Barons Presenting the Charter of Liberties at Bury St Edmunds

What it is

This is a black-and-white engraving by William Ward, made in 1795. Its title is Charter of Liberties. The collection record describes a scene in the cathedral at Bury St Edmunds. Behind the altar stand Cardinal Langton and the archbishops, who produce the charter for the barons. The barons stand on either side of the altar in full armour. One of them advances toward the table, and his helmet and gauntlets lie on the floor in front.

Why it matters

The print was made more than 500 years after the scene it shows. It reflects how eighteenth-century artists pictured the making of Magna Carta. It names Cardinal Langton as a key church leader in the events, and it shows the barons as an armed group pressing for their rights. It gives a dramatic view of the political pressure around the charter.

Look closer

• Who seems to hold power in this scene, and how can you tell from the positions of the people?
• Why might an artist in 1795 choose to show armoured barons in a church?
• What might this engraving leave out about the events and the people who were not shown?