Record

D8760 - Gell family of Hopton Hall, Wirksworth - 1714-1994
- F - Family records of the extended Franklin family and the Gell family of Hopton Hall - 1714-1994
  - LIB - Printed volumes and other printed material, mostly on Sir John Franklin and related topics - 1714-1994
    - 6 - Pamphlets, published poems and printed material on Sir John Franklin, the search expeditions sent to find him or evidence of their fate, and the exploration of the Arctci regions of northern Canada - [c1840-1976]

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Archive Reference / Library Class No.	D8760/F/LIB/6/3
Title	Magazines published by Charles Dickens which include articles relating to the last Arctic expedition of Sir John Franklin, his ships and his crews
Date	1854-1859
Description	After the discoveries made by the explorer John Rae about the fate of the Franklin expedition, including evidence of cannibalism within the crew, which were reported in "The Times" on 23 October 1854, Lady Franklin turned to the famous author and journalist Charles Dickens to help repudiate the claim, arguing that it was inconceivable that personnel of the Royal Navy could have possibly committed such acts of cannibalism and that they must have been committed by the Esqkimaux (now known as Inuits). In spite of Rae's rebuttal, saying that his personal knowledge of that people unequivocably made him think that it was not possible to ahve acted in that way, the consensus in England largely took Dickens's view of the events. It is only comparatively recently that, having looked at the surviving evidence, scientific opinion has upheld the correctness of John Rae's claims.
Extent	8 items
Level	SubSeries
Repository	Derbyshire Record Office
Archive Creator	Gell family of Hopton Hall, Wirksworth

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Dickens; Charles John Huffam (1812-1870); author and writer

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