Australia's Magna Carta Secrets Unveiled

Held within the hallowed halls of Parliament House lies a treasure: a 1297 issue of the Magna Carta.

Australia's issue has been on display and well-protected in a CSIRO-built preservation case for 60 years.

Back in 2016, the Department of Parliamentary Services called upon conservators at the Grimwade Centre for Cultural Materials Conservation.

Charged with opening the case and learning more about the materials that make up the document, then returning it to display, the conservators conducted their work meticulously over eight years.

Coming full circle from engineering the original case, conservators asked CSIRO material scientists to try to work out the medieval dyes used on the document's silk cords.

It's a tale for the ages, merging history, art, engineering, science and a bit of botany.

Australia's Magna Carta is now back on public display in a new and improved case, ready to be marvelled at by generations to come.

So, what has been learned from the years of meticulous conservation and in particular what did the silk cords tell us?

History 101

Before we get to the science, let's start with a bit of history.

The Magna Carta is one of the most well-known documents – not just because of what's in it, but because of what it represents.

The Magna Carta or 'Great Charter' was issued in June 1215 by King John of England. At the time, he was trying to put an end to a baron-led revolt. A charter back then was just a formal way of granting rights or property.

Kings before John, such as Henry I, Stephen and Henry II, had issued charters, known as 'coronation charters', promising to stick to certain rules and traditions. In fact, the barons who forced King John's hand pointed to Henry I's charter as a reason why he should agree to theirs.

For starters, it introduced the powerful idea that no one – not even the king – is above the law. Some key legal principles we take for granted today, such as due process under the law and trial by jury can be traced back to parts of the Magna Carta. It also played a role – albeit a complicated and slow one – in shaping parliamentary democracy.

Over the centuries, its influence has gone far beyond medieval England. Ideas from the Magna Carta are reflected in major documents such as the 1789 Declaration of the Rights of Man in France and the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948.

Australia has the Magna Carta?

Well, we have a Magna Carta. Back in 1952, Prime Minister Robert Menzies made a big announcement: The Australian Government had bought a 1297 Inspeximus issue of the Magna Carta for the nation.

The Department of Parliamentary Services explains :

The 1297 Inspeximus issue of the Magna Carta owned by the Australian nation is an official charter sent in Edward I's name for public proclamation. The term inspeximus means that the King had inspected and confirmed the great charter of his father Henry III. It closes with an admonition that the charter be observed in perpetuity. It was witnessed by Edward's son (later Edward II) at Westminster during the King's absence campaigning in Flanders. It was originally accompanied by the reissued 'Charter of the Forest', now held by the British Library, which established access to the royal forests for 'free men'.

Sealed with science

During the 1950s and early 60s, CSIRO researchers were asked to design a display case similar to the one that had recently been built in the US to protect the American Declaration of Independence.

An engineering challenge of some magnitude, the end result was an argon-filled enclosure intended to control sources of chemical degradation. The case also featured a transparent, yellow-coloured filter over the top of the container to reduce ultraviolet light exposure.

The case certainly stood the test of time and protected the Magna Carta until 2016 when it was removed from display and conservators carefully deconstructed the case piece-by-piece.