BRITAIN’S most controversial historian is coming to Hampshire to explain the county town’s pivotal but little-known role in the birth of the Magna Carta.

David Starkey aims to put Winchester into the spotlight of celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the constitutional charter’s creation.

The Friends Annual Lecture takes place in the nave of Winchester Cathedral on Wednesday, October 14.

Known for his outspoken and often confrontational manner on television and radio, Mr Starkey has published more than 20 historical books and is the country’s leading constitutional historian.

The 70-year-old will be signing copies of his latest effort, Magna Carta, The Medieval Roots of Modern Politics. The book aims to dash misconceptions about the document’s history, outlining its influence on the American revolution, US constitution and jurisprudential thinking around the world today.

The Magna Carta curtailed the power of the monarch for the first time by established the basic rights and liberties of citizens and clergy.

Mr Starkey has most recently come under fire from royalists for claiming the “silent” Queen has “done and said nothing that anyone will remember,” paling in comparison to Queen Victoria.

The event on October 14 will benefit from video screens and a state-of-the-art additional PA system.

And not to be outdone by Salisbury Cathedral, Winchester boasts its own Magna Carta document, a 14th century volume containing a transcription of the 1217 charter.

Guests can also view the tomb of Peter des Roches, the Winchester Bishop who played an integral part in the sealing of Magna Carta in 1215.

The lecture starts at 7.30pm.

Tickets, include a drinks reception after the lecture, are available from the Cathedral Box Office on 01962 857275. They cost £18, or £15 for Friends of the Cathedral.

Friends of Winchester Cathedral hope proceeds from the lecture will help the last push in an £800,000 fundraiser for the conservation of the cathedral’s medieval stained glass. The group has been raising money for the last two years.

Anyone who wishes to join the friends before the talk is asked to contact lesley.bestwick@winchester-cathedral.org.uk.

Annual membership costs £20 for an individual or £36 for a joint pass. Membership includes free entry to the Cathedral.