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History

King John’s teeth to go on display at British Library

Teeth that have been extracted from King John will go up on display as part of the celebrations marking the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta.

Two molar teeth belonging to the Medieval King, who granted the world’s most famous charter in 1215, will be displayed at the British Library alongside two original copies of the document.

The library, who owns the Magna Carta, said the teeth were believed to have been taken by an apprentice in 1797 when the monarch’s tomb was opened.

The exhibition entitled ‘Magna Carta: Law, Liberty, Legacy’ opens on the 13th of March and celebrates the roots of parliamentary democracy.

Julian Harrison, the curator of the exhibition said: “John’s tomb at Worcester Cathedral was opened for a brief period in 1797, and certain body parts removed as souvenirs by William Wood, a stationer’s apprentice.”

Other body parts also believed to have belonged to King John will also be displayed including a thumb which was returned to the cathedral in 1957.

King John authorised the Magna Carta on 15 June 1215 at Runnymede to appease rebel barons and limits the monarch’s powers.

Today it is considered one of the first steps towards parliamentary democracy and includes the principle that no individual was above the law.

The only four surviving original copies of the 1215 Magna Carta were all placed in the same room for the first time earlier this month at the British Library.

Earlier this week, Her Majesty The Queen viewed an exact replica copy of the Magna Carta at a reception in Buckingham Palace.

The exhibition at the British Library will also include King John’s will and Thomas Jefferson’s original handwritten copy of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the US Bill of Rights.

You can read all about the Magna Carta being sealed in a previous post as part of Royal Central’s History Rewind by clicking here.

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