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celebrating
the Sandwich Chartersand 800 years of Magna Carta
This year’s rediscovery of the Sandwich Magna Carta and Charter
of the Forest provides a timely opportunity to promote our ancient cinque port’s heritage and celebrate 800
years of Magna Carta. BASH
has secured funding from Magna Carta 800 to bring events to Sandwich this autumn. Join
us in celebrating these historic finds and the continuing legacy of Sandwich’s new treasures!
Our first event in the series was a fascinating and highly entertaining lecture from two leading
Magna Carta experts... 16th September 2015
8pm The Jury Room, Sandwich Guildhall FREE LECTURE
on Magna Carta A free
public lecture with key academics from the Magna Carta Project: Prof Nicholas Vincent (University of East
Anglia) who discovered the Sandwich charters, and Prof Louise Wilkinson (Canterbury Christ Church University)
whose current research includes the role of women in the politics of the age.
Sandwich enjoyed a Saturday afternoon
of autumn sun and street theatre for our second event... 3rd October 2015 from
12 noon Sandwich Guildhall Forecourt FREE STREET THEATRE with the
Robin Hoodeners The Robin Hoodeners brought interactive folk theatre to
Sandwich. The troupe's shows are based on surviving examples of early Robin Hood tales and include live music, mumming and
audience participation. The shows coincided with the display of the Sandwich charters inside the Guildhall as part
of the Magna Carta Rediscovered touring exhibition, allowing visitors to view historic law-making documents inside, and enjoy
the exploits of England’s favourite outlaw outside.
Our grand finale was a high-energy programme of music and tales in a historic church setting. Mulled
wine flowed and voices soared... 16th October
2015 8pm St Mary’s Arts Centre, Sandwich CONCERT with Joglaresa and Nick Hennessey Robbers, Rebels and Royals 
With harp, fidel, percussion, bagpipes and voices, early music stars Joglaresa performed songs to challenge
the supreme authority of kings, criticise the Roman Curia, and highlight the lives, loves, imprisonment and taxation of ordinary
folk at the time of Magna Carta. They were joined by harp-playing, folk-singing storyteller extraordinaire Nick Hennessey
for a lively programme featuring tales of Robin Hood, King John, outlaws, rebels, social justice and injustice - all interwoven
with Joglaresa's electrifying song. Half of all ticket sales will go
to the Mercury-backed fundraising campaign to bring the Sandwich Charters home. See below for more campaign details. 
The East Kent Mercury has launched an appeal for
the community of Sandwich to help bring the Magna Carta and Charter of Forest back home. The campaign is supported by Sandwich Town Council, The Mercury and Discovery
Park. The idea is to harness business support, community groups, schools and individuals who are able to give their time,
skills or finds to help the cause. The cost of conservation work, the cases and insurance is £35,000 and anyone who
can help as much or as little as they can is urged to get in touch. The Sandwich charters were on display in the Magna Carta Rediscovered exhibition in the Sandwich
Guildhall from 24th September to 6th October 2015. If you can help bring the Magna Carta home, contact Sandwich Town Council on 01304 617197. |
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| Sandwich Magna Carta of 1300 |
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| image from the Magna Carta Project |
READ ON for more about the rediscovery of
Sandwich's historic charters... Following
research by the Magna Carta Project, the charters were found by community history officer Dr Mark Bateson in the Kent County Council’s archives in Maidstone.
BASH
members were present when the importance of the finds and the responsibilities of ownership were discussed at a meeting of
the Town Council on 16th February 2015, shortly after the press announcement. After councillors gave their reactions to the
discovery, the Mayor, Cllr Paul Graeme, urged the council to retain the documents and ensure their return to Sandwich.
A vote was taken, and we are pleased to confirm that the charters will return to Sandwich and remain in
the town’s possession. The discovery has generated
great excitement amongst local historians and heritage enthusiasts. After the meeting, BASH members spoke to Sandwich archivist
Ray Harlow about the discovery. He told us: ‘As soon as the news broke we went rushing to our Guildhall Library records
and there in the 1931 Inventory made by Ms Scroggs were the Edward I copy of Magna Carta and the Forest Charter... Further
delving revealed that all the Sandwich Archive material, Little Black and Red Books, Custumal and Charters had been packed
into wooden crates and sent to Wales for safe-keeping during WW2.’ Following the safe-housing of the archive materials,
the 'Scroggs Inventory' passed out of use. Decades on, the town's archivists were unaware
of its contents. The crates did return to Kent, but never made it
back to Sandwich. Mr Harlow explains: ‘After their return it was clearly thought that they would be kept in safer environmental
conditions in the Kent Archive. Presumably they travelled to Whitfield when East Kent material moved there briefly, and then
went back to Maidstone when the new Archive building was built. But by that time nobody remembered them.’ BASH also spoke to John Hennessy,
Chair of the Sandwich History Society, who is keen to find out what other treasures remain uncovered. ‘What
else is there in this collection? The market will certainly have had a charter, and we have yet to find the Custumal
of Sandwich. As the Cinque Ports were important hubs of power, Sandwich would have retained many significant charters and
documents of law.’ The Town Clerk and Mayor of Sandwich have formed a working party to decide how best to preserve and display
the documents. The group of councillors and advisors are discussing plans for the restoration and permanent exhibition of
both charters, access for researchers and long term storage.
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