{"id":87475,"date":"2026-07-03T09:54:33","date_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:54:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/"},"modified":"2026-07-03T09:54:33","modified_gmt":"2026-07-03T09:54:33","slug":"vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Vanishingly rare&#8221; copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"\">\n<p>A rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence has been found in the U.K.&#8217;s National Archive by a volunteer.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Known as an &#8220;Exeter Declaration,&#8221; the copy is one of 11 of its kind known to still exist and is believed to be the only one outside the United States, according to the National Archive.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is an extraordinary discovery,&#8221; said Saul Nass\u00e9, Chief Executive of The National Archives and Keeper of Public Records. &#8220;It&#8217;s a vanishingly rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence, found not in America, but here in the U.K.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Believed to have been printed in Exeter, New Hampshire in 1776, the copies were produced to spread the news of the signing of the actual declaration and often carried on ships.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/012330d3-3306-43f5-91a7-08f863c2612e\/thumbnail\/620x826\/00574ed9e4be4a34c6fa18938607a459\/exeter-4.jpg#\" alt=\"exeter-4.jpg \" height=\"826\" width=\"620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/012330d3-3306-43f5-91a7-08f863c2612e\/thumbnail\/620x826\/00574ed9e4be4a34c6fa18938607a459\/exeter-4.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets3.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/012330d3-3306-43f5-91a7-08f863c2612e\/thumbnail\/1240x1652\/55e2d5f735fc030f46dc5825578dffd1\/exeter-4.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">The copy is one of 11 known to have survived and was produced in Exeter, New Hampshire.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                U.K. National Archives<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The National Archive says the document was seized from an American ship, the Dalton, on Christmas Eve in 1776 by the British Royal Navy vessel HMS Raisonable following a 7-hour pursuit off the coast of Portugal. \u00a0<\/p>\n<p>When the ship was brought to Britain, the seized papers included the privateer&#8217;s commission, printed instructions from the Continental Congress, and the Declaration, which was archived simply as &#8220;another paper.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Now 250 years later, Michael Scurry, a volunteer at the National Archive in London, found it when cataloguing a box of correspondence.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I called over to my boss and said, &#8216;I think you need to come and have a look at this,'&#8221; Scurry told CBS News partner network BBC News.\u00a0<\/p>\n<figure class=\"embed embed--type-image is-image embed--float-none embed--size-medium\">\n<p>      <span class=\"img embed__content \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/b331dd2c-433f-4f0f-9222-f75350095e90\/thumbnail\/620x930\/e3ac9f77d593783e3e1f90bc16d72609\/exeter-3.jpg#\" alt=\"exeter-3.jpg \" height=\"930\" width=\"620\" srcset=\"https:\/\/assets1.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/b331dd2c-433f-4f0f-9222-f75350095e90\/thumbnail\/620x930\/e3ac9f77d593783e3e1f90bc16d72609\/exeter-3.jpg 1x, https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/b331dd2c-433f-4f0f-9222-f75350095e90\/thumbnail\/1240x1860\/fae856aa2884c22090a1a56c70812f3a\/exeter-3.jpg 2x\" loading=\"lazy\"\/><\/span><figcaption class=\"embed__caption-container\">\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__caption\">The rare document was found by a volunteer at the National Archives in London.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>                  <span class=\"embed__credit\"><\/p>\n<p>                U.K. National Archives<\/p>\n<p>                          <\/span><br \/>\n              <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>After identifying it, the National Archive said it carried out a &#8220;careful conservation&#8221; to repair a slight tear and stabilize the paper.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Dr Graham Moore, a curator at The National Archive, said, &#8220;This is one of the rarest forms of the Declaration we know about. It wasn&#8217;t meant to be preserved \u2013 it was printed quickly and distributed widely.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The fact that the copy was on board the Dalton, Dr. Moore said, &#8220;tells us a great deal about its meaning and importance.&#8221;\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;For the men on board the Dalton, it set out what they were fighting for, and why,&#8221; he added.\u00a0<\/p>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n<\/section>\n<p>  <!-- data-recirc-source=\"chartbeat\" --><\/p>\n<aside class=\"component list recirculation component--type-recirculation  component--type-recirculation-collection\">\n<\/aside>\n<section class=\"content__body--footer\">\n      <!-- tags --><\/p>\n<section class=\"content__tags\">\n<p class=\"content__tags__label\">In:<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/section><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script>\r\n<!-- ItShrt World News -->\r\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\r\n     style=\"display:block\"\r\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-6606220950177433\"\r\n     data-ad-slot=\"1882483372\"\r\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\r\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins>\r\n<script>\r\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\r\n<\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-the-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence has been found in the U.K.&#8217;s National Archive by a volunteer.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":87476,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[8606,7765,690],"class_list":["post-87475","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-top-stories","tag-america-at-250","tag-declaration-of-independence","tag-united-kingdom"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v24.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Vanishingly rare&quot; copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer - World News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A volunteer at the National Archives in London found the document among other papers seized from an American ship in 1776.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Vanishingly rare&quot; copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer - World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A volunteer at the National Archives in London found the document among other papers seized from an American ship in 1776.