MAGNA CARTA: LAW, LIBERTY, LEGACY

According to the (newly reissued) Ladybird book on King John and the Magna Carta, ‘John was probably the worst King ever to occupy the throne of England. He tried to deceive everybody, and was trusted by none. His reign was disastrous, but it remains one of the most important in the history of the English-speaking people…’ As summaries goes, it’s quite succinct.

The British Library’s epic Magna Carta exhibition is more long-winded, but then who can blame the curators for wanting to get all their toys out for the charter’s 800th anniversary? Only four copies of the 1215 Magna Carta survive of the 13 on record, and the British Library owns two of them. Seeing them both, albeit in a very dimly lit room, is the highlight of this treasure-filled show. Handwritten in Latin by royal scribes using quill pens on parchment made from treated sheepskin, each is slightly different in size, but neither is more authoritative.

The back story – the king’s sealed agreement, reached at Runnymede with 25 barons, and its subsequent legal implications – is known to most, but there are surprises at every turn. With more than 200 items, the show is split into two parts, covering the story of the charter’s creation and its subsequent influence throughout the centuries.

There is Thomas Jefferson’s handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, together with one of the original copies of the US Bill of Rights, both on view in the UK for the first – and probably the only – time. From Sir Edward Coke’s 17th-century parliamentary challenges to the Stuart monarchy to Nelson Mandela’s 1964 ‘I am prepared to die’ speech, and some charming curios – Josiah Wedgwood’s 18th-century teapot with a Magna Carta painted on its side – all life is here.

But the earliest exhibits may be the most compelling. Thomas Cromwell’s Rememberances, for instance. Here, in his own hand, is his to-do list, including a note about the trial of Thomas More – More had invoked the Magna Carta in refusing to accept Henry VIII’s rule as absolute.

Little more than a year after it had been signed, King John was dead from dysentery – or poisoning, according to Ralph of Coggeshall’s exquisite 13thcentury miniature. His will, a tiny, hastily dictated note, is on loan from Worcester Cathedral; the earliest original English royal will in existence. A replica of his tomb is also on loan, along with the contents removed in 1797. A bit of thumb bone and two rather sharp teeth. Priceless. 

Until 1 September at the British Library, 96 Euston Road, London NW1: 01937-546546, www.bl.uk