Medieval manuscripts blog

21 April 2014

Magna Carta in England's Hall of Fame

A poll conducted recently by Visit England has chosen the four original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta for inclusion in England's Hall of Fame. Members of the public were asked to nominate their favourite English things, and then a panel of experts made the official selections across six categories. The British Library's two copies of Magna Carta, together with those held by Lincoln and Salisbury Cathedrals, have been awarded Bronze in the History & Heritage category, behind the gardens of Capability Brown at Kirkhale Lake and Courtyard, Northumberland (Silver), and Portsmouth Historic Dockyard (Gold).

Magna Carta

We're delighted to have been chosen for this accolade. The competition was undoubtedly fierce, and other award-holders include the Sandwich (winner in the Food & Drink category), The Beatles (winner in Culture & Entertainment), and Banksy (Bronze in The Great, the Good and the Notorious).

Here at the British Library we are planning our celebrations in 2015 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta, issued by King John at Runnymede on 15 June 2015. Our events will include the three-day unification of the four originals in February 2015, in partnership with our friends at Lincoln and Salisbury, and a major Magna Carta exhibition to be held at the British Library from March until September 2015. We will be posting more information about that exhibition on this blog in due course.

Meanwhile, there will be a free open-air exhibition about England's Hall of Fame on London's Southbank from St George's Day, 23 April, until 30 April 2014.

Comments

The City of London has a fine 1297 copy of Magna Carta, notable for having attached to it the original writ directed to the Sheriffs of London, ordering that the Charter be promulgated within the City. London was the only city specifically named in the document, in the clause that stated that “the City of London shall have all its ancient liberties by land as well as by water".

More infomation can be found at http://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/things-to-do/visiting-the-city/archives-and-city-history/Pages/magna-carta.aspx

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