Rare 1776 Declaration of Independence Copy Found in British Archives

A volunteer archivist at Britain’s National Archives has identified a rare early copy of the United States Declaration of Independence among the papers of an 18th-century Royal Navy captain. The document, attached to a report on the capture of the American privateer Dalton on 24 December 1776, bears the heading “Declaration” and has been confirmed as an Exeter-printed version produced between 16 and 19 July 1776, just weeks after the original signing.

The find is the only known Exeter printing located outside the United States and one of only 11 original copies known to survive. Amanda Bevan, head of the National Archives’ project to catalogue Royal Navy correspondence from the American Revolution, said the paper likely accompanied the privateer’s orders and would have been read aloud to the crew, underscoring the ideological motive behind their fight.

The Dalton, a 18-gun privateer operating under Continental Congress authority, was pursued for seven hours by HMS Raisonnable and seized off Portugal. Its 120-man crew were taken to Plymouth, England, where they endured harsh imprisonment.

American historians welcomed the discovery. Matthew Skic, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum of the American Revolution, called the document “a tangible connection to the past” and noted that it demonstrates the ongoing potential for new findings about the Revolutionary era.