Rare Copy of Declaration of Independence Found by UK National Archives in Papers of Captured U.S. Ship
Researchers said the Exeter printing is one of 11 known copies and the only one identified outside the United States.
- On Thursday, The National Archives in London unveiled a rare 1776 printing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence discovered by volunteer Michael Scurr while cataloging 18th-century records.
- Scurr found the document in May attached to a report on the capture of the American privateer Dalton, which the Royal Navy seized on Christmas Eve 1776 while carrying copies to spread news of independence.
- Only 11 copies of this Exeter printing are known to exist worldwide, and this is the only one identified outside the United States, Archives chief executive Saul Nassé said.
- Following conservation work to smooth creases, the document will soon go on display at the Archive's Revolution 250 exhibition, which tells the story of America's independence between 1763–1783.
- Nassé called the discovery "a vanishingly rare surviving copy" that underscores the transatlantic nature of the American Revolution, as the document rallied support for the revolutionary cause across the ocean.
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How Britain first learned of U.S. independence
This year, America marks 250 years since it declared independence from Britain. Today, that kind of breaking news would hit our phones in seconds but back in 1776 it took weeks for word of one of history’s biggest political break‑ups to cross the Atlantic. So how did Britain finally find out? CNN’s James Frater went to the National Maritime Museum in London, where curators have unveiled a special display — including a rare handwritten copy of th…
According to the British National Archives, the find is also significant because it is the only specimen to date that has been seized during a military operation.
‘Vanishingly rare’ copy of Declaration of Independence found in UK
A rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence has been found in the U.K.’s National Archive by a volunteer. Known as an “Exeter Declaration,” the copy is one of 11 of its kind known to still exist and is believed to be the only one outside the United States, according to the National Archive....
Rare 1776 copy of US Declaration of Independence discovered in London after 250 years
A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence, believed to have been lost for more than 250 years, has been discovered at Britain's National Archives in London, making it the only known example of its kind to survive outside the United States. The National Archives said the Declaration was among documents seized by the Royal Navy in December 1776 after British forces captured the American privateer vessel Dalton.
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