A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence, believed lost for more than 250 years, has been discovered in Britain’s National Archives in London, making it the only known example of its kind to survive outside the United States.According to a press release issued by Britain’s National Archives, the document is one of only 11 known surviving copies of the so-called Exeter Printing, which was produced in Exeter, New Hampshire, just days after the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The purpose of early printing was to spread news of American independence in the colonies.
Found during a routine cataloging project
The document was uncovered in May by volunteer researcher Michael Scurr while cataloging American Revolutionary War records. According to The Associated Press, Scurr found the manifesto among papers belonging to Royal Navy captains that had remained untouched in archives for centuries.“I thought, oh, well, this is definitely the Declaration of Independence. How exciting is that?” Scurr told The Associated Press the moment he realized the significance of the discovery.The National Archives said the declaration was among the documents seized by the Royal Navy after British forces captured the American privateer ship Dalton in December 1776.
A document that reflects the ideals of the revolution
Amanda Bevan, who leads the National Archives project cataloging Royal Navy correspondence from the American Revolution, told NBC News that the discovery adds an important new dimension to the story of Dalton and other American privateer ships.Bevan said, “It was a wonderful addition to the story of Dalton and the many other privateers who fought the British at sea.”The confiscated collection also included Dalton’s commission authorizing him to attack British ships on behalf of the Continental Congress, as well as official instructions governing private conduct during the war.Bevan said such documents were often read aloud to employees to reinforce discipline. He further said that he liked to imagine that Captain Eleazer Johnson also read the Declaration of Independence to his sailors, helping them understand the ideals they were fighting for.
Captured before completing his mission
According to Britain’s National Archives, Dalton’s mission ended on Christmas Eve 1776, when the 18-gun ship commanded by Captain Eleazer Johnson was pursued for seven hours but captured by the 64-gun HMS Raisonnable, commanded by Captain Thomas Fitzherbert, off the coast of Portugal.Johnson and about 120 crew members were later captured in Plymouth, England. The Declaration was listed as merely “another paper” in the Royal Navy’s catalog before disappearing into the archives for more than two centuries.
Historians explain why it remained hidden
Nicholas Guyatt, a professor of North American history at the University of Cambridge, told the Associated Press that the historical importance of the document was not immediately recognized by British officials at the time.“From the British perspective, it was just another document seized among many others,” Guyatt said. “It was filed away, sent back to London and eventually disappeared into the archives.”He said the discovery highlights the continued importance of examining physical records, noting that such collections can still yield remarkable historical discoveries that reshape understanding of major events.The discovery comes just before the anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, offering historians a rare glimpse of how news of American independence was disseminated during the early days of the Revolutionary War.