World culture: Four surviving original copies of Magna Carta to be brought together for the first time in history

The four surviving original copies of Magna Carta will be brought together for the first time in history in 2015, the year of the 800th anniversary of the issue of the Charter by King John in 1215. The unification, which will be held at the British Library in collaboration with Lincoln Cathedral and Salisbury Cathedral and supported by the law firm Linklaters, will take place over 3 days in early 2015 and will kick off a year of celebrations across the UK and the world.

The unification will provide a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for researchers and the public to see the documents side-by-side. The manuscripts will be examined in the British Library’s Conservation Centre by some of the world’s leading experts on the documents who are currently undertaking a major research project on Magna Carta and the charters of King John, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council. This unique opportunity will allow the historians involved to study faded or obscured parts of the text more closely and to look for new clues about the identity of the writers of the texts, which is hitherto unknown.

There are four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta - two copies belong to the British Library, one copy is owned by Lincoln Cathedral and one by Salisbury Cathedral. All three organisations will be celebrating the 800th anniversary, with the British Library staging a major exhibition, Lincoln Cathedral opening their new purpose-built Magna Carta centre in Lincoln Castle, and Salisbury Cathedral launching a programme of learning and outreach events and celebrations.