

XXXIX. All wears shall in future shall be entirely removed from the Thames and the Medway, and throughout England, except on the sea-coast.

XL. The writ which is called Precipe, shall not, in future, be granted to anyone, on account of any tenement by which a freeman may lose his court.

XLI. There shall be one measure of wine throughout our kingdom, and one measure of ale, and one measure of corn, viz. the London-Quarter. And one breadth of dyed cloth, and of ruffets, and of Halberjects, viz. two ells within the list. It shall be the same with weights as with measures.

XLII. Nothing shall be given or taken, in future, for the writ of inquisition of life or limbs; but it shall be given gratis and not denied.

XLIII. If any one hold of us any fee-farm, or socage, or burgage, and hold of another by military service, we will not demand the guardianship of the heir, or of his estate which belongs to another man’s fee, upon account of such fee-farm, socage or burgage; nor will we exact the guardianship of such fee-farm, socage, or burgage, unless the fee-farm owe unto us military service.

XLIV. We will not demand the guardianship of the heir, or of the land of anyone which he holds of another by military service, on account of any petty sergeantry which he holds of us, as by the service of giving us daggers, arrows, or the like.

XLV. No bailiff shall in future put any man to his law, upon his own simple affirmation, without credible witnesses adduced to prove it.

XLVI. No free man shall be apprehended, nor imprisoned, nor disseised, nor outlawed, nor destroyed by any means whatever; nor will we pass sentence upon him, nor commit him to prison, except by the legal judgement of his peers, or by the law of the land.

XLVII. We will sell to no man, we will not deny or defer to any man, either right or justice.

XLVIII. All merchants shall have safe and sure conduct, for coming into England, and for going out of England, and staying in and travelling through England, as well as by land as by water; to buy and to sell, without any unjust exactions, according to ancient and rightful customs, except in time of war, and except they belong to any state engaged in actual war with us.

XLIX. And if any such be found in our dominion at the commencement of a war, they shall be attached without detriment to their body or goods, until it be known to us, or to our chief judiciary, how our own merchants may be found at the same time in the nation at war with us, are treated; and if ours be safe there, others shall be safe in our country.

L. It shall be henceforth lawful for any man to go out of our kingdom, and to return safely and securely, by land or by water, saving his allegiance to us; except for some short space, in time of war, for the common benefit of the kingdom; except such as are either imprisoned or outlawed by the law of the land, such as belong to the nation at war with us, and except merchants, who shall be treated in manner aforesaid.

LI. If anyone shall hold of any Escheat, as of the honour of Wallingford, Nottingham,Boulogne, Lancaster, or of other Escheats which are in our hands, and are baronies, Â and he shall die, his heir shall not give any other relief, nor perform any other service to us than he would to the baron, if the barony were in the hands of the baron; and we will hold it in the same manner in which the baron held it.

LII. Men who dwell without the forest, shall not, in future be obliged to appear before our judiciaries of the forest, on a common summons, unless they be parties in a plea, or sureties for some person or persons who are attached for the forest.

LIII. We will not make any men judiciaries, constables, sheriffs or bailiffs, but such as are well acquainted with the law of the land and are truly disposed to observe it.

LIV. All Barons who have founded abbies of which they have charters of the Kings of England, or ancient tenure, shall have the custody of them, Â when vacant, as they ought to have.

LV. All forests that have been inclosed in our time, shall be immediately laid open; and all embankments that have been raised in our time for the purpose of inclosing rivers, shall be taken away.

LVI. All evil customs concerning forests and warrens, and foresters and warreners, sheriffs and their officers, water-banks and their keepers, shall immediately be enquired into, in every county, by twelve knights of the same county, who shall be chosen by the most creditable persons in the county; and within forty days after the inquisition is made, they shall be utterly abrogated by them, so as never to be renewed; provided that we are previously made acquainted, therewith, or our judiciary if we should not be in the kingdom.

LVII. We will immediately deliver up all hostages and engagements that have been given us by our English subjects, as securities for their keeping the peace, and yielding us faithful service.

