Magna Carta of Chester of the clauses in the Magna Carta of Chester and those in the Magna Carta indicates that it was written after King John issued the latter on 19 June 1215. In the early 1200s, the Earldom of Chester was the only county palatine on the Welsh Marches; Ranulf III ruled Chester as a separate feudal domain. His barons living outside of Cheshire are referred to as his 'knights from England'. In the late 12th century manuscript "De laude Cestrie", Lucian of Chester describes the county as obedient, 'more to the sword of its prince than to the crown of the
Magna Carta of Chester king.' Ranulf III had been loyal to the king during the First Barons' War and had supported the "Magna Carta". Ranulf III, William Marshal, the Earl of Derby and Earl of Warwick were the only members of the nobility to support the king. In 1215, Ranulf was one of the few magnates to serve as a witness for the Magna Carta. Before John's death in 1216, rebel barons offered the throne of England to Prince Louis of France. Louis arrived in England unopposed in the summer of 1216 and took Winchester. Ranulf was an outspoken supporter for the re-issuing of