Rare Exeter Declaration of Independence Found in UK National Archives

In May, Michael Scurr, a retired insurance broker who has volunteered at the UK National Archives in London for over ten years, uncovered a unique copy of the Declaration of Independence. This particular version was printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, in July 1776, while Scurr was organizing boxes of correspondence from Royal Navy captains linked to the American Revolution. Experts have verified it as an Exeter Declaration, increasing the total known surviving copies from ten to eleven, with all others residing in the United States. The document, printed between July 16 and 19, 1776, was part of the Dalton crew's possessions. Captured by HMS Raisonnable on December 24, 1776, Captain Eleazer Johnson managed to save this Declaration along with other vital documents. The British captain, Thomas Fitzherbert, later sent it to the Admiralty, where it ultimately ended up in the archives. Scurr collaborates with a team led by Bruno Pappalardo, having cataloged over 110,000 letters. Notably, this is the only known copy obtained during military action, and Exeter Declarations can command high auction prices, with one selling for nearly $5.7 million at Christie's in January.