Last weekend, I was delighted to see members of the Cornish Stannary Parliament descend on my home patch of Fraddon to mark the 500th anniversary of the Charter of Pardon.
The well-attended event was held at Kingsley Village and started with a procession, which was followed by Anthony Richards (see right) reading out an abridged version of the document. An afternoon of traditional Cornish entertainment followed which was enjoyed by one and all.
This event is one of many activities this year to commemorate the signing of the Charter which restored the Stannaries following the 1497 rebellion and gave the historic Stannary Parliament the right to allow or disallow "any statue, act, ordinance, provision, restraint or proclamation ... made by the King, his heirs, successors, or the Prince of Wales, Duke of Cornwall, or their Council ... to the prejudice of any tinner ..."
This document forms an important part of Cornwall's special constitutional position, especially as in 1977 Dafydd Wigley in Parliament asked the Attorney General if he would provide the date when the Charter of Pardon of 1508 was rescinded. The reply stated that the right to veto Westminster legislation had never been formally withdrawn.
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