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Arthur Brand Recovers UNESCO-Listed Dutch East India Company Archives

Authentication by Dutch police clears the path for returning centuries-old VOC records to the National Archives in The Hague.

The documents are from the 15th to 19th centuries
Arthur Brand found a descendant of famous Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter, whose ship logs were in the trove
The Raid on the Medway was one of De Ruyter’s most famous and decisive victories
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Overview

  • Arthur Brand announced on July 9 the authenticated recovery of documents stolen from the National Archives in The Hague in 2015.
  • The trove spans 15th to 19th century Dutch East India Company materials, including 1602 meeting minutes that feature the company’s first corporate logo and early ship logs of Admiral Michiel de Ruyter.
  • Dutch police provenance checks confirmed the documents’ authenticity and UNESCO has retained their “Memory of the World” designation.
  • Investigators identified the main suspect as a former National Archives employee who left the manuscripts as collateral and has since died.
  • The recovered archives are slated for formal repatriation to the National Archives of the Netherlands, underscoring global efforts to return stolen cultural heritage.