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Primary sourceDocumentafter 1225

Halesowen Abbey Scroll

after 1225

A detail of a medieval manuscript copy of Magna Carta, made by monks after 1225, showing illuminated capitals.

This manuscript is a monastic copy of Magna Carta, the charter King John agreed to with the English barons.

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Photo of a rolled parchment manuscript displayed in a glass case against a purple background, with lines of handwritten Latin text in brown ink and colored illuminated capital letters.
Halesowen Abbey Scroll, manuscript copy of Magna Carta, after 1225. Society of Antiquaries of London.

About this source

What it is

This photograph shows part of the Halesowen Abbey Scroll, a manuscript copy of Magna Carta believed to have been produced by monks of Halesowen Abbey in England after 1225. It is written on joined parchment membranes with decorated illuminated capital letters.

Why it matters

Copies like this were made so that Magna Carta's terms could be known and referred to across the country after King John and the barons agreed to it in 1215. The scroll later passed to the Lyttelton family and then to the Society of Antiquaries of London, showing how such documents were preserved by private collectors and institutions over centuries.

Look closer

  • Why would monks have copied out a royal charter like this?
  • What does the handwriting and decoration tell us about who made this copy and how much care went into it?
  • What might be missing if you only see a small detail of the full scroll?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Magna Carta on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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