Outrage as town proposes selling its Magna Carta for £20m to fund office refurbishments

A town council could be selling a 700-year-old copy of the Magna Carta worth £20m to "refurbish the town hall".

The Magna Carta is a charter of rights agreed by King John in 1215 and is one of the founding articles of English Common Law and the British constitution.

Faversham's copy is just one of seven in existence and was presented to the barons of the Kent town in 1300.

But the town council has confirmed the precious document, which bears the last reissue of King Edward I's seal, could be sold to refurbish the council's building and exhibition space.

Faversham Town Council told The Independent: "Faversham Town Council does not wish to sell Magna Carta, and any future plans for it are off the table until we have agreed what will happen with the Town Hall.

"Any options explored in the future would involve engagement and consultation with the residents of Faversham."

Local residents have reacted with scorn and fury at the suggestion of selling the document.

Former journalist Mark Gardner, who has lived in the town for 50 years, said the council selling its Magna Carta would be "outrageous".

He called it an "act of incredible irresponsibility" for Faversham council to "sell off our town's birthright".

The 80-year-old said: "It is something that should be - and is - prized by all of Faversham's residents."

The copy of the Magna Carta is rarely put on show.

In 2016, the authority purchased a former shoe shop to create a permanent exhibition space for the document.

The council also moved to the first floor of 12 Market Place that summer, and have used the ground floor as a temporary gallery place.

Resident Brian Pain said: "The whole of the 12 Market Place came about because of the idea of displaying the Magna Carta.

"Now we can't do that because there isn't the grant money to do it and the cost would be enormous.

"I wondered whether the council had considered turning the whole problem on its head on what we do with the space now and selling the Magna Carta?

"Seriously - sell it to an academic or an academic institution on the condition it comes back once every four years and is displayed here."

Councillor Kris Barker said the authority is considering selling the document, as well as other options.

He said: "The question about whether we want to sell the Magna Carta I think we need to defer until after we've made a proposal about what we're going to do with this building.

"I think it's a very valid question. There are also very similar options where we lease it to places like the Smithsonian Institution.

"I think we could explore all of those, but we would need to engage the town with what we'd end up doing with it, but at the moment I just think it's worth making sure we run through these options, and if this isn't a space we utilise for historic exhibitions and the display of Magna Carta, then we can look at other options."

These include putting up the ground floor space up for retail rental, turning it into a visitor information centre, heritage hub and Magna Carta museum, or using it as an 'information gateway' by providing access to a range of services.

Town clerk Louise Bareham said: "We recognise the historic significance of this document and that it should be accessible to the public, rather than secured in a vault.

"To this end, if we are unable to display Magna Carta in Faversham, we are keen to explore other options for its display elsewhere, including the option of leasing it to museums to generate income for Faversham.

"However, until a final decision is taken on the building, we will not be pursuing this."

Additional reporting by agencies