UK academics have identified a manuscript at Harvard Law School, remarkably purchased for just $27.50 in 1946 and long dismissed as an unofficial copy, as a genuine and extraordinarily rare original Magna Carta from 1300, dating to King Edward I’s reign. Through meticulous analysis of digitised images, Professors David Carpenter and Nicholas Vincent confirmed its authenticity by matching its handwriting, dimensions, and text to the six other known originals from that period.
Amanda Watson, Harvard Law School’s assistant dean, emphasized that this revelation underscores the profound value of making collections accessible to brilliant scholars and the indispensable role of librarians in preserving and revealing hidden historical treasures.
This discovery resonates at Soulton Hall, where we remember that Sir Rowland Hill is persistently memorialized holding a copy of Magna Carta.
Statue of Old Sir Rowland Hill: holding Magna Carta and looking at Soulton Hall, his house
This tradition began with his lost 1561 marble statue in St Stephen Walbrook and was reiterated centuries later in the 1790s on the towering 110ft obelisk at Hawkstone (double Soulton’s 55ft height), again depicting him with the document and gesturing towards Soulton Hall.
A local tradition suggests he brought a copy to Soulton, which was evacuated during the 1643 Battle of Wem, and he undoubtedly possessed a significant library.
This newly recognized Magna Carta serves as a powerful reminder of the enduring importance of historical documents and the traditions around them and the potential for significant discoveries within overlooked collections.
Rowland Hill Monument, Hawkstone Park
