Magna Carta

I went to a fantastic exhibition today with my sister A at the British Library called Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy.  This exhibition marks the 800th anniversary of it being created in 1215 by the Barons who were in dispute with King John.  It established for the first time the principle that everybody, including the king, was subject to the law.   I hadn't realised before that this document was annulled by papal bull after only 3 months!  However, it was revised and rewritten and its basic principles formed a starting point for several key documents.  The exhibition included two of the four original Magna Carta documents, as well as Jefferson's handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence and one of the original copies of the US Bill of Rights. 

No photographs were allowed in the exhibition, so the photo is of a small piece of Magna Carta (an embroidery) by Cornelia Parker.  It replicates the wikipedia page with the majority of the embroidery completed by prisoners, some by famous people asked to contribute and the complicated pictures completed by the Embroiderers' Guild.  

A fabulous exhibition, to be recommended.  Not to mention the usual treasures such as original handwritten manuscripts by Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen which were my favourites - amazing to see how few amendments they made to their scripts.  I've also included an additional photo of one of the huge bookcases in the King's Library - for scale see the people at the bottom working at their desks.