Rare copy of US Declaration of Independence found in UK archives

A rare copy of the United States Declaration of Independence has been discovered by a volunteer at the UK National Archives in Kew, west London. Michael Scurr found the "Exeter printing," one of only 11 known surviving copies and the sole example outside the United States, while cataloguing documents earlier this year. The timing of the announcement comes ahead of the Declaration's 250th anniversary.

This particular copy, printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, between July 16 and 19, 1776, was among papers seized from an American privateer ship named the *Dalton*. The British Royal Navy captured the *Dalton* off the coast of Spain or Portugal on Christmas Eve of the same year. For centuries, the document was simply filed as "another paper" within naval correspondence, its significance overlooked until this recent discovery.

The find is considered extraordinary by archivists and historians, offering a unique insight into how news of American independence spread during the Revolutionary War. Its distinct provenance, having been captured by military action, adds to its historical value and highlights the transatlantic nature of the American Revolution.