Magna Carta To Be Displayed In Bury St Edmunds

Although it was eventually sealed in Surrey in 1215, the history of the Magna Carta has a strong Suffolk connection, as it was in the county that the influential barons are said to have met in a year earlier to discuss how they could get King John to put his name to what became one of the most famous documents in the world.

As a consequence of that the copy that is normally held in Lincoln Cathedral will go on display at St. Edmundsbury Cathedral in Bury St. Edmunds as part of celebrations marking the town's connection with the charter of rights. A "spectacular sound and light event" will also be held in October.

King John signs on the dotted line

The Magna Carta was the first formal document that stated that a monarch had to follow the laws of the land, and it also paved the way for trial by jury and guaranteed the civil rights of the individual. The Bury Society said the celebrations and loan of the copy of the Magna Carta had been made possible by an £86,400 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Margaret Charlesworth, chairman of the Magna Carta 800 committee, said she was "determined to celebrate the crucial role that Bury St Edmunds played in the Magna Carta story in the year before it was sealed. The motto of Bury St Edmunds is 'shrine of a king, cradle of the law', which reflects the pivotal role this town has played over the years," she said. Now, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, we will bring that story alive for people of all ages."

Robyn Llewellyn, Heritage Lottery Fund, said: "We at HLF are delighted to support this project that will offer residents of Bury St Edmunds the very rare opportunity to view the Magna Carta, whilst also exploring the town's somewhat unknown connection to this important historical event."

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