A volunteer archivist at the National Archives in Kew, west London, has uncovered a 'vanishingly rare' copy of the US Declaration of Independence, the only known example of its type located outside the United States. The document, a 1776 printing from Exeter, New Hampshire, is one of just 11 surviving copies worldwide.
Discovery During Routine Work
Michael Scurr, a retired insurance broker who has volunteered at the archives for 11 years, made the find in May while sorting through old captains' papers. Initially, he thought it was a routine task. 'I started reading a particular letter, which seemed to have an awful lot of enclosures, and I thought, oh, I’m going to be here all morning with this letter,' Scurr said. 'But I do have to read everything to make sure that I pick up everything that’s important and relevant. After several of the enclosures, I came across this document, unfolded it, and it had in big letters on the top: Declaration.'
Recognizing its significance, Scurr immediately alerted his supervisor. 'This is not something that I’d ever come across, and I thought, well, this is really exciting. So, I called across to my boss, Bruno, and said, I think you should come and have a look at this,' he recounted.
Secrecy and Historical Context
Scurr was asked to keep the discovery confidential for over a month while historians examined the document. 'A secret is something that needs to be kept, if it’s not, it’s not a secret, so I just kept quiet about it,' he explained. 'I think my family will be really interested to hear about it, and my friends, and particularly… my fellow volunteers.'
The document was among papers seized when the Royal Navy captured an American privateer on Christmas Eve 1776. Such copies were produced to spread news of independence quickly across British colonies and were often carried on ships to rally support for the revolutionary cause.
Significance and Display
Dr Graham Moore, a curator at the National Archives, emphasized the rarity: 'It’s really significant for us because it’s one of the few. We have a lot of copies, well, we have several copies of the Declaration of various different types. This one is so interesting to me because not only is it new to us and it’s a rare one, there’s only 11 now of this Exeter Declaration in the world.'
The National Archives already holds three official printings of the Declaration of Independence, but none as rare as this one. Following the discovery, the document underwent conservation work to smooth creases and prepare it for display.
Saul Nassé, chief executive of the National Archives, stated: 'This is an extraordinary discovery. It’s a vanishingly rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence, found not in America, but here in the UK. Preserved in our state records, it’s a powerful reminder that this history of the American Revolution is fundamentally transatlantic.' The document will soon be featured in the Archive's Revolution 250 exhibition, covering America's independence from 1763 to 1783.
