Rare 1776 Declaration of Independence Discovered in London

A rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence, previously unknown to scholars and the only copy of its kind held outside the United States, has been discovered at The National Archives in Kew, London. The document was found by a volunteer cataloguing historical papers in preparation for an exhibition marking the 250th anniversary of American independence.

The volunteer, Michael Scurr, was working on a project to sort correspondence from British naval captains when he made the discovery in May. He was examining a box of letters from Captain Thomas Fitzherbert of HMS Raisonable and found the document folded among them. Scurr described feeling a sense of astonishment upon realizing what he had uncovered.

This copy is one of only 11 known surviving examples of the "Exeter Declaration," printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, between July 16 and 19, 1776. These printings were produced to disseminate the news of independence rapidly across the colonies. Graham Moore, the curator of the National Archives' "Revolution 250" exhibit, explained that such documents were not intended for preservation but for wide distribution, contributing to their rarity.