Harvard Law School's Magna Carta 'copy' bought for $27.50 now believed to be priceless genuine

In 1946, Harvard Law School bought a transcript of nan Magna Carta from London book dealers Sweet & Maxwell for nan derisory value of $27,50 – astir €400 successful 2025, based connected inflation.

The book dealers had bought it astatine a Sotheby’s auction successful London, pinch nan catalogue describing nan manuscript arsenic a “copy… made successful 1327… somewhat rubbed and damp-stained”. 

It turns retired that this unofficial transcript of Magna Carta - the first archive to put into penning nan rule that nan king and his authorities were not supra nan rule - had been wrongly catalogued and that it is successful truth an original.  

This intends that nan archive is conscionable 1 of 7 issued successful 1300 by Edward I that still survive.

David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history astatine King’s College London is down nan discovery.  

“I was trawling done each these online statute books trying to find unofficial copies of nan Magna Carta… and I instantly thought: my deity this looks for each nan world for illustration an original of Edward I’s confirmation of Magna Carta successful 1300, though of people appearances are deceptive,” said Professor Carpenter.  

He and Nicholas Vincent, professor of medieval history astatine nan University of East Anglia, made respective tests to found nan authenticity of nan document, known arsenic HLS MS 172. 

“Using spectral imaging and ultraviolet light, because successful places nan information isn’t very good, I worked done it connection by connection and it matched perfectly to nan different six,” Professor Carpenter said.  

Professor Carpenter described HLS MS 172 arsenic “one of nan world’s astir valuable documents”. 

He added: “It asserts a basal rule that nan ruler is taxable to nan law. He can’t conscionable say: ‘Into prison, disconnected pinch your head, I’m seizing your property.’ If he wants to enactment against you, he has to do truthful by ineligible process. It’s nan instauration chromatic of nan occidental contented of rule and democracy.”

Asked really it whitethorn person been mistaken for a copy, Professor Vincent said: “I deliberation everyone was knackered astatine nan extremity of nan Second World War. I deliberation whoever publication it astatine Sotheby’s and looked astatine it, I fishy what they thought was ‘oh it can’t beryllium an original Magna Carta because we’d cognize astir it’. They misread nan date, they sewage nan incorrect king. They catalogued it arsenic if it was a charter of Edward III. But successful truth it’s Edward I. For an amateur that’s a reasonably easy correction to make. But, arsenic a result, nan truth that it was an original was wholly ignored and it went for a reasonably derisory price.” 

Regarding nan document’s worth today, Professor Vincent said: "I would hesitate to propose a figure, but nan 1297 Magna Carta that sold astatine auction successful New York successful 2007 fetched $21m, truthful we're talking astir a very ample sum of money." 

Professor Carpenter described nan find arsenic "fantastic” news for Harvard.  

“I felt amazed. First that it existed astatine each and secondly, that Harvard didn’t realise what they had. I felt somewhat awestruck successful a measurement because nan 1300 confirmation by Edward I is nan astir charismatic of each confirmations.” 

Carpenter and Vincent judge nan archive was issued to nan erstwhile parliamentary borough of Appleby successful Cumbria successful 1300. 

"Harvard’s Magna Carta deserves celebration, not arsenic immoderate specified copy, stained and faded, but arsenic an original of 1 of nan astir important documents successful world law history, a cornerstone of freedoms past, coming and yet to beryllium won," added Professor Carpenter. 

Amanda Watson, of Harvard Law School, congratulated nan 2 professors connected nan “fantastic discovery”, saying: “This activity exemplifies what happens erstwhile magnificent collections, for illustration Harvard Law Library’s, are opened to superb scholars.” 

The professors are hopeful Harvard's Magna Carta will soon beryllium displayed to nan public. 

Additional sources • Harvard Law School