Rare copy of US Declaration of Independence found in London

London: A rare early copy of the US Declaration of Independence has been discovered in Britain’s National Archives among papers seiz­ed from an American ship captured during the Revolutionary War.

Volunteer archivist Michael Scurr found the document while cataloguing the correspondence of an 18th-century Royal Navy captain. 

Researchers later identified it as one of only 11 surviving copies of the Exeter printing, produced in New Hampshire between July 16 and 19, 1776, days after the declaration was adopted.

The document was attached to records relating to the capture of the privateer Dalton by HMS Raisonnable off Portugal on Dec 24, 1776. 

Historians believe the declaration was carried aboard to explain the ideals behind the American fight for independence and may have been read aloud to the crew.

The National Archives said it is the only known Exeter printing discovered outside the US. Historians described the find as a rare artefact offering fresh insight into the American Revolution ahead of next year’s 250th anniversary of US independence.

—AP