Monday 2 February 2015

Making history: Four original surviving

Magna Carta manuscripts are brought
together for the first time
Lincoln Cathedrals Magna Carta is helping make history today by
being displayed alongside the other three surviving 1215 documents
for the first time ever before it comes home to the 22m new-look
Lincoln Castle Revealed.
Magna Carta is one of the worlds most influential documents an
agreement granted by King John in 1215 as a practical solution to a
political crisis, which in the centuries since has become a potent
symbol of liberty and the rule of law.
Today Lincoln Cathedral, the British Library, and Salisbury Cathedral
have made history by bringing those four original surviving Magna
Carta manuscripts together in one place, for the first time.
This unification event, sponsored by the global law firm Linklaters,
takes place at the British Library over the next three days, and is
part of a year of celebrations to mark the 800th anniversary of the
issue of the Charter.
Following the event, the manuscripts will travel to the House of
Lords for one day on Thursday 5 February, before being separated
again. Lincolns Magna Carta will then take pride of place from April
2015 in a new state-of-the-art visitor attraction, the David P J Ross
Magna Carta Vault at Lincoln Castle, part of a 22m, four-year
restoration of the Norman Castle.
It will mark the end of a 7,500-mile journey over the last few months
for the Lincoln manuscript, stretching from the USA - where more
than 200,000 people saw it on display in Massachusetts and
Washington, DC - to the historic London event and back home to
Lincolnshire.
The new underground Vault, just one of the new visitor experiences
at the Castle, will display Lincoln Cathedrals Magna Carta, the 1217
Charter of the Forest and a related loan document on rotation.
Philip Buckler, Dean of Lincoln, said: King John could surely never
have anticipated the enduring global legacy of Magna Carta when
he agreed to its terms in 1215. 800 years later, the international

interest and excitement about this unification event is testament to

the extraordinary significance and symbolic power of these four
manuscripts.
We are thrilled to be staging this moment in history together, at
the start of the 800th anniversary year. This unique event marks the
beginning of our own celebrations in 2015 with the opening in April
of Lincoln Castle Revealed as well as events throughout the year in
the Cathedral and across Lincoln.
Lincoln Cathedral - one of the finest Gothic buildings in Europe has
worked in partnership with Lincoln Castle on the new exhibition and
together Castle and Cathedral, sitting opposite each other across a
medieval cobbled square, offer stunning examples of Norman
architecture.
From April 2015, a special joint attraction ticket will be available
combining entry to both the Cathedral and Castle, not only giving
visitors a chance to learn more about Lincolns Magna Carta, but
enjoy access to two of Englands finest heritage attractions.
For more information about Lincoln Cathedral, visit:
www.lincolncathedral.com
For more details about Lincoln Castle Revealed:
www.lincolncastle.com

Notes to editors
It is not known exactly how many original Magna Carta documents
were drawn up in 1215, but of those, only four survive. Two are
owned by the British Library, one by Lincoln Cathedral and one by
Salisbury Cathedral.
Lincoln Castle Revealed is funded by Heritage Lottery Fund,
European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) and Lincolnshire
County Council.
For media information on Lincoln Castle Revealed and
interviews please contact: Mary Powell, Tourism
Development Manager, Lincolnshire County Council. Email:
Mary.Powell@lincolnshire.gov.uk Tel: 01522 550 612
For media information on Lincoln Cathedral, interviews,
photo requests please contact: Rachel Woodward, The
Deans PA. Email: dean@lincolncathedral.com Tel: 01522 561611