Attempt to steal the Magna Carta is foiled

Man arrested after attempt was made to smash glass box around document

A 45-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of the attempted theft of the Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral.

Wiltshire Police said shortly before 5pm on Wednesday the alarms were activated at the cathedral after an attempt was made to smash the glass box surrounding the Magna Carta.

Staff were alerted and police were called. “A man matching the description given by witnesses was arrested on suspicion of attempted theft, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage, and has been taken to Melksham custody for questioning, where he remains,” a force spokeswoman said.

“The Magna Carta has not been damaged and nobody was injured in the incident.”

Police are appealing for witnesses to the incident to come forward.

The Magna Carta granted by King John in 1215 is one of the most important documents in history. It established the principle that everyone is subject to the law, even the king, and guarantees the rights of individuals, the right to justice and the right to a fair trial. It has become an enduring symbol of the rule of law and the document is on display in a glass case at the cathedral. It is one of four surviving original Magna Cartas, which means the Great Charter.

King John agreed to the terms of the Magna Carta following the uprising of a group of rebel barons in England.

The barons captured London in May 1215, which forced King John’s hand and caused him to finally negotiate with the group, and the Magna Carta was created as a peace treaty between the king and the rebels.

The entire document is written in Latin, and the original had 63 clauses. Of those, only three remain on the statute books; one defends the liberties and rights of the English Church, another confirms the liberties and customs of London and other towns, and the third gives all English subjects the right to justice and a fair trial.

The third says: “No free man shall be seized or imprisoned, or stripped of his rights or possessions, or outlawed or exiled, or deprived of his standing in any other way, nor will we proceed with force against him, or send others to do so, except by the lawful judgement of his equals or by the law of the land. To no-one will we sell, to no-one deny or delay right or justice.”

Otherdocumentsinfluenced by the Magna Carta include the American Bill of Rights.