The key numbers behind the Magna Carta

An original Magna Carta from the issue made in 1300 by King Edward l. Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

As the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta being sealed in June 1215 is marked, we take a look at some of the key figures behind the document.

The Magna Carta first set limits on royal authority - preventing the King from exploiting his power and making it clear that he was not above the law.

The 1297 Magna Carta. Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

  • Three: the number of clauses still contained within England and Welsh law, according to the British Library. One states the freedom of the Church of England; a second states the "liberties and customs" of the City of London; and the third states the right to due legal process and which includes the famous phrase: "To no one will we sell, to no one deny or delay right or justice."

  • Four: copies of the original Magna Carta still in existence.

  • Seven: copies of a version dating from 1300 in existence. One was discovered as recently as February 2015, inside the pages of a Victorian scrapbook in Kent County Council archives. A total of 24 editions of various versions of Magna Carta are currently known to exist.

  • 16: months after Magna Carta was signed that King John died. His son and successor, Henry III, oversaw a number of revisions of Magna Carta. One of these documents was later reissued by Henry's son Edward in 1297, and is the version of Magna Carta that became enshrined in law.

The 1297 Magna Carta. Credit: Andrew Matthews/PA Wire

  • 25: number of barons charged with ensuring King John complied with Magna Carta. They could seize the king's castles and land if he breached one of the document's clauses and had not made amends after a 40-day cooling off period. Within months the barons had declared war on John over just such a breach.

  • 63: the number of clauses in Magna Carta. The numbering did not appear in the original document, but was added in subsequent translations.

  • 4,478: the number of words in the British Library's translation of Magna Carta from the original medieval Latin. This is roughly three times as many words as the US Declaration of Independence of 1776.

  • £10.6m: the amount paid at auction in 2007 for a copy of Magna Carta dating from 1297.

An original Magna Carta from the issue made in 1300 by King Edward l. Credit: Gareth Fuller/PA Wire