Magna Carta 'copy' wrongly catalogued in 1940s found to be original
A rare, centuries-old original Magna Carta has been rediscovered after being mistakenly catalogued as a copy during a 1940s auction. The historic document, an early version of the iconic royal charter of rights, was purchased by Harvard Law School Library in 1946 for just $27.50 — unaware it was an original. It was only recently, while exploring digitised copies online, that British medieval history professor David Carpenter recognised it as authentic.
Subsequent testing confirmed the document's provenance as a 1300 issue from King Edward I's reign — making it the 25th known surviving original of this particular version. In contrast, a Magna Carta sold by Sotheby's in New York in 2007 fetched over $21 million.
Professor Carpenter, working alongside Nicholas Vincent of the University of East Anglia, explained the significance of the find. Vincent highlighted that only a handful of these 1300 originals are known to exist globally. 'It's akin to owning one of Vermeer's rarest paintings,' he said. 'There are just 25 of these Magna Carta originals remaining — a truly extraordinary discovery.'
The Magna Carta of 1215 was the first document to confirm rights under common law, fundamentally shaping modern legal systems. The 1300 version, issued as a formal endorsement by King Edward I, is notable for being the last issued as a single-sheet document bearing the king's seal.
Originally connected to the town of Appleby in Westmorland, the document's journey to Harvard's archives begins with its auction sale from the estate of WWII flying ace Air Vice-Marshal Sammy Maynard, who inherited it from anti-slavery campaigners Thomas and John Clarkson.
Vincent speculated that the document's mistaken cataloguing might have resulted from post-war exhaustion and a misreading of the date and monarch. He urged Harvard to showcase the find, celebrating its importance as a rare fragment of constitutional history. Amanda Watson of Harvard Law praised the discovery, calling it a testament to the value of sharing their extensive collections with scholars worldwide. —dpa
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