From the archives - Magna Carta's 800th Anniversary

Centre Director Robert Blackburn was the Law Academic member on the Magna Carta Trust 800th Anniversary Committee, co-ordinating and organising a large programme of events and activities in commemoration of Magna Carta 1215. He additionally served on two of its sub-committees, the Law Committee chaired by the Master of the Rolls at the Royal Courts of Justice, and its Education & Academic Committee at King's.

For the official Magna Carta 800th website with organisational details and the full programme of activities, see http://www.magnacarta800th.com Key anniversary events On 12th November 2010, the five year long programme of events to celebrate the 800th anniversary were inaugurated in the fields of Runnymede where King John attached his seal to Magna Carta, with speeches by Lord Neuberger (then Master of the Rolls), Kenneth Clarke QC (then Justice Secretary) and Alice Richmond (Treasurer of the American Bar Association. See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11735060 On 15th June 2015, 800 years after King John sealed Magna Carta, over 4,000 guests convened at Runnymede. Speakers and guests included the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prime Minister David Cameron, Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond, Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, and President of the American Bar Association William Hubbard. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0cVbQt1KWI, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-33126723, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/uk-england-surrey-33030384

Professor Blackburn organised and spoke at a series of events to celebrate Magna Carta and its legacy today, including at conferences held at the European Court of Human Rights, the Centre for European Constitutional Law at Athens; the University of Brescia, and the University of Amiens.

Left: 2015 Athens conference - Prof Spyridon Flogaitis (Athens University, former Minister of the Interior, and

Judge in the Council of State), Prof Xenophon Contiades (Panteion University) and Prof Robert Blackburn Right: 2015 Strasbourg conference - Prof Blackburn (centre) with judges of the European Court of Human

Rights Guido Ramondi (President) and Paul Mahoney (UK judge) Further links See the Director's article for the British Library: http://www.bl.uk/magna-carta/articles/britains-unwritten-constitution See the Director's video on a Written Constitution - a "New Magna Carta" - for Britain today: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/newsevents/news/newsrecords/2014/July/The-future-of-the-UKs-constitution---a-new-Magna-Carta.aspx See the Magna Carta 800th anniversary exhibition located in the King's School of Law building: http://www.kcl.ac.uk/law/about/vis-arts/MagnaCarta.aspx A New Magna Carta? See Robert Blackburn's programme of research for the House of Commons Political and Constitutional Reform Committee: http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201415/cmselect/cmpolcon/463/463.pdf

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ISBN 978 0 215 07317 4

House of Commons

Political and ConstitutionalReform Committee

A new Magna Carta?

HC 463

Second Report of Session 2014–15

41294_HC463_Cover 32mm.indd 1 08/07/2014 20:12