Richard Humphreys collection

The collection comprises of correspondence by Humphreys regarding the British Relief Expedition, 1836 (leader James Clark Ross) to whalers in the Davis Strait

Richard W Humphreys served as captain of Isabella on the British Whaling and Relief Expeditions, sailing with William Lee to Lancaster Sound and Prince Regent Inlet in search of traces of John Ross's missing Northwest Passage expedition. In August 1833, Humphreys picked up Ross and his crew in Lancaster Sound. Humphreys was appointed master of HMS Cove on the British Relief Expedition (leader James Clark Ross) in 1836, sponsored by the Admiralty and private subscription to rescue the crews of eleven whaling vessels that had been beset and forced to winter in Davis Strait in 1835.

The correspondence is arranged chronologically

By appointment.

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Anyone wishing to consult material should ensure they note the entire MS reference and the name of the originator.

The term holograph is used when the item is wholly in the handwriting of the author. The term autograph is used when the author has signed the item.

Descriptions compiled by N. Boneham, Assistant Archivist with assistance from R. Stancombe and reference to Arctic, exploration and development c500 BC to 1915, an encyclopaedia by Clive Holland Garland Publishing, London (1994) and Exploring Polar Frontiers, a historical encyclopaedia by William Mills San Diego and Oxford, 2003

Clive Holland Manuscripts in the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England - a catalogue, Garland Publishing New York and London (1982) ISBN 0824093941.

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