Unique display of Magna Cartas celebrate the birth of democracy
This article originally appeared on Culture24.
Milestone volumes illustrate Magna Carta's continued importance to English society over the centuries
The Black Book of Peterborough© Courtesy Society of Antiquaries of LondonThe exhibition displays, for the first time, three unique copies of the Magna Carta. More than simply celebrating the first brick of Western democracy, these copies tell an exciting tale of Magna Carta’s relevance through the ages.
“These three copies of Magna Carta are extraordinary finds, allowing us to see into the ways that the text was received and used by 13th century people,” says Fellow Stephen Church, the author of King John: England, Magna Carta and the Making of a Tyrant.
“The fact that they are copies, rather than official communications from the king, shows just how important it was for those at the sharp end of the reforms to possess their own copies of Magna Carta.”
The exhibition is spread across two rooms. In a room to the left of the lobby, visitors can watch a short film on the importance of Magna Carta and the history and significance of the three copies in the main display.
The Halesowen Abbey Scroll© Courtesy Society of Antiquaries of LondonPanels explaining the exhibits and the exhibition are arranged around the display cases, although there is no set path to follow and visitors are free to explore at will.
“You don’t have to go from specific panel to specific panel,” says communications officer Renée LaDue.
The three copies of the charter are distinct and can be enjoyed separately.
The Black Book of Peterborough is a strange copy of Magna Carta.
“It is a copy of a different one than the 1215 charter,” says LaDue.
"It does not reflect the final version John put his name to.”
Possibly based on a discarded draft, the original was sent to Peterborough Abbey, where it was copied into the Black Book.
Why this draft version was copied is a mystery. But its value is enormous in helping to understand how the terms of Magna Carta were negotiated.
The Halesowen Abbey Scroll is a unique roll copy of the 1225 reissue of Magna Carta and is believed to have come from Halesowen Abbey in West Midlands.
Magna Carta was almost immediately annulled by the Pope in 1215 but, after a bloody civil war during which John died, Magna Carta was reissued by his son Henry III, first under the guidance of his advisors and then in 1225 once he came of age.
It was a way for the King, still ruling in very unstable times, to win the favour of his barons and, therefore, the country.
The scroll is a beautiful roll of stitched-together vellum strips. Each clause opens with an enlarged capital, drawn alternately in red and green ink. The scroll is extremely delicate and this exhibition marks a first for it.
“It has never been on display so fully opened,” says LaDue.
The Hart Book of Statutes© Courtesy Society of Antiquaries of London“We don’t know who commissioned this volume or who created this volume but what this does represent is the growing legal profession in the country,” says LaDue.
The volume is important in telling the story of Magna Carta through the ages. By its inclusion in this lawyer’s document, it shows that Magna Carta was still a vitally important legal document in the 14th century.
Alongside these three star attractions are a variety of exhibits drawn from the society’s extensive collection.
Star among these must be the Georgian facsimile print of a 1215 Magna Carta. Only one of the four surviving original Magna Cartas retained the Great Seal of the King - effectively his signature - but this was damaged by fire in 1731.
This raised concerns about the vulnerability of the documents and a facsimile was commission from the engraver, John Pine. A hundred prints were made, one of which the society was lucky enough to be able to buy.
Pine embellished the document with a border featuring the Coats of Arms of John’s Barons. It is supported in the Society’s exhibition by two reproduction seals from its collection: one of King John and one, slightly livelier, seal of Robert Fitz Walter. It shows the leader of the baronial revolt at the galloping, sword drawn back and ready to strike.
The Halesowen Abbey Scroll in the exhibition space© Courtesy Society of Antiquaries of LondonTogether, they show Magna Carta’s continued importance to English society into the age of printing and are, in themselves, milestone volumes.
Magna Carta is of primary importance to English history. Several clauses knock the first chinks into the rigid feudal system with its iron-rule kings.
For the first time, it put a secular power above the King, the law. It guaranteed all free men liberty unless they break that law, no matter the King's displeasure.
It also demanded that no taxation was to be levied without representation, a principle which was the sole bargaining chip available to Parliament as, over the centuries, it clawed power after power away from the Monarchy.
Without Magna Carta, there would have been no English Civil War; there would be no rule of law or representative democracy.
The Society of Antiquaries of London has sought to protect and research such cultural heritage since its foundation in 1707.
With support from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Bank of America Merrill Lynch, the Society is celebrating one the defining moments in Western history and hopes to use this as a springboard for future exhibitions.
- The Society of Antiquaries is holding a series of lectures and events in connection with Magna Carta over June. Entrance is free but space is limited so advanced booking is advised. See the Society of Antiquaries of London events page for details.
More from Culture24's coverage of Magna Carta:
A Magna Carta for the common(s) people: Cornelia Parker's Wikipedia Embroidery unveiled at British Library
Best-preserved Magna Carta goes on show at Salisbury Cathedral for Magna Carta 800
Curator's Choice: The Magna Carta at the British Library
