A volunteer at Britain's National Archives has discovered a rare early printed copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The document was found within the papers of an 18th-century Royal Navy captain, specifically attached to a report about the capture of an American privateer named Dalton on Christmas Eve 1776.
The copy is identified as an Exeter printing, produced in Exeter, New Hampshire, between July 16 and 19, 1776. This timing places its printing just days after the original document was signed on July 4, 1776. Its purpose was to disseminate the news of the 13 North American colonies' severance from British rule.
Researchers at the National Archives have confirmed the document's significance, noting it is one of only 11 known surviving copies of the Exeter printing. Crucially, it is the only known copy of this printing to exist outside of the United States. The discovery was unveiled by the National Archives ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence.
Amanda Bevan, head of the National Archives' project cataloging Royal Navy captains' correspondence during the American Revolution, highlighted the document's unique context. It was captured from a ship operating under the orders of the Continental Congress, with its directives signed by Congress President John Hancock. Bevan pointed out that while the struggles of the Continental Army are well-known, the contributions and experiences of American privateers who disrupted British trade and challenged the Royal Navy have received less attention.
Bevan suggests the presence of the Declaration on the Dalton indicates its potential use by the ship's captain. Customarily, captains would read aloud orders to their crew, and the Declaration itself may have been read to articulate the ideals for which they were fighting. "They know why they’re fighting, but this puts it in a language which makes it greater than them," Bevan stated, emphasizing the document's role in framing the conflict as a fight for an ideal.
The Dalton, an 18-gun privateer, was a privately owned vessel commissioned by the Continental Congress to augment the nascent American navy. It was pursued for seven hours on Christmas Eve 1776 by HMS Raisonnable, a 64-gun British warship commanded by Captain Thomas Fitzherbert, before being captured off the coast of Portugal.
The Dalton's 120-man crew faced harsh conditions as prisoners in Plymouth, England. Charles Hebert, a 19-year-old captured crew member, documented instances of hunger, illness, and punishment during more than two years of captivity before his release in a prisoner exchange.
Historians in the United States have expressed enthusiasm for the discovery. Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, described the copy as an artifact offering a tangible connection to the past and the captain who carried news of independence. He noted that such finds underscore that much about the American Revolution remains to be uncovered even centuries later.