The Angevins and the Charter (1154-1216): The Beginning of English Law, the Invasion of Ireland and the Crusades — John Shaqi
The Angevins and the Charter (1154-1216): The Beginning of English Law, the Invasion of Ireland and the Crusades
History
The Angevins and the Charter (1154-1216): The Beginning of English Law, the Invasion of Ireland and the Crusades
Great Britain -- History -- Angevin period, 1154-1216 -- Sources; Magna Carta
As is apparent from the fact that we, spontaneously and of our own free
will, before discord broke out between ourselves and our barons, did
grant and by our charter confirm--and did cause the Lord Pope Innocent
III. to confirm--freedom of elections, which is considered most
important and most necessary to the Church of England. Which charter
both we ourselves will observe, and we will that it be observed with
good faith by our heirs forever. We have also granted to all freemen of
our realm, on the part of ourselves and our heirs forever, all the
subjoined liberties, to have and to hold, to them and to their heirs,
from us and from our heirs:
2. If any one of our earls or barons, or of others holding from us in
chief, through military service, shall die; and if, at the time of his
death, his heir be of full age and owe a relief: he shall have his
inheritance by paying the old relief; namely, the heir, or the heirs of
an earl, by paying one hundred pounds for the whole barony of an earl;
the heir or heirs of a baron, by paying one hundred pounds for the whole
barony; the heir or heirs of a knight, by paying one hundred shillings
at most for a whole knight's fee; and he who shall owe less shall give
less, according to the ancient custom of fees.
3. But if the heir of any of the above persons shall be under age and in
wardship,--when he comes of age, he shall have his inheritance without
relief and without fine.
4. The administrator of the land of such heir who shall be under age
shall take none but reasonable issues from the land of the heir, and
reasonable customs and services; and this without destruction and waste
of men or goods. And if we shall have committed the custody of any such
land to the sheriff or to any other man who ought to be responsible to
us for the issues of it, and he cause destruction or waste to what is in
his charge; we will fine him, and the land shall be handed over to two
lawful and discreet men of that fee who shall answer to us, or to him to
whom we shall have referred them, regarding those issues. And if we
shall have given or sold to any one the custody of any such land, and he
shall have caused destruction or waste to it,--he shall lose that
custody, and it shall be given to two lawful and discreet men of that
fee, who likewise shall answer to us, as has been explained.
5. The administrator, moreover, so long as he may have the custody of
the land, shall keep in order from the issues of that land, the houses,
parks, warrens, lakes, mills and other things pertaining to it. And he
shall restore to the heir when he comes to full age, his whole land
stocked with ploughs and wainnages, according as the time of the
wainnage requires and the issues of the land will reasonably permit.
6. Heirs may marry without disparagement; so, nevertheless, that, before
the marriage is contracted, it shall be announced to the relations by
blood of the heir himself.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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