Copy of US Declaration of Independence found by volunteer in UK archives
A volunteer at the UK National Archives discovered a rare manuscript copy of the US Declaration of Independence, believed to be from the 1780s, among records of colonial lawsuits. The document, described as "vanishingly rare," is one of only a few handwritten copies known to exist and was likely made for a British audience after the American Revolution.
Background
- A volunteer at the UK National Archives in Kew discovered a previously unknown, handwritten parchment copy of the US Declaration of Independence, believed to be from the 1780s. It was found in a box of documents about American loyalists — colonists who stayed loyal to Britain during the Revolutionary War and fled there after the US won independence in 1783.
- The copy is "vanishingly rare": only a handful of similar manuscript copies exist. It was likely made for a British official or loyalist as a record of the text they opposed.
- The find illustrates the "losers' archive": the UK holds huge records left by loyalists seeking compensation or refuge. These are underexplored sources for the Revolution told from the British/loyalist side.
- Why it matters: a major find for historians, showing how the Declaration was circulated in Britain at the time. It also shows how volunteer work can surface items professional cataloguers missed.