Our Legal Heritage: King AEthelbert - King George III, 600 A.D. - 1776Reilly, S. A.
History
Our Legal Heritage: King AEthelbert - King George III, 600 A.D. - 1776
Reilly, S. A.
Law -- England -- History
{Whereas we, for the honor of God and the reform of our realm, and in
order the better to allay the discord arisen between us and our barons,
have granted all these things aforesaid. We, willing that they be
forever enjoyed wholly and in lasting strength, do give and grant to
our subjects the following security, to wit, that the barons shall
elect any twenty-five barons of the realm they wish, who shall, with
their utmost power, keep, hold, and cause to be kept the peace and
liberties which we have granted unto them and by this our present
Charter have confirmed, so that if we, our Justiciary, bailiffs, or any
of our ministers offends in any respect against any man, or
transgresses any of these articles of peace or security, and the
offense is brought before four of the said twenty-five barons, those
four barons shall come before us, or our Chief Justiciary if we are out
of the realm, declaring the offense, and shall demand speedy amends for
the same. If we or, in case of our being out of the realm, our Chief
Justiciary fails to afford redress within forty days from the time the
case was brought before us or, in the event of our having been out of
the realm, our Chief Justiciary, the aforesaid four barons shall refer
the matter to the rest of the twenty-five barons, who, together with
the commonalty of the whole country, shall distrain and distress us to
the utmost of their power, to wit, by capture of our castles, lands,
and possessions and by all other possible means, until compensation is
made according to their decision, saving our person and that of our
Queen and children; as soon as redress has been had, they shall return
to their former allegiance. Anyone in the realm may take oath that, for
the accomplishment of all the aforesaid matters, he will obey the
orders of the said twenty-five barons and distress us to the utmost of
his power; and we give public and free leave to everyone wishing to
take oath to do so, and to none will we deny the same. Moreover, all
such of our subjects who do not of their own free will and accord agree
to swear to the said twenty-five barons, to distrain and distress us
together with them, we will compel to do so by our command in the
aforesaid manner. If any one of the twenty-five barons dies or leaves
the country or is in any way hindered from executing the said office,
the rest of the said twenty-five barons shall choose another in his
stead, at their discretion, who shall be sworn in like manner as the
others. In all cases which are referred to the said twenty-five barons
to execute, and in which a difference arises among them, supposing them
all to be present, or in which not all who have been summoned are
willing or able to appear, the verdict of the majority shall be
considered as firm and binding as if the whole number had been of one
mind. The aforesaid twenty-five shall swear to keep faithfully all the
aforesaid articles and, to the best of their power, to cause them to be
kept by others.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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