Today, the Library of Congress announced officially that Magna Carta is coming to the Library! Lincoln Cathedral in Lincoln, England, is loaning the Library its exemplification of a 1215 King John Magna Carta. The historical document will be part of the exhibition, Magna Carta: Muse and Mentor, which opens November 6, 2014 and continues through January 19, 2015. The Law Library’s very own Nathan Dorn is the curator for the exhibition.
It has felt a little like keeping a surprise party secret… for over a year! We’ve put out little breadcrumbs, namely Nathan’s blog posts on Magna Carta-related items in the Law Library rare books collection:
- On Despising English Liberties and Other Wisdom from the Founders
- John Lilburne, Oaths and the Cruel Trilemma
- Keeping Time in the Middle Ages – Pic of the Week
- From Magna Carta on Trial to the Holy Experiment
- How Robin Hood Defied King John and Brought Magna Carta to Sherwood Forest
- No Taxation Without Representation Circa 1215 AD
Magna Carta will celebrate its 800th anniversary in 2015. Look for more news on the exhibition and related events as well as blog posts on the heritage of English Liberties and Anglo-American Constitutionalism here on In Custodia Legis in the coming months. You can follow us on the Law Library’s Twitter account using the #1215MCLC hashtag. (Just remember “1215” as the year of the original Magna Carta “MC” – with “LC” standing for Library of Congress and Lincoln Cathedral!)
Hope to see you here!