Declaration of Arbroath to go on show for first time in 18 years

The 703-year-old document was last seen at the Scottish Parliament in 2005

The “iconic document” has been kept well preserved by the National Records of Scotland
Author: Arran ProctorPublished 2nd Jun 2023

After almost two the decade the Declaration of Arbroath will be available for public viewing at the National Museum of Scotland this weekend.

The 703-year-old document was last seen at the Scottish Parliament in 2005 where upwards of 40,000 people went to see it.

One of the last remaining artefacts from that time period the Declaration of Arbroath was a letter written to the Pope by the barons of the community to recognise Robert the Bruce as the country’s lawful king.

The “iconic document” has been kept well preserved by the National Records of Scotland in an environment that light and temperature are both controlled.

It is now adorned with 19 of the original 50 seals – all of which are extremely fragile and in poor condition.

Encased in a glass box with dimmed lighting the Declaration will be ready to view for one month from Saturday 3rd of June until the 2nd of July.

Encased in a glass box with dimmed lighting the Declaration will be ready to view for one month from Saturday 3rd of June until the 2nd of July.

The letter is also accompanied with various information about the history and significance of the document.

Dr Alan Borthwick, the Head of Medieval and Early Modern Records at the National Records of Scotland, said: “It is a very rare opportunity for the public to get an opportunity to see the document.”

“Because of its fragile condition we are only able to display it for a short time, so this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see this iconic document.”

“It is fascinating seeing this, an object which is 700 years-old despite all the problems it had, yet it is still here to be enjoyed.”

Christian McKelvie, Minister for Culture, Europe and International Development, said: “There is a once in a life opportunity here to see this document, it is such an important and integral part of the foundation of Scotland and its history.”

“The fact that it is such a such a fragile document, but it’s got such a strong message. The curators here have been very careful to ensure its preserved and making sure its preserved to keep that strong message going into future years.

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