HIDDEN away in the Wiltshire countryside are the remains of the royal rural retreat of Clarendon Palace.

For more than 400 years, the Kings and Queens of England came here to relax.

Sometimes the king entertained large numbers of guests here, impressing them with the beautiful surroundings and good hunting in the neighbouring park and forest.

Between January 1164 and the end of 1166, a series of these gatherings took place at Clarendon which produced legal documents and agreements that not only prepared the way for the Magna Carta in 1215, but still affect us all today.

The meetings in January 1164 produced the documents known as the Constitutions of Clarendon.

“Today we take it for granted that written documentation is needed to make an agreement legally binding,” said Professor Tom James, pictured above, who has been working on the site for nearly 40 years.

“In 1164 agreements were written, but not sealed personally by the individuals concerned. Agreements were made in public, in front of witnesses – and authentication was by seal as writing signatures was not a noble accomplishment.

“It was the demand by King Henry II that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas à Becket, should seal an agreement drawn up by royal officials, after making a verbal agreement to reduce the Church’s power, that led to their great quarrel. It all happened here.”

In fact, it probably all took place not far from where Professor James is sitting, on the wall of the Great Hall at Clarendon.

The precedent for written, sealed (and now signed) agreements to be legally binding was set, and we now take it for granted.

Two years later in 1166, Henry II again set a precedent at Clarendon when major changes in the legal system were made, and land disputes would be decided by local juries from then on.

This gradually evolved into our present jury system via other changes including sections of the Magna Carta. Between 2014 and 2016 the Friends of Clarendon Palace will be celebrating the 850th anniversaries of these momentous developments, with a series of events. The first major one, about the Constitutions of Clarendon, will take place at Salisbury Museum on September 19 and 20.

During the next two years there will be other events, including talks, walks, visits to schools, and displays.

If you would like information about any of these, contact clarendon850@btinternet.com.