BBC
We venerate the Magna Carta as the foundation rock of English political development. But the sort of law that it enshrined was not as important as that which was put into practice by another charter passed two years later: the Forest Charter.
Forest Law - and the customary rights to a material life which it enshrined – set out the terrain over which English men and women would struggle for 500 years, arguing about the simple right to make a living.
Michael Portillo reinvigorates this lost charter and discovers the shady political expediencies that made Magna Carta worth remembering.
You can read a transcript of this programme.
First broadcast: Monday 16 May 2005 on BBC Radio 4
The Things We Forgot To Remember in more depth:
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - About the series
Used with permission
This isn't revisionist history - it's restorative history. Find out more about the series. Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - About the series
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - Jack the Ripper
Production team
To what extent did Jack The Ripper mask more pressing fears of revolution in Victorian England? Michael Portillo investigates as part of the BBC/OU series... Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - Jack the Ripper
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The 1945 Labour Government
BBC
The Things We Forgot To Remember considers the popular view of the 1945 Labour Government. Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The 1945 Labour Government
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Armada
Used with permission
We ask whether Francis Drake's victory over the Spanish was as definitve as we might think, as part of the BBC/OU series 'The Things We... Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Armada
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Battle of Britain
Used with permission
A look at the pivotal moments of the Second World War, from the BBC/OU series 'The Things We Forgot to Remember' Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Battle of Britain
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Battle of Trafalgar
photos.com
Michael Portillo asks whether there's another story to the Battle of Trafalgar Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Battle of Trafalgar
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Bengal Famine
photos.com
Why did Bengal starve during the Second World War? Michael Portillo investigates for the BBC/OU series The Things We Forgot to Remember Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Bengal Famine
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Darien gap
BBC
Michael Portillo unravels the financial crisis that ended in an Act Of Union, as part of the BBC/OU series 'The Things We Forgot to Remember' Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Darien gap
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The French Revolution
Used with permission
A look at the real story of the French Revolution, from the BBC/OU series 'The Things We Forgot to Remember' Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The French Revolution
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Space Race
Used with permission
We ask whether Apollo 8 was more significant than Apollo 11 in establishing American dominance in space, as part of the BBC/OU series 'The Things... Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Space Race
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Suffragettes
photos.com
Michael Portillo and guests go in search of the true story of the Suffragettes for the BBC/OU series The Things We Forgot to Remember Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Suffragettes
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Things We Forgot To Remember: World War One
BBC
As part of the Things We Forgot To Remember series, Michael Portillo investigated why we only think of slaughter and loss when we recall the... Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The Things We Forgot To Remember: World War One
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - Presenter's perspective
BBC
As he moves his focus from current affairs to history, Michael Portillo considers the way our collective memory lets facts slip from its grasp. Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - Presenter's perspective
OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The making of the series
BBC
How do you know what we hear about in the news is a true interpretation of events? How can you be sure? If the present... Read more : OU on the BBC: The Things We Forgot To Remember - The making of the series
Be the first to post a comment.
Login or Register to post comments