Fundraising campaign for monument

A monument to celebrate Pontefract's link to the Magna Carta is due to be unveiled in the town centre in June.
Replica of the Magna Carta going on display at St Gilesâ¬" Church, Pontefract.
Norman Blackburn (chairman of Pontefract Magna Carta group) and Sir Bill O'Brien (secretary of Pontefract Magna Carta group)Replica of the Magna Carta going on display at St Gilesâ¬" Church, Pontefract.
Norman Blackburn (chairman of Pontefract Magna Carta group) and Sir Bill O'Brien (secretary of Pontefract Magna Carta group)
Replica of the Magna Carta going on display at St Gilesâ¬" Church, Pontefract. Norman Blackburn (chairman of Pontefract Magna Carta group) and Sir Bill O'Brien (secretary of Pontefract Magna Carta group)

And with less than two months to go, a fundraising campaign has been launched to help finalise the building of the hand-carved stone monument.

The Magna Carta was the first document imposed on a King of England by group of his barons in an attempt to limit his powers and protect their laws.

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Pontefract’s monument project began last year, as part of celebrations to mark 800 years since the charter was signed in 1215.

Paul Cartwright, chairman of Pontefract Civic Society, which has been working on plans for the monument, said: “One of the barons who got the Magna Carta sealed by King George - John De Lacy - came from Pontefract Castle.

“We want to make the people of Pontefract aware that the town had a part to play.

“And we want this monument to be an attraction for visitors too.”

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The monument, which will be installed on Bridge Street outside Pontefract Town Hall, will have four panels, each with stone engravings.

Sir Bill O’Brien, of the Pontefract Magna Carta Society, said: “It’s sad that there has been delays to get this ready because this would have been the pinnacle of our celebrations of the Magna Carta last year.

“But it’s very exciting. We will be the only town that has put a monument in place and we want it to be a tourist attraction.

“Pontefract celebrated the Magna Carta in a way no other town did.

“And we are now finding there is an interest in the premise of the Magna Carta from children and adults alike.”

To donate to the cause, visit www.crowdfunder.co.uk/pontefract-magna-carta-monument