British Library reunites Magna Carta copies for 800th anniversary

Four copies of groundbreaking document to be assembled at British Library – but only 1,215 people who won a ballot can see them

The four surviving copies of the Magna Carta being prepared for display at the British Library. Photograph: Clare Kendall/British Library/PA

Mark Brown

Monday 2 February 2015 - The Guardian

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The only remaining original copies of Magna Carta, one of the world’s most enduringly influential documents, are to on Monday be brought together for the first and probably only time.
Two copies in the British Library’s collection will be joined by one from Lincoln Cathedral and one from Salisbury Cathedral to mark the 800th anniversary of an agreement that has become a symbol of liberty and law.
The four copies will remain at the British Library for three days. On Tuesday 1,215 people who won a ballot to see them – randomly selected from 43,715 applicants from 20 countries – will be given access.
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