Priceless medieval artefact auctioned for just $27 is centuries-old original, experts reveal
Historians have discovered that centuries-old manuscript at Harvard Law School is not a mere copy, but is, in fact, an original version of one of the world’s most influential documents.
Bought at auction and long dismissed as an unremarkable copy, a document in Harvard Law School’s archives has been dramatically reclassified as an extraordinarily rare original of the 1300 reissue of Magna Carta. The discovery was made after historians used a mix of imaging technology and scholarly sleuthing to verify its authenticity.
Researchers from King’s College London and the University of East Anglia established that the parchment, still held by Harvard Law School and known as HLS MS 172, is in fact one of just seven known surviving versions of the legal document of Magna Carta reissued by Edward I of England in 1300.
The discovery elevates the document from relative obscurity to global historical significance, placing it alongside counterparts preserved in archives in Britain.
The confirmation came through the combined efforts of Professors David Carpenter of King’s College London and Nicholas Vincent of the University of East Anglia, two of the world’s leading Magna Carta experts.
Working with Harvard librarians and drawing on ultraviolet light and spectral imaging, they were able to analyse both the material structure and textual minutiae of the manuscript. They found that the parchment featured physical characteristics that matched known originals, and its content was a precise match for the 1300 reissue of the document, including specific textual changes introduced in that year.
An overlooked treasure bought for $27
HLS MS 172 was sold to Harvard in 1946 for only $27.50, having been auctioned as a copy and misdated to 1327. It had previously belonged to a British RAF officer and, before that, may have been kept by the borough of Appleby in Westmorland. For decades, it sat in Harvard’s collection of English legal manuscripts, unrecognised for its true worth.
That changed during a digitisation project undertaken by Harvard Law School in the run-up to Magna Carta’s 800th anniversary in 2015. As Carpenter combed through digital scans of the library’s holdings, the manuscript caught his eye. Further forensic and palaeographic analysis [the study of the writing style], in collaboration with Vincent, confirmed his hunch: this was no ordinary text.
Magna Carta, Latin for ‘great charter,’ was sealed at Runnymede in June 1215 between King John and a group of rebellious barons. It was born out of a period of deep unrest, when John faced financial strain and political discontent.
At its heart, Magna Carta established a revolutionary idea: that the king was subject to the law. This principle became a cornerstone of British constitutional history and laid the foundation for modern legal systems. Among its key clauses were protections against unlawful imprisonment and the denial or sale of justice, provisions that remain part of English law today.
On 15 June, John sealed the charter, hoping it would serve as a symbol of royal generosity. But the barons intended otherwise, pushing for its strict enforcement. The agreement collapsed into civil war within months, but its principles endured.
Why Magna Carta’s 1300 reissue is significant
Though the original 1215 charter was annulled, Magna Carta was reissued multiple times. The 1225 version, streamlined to 37 clauses, became the definitive text.
Edward I confirmed this version in 1300, issuing copies to local assemblies across the kingdom. The 1300 confirmation was especially significant: it was the final version to reproduce the full text and the most widely disseminated at the time.
By the 17th century, figures like English barrister and politician Sir Edward Coke were invoking it as a symbol of ancient English liberties. It inspired the Petition of Right in 1628 (a document proclaiming the illegality arbitrary imprisonment and of taxation without parliamentary consent) and, centuries later, the American Declaration of Independence and US Constitution.
In fact, the principle of "no taxation without representation" has roots in Magna Carta.
This message would spread across Europe, influencing the French Revolution and constitutional charters elsewhere. During the Second World War, Magna Carta became a symbol of the democratic values threatened by fascism.
However, only 25 original Magna Cartas – now including this rediscovered version – from all issuances between 1215 and 1300 are known to have survived. The Harvard discovery is one of just three outside Britain, and is the only version from the 1300 reissue in the United States.
Authors
James Osborne is a digital content producer at HistoryExtra where he writes, researches, and edits articles, while also conducting the occasional interview