British researchers have determined that a so-called “copy” of the Magna Carta, also known as the Magna Carta, held at Harvard Law School is actually a rare original dating back to the 1300s. About this reported Harvard Law School.
The Magna Carta is considered a fundamental document in the development of human rights, which significantly influenced the formation of constitutional traditions in many countries. In particular, it had a significant impact on the formation of the United States, from the Declaration of Independence to the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
The Harvard Law School Library purchased this document, known as “HLS MS 172,” in 1946 for $27.50. The auction catalog described it as “a copy…made in 1327…somewhat worn and damp-stained”. A month before, it had been sold to a London bookstore by a veteran of the Royal Air Force.
New research has shown that this document is one of seven authentic copies of the Magna Carta issued by King Edward I in 1300 that have survived to this day.
“This is a fantastic discovery. Harvard’s “Charter of Liberties” deserves to be celebrated not as some simple copy, tarnished and faded, but as the original of one of the most important documents in the world’s constitutional history, the cornerstone of freedoms past, present, and those yet to be won.” David, a professor at the King’s College of London, emphasized.
He came across a digital copy of “HLS MS 172” on the Harvard Law School Library website while analyzing unofficial versions of Magna Carta and suspected it might be the original. After that, together with the professor of the University of East Anglia, Nicholas Vincent, he conducted an in-depth study to confirm the authenticity.
Experts found that the dimensions of the document – 489 mm x 473 mm – fully corresponded to the parameters of the other six originals, as well as the character of the handwriting, in particular the capital letter “E” in the word “Edwardus” and the elongated letters in the first line. They suggest that “HLS MS 172” may be the same “Magna Carta” that was once issued for the parliamentary constituency of Appleby in Westmorland, England.
In the process of research, it turned out that the document was put up for auction in 1945 by World War I pilot Forster “Sammy” Maynard, who inherited it from a relative who campaigned against the slave trade in the 1780s.
