TO MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE NATIONAL SOCIETY MAGNA CHARTA DAMES AND BARONS, POTENTIAL MEMBERS AND THOSE WHO SHARE OUR INTEREST IN THE PRINCIPLES OF CONSTITUTIONAL LIBERTY
FROM LEWIS L. NEILSON JR., CHANCELLOR
DATE: DECEMBER 9, 2004
We continue to significantly increase our e-mail list. To those of you who are new to our list we welcome you to receive our Electronic Newsletter and hope that you will find our Society and our mission to be interesting. Since a primary mission of our Society is to develop awareness of Magna Charta we wish to expand the circulation of our Electronic Newsletter by increasing our e-mail address list particularly including those who are members of lineage societies and/or who might share our interest in the principles of Constitutional Liberty. I would like to thank those who have shared their email lists since our last Electronic Newsletter.
We encourage you to check our Website regularly for new developments and information. The link to the Newsletter on the Website is: http://www.magnacharta.org/enews122004a.htm The link to the Website is: http://www.magnacharta.org. Please also refer to OUR E-MAIL LIST at the end of this Newsletter.
This Electronic Newsletter features information about the 2005 Educational
Tour to England and information about my trip to England in November in
preparation for the Tour. You may also subscribe to our April 16, 2005 dinner by
sending your check to our office.
The link to the 2005 Tour Itinerary is: http://www.magnacharta.org/june05.htm
You will observe that the nine day land cost ranges from $2,800.00 for over 16
participants to $2,400.00 for over 30 participants.
Mrs. Rose Mary McKeown is in the process of shortening the time in processing new applications and also reviewing applications which were not approved, generally due to lack of documentation, questions about the documentation or unknown ancestors. If you are waiting to hear you may call her to for more specific information. Our normal office hours are Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9:30AM - 3:00PM.
Topics: New***
***Greetings - Please send new email addresses
New Program Ideas - Please suggest
State and Local Activities - Please participate
New York City Reception - February 2005
***DC Reception and Dinner - April 16, 2005 - University Club -
Subscription Information
***Tour Program - 2005 - Ascot will be held in York, June,
2005 - The Itinerary is ready
***Chancellor's trip to England - November 11-15, 2004
Potential Members
Contributions
OUR E-MAIL LIST
Greetings
On behalf of the Officers and Council of the Society, I bring greetings with this Newsletter. We continue to develop awareness of Magna Charta and its message. We ask each of you to participate with us in continuing the long tradition of friendship and fellowship which has continued over many years. We need to increase the number of members and friends on our email listing. Please ask your relatives or friends to send us their E-mail address. Please also send us the E-mail addresses of friends who are interested either in lineage societies or in memorializing Magna Charta. For the future, please propose new members for our Society. Please also attend your local meetings and include your children and grandchildren. We have a very special organization and I hope that you will help us to maintain its traditions.
New Program Ideas
The internet is providing an extraordinary way to present information about
the Magna Charta. We welcome suggestions for new, innovative and economical ways to enhance
our mission. We continue to encourage biographical information about the
immigrant ancestors from whom our members descend.
Division, Colony and Chapter Meetings
Our Society Divisions, Colonies and Chapters meet throughout
the United States. The efforts of our dedicated leaders provide a vital service
to our members and we encourage participation in the excellent programs which
they offer. The dues to the Divisions, Colonies and Chapters are modest if
charged at all. Our members should contact our Office for the names of your
nearest
Regent. If your State or area does not have a local organization and you are a
member who is interested in the formation of one please let us know and we will
let you know when we have developed model By-Laws and can furnish a copy of the
Instructions and Guidelines.
New York City Event - February, 2005
We are planning to encourage our New York area members to attend a reception in late February with another organization. More information will be available after the event is scheduled. If you are a New York member and wish to serve on a committee for our Society please let me know and I will forward your name to Dr. Lucas, Regent, and Mr. Hilliard, Vice-Regent.
Washington DC Dinner - April 16, 2005 - at the University Club - We provide the date so that you can plan ahead - You can reserve now.
The National Society Magna Charta Dames and Barons will hold our Washington DC Reception and Dinner - April 16, 2005 - at the University Club, reception at 5:45pm, dinner at 7:15pm. The cost for the reception alone is $25.00 and the cost for the reception and dinner is $80.00, each with a cash bar. Black tie is optional. Please let us know if you wish an invitation. Members may reserve space for themselves and their guests by sending the subscription to the Society Office. Contributions in addition to the cost of the reception and dinner are welcome.
We are delighted to announce that Mr. Tim Guy, DiplAD FCSD FRSA will be our speaker this year. He is a Director of ABG and founder of Timothy Guy Design. A multi-disciplinary designer, he has taken a lead in the upcoming tour of the Lincoln Magna Charta to the United States in 2007. In 2001 he was invited by Historic Royal Palaces to develop a visitor management and signage communications strategy for the Historic Royal Palaces, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Kew Palace and the Banqueting House Whitehall. His perspective in interpreting history will provide valuable perspective for our efforts to do so for the Magna Charta.
