Magna Carta 800 years on: recognition at last for "England's greatest export" Prepare for a surfeit of television historians strolling across a meadow in Surrey, gesturing into cameras. Plans are taking shape for lavish celebrations - including a host of TV and radio documentaries and books, and even a float at the Notting Hill carnival - of an anniversary that many hope will bring belated recognition to one of England's greatest but most overlooked creations. Eight hundred years ago next year, on 15 June 1215, on the banks of the Thames in Runnymede, an embattled King John met the English barons, who had backed his failed war against the French and were seeking to limit his powers. The weakened monarch had little choice but to witness the sealing of what some say is the world's most important document, one that, symbolically at least, established a new relationship between the king and his subjects. Thus the original Magna Carta, 3,500 words in Latin on a calfskin parchment, came into being, its enduring relevance confirmed in the many legal cases in which it is cited today. But while lawyers worship Magna Carta for laying the foundations for modern democracy, the defence of personal liberty and the protection of freedoms around the world, Britain largely ignores it. The 750th anniversary passed in 1965 with little fanfare. Plans for the 700th anniversary were abandoned due to the first world war. An appeal to the government for a national holiday next year, backed by many MPs, was rejected. History as an academic discipline has also often been reluctant to pay homage. The 1214 battle of Bouvines, the decisive battle after which England was forced to concede it had lost most of its lands in France, a pivotal moment in the weakening of John's position, has been described as "the most important battle in history that nobody has ever heard of." And until recently Magna Carta was only on the periphery of the history syllabus. Even David Cameron, when asked on a US chat show, was unable to say what Magna Carta means in English (answer: "Great Charter"). Runnymede also appears underwhelmed by its place in history. The only memorial to Magna Carta within the National Trust park that incorporates the meadow, bisected by a busy road, is a small, domed shelter built in 1957 by the American Bar Association. Two signs explain how the Pilgrim Fathers took a copy of Magna Carta with them, which helped Americans to frame their constitution, and how the document was used by Nancy Astor to promote universal suffrage, and by William Wilberforce and Abraham Lincoln to press for the abolition of slavery. The absence of a more fitting British memorial is surprising. Apparently the National Trust feared that putting Runnymede on the cultural map would cause traffic problems. "I've been wondering why that is [the absence of a visitor centre] for 20 years," said Sir Robert Worcester, chairman of the Magna Carta 800th Committee who can trace his family back to the Pilgrim Fathers. He describes Magna Carta as "England's greatest export," and reels off the key tenets it has bequeathed to the world - "due process of law; no one is above the law; justice delayed is justice denied; no taxation without representation; the English Church shall be free." Worcester and his fellow enthusiasts hope 2015 will be the year Magna Carta gets the anniversary it deserves. Tens of millions of national lottery pounds are being poured into key Magna Carta sites across England. Websites have been constructed; commemorative gold coins and stamps are to be issued; a peal of bells will ring from churches; a series of lectures around the world, starting with one by Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum, will emphasise the document's enduring importance; the British Library will host the largest exhibition in its history; special songs and poems will be performed; Magna Carta will even get its own display at the Notting Hill carnival. The creation of a visitor centre near Runnymede could also become a reality. Worcester talks optimistically of signing a deal with Royal Holloway University, which is a couple of miles away. However, capturing public interest remains a challenge. "Unlike other artefacts which may be a bit more sexy, it's a piece of parchment with some rather unintelligible words written on it in Latin," acknowledged Sandra Matthews-Marsh, chief executive of Visit Kent, the body that promotes tourism in the county keen to put itself on the newly launched Magna Carta tourist map. But the exhibition designers and curators we've appointed are really excited about the job. Their task is to bring the thing to life, not only to tell the story of why it was so important but what its relevance is today. It is a task in need of fulfilment. Last Thursday a British Asian family, father, mother, grandmother and three daughters, walked across the meadow at Runnymede and stood in front of the American Bar Association's memorial. "What do you mean, "Is that all there is?,"" the mother hissed in response to a mumbled observation from one of her daughters. For several minutes the family examined the signs and took selfies. Then they made their way back to the nearby car park and its National Trust tearoom. The US-built memorial stood unobserved in the autumn sunshine. Across the meadow came the roar of traffic, its drivers oblivious to the fact they were speeding past history. I've heard of it. Some Latin document written long ago. Didn't David Cameron talk about it on a chat show once? He was forced to admit he did not know what Magna Carta was in English. Idiot. So what does it mean? Great Charter. Sounds impressive. Indeed. Originally issued in 1215, it was the first document forced on to a king of England by his subjects as they sought to protect their privileges and limit his powers. The first? Yes, it was annulled by the pope nine weeks later. It was redrafted in 1216, 1217 and 1225. It was confirmed as English law in 1297, but most parts have been repealed. Most parts? Clause 1, securing the freedom of the English church; Clause 9, guaranteeing the "ancient liberties" of the City of London; and Clause 29, the right to due process, are still in force. Due process. Sounds like an 80s pop band. It was the clause that laid the foundations for the individual freedoms we enjoy today. Remind me again what it says. No Freeman shall be taken or imprisoned, or be disseised of his Freehold, or Liberties, or free Customs, or be outlawed, or exiled, or any other wise destroyed; nor will We not pass upon him, nor condemn him, but by lawful judgment of his Peers, or by the Law of the land. We will sell to no man, we will not deny or defer to any man either Justice or Right. So we have Magna Carta to thank for cutting our monarchs down to size? At the time it had little effect on curtailing monarchical powers, but it carried great symbolism. It gave succour to those opposing the king during the English civil war and helped lead to the rule of constitutional law throughout the English-speaking world.