Dr Armstrong, a guide at Salisbury Cathedral, has made a special study of how Magna Carta emerged from a lawless and rebellious time.

Salisbury Cathedral’s Magna Carta is the best preserved of only four surviving original exemplars, the other three 1215 Magna Cartas are held at The British Library and Lincoln Castle. It is displayed in our magnificent 13th century Chapter House at the heart of a permanent, interactive exhibition. 

STEPHEN LANGTON 1157-1228: THE MEDIATOR of MAGNA CARTA

Stephen Langton had three careers: he was an academic, an Archbishop, and a statesman.

1170 – 1207: At the leading University of Paris, he organised the books of the bible into chapters: he was a stellar academic, a friend of the future Pope Innocent III.

1207- 1215: In 1207, Pope Innocent III pitchforked his friend Langton into the turmoil of King John’s England: he appointed Langton as Archbishop of Canterbury, albeit in exile.

When Langton returned to England in 1213, many Barons were on the verge of rebellion due to King John’s misrule and punitive taxation. John was desperate to regain his territories in France, but in 1214 he suffered a critical defeat at Bouvines.

By 1215, the Barons were in open revolt, but they lacked a clear leader. Stephen Langton mediated between the disparate baronial factions, resulting in them uniting around a manifesto: The Articles of the Barons.

Facing defeat, John turned to Langton to negotiate terms and on June 15th 1215, Magna Carta was granted by the King. Peace reigned, but not for long…

In August 1215, the Pope changed sides, horrified at the undermining of royal and papal authority, He recalled Langton to Rome in disgrace, and King John revoked Magna Carta.

England descended into Civil War, but Magna Carta survived as part of the peace settlement of 1217. Langton returned to England as Archbishop and was crucial in embedding Magna Carta into English Law in 1225.

So what did Langton achieve? In Magna Carta, there are clauses underpinning justice, the rule of law and the independence of the church in England – and the bible is still divided into chapters.

Notes by Dr Alex Armstrong

A numismatic footnote: