Indyref2 row as Declaration of Arbroath to be displayed next year

And, according to correspondence between the museum and the document’s keeper, the National Records of Scotland (NRS), the “fragility” of the historically significant artefact means it will almost certainly be the last time it is displayed for “many years”.

However, the exhibition at the museum could be overshadowed by a row that threatens the “political neutrality” of the NRS and the museum as it may coincide with the campaign for a second independence referendum.

The Scottish Conservatives said “eyebrows will be raised” by the timing. 

However, the museum said because “no specific timings have been published” for the vote, there was “no reason to reconsider our approach”.

Though no date has been set for a new plebiscite on the constitution, Nicola Sturgeon has made clear she wants to have a vote before the end of next year.

The Declaration was due to go on display in 2020 to mark its 700th anniversary. However, lockdown forced the exhibition to be postponed.

The NRS and the museum then tried to reschedule to April 2021 but were forced to scrap plans at the start of the year because of worsening case rates, and new restrictions.

In correspondence released to The Herald under Freedom of Information legislation, bosses had also earlier expressed concerns that the exhibition would clash with the Holyrood election campaign.

A note of a meeting between the two organisations on September 24, 2020, said: “Another risk is that however careful NMS and NRS are to focus on the historical significance of the document, a display in the run up to the election could create a focus for politicians to use the Declaration as a symbol for certain political views.”

There were particular fears that the display could even coincide with the first day of the campaign.

In an email sent on October 29, 2020, someone who worked for NRS told their colleague in the museum that “from the perspective of NMS’s and NRS’s political neutrality it could be problematic to launch the exhibition on that date”.

They added that it “might be difficult for us to keep control of the narrative if political parties are launching their campaigns on the very same day that the Declaration goes on public display”.

“At the very least, we would need to agree strongly defensible lines in case we faced accusations of assisting one campaign over another,” they added.

After the decision was taken to once again postpone last year’s exhibition, the museum and the NRS then frantically searched for new dates.

The correspondence reveals that they agreed on June 2023 as it was when there was a “suitably secure and environmentally appropriate venue” and it would also avoid “any coincidence of an exhibition with other significant events”.

For example, the note said, a display during spring 2022 could have clashed with NRS’s “need to project a strong, clear and very focused message to the Scottish public about participating in Scotland’s census 2022”.

Initially, when NMS and NRS suggested the June 2023 date to the Scottish Government, Culture Secretary Angus Robertson's office asked if it was “impossible to bring the display forward to 2022”.

They answered: “Since it is unlikely that the Declaration will be capable of display for many years after the next exhibit due to its fragility, it is felt that a display in the summer of 2023 will provide the optimum opportunity for a major display, allowing a significant Scottish and international audience.”

Scottish Conservative shadow culture minister Sharon Dowey said: “Eyebrows will be raised among the public at these plans. They have already made it clear they do not want the SNP to hold another divisive independence referendum and will be concerned that the nationalists might hijack this display.

"It looks as though there has already been ministerial interest in these discussions, showing SNP ministers are looking at ways to interfere in the work of National Museum of Scotland. They must explain why they asked this display to be brought forward to this year and start focusing on the issues that really matter to communities across Scotland.”

A spokesperson for NMS said: “We are excited to be working with the National Records of Scotland to display the Declaration of Arbroath next summer.

"The timing has been chosen to fit in with our busy public programme and to allow as many people as possible the rare opportunity to see this unique piece of Scotland’s history.

“The display has had to be repeatedly reprogrammed due to the Covid pandemic and we have been working to find dates for some time. 

“While we are aware that a potential independence referendum for next year has been the subject of discussion since last week’s local election results, no specific timings have been published and there is no reason to reconsider our approach.”