An extremely rare early copy of the Declaration of Independence has been discovered among Revolutionary War letters in London, 250 years after it was printed.
Michael Scurr, a volunteer at Britain's National Archives, found the document in May while cataloging correspondence from the 18th century. The copy, identified as a rare Exeter printing, was attached to a report concerning the capture of the American privateer Dalton on Christmas Eve 1776. This version was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, by John Dunlap between July 16 and 19, 1776.
This is one of only 11 known surviving copies of the Exeter printing, and it is the only one located outside the United States, according to the National Archives. The discovery was unveiled on Thursday, ahead of the 250th anniversary of American independence.
The document's importance is not solely its age. Amanda Bevan, head of the National Archives' project to catalog correspondence of Royal Navy captains during the Revolution, noted its connection to the Continental Congress and its president, John Hancock. The copy was found on a ship captured by Captain Thomas Fitzherbert of HMS Raisonnable off the coast of Portugal. The Dalton's 120-man crew was subsequently imprisoned in England.
Bevan suggested the document may have been read aloud to the ship's crew, providing context for their fight for independence. "They know why they're fighting, but this puts it in a language which makes it greater than them," Bevan said. "They're not fighting because they're aggrieved in particular. They're fighting for an ideal."
Historians believe Captain Fitzherbert sent the document to the Admiralty, which oversaw the British navy, rather than to a wartime court. Some researchers speculate Fitzherbert understood its significance.
Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia, described the find as a "tangible connection to the past." He noted that the discovery highlights that much about the American Revolution remains to be uncovered.
While it is believed that 200 Dunlap-printed copies were produced, only 26 are known to have survived. Of the Exeter printings, only 10 are thought to still exist, with one selling for $5.6 million in January.