A hand-written copy of the Declaration of Independence has been found in Sussex, England and dates back to the 1780s! Harvard Professor Danielle Allen and Emily Sneff, research managers for the Declaration Resources Project, managed to track the parchment down and confirm it’s authenticity.
Sneff stated that it was found when simply looking for copies of the Declaration of Independance in some British archives. It was documented as a parchment, the only problem is that the only other parchment copy was located in the U.S. National Archives.
They dated the manuscript, now known as The Sussex Declaration, to the 1780s based on the handwriting, preparation, and other factors. It’s likely that it belonged to The Third Duke of Richmond, or The Radical Duke, who was a supporter of the American Revolution.
The parchment was likely produced in New York or Philadelphia. Researchers think that it may have been commissioned by Founding Father James Wilson, or one of his political allies, as part of his advocacy efforts on behalf of the Federal Constitution.
