UN rules Declaration of Arbroath has vital signif icance for world
IT is Scotland’s most historic document, nearly 700 years old, and has not been displayed in public since 2005. But the Declaration of Arbroath was yesterday brought out of safe-keeping to be awarded special status by the United Nations.
The ‘precious and fragile’ document – sent in 1320 by Scottish barons to the Pope, pledging their resistance to English rule – was included by Unesco in its UK Memory of the World register.
Sealed by 51 magnates and nobles and sent to Pope John XXII to assert Scotland’s status as an independent kingdom, it is recognised as the first declaration of contractual monarchy in Europe. Its inclusion recognises its ‘outstanding significance’.
The declaration was last exhibited at the Scottish parliament in 2005. Tim Ellis, Keeper of the Records of Scotland, said: ‘The Declaration of Arbroath holds a unique place in Scotland’s history and tells a vital piece of our story, as its entry in Unesco’s register confirms.
‘We’re proud to hold it in our collections at the National Records of Scotland and to work to preserve it for future generations.’
Elizabeth Oxborrow-Cowan, chairman of the UK committee, Unesco Memory of the World Programme, said: ‘This famous document rightly deserves the accolade of outstanding significance to the UK. It is one of the earliest articulations of Scottish nationhood and still a very important document in Scottish identity.
‘It may be the first articulation of a contractual relationship between a king and his people, rather than a divine right. The most remarkable thing is that this document has survived for nearly 700 years.’
The declaration was drafted on April 6, 1320 – six years after Robert the Bruce’s historic victory against Edward II at Bannockburn – by Bernard of Kilwinning, Chancellor of Scotland and Abbot of Arbroath.
It reads: ‘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.’
Alan Borthwick, head of medieval and early modern records at the National Records of Scotland, said: ‘There is little doubt that this is the most important document we have. Most people would agree it is “the” iconic Scottish document.
‘It encapsulates in 800 words the case for Scotland’s sovereignty.’
Culture Secretary Fiona Hyslop said: ‘Almost 700 years after the declaration was drafted, it is fitting that it has been globally recognised. It is so fragile and so precious and to see it has been a huge personal privilege.’