- The manuscript has been valued at more than £800,000
- Export bar is to allow time for a UK institution to acquire the journal, which details the development of English mapping
An export bar has been placed on a manuscript journal detailing Captain John Narbrough’s expedition to Spanish America, modern day Chile, and the Pacific from 1669 to 1671, in an effort to protect a key piece of the nation’s history.
The manuscript journal, valued at more than £800,000 is considered of great importance for English history as a key example of the development of English mapping and the connection between navigation and the role of government in exploration opportunities.
The journal kept by Admiral Sir John Narbrough on his voyage as captain of HMS Sweepstakes to Valdivia, Chile, from May 1669 to February 1671, is almost entirely written in his own hand, and includes 28 hand coloured illustrations, with smaller pen and watercolour sketches in the margins throughout.
It shines a spotlight on a key part of our national story, featuring Narbrough’s account of his secret mission to what is now Chile, and his illustrations of the extraordinary encounters he made with people and wildlife during his expedition.
The manuscript also sheds light on late 17th-century English maritime ventures in South America, as well as providing essential context for the great expeditions of Anson, Cook and Vancouver in the mid to late eighteenth century.
Culture Minister, Baroness Twycross said
This document is a unique and key piece of our nation’s rich history, detailing Admiral Sir John Narbrough’s voyage as captain of HMS Sweepstakes to Valdivia, Chile a century before the great expeditions of Anson, Cook and Vancouver to South America and the Pacific.
I hope that a UK institution will acquire this extraordinary naval diary, so future generations can continue to learn about our history and contribution to the development of English mapping.
Caroline Shenton, Committee member said
This manuscript journal is of absolutely outstanding importance and it would be deeply sad if it were to be exported overseas. The ‘Valdivia’ expedition of the-then Captain John Narbrough to Spanish America and the Pacific from 1669 to 1671 deserves to be as well known as the brilliant explorations of Francis Drake and James Cook in the centuries before and after. The acquisition by a UK public collection of this fascinating volume in Narbrough’s own hand, recounting his secretive Crown-sponsored mission to what is now Chile, and illustrated with extraordinary scenes of the people and wildlife he encountered along the way, would fill a gaping hole in our national history. It would also finally place Narbrough where he truly belongs among the pantheon of our greatest explorers.
The Committee made its recommendation on the basis that the journal met the first and third Waverley criteria for its outstanding connection with our history and national life and its outstanding significance to the study of Sir John Narbrough’s journeys, the development of English mapping, the connection between navigation, the history of science and anthropology, and the role of government in exploration opportunities.
The decision on the export licence application for the journal will be deferred for a period ending on Wednesday 11 March 2026 inclusive. At the end of the first deferral period owners will have a consideration period of 15 Business Days to consider any offer(s) to purchase the journal at the recommended price of £843,361.83. The second deferral period will commence following the signing of an Option Agreement and will last for four months.
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Organisations or individuals interested in purchasing the journal should contact the RCEWA on 02072680534 or [email protected].
- Details of the journal are as follows On paper, with an apparently contemporary vellum binding. It comprises 198 folios (with 347 pages of written text), and measures 315 x 208 mm.
- Provenance Purchased from Bruce Marshall Rare Books on 23rd May 2023. Sold by Maggs Bros, 17 March 2008, to Bruce Marshall. Sold by private treaty, 12 February 2008, to Maggs Bros. The earls of Romney, by descent.
- The Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural Interest is an independent body, serviced by Arts Council England (ACE), which advises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on whether a cultural object, intended for export, is of national importance under specified criteria.