Provisions of Oxford

The Provisions of Oxford are often regarded as England's first written constitution (although the Magna Carta and earlier law codes such as that of King Æthelberhtg of Kent are also significant).

Installed in 1258 by a group of barons led by Simon de Montfort, 6th Earl of Leicester, the provisions forced King Henry III of England to accept a new form of government. The power to decide the form of this government was placed in the hands of a council of twenty-four members, twelve selected by the crown, twelve by the barons. The twenty-four members selected were to pick four men among them (two chosen from the monarch's side by the community members and vice-versa) who created, in turn, a 15-member Privy Council to advise the king and oversee the entire administration. The selected men were to supervise ministerial appointments, local administration and the custody of royal castles. Parliament, meanwhile, which was to meet three times a year, would monitor the performance of this council.