THE KING
The King is depicted by a rare King John penny (1166-1216AD), also mounted on an onyx pyramid. John is widely seen as a failure as a King: in a war with the French king Philip II, he lost Normandy and almost all his other possessions in France. In England, after a revolt of the barons, he was forced to seal the Magna Carta (1215) handing over a number of powers to them, this remains the nearest thing that Britain has to a written constitution. He was also known for his love of hunting and maintained a network of Hunting Lodges across the country - he is notable in Weddington's history, as the original site of Weddington Castle housed one of his many Hunting Lodges - which were built throughout the country during his rule (a number of local historical and media reports refer to this) . Unlike Boudicca who was seen as a folk hero, King John is often portrayed as a villain – notably in later versions of the Robin Hood folk tale. |
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