Rare copy of US Declaration of Independence found by volunteer in UK archives

BBC News correspondent Tim Muffett (left) being shown the recently found copy by volunteer Michael Scurr (right)Following restoration works, the copy will be displayed in the archives' exhibition on the path to American independence, which opened last month.

A rare surviving copy of the Declaration of Independence has been discovered at The National Archives in Kew, the only known example of its kind outside the US.

Dr Graham Moore from The National Archives said the discovery is "one of the rarest forms of the Declaration we know about", adding that it was not meant to be preserved because it was intended to be distributed quickly.