BY EMMA WARREN, CURATOR CHERTSEY MUSEUM (MUSEUM OF RUNNYMEDE BOROUGH)
The area of Runnymede, which gives the Borough its name, is one the Thames many floodplains. The name itself is probably Anglo-Saxon in origin, coming from Rune, meaning council and Mead, meaning meadow. In the 7th century it was part of the Manor of Egham, held by the Abbot of Chertsey and first written mention of Runnymede is its most famous mention, in Magna Carta itself.
King John came to the throne in April 1199 on the death of his brother, Richard I, and earned himself the reputation of being one of the worst monarchs England has ever had. He abused the feudal system, seizing land, raising taxes and imprisoning anyone who stood in his way. He relied heavily on his barons to keep order and to ensure that any money owed to the monarch was collected.
However, to meet mounting costs, John ignored traditions and extorted more money from his subjects. This alienated the barons who then rebelled against the King and tried to assassinate him in 1212. This unsuccessful attempt angered John who seized land belonging to the rebels, provoking civil war.
By May 1215 the barons had taken London, forcing the royal household to Windsor Castle, before moving west towards Staines. A deal was brokered between King John and the barons who agreed to meet on 10th June 1215 at Runnymede, ideally situated between the two warring factions.
Four days later peace was declared and the rebel barons swore their allegiance to the King once more. Magna Carta was not made law; it was more of a working document setting out how the country would be run, and King John only agreed to it because he had no choice. He could not afford to fight a civil war, but he clearly had no intention of adhering to the charter. In July 1215 John sent an envoy to the Pope, seeking an annulment to Magna Carta, which was granted in August 1215. Civil war once again broke out in England. However, on 18th/19th October 1216, King John died suddenly and a revised version of Magna Carta was issued on 12th November. The charter was again revised in 1217, 1225, and finally in 1297 when the text of the latest edition was copied onto the first statute roll and was officially incorporated into English law.
Runnymede itself remained part of Chertsey Abbey land until, centuries later, it became Crown property on the dissolution of the monastery in July 1537. It had been rented out to locals to grow crops on, and in the early 19th century was subject to an Enclosure Act which stated that the central part was to remain unenclosed, and that any enclosures that restricted the horse racing there each August could be removed.
The first recorded horse race at Runnymede was in September 1734. Meetings took place sporadically over the next few years until 1738-39 when a three day meet was held. This event was attended by many members of the aristocracy, which established Egham Races as important social event. However, in 1740 an Act of Parliament seriously restricted horse racing in England in an attempt to stop absenteeism from work, which stopped the Egham Races for 30 years. In 1770 racing returned to Egham with a lavish three day meet which proved to be just as popular as before the ban. By this time the Jockey Club had been established and Egham’s closeness to Windsor and Ascot made it popular with the Club as there was less distance to walk the horses between meets.
With aristocracy such as the Duke of Cumberland, Sir Charles Bunbury (who co-founded the Epsom Derby) and Sir John Lade entering horses in the late 1770s Egham Races became a meeting for racing connoisseurs. As racing enthusiasts met to witness the Town Plate or the Ladies Plate races, Egham Races became one of the key social events at which to be seen. In 1790 the Prince of Wales, Prince Regent, entered a horse in the races for the first time, and the presence of royalty made the Races even more popular with the aristocracy. In 1810, the 3rd Earl of Bute, a member of the Coutts banking family, made up numbers at Egham races for a card game with the Prince of Wales. Bute deliberately lost so as to not upstage the Prince, and in return was awarded a royal account for the bank, which is still held to this day.
In Georgian England racing, and gambling, was a past time enjoyed by many, and Egham Races were no exception. There was a wide range of entertainment available at the Races: cock fighting and prize fighting entertained the visitors prior to the races, race balls were held at Windsor Town Hall, and the local innkeepers would set up refreshment stalls to supply the crowds.
The presence of all these revellers caused problems in the local area. Crowds attracted pickpockets, especially in the 1814 and 1815 seasons, and as a result the Races became less popular.
However, attendance improved again from 1820 onwards, and by the mid 1830s Egham Races were more popular and prestigious than ever. King William IV attended meets, and ‘His Majesty’s Plate’ race was started.
Although royal patronage ceased during the reign of Queen Victoria, attendance at the Races increased during the 1840s with the arrival of the railways, and by 1849 special race trains ran from London Waterloo to Staines Station and to Egham station by 1856. Unfortunately, the return of the crowds signalled the return of the pick pockets and confidence tricksters, and by the late 19th century crime had become a real problem at the meetings. By 1881, it was almost impossible for the race authorities to control the crime. After the 1884 meeting the police refused to attend further meetings and so racing in Runnymede stopped, and the land returned to cultivation. It wasn’t until the early part of the 20th century that the land was put up for sale. Discussions where had in the national press and in Parliament about the future of this historic strip of land, and eventually it was purchased by local resident, Urban H. Broughton, a wealthy civil engineer, politician and philanthropist. Unfortunately Broughton died in 1929 before the sale was completed, but his wife and son ensured his wishes were followed, and the land was given to the National Trust “to preserve for ever the site where Magna Carta was signed”. The lodges and pillars, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens are memorials to Broughton’s memory.