With one caveat, Obiter is delighted with the plan to bring the four surviving original copies of Magna Carta into one place to kick off the 800th anniversary year in 2015. The unification, supported by magic circle firm Linklaters, will provide a one-off chance to see the four extant copies – two owned by the British Library, one by Lincoln Cathedral and one by Salisbury Cathedral – side by side.

One hope is that, by viewing the copies alongside each other, historians will get new clues about faded or obscured parts of the text and about the identity of the writers.

Linklaters partner Richard Godden says the charter’s significance endures. ‘The arbitrary authority of the state is just as much a threat today as it was in the day of King John, and the principles enshrined in Magna Carta remain essential not only in relation to personal liberty but to creating an environment in which business can prosper. We forget them at our peril.’

Obiter will raise a glass to that – but, while no conspiracy theorist, will also observe that there’s a very good reason why copies of the charter were scattered widely across the realm in the first place. Let’s not keep the survivors together too long.