Lady Franklin's Final Search (back)

This page lists 93 subscribers in a printed list, with one added in ink, plus a contribution received in kind of a life boat presented by Messrs White of Cowes.

Lady Jane Franklin (1791-1875) was the wife of Sir John Franklin (1786-1847) who led a British Naval expedition to discover the North West Passage in 1845. After the expedition disappeared, many searches were made for them. On one of these searches, in 1854, John Rae discovered the fate of the crew from some Inuit, who told him how they had seen about 40 men attempting to make their way back overland. They had later found their graves and bodies, some of which had been cannibalised.

When Rae brought the news back to England, Lady Franklin refused to accept that all the men were dead. She funded another search under Captain McClintock. McClintock's expedition confirmed Rae's report and brought back definite news of her husband's death.