Rare copy of the Declaration of Independence seized by the British in 1776 is found

EuropeRare Declaration of Independence seized in 1776 uncovered in LondonListed simply as “another paper” in the Royal Navy inventory, the Declaration remained buried in British archives for 250 years.Listen to this article with a free profile00:0000:00A rare 1776 printing of the US Declaration of Independence discovered at The National Archives in Kew, London. Shivansh Gupta / PA via Getty ImagesShareAdd NBC News to GoogleJuly 3, 2026, 8:58 AM EDTBy Elmira AliievaLONDON — A rare copy of the Declaration of Independence lost for 250 years has been discovered in London, where it is now the only known example of its kind outside the United States.Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscriptionGet exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading.Printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, just days after the Declaration was adopted on July 4, 1776, the document was intended to spread news of American independence throughout the American colonies.The early copy remained tucked away in Britain’s National Archives until a volunteer cataloging records from the American Revolutionary War came across it in May this year among the papers of Royal Navy captains. Only 11 copies of the so-called Exeter printing are known to survive, and until this discovery, none had been found outside the United States, Britain’s National Archives said in a press release Thursday.The copy of the 'Exeter Declaration' found at The National Archives.The National ArchivesThe Declaration was among a collection of papers seized by the Royal Navy in December 1776, after it captured the American privateer vessel the Dalton, it said.“It was an amazing addition to the story of the Dalton and the many other privateers that fought the British at sea,” Amanda Bevan, who leads the National Archives’ project cataloging Royal Navy correspondence from the American Revolution, told NBC News in an email Friday.Privateers were privately owned ships authorized by the Continental Congress to attack British merc...