800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta - new Great Britain stamps, 2 June 2015

Norvic Philatelics - GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks

800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta - 2 June 2015

This year marks the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta, the foundation stone of the Rule of Law whose influence has extended around the world. To commemorate this milestone Royal Mail has worked closely with the Magna Carta 800th Committee to produce six Special Stamps depicting the Magna Carta itself as well as major international bills and declarations inspired by it that have been issued to protect civil liberties and rights.

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1st class - Magna Carta 1215, Simon de Montfort's Parliament 1265
£1.33 - Bill of Rights, American Bill of Rights
£1.52 - Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Charter of the Commonwealth

Background

Meaning ‘The Great Charter’, it was reluctantly granted by the tyrannical King John of England in Runnymede on 15th June 1215 as a practical solution to the political crisis he faced. Written in Latin on a single parchment and comprising a total of 63 clauses, Magna Carta established for the first time that the king was subject to the law rather than above it. It was effectively a peace treaty between the king and a group of barons. Once King John was forced to acknowledge a schedule of rights and of limitations on royal action, consideration was given to ways of ensuring he abided by the charter’s ruling. To this end, clause 61 known as the security clause (forma securitatis) was included which allowed the selection by the barons of twenty-five barons of the realm to “observe, maintain and cause to be observed the peace and liberties which we have granted”.

Although nearly a third of the text was dropped or substantially rewritten within ten years and almost all the clauses have been repealed in modern times, the Magna Carta remains a cornerstone of the British Constitution and its principles are echoed in the US constitution and others around the world. The many divergent uses that have been made of it since the Middle Ages have shaped its meaning in the modern era, and it has become a potent, international rallying cry against the arbitrary use of power. Indeed, in any debate on the issue of liberty the Magna Carta is regularly cited. Clauses 39 and 40 remain to this day on the statutory books, establishing that no man will be imprisoned or have his land taken away unless by the law of the land and judged by his peers. But there were other clauses incorporated in the Magna Carta at the insistence of certain barons to protect their own interests including clause 60 which restricts the right to fish in the Thames and a reference to silting in the Medway; it also refers to the removal of alien Knights and foreigners.

The stamps in detail

Magna Carta - First Class
Sealed at Runnymede on 15th June 1215 most of the clauses in the Magna Carta were drawn up to address specific grievances concerning the rule of King John.

Simon De Montfort’s Parliament – First Class
Set up in January 1265 this was the first Parliament to which the burgesses who were the representatives of the towns were summoned. De Montfort was a French political adventurer who came to England in 1253
and was the leader of the baronial opposition to King Henry III.

Bill of Rights - £1.33
The Bill of Rights was passed in 1689 and made parliament a branch of government superior to the monarch. Several articles from it remain relevant today particularly those relating to ‘freedom of election’ and ‘freedom of speech’.

American Bill of Rights £1.33
This is a collective name afforded to the first ten amendments to the American constitution. They guaranteed freedom of religion and speech, the liberty of the press, the right to petition and bear arms, and
immunity against arbitrary search and arrest as well as excessive punishment.

Universal Declaration of Human Rights - £1.52
This was adopted by the United Nations in 1948 in response to the horrors of war and constitutes the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are entitled. The first chair of the UN Commission on
Human Rights, which was charged with drafting the Declaration, was Eleanor Roosevelt.

Charter of the Commonwealth - £1.52
Adopted in December 2012 and officially signed by Her Majesty the Queen in March the following Year, the Charter of the Commonwealth comprises 16 care beliefs and brings together the values and aspirations that united the Commonwealth, namely democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

Acknowledgements:
Words from The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) United Nations. Reprinted with the permission of the United Nations; Charter of the Commonwealth Crown Copyright, 2013 and used under the Open Government licence v2.0.

Technical details:
The 60 x 30 mm stamps were designed by Howard Brown, printed in sheets of 25/50 by International Security Printers in Lithography. No details of the perforation or phosphor arrangements have been provided.

Products issued - these can be obtained from Royal Mail

Set of 6 stamps - Presentation Pack - Set of 6 stamp cards - First Day Cover - Coin Cover

Special first day of issue postmarks will be shown here. These cannot be obtained the date of issue; more may be added. Not always to scale.


Ref FD1517TH Official Bureau postmark	Ref FD1517PL London NW1 official first day of issue postmark	Ref F1517NP London NW1 non-pictorial official first day of issue postmark	Ref L13460 Magna Carta, Runnymede, Windsor	Ref L13461 Magna Carta Sealed at Runnymede in 1215, Windsor

Ref L13459 800th Anniversary Magna Carta, Runnymede Windsor	Ref L13472 The 800th Anniversary of the Magna Carta 1215 - 2015, Law Street West Bromwich	Ref L13485 Tower Hill, London EC3	Ref L13486 Magna Carta 800th Anniversary London NW1	Ref L13487 Magna Carta 800th Annivesary Runnymede, Windsor
	<<<< Ref M13490 750th Anniversary of the first Parliament, Simon de Montfort Earl of Leicester	unused	unused	unused

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This page updated 30 May 2015.

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Keep up to date on our blog	Home Page and index for 2015				Visit our online shop!
Norvic Philatelics, PO Box 119, Dereham, NR20 3YN, GB. UK Phone: 08450 090939 -- Skype:ian.billings-norvic