700-year-old mice ate our Declaration of Arbroath
IT is one of the most important documents in Scotland’s history, stored in strictly controlled conditions at exactly the right levels of light, temperature and humidity.
But it seems the Declaration of Arbroath has not always been looked after with such care.
For experts have found bitemarks on the parchment – evidence that at some point in its 700-year history, the text was nibbled by mice.
The Declaration, in Latin, was signed by Scottish nobles in 1320 and called on the Pope to recognise Scotland as an independent nation.
To mark its 700th anniversary, the fragile artefact will be put on public display at the National Museum of Scotland in Edinburgh, from March 27 to April 26. Ahead of this, staff in charge of preserving the precious document have revealed the findings of a ‘condition report’.
Linda Ramsay, the head of conservation for National Records of Scotland (NRS), said: ‘We have identified various different marks and things that are of significance to the condition. There are signs of small corrosion, rust marks.
‘You can tell by the folds how it was originally folded and that there would be vulnerable areas.
‘There is very slight rodent damage on it, on one of the fold lines. It was created as a working document. Often these would have been carried in bags on despatches.
‘In the 14th Century I’m not sure how many mice would have been around chancelleries and various other places but there would certainly have been some and this would have been very attractive to them as it’s an organic material.
‘From the teeth size I would say it is mice – rats have bigger teeth.’
The Declaration of Arbroath, considered by many to be a cornerstone of Scottish identity, famously states: ‘As long as but a hundred of us remain alive, never will we on any conditions be brought under English rule. It is in truth not for glory, nor riches, nor honours that we are fighting, but for freedom – for that alone, which no honest man gives up but with life itself.’
Since it was last displayed to the public, at the Scottish parliament in 2005, there has been no significant deterioration to the document.
NRS head of private records Alan Borthwick said: ‘We are doing everything we can to ensure it is around for another 700 years.’