This was a ‘Great Charter’ that was signed (actually it was sealed as most Kings couldn’t write) by King John. He was forced to agree to it by the Barons to stop him abusing his power as King and take unfair taxes. It included lots of rules to give people rights to be treated fairly and the right to a fair trial. It was written on velum. There are four surviving copies of the Magna Carta and one is held in the British Library.
