Sir John Ross
Sir John Ross collection
1812-1856
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge
Correspondence (150 leaves) and papers (4 volumes, 1 microfilm, 100 leaves)
Some of the material is on microfilm
Sir John Ross and others
English.
John Ross was born on 24 June 1777 at Balsarroch, Scotland, son of the Reverend Andrew Ross, minister at Inch. He entered the Royal Navy in 1786, serving in the Mediterranean and in the North Sea. On the outbreak of the Napoleonic Wars in 1803, he was posted to
HMS Grampus under Sir James Saumarez, later acting as liaison officer and interpreter for Saumarez aboard the Swedish flagship during a combined Swedish-English action against a Russian squadron. Promoted commander in 1812, Ross served with distinction until the end of the wars in 1816.
In 1817, Ross was selected by the Admiralty to command the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, sailing from London in 1818 in
HMS Isabella, accompanied by HMS Alexander under William Edward Parry, to search for a Northwest Passage by way of Baffin Bay. Among the ship's complement were his nephew, James Clark Ross, and the astronomer Edward Sabine. After reaching northern Baffin Bay, Ross sighted Smith Sound and Jones Sound, erroneously declaring that both were bays and making no attempt to explore them. On 30 August 1818, he entered Lancaster Sound but decided to turn back in the mistaken belief that it was a small inlet enclosed by mountains. Sailing south off the east coast of Baffin Island, Ross passed but did not attempt to enter Cumberland Sound, returning promptly to London in November 1818. On his return, Ross was criticised for his failure to explore the sounds, and, in particular, for his decision to turn back in Lancaster Sound against the wishes of his junior officers.
Promoted captain in 1818, Ross retired to North West Castle at Stranraer, publishing
A treatise on navigation by steam in 1828, advocating the use of steam in warships. When his proposal to the Admiralty to send a steam vessel on an Arctic voyage was rejected, Ross persuaded his wealthy friend, Felix Booth, a gin distiller, to sponsor his British Northwest Passage Expedition, 1829-1833. Sailing from London in the small steamer Victory with James Clark Ross as second-in-command, the expedition entered Lancaster Sound in August 1829, reaching Prince Regent Inlet shortly afterwards, where they found the wreck of HMS Fury on Fury Beach. Proceeding south, the expedition discovered the Gulf of Boothia and put into winter quarters at Felix Harbour, southeast Boothia Peninsula. From here, Ross and his nephew made several journeys of exploration across Boothia Isthmus, and in May and June 1830, James Clark Ross discovered King William Island. During a sledge journey the following year, James Clark Ross located the North Magnetic Pole on the west coast of Boothia Peninsula on 1 June. During the third winter of 1831 to 1832, Ross decided to abandon ship, leading his men in the spring of 1832 to Fury Beach, where they spent their fourth Arctic winter. The whaler Isabella eventually rescued the expedition in Lancaster Sound on 26 August 1833, arriving in England in October 1833. On his return, Ross was the recipient of numerous awards and medals and was knighted in 1834.
In 1839, Ross was appointed British consul at Stockholm where he remained until 1846. On his return to Britain, he was one of the first to express his concern over the fate of Sir John Franklin's Northwest Passage Expedition, missing since 1845. In 1850, Ross took command of the privately sponsored British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851, financed by the Hudson's Bay Company and public subscription, including a large donation from Felix Booth, to search for Franklin along the shores of Barrow Strait and Viscount Melville Sound in the schooner
Felix. On his return to Britain, he was promoted rear admiral on the retired list, publishing a short pamphlet on the Franklin search in 1855, bitterly criticizing everyone associated with it. He died on 30 August 1856 in London.
Published work
A voyage of discovery made under the orders of the Admiralty in His Majesty's Ships Isabella and Alexander for the purpose of exploring Baffin's Bay and enquiring into the probability of a North-west Passage by (Sir) John Ross, John Murray, London (1819) SPRI Library Special Collection (3)91(08)[1818 Ross], Narrative of a Second Voyage in Search of a North-West Passage, and of a residence in the Arctic Regions during the years 1829, 1830, 1831, 1832, 1833... and the discovery of the north magnetic pole by (Sir) John Ross and James Clark Ross, A.W. Webster, London (1835) SPRI Library Special Collection (41)91(08)[1829-1833 Ross], Rear Admiral Sir John Franklin, a narrative of the circumstances and causes which led to the failure of the searching expeditions sent by the government and others for the rescue of Sir John Franklin by (Sir) John Ross, Longmans, Green, Brown and Longmans London (1855) SPRI Library Shelf (41)91(091)[1847-1859 Franklin search]
The collection comprises of correspondence by Ross including both family and naval news. The second part of the collection comprises of papers, which include mention of his Arctic expeditions and the search for the missing British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1845-1848 (leader Sir John Franklin).
