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A rare copy of the U.S. Declaration of Independence has been discovered in the National Archives in Kew, London. The document, printed in 1776 in Exeter, New Hampshire, was found by Michael Scurr, a volunteer cataloging 18th-century Royal Navy correspondence. This copy is one of only 11 known Exeter Broadsides and the sole example found outside the United States.
The document was seized by the British Navy from the American privateer ship, the Dalton, captured off the coast of Spain in December 1776. The Dalton's captain, Eleazer Johnson, had likely obtained the copy in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, before the ship was captured. The document, along with other papers, was taken to Plymouth and later moved to Whitehall in London, where it remained hidden for over two centuries.
Dr. Graham Moore, a records specialist at the National Archives, emphasized the significance of this find, noting that it illustrates how news of American independence spread rapidly across the colonies and beyond. The Declaration was printed quickly to disseminate the news of independence as broadly as possible.
The document will be displayed in the National Archives' exhibition, "Revolution 250: America's Independence Story, 1763-1783," which opened last month. The discovery is a testament to the transatlantic nature of the American Revolution and provides a unique glimpse into the historical events of 1776.
Saul Nassé, chief executive of the National Archives, described the find as "an extraordinary discovery," highlighting the document's provenance from a print shop in Exeter to its capture at sea and eventual inclusion in the UK's state archives.