My paper concerning the lead in the Franklin expedition remains.

I'm pleased to announce that my 'Franklin lead' paper has now gone live on the Hakluyt
Society website: http://www.hakluyt.com/journal_index.htm



It can be argued that last week's triumphant discovery of the wreck of HMS Terror can be linked to the lead in the bones recovered from King William Island in the 1980's. Had Owen Beattie not detected high levels of lead in those remains then the Beechey Island excavations wouldn't have happened and the worldwide publicity arising from the bestseller Frozen in Time would not have raised public and private support for the ultimately successful search for the ships.


The story of lead and the Franklin expedition has had so many twists and turns that it is reminiscient of the search for the lost expedition itself. I'm sure that the story still has some distance to run and hope that my paper is received as a useful contribution.

Roll Call of the Doomed

The sides of the pedestal of Franklin's statue in Waterloo Place, London, list the names of the full complement of the expedition's lost, cast in bronze. To produce what I hope is a definitive list, I have combined the names from the plaques with my own transcriptions of the muster books of Erebus and Terror in the National Archives.

	HMS EREBUS
	OFFICERS
Name	Qualities	Age	Birthplace	List	No.
Sir J. Franklin Kt. K.C.H.	Captain			1	1
James Fitzjames	Commander			1	2
Graham Gore	Lieutenant			1	6
H.T.D. Le Vesconte	Lieutenant			1	3
J.W. Fairholme	Lieutenant			1	7
Robert O. Sergent	Mate			1	9
Charles F. Des Vœux	Mate			1	4
Edward Couch	Mate			1	10
James Reid	Master (Acting)			1	8
Stephen S. Stanley	Surgeon			2	2
Charles H. Osmer	Paymaster & Purser			2	1
Harry D.S. Goodsir	Surgeon (Acting)			2	3
Henry F. Collins	Second Master			1	5
Thomas Terry	Boatswain, 3rd Class			4	1
John Weekes	Carpenter, 2nd Class			4	3
John Gregory	Engineer, 1st Class			4	4
	PETTY OFFICERS
Samuel Brown	Boatswain's mate	27	Hull, Yorks.	5	4
Richard Wall	Ship's Cook	45	Hull, Yorks.	5	5
Robert Sinclair	Captain of the Foretop	25	Kirkwall, Orkney	5	6
Joseph Andrews	Captain of the Hold	35	Edmonton, Middx.	5	1
William Fowler	Paymaster & Purser's Steward	26	Bristol, Somerset	5	7
James W. Brown	Caulker	28	Deptford, Kent	5	9
John Cowie	Stoker	32	Bermondsey, Surrey	5	10
John Sullivan	Captain of the Maintop	24	Gillingham, Kent	5	15
Phillip Reddington	Captain of Forecastle	28	Brompton, Kent	5	16
John Murray	Sailmaker	43	Glasgow, Lanarks.	5	20
John Bridgens	Subordinate Officers' Steward	26	Woolwich, Kent	5	21
Thomas Watson	Carpenter's Mate	40	Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk	5	22
Thomas Plater	Stoker		Westminster, Middx.	5	23
William Smith	Blacksmith	28	Thibnam [Tibenham], Norfolk	5	24
Francis Dunn	Caulker's Mate	25	Llanelly, S. Wales	5	25
Edmund Hoar	Captain's Steward	23	Portsea, Hants	5	28
Daniel Arthur	Quartermaster	35	Aberdeen	5	32
William Bell	Quartermaster	36	Dundee, Forfar	5	43
John Downing	2nd Quartermaster	34	Plymouth, Devon	5	52
James Hart	Leading Stoker	33	Hampstead, Middx	5	54
Richard Aylmore	Gunroom Steward	24	Southampton, Hants	5	55
James Rigden	Captain's Coxwain	32	Upper Deal, Kent	5	18
	ABLE SEAMEN
George Thompson	AB	27	Staines, Berks	5	8
John Hartnell	AB	25	Brompton, Kent	5	11
John Stickland	AB	24	Portsmouth, Hants.	5	13
Thomas Hartnell	AB	23	Chatham, Kent	5	12
William Orren	AB	34	Chatham, Kent	5	17
William Clossan	AB	25	Shetland	5	19
Charles Coombs	AB	28	Greenwich, Kent	5	3
John Morfin	AB	25	Gainsboro., Lincolns.	5	29
Charles Best	AB	23	Fareham, Hants.	5	40
Thomas Mc. Convey	AB	24	Liverpool, Lancs.	5	41
Henry Lloyd	AB	26	Christiansen, Norway	5	42
Thomas Work	AB	41	Kirkwall, Orkney	5	44
Robert Ferrier	AB	29	Perth	5	45
Josephus Geater	AB	32	London, Middx.	5	46
George Williams	AB	35	Holyhead, Angelsea	5	47
Thomas Tadman	AB	28	Brompton, Kent	5	48
Abraham Seeley	AB	34	Gravesend, Kent	5	49
Francis Pocock	AB	24	Upnor, Kent	5	50
Robert Johns	AB	24	Penryn, Cornwall	5	51
William Mark	AB	24	Holyhead, Angelsea	5	52
	ROYAL MARINES
Daniel Bryant	Sergeant	31.5	Shepton Montague, Somerset	7	1
Alexander Paterson*	Corporal	30	Inverness	9	1
Robert Hopcraft	Private	38.8	Nottingham, Notts.	8	1
William Pilkington	Private	28.4	Kilrush, Clare	9	2
William Braine	Private	31.3	Oakhill, Somerset	9	3
Joseph Healey	Private	29.10	Manchester, Lancs.	9	4
William Reed	Private	28.8	Bristol, Somerset	9	5
	BOYS
George Chambers	Boy, 1st Class	18	Woolwich, Kent	6	1
David Young	Boy, 1st Class	18	Sheerness, Kent	6	2

