An original copy of the Magna Carta dating back to 1297 was on display in London on Sunday, giving people a rare glimpse of one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy. The City of London Corporation's 1297 Magna Carta is on show at the Guildhall Art Gallery. It is being displayed in the gallery's Roman Amphitheatre - chosen for its ambient low light conditions.
The document includes king Edward I's seal and the original writ directed to the sheriffs of London, ordering that the charter be proclaimed within the city.
It is on display as part of the Open House London weekend, where people have access to iconic buildings that are normally closed off to the public. The Magna Carta was agreed by king John at Runnymede, west of London, on June 15, 1215 and confirmed as English law in 1297.
The "Great Charter" was effectively a peace treaty between the unpopular king and his rebel barons, but enshrined the principle that no man was above the law. It required the monarch to renounce certain rights, respect certain legal procedures and accept that the will of the king could be bound by law.
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