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Primary sourceDocumentafter 1225

Halesowen Abbey Scroll

after 1225

A medieval illuminated scroll copy of Magna Carta, likely made by monks at Halesowen Abbey after 1225.

This monastic copy shows how Magna Carta's text was preserved and transmitted outside the royal court.

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A long vertical parchment scroll hangs in a display case with a purple backdrop. Its top is rolled around a wooden rod, and its handwritten text is in dense columns down the length. Museum placards and a glass case are visible beside it.
Halesowen Abbey Scroll, manuscript copy of Magna Carta, after 1225. Society of Antiquaries of London.

About this source

What it is

This is a manuscript copy of Magna Carta written on a long scroll of joined parchment with illuminated capital letters. It is believed to have been produced by monks of Halesowen Abbey in Shropshire sometime after 1225. After the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1538, the scroll passed to the Lyttelton family, and later Charles Lyttelton left it to the Society of Antiquaries of London, which still holds it.

Why it matters

This scroll shows how Magna Carta was copied and preserved by religious institutions, not just kept in royal archives. Its survival through the Dissolution and several private owners before reaching a learned society illustrates how medieval documents moved through history and were valued by later collectors and scholars.

Look closer

  • Why might monks at an abbey have wanted their own copy of Magna Carta?
  • What does the scroll's survival through the Dissolution of the Monasteries tell you about how documents can be lost or saved?
  • How does display in a glass case today change how we experience a document originally meant to be read and used?

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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