LVIII. We will entirely remove from our bailiwicks the relations of Gerard de Athyes, so far as for the future they may have no bailiwick in England; also, Engelard de Cygony, Andrew, Peter and Gyon de Chancell, Gyon de Cygony, Geoffrey de Martin and his brothers, Philip Mark and his brothers, and Geoffrey, his grandson, and all their followers.

LIX. And immediately after the restoration of peace, we will send out of our kingdom all foreign knights, cross-bow men, and stipendiary troops, who are arrived with horses and arms to the great molestation of the kingdom.

LX. If anyone has been disseised or disposessed by us, without the lawful judgement of his peers, of his lands, castles, liberties or rights, we will immediately cause them to be restored to him; and if any dispute shall arise thereupon, it shall be submitted to the decision of the five and twenty Barons mentioned below, for the preservation of the peace.

LXI. But as all those things of which anyone has been disseised or disposessed, without a legal verdict of his peers, by our father King Henry, or our brother King Richard, which we have in our own hands , or are posessed by others, and which we are bound to warrant and make good, we shall be allowed a respite, till the term usually granted to the crusaders; except those concerning which a plea had been moved, or an inquisition made, by our precept, before we assumed the cross: but as soon as we shall return from our expedition, or if by chance we should not undertake it, we will immediately do compleat justice in this respect.

LXII. And we shall have the same respite, and in the same manner, concerning the administration of justice, in disforesting, or suffering to continue as they are, those forests that were made by our father Henry, or our brother Richard; and concerning the guardianship of lands, which belong to the fee of another, but the guardianship we have hitherto enjoyed, on account of a fee held of us by knight’s service; and concerning abbies founded in any other fee of our own, in which the lord of the fee shall claim a right; and when we return from our expedition, or if we should not undertake it, we will immediately do compleat justice to all complainants on these subjects.

LXIII. No man shall be apprehended or imprisoned on the appeal of a woman, for the death of any other man than her husband.

LXIV. All fines and amerciaments imposed unjustly or contrary to the law of the land, shall be entirely remitted, or else left to the decision of the five and twenty Barons hereafter mentioned, for the preservation of the peace, or of the majority of them; together with the aforesaid Stephen, Archbishop of Canterbury, if he can be present, and others who he may think proper to appoint for that purpose; and if he cannot be present, the business shall nevertheless proceed without him: but so, that if one or more of the aforesaid five and twenty Barons be plaintiffs in a similar cause, they shall be removed from that particular trial; and others elected and sworn by the residue of the said twenty- five, shall be substituted in their room, for that trial only.

LXV. If we have disseased or disposessed the Welsh of any lands, liberties or other things, without a legal verdict of their Peers; they shall be immediately restored to them; and if any dispute shall arise on this head, let it be decided, in the Marches, by the verdict of their Peers; if the tenements be in England, according to the law ofÂEngland;  if the tenements be in Wales, according to the law of Wales; if the tenements be in the Marches according to the law of the Marches. The same shall the Welsh do unto us and our subjects.

LXVI. But concerning those things of which any Welshman may have been diseased or dispossessed, without a legal verdict of his Peers, in England or in Wales, by our father King Henry, or our brother King Richard, and which we either have in our hands or others are possessed of, and we are bound to warrant, we shall have the same respite as is generally allowed to the crusaders; except those concerning which a plea had been moved or inquisition taken, before we assumed the cross; but when we shall have returned from our expedition, or if by chance we should not undertake it, then we will immediately render them compleat justice, according to the laws of the Welsh, and of the parts aforesaid.

LXVII. We will immediately dismiss the son of Lewelin, and all the Welsh hostages, and release them from the engagements they have entered into with us, for the preservation of the peace.

LXVIII. We will treat with Alexander, King of Scots, concerning the restoration of his fitters and hostages, and concerning his liberties and rights, in the same form in which we shall treat our Barons of England, unless by the engagements which his father William, the late King of Scots entered into with us, it ought to be otherwise, and this shall be left to the determination of his Peers, in our court.

LXIX. And let all those customs and liberties aforesaid, which we have granted to be observed throughout our kingdom, in saviour of our people, be likewise observed by all our subjects, as well clergy as laity, in favour of their dependents.

