Visitors to Durham Cathedral are invited to book up now for a rare opportunity to view the Magna Carta more than 800 years on from its signing.
The city landmark has three copies in its collection of the historic document, which famously specified that a king is not above the law, and they are going on display this summer for the first time in eight years. Tickets to see the royal charter are now on sale and expected to be in high demand.
The Magna Carta, stipulating rights agreed by King John at Runnymede and aimed at preventing exploitation of power, was sealed in 1215. A second version was issued the following year after John’s death and the cathedral has the only surviving Magna Carta from 1216, as well as issues from 1225 – which this year marks its own 800-year anniversary – as well as 1300.
As previously reported, the rare documents, and other charters, will form the heart of a new exhibition called Magna Carta and the North which will open at the cathedral on July 11 to mark this eight-century milestone. The near four-month show will then run until November 2, during which there also will be community artworks and light and sound installations throughout the cathedral to tie in with the story of the Magna Carta – also known as the Great Charter – and highlight the fact it remains a powerful symbol of social justice.

(Image: Durham Cathedral)
It is considered a cornerstone of British democracy and three clauses from the 1225 Magna Carta are still in force today. Tickets to see the display, in the Durham Cathedral Museum, cost £7.50, while under-18s can have free entry, and timeslots are available to book online now.
As part of the exhibition there also will be a showing of three Forest Charters: documents which granted access to land and natural resources. Alison Cullingford, Durham Cathedral’s head of libraries and collections, said: “We care for an extensive medieval archive here at Durham Cathedral and the Magna Cartas and Forest Charters are some of the most remarkable documents within it.”
She added that “due to their fragile nature and historical importance, these documents are rarely seen by the general public” so the team is “very excited” that they will be on display once again “for the world to see.” They were last on show in 2017 when almost 19,000 people turned up to see them over an 11-week period.
The Dean of Durham, the Very Reverend Dr Philip Plyming, said: “Magna Carta is an extraordinary document underpinned by a belief that all people – including those who hold most power – are accountable to God. The principles of freedom and access to justice go all the way back to the Old Testament and are as relevant now as they were then.”
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