Rare Declaration Found

A rare 1776 Declaration of Independence copy was uncovered in UK archives.

Rare Copy of Declaration of Independence Found in UK

Rare Copy of Declaration of Independence Is Discovered After 250 Years

Rare Declaration of Independence seized in 1776 uncovered in London

Summary

A neutral summary of the key facts most outlets agree on, drawn from reporting across the political spectrum.

Volunteer Michael Scurr found a 1776 Exeter printing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence in February while cataloguing American Revolutionary War papers at the U.K. National Archives in Kew. The broadside, printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, days after Congress adopted the Declaration on July 4, 1776, is one of 11 known surviving Exeter Declarations and the only known copy outside the United States. Archivists believe British sailors seized it from a captured American vessel off Spain in December 1776, and it will be displayed for the Declaration’s 250th anniversary.

The Coverage

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Rare Archive Find

Centers on the surprise discovery of a vanishingly rare Declaration copy after nearly 250 years in British archives. It treats the story as a major historical find produced by careful archival work and good fortune.