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LONDON – A man was arrested Thursday in connection with the vandalism of a showcase of Salisbury Cathedral, England, housing an original Magna Carta, one of the most respected legal documents in the world.
Local police said the 45-year-old man had been arrested and suspected of using a hammer to break three holes in the 12:15 record protecting the document. four original copies still alive.
"We are very relieved that no one was injured during the incident and that the Magna Carta itself is not damaged," said a spokeswoman for Salisbury Cathedral in a statement. "We are very grateful to all who have handled the situation so quickly." The document has been temporarily removed from the display, the statement added.
Salisbury Cathedral has been in the news for another reason for this year. Two men accused of poisoning a former Russian spy and his daughter in Salisbury in March claimed that they were actually in the city to see the cathedral.
A Wiltshire police spokesman said the force was gathering witness statements about vandalism.
"As far as I know, this is the first attempt to attack him," said David Carpenter, a professor of medieval history at King's College London and author of "Magna Carta", a book about the document.
"The main damage to the originals, apart from them being lost only, has been fire or misguided attempts at conservation," he added.
One of the two copies belonging to the British Library in London is illegible because of both types of damage, said Professor Carpenter.
The Magna Carta – which means Great Charter in Latin – is considered by many to be the world's first declaration of the rule of law and on the part of those limiting the power of the ruler to protect his own rights. In the United States, it is widely regarded as the basis of some of the principles set out in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
English barons wrote the document and forced King John to consent to avoid a civil war. Professor Carpenter said the barons were unhappy with the taxes the king was collecting to finance wars abroad and his abuses of justice, among other problems.
In the document, the King agreed not to arrest free men or take their property without legal process, and to guarantee equal access to justice.
Shortly after giving the royal seal, King John asked the pope to cancel the document, said Professor Carpenter, but he did not attempt to destroy the copies, of which at least 13 have been made.
"I dare say he'd had the opportunity, he could have done it," said Professor Carpenter. "But he died fairly quickly afterwards. "
