Volunteer Finds Rare 1776 Exeter Printing of Declaration in U.K. National Archives

A volunteer cataloguing correspondence at the U.K. National Archives identified a rare 1776 Exeter printing of the Declaration of Independence among seized papers from an American ship. The document is one of 11 known surviving copies and the only one located outside the United States, according to the National Archives.

The copy was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, to spread news of the signing and was carried on ships. It was seized on Christmas Eve 1776 from the American ship Dalton by the British Royal Navy vessel HMS Raisonable after a seven-hour pursuit off the coast of Portugal.

" Michael Scurry, a volunteer at the National Archives in London, found the document while cataloguing a box of correspondence. Dr. Graham Moore, a curator at the archives, said the document was one of the rarest forms known because it was printed quickly for wide distribution rather than preservation.

“This is one of the rarest forms of the Declaration we know about. It wasn't meant to be preserved – it was printed quickly and distributed widely." — Dr. Graham Moore, curator, National Archives The discovery comes days before the United States marks the 250th anniversary of its independence on Saturday. Dr. Moore added that the presence of the copy on the Dalton "tells us a great deal about its meaning and importance" and that "for the men on board the Dalton, it set out what they were fighting for, and why.”