Free Republic

An American tourist who tackled a knife-wielding thief trying to steal a £20million Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral has spoken about his heroics. Matt Delacambre managed to hold onto the hooded man until security were able to arrive and apprehend the suspect. The 56-year-old said: 'I couldn't let him get away with it. The Magna Carta is one of the most important documents in the world.'

A man has been arrested on suspicion of trying to steal a Magna Carta from Salisbury Cathedral. Wiltshire police said the 45-year-old was arrested on Thursday after alarms were triggered by an attempt to smash the glass box in which the artefact was displayed. A man matching witnesses’ descriptions was arrested on suspicion of attempted theft, possession of an offensive weapon and criminal damage. Police said he remained in custody. The document was not damaged in the incident. Magna Carta, one of the most significant documents in British history, is a peace treaty that was sealed by King John in...

Eight hundred years ago, one of the world's most important documents was born. Issued by King John of England in 1215, the Magna Carta ("Great Charter") acknowledged the rights of citizens and set restrictions on the power of the king. The Magna Carta has influenced the structures of modern democracies, including the writ of habeas corpus of the U.S. Constitution... According to Treharne, her research suggests the Salisbury Magna Carta was not just received and preserved at Salisbury, but that the Salisbury Magna Carta was written at Salisbury by one of the cathedral's own scribes. She recently co-published her findings...