‘Copy’ of Declaration of Independence Discovered After 250 Years

A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence has been discovered inside Britain’s National Archives nearly 250 years after it was reportedly seized by British sailors during the American Revolution.

The remarkable find was made by volunteer researcher Michael Scurr, who spotted the folded document while reviewing historical records at the archives in London in May.

“I found this folded sheet, and there it was,” Scurr said. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

Historians believe the document was taken from an American vessel captured by British forces off the coast of Spain in December 1776, just months after the colonies declared their independence from the British crown.

The copy is believed to be one of only 11 surviving versions printed in New Hampshire in the weeks after the original Declaration was signed in Philadelphia.

Graham Moore, a historian at the National Archives, described the discovery as a “very rare find,” noting that only a tiny number of the earliest printings are still known to exist.

“There are very small numbers for all the different early printings,” Moore said.

The document’s survival offers an extraordinary glimpse into the dangerous early days of the American experiment, when the democratic ideals outlined in the Declaration were still being defended on battlefields and at sea.

Its discovery was announced just one day before the 250th anniversary of the historic declaration, adding even more significance to a document that crossed an ocean, survived a war and remained hidden for nearly two and a half centuries.