Rare copy of US Declaration of Independence found in UK

Saturday, July 04, 2026

A rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence has been discovered at The National Archives in Kew, the only known example of its kind outside the US. The document was uncovered by a volunteer in February while cataloguing the papers of Royal Navy captains from the American Revolutionary War. It is one of 11 copies printed in Exeter, New Hampshire in July 1776 to spread news of American independence through the colonies before it was seized by British forces.

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... Volunteer Michael Scurr, recalled feeling butterflies in his stomach after he opened up the paper and realised what it was.

"I called over to my boss and said, 'I think you need to come and have a look at this'," he told BBC News.
Tim Muffett and Michael Scurr stand in a dark room, with a copy of the US Declaration of Independence in front of them.
BBC News correspondent Tim Muffett (left) being shown the recently found copy by volunteer Michael Scurr (right)

Following restoration works, the copy will be displayed in the archives' exhibition on the path to American independence, which opened last month.

Saul Nass, chief executive of The National Archives, praised the find as "an extraordinary discovery".

He added: "It's a vanishingly rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence, found not in America, but here in the UK."

The document was seized by the Royal Navy on Christmas Eve 1776 when the HMS Raisonable captured an American ship, the Dalton, off the coast of Portugal following a seven-hour pursuit.

Dr Graham Moore from The National Archives said the discovery is "one of the rarest forms of the Declaration we know about", adding that it was not meant to be preserved due to the intention to distribute it quickly. ...

#1 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-04 12:06 AM | Reply

... The first thing visitors at the exhibition will likely notice is a tall blue panel featuring a framed piece of paper covered in spidery cursive. When they step closer, a label will inform them that this document is Connecticut's version of the Declaration of Independence " a resolution signed by the General Assembly 20 days before July 4, 1776.

"Connecticut's Revolution," an exhibition curated by the Museum of Connecticut History to commemorate the America's 250th year of independence, opens July 4 and will be on display until July 9, 2027. According to Jennifer Matos, the museum's administrator, it is the largest exhibition the museum has installed in decades. ...

#2 | Posted by LampLighter at 2026-07-04 12:08 AM | Reply