Crowdfunding Campaign Launched To Package Rare Objects
A crowdfunding campaign has been launched by Derbyshire County Council’s Record Office to raise £1,000 to be used towards packaging and photographing objects from the archive of fabled arctic explorer Sir John Franklin and his second wife Lady Jane Franklin.
Sir John led the ships HMS Erebus and HMS Terror to discover the Northwest Passage, with the two ships setting off in 1845 with 129 men on board.
After two years of no contact many expeditions were sent out to find them but none of the crew were ever found alive and the exact reasons for their deaths remains a mystery.
The fate of the ships themselves was not discovered until Canadian archaeologists finally found the wrecks in 2014 and 2016.
Although Franklin spend much of his life abroad, his roots are in the East Midlands, as he was born in Spilsby, Lincolnshire and his only daughter Eleanor married into the Gell family of Hopton Hall, Derbyshire.
When the Gell family sold Hopton Hall they deposited their extensive family archive with the Derbyshire Record Office in Matlock, which included all the Franklin material.
Sir John’s archive includes letters, diaries, pictures, books and objects, including hundreds of letters relating to his two wives and his daughter.
Since last year Derbyshire Record Office staff, along with a number of volunteers, have been busy cataloguing the vast collection thanks to a £25,000 grant from Archives Revealed. They are also improving the packaging of the collection with a grant of just over £1,000 from the Pilgrim Trust, awarded via the National Manuscripts Conservation Trust.
Record Office staff are now working on a box of small objects, some of which Lady Jane Franklin had on display in her house. These include precious mementos that reminded her of the adventurous life the couple enjoyed.
By launching the crowdfunding campaign, Record Office staff are following in the footsteps of Lady Jane, who launched her own fundraising campaign back in 1850, appealing for money to fund missions to find the missing ships. As well as receiving hundreds of financial donations Lady Jane was also offered a boat to help in the search.
While Record Office staff are not looking for a boat, they are hoping for around £1,000 in donations which will be used to buy specialist display boxes and packaging so each object will be kept safe but also easy to display.
The money will also be used for professional photography so each of the items can be added to the Record Office’s online catalogue making it accessible for people to view across the world.
There is a lot of interest in Sir John Franklin in Canada and Australia, so the crowdfunding campaign gives people everywhere the opportunity to get involved and support the efforts to preserve the collection and make it more accessible.
Derbyshire County Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Leadership, Culture and Tourism Councillor Barry Lewis said: “We know there is global interest in Sir John Franklin and his expedition and we have already welcomed two grants to help with the cataloguing of the archive.
“As part of our enterprising council approach, staff at the Record Office have been thinking of ways to raise more funds to do the collection justice and bring it to a wider audience, and crowdfunding seems to fit the bill.
“It’s the modern day equivalent of how Lady Jane raised funds to search for the ships and we hope we will be as successful in raising money as she was all those years ago.”
A short film has been made by Derbyshire Record Office to highlight the crowdfunding campaign, showing some of the archive and telling the story behind the collection, and the crowdfunding page is now live and can be found at www.crowdfunder.co.uk/ladyjanesmuseum
The crowdfunding campaign runs until Friday 12 July.
People can find out more information by following the Derbyshire Record Office’s blog, where there are many posts relating to the Discovering Franklin project:
https://recordoffice.wordpress.com/tag/sir-john-franklin/
and they can follow progress on Twitter @FranklinArchive and get updates on the Derbyshire Record Office pages of the council’s website at www.derbyshire.gov.uk/recordoffice
More News From Amber Valley Info
| PCCs budget to protect policing in Derbyshire Derbyshires Police and Crime Commissioner Nicolle Ndiweni-Roberts has published details of her budget for 2026-27, including the amount read more | |
| Strengthening action on food insecurity with new funding boost Food banks and community pantries across the county will receive additional funding to help support vulnerable residen read more | |
| Appeal launched following theft of bronze statues from Somercotes Police are appealing for information after a number of bronze statues were stolen from a sculpture studio in Somerc read more | |
| Rolls-Royce donation of equipment to Derbyshire Fire & Rescue Service boosts local collaboration. Rolls-Royce Submarines has donated £60,000 of specialist equipment as part of a wi read more | |
| Derbyshire steps up winter support to keep residents warm, safe and supported Derbyshire County Council is set to invest an additional £155,000 this winter to help residents s read more | |
The Amber Valley Info Noticeboard
| Christmas and New Year bin collection dates Over the festive season, bin collections will operate on revised schedules. Some collections may take place up to two days earlier than u read more | |
| Launch Of WOMBLE MANIA! At the Heights of Abraham, Opened by Marcus Robertson, Son of Wombles author, Elisabeth Beresford, officially launched WOMBLE MANIA! at the Heights of Abraha read more | |
| Belper School and Sixth Form Centre Closed Today Due to a significant water leak, resulting in the water being turned off at school, we unfortunately have to close the school today. read more | |
| When you need to call 999 but can't talk When you need to call 999 but can't talk - the ‘silent solution’ can help. Press 55 on your mobile when prompted, to confirm you are in read more | |
| The opening night of the Lights of Abraham Winter Lights Trail The brand new winter lights trail, the 'Lights of Abraham' opened on Friday 22nd November at the Heights of Abraham in read more | |
