SIR JOHN FRANKLIN - Lincolnshire's most famous Explorer
A plaque on the wall of the Franklin House Bakery denotes
this was the birth place of Lincolnshire explorer Sir John Franklin.
Born on April 16th 1786, the fourth son of nine children
and educated at Louth, he experienced his first taste of the sea aged
12 when he visited Saltfleet. He joined the Navy at the age of 14 and
fought in two of the greatest sea battles: Copenhagen in 1801 and Trafalgar
in 1805. He served as Midshipman to another Lincolnshire explorer, his
cousin Matthew Flinders. Being shipwrecked off Australia did not deter
the young John Franklin who later took part in exploration to the Arctic.
He is often referred to as 'The man who ate his boots' as in 1819 while
commanding his first expedition to the Arctic he and his companions suffered
incredible hardship and survived by eating lichen and leather from their
boots.
In
1829 he was awarded the Geographic Society Gold Medal and was knighted
by King George IV, he was also presented with a silver plate by the people
of Spilsby. In 1836 he was appointed Governor of Tasmania. At the age
of 59 he made his last voyage to seek the North-west passage between Canada
and the Arctic. Sadly the entire expedition disappeared and it was 12
years before their fate was known. During these years his widow Jane spent
all her money organizing ships to search for the missing party. Finally,
she received confirmation that her husband had died on Beechy Island in
July 1847. It was assumed he died from natural causes and the rest of
the party by disease and starvation. Several suggestions have been put
forward and one theory is that the probable cause was lead poisoning from
faulty cans.
Dominating the market area is an impressive statute of this
remarkable man.
In
1829 he was awarded the Geographic Society Gold Medal and was knighted
by King George IV, he was also presented with a silver plate by the people
of Spilsby. In 1836 he was appointed Governor of Tasmania. At the age
of 59 he made his last voyage to seek the North-west passage between Canada
and the Arctic. Sadly the entire expedition disappeared and it was 12
years before their fate was known. During these years his widow Jane spent
all her money organizing ships to search for the missing party. Finally,
she received confirmation that her husband had died on Beechy Island in
July 1847. It was assumed he died from natural causes and the rest of
the party by disease and starvation. Several suggestions have been put
forward and one theory is that the probable cause was lead poisoning from
faulty cans.