People queued up at Oxford University's Bodleian Library to see historic copies of Magna Carta on display for the first time in 800 years.

The library holds three of the original documents from 1217 and one from 1225, issued in the reign of King Henry III.

The display on Tuesday was accompanied by a talk from Prof Richard Sharpe, Fellow of Wadham College.

Samuel Fanous, head of communications and publishing for the library, said: "Nearly 700 people attended and there was real buzz and sense of excitement about the occasion.

"At one point the queue snaked around the Divinity School and out of the door as visitors waited to catch a glimpse of the charters."

A survey recently revealed that nearly a quarter of the world's original 13th century manuscripts of Magna Carta are held at the Bodleian Library.

The survey, conducted in advance of a Sotheby's sale of a Magna Carta belonging to Ross Perot, found 17 surviving charters, of which four are in the Bodleian.

Dr Sarah Thomas, Bodley's Librarian, said: "This new survey has demonstrated the truly unique significance of the Bodleian's collection. No other institution can boast such a concentration."

The Magna Carta, or Great Charter of English Liberties, is considered one of the most important legal documents in the history of democracy.

It was agreed by King John at Runnymede in 1215 and reissued throughout the 13th century by England's rulers.

It was the most significant early influence on the historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law, and its influence extends to the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights.