The US-UK Special Relationship: Past Present Future

In this anniversary year of American independence, the American Bar Association (ABA) will be holding its autumn conference in London from 23rd - 25th September. The theme of the conference will be “the US -UK special relationship: past present future”. The ABA’s International Law Section has over 13,000 members drawn from 100 countries and lists amongst its dedicated objectives education and the upholding of the rule of law.  Delegates from the conference will be visiting The ABA Memorial at Runnymede for which the Magna Carta Trust acts as custodian and will be accompanied by the chairman who will present a short history of the Trust and the site. Information about the conference can be found here.

Magna Carta in Parliamentary Debates

A good illustration of the contemporary relevance of the principles enshrined in Magna Carta is provided by the current controversy surrounding the Court's and Tribunals Bill. The proposed legislation reduces the entitlement to trial by jury, a proposal which has generated a great deal of debate, not least in the House of Commons where the Bill is currently being considered by MPs. In the course of debate so far there have been no less than 13 references to the Charter, including by the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, David Lammy.  An able testament to the enduring importance of the principles which the Charter established.

City Schools Conference: Building Futures from the Past

The Magna Carta Trust is helping to facilitate a round table event on Magna Carta as part of an education conference being organised by the City of London and St Paul's Cathedral on 23rd March. The conference is aimed at senior school pupils and their teachers but university educators and those involved in museums and cultural institutions will also have an interest. The conference is free and details are here.

Magna Carta to UN SDG16: Keynote Speech by Lord Neuberger

To mark the  2025 anniversary of the issue of the 1225 Magna Carta and the importance of UN Sustainable Development Goal 16, the Trust co-operated with the organising Sheriff of the City of London in the production of an event at which former Master of the Rolls and Supreme Court President Lord Neuberger reflected on the enduring nature of the Charter’s principles.  The link to the speech is here together with the research paper on the economic legacy of Magna Carta produced for the event. This was the first in a series of Justice for All events which will run through 2026. Details of the series and how to attend them are available at the Justice for All website.

The King John Oak Tree at Runnymede

Over the last few years a number of attempts have been made to graft ‘scions’ from the ancient King John Oak tree in Devon, thought to be almost a thousand years old. Specialists at Savill Garden in Windsor Great Park and the Northern Forest Research Station at Roslin were all unsuccessful. Instead, the hope was to find acorns in 2024, but again without success. However, 2025 was a significant ‘mast’ year when oaks across the country produce many acorns. The King John Oak was no exception and 35 acorns were collected, something unexpected because it was believed the tree didn’t have enough vitality to produce acorns. But even more important was the discovery of a sapling hidden in undergrowth below the tree’s canopy. This was removed and is now being looked after professionally at the Sandringham Estate, together with the acorns, all of which have germinated. As agreed with the National Trust, when the sapling is strong enough it will be planted in the space left by a fallen tree near the Magna Carta Memorial at Runnymede. To ensure it has the best chance of survival, the earliest this can take place is in 2028. Meanwhile, the seedlings of several acorns will be retained in case the sapling dies. In 2026, the Woodland Trust will be including the King John Oak in its DNA project to understand why ancient trees survive for so many years. If funding can be found, they will include the DNA analysis of the sapling and possibly one of the acorn seedlings. This should confirm they are indeed ‘daughters’ of the King John Oak.

See Lincoln’s Magna Carta

Magna Carta is known as the first charter to limit the power of the king and to uphold the rights of the individual. Lincoln Cathedral owns one of the four original 1215 Magna Carta. It is on display, as a permanent loan, at Lincoln Castle in the David P J Ross Magna Carta Vault, alongside the 1217 Charter of the Forest and other historical documents. Lincoln Castle is now the only place in the world where an original 1215 Magna Carta and 1217 Charter of the Forest can be seen side by side. Alongside the vault is an underground widescreen cinema with 210 degree wraparound screen and 3D sound. The Bishop of Lincoln, Hugh of Wells, was present at Runnymede, along with Lincolnshire’s Cardinal Archbishop Stephen Langton. 12th century Lincoln was a place of learning and Langton is credited with influencing the terms of the charter. Click for more information on the Cathedral and Castle.

Robin Speed Memorial Lecture 2025

The 2025 Robin Speed Memorial Lecture was given by Henry Ergas AO and titled “Magna Carta and Antisemitism: The Call for Justice for All”

You can view the lecture and panel discussion, here, courtesy of Rule of Law Institute of Australia.

Rule of Law Index 2025

The World Justice Project’s 2025 Rule of Law Index will be launched at a Livestream event on 28th October 2025. To find out more and register to attend, please click here.