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A rare copy of the American Declaration of Independence has been put on display at West Sussex Records office in Chichester to mark the 250th Anniversary of the birth of America.

The Sussex Declaration is a handwritten copy of the declaration, produced on vellum, probably in Philadelphia in the 1780s, by Founding Father James Wilson. It is one of only two contemporary ceremonial parchment copies. The other is in the National Archives in Washington DC.

New research by historian Professor Danielle Allen suggests that this incredibly rare, handwritten copy of the Declaration made its way to Chichester via Thomas Paine, the radical tax collector from Lewis who was a vital campaigner for American Independence.

Evidence found by Professor Allen in the library of Goodwood House shows that Paine dedicated a pamphlet to the 3rd Duke of Richmond, who was known as the ‘Radical Duke.’ It is the professor’s theory that Paine gifted the document to The Duke, acknowledging his support for independence.

Nearly 250 years on, the handwriting on The Declaration is incredibly clear although around the edges it is possible to spot tiny bite marks, indicating that over the years, rodents found the document equally beguiling.

Usually kept under lock and key, to celebrate the 250th anniversary, West Sussex Records Office, will be holding special viewings of the document before it heads to the British Museum for display later in the year.

Alongside the Declaration document, visitors are also able to explore contemporary letters and documents, demonstrating the link between Sussex and the early years of the United States of America. There are letters from Midhurst’s Richard Cobden whose early trips to across the Atlantic informed his thinking on free trade, non-interventionist foreign policy and the reduction of spending on arms.

In 2019 the Record’s Office was given a $100,000 grant by the Mellon Foundation in New York for a project to discover the close historical connections between West Sussex and America. For interested readers the website www.transatlantic-ties.org.uk sets out the results of this research.

Two more special viewings of the document will be held on 27th July and 21st August.