Magna Carta and the Rule of Law

In 1215, in a field at Runnymede, an event occurred that now symbolises the democratic freedoms and liberties of the western world: the signing of the Great Charter.
How did this unoriginal assortment of medieval grievances, focused mainly on feudal obligations of tax and property become so elevated within the common law psyche?


Visit the Sir Robert Stout Law Library to browse through a display of statutes and texts which represent just some of the changes over time.

• See the role Sir Edward Coke played in revitalising Magna Carta in the 17th century, both as Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas, and as a jurist.
• Look at the language development of Magna Carta in the first decades.
• See how much Magna Carta influenced the writers of the American Declaration of Independence, and The Constitution.
• Read the 'modern Magna Carta' - the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
• What remains today? Look at Magna Carta in the New Zealand Statutes today.