Building on a season of heritage and community, Soulton Hall recently hosted a prestigious evening featuring The Rt Hon Lady Arden of Heswall DBE, Emerita Justice of the Supreme Court.
We are pleased to report that the event successfully raised £612 for the Shropshire Community Foundation, specifically benefiting the Young Adults Development (YAD) fund.
Law, Virtue, and the Bedrock of St Erkenwald
The evening was held on the feast day of St Erkenwald, a fitting tribute to the 7th-century “law-giver.”
Lady Arden’s lecture explored the deep “Saxon-ness” of our legal heritage—those ancient, localized customs that flow directly from the foundational law codes of Erkenwald toward the constitutional milestones of the 13th century.
It was from this Saxon bedrock that Magna Carta and its essential companion, the Charter of the Forest, were carved. While Magna Carta dealt with the rights of free men, the Charter of the Forest famously protected the economic rights of the common people to the land, ensuring that justice was not merely for the elite, but a lived reality for all.
During her talk, Lady Arden underscored the essential principle that remains the cornerstone of this justice system, attributing the famous sentiment to the 17th-century scholar Thomas Fuller:
“Be you ever so high, the law is above you.”
Lady Arden spoke at length on the towering influence of Sir Edward Coke, the 17th-century Chief Justice who defended the independence of English law against the “Divine Right” of kings.
She detailed Coke’s pivotal role in the Case of Proclamations (1610), where he ruled against King James I. Coke declared that the Monarch did not have the power to change the law of the land by royal decree alone, establishing that the law applied to everyone, regardless of their station.
This principle of legal accountability was observable centuries earlier in Erkenwald’s law codes. In these early structures, even a King like Ine of Wessex submitted to the law. The “commonness” of the law that Erkenwald promoted became the essential engine and necessary precondition for the founding of a unified England by 927. The cultural energy surrounding the subsequent rereading of Magna Carta in cathedrals was, at its heart, a conscious Saxon renewal—a return to that foundational Erkenwaldian bedrock where the law belongs to the whole community.
The discussion bridged the gap between these historic constitutional battles and modern governance. Lady Arden reflected on her current work regarding the Nolan Principles—the seven pillars of public life:
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Selflessness,
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Integrity,
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Objectivity,
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Accountability,
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Openness,
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Honesty, and
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Leadership.
She argued that the “virtue” required of Coke in the 1600s is the same virtue required of us all today. Whether it is those holding high office or citizens using a self-checkout, there is a modern need for a reminder of these fundamental questions of virtue and the law. To ensure the rule of law remains robust, the “self-checking” of our own integrity is what keeps the bedrock of our society firm.
A Successful Evening
The evening was formally hosted by the High Sheriff of Shropshire, with the Hall looking stunning in the golden evening sunshine.
“The Hall looked absolutely stunning in the evening sunshine. Thank you for a superbly interesting evening and your generous hospitality.” — Joanna Morris, Shropshire Community Foundation
We would like to thank the High Sheriff, Lady Arden, and all those who attended for making this night of intellectual rigour and community spirit such a success.
