After rummaging through a scrapbook of council archives, Bateson found the Forest Charter, a document issued by King Henry III in 1217, as well as a tattered page that he thought looked like the Magna Carta.
“He wasn’t really aware of the fact that they were either rare or that this one was indeed what it purported to be. I think, from his point of view, it was all a bit of a shock,” said Vincent, professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia.
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“There are lots and lots of institutions across the Atlantic and elsewhere in the world that would love to have this document.”
READ: High security as four Magna Carta manuscripts united for first time
