A Hidden Treasure! A Volunteer Found a 250-Year-Old Copy of America’s Most Famous Document
Quick Summary
A volunteer sorting through old boxes at Britain’s National Archives in London made an incredible discovery. Hidden inside a dusty folder was a 250-year-old copy of the Declaration of Independence — captured from an American ship during the Revolutionary War. The find was revealed just in time for America’s 250th birthday!
What Happened?
Michael Scurr is a retired man who volunteers at the UK National Archives every Thursday morning. His job? Carefully reading through old letters written by Royal Navy captains from hundreds of years ago. One day, tucked inside a report about a captured American ship, he found a folded piece of paper labeled simply “another paper.”
When he unfolded it, he saw the word “Declaration” across the top. He couldn’t believe his eyes.
The document turned out to be a rare printed copy of the Declaration of Independence — made in Exeter, New Hampshire, just days after the original was signed on July 4, 1776. It was printed to spread the news that America was breaking away from Britain.
So how did it end up in England? The copy belonged to the crew of an American privateer ship called the Dalton. A privateer was a privately owned vessel that fought for the new American nation at sea. On Christmas Eve, 1776, a British warship chased the Dalton for seven hours off the coast of Portugal before capturing it. The Dalton’s papers — including the Declaration — were brought back to England and filed away. There they sat, untouched, for 250 years.
Historians believe the Dalton’s captain read the Declaration aloud to his crew before battles. It was their reminder of why they were fighting.
Why Does It Matter?
This copy is one of only 11 known “Exeter printing” copies of the Declaration of Independence in the world — and the only one ever found outside the United States. Think of it like finding one of only 11 baseball cards of the same rare player, and discovering yours was hiding in someone else’s attic across the ocean.
It also shows that even 250 years later, historians are still making brand-new discoveries about America’s founding. History isn’t over — there are still secrets waiting to be found!
The document was unveiled by the National Archives just in time for America’s 250th birthday celebration this Fourth of July weekend.
Big Words
- Declaration of Independence — the document signed on July 4, 1776, in which American leaders announced that the 13 colonies were free from British rule
- Privateer — a privately owned ship that was given permission by a government to fight enemy ships during wartime
- Archive — a place where important old documents and records are carefully stored and kept safe
- Continental Congress — the group of leaders from the 13 colonies who worked together to govern the new United States during the Revolutionary War
- Catalog — to make a detailed list of items so they can be organized and found later
Fun Fact
The Dalton was an 18-gun ship — meaning it had 18 cannons. The British warship that captured it, HMS Raisonnable, had 64 cannons. That was a very unfair fight!
Think About It
If you were a sailor on the Dalton in 1776, hearing the Declaration of Independence read aloud before a battle — how do you think those words would make you feel?
Sources
- AP / Military.com — “Rare copy of Declaration of Independence found by UK National Archives in papers of captured US ship”
- CBS News — “‘Vanishingly rare’ copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer”
- ABC7 / AP — “Rare copy of Declaration of Independence found by UK National Archives in papers of captured US ship”