	HMS TERROR
	OFFICERS
Name	Qualities	Age	Birthplace	List	No.
F.R.M. Crozier	Captain			1	1
Edward Little	Lieutenant			1	2
George H. Hodgson	Lieutenant			1	3
John Irving	Lieut			1	5
Frederick Hornby	Mate			1	3
Robert Thomas	Mate			1	4
Thomas Blanky	Master (Acting)			1	7
John S. Peddie	Surgeon (Acting)			2	1
Alexander Mc. Donald	Assistant Surgeon			2	2
G.A. MacBean	Second Master			1	6
E. J. H. Helpman	Clerk in Charge			3	1
Thomas Honey	Carpenter, 3rd Class			4	1
John Lane	Boatswain, 3rd Class			4	2
James Thompson	Engineer, 1st Class (Acting)			4	3
	PETTY OFFICERS
John Diggle	Ship's Cook	36	Westminster, London	5	2
Henry Peglar	Captain of the Foretop	37	London, Middx.	5	3
William Gibson	Subordinate Officers' Steward	22	London, Middx.	5	12
Cornelius Hickey	Caulker's Mate	24	Limerick	5	13
William Goddard	Captain of the Hold	29	Gt. Yarmouth, Norfolk	5	15
Reuben Male	Captain of the Forecastle	27	Woolwich, Kent	5	17
Alexander Wilson	Carpenter's Mate	27	Holy Island, N. Durham	5	18
John Wilson	Captain's Coxwain	33	Portsea, Hants	5	20
Thomas Darlington	Caulker	29	Plymouth, Devon	5	21
William Johnson	Stoker	45	Kiston-Lindsey, Lincolns.	5	22
Thomas R. Farr	Captain of the Maintop	32	Deptford, Kent	5	23
Luke Smith	Stoker	27	London, Middx.	5	37
David Mc. Donald	Quartermaster	46	Peterhead, Scotland	5	40
John Kenley	Quartermaster	44	St. Monance, Fifeshire	5	53
William Rhodes	Quartermaster	31	Redingstreet, Kent	5	56
Thomas Johnson	Boatswain's Mate	28	Wisbeach, Cambridge	5	46
Thomas Armitage	Gunroom Steward	40	Chatham, Kent	5	49
Samuel Honey	Blacksmith	22	Plymouth, Devon	5	50
Thomas Jopson	Captain's Steward	27	Marylebone, Middx.	5	52
Edward Genge	Paymaster's Steward	21	Gosport, Hants.	5	55
John Torrington	Leading Stoker	19	Manchester	5	58
	ABLE SEAMEN
George J. Cann	AB	23	Battersea, Middx.	5	1
William Strong	AB	22	Portsmouth, Hants.	5	4
David Sims	AB	24	Gedney, Lincoln.	5	5
John Bailey	AB	21	Leyton, Essex	5	6
William Jerry	AB	29	Pembroke, Wales	5	8
Henry Sait	AB	23	Bognor, Sussex	5	14
Alexander Berry	AB	32	S. Ferry, Fifeshire	5	16
John Handford	AB	28	Sunderland	5	24
John Bates*	AB	24	London, Middx.	5	25
Samuel Crispe	AB	24	Lynn, Norfolk	5	36
Charles Johnson	AB	28	Halifax, Nova Scotia	5	38
William Shanks	AB	29	Dundee, Scotland	5	39
David Leys	AB	37	Montrose, Scotland	5	41
William Sinclair	AB	30	Sallaway [Galloway], Scotland	5	42
George Kinnaird	AB	23	Hastings, Sussex	5	43
Ed. Lawrence	AB	30	London, Middx.	5	47
Magnus Manson	AB	28	Shetland, Scotland	5	48
James Walker	AB	29	S. Shields	5	54
William Wentzall	AB	33	London, Middx.	5	57
	ROYAL MARINES
Solomon Tozer	Sergeant	34	Axbridge, Somerset	7	1
William Hedges	Corporal	30	Bradford, Wilts	9	1
William Heather	Private	35	Battersea, Surrey	8	1
Henry Wilkes	Private	28	Leicester	9	2
John Hammond	Private	32	Bradford, Yorks.	9	3
James Daly	Private	30	Luberclue [Tubberclare], Westmeath	9	4
	BOYS
Robert Golding	Boy	19	Deptford, Kent	6	1
Thomas Evans	Boy	18	Deptford, Kent	6	3

