UK National Archives Discovers New Copy of Declaration of Independence in Amazingly Well-Preserved Condition

Public domain image of painting by John Trumbull, “Declaration of Independence,” via United States Capitol.

The United Kingdom’s National Archives found a fascinating treasure this year, just in time for America’s 250th birthday: a previously-unknown copy of the Declaration of Independence.

The “astonishing discovery” was announced on the department’s website Friday, sharing the news about perhaps the most famous breakup letter in history.

According to the National Archives, the document was found by Michael Scurr, a volunteer helping prepare an exhibit titled “America 250 – Royal Navy Admirals’ and Captains’ letters” while he was reviewing and cataloguing 104 boxes of correspondence from Royal Navy Captains.

Scurr made the “exciting find” while reviewing a box of letters from Captain Thomas Fitzherbert of the HMS Raisonable, and finding a letter dated January 10, 1777 that reported the capture of the Dalton, an American privateer ship from Newburyport, Massachusetts. The Dalton was captured by the Raisonable on December 27, 1776, just a few months after the Americans had declared our independence. According to the National Archives, the Dalton’s captain, Eleazer Johnson, “threw overboard all his papers, logs, and crew lists, except for three printed documents: his privateering commission, his orders from Congress,” and what would later be discovered to be an “extremely rare” copy of the Declaration of Independence.

In Fitzherbert’s letter, he reported the capture of the Dalton and referenced “another document” seized from the ship, which was confirmed to be one of the “Exeter Declarations,” copies of the Declaration of Independence that were printed in Exeter, New Hampshire by Robert Luist Fowle between July 16 to 19, 1776 for his newspapers, the New Hampshire Gazette and Exeter Morning Chronicle.

“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 reported.

A photo of the document showed it to be in remarkably good condition, with the words still sharply visible and much darker than the copy displayed at the U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C., undoubtedly due to its centuries-long storage away from sunlight.

Public Domain Photo via UK National Archives under Open Government License v3.0.

“Unearthing and handling such a significant historical document has been thrilling, particularly in this important anniversary year,” said Scurr.

The UK National Archives has another copy of the Declaration of Independence in its possession, one of the “Dunlap Broadsides” that were the first printed copies of the document that were widely distributed across the new United States — including to Continental Army Commander-in-Chief George Washington, who ordered it to be read aloud to all troops on July 9 that year. One of the Dunlap Broadsides was sent to England but is lost to history; the one that the UK National Archives has in its collection is believed to have been seized from American colonists during the war.

The process of preserving and examining this new “Exeter Declaration” is described in detail by the National Archives:

Our senior conservator Jillian Harrold in Collection Care was able to separate the document from the volume using an ultrasonic humidifier, which introduces moisture in a precise and controlled way. This softened the adhesive enough so that the document could be gently separated using a spatula. Overall, the Declaration is in a good condition. There was, however, a long tear across the left-hand middle area, which was repaired using fine Japanese paper and wheat starch paste.

The record was then examined and imaged by our Heritage Scientist Marc Vermeulen, making it possible to investigate several aspects of its materiality and production. Raking light photography, which involves illuminating the object from the side at a very low angle, revealed the network of original folds.

Microscopic examination revealed a significant presence of blue fibres embedded within the paper structure. This is characteristic of rag paper, typically produced from recycled textiles such as worn clothing. The presence of numerous yellowish, woody fragments suggests the possible inclusion of plant-based materials, such as hemp hurd, in the papermaking process.

Transmitted light imaging of the relatively thin sheet clearly showed the chain and laid lines that are typical of handmade paper. However, no watermark could be found identifying the maker, in contrast to what has been seen in some ‘Dunlap Broadsides’.

Taken together, these observations point to the use of comparatively lower-quality paper, particularly when measured against the Dunlap copies. This is consistent with the economic and material constraints faced in New England during the 1770s and the Declaration’s intended wide distribution.

New: The Mediaite One-Sheet "Newsletter of Newsletters"
Your daily summary and analysis of what the many, many media newsletters are saying and reporting. Subscribe now!