The 2007 Magna Charta Exhibit will also travel to other venues within the United States and we are planning to schedule an additional informal meeting during the weekend for those of our members and guests who might be interested in the Exhibit visiting their area of the Country.
Tour Program - June 9 - 19, 2005 - You may sign up now.
We are pleased to have prepared an Itinerary for our June 2005 Educational Travel Program. The nine night program includes London, Windsor, Lincoln and York. We are delighted that Dean Alec Knight, is planning our visit to Lincoln where we will have the opportunity to see one of the four originals of the 1215 Magna Charta. Since the cost is modest considering the exchange rate and the outstanding program I anticipate considerable interest. I urge you to make your deposit as soon as possible. An additional reason for prompt planning is that there are a limited number of vouchers for the Royal Enclosure. The Itinerary and Terns and Conditions are on the Website. The estimated individual cost (sharing a room) of the Tour including nine (9) nights is $2,800.00 based on 16 participants, $2,500.00 based on 25 participants and $2,400.00 based on 30 participants, not including air. A estimated cost of a single supplement is $350.00.
http://www.magnacharta.org/june05.htm
The purpose of our educational tours is to visit locations of cultural and historical significance primarily relating to the Magna Charta. We are undertaking to reduce the cost while maintaining quality.
Visit to England November 2004
I spent a very busy four days in England planning for the June Tour.
I met with Mr. Nigel Hill, Honorary Secretary of the Friend of St. George's Chapel to learn about the programs available for the members of the Friends. The Friends has an important mission of supporting St. George's Chapel.
I toured the lovely and historic town of Lincoln, including floor and roof tours of the Cathedral and evensong at the Cathedral. I viewed the original Lincoln copy of the Magna Charta at the Castle and saw an outstanding view from the Castle wall. I enjoyed lunch at the Cloister Refectory with Dr. and Mrs. Nicholas Bennett, librarian and Library Development Officer. On Sunday, I was privileged to attend Remembrance Day Services at Lincoln Cathedral. I appreciate the hospitality of Dean and Mrs. Knight in inviting me to be their guest.
I attended a reception at the Tower of London as the invited guest of ABG - currently in joint partnership with Lincoln Cathedral to bring their Magna Charta to the US in 2007 as part of the 400 year anniversary of the Colonists' first landings.
Other US guests included David T Johnson, Chargé d'affairs ad interim and his wife Scarlett Swan and Professor Andrew O'Shaugnessy the Saunders Director, Robert H Smith International Center for Jefferson Studies at Monticello. ABG partner Tim Guy addressed the fifty guests who came from all private and public walks of life associated with historic buildings, on 'The Heritage Dividend' - The text of his talk is on our Website.
The Dean of Lincoln, the Very Reverend Dr. Alec Knight used the occasion to announce the City of Virginia Beach's contribution to the Magna Charta tour. This will be the launch location and they have pledged $250,000, partly to fund the feasibility stage and business plan, as well as costs towards the staging of the event.
I enjoyed exploring the potential role of our Society in encouraging the project. A number of those attending the reception, including me, shared our views on video and it is hoped during 2005 to screen a half hour programme in England and the US describing all the events that lead up to the return of Lincoln's Magna Charta to American.
The guests then witnessed the 800 year nightly enacting of 'The Ceremony of the Keys' when the Tower is locked up for the night with a buglers rendition of 'The Last Post' at 10pm.
I enjoyed an evening as the guest of Robert Sewell, a member of the Royal Society of St. George, at a Commemoration Service and Dinner. The Royal Society might be holding a program during our Tour..
Potential Members
If you are not a member of our Society and are eligible I hope that you will join. If you are not eligible but share our interest in history and genealogy we encourage you to remain on our Email list. We also welcome your participation in our ongoing genealogical research projects and our Tours. We welcome and encourage new members and remind those submitting lineage information to include copies of referenced material.
As mentioned in prior E-Newsletters, membership continues to be of vital importance to our Society. If you wish to speed up or facilitate the membership process, please include with the Proposal Form a well documented lineage (including copies of the documentation) to either a known ancestor or to one of the qualifying Barons. If you have sent lineage information without the copies you may also speed up the process by sending copies of the documentation. Lineage Forms are provided on the Website.
Contributions
We rely on member contributions for our Society operations and we plan to build our endowment in connection with the 100th Anniversary of the founding our Society in 1909. We hope you will consider year end contributions, including contributions of appreciated securities. Our Society is a public charity under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.
OUR E-MAIL LIST
Our E-mail list is made up of those who have sent us e-mail, of members and friends of the Society who have responded to our Newsletter request for E-mail addresses and others who we believe might be interested in our Society or mission. If you would prefer not to receive future Electronic Newsletters, however, please let us know. If you have friends who you believe might be interested in our Society, please forward this e-mail. If you have received this as a forwarded e-mail, please visit our Website at for more information about our Society. You may also contact our Society Office at 215-836-5022.
Do not hesitate to contact me with questions or suggestions. Chancellor@magnacharta.org