The Magna Carta forms the historical basis for English civil liberties. Its principles and subsequent interpretations have influenced the rights and freedoms of people, not only in England, but across much of the world. It promises that life, liberty and property were not to be taken from anyone without the due process of the law of the land. 

The charter was granted by King John on June 15, 1215, at Runnymede beside the Thames river. Immediately before the meeting, the King was at his castle at Windsor, while the rebel barons were at nearby Staines. The Runnymede meadows lay halfway between and was therefore an ideal place to negotiate with space for the each side's armies, tents and horses.

King John's military failures in France, his stringent taxation to support the 3rd Crusade, and his abuse of royal and feudal privileges had provoked his barons to rebellion. Early in 1215, after considerable discussion, a group of barons drew up a charter which they sent to the king for confirmation and the royal seal. When John refused, the barons renounced their allegiance to him, marched on London and captured the city. John, with the imminent possibility of civil war, met the barons at Runnymede to discuss their grievances, and there signed and sealed the Great Charter (Magna Carta).

The Runnymede meadows where the Magna Carta was sealed are now owned by the National Trust and are open to the public. Situated on Coopers Hill, overlooking the river, are memorials commemorating the Magna Carta as well as one to British airmen who died in World War II. At the foot of the hill, by the river, there is a third memorial, to U.S. president John F. Kennedy, unveiled in 1965.

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