The Sandwich Magna Carta has been studied under a microscope and UV light to reveal more of its features.

The document, which was found by archivists in Maidstone and belongs to Sandwich Town Council, along with the Charter of Forest, has had to go through an initial assessment before any treatment could take place.

Both documents have now been removed from a Victorian scrapbook, where they were folded inside.

Sarah Stanley, services development manager at Kent County Council, said: “They are now able to be stored flat, which eases the stress that was being caused along the creases, where they had been folded to fit within the volume.

“Between stages of treatment, the documents are stored in temporary enclosures that protect the parchment while it is transported around the conservation studio.”

The parchment sections of both documents have been pasted on to paper and put on to backing material.

The next stage this week will involve removing the backing material so that further assessment can be made.