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British researchers have determined that a “copy” of the Magna Carta owned by the Harvard Law School Library is a rare original issued by England’s King Edward I in 1300. The copy was previously thought to date back to 1327.
The Magna Carta, issued by King John in 1215, established that the monarch is a subject under the law, just like any other citizen. It was reissued a number of times throughout the thirteenth century, and was released for the final time with the king’s seal in 1300.
Seven original charters issued by King Edward I are known to exist. Six copies are in the United Kingdom, while Harvard Law School’s Magna Carta is now the only known copy abroad.
The discovery was made by David Carpenter, a professor at King’s College London, and Nicholas Vincent, a professor at the University of East Anglia. Carpenter, a Magna Carta expert, was researching unofficial copies of the charter and suspected the Law School’s copy was actually an original. He then worked with Vincent, another Magna Carta expert, to investigate further.
The charter, an agreement between the King of England and rebel barons, gave way to the idea of a limited government and inspired the writers of the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. In a joint press release between the three universities, Vincent called it “the most famous single document in the history of the world.”
“Given where it is, given present problems over liberties, over the sense of constitutional tradition in America, you couldn’t invent a provenance that was more wonderful than this,” he added.
According to its records, the Law School Library bought the document for $27.50 in 1946 — less than $500 today, according to the government's Consumer Inflation Index calculator.
Carpenter and Vincent found that the Law School’s copy shared key similarities with the previously known originals, including its physical dimensions and the handwriting of the large capital “E” at the start of “Edwardus” in the charter’s first line.
The professors used images obtained by the library’s staff using ultraviolet and spectral imaging to analyze the text and confirm its alignment with other 1300 issues.
In the release, HLS library assistant dean Amanda T. Watson emphasized the role of libraries in preserving historical documents, adding that digitization has opened the door for more such research to be done.
“This work exemplifies what happens when magnificent collections, like Harvard Law Library’s, are opened to brilliant scholars,” Watson wrote.
“Behind every scholarly revelation stands the essential work of librarians who not only collect and preserve materials but create pathways that otherwise would remain hidden,” she added.
—Staff writer Caroline G. Hennigan can be reached at caroline.hennigan@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @cghennigan.