The collection is split into two sub-fonds comprising of correspondence and papers respectively
Further accessions possible
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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
Clive Holland
Manuscripts in the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, England - a catalogue, Garland Publishing New York and London (1982) ISBN 0824093941.
Additional finding aids are available at the Institute
The Scott Polar Research Institute holds a number of photographs, film and other illustrative material in the Picture Library, which includes images of Ross. The catalogue can be searched on line by going to the Picture Library Database and selecting the
Enter Polar Pictures link.
Ross
John
1777-1856
Sir
Knight Rear Admiral Arctic Navigator
British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition
Greenland
1818
British Northwest Passage Expedition
Canada
1829-1833
British Franklin Search Expedition
Canada
1850-1851
Arctic regions
Discovery and exploration
Sir John Ross/Correspondence
Ross, correspondence
1812-1856
64 letters
Sir John Ross
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge
The correspondence covers general Arctic exploration with specific mention of the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1818 (led by Ross), the British Northwest Passage Expedition, 1829-1833 (led by Ross) and the search expeditions mounted by the Admiralty and private individuals for the missing British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1845-1848 (leader Sir John Franklin).
The collection also contains family correspondence and mention of Ross's non polar naval career.
- MS 1152;D Letter to Sir Francis Beaufort, 10 July 1829 to January 1833 [Long narrative account of his progress on HMS Victory, British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1829-1833] 10 leaves, holograph
- MS 651/1;D Letter to Captain Humphrey of Hull, 12 April 1833 [Including other papers relating to Ross] 8 leaves, Photostat
- MS 954;D Letter to George Lamb, 11 September 1832 [Regarding medicines to be used for cholera] 2 leaves, holograph (Xerox)
- MS 581/1;D Letter to Dr John Lee, 5 May 1846 [Mention of John Barrow and James Clark Ross] autograph
- MS 945/1-45;D Letters (43) to Dr John Lee, 1850 to 1856 [Mainly family matters, mention of Arctic exploration and scientific matters] 104 leaves, holograph (Xerox)
- MS 999/6/1-11;D Letters (8) to George Ross (brother), 1816 to 1827 [Family matters and mention of Arctic exploration] 12 leaves, holograph (Xerox)
- MS 276;D Letter to the Right Honourable Lords of His Majesty's Treasury, 20 March 1829 [Request supplies of duty free coke, British Northwest Passage Expedition, 1829-1833] holograph (Photocopy)
- MS 438/31;D Letter to Sir William Edward Parry, 14 November 1820 [Regarding success of Parry's Arctic voyage] holograph
- MS 581/1;D Letter to John Wright, February 1834 [Regarding the British Northwest Passage Expedition, 1829-1833] 4 leaves, autograph
- MS 999/7/1-6;D Letters (6) to various persons, 1812 to 1849 [Regarding Lady Ross, mention of a Naval engagement at Copenhagen] 7 Leaves, holograph (Xerox)
The correspondence is arranged alphabetically by recipient
Letters by Sir John Ross can also be found amongst Back collection and the Richardson-Voss collections held by the Institute
- MS 395/63/1-4;BL ROSS, Letters (4) to George Back, 1833 to 1836 [Regarding Arctic exploration] 4 leaves, holograph
- MS 1503/35/3;RV ROSS, Extract of letter to Admiralty, 21 January 1847 [Offering assistance in search of Franklin]
- MS 1503/35/4;RV ROSS, Further extract of letter to Admiralty, 27 January 1847 [Suggest procedure and urges expedition in regard to Franklin]
Parry
William Edward
1790-1855
Sir
Knight Rear Admiral Arctic Explorer
Beaufort
Francis
1774-1857
Sir
Knight Rear Admiral Hydrographer
Ross
James Clark
1800-1862
Sir
Knight Rear Admiral Arctic and Antarctic Explorer
Back
George
1796-1878
Sir
Knight Admiral and Arctic Navigator
Richardson
John
1787-1865
Sir
Knight Surgeon Arctic Explorer and Naturalist
Sir John Ross/Papers
Ross, papers
1818-1852
Narratives, diaries, maps, notes, correspondence and memoranda
Sir John Ross and others
Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge
