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The Charter

A meditation on Magna Carta and the foundations of liberty

Today Key Clauses History Legacy Surviving Copies Meditate About

The Four Survivors

At least 13 copies of Magna Carta were made in 1215, perhaps as many as 40. Only four original exemplars survive today.

British Library (Cotton Augustus II.106)

Damaged by fire in 1731, but the ONLY copy with its original seal still attached

British Library (Cotton Charter XIII.31a)

Best preserved of the four, with clear Latin text

Lincoln Cathedral

Marked 'LINCOLNIA' twice on the reverse; has survived in Lincoln for 800+ years

Salisbury Cathedral

The best-written of the four, with the clearest handwriting

A Reunion After 800 Years

In February 2015, for the first and only time in history, all four surviving copies of the 1215 Magna Carta were brought together at the British Library for a three-day exhibition marking the 800th anniversary.

The documents had never been in the same room before.

The Seal

Only one of the four copies still has its original seal attached — the fire-damaged Cotton Augustus II.106 at the British Library. The seal shows King John seated on his throne, bearing sword and orb.

The wax is cracked, the parchment scorched, but the seal endures.