Spectral imaging expert Bill Christens-Barry and Debora Mayor of the Weissman Preservation Centre Prepare HLS MS172 for imaging. Image Credit: Harvard Law Today
Harvard Law School bought a stained and faded parchment in 1946 for just $27.50, believing it was an ordinary later copy of the Magna Carta. The document was catalogued as dating from 1327 and remained in the library for decades. Nearly 80 years later, medieval historians examining a digital image noticed that something about it did not fit that description. Further research and specialist imaging eventually showed that the parchment was an original version issued by King Edward I in 1300, making it one of only seven surviving copies of that edition.
Harvard’s $27.50 Magna Carta remained unrecognised for decades
The document, identified as HLS MS 172, had long been treated as an unremarkable copy. Harvard Law School’s records show that the library bought it in 1946 for $27.50 after it had been sold through a London book dealer. The auction catalogue described it as a copy made in 1327 that was somewhat rubbed and damp-stained, a description that helped keep its true age hidden for generations. Smithsonian Magazine reported that the London dealer Sweet & Maxwell had bought the parchment at Sotheby’s for £42 only about a month before Harvard acquired it. The parchment measures about 489 by 473 millimetres, or roughly 19 inches by 19 inches. It was part of Harvard Law School Library’s collection of historic documents and had even been placed on display. Digital images were also available online, meaning the document was not completely hidden from researchers. Its significance, however, remained unnoticed until a medieval historian happened to examine those images. ABC News reported that library staff had continued to regard it as a cheap copy even while it was on display.
Magna Carta scholar David Carpenter of King's College London examines the digitised document. Image Credit: Isobel Sheeran, King's College London/Harvard Law Today
What first revealed the document’s true identity
David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King’s College London, was studying digitised Magna Carta material in December 2023 when he came across HLS MS 172 on Harvard’s website. The handwriting, layout and overall appearance immediately suggested to him that the parchment could be an original from 1300 rather than the later copy recorded in the catalogue. He then contacted Nicholas Vincent, a medieval historian at the University of East Anglia, to help investigate. The researchers had several clues to examine. Harvard Law School reported that the document’s dimensions matched those of the 6 previously known originals from 1300. Its handwriting also showed distinctive features, including a large capital E at the beginning of Edwardus and elongated letters in the opening line. Those details were consistent with the other surviving originals. The researchers then faced a more difficult problem. Much of the writing had faded, making a direct comparison challenging. Harvard librarians used ultraviolet light and spectral imaging to reveal details that could not be seen clearly with the naked eye. The scans made it possible to examine the faded writing and compare the document closely with the other known originals from 1300.
Why the edition from 1300 was so important
The Magna Carta had first been issued in 1215 under King John and established a lasting principle that the monarch was subject to the law. The charter later became an important influence on constitutional traditions in Britain and elsewhere, including the development of the United States’ founding documents. ABC News noted that several updated editions followed the original, including the version issued by Edward I in 1300. That 1300 edition is particularly significant because it was the last time the full Magna Carta was set out and authorised by the king’s seal. According to PBS NewsHour, it was the 6th and final version in a sequence of editions issued after the original, while Smithsonian Magazine described Edward I’s 1300 reissue as the last time an English king confirmed the Magna Carta. Before Harvard’s discovery, six original copies from the 1300 issue were known. The identification of HLS MS 172 therefore increased that number to 7. Harvard Law School said the document is now recognised as one of only seven surviving originals from that particular issue.
How did scholars confirm the parchment was genuine
Carpenter and Vincent did not rely simply on its appearance. They compared the text against the other originals and found that it matched the authorised wording. Harvard Law School reported that the seven documents were examined alongside one another and that the clerks who produced them had been instructed to follow a prepared text closely. Any significant difference could therefore have raised doubts about the Harvard parchment. Instead, the document passed the comparison with extremely strong results. Ultraviolet and spectral images helped reveal writing that had become difficult to see over time, allowing the researchers to compare the wording closely. PBS reported that the scholars also examined the handwriting and the physical dimensions, finding them consistent with the known originals. The discovery also changed the estimated importance of what had been sitting in Harvard’s collection. Carpenter estimated that the parchment could be worth millions of dollars. A 1297 Magna Carta sold for $21.3 million at auction in 2007, although Harvard has no plans to sell its newly authenticated document.
Experts examined the document using spectral imaging. Image Credit: Harvard Law School
Where had Harvard’s Magna Carta come from
Authenticating the parchment was only part of the mystery. Vincent also investigated its earlier history and traced a possible route back to Appleby in Westmorland, England. Harvard Law School reported that the document was sent to auction in 1945 by First World War flying ace Forster Sammy Maynard. Maynard had inherited archives connected with Thomas and John Clarkson, prominent campaigners against the slave trade. Thomas Clarkson had later retired to the English Lake District and became friendly with William Wordsworth and William Lowther, who was associated with Appleby. Researchers believe the Magna Carta may have passed from Appleby through the Lowthers and Clarksons before reaching Maynard and eventually the auction market. That final part of the story is not completely proven. Vincent said the evidence strongly suggests that Harvard’s parchment could be the lost Magna Carta once issued to Appleby, but further documentation would be needed to establish the connection conclusively.
