Michael Scurr, a volunteer at the National Archives in Kew, west London, was cataloguing a collection of 18th-century Royal Navy correspondence in late May when he unfolded a document that he immediately recognised. The opening words read: 'In Congress, July 4, 1776. A declaration by the representatives of the United States of America …' Scurr had stumbled upon a 'vanishingly rare' copy of an early printing of the US Declaration of Independence, discovered just weeks before the 250th anniversary of its signing. He turned to his supervisor and said, 'I think you should come and have a look at this,' describing the moment as 'really thrilling'.
One of Only 11 Surviving Copies
The document is a copy of the so-called Exeter printing of the declaration, one of just 11 copies known to survive and the only one located outside the United States. Graham Moore, a records specialist at the National Archives, highlighted the 'amazingly complete story' of how it came into the Royal Navy's possession, shedding light on how news of the declaration spread as the new nation asserted its autonomy. The modest sheet was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, between 16 and 19 July 1776, reflecting the time it took for news of the declaration signed in Philadelphia on 4 July to reach other cities. These 'broadsides' were designed for rapid distribution and consumption, Moore noted: 'This is about news in 1776.'
Captured from the Privateer Dalton
The document was found among papers taken from an American privateer vessel named the Dalton, captured by a British warship off the coast of Spain in December 1776. While other significant papers, including the ship's commission signed by Continental Congress president John Hancock, were passed to the Admiralty Court, the declaration was recorded only as 'another document' and forgotten for over two centuries. Moore explained that Eleazer Johnson, the Dalton's captain, likely bought the copy in nearby Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where the ship briefly stopped to recruit crew. Johnson was a committed American; after capture, he declared to a court in Plymouth, UK, that he was a citizen of the United States, a treasonous statement under British law. Amanda Bevan, head of legal records, imagined Johnson reading the declaration aloud on deck to his 120-man crew, saying: 'This is why we're doing it, this is why we're putting our lives at risk.'
Details of the Crew and Fate
The Dalton was the first American privateer captured in European waters. Its crew included English, Irish, Scottish, French, and Danish sailors, as well as a black man named Daniel Cottle, described in the muster book as 'a black man.' Moore noted that free black people fought on both sides of the revolution. Cottle and the rest of the crew were transferred to a guard ship and eventually held in the Old Mill prison in Plymouth. 'That is really where we lose his story,' Moore said, expressing hope that further research might reveal more about Cottle, likely from Newburyport, Massachusetts.
Transatlantic Significance
Saul Nassé, chief executive of the National Archives, called the document 'a powerful reminder that the history of the American Revolution is fundamentally transatlantic.' He emphasised its provenance: 'From a print shop in Exeter, New Hampshire, to a privateer at sea, to its capture, and eventually to being part of our state's archives. That kind of provenance is exceptionally rare.' The discovery underscores the global reach of the declaration and the interconnected histories of the US and UK.
