August 01, 2026
A rare copy of the American Declaration of Independence was discovered by a volunteer named Michael Scurr while cataloguing papers of UK’s Royal Navy captains from the American Revolutionary War. Experts believe the copy is one of just 11 surviving copies printed in New Hampshire, USA, in July 1776, shortly after the Declaration was adopted. These copies were produced to spread news of American independence to the colonies and were never intended to be preserved, making this copy extremely rare. Historians believe the document was captured by the British Royal Navy on Christmas Eve 1776 after it seized an American ship carrying wartime papers. The ship’s documents were brought back to Britain, where this copy remained hidden for 250 years. It has now been put on display at The National Archives in Kew, in London, UK.
DID YOU KNOW?
The principal author of the American Declaration of Independence was Thomas Jefferson.
Image for representational purposes
