Forks, from Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition, recovered by Dr John Rae

These two silver forks are part of a collection of relics recovered from Sir John Franklin's Arctic expedition of 1848-9. The relics were given to Dr John Rae by North American Inuits in 1854, who told Rae how Franklin's men had perished in the Arctic.

The fork at the bottom of the picture belonged to Sir John Franklin and was made in London in 1844-5. The one above belonged to Captain Fitzjames and was made in Dublin in 1834.

Although Rae was involved in the search for Franklin's team in 1848-9, it was during his trip in 1853-4 that he discovered the fate of the expedition. Franklin's men had died due to starvation, exposure and perhaps lead poisoning from food stored in tins.

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