Harvard Discovers Its ‘Copy’ of Magna Carta Is Rare 1300 Original

Harvard Law School announced that a manuscript long thought to be a replica of the Magna Carta is actually an original issued by King Edward I in 1300, Anadolu Agency reported. Purchased in 1946 for just $27.50, the document was previously sold at a London auction in 1945 for £42 (about $52 at the time).

Measuring 1.6 by 1.55 feet (0.5 by 0.47 meters), it is now confirmed as one of only seven surviving originals from Edward I’s 1300 reissue of the historic charter. Researchers from King’s College London and the University of East Anglia authenticated it using advanced imaging and textual comparisons.

Professor David Carpenter called it a “fantastic discovery,” emphasizing its significance in constitutional history. The parchment was traced to Appleby, Westmorland, and once belonged to WWI Air Vice-Marshal Forster Maynard. Harvard officials highlighted the finding as a testament to the enduring legacy of the rule of law.