The papers include material relating to the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1818 (led by Ross), this expedition was the first of many nineteenth century expeditions sent by the Admiralty in search of the passage. The two Ships
HMS Isabella (Ross) and HMS Alexander (William Edward Parry) explored the Baffin Bay area sighting Smith Sound, Jones Sound and Lancaster Sound. The first two were erroneously declared to be bays while Lancaster Sound was noted as being a small inlet enclosed by mountains. The expedition passed but did not attempt to enter Cumberland Sound, returning to London in November 1818. Although the expedition failed to find a passage, it confirmed the earlier discoveries of Robert Bylot and William Baffin and encouraged whalers to extend their activities north to Baffin Bay and the coast of Baffin Island
The collection also mentions the British Northwest Passage Expedition, 1829-1833 (led by Ross), sponsored by Felix Booth, a gin distiller. Sailing in the small steamer
Victory with his nephew James Clark Ross as second-in-command, the expedition entered Lancaster Sound in August 1829, reaching Prince Regent Inlet shortly afterwards, passing the wreck of HMS Fury (British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition, 1824-1825). Proceeding south, the expedition discovered the Gulf of Boothia and put into winter quarters at Felix Harbour, southeast Boothia Peninsula. From here, Ross and his nephew made several journeys of exploration across Boothia Isthmus, and in May and June 1830, James Clark Ross discovered King William Island. During a sledge journey the following year, James Clark Ross located the North Magnetic Pole on the west coast of Boothia Peninsula on 1 June. During the third winter of 1831 to 1832, Ross decided to abandon ship, leading his men in the spring of 1832 to Fury Beach, where they spent their fourth Arctic winter. The whaler Isabella eventually rescued the expedition in Lancaster Sound on 26 August 1833.
Additional papers relate to the fate of Sir John Franklin. In 1845 Sir John Franklin sailed north in command of the British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition. Sent by the Admiralty the two ships
HMS Erebus (Franklin) and HMS Terror (Francis Crozier) were to search for a passage via Lancaster Sound. With provisions designed to last three years the expedition sailed north in May 1845. Whalers in Baffin Bay were the last Europeans to see the two ships in July of 1845.
Many searches were conducted for the missing expedition between 1847 and 1859, during the course of which the main facts regarding the route taken and the final fate of the expedition were established. These search expeditions were mounted by the Admiralty and private individuals including Sir John's wife Jane, Lady Franklin. Ross's papers and maps cover some of these search expeditions including his own private British Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 a privately sponsored expedition financed by the Hudson's Bay Co. and public subscription, including a large donation from Felix Booth, the expedition was to search for Franklin along the shores of Barrow Strait and Viscount Melville Sound in the schooner
Felix. Balloons and pigeons were used in an attempt to contact Franklin. The expedition sailed with the British Naval Franklin Search Expedition, 1850-1851 (leader Horatio Austin) and assisted in the search of Beechey Island.
- MS 655/1-3;BJ Memories and narratives, 1818 to 1849, 3 volumes, holograph
- MS 1008;MJ Papers and letters by or relating to Sir John Ross, 1818 to 1847, microfilm
- MS 1397/1;D Miscellaneous letters and notes, 1832 to 1836 [By or relating to Sir John Franklin] 8 leaves, typed transcript
- MS 1525;BJ Journal, January 1850 to December 1852, 1 volume
- MS 486/10/1-3;MSM Maps (3) [I Dr Rae's discoveries of 1848, II probable position of HMS Erebus and HMS Terror depots and search ships near Cape Walker, III Map of Greenland, undated]
- MS 1414;D Diary, 1 January 1850 to 1 January 1852 [Includes his search for Sir John Franklin, 1850-1851] 92 leaves, holograph (Xerox)
The papers are arranged chronological.
The Institute holds several archival collections containing material relating to the expeditions sent in search of Sir John Franklin.
Franklin
John
1786-1847
Sir
Knight Rear Admiral Arctic Explorer
British Naval Northwest Passage Expedition
Canada
1845-1848