Rare copy of Declaration of Independence found by UK National Archives in papers of captured US ship

A rare early copy of the Declaration of Independence, printed in Exeter, New Hampshire, was discovered by UK National Archives volunteer Michael Scurr among documents related to the 1776 capture of an American privateer ship. The document, one of 11 known copies of the Exeter printing, was found attached to a report on the capture of the Dalton, an 18-gun privateer operating under the Continental Congress.