Magna Carta 'copy' could be an original

BBC News

15-05-2025

Experts have found an unofficial copy of the Magna Carta might actually be an original from 1300. It's currently held by Harvard Law School in the United States. It bought it for just $27.50 (then about £7) in 1946 and has been sat in its library ever since. But two medieval history professors think it's an incredibly rare lost original of the document from 1300 in the reign of King Edward I and could be worth millions. They compared it to the 25 surviving copies of the document in the world and found the handwriting, dimensions and wording were identical to other originals from 1300. But what is the Magna Carta, why is it such an important document, and why did Horrible Histories make a song of it? Read on to find out more.
What is the Magna Carta?
The Magna Carta is seen as the basis of many UK laws and marks the first time that ordinary people were protected by rights. The first version was written up in 1215 in Runnymede on the banks of the river Thames.At that time, King John was in charge of England. He was fighting with landowners called barons who were unhappy with how he was running the country and how much he was taxing them. The Magna Carter was like an agreement between the King and the barons to take away some of the king's power. Learn all about the history of the Magna Carta on BBC BitesizeIt set out a list of basic rules about how the country would be run.One of the most important, was that no one was above law - including the king.
King John signed it (he actually put his seal on it) which meant that the clauses named would apply to everyone.Once the original copy was made, it was then copied about 250 times and taken around the country so it would apply everywhere.Further versions were issued by successive kings until 1300, when this copy at Harvard Law School is thought to have been drawn up. While not many of the rules still exist today, the Magna Carta was important to create the idea that the law should still apply to royalty, that everyone should have a fair trial, and that people shouldn't be taxed too much.