A medieval manuscript held at Harvard Law School, long catalogued as a 14th-century copy of Magna Carta, has been identified as one of the few surviving versions from the year 1300. Historians David Carpenter and Nicholas Vincent have confirmed the charter’s authenticity through close comparison with other known exemplars and advanced imaging analysis.
Now designated as one of just seven surviving documents from King Edward I’s 1300 reissue of Magna Carta, the manuscript—HLS MS 172—had previously been dismissed as a later copy, “somewhat rubbed and damp-stained.” Purchased by Harvard in 1946 for $27.50, it had not been subjected to full scholarly scrutiny until recently, when Professor Carpenter encountered its digitised form on the Harvard Law School Library website.
Carpenter, a Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London, began comparing the document’s text and physical characteristics to known originals, ultimately collaborating with Nicholas Vincent of the University of East Anglia to assess its provenance and status. “This is a fantastic discovery,” Carpenter noted, adding that it should be viewed “not as some mere copy, stained and faded, but as one of the most significant documents in world constitutional history, a corner stone of freedoms past, present and yet to be won.”
Material Evidence and Textual Uniformity
The charter’s physical dimensions—489mm by 473mm—match those of the six other verified 1300 versions. Its handwriting, including the initial capital E in Edwardus and the elongated characters in the opening line, is consistent with chancery products of Edward I’s reign. However, what ultimately confirmed its authenticity was its strict adherence to the official 1300 text.
Carpenter and Vincent discovered that a newly standardised version of Magna Carta had been prepared for the 1300 reissue, with royal clerks instructed to follow the authorized wording exactly. Any deviation would mark a manuscript as unofficial. With the help of ultraviolet and spectral imaging carried out by Harvard librarians, the scholars were able to read faded portions of the text and verify its fidelity.
HLS MS 172 passed the test “with flying colours,” the researchers concluded. “This uniformity provides new evidence for Magna Carta’s status in the eyes of contemporaries,” Carpenter explained. “The text had to be correct.”
Reconstructing Provenance
In tracing the manuscript’s journey, Carpenter and Vincent suggest that it may once have belonged to the parliamentary borough of Appleby in Westmorland, which received a Magna Carta in 1300. They link the Harvard document to Air Vice-Marshal Forster “Sammy” Maynard, who sold it at Sotheby’s in 1945. Maynard had inherited papers from anti-slavery campaigners Thomas and John Clarkson, who had connections to Appleby and the Lake District landowning Lowther family.
The charter was acquired by London legal publishers Sweet & Maxwell for £42 before it was purchased by Harvard Law School Library the following year.
“Congratulations to Professors Carpenter and Professor Vincent on their fantastic discovery,” said Amanda Watson, Harvard Law School’s Assistant Dean for Library and Information Services. “This work exemplifies what happens when magnificent collections, like Harvard Law Library’s, are opened to brilliant scholars. Behind every scholarly revelation stands the essential work of librarians who not only collect and preserve materials but create pathways that otherwise would remain hidden.”
It was always a "real thing," it just turns out to be a little bit older – and therefore more important – than originally thought. This article demonstrates how the word "copy" can be misinterpreted, especially in the context of medieval manuscript studies. 1/2
A medieval manuscript held at Harvard Law School, long catalogued as a 14th-century copy of Magna Carta, has been identified as one of the few surviving versions from the year 1300. Historians David Carpenter and Nicholas Vincent have confirmed the charter’s authenticity through close comparison with other known exemplars and advanced imaging analysis.
Now designated as one of just seven surviving documents from King Edward I’s 1300 reissue of Magna Carta, the manuscript—HLS MS 172—had previously been dismissed as a later copy, “somewhat rubbed and damp-stained.” Purchased by Harvard in 1946 for $27.50, it had not been subjected to full scholarly scrutiny until recently, when Professor Carpenter encountered its digitised form on the Harvard Law School Library website.
Carpenter, a Professor of Medieval History at King’s College London, began comparing the document’s text and physical characteristics to known originals, ultimately collaborating with Nicholas Vincent of the University of East Anglia to assess its provenance and status. “This is a fantastic discovery,” Carpenter noted, adding that it should be viewed “not as some mere copy, stained and faded, but as one of the most significant documents in world constitutional history, a corner stone of freedoms past, present and yet to be won.”
Material Evidence and Textual Uniformity
The charter’s physical dimensions—489mm by 473mm—match those of the six other verified 1300 versions. Its handwriting, including the initial capital E in Edwardus and the elongated characters in the opening line, is consistent with chancery products of Edward I’s reign. However, what ultimately confirmed its authenticity was its strict adherence to the official 1300 text.
Carpenter and Vincent discovered that a newly standardised version of Magna Carta had been prepared for the 1300 reissue, with royal clerks instructed to follow the authorized wording exactly. Any deviation would mark a manuscript as unofficial. With the help of ultraviolet and spectral imaging carried out by Harvard librarians, the scholars were able to read faded portions of the text and verify its fidelity.
HLS MS 172 passed the test “with flying colours,” the researchers concluded. “This uniformity provides new evidence for Magna Carta’s status in the eyes of contemporaries,” Carpenter explained. “The text had to be correct.”
Reconstructing Provenance
In tracing the manuscript’s journey, Carpenter and Vincent suggest that it may once have belonged to the parliamentary borough of Appleby in Westmorland, which received a Magna Carta in 1300. They link the Harvard document to Air Vice-Marshal Forster “Sammy” Maynard, who sold it at Sotheby’s in 1945. Maynard had inherited papers from anti-slavery campaigners Thomas and John Clarkson, who had connections to Appleby and the Lake District landowning Lowther family.
The charter was acquired by London legal publishers Sweet & Maxwell for £42 before it was purchased by Harvard Law School Library the following year.
“Congratulations to Professors Carpenter and Professor Vincent on their fantastic discovery,” said Amanda Watson, Harvard Law School’s Assistant Dean for Library and Information Services. “This work exemplifies what happens when magnificent collections, like Harvard Law Library’s, are opened to brilliant scholars. Behind every scholarly revelation stands the essential work of librarians who not only collect and preserve materials but create pathways that otherwise would remain hidden.”
Top Image: Magna Carta, approximately 1300. Manuscript. HLS MS 172, Harvard Law School Library.
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