A relic of Sir John Franklin's last expedition 1845-48. The direction post was found on Beechey Island by the William Penny Search Expedition 1850-51 in the brigs 'Lady Franklin', and ' Sophia'. It consists of a wooden board nailed to a boarding pike, the staff bound at the top and bottom with iron. The back of the board is unpainted and perforated with swan shot. The rest of the item is painted black with a pointing hand on the front of the board. Two of these items were found, one near where Penny's ships were moored, the other on the shores of North Devon opposite Beechey Island. They were presumably intended to indicate the direction of Franklin's ships during snow storms.