A rare surviving copy of the US Declaration of Independence has been found at The National Archives in Kew, London, after a volunteer uncovered it while cataloguing papers related to Royal Navy captains from the American Revolutionary War.

The document is described as the only known example of this specific copy type outside the United States. It was uncovered in February while the volunteer, Michael Scurr, was working through archive materials. Staff later confirmed what it was, and restoration work has since been carried out to stabilize the paper and repair minor damage so it can be safely handled and displayed.

Officials say the Declaration copy was one of several printed in Exeter, New Hampshire in July 1776 to help spread news of independence across the colonies. After the original printing on 4 July, copies were reportedly quickly circulated and reprinted as information reached different regions—making surviving examples from the earliest printing efforts extremely uncommon.

The National Archives said the copy appears to have been captured by British forces. It was reportedly seized on Christmas Eve 1776 after the Royal Navy captured an American ship off the coast of Portugal following a prolonged chase. The Declaration was then brought back to Britain and ended up among seized papers that were later archived and largely overlooked for centuries.

After restoration, the copy is set to be displayed in an exhibition at The National Archives focused on America’s independence story. The archive also noted that it already holds several other original official Declaration copies printed in Philadelphia in July 1776, while the newly found Exeter-printed example is uniquely rare—especially because it is known to have been taken by military action.