The Ordinance of the Magnates was issued in the parliament of February 1259. In it, the barons accepted restrictions on their own power, rather than merely seeking to restrict the power of the king. Dated 1259 (C 66/73).
Transcript
Henry, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Ireland, of Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, to all his faithful subjects, clergy and laymen, of the county of York, greeting. This is to make it known that our councillors, by common consent, and for the betterment and relief of the state of our realm, have granted, for themselves and their heirs, that they will always observe towards their subjects and their men the good laws and good customs which we, for ourselves and our heirs, have granted to our subjects: and they have drawn up their charter to this effect, which we have seen, in the following form.
‘The king’s council and the twelve elected by the community of England greet all men. Since our lord the king wishes and desires that swift justice be observed and done to all in common throughout his realm, and also wishes that whatever wrongs have been committed by his officers and by others in former times should be redressed, we will, grant, and offer, on our part, that all wrongs which we and our bailiffs have done to our subjects or to our neighbours shall be corrected by the king and by his justiciar, or by those whom he shall appoint for this purpose, without hindrance or opposition from us and ours. If what is found by complaint can properly be pleaded by writ according to the law of the land, such as freehold and anything pertaining to freehold, it shall be pleaded by writ as it should be, and in the customary place. And we will hinder no one by threats, nor by power, nor in any other manner, from freely making complaint of us and of our men, and from prosecuting his complaint of us and of our men, and from prosecuting his complaint, nor will we remember it against him, nor attempt any reprisal against him by reason of his complaints and prosecutions.
Moreover we will and have granted, for us and for our heirs, that the articles in the charter of liberties which the king has granted regarding himself and his officers, and to those who hold of him in chief, we will observe as regards ourselves towards our tenants and our neighbours, both in our demesnes and in our liberties. Moreover, whatever the king’s council has established or shall establish between now and All Saints’ next [November 1], regarding the king and his subjects, with respect to suit of court, amercements, wardships, socage, and his farms and other sorts of liberties, and anything else thereafter which shall be for the reform of the state of the realm, we will uphold it as between ourselves and our subjects, both we ourselves and our heirs. Moreover, that same oath which the king caused his sheriffs and his other officers to take, we will make our officers swear, both those of our demesnes and those of our liberties, in our full courts before the four knights elected in each county or any other persons appointed by the council to act as knights, on condition that our franchises and free customs shall in no wise be infringed, and that this cannot disinherit us or our heirs. And we will do this at every change of officials ; that is to say, they shall swear that they will loyally serve the king in what pertains to him and to his liberties, and us in what pertains to our franchises and demesnes ; and that they will do right commonly to all people, according to the powers vested in their offices ; and that they will not falter in this for fear, nor for affection, nor for hatred, nor for greed ; and that from no one will they take anything, either directly or indirectly, or by any kind of trick or device, by reason of their office, whereby justice is delayed or wrong done, saving only such food and drink as is customarily brought to table in a single day at most.
And those who administer the liberties shall swear that they will have no more sergeants than are necessary for keeping their charges, and that they will employ as sergeants only those men for whose actions they are willing to be responsible ; and these men, as long as they are in office, shall no demand from anyone, cleric or layman, freeman or villein, house of religion or township any lamb, sheaf, corn, fleece, money or anything else of value, and that they will not make scot-ales nor feast-ales. And let every sort of bailiff be certain that it they are attainted of any manner of imposition named above, by reason of their office, they will be punished, and the giver as well as the receiver, if the giver conceals the payment and is attainted by another person. And the lord shall have the amercement and the penalty if he causes the trespass to be put right in his own court. We also promise, on our oaths, that none of us, neither for gift nor for future payment, will undertake to avow any man who is not rightly one of ours, against his lords, nor against his neighbours nor against anyone else. And all these things we will, offer, and decree shall be firmly maintained by us and by all the people of this kingdom.’ And this charter was made and decreed by the aforesaid on St. Peter’s day [22 February] in the month of February, in the year of our Lord 1258 [1259, modern style]. And in testimony of this we have set our seals to this document.
And since we wish that this ordinance be firmly kept henceforth, we have ordered all our sheriffs to cause it to be kept everywhere throughout their bailiwicks as is provided. And in testimony of this we have caused our seal to be set to these letters patent. Witness myself at Westminster, 28 March, the 43rd year of our reign [1259].
Full transcript taken from RE Treharne and I.J Sanders (eds), Documents of the Baronial Movement of Reform and Rebellion, 1258-1267 (Oxford, 1973).
Simplified transcript
Henry, by the grace of God, king of England, lord of Ireland, duke of Ireland, of Aquitaine, and count of Anjou, sends greetings to all his faithful subjects, clergy and laymen, of the county of York. Our councillors, for the betterment and relief of the state of our realm, have drawn up a charter in the following form:
The king’s council and the twelve elected by the community of England greet all men. Since our lord the king wishes that swift justice be observed throughout his realm, and wishes that wrongs committed by his officers should be corrected, we grant that all wrongs which we and our bailiffs have done to our subjects or to our neighbours shall be corrected by the king and his justiciar, or by those whom he shall appoint for this purpose without opposition from us and ours.
Moreover we will and have granted, for us and for our heirs, that the articles in the charter of liberties which the king has granted regarding himself and his officers, and to those who hold of him in chief, we will observe as regards ourselves towards our tenants and our neighbours, both in our demesnes and in our liberties.
And since we wish that this ordinance be firmly kept henceforth, we have ordered all our sheriffs to cause it to be kept everywhere throughout their jurisdictions as is provided. And in testimony of this we have caused our seal to be set to these letters patent.