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The Baronial Order of Magna Charta [BOMC] was founded in 1898 under the name of The
Baronial Order of Runnemede during the flowering of scholarly and popular interest in the
history and development of the Anglo-Saxon peoples which characterized the later decades
of Queen Victoria's reign.
The Magna Charta resulted from the peace made between King John of England and about sixty
of his rebelling barons in 1215. After preliminary negotiations with the barons through
the Archbishop of Canterbury, Stephen Langton, as go-between, the King and his party met
the barons on 15 June in a meadow known as Runnemede next to the Thames River. After
several days of face-off discussions on the 19th the document language was agreed upon and
the barons elected 25 of their number to be "Sureties", holding title to a few
of the King's properties, including the Tower of London, to guarantee the King's
compliance with the laws and liberties of the Magna Charta.
Thus began the long legal process of putting limits on kingly (and hence, by later
extension, governmental) authority and of granting explicit rights to the ruled.
From the time of its issue, the Magna Charta became a symbol of freedom to the barons and
people alike, and kings during succeeding centuries were expected to affirm it.
This compact, originally just between the king and his discontented barons, has been
invested by time and later interpretation with real and mythological power far beyond its
original intent and far beyond any other single document in English law.
The Magna Charta led to the English and later the United States Constitutions. More
precisely it gave protection to the rights of the nobles and common citizens alike to be
free of arbitrary actions against their persons or property by their sovereign. It has
come to be recognized as the first cornerstone of liberty and justice in the western
world.
It is the well-spring of modern concepts of free speech, free association, the right to
petition the government for redress of grievances, the right of due process according to
the law of the land, to the public and impartial trial at the hands of our peers, the
right to travel freely in the time of peace, and perhaps most important of all, the
recognition that even the sovereign is subject to the law of the land. The Constitution of
the United States of America refers specifically to the Magna Charta in section nine,
amendments one, five, six, and eight, and implication is made in both documents to
"No taxation without representation".
Our Mission
The BOMC has been one of the leading proponent organizations for over 100 years, whose
purpose is the promulgation and support of the principles set forth in that
world-pervasive document - the Magna Charta.
Organization Profile
The BOMC is dedicated to RESEARCH, EDUCATIONAL, and CHARITABLE pursuits and to this end
it:
 | collects and preserves information on the Magna Charta, the document's supporters, its
history and role in national and world affairs, and disseminates that information to the
general public. |
| supports further research by individuals or institutions into this history. |
| encourages the study and practice of Magna Charta within its historical context, and the
evolution of its meaning as represented in the concepts of self-determination and the rule
of law. |
| extends to the public the history and far-reaching impact of Magna Charta by actively
seeking out those who may have such interest in supporting and implementing same. |
| provides informational materials to education institutions, professions, organizations. |
| provides symposiums on the preceding. |
| provides scholarships for High School students through oratory and essay example. |
| provides arenas for debates on past, present, and future relevancy of Magna Charta. |
| assists educational institutions in providing lesson and activity curriculums relating
to Magna Charta. |
| renders aid, support, and comfort to patients in hospital or hospice care. |
| supports churches and other like institutions in the caring for the needy, disabled, and
geriatricaly disadvantaged. |
| assists in the care and welfare for the membership and their families. |
The Baronial Order of Magna Charta was incorporated in the state of Pennsylvania in 1945 as a non-profit corporation and is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)3, income tax exempt corporation. Accepts consideration of membership by people of good character who can prove descendancy from one or more of the 25 Sureties who were responsible for holding King John to the terms of the Great Charter he signed on 15 June, 1215 at Runnemede Meadow in England. Descendants of the following non-Surety supporters in sympathy with the Magna Charta are also candidates for membership in the Order: William III d'Aubigny, Hubert de Burgh, Alan of Galloway, William Marshall, Sr. and William IV de Warenne. Membership is also considered for those who cannot prove descendancy from the 25 Sureties, but of good character and have an interest in the purposes of the Order. This is within the embrace of the Baronial Order of Magna Charta Adjuvant, a part of the BOMC organization.
The Baronial Order of Magna Charta's continued relevance has been enhanced by its
participation in 1987 with the display and interpretation in Philadelphia of a thirteenth
century Magna Charta owned by Ross Perot which helped support the increased interest in
America's tradition of freedom arising from the Bicentennials of the Declaration of
Independence in that year and the United State Bill of Rights in 1991; by appointment in
October 1993 of the Marshal of the Order to the Board of Trustees of the Magna Charta
Trust in England; and supporting the founding of the Magna Charta Research Foundation,
Magna Charta Education Foundation, and Magna Charta Charity Foundation.
The BOMC is governed by Officers (Marshal, Justiciar, Chancellor, Chirurgeon, Genealogist,
Herald, Historiographer, Prelate, Keeper of the Purse, Keeper Rolls and the Signet), 25 members of the Order known as Sureties, and by five officers of the Baronial
Order of Magna Charta Adjuvant.
The BOMC meets in Grand Chapter at a date close to 15 June each year and in Anniversary
Chapter in January to commemorate the granting of the Magna Charta and the founding of the Order respectively. The Officers and Sureties meet
additionally in the Fall and Spring to conduct such business as may be
required.
Contact Information
All Membership inquiries Must be sent to
BOMC/MOC Marshall
- Postal address
- Marshal Address
- Wyncote, PA 19095
- Electronic mail
- Membership Information:
Registrar
Contact the Marshal at:
marshal@magnacharta.com
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