Spoon

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Relic of Sir John Franklin's last expedition 1845-48. A silver, fiddle-pattern dessert spoon owned by Sir John Franklin (1786-1847). The back of the handle bears the Franklin crest: a conger eel's head, between two branches.

It was obtained from the Inuit at Repulse Bay in 1854 by the Rae Expedition. The Inuit said they had found the material at a camp to the north west of the mouth of the Back River where a party of Europeans had died of starvation. The spoon has London hallmarks with the date letter for 1844-55 and the maker's mark of George Adams (the initials 'GA').

It was presented to Greenwich Hospital by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 2 December 1854.

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Object Details

ID:	AAA2387
Collection:	Polar Equipment and Relics
Type:	Spoon
Display location:	Not on display
Creator:	Adams, George
Events:	Arctic Exploration: Franklin's Last Expedition, 1845-1848; Arctic Exploration: Dr John Rae, 1853-1854
Date made:	1844-45
People:	Franklin, John; Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty Greenwich Hospital
Credit:	National Maritime Museum, Greenwich, London, Greenwich Hospital Collection
Measurements:	Overall: 25 x 222 x 45 mm