An Update from England

by Bethany Groff Dorau and Anne Bryant, Digital Producer

I’ve been receiving images, bits of video, and a few excited words from Bethany since she left earlier this week. I asked her to send along her thoughts via audio file, and have made this video with her words and visuals so far. Please enjoy this first travelogue from England, the transcript is below. —Annie B

Well my friends, what a whirlwind few days it has been. Since arriving in London on Wednesday, I’ve been immersed in an extraordinary gathering of historians, archivists, and researchers, all exploring the remarkable stories hidden in the Prize Papers of the American War of Independence, or as we call it, the American Revolution.

I brought a little piece of Newburyport along with me, the Dalton ship hat, which I’ve proudly worn throughout the event. I’m here at The National Archives in Kew, representing the Museum of Old Newbury at a two-day international workshop devoted to the Prize Papers, an extraordinary collection of documents captured a board ships during the American Revolution.

My presentation, “Taken by 64 Guns,” followed Offin Boardman, a Newburyport captain of marines aboard the privateer Dalton captured by the British in December 1776. It’s been a wonderful opportunity to share our local history with colleagues from around the world and to learn from their discoveries.

And the discoveries just keep on coming. Among the remarkable records I’ve been examining is British Admiralty correspondence from January 1779 in which they describe Boardman as “a very tall, stout man with dark hair tied behind and a face pitted by smallpox.” Imagine that. There’s no other physical description of this man from this time. A physical description of this kind, recorded by British authorities that were trying to track him down after he escaped from prison, is the kind of discovery that makes my heart sing.

Another highlight was touring the Revolution 250 exhibition with Graham Moore, record specialist at The National Archives and a curator of the exhibition. What a privilege to explore the American Revolution through original British records and to see familiar events from a very different perspective. It’s a powerful reminder that history is complicated, deeply human, and worth examining from many points of view.

And about that hat—my colleagues and friends have been taking turns trying it on with plenty of laughter and photos along the way. It brought a wonderful sense of home to London and a welcome sense of fun to the very serious business of researching a difficult chapter in the relationship between Great Britain and America.

After all, 250 years ago, our nations were at war. Together, we’re gathered around the same documents, sharing discoveries, making new friends, and occasionally swapping hats. I also had the pleasure of presenting a gift of Privateer rum to Dr. Amanda Bevan, who joined our Newburyport Privateering Symposium virtually back in March… a lovely opportunity to bring that connection full circle. She is an incredibly kind and generous colleague.

And now with the workshop behind me, I’ve got another 24 hours to make as many gobsmacking discoveries as possible among the roughly 18,000,000 documents held by The National Archives UK. Who knows what treasures are still waiting to be found? It seems that we come across a Newburyport story, a Newburyport vessel, around every corner. From the banks of the Merrimack River to the archives of London, the stories of Old Newbury continue to surprise us, connect us, and make us laugh.

And perhaps that’s the best part of all of this. History isn’t just about the past. It’s about the connections we make, the stories we share, and the discoveries still waiting for us. We’re only just getting started.