A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence of the USA has been discovered at the National Archives in London / The document is one of the 11 known copies and the only one outside the USA.

At the end of May, Michael Scurr, a volunteer at The National Archives in London, discovered a rare copy of the Declaration of Independence of the United States, dated July 4, 1776.

The document, printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, a few days after its adoption, is one of only 11 known copies and the only one located outside the United States. The discovery is remarkable not only for its rarity but also for the document's journey, which was aboard the American ship Dalton, captured by the British Royal Navy in 1776. After its capture, the document was forgotten in archives for over two centuries, recorded simply as "another document."

Experts emphasize the importance of this copy in the context of news circulation in 1776, and the story of the ethnically diverse crew of the ship offers new perspectives on the War of Independence.

The discovery was announced shortly before the 250th anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration.