A rare copy of the 1776 US Declaration of Independence has been discovered in London after 250 years
A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence, thought to have been lost more than 250 years ago, has been discovered at 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 from the British National Archives, the document is one of only 11 known copies of the so-called Exeter Print, which was produced in Exeter, New Hampshire, just days after the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. The goal of the early printing was to spread news of American independence across the colonies.
They were found during a routine cataloging project
The document was uncovered in May by volunteer researcher Michael Score while cataloging American Revolutionary War records.
According to the Associated Press, Scurr found the declaration among papers belonging to Royal Navy captains that had remained unchanged in archives for centuries.“I thought, ‘Oh, right, this must be the Declaration of Independence. How exciting is that?’ Score told The Associated Press, recalling the moment he realized the importance of the discovery.The National Archives said the declaration was among the documents seized by the Royal Navy in December 1776 after British forces captured the American privateer Dalton.
A document that reflects the ideals of the revolution
Amanda Bevan, who is leading the National Archives’ project to catalog Royal Navy correspondence from the American Revolution, told NBC News that this discovery adds an important new dimension to the story of the Dalton and other private American ships.“It was an amazing addition to the story of Dalton and so many other ships that fought the British at sea,” Bevan said.The seized group also included the Dalton Commission, which authorized it to attack British shipping on behalf of the Continental Congress, along with official instructions governing private conduct during war.Such documents are often read aloud to crew members to reinforce discipline, Bevan said. She added that she likes to imagine that Captain Eliezer Johnson also read the Declaration of Independence to his sailors, helping to explain the ideals they were fighting for.
She was arrested before completing her mission
According to the British National Archives, Dalton’s mission ended on Christmas Eve 1776, when the 18-gun ship commanded by Captain Eleazer Johnson was chased for seven hours before being captured by the 64-gun HMS Reasonable, commanded by Captain Thomas Fitzherbert, off the coast of Portugal.Johnson and about 120 crew members were subsequently imprisoned in Plymouth, England. The declaration was listed as just ‘another sheet of paper’ in the Royal Navy’s inventory before disappearing into 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 document’s historical importance was not immediately recognized by British officials at the time.“From the British point of view, this was just another document seized among many others,” Guyatt said. “It was saved and returned to London and eventually disappeared from the archives.”He added that this discovery highlights the continuing importance of examining physical archives, noting that such collections are still capable of producing fascinating historical discoveries that reshape understanding of major events.The discovery comes ahead of the July 4 anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, offering historians a rare glimpse into how news of American independence circulated during the early days of the Revolutionary War.
