Magna Carta: The greatest charter?

Name: Magna Carta: The greatest charter?
Start: 2025-10-16T19:00:00+01:00
Location: 5 College Cloisters Cathedral Close, HR1 2NG Hereford, United Kingdom

Schedule

Thu, 16 Oct, 2025 at 07:00 pm

UTC+01:00

Location

5 College Cloisters Cathedral Close, HR1 2NG Hereford, United Kingdom | Hereford, EN

Dr Claire Breay will uncover the history of the most famous document in English history to explore how it came to be granted and what it really says. She will explain why Magna Carta was annulled, then revised and reissued three times by 1225, and how it evolved over the centuries into an international symbol of liberty, human rights and democracy.
Dr Claire Breay is Head of Ancient, Medieval and Early Modern Manuscripts at the British Library. She curated the exhibition 'Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy' to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta in 2015, and she also curated the 'Anglo-Saxon Kingdoms: Art, Word, War' exhibition in 2018-19. She has acquired many medieval manuscripts, including the St Cuthbert Gospel, for the national collection; she has overseen the digitisation of over 6000 manuscripts; and she is a Director of the Hereford Mappa Mundi Trust.
Tickets £15 to include refreshments and opportunity to view Hereford Cathedral’s 1217 Magna Carta and the 1215 King’s Writ.
This is part of our Life & Learning programme. If you are unable to purchase your ticket via the website, please email [email protected] or call 01432 374 225/6. Refunds are not available for this event.
Magna Carta and the King’s Writ will also be on display within the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library Exhibition on Friday 17 and Saturday 16 November from 10am – 5pm (last entry 4:30pm). Normal admission charges apply.