Photo of the Magna Carta display at Birmingham Law School's celebration of the 800th anniversary

Birmingham Law School celebrated 800 years of the Magna Carta in June, the document signed by King John of England in the face of political crisis in 1215 and considered to be the foundations of English common law.

To commemorate the occasion, the High Sheriff of the West Midlands, Jonnie Turpie MBE, hosted a reception in the University’s Bramall Music Building.

The event, funded in part by Birmingham Law School and the College of Arts & Law, saw a talk by Canon Chris Pullin, the Chancellor of Hereford Cathedral which is fortunate enough to possess one of only four surviving copies of the 1217 charter. His speech recounted the origins of the Magna Carta and of Hereford Cathedral’s role in its history.

Joshua Rozenberg, a leading legal journalist and presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Law in Action, revealed at the event the significance of the charter today and exposed some of the myths that have circulated around the Magna Carta over the last 800 years.

The High Sheriff said that he was “thrilled by the generous support that Birmingham Law School has given this event. It is a superb reflection of the University’s commitment to the local community.”