LXX. And whereas we have made all the aforesaid concessions for the honour of God, and the amendment of our kingdom, and for the purpose of more easily quieting the discord that has arisen between us and our Barons; being desirous to endue them with a firm and unshaken stability that may last forever, we farther give and grant to them the following security; viz. That the Barons may elect twenty five Barons of the realm, by their own free choice, who shall be careful, Â with their utmost power, to observe, hold, and to enforce the observance of, the peace and liberties which we have granted them, and which, by this our present charter, we have confirmed. So as that, if we, our judiciary or our bailiffs, or any of our officers, Â shall have offended any person in any respect whatever, or shall have violated any one of the articles of peace or security, and the injury shall have been made known to four of the aforesaid twenty-five Barons, those four barons shall come to us, to our judiciary if we are out of the realm, and declaring to us the excess committed, shall require us to afford redress without delay; and if it not be redressed by us, and we being out of the kingdom should our judiciary have neglected to redress it within the space of forty days, reckoning from the time in which it was first made known to us, or we being out of the realm to our judiciary, the four Barons aforesaid shall refer the cause shall refer the decision to the rest of the five and twenty Barons; and the said five and twenty Barons, with the community of the whole realm, shall distress and harrass us by every possible means; viz. by seizing our castles, lands and posessions, and in any other manner they can till the grievance be redressed, according to their decision; saving our own person and the persons of our Queen and children; and when it shall have been redressed, they shall obey us as before.

LXXI. And any one of our subjects may swear that he will obey the orders of the five and twenty Barons aforesaid in the execution of the premises herein contained, and that he will assist them in distressing us to the utmost of his power; and we give free and public liberty to every one to swear who shall be disposed to swear, and we will hinder no man from swearing.

LXXII. And such of our subjects as of themselves, and their own accord, are unwilling to swear that they will join the five and twenty barons in distressing and harrassing us, we will issue our commands to compel them to swear in manner aforesaid.

LXXIII. And if any one of the five and twenty Barons shall die, or go out of the kingdom, or in any other way be prevented from promoting the execution of the things above- mentioned, the rest of the said five and twenty Barons shall elect another in his room according to their pleasure, who shall take the same oath as the rest.

LXXIV. And in all things the execution of which is entrusted to these five and twenty Barons, if it so happen that all the twenty-five have been present, and have differed in their opinions about any thing; or if some of them who had been summoned, either should not or could not be present, whatever is agreed upon and enjoined by the majority of those present, shall be reputed as firm and as valid as if all the five and twenty had sanctioned it with their consent; and the aforesaid five and twenty shall swear that they will faithfully observe, themselves, all the things above mentioned, and enforce the observance of them by others to the utmost of their power.

LXXV. And we will not, by ourselves or others procure any thing to be done, whereby any of these concessions or liberties may be revoked or diminished; and if any such thing shall be obtained, Â we will never use it either by ourselves or by any other.

LXXVI. And we have fully remitted and pardoned to all men, all the ill-will, resentment and rancour, that have arisen between us and our subjects, both clergy and laity, from the commencement of our dissensions. Moreover, all transgressions committed on account of these dissensions, from Easter, in the sixteenth year of our reign, to the conclusion of the peace, we hereby fully remit to all men, as well as clergy as laity; and, as far as in us lies, do fully forgive.

LXXVII. We have moreover, caused to be made for them testimonial letters-patent of Stephen, Lord Archbishop of Canterbury; Henry, Lord Archbishop of Dublin; and of the Bishops aforesaid; as also of Master Pandulf, for the security and concessions aforesaid.

LXXVIII. Wherefore, it is our will, and we firmly command, that the Church of England be free; and that all men in our kingdom have and hold the aforesaid liberties, rights and concessions, truly and peaceably, freely and quietly, fully and entirely, to them and their heirs, of us and our heirs, in all things and places, for ever, as aforesaid.

LXXIX. It hath also been sworn, as well on our part as on the part of the Barons, that all the things before-mentioned shall be faithfully and sincerely observed, before the above -mentioned witnesses and many others.
Given under our hand, in the meadow which is called Runningmead, between Windsor and Staines, this fifteenth day of June in the seventeenth year of our reign.