Magna Carta Celebrating 800 years of history at Cartmel in Cumbria
PRESS RELEASE
15 June 2015 - For Immediate Release
Cartmel & Magna Carta - Celebrating 800 years of history
Friday 25 - Tuesday 29 September 2015
In 2014 the DJ Chris Evans DJ described Cartmel as ‘A thimble full of diamonds’ on his Radio 2 breakfast
show. This pretty little village is certainly living up to its reputation with the medieval Cartmel Priory alone
attracting 60,000 visitors each year. It is home to Cartmel Racecourse, which is third behind Aintree and
Cheltenham as a draw for fans of National Hunt racing in its original format. Cartmel also has a staggering
array of successful businesses: Chef Simon Rogan’s Michelin Star restaurant, L’Enclume; the world-wide
phenomenon which is Cartmel Sticky Toffee Pudding; an award-winning micro brewery in Unsworth’s Yard;
the cleverly refrigerated Cartmel Cheeses; and a Friesian horse stud on the hill at Black Horses Ltd. The
community are friendly and their successful collaborations have led to Cartmel winning numerous awards
including Gold in Cumbria in Bloom 2014.
It is 800 years since Magna Carta was sealed by King John and Cartmel’s villagers are celebrating with five
days of medieval festivities taking place in and around Cartmel Priory Church of St Mary and St Michael.
The programme of events includes a meticulously arranged flower pageant, medieval camp and
tournament, concerts, food and drink, and magical son et lumière displays.
[Nick – feel free to re-write this !!!]
“What started as an idea for a relatively small festival has developed into something much bigger and the
support and enthusiasm we have received from all members of the community has been overwhelming.
Villagers have really entered into the spirit making costumes, offering to steward or grow herbs for The
Physics Garden. We are really looking forward to welcoming visitors to the Priory during a fabulous
weekend of colour, fun and historical interest aimed at all ages.” The Reverend Nick Devenish, Vicar,
Cartmel Priory.
Flower Pageant in Cartmel Priory
The central focus will be on a historical Flower Pageant in the Priory, which is being organised by the
talented local arranger Joan Bentley BEM. This spectacular display of floral artistry will illustrate the
influence of Magna Carta in shaping the development of our civilisation from the signing of the Great
Charter to the present day. The tableaux will include art and artefacts to highlight cultural, historic and
scientific context, including the significant contributions played by publications, literature, poetry, music
and the performing arts. There will be cameos of drama and music in the 18-metre high nave, always
designed as a meeting place.
This is the most beautiful place to sit in quiet contemplation or prayer, surrounded by fragrant blooms and
visitors can buy a special booklet setting out the historical context of the flower pageant in the Priory. The
beautiful artwork on the cover, depicting medieval knights and an abundance of flowers, is by local artist
and photographer Sandy Kitching. Sandy is also working on a series of specially commissioned illustrations
for a collection of Limited Edition souvenirs, which will be on sale from September.
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Magna Carta Celebrating 800 years of history at Cartmel in Cumbria
Medieval Camp
William Marshal’s glory days will be recreated on Fairfield Paddock close to the priory on Saturday and
Sunday, September 26 and 27. The colourful splendour of his campsite and mesnie (group of knights) will
be brought to life with displays of medieval cookery, archery, blacksmithing, falconry (tbc) and the main
tournament with armour-clad knights in combat. Experienced re-enactors will bring the past to life with
the Grand Tournaments that were so popular in medieval England.
Among the camp stalls will be local food producers selling medieval-inspired food and drink including
meaty muffins, ploughman’s pottage and local experts in medicinal medieval herbs and spices will have a
display in The Physic Garden Pavilion. Cartmel’s sticky toffee pudding is celebrating its own 25th
anniversary and they will be producing some special puddings for the event. There is also a special Magna
Carta 800 Freedom Under Law ale, which has been brewed as a homage to William Marshal at Unsworth’s
Yard micro brewery.
Son et lumière
There is great excitement about the son et lumière displays happening on the Saturday and Sunday
evenings, which will be projected on the south façade of the Priory at dusk, viewed from the graveyard.
The story is of the founding of the Priory in 1189 by William Marshal, 1 st Earl of Pembroke and England’s
greatest Knight in a film specially commissioned from Manchester University.
The Cartmel in Bloom team, who won Gold in Cumbria in Bloom in 2014, are busy setting the village’s
quaint streets ablaze with gold, red and green, William Marshall’s heraldic colours.
Recent filming saw Tracy Venter of the local Black Horses Friesian Stud riding her stallion, Droomwals,
through Cartmel dressed in shining armour as a salute to William Marshal. The knight on horseback will be
making special appearances during the weekend of festivities.
Concerts in Cartmel Priory
Amabile choir will give a concert on Friday; the acclaimed historical ensemble La Serenissima is to perform
on Saturday; and much-loved Flookburgh Brass Band will entertain on Monday. Together with special
church services, it promises to be a wonderful five days for locals and visitors alike.
