A volunteer at Britain’s National Archives has discovered a rare early printed copy of the Declaration of Independence, which had been tucked away in the papers of an 18th-century Royal Navy captain.
The document was found attached to a report detailing the capture of the American privateer Dalton on Christmas Eve 1776. Researchers identified it as a copy of the Declaration, printed shortly after the original was signed on July 4, 1776, intended to disseminate the news of the 13 American colonies' break from Britain.
This particular version is one of only 11 known copies of the so-called Exeter printing, and it is the only one located outside the United States. It was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, between July 16 and 19, 1776.
The discovery is significant not only for its age but also because it was captured from a ship operating under the orders of the Continental Congress, with documents signed by its president, John Hancock. Amanda Bevan, head of the National Archives’ project to catalog Royal Navy captains' correspondence during the American Revolution, noted that while the hardships of the Continental Army are well-known, less attention is given to the American privateers who disrupted British trade.
Bevan suggested that the presence of the Declaration on board the Dalton likely indicates its intended use: the ship's captain would have read it aloud to his crew, much like his orders. "They know why they’re fighting, but this puts it in a language which makes it greater than them," Bevan stated. "They’re not fighting because they’re aggrieved in particular. They’re fighting for an ideal. And I think that just to find the declaration in a theater of war where people are committing themselves to fight for their country on the wide ocean is really something special."
The Dalton, an 18-gun privateer, was a privately owned vessel commissioned by the Continental Congress to bolster the new nation's nascent navy. Captain Thomas Fitzherbert of the HMS Raisonnable captured the Dalton off the coast of Portugal after a seven-hour pursuit. The Dalton’s 120-man crew was subsequently imprisoned in Plymouth, England, under harsh conditions.
Historians in the United States have also expressed excitement about the find. Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, described the document as more than just a paper, but an artifact providing a tangible link to the past. "It’s a tangible connection to the past, because holding that piece of paper in the archivist’s hand today is a way to transport us back to 1776. The baton being passed, in a way," Skic said.
Skic also noted that the discovery underscores that historical exploration is ongoing. "Even though 250 years has passed, we still do not know everything about the American Revolution, and there are still finds left to be discovered."