Magna Carta of Chester facts for kids

The Magna Carta of Chester was a special document, like a rulebook, created in 1215. It was similar to the famous Magna Carta that King John signed. This charter was mainly about the rules between the Earl of Chester and his powerful noblemen, called barons. It also said that these barons had to give similar rights to the people who rented land from them.

Background of the Chester Charter

The location of the Earldom of Chester in relation to the Kingdom of England.

The original Magna Carta signed at Runnymede didn't apply to the area of Chester. At that time, Chester was a separate feudal domain, almost like its own small country.

The noblemen of Chester asked their ruler, Earl Ranulf III, for their own set of rules. He then created the Magna Carta of Chester. This happened after King John issued his Magna Carta in June 1215. The Chester charter has many similar rules, showing it was written afterwards.

In the early 1200s, the Earldom of Chester was a unique area called a county palatine. It was located near the border with Wales, known as the Welsh Marches. Earl Ranulf III ruled Chester as his own separate territory. People at the time said Chester obeyed its prince more than the king.

Earl Ranulf III was very loyal to King John during a war called the First Barons' War. He also supported the original Magna Carta. Ranulf was one of the few powerful nobles who witnessed King John sign the Magna Carta in 1215.

After King John died in 1216, some rebel barons offered the English throne to Prince Louis of France. Louis came to England and took over some areas. Ranulf strongly supported bringing back the Magna Carta after Louis left England in 1217. He also witnessed the Magna Carta being reissued in 1225. Because he supported the king's Magna Carta, it's not surprising he made his own for Chester.

What Was in the Charter?

The charter was created because the noblemen of Cheshire asked for it. This suggests they were unhappy, and Earl Ranulf III wanted to make them happy before he went on a religious journey.

The Chester charter has 13 rules, or clauses. This is much fewer than the 60 clauses in the main Magna Carta.

Rules About Courts and Justice

• Clauses 1 & 4: These rules dealt with who had the right to judge crimes. The Earl's court could judge serious crimes. But if someone was accused in the Earl's court, they could say "thwetnic" (a total denial). If they did, they would be sent back to their own nobleman's court to be judged.

Rules About People Fleeing

• Clauses 2 & 3: These rules were about people called villeins (who were like peasants tied to the land) who ran away from outside Chester. If they fled to the Earl's or a nobleman's land in Chester, they could find safety. However, men who fled had to work and serve in the military.

Limits on Punishments and Land Use

• Clause 5: This rule limited the fines the Earl's court could give. But it only applied to specific situations, like judges not showing up. This was much narrower than the rules in the main Magna Carta.
• Clause 6: This rule gave people rights in the Cheshire forests. They could clear land for farming (called assarting), grow crops, and sell dead wood.
• Clause 8: This rule protected widows and heirs (people who inherited land). However, it didn't specifically mention wardship, which was about who looked after young heirs.

Rules About Freedom and Movement

• Clause 9: This rule said that if a villein lived in a town for a year and a day, they would become free. Chester was a busy port, and many villeins were moving there from the countryside. The noblemen of Cheshire wanted clear rules about getting their villeins back.

Rules About Military Service

• Clause 10: This rule limited how much military service and castle-guard duty people had to do. This was similar to rules in the main Magna Carta. However, the Chester charter went into more detail because Chester was a border area often threatened by attacks from Wales. For example, it said that knights from Cheshire didn't have to fight beyond the Forest of Lyme. It also said that guarding Chester castle should mostly be done by people from outside the county.

Rules About Officials

• Clause 11: This rule limited what supplies or services officials could demand. It was similar to a rule in the main Magna Carta, but it focused specifically on what travelling law officers could ask for.

Rules About Rejected Requests

• Clause 12: This rule is unique and has no similar part in the main Magna Carta. Earl Ranulf III listed the requests from his noblemen that he had refused. Most of these were specific requests from certain people or groups, not from all the noblemen.

Clause 12

And know that the barons have given up to me and my heirs, for themselves and their heirs, the following requests they were making. They cannot claim these things anymore, unless I allow it by my kindness: for example, the steward's request for shipwrecks and fish washed ashore, and for hunting in my forest with three bows, and for hunting with his dogs; and others' requests for grazing pigs in my forest and for hunting with three bows in my forest, or for chasing their hares in the forest when going to or returning from Chester for a summons; and the request about the fine for judges of Wich being thirty measures of salt, but the fines and laws in Wich will be as they were before.

The steward mentioned was Roger de Montalt. He owned land near the Dee estuary and could benefit from ship accidents near Chester port. The mention of "chasing their hares in the forest when going to or returning from Chester for a summons" suggests the noblemen wanted to hunt for fun whenever they were called to Chester.

How it Compares to the Main Magna Carta

Many phrases in the Chester charter are very similar to those in the main Magna Carta. It seems they were copied directly.

• Clause 1 in the Chester charter talks about "pleas of the sword." This is similar to "pleas of the Crown" in the main Magna Carta. Both charters also have rules to stop local officials from making unsupported accusations.
• Clause 6 gave the Cheshire noblemen rights in the forests, like clearing land and selling wood. However, unlike the main Magna Carta, it didn't mention removing forest areas or controlling officials more strictly.
• Clause 8 protected widows and heirs, but it was very brief. It didn't mention wardship specifically. This suggests that the issues that caused outrage and led to many clauses in the main Magna Carta were less of a concern in Cheshire.
• Clause 13 is the strongest link to the main Magna Carta. It insisted that "all common knights and free tenants of the whole of Cheshire" should receive the same fair treatment from the noblemen as the noblemen received from the Earl. This is similar to Clause 60 of the main Magna Carta, which extended its rights to "all men of our realm."

Later Reissues

When the main Magna Carta was confirmed again in 1300 by King Edward I, the Earldom of Chester had been part of the king's lands for 63 years. This meant the main Magna Carta now applied to Cheshire.

However, the Chester charter was also confirmed on March 30, 1300. It had been reissued earlier, on August 27, 1265, after a battle called the Battle of Evesham. This was done to reward the county for its support.