Curry Mallet Magna Carta 800 is a committee of the parish council set up to work alongside the primary school, church and local community to formulate plans for activities and events to mark the anniversary of the sealing of the charter, which is widely viewed as establishing the rule of constitutional law and individual freedoms that many of us take for granted today. The anniversary is of particular significance in the local area because William Malet, Lord of the Manor of Curry Mallet, was one of the 25 rebel barons present at Runnymede in June 1215 to act as a guarantor of the charter.

The Magna Carta will be included in the school curriculum with specific projects such as history/story walks, a history tunnel, a pageant and the production of educational resources for the school students themselves and for use by others. In addition, the County Archaeologist will work alongside the local school (and, hopefully, A level students) to carry out a geological survey and dig to try to locate the original medieval village. A field art project will highlight the anniversary, and the weekend of 13-14 June will be a village celebration.

Curry Mallet’s celebrations will form part of the national Magna Carta celebration being organised by the Magna Carta Trust.

[quote=Tim Frazer, Chairman of the Parish Council]It’s great that we have been awarded this grant and we can’t wait to get started. We love where we live and know there’s so much more to discover about our past.[/quote]

Tim Frazer, Chairman of the Parish Council said: “it’s great that we have been awarded this grant and we can’t wait to get started. We love where we live and know there’s so much more to discover about our past.[/quote] We are all really excited about telling other people about our findings and sharing our heritage and history with them.”

Nerys Watts, Head of Heritage Lottery Fund South West, said: “Sharing Heritage is a wonderful opportunity for communities to delve into their local heritage and we are delighted to be able to offer this grant so that Curry Mallet Magna Carta 800 can embark on a real journey of discovery. Heritage means such different things to different people, and HLF’s funding offers a wealth of opportunities for groups to explore and celebrate what’s important to them in their area.”

Notes to editors

About Curry Mallet Magna Carta 800
Curry Mallet is a small village in South Somerset with a population of just 306 people. It is the most westerly of the 22 caputs (the 25 rebel barons’ main manors) represented at Runnymede on June 15th 1215 to ensure King John sealed the Magna Carta and next year marks its 800th anniversary.  Curry Mallet is organising a weekend of varied activities involving the whole community and we plan to work with our village School (rated outstanding by Ofsted) to produce curriculum materials and resources for themselves and to share with other schools.  These two activities are embedded in a wide range of supportive community projects. The celebrations form part of the national and international events taking place between now and June 2015. Further details can be found on the Curry Mallet village website, Magna Carta 800th website and Magna Carta barons website.

Sharing Heritage

Sharing Heritage is for any not-for-profit group wanting to explore their community’s heritage. With a commitment from HLF of £3m each year, Sharing Heritage grants between £3,000 and £10,000 are available to groups who want to discover their local heritage. Projects can cover a wide spectrum of subject matter from exploring local archaeology and a community’s cultures and traditions to identifying and recording local wildlife and protecting the surrounding environment to managing and training volunteers, and holding festivals and events to commemorate the past.

Further information

Curry Mallet Magna Carta 800: Ann Collett on 01823 481 824, email: abc44@btinternet.com.