For full listings of all events and to book tickets online see the website: cartmelpriory.org.uk
Follow us on Twitter: @priorycartmel
For further information, interview and photo opportunities contact:
Howard Seaton – Event Organiser
Phone: 07795 422425
Email: howards@121customerinsight.co.uk
Note to Editors: As a part of the National celebrations taking place in 2015, these events have been made
possible through a grant awarded by National MC 800. More details can be found at:
http://magnacarta800th.com
ENDS
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Magna Carta Celebrating 800 years of history at Cartmel in Cumbria
About William the Marshal
For anyone wondering why the people of Cartmel have chosen to celebrate so wholeheartedly Magna
Carta, the Great Charter, the answer lies in the founder of their ancient church, William Marshal - hailed by
historians as perhaps the greatest knight of the Middle Ages. At 6-foot 2-inches tall he was considered a
giant in his time and he lived until he was 72 years of age.
This revered soldier and statesman was born around 1146 and was granted the keeping of the vast royal
estate at Cartmel by King Henry ll. In 1189 William founded an Augustinian priory in the peaceful
countryside close to the sands of Morecambe Bay as a place where monks could pray without ceasing,
provide hospitality and shelter to pilgrims, and live according to the rule of St Augustine.
Twenty-six years later, in a meadow beside the River Thames, at Runnymede, William Marshal was to
prove a major influence in gaining King John’s reluctant assent to Magna Carta, on June 15, 1215. He has
even been described as the architect of the historic charter.
At the time, the document was designed to broker peace between the unpopular monarch and his barons,
who were embroiled in bitter disputes about war and taxation.
The piece of Latin-inscribed sheepskin parchment given the royal seal that day has taken on a prestige and
status that could hardly have been imagined 800 years ago. As history has unfolded, Magna Carta has
come to be seen as a cornerstone of justice, democracy, liberty and human rights - a potent symbol of the
ideals cherished by people around the world, from the founding fathers of the United States of America to
the Suffragettes, Eleanor Roosevelt, Mahatma Gandhi and Nelson Mandela.
The national focus of this year’s 800th anniversary celebrations is London’s British Library exhibition and
the ‘charter towns’ including Canterbury, St Albans and Bury St Edmunds. Six official Magna Carta Trails
have also been designated. Cartmel is one of the ports of call on Trail 3, the Cathedral Cities of the North,
along with Lincoln, York and Durham.
The celebrated warrior was a loyal servant of the Crown and became a trusted aide to four kings including
Richard the Lionheart; John, of Magna Carta fame; and his son, the infant Henry lll, for whom William was
Regent. William died around four years after Magna Carta, having done all he could to keep it alive after
the Pope annulled it later in 1215. William was buried at London’s Temple Church where his tomb effigy
can still be seen.
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Magna Carta Celebrating 800 years of history at Cartmel in Cumbria
Brief history of Cartmel Priory
Cartmel Priory Church has been a place of pilgrimage for 826 years and it is a sacred place that energises
the soul and shapes religious meaning. Early pilgrims and travellers having crossed the sands of
Morecambe Bay for the first time would have gazed in awe at the sight of this imposing building, as it
nestled in the shelter of the woodland Cartmel valley.
Today, the Vicar, Nick Devenish and his team offer a warm welcome to over 60,000 visitors a year to this
very special church that serves a gathered congregation with people coming to worship regularly from as
far as Manchester and Carlisle.
The Priory Church of St Mary and St Michael (Cartmel Priory) was founded in 1189 by England’s premier
Knight, William Marshal, who played a key role in gaining King John’s acceptance of the Great Charter. The
principles Magna Carta enshrines are central to the foundation of the western world’s belief in the values
of ‘Freedom, Justice, Equality and Democracy’.
William the Marshal was granted the land on which Cartmel Priory is built by Henry II and in 1189 work
began on building the Priory Church for a small group of Augustinian monks.
The Priory was ravaged during the Dissolution of the Monasteries in the reign of Henry VIII, with four
defiant monks and a dozen supporting villagers being taken to gaol in Lancaster and executed for treason.
But the Priory was saved because it had been not only a monastery, but also a Parish church since its
inception. The latter were unaffected by the Dissolution and so Cartmel was left standing.
The Priory fell into disrepair until it was handed over by common consent of the villagers in the 1600s to
the Preston family who owned nearby Holker Hall.
The Hall itself was passed by marriage and inheritance to the Cavendish family. Today, Lord and Lady
Cavendish, and their children, Freddie, Lucy and Emily continue in the tradition of supporting the Priory.
Reverend Devenish is a former Marks and Spencer commercial manager, before being ordained ten years
ago at the age of 40. He is now an active member of the Guild of Cartmel Traders, carrying on the monks’
tradition of engaging with the wider business community.
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