2015 marks the 800th anniversary of the grant at Runnymede of liberties to the freemen in Magna Carta. The story of how Magna Carta came into being and has been interpreted since has more twists and turns than the best soap opera. The authors bring their unrivalled interpretative skills to uncover the original meaning of the liberties enshrined in Magna Carta, and to trace their development in later centuries up to the drafting of the Constitution of the United States. The Charter was ground breaking in the way subjects tried to limit the power and conduct of government. At the same time it was a conservative document, following the form of Anglo Saxon Charters and trying to return government to the ways of early Norman and Angevin kings. This book tells the history of Magna Carta in a concise and readable fashion and will be of interest to lawyer and layman alike.