Choral Evensong to Celebrate Magna Carta and the Rule of Law

for 1 hour
The Temple Church, London
The Temple Church, Temple, London EC4Y 7BB, EC4Y 1BB, United Kingdom

Special Guest Speaker: Professor David Carpenter, King’s College, London

‘The Reception of Magna Carta in the 13th Century’

One of Britain’s leading medievalists, David Carpenter specialises in the life and reign of Henry III, the subject of his recent magisterial study (Yale, 2023). His ‘Magna Carta’ (Penguin, 2015) is now a classic work.
King John spent several weeks, 1214-15, in the Temple, from where he issued two charters that were later built into Magna Carta and are still part of English Law. For ten days in the Temple at Epiphany 1215 the King and barons were locked in fraught negotiations, whose failure led directly to Magna Carta at Runnymede on 15 June 1215.

Central to these negotiations and to the Charter was William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. The Charter itself was annulled by the Pope within weeks; but on the death of King John, William Marshal was appointed Regent of the boy-King Henry III, re-issued the Charter under his own seal, raised an army to drive the Dauphin out of England and then re-issued the Charter yet again under his own seal. So the Marshal saved both England and the Charter.

In 1219 William Marshal was buried in the Temple Church’s Round Church, where his effigy still lies.

The Temple Church’s Chancel was built (1240) for the burial of King Henry III, who in 1225 had issued what would become the final version of the Charter.

An order of service is availble in the attachment below

View attachment

More info Join online

The Temple Church, London

Welcome to the prayerful and beautiful Temple Church, steeped in the history of Christendom, this country and the whole Common Law World. 1162: the Round Church was built to be London’s Jerusalem. 1214–19: Magna Carta was negotiated in the Temple, and its greatest hero was buried in the Church. 1584, 1776, 1787: from Raleigh’s expeditions through the colonial constitutions to the American Declaration of Independence and Constitution, the Temple was the birthplace of American Law. And to this day the Church serves the legal colleges Inner and Middle Temple, London’s residents, visiting jurists and travellers from all over the world with some of the most uplifting services, music and discussions in London.

How can so ancient a building be equipped to serve the modern age in prayer and praise and engagement with the socio-legal challenges facing Britain and the wider world? Through Restoration & Renewal: Equipping the Temple Church for the next 100 Years, a major programme of refurbishment and repair, energised and supported by The Friends of the Temple Church.

Robin Griffith-Jones Master of the Temple
Mark Hatcher Reader of the Temple

gallery image gallery image

Get in touch

What's on

Choral Evensong to Celebrate Magna Carta and the Rule of Law

for 1 hour
The Temple Church, London
The Temple Church, Temple, London EC4Y 7BB, EC4Y 1BB, United Kingdom

Special Guest Speaker: Professor David Carpenter, King’s College, London

‘The Reception of Magna Carta in the 13th Century’

One of Britain’s leading medievalists, David Carpenter specialises in the life and reign of Henry III, the subject of his recent magisterial study (Yale, 2023). His ‘Magna Carta’ (Penguin, 2015) is now a classic work.
King John spent several weeks, 1214-15, in the Temple, from where he issued two charters that were later built into Magna Carta and are still part of English Law. For ten days in the Temple at Epiphany 1215 the King and barons were locked in fraught negotiations, whose failure led directly to Magna Carta at Runnymede on 15 June 1215.

Central to these negotiations and to the Charter was William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. The Charter itself was annulled by the Pope within weeks; but on the death of King John, William Marshal was appointed Regent of the boy-King Henry III, re-issued the Charter under his own seal, raised an army to drive the Dauphin out of England and then re-issued the Charter yet again under his own seal. So the Marshal saved both England and the Charter.

In 1219 William Marshal was buried in the Temple Church’s Round Church, where his effigy still lies.

The Temple Church’s Chancel was built (1240) for the burial of King Henry III, who in 1225 had issued what would become the final version of the Charter.

An order of service is availble in the attachment below

View attachment

More info Join online

Safeguarding

The care and protection of children, young people and vulnerable adults who are involved in Church activities is the responsibility of the whole Church. Everyone who participates in the life of the Church has a role to play in promoting a Safer Church for all.This Safeguarding Policy is based on the Safeguarding Policy Statement of the Church of England that was agreed and published by the House of Bishops in 2017. It sets out the Safeguarding Policy of the Diocese of London and in particular a summary of the roles and responsibilities of all church bodies and office holders as we work together to protect children, young people and vulnerable adults who are involved in church activities.

This policy makes six overarching policy commitments:

To promote a safer environment and culture
To enable and ensure safe recruitment practice and to support all those within the Church with any responsibility related to children, young people, and vulnerable adults
To respond promptly to every safeguarding concern or allegation
To offer pastoral care to victims/survivors of abuse and other affected persons
To offer pastoral care to those who are the subject of concerns or allegations of abuse and other affected persons
To respond to those who may pose a present risk to others.

https://www.templechurch.com/application/files/7216/2074/0149/Temple_Church_Safeguarding_Policy_revi