COPY OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE DISCOVERED IN BRITISH ARCHIVES

LONDON, JULY 4 /SRNA/ – Researchers at the United Kingdom’s National Archives have determined that a rare early copy of the American Declaration of Independence has been found, printed only days after the original was signed on July 4, 1776.

The Associated Press reports that the discovery happened by chance when amateur researcher and retired insurance company executive Michael Scurr was reviewing 18th-century letters from Royal Navy captains in the Archives and carefully cataloguing documents for future researchers. Alongside a report on the capture of the American privateer ship Dalton on Christmas Eve 1776, there was an attachment labeled only as “another document”. When Scurr carefully unfolded the paper, he saw the word “Declaration” printed at the top of the page. He informed the Archives administration and relevant experts, who confirmed its authenticity through further analysis of the paper, ink, and comparison with other copies of the document. The document is one of only 11 known original copies of the so-called Exeter edition of the Declaration of Independence, and it is the only one so far discovered outside the United States.