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png\" \/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"998\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"News\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"News\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\"},\"headline\":\"&#8220;Vanishingly rare&#8221; copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\"},\"wordCount\":396,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"keywords\":[\"America at 250\",\"Declaration of Independence\",\"United Kingdom\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Top Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\",\"name\":\"\\\"Vanishingly rare\\\" copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer - World News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"A volunteer at the National Archives in London found the document among other papers seized from an American ship in 1776.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8220;Vanishingly rare&#8221; copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"description\":\"World News\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization\",\"name\":\"World News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png\",\"width\":581,\"height\":581,\"caption\":\"World News\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2\",\"name\":\"News\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Vanishingly rare\" copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer - World News","description":"A volunteer at the National Archives in London found the document among other papers seized from an American ship in 1776.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Vanishingly rare\" copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer - World News","og_description":"A volunteer at the National Archives in London found the document among other papers seized from an American ship in 1776.","og_url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/","og_site_name":"World News","article_published_time":"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png","type":"","width":"","height":""},{"url":"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png","width":1920,"height":998,"type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"News","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_image":"https:\/\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"News","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/"},"author":{"name":"News","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2"},"headline":"&#8220;Vanishingly rare&#8221; copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer","datePublished":"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/"},"wordCount":396,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","keywords":["America at 250","Declaration of Independence","United Kingdom"],"articleSection":["Top Stories"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/","name":"\"Vanishingly rare\" copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer - World News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","datePublished":"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-03T09:54:33+00:00","description":"A volunteer at the National Archives in London found the document among other papers seized from an American ship in 1776.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","contentUrl":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/vanishingly-rare-copy-of-declaration-of-independence-found-in-u-k-by-volunteer\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8220;Vanishingly rare&#8221; copy of Declaration of Independence found in U.K. by volunteer"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#website","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","name":"World News","description":"World News","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#organization","name":"World News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/13\/2025\/01\/cropped-download.png","width":581,"height":581,"caption":"World News"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/#\/schema\/person\/1d8ae7348e048cb7984f26b4dd818ff2","name":"News","url":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"}]}},"magazineBlocksPostFeaturedMedia":{"thumbnail":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","medium":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1","medium_large":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=768&resize=768,0&ssl=1","large":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1024&resize=1024,1024&ssl=1","1536x1536":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1536&resize=1536,1536&ssl=1","2048x2048":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=2048&resize=2048,2048&ssl=1","colormag-highlighted-post":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=392&resize=392,272&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-medium":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=390&resize=390,205&ssl=1","colormag-featured-post-small":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=130&resize=130,90&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=800&resize=800,445&ssl=1","colormag-default-news":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1","colormag-featured-image-large":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1400&resize=1400,600&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-block-extra-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1155&resize=1155,480&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=600&resize=600,417&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-small-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=285&resize=285,450&ssl=1","colormag-elementor-grid-medium-large-thumbnail":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=575&resize=575,198&ssl=1"},"magazineBlocksPostAuthor":{"name":"News","avatar":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g"},"magazineBlocksPostCommentsNumber":false,"magazineBlocksPostExcerpt":"A rare 1776 printing of the Declaration of Independence has been found in the U.K.&#8217;s National Archive by a volunteer.\u00a0","magazineBlocksPostCategories":["Top Stories"],"magazineBlocksPostViewCount":2,"magazineBlocksPostReadTime":2,"magazine_blocks_featured_image_url":{"full":["https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=1200&resize=1200,630&ssl=1",1200,630,false],"medium":["https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=300&resize=300,300&ssl=1",300,300,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/assets2.cbsnewsstatic.com\/hub\/i\/r\/2026\/07\/03\/06ab3f5b-4356-42df-8248-aa6cd1e0f37a\/thumbnail\/1200x630\/44593844c03345e8a9f9459f70699ef6\/exeter-4.png?w=150&resize=150,150&ssl=1",150,150,false]},"magazine_blocks_author":{"display_name":"News","author_link":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/author\/admin\/"},"magazine_blocks_comment":0,"magazine_blocks_author_image":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/e85cf08852547781a5f631f3713dbb5197ed4b54e32ae19c7d5769b8c8504897?s=96&d=mm&r=g","magazine_blocks_category":"<a href=\"#\" class=\"category-link category-link-32\">Top Stories<\/a>","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87475","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87475"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87475\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.itshrt.com\/worldnews\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}