The final two columns, "List" and "No.", refer to the individual lists within the muster books and the number of each man within them. The titles of the lists referred to above are shown in the following table.

1.	Commissioned Officers - Military Branch
2.	Commissioned Officers - Civil Branch
3.	Subordinate Officers
4.	Warrant Officers
5.	Ship's Company
6.	Boys, 1st Class
7.	Marines, Not Classed
8.	Marines, 1st Class
9.	Marines, 3rd Class

Andrew Lambert notes that "In February 1914 the Board of Works corrected the spelling of des Voeux's name from des Vauex, and changed le Vesconte's middle initial from F to T in 1931, at £2 a time. Then the Board checked the Admiralty record to ensure there were no more errors."

I have to take issue with the Board of Works in two cases, Alexander Paterson of HMS Erebus, and Able Seaman John Bates of HMS Terror, who gain a "t" and lose an "s", respectively, on the plaques.

Even the legendary Richard Cyriax was not immune to error. His transcription of the muster lists spells the surname of William Clossan as "Closson" and renames Sergeant Daniel Bryant as David.

In the light of the above, I can make no claims for perfection, but hope that this is an improvement on previous compilations.

Correction: 25 July 2023. The surname of 1st Mate on Erebus, Robert O. Sergent had been erroneously listed as Sergeant. Big thanks to Logan Zachary for reporting the error.