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GOODWOOD HOUSE

Secrets of a Radical Duke Talk by Professor Danielle Allen

20th August 2026

An evening with Danielle Allen, as she reveals how her discovery of a lost copy of the Declaration of Independence in West Sussex unlocked a historical mystery, shedding light on just how close 18th century Britain came to revolution, and the man at the heart of it: Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond.

£45 per person

Secrets of a Radical Duke Talk by Professor Danielle Allen

£45 per person

An evening with Danielle Allen, as she reveals how her discovery of a lost copy of the Declaration of Independence in West Sussex unlocked a historical mystery, shedding light on just how close 18th century Britain came to revolution, and the man at the heart of it: Charles Lennox, 3rd Duke of Richmond.

  • Goodwood House

Overview

Goodwood House is thrilled to welcome the celebrated classicist and political scientist, Professor Danielle Allen, on Thursday 20 August 2026 at 6.30pm. Danielle will be discussing her new historical biography, The Radical Duke: a thrilling journey, as she seeks to figure out how a large, ceremonial parchment Declaration of Independence ended up in West Sussex.

When Danielle discovered the Declaration of Independence buried in the Chichester archives, little did she know she had stumbled onto a larger story that fundamentally changes our understanding of eighteenth-century British and American history. The discovery led her to investigate the 3rd Duke of Richmond, and in doing so, establish that The Duke, together with the radical pamphleteer Thomas Paine, secretly fomented a political revolution: they supported American Independence, led the first proposals for universal manhood suffrage, and argued for freedom of the press and religious toleration.

The evening is a chance to hear Danielle’s latest cutting-edge research, view portraits of the 3rd Duke of Richmond by artists including Joshua Reynolds and see items belonging to him, including The Juryman's Touchstone of 1771, discovered by Danielle to be cowritten by Paine, with Paine’s handwritten dedication to The Duke.  

What's included?

  • A welcome drink and canapes set against the splendour of the State Apartments of Goodwood House
  • An evening with Danielle Allen, plus a Q&A session
  • The opportunity to view portraits of and items belonging to the 3rd Duke of Richmond, including The Juryman's Touchstone of 1771, with Thomas Paine’s handwritten dedication

About Danielle Allen

Danielle Allen is James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University. She is also Director of the Allen Lab for Democracy Renovation at the Harvard Kennedy School and Director of the Democratic Knowledge Project-Learn, a research lab focused on civic education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education.

She is a professor of political philosophy, ethics and public policy as well as a seasoned nonprofit leader, democracy advocate, tech ethicist, distinguished author and mother. She is a contributing columnist at The Atlantic Magazine and was the 2020 winner of the Library of Congress's Kluge Prize, which recognises scholarly achievement in the disciplines not covered by the Nobel Prize.