A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence was recently unearthed in the National Archives in London. This discovery took place during an evening in May when Michael Scurr, a retiree volunteering to catalog documents, stumbled across a piece of paper hidden among naval letters.
“I unfolded it and there it said: Declaration of Independence,” Mr. Scurr recounted. This unexpected find turned out to be a copy printed in mid-July 1776, in Exeter, New Hampshire. The copies known as Exeter broadsides are particularly noteworthy due to their size, and only about 10 were known to have survived.
The initial copies of the Declaration were made by John Dunlap in Philadelphia. These were intended to inform the American colonies of their decision to break away from British rule. As the news spread, other copies were printed, including those in Exeter.
Throughout the years, very few of these copies have been preserved. Only 26 of the original 200 Dunlap broadsides still exist. Copies from Exeter are even rarer, with one selling at auction in January for over $5.6 million.
The National Archives in Britain already possesses several copies of the Declaration of Independence. One of these is currently displayed in an exhibition dedicated to the anniversary of American independence.
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