Salisbury and the Magna Carta

A few years ago, I read the historical novel Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd, which tells the story of England's long history through fictional characters who represent the different eras from the Ice Age to the present.

To say it is broad in scope is a vast understatement.  It dramatically illustrates how subsequent conquerors brought not simply different rule but new strains of DNA along with evolving ways of life.  Celtics, Romans, Saxons and Normans all made contributions to what we now consider to be English.

These cultural shifts also impacted our 13 British colonies that became the United States of America.

Perhaps the most significant British influence came with our adherence to principles of due process of law for every citizen, regardless of their stations in life, which sprang from the Magna Carta.

The original decree with that name forced upon King John in the year 1215 wasn't about "freedom and  justice for all" but rather exclusively for the benefit of nobles who objected when the King's high taxes, seizure of property and selective enforcement of laws became too egregious.

As famous as it is for establishing foundations for our Bill of Rights, the Magna Carta was only in effect for a few days before King John convinced Pope Innocent III to void the agreement with a papal bull.

Nonetheless, approximately 40 copies of the original were distributed around the land, and the rest, as they say, is history.

King John unexpectedly died just over a year later, but his 9-year-old son Henry III signed an abridged version as advisers recommended in order to keep the kingdom in tact.  In 1225, Henry III ratified a third version of the Magna Carta as an adult under his own seal.

The Magna Carta gradually took root over generations, as new Kings were forced to sign modified versions. It gained credence through repetition, not unlike British Common Law, upon which our legal system is based.

Our Founding Fathers understood the intent of the legal principles of the Magna Carta, but they had the revolutionary notion of having them apply to each and every citizen, regardless of their position in society.

The principles have been incorporated into the Charter of the United Nations.

As such, the Magna Carta is honored throughout the world.  Only four original copies are known to have survived to this day, and the best preserved of these is exhibited at Salisbury Cathedral.

Last year, a nut with a hammer attacked the case, apparently intent on stealing it.



The cracked case is now displayed in the area of the Magna Carta exhibit.

We waited in a short line to get a close look at the precious document that holds such great meaning for us.  The Magna Carta is written in Latin, though the English language has changed so much over the years that I doubt I could have read a version translated into English of that era.

The majestic Cathedral itself is worth seeing, regardless of that historic document.  The foundation stone of the Cathedral was laid in 1220.

The new Cathedral replaced nearby Old Sarum Cathedral.

The town of Sarum had originally been on a defensible hilltop, but it had also deteriorated over the years.

New Sarum grew up around Salisbury Cathedral, and with the Cathedral being the significant draw of this new market village, the city itself became known as Salisbury.

Like Wells Cathedral, Salisbury Cathedral escaped destruction in Henry VIII's Dissolution by converting to Anglican from Catholic.

The city of Salisbury is a pleasant merger of historic village with modern services, including Burger King, where we had a royal lunch that King John could have only dreamt of savoring.

I must confess a bit of disappointment that we only drove past the mesa where Old Sarum once sat, seeing it briefly outside the bus window.

I would have liked to have wandered around the hilltop site of the old city.

While it isn't the same hill apparently, I nonetheless have come to associate the whole Sarum story and its transition to Salisbury, with all the changes along the way, to a Peter Gabriel video for Solsbury Hill called "Live DNA," which shows Gabriel and his band at different ages performing the song in different eras.

However, I don't think we could have enjoyed staying in Salisbury any more than we loved our time in Bath, which is about 32 miles away.

Stonehenge is just eight miles northeast of Salisbury, making an easy combination for a day trip from Bath.  Cotswold Villages were added as a third element to this trip.

While we could have changed hotels more frequently, packing and unpacking daily to change hotels isn't our bag.

The Cotswolds

As the second largest "Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty" in England, the Cotswolds are protected from further development in order to preserve the distinctively beautiful landscape.

Its 787 square miles are protected in a manner similar to national parks, although in the case of AONB, historic stone-built villages and English gardens are protected along with the hillsides of unique grasslands.  A bedrock of Jurassic limestone lies beneath the green coverage.

Like most places in the world, homes were built using locally available materials, in this case a mineral now called Cotswold stone.  It tends to age into a honey gold color that's quite aesthetically pleasing.

As our guide Mark drove our mini-bus through the countryside to the Cotswolds from Salisbury, I once again marveled at how much open land remains in the English countryside.  It's easier to appreciate when not behind the driver's wheel worrying about oncoming traffic.

Mark sometimes steered the van down country roads barely wide enough for a MINI Cooper, where he would contend with oncoming traffic by backing to a crossroad or passing lane.  Better him than me.

Our first stop was Lacock Abbey, which actually long ago ceased being a Catholic building.  During Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Augustinian nunnery built in the 13th Century by Ela, the Countess of Salisbury who was sister-in-law to Richard the Lionheart, was sold and converted into a private residence.

In 1835, William Henry Fox Talbot took the first negative image photograph through the mansion's window and laid claim to the title of the inventor of photography.

On this day, we would take our own digital photos using far more advanced technology and continue on to the village of Lacock, which has benefited greatly from its photogenic beauty.  The National Trust bought the village in its entirety in order to preserve it for the future.

Harry Potter's Parents' House

You may recognize Lacock from Downtown Abbey, both the TV series and the movie, or perhaps the BBC's 1995 series, Pride and Prejudice.

It was used in other movies, of which the best known by our family would be the Harry Potter series.

After ample time to stroll about the village, we continued on to a brief stop at Biddestone and then on to Castle Combe.

Doctor Dolittle's House (the yellow one)

Castle Combe has its own bit of movie stardom.  It was featured as Doctor Dolittle's house in the 1967 original version of the movie starring Rex Harrison.  According to our driver guide Mark, Castle Combe residents weren't as accommodating as Lacock for the movie industry.

Nonetheless, other movies including War Horse and Stardust have been filmed on its lovely streets.

After strolling around a bit, Julie and I came across a sidewalk cafe that looked like the perfect spot for afternoon cappuccinos and pastry.

We settled in and simply enjoyed being in the present moment in a lovely quintessential English village, which really is for the most part why travelers visit the Cotswolds.  By the way, if you were wondering which of Area of Oustanding Natural Beauty in England is larger than the Cotswolds, that would be the Lake District at 912 square miles.

Lacock

Tithe Barn For Church's 10% of Production

Biddestone

Castle Combe