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(2) If any earl, baron, or other person that holds lands directly from the Crown shall die the heir shall have his inheritance on payment of the ancient scale of ’relief’. That is to say, the heir shall pay £100 for the entire earl’s barony, the heir of a knight 100 shillings (£4) at most.
I find this clause more difficult to understand. It looks as though the barons are trying to re-establish old customs and pay the old fees to inherit land they used to pay rather than the higher charges which John introduced. And his brother Richard before him. The great majority of the clauses in Magna Carta seem to deal with this kind of issue and to turn back the clock.
Magna Carta June 1215
Clause 2
Salisbury Cathedral
Test your understanding
What price does the heir to the land have to pay?
Incorrect I'm afraid...
Why don't you try going back to the document and listening to the transcript again?
Excellent! You've studied the document well.
The answer is £100, which is about... £50,000 in today’s money!
Will Magna Carta bring peace and freedom?
- Is Magna Carta simply a collection of complaints and grumbles by the barons which will only have benefits for them?
- Is Magna Carta more than this? Is it an important statement of key principles about how the king can rule and will have benefits for everyone in England?
- Will this document be long lasting and bring about peace and freedom, or will King John will find a way out of it?
