1776 Copy of the Declaration of Independence Discovered in British Archives. Historians Say There Are Others
A new copy of the Declaration of Independence was recently discovered at the British National Archives. One of eleven surviving copies printed in Exeter, New Hampshire several weeks after July 4, 1776, it is the only copy from this collection to be found outside the U.S.
“[I]t helps show how widely distributed the Declaration was — through local printers, carried by ship captains, and eventually held by the British government.” Dr. Michael Auslin, Stanford historian and author of National Treasure: How the Declaration of Independence Made America, told National Review. “Through these various communications networks, not just Americans, but foreigners were able to learn quickly about the Continental Congress’s decision to separate from Great Britain.”
Volunteer Michael Scurr discovered the document back in February while sorting through the letters of British Captain Thomas Fitzherbert, but the finding was not announced publicly until Friday to align with the 250th Anniversary of America’s founding.
“Since this newspaper printing was already known, the principal value of this copy is to provide insight into the patterns and practices involved in distributing the text, and the British reactions,” Dr. Danielle Allen, Harvard historian and author of Our Declaration: A Reading of the Declaration of Independence in Defense of Equality, told NR.
The document will be displayed in London’s National Archives exhibit “Revolution 250: America’s Independence Story 1763–1783” once restoration efforts are complete.
Though not one of the original Declaration broadsides printed in Philadelphia on July 4, printed instead between July 16 and 19, 1776, historians say it still sheds light on the significance of the original Declaration.
“Each of the copies of the Declaration that ended up in British hands reflect the fact that the Declaration was a wartime document, and something worth intercepting.” Emily Sneff, historian and author of When the Declaration of Independence Was News, told NR. She said Americans are often surprised to discover just how large the collection of early printings of the Declaration is at Britain’s National Archives.
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The U.K. National Archives said the Declaration was originally carried onboard the Dalton, an American privateer brigantine. The original purpose of these copies was quick distribution, not long-term preservation.
The ship was captured by the British Royal Navy’s HMS Raisonnable on December 24, 1776, after a pursuit that lasted around seven hours. Before the British overtook the ship, Johnson threw most of the papers overboard, including lists of crew and ship logs. But the U.K. National Archives said he held onto three documents: his instructions printed by the Continental Congress, his privateer commission, and the copy of the Declaration.
After its capture, the ship was brought back to Britain where these papers fell into the hands of HMS Raisonnable Captain Fitzherbert. Instead of presenting these papers to the court, as required by British law after capturing an enemy vessel, Fitzherbert sent the copy to the London Admiralty. In his letter about the American ship’s capture, he alluded to the Declaration slipped inside the ship records as simply “another document.”
The Admiralty eventually transferred the document to the Public Records Office which eventually became part of the National Archives, and it has been there — awaiting rediscovery — ever since.
Historians believe this narrative is true of many other historic copies of the Declaration as well.
“[O]ther towns, particularly in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire had local printers making their own copies of the Declaration, and some of those may still be hidden, waiting to be found here or abroad,” Auslin told NR.
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