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JOHN, by the grace of God King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke ofNormandy and Aquitaine, and Count of Anjou, to his archbishops,bishops, abbots, earls, barons, justices, foresters, sheriffs,stewards, servants, and to all his officials and loyal subjects,Greeting. KNOW THAT BEFORE GOD, for the health of our soul and those of ourancestors and heirs, to the honour of God, the exaltation of the holyChurch, and the better ordering of our kingdom, at the advice of ourreverend fathers Stephen, archbishop of Canterbury, primate of allEngland, and cardinal of the holy Roman Church, Henry archbishop ofDublin, William bishop of London, Peter bishop of Winchester, Jocelinbishop of Bath and Glastonbury, Hugh bishop of Lincoln, Walter Bishopof Worcester, William bishop of Coventry, Benedict bishop ofRochester, Master Pandulf subdeacon and member of the papal household,Brother Aymeric master of the knighthood of the Temple in England,William Marshal earl of Pembroke, William earl of Salisbury, Williamearl of Warren, William earl of Arundel, Alan de Galloway constable ofScotland, Warin Fitz Gerald, Peter Fitz Herbert, Hubert de Burghseneschal of Poitou, Hugh de Neville, Matthew Fitz Herbert, ThomasBasset, Alan Basset, Philip Daubeny, Robert de Roppeley, John Marshal,John Fitz Hugh, and other loyal subjects:(1) FIRST, THAT WE HAVE GRANTED TO GOD, and by this present charterhave confirmed for us and our heirs in perpetuity, that the EnglishChurch shall be free, and shall have its rights undiminished, and itsliberties unimpaired. That we wish this so to be observed, appearsfrom the fact that of our own free will, before the outbreak of thepresent dispute between us and our barons, we granted and confirmed bycharter the freedom of the Church’s elections – a right reckoned to beof the greatest necessity and importance to it – and caused this to beconfirmed by Pope Innocent III. This freedom we shall observe ourselves,and desire to be observed in good faith by our heirs in perpetuity.
