William Smith is recorded as a turret clock maker working in London and retiring to Bristol in 1778. He was known to have made escapements for John Harrison, in particular the clock at Trinity College, Cambridge, that was designed by Harrison.John Franklin (1786-1847). He joined the British Navy as a midshipman, seeing service in Australia and at the Battle of Trafalgar. By 1818, a comparatively inactive Navy resulted in Franklin attempting, with others, to find a trading route to the Pacific Ocean via the Arctic Ocean or through the Northwest Passage.Between 1818 and 1827 he undertook three expeditions by land and sea to the Arctic. The journeys were to provide surveys of the area and, after many mishaps, he returned to England, receiving a knighthood for his rich geographical discoveries. He was appointed Governor of Van Diemens Land (now Tasmania) in 1836 and made many improvements in government and society, including the establishment of The Royal Society of Hobart and an Observatory at Rossbank.On his return to London in 1844 he took command of an expedition which intended to complete the Northwest Passage. After extensive preparations, he set sail in May 1845 aboard H.M.S Erebus and Terror, with provisions and equipment for three years. They were never seen again. Searches for the missing expedition began in 1847 and continued until 1880. Initially they were to rescue survivors and later to determine their fate. It is known that Erebus and Terror became icebound, during which time Fraklin died on June 7, 1847. In April 1848, the remaining 105 survivors started a journey south during which they perished from starvation, scurvy and other maladies. Search parties were sent from both ends of the Passage by the British Admiralty, the United States Navy, Hudson's Bay Company and private persons including Jane, Lady Franklin. It is ironic that Franklin's loss resulted in far more exploration of Arctic North America than would have occurred had he successfully navigated the Passage.The clock has come from the direct descendants of Sir John Franklin and is listed in an inventory of treasures formerly in one of the family homes at Normans, Sussex, England. There it is described as "The timepiece found with the other apparatus of Sir John Franklin after his death - recovered from the Eskimos". It is interesting to note that other items of utility and ornament, recovered from the Eskimos, included fine furniture, exquisite canteens of silverware and a full dinner service.