Magna Carta facsimile engraving by John Pine

What it is

This is an engraved facsimile of the Magna Carta text made by John Pine in 1733, now held by the British Library. It reproduces the charter's wording and is decorated with the coloured coats of arms of the barons, a dedication panel, and a representation of King John's Great Seal, all framed with oak leaf borders.

Why it matters

This print was made more than 500 years after Magna Carta itself, at a time when it had become a celebrated symbol of English liberty. By recording the text of the original Cotton copy before it was later damaged, and by honouring the barons with heraldic shields, it shows how eighteenth-century Britons viewed Magna Carta and the barons who won it from King John as founders of their constitutional rights.

Look closer

• Why might someone in 1733 want to make an elaborate decorated copy of a document from the 1200s?
• What does the inclusion of the barons' coats of arms suggest about who this print wanted to honour?
• How is a facsimile different from the original document itself?