Lonely Planet lists Magna Carta's 800th anniversary as the world's No. 1 anniversary in 2015

Judges looking at the City of London's 1297 Magna Carta in a carriage during the Lord Mayor's show in London on Nov 8, 2014. English Heritage, the official government cultural agency, has listed the signing of the famous Magna Carta, or Great Ch
Judges looking at the City of London's 1297 Magna Carta in a carriage during the Lord Mayor's show in London on Nov 8, 2014. English Heritage, the official government cultural agency, has listed the signing of the famous Magna Carta, or Great Charter, 800 years ago as one of the top 10 anniversaries in Britain in 2015. -- PHOTO: REUTERS

London (Xinhua) - English Heritage, the official government cultural agency, has listed the signing of the famous Magna Carta, or Great Charter, 800 years ago as one of the top 10 anniversaries in Britain in 2015.

Also on the list is the first meeting of the forerunner to British Parliament 750 years ago.

Global travel guide company Lonely Planet lists the signing of Magna Carta as its No. 1 anniversary anywhere in the world in 2015.

Celebrations throughout this year will mark what historians accept is the birth of Britain's common law and parliamentary systems.

Hundreds of nationwide events will take place during 2015 to celebrate the dual anniversaries, many of them partly paid for by a special government grant.

In June, Queen Elizabeth will attend a special event at Runnymede, a water meadow along River Thames, where in 1215 King John signed the Magna Carta, or Great Charter. The signing followed unrest among the Barons of England unhappy with the power of the monarchy.

Fifty years after the signing, on Jan 20, 1265, Simon de Montford, the Earl of Leicester gathered together an elected body of representatives from across England to meet at what was considered to be the first meeting of "the commons". This was the first time towns and cities had been represented, making it the first "English Parliament". That meeting took place in the Palace of Westminster and succeeded in stripping the monarch of unlimited authority.

Only four copies of the Magna Carta exist today. Just days ago it was announced that Lincoln Castle has now closed for three months to enable work on a 22 million pounds (S$45.4 million) project to build a new high security vault to house a copy of the Magna Carta. The castle will re-open on April 1 when the charter will go on show.

The project is expected to transform the castle into an international visitor attraction.

Lord Cormack, chairman of the Historic Lincoln Trust, said: "Generations of visitors and students will have a unique opportunity to appreciate the full significance of the most important constitutional document in our history: The foundation of the rule of law in this country and inspiration to countries throughout the world."

Other events include a spectacular river pageant along the River Thames in June and major events at the British Library in London. Special commemorative coins and stamps will be issued during this year. There have even been calls for the Government to declare June 15 - the actual anniversary of the Magna Carta signing - as a public holiday.

Authorities at the Palace of Westminster, home of both Houses of Parliament, have created inter-active programs for schools and colleges to enable students study the importance of the two events.

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