A remarkable piece of American history has surfaced in the United Kingdom just ahead of the nation’s 250th birthday, after the UK National Archives announced the discovery of a previously unknown copy of the Declaration of Independence hidden among centuries-old naval records.
The National Archives described the find as an “astonishing discovery” in an announcement published Friday, revealing that the rare document was uncovered while volunteers were preparing materials for a new exhibit.
According to the archives, volunteer Michael Scurr was helping organize an exhibition titled “America 250 – Royal Navy Admirals’ and Captains’ letters” when he made the unexpected discovery. Scurr had been reviewing and cataloguing 104 boxes of correspondence from Royal Navy captains when he came across the historic document.
The discovery occurred while Scurr examined a collection of letters belonging to Captain Thomas Fitzherbert of HMS Raisonable.
Inside the collection was a letter dated Jan. 10, 1777, detailing the capture of the American privateer ship Dalton, which had sailed from Newburyport, Massachusetts. According to the National Archives, HMS Raisonable captured the Dalton on Dec. 27, 1776, only months after the American colonies declared independence.
The archives said the Dalton’s captain, Eleazer Johnson, attempted to dispose of nearly all of the ship’s records before the vessel was captured.
According to the National Archives, Johnson threw overboard his papers, logs and crew lists, preserving only three printed documents: his privateering commission, his orders from Congress and what has now been identified as an extremely rare printed copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Captain Fitzherbert referenced the seized material in his correspondence, mentioning “another document” taken from the vessel. Researchers later determined that the document was one of the rare “Exeter Declarations.”
The National Archives said these copies were printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, by Robert Luist Fowle between July 16 and July 19, 1776, for publication in his newspapers, the New Hampshire Gazette and Exeter Morning Chronicle.
Before this discovery, only 11 surviving copies of the Exeter Declaration were known to exist.
“There are (now) only 11 known surviving copies of these so-called ‘Exeter Declarations’ and, prior to this discovery here in London, there were none known outside of the United States,” the National Archives stated.
Photographs released by the archives show the newly discovered document remains in remarkably good condition. The text appears dark and clearly legible, with officials noting that its long-term storage away from sunlight likely helped preserve its appearance compared with the copy displayed at the U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C.
“Unearthing and handling such a significant historical document has been thrilling, particularly in this important anniversary year,” Scurr said.
The UK National Archives already possessed another historic printing of the Declaration of Independence, one of the original Dunlap Broadsides that were widely distributed throughout the newly independent United States. According to the archives, one Dunlap Broadside was sent to England but has since been lost, while the copy currently in the archives’ collection is believed to have been seized from American colonists during the Revolutionary War.
The newly discovered Exeter Declaration underwent careful preservation before further examination.
Senior conservator Jillian Harrold separated the document from the bound volume using an ultrasonic humidifier, allowing the adhesive to soften before the paper was gently removed with a spatula. Conservators repaired a long tear using fine Japanese paper and wheat starch paste.
Heritage scientist Marc Vermeulen then examined the document using specialized imaging techniques. The analysis revealed original fold lines, blue fibers characteristic of rag paper made from recycled textiles and yellowish woody fragments that may indicate plant-based materials such as hemp hurd were used in its production.
The examination also found chain and laid lines typical of handmade paper but no identifying watermark. According to the National Archives, those findings suggest the Declaration was printed on comparatively lower-quality paper than the Dunlap Broadsides, a result consistent with the material and economic constraints facing New England during the 1770s and the document’s intended wide distribution.
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