A relic of Sir John Franklin's last expedition 1845-8. A silver fiddle-pattern table spoon owned by H. D. S. Goodsir (Assistant Surgeon, 'HMS Erebus'). It was found in an abandoned boat at Erebus Bay, King William Island, in May 1859 by the McClintock Search Expedition 1857-9. The front of the handle is engraved with the initials 'HDSG'. It has Edinburgh hallmarks and the date code for 1814-15. The maker 'SZ' is unidentified.
McClintock's party reached this site on the 30 May and discovered that Hobson had been there a few days before on the 18th. The boat was 28 foot long and mounted on a heavy sledge. McClintock found it just above high tide mark pointing back in the direction of the ships and containing a large quantity of abandoned personal possessions and two skeletons. McClintock found none of the iron spoons used by the men, and concluded that the officer's plate had been distributed among the crew to preserve it.
Goodsir came from a medical family resident in Anstruther and studied medicine himself at Edinburgh. After a period in practice with his father Dr. John Goodsir, he moved back to Edinburgh and succeeded his brother as Conservator of the Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons. He published original research in zoology and pathology. He volunteered for Franklin's 1845 expedition and was appointed Acting Assistant Surgeon on 'Erebus' but was in fact, his real duty was that of expedition naturalist. He perished with the remainder of Franklin's crews.