IDENTITY STATEMENT
Reference code(s): GB 0402 RMC
Held at: Royal Geographical Society
Title: McCLURE, Sir Robert John Le Mesurier (1807-1873)
Date(s): 1836-1853
Level of description: Collection level
Extent: 1 oversize box and 4 files
Name of creator(s): McClure | Sir | Robert John Le Mesurier | 1807-1873 | Knight | naval officer | Vice Admiral
CONTEXT
Administrative/Biographical history:
Born, 1807; educated at Eton College and the Royal Military College, Sandhurst; entered the navy, 1824; passed his examination, 1830; mate of the HMS TERROR in her Arctic voyage under Captain George Back, 1836-1837; served on board HMS NIAGARA, the flagship of Commodore Sandom, on the Great Lakes in Canada during the uprising, 1838-1839; in the HMS PILOT in the West Indies, 1839-1842; commanded the HMS ROMNEY, receiving ship at Havana, 1842-1946; coastguard, 1846-1848; first lieutenant of the HMS INVESTIGATOR with Captain Bird in the Arctic expedition of Sir James Clark Ross, 1848-1849; command of HMS INVESTIGATOR in the search for Sir John Franklin by way of the Bering Strait, 1849-1854; appointed to HMS ESK for service on the Pacific station, 1856; brought HMS ESK to China to reinforce the squadron there, 1857 and in December commanded a battalion of the naval brigade at the capture of Canton (Guangzhou); senior officer in the Strait of Malacca; returned to England in 1861; Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, 1855-1873; died, 1873.
CONTENT
Scope and content/abstract:
Papers of Captain Robert McClure, 1836-1853, including journal, Jun 1836-Sep 1837, as mate on HMS TERROR, on George Back's second expedition in search of the North-West Passage; letter and order book, Dec 1849-Oct 1851; journal Jan-Sep 1850, while in command of HMS INVESTIGATOR on the Franklin search expedition; copies of despatches to the Admiralty, Aug 1850-Apr 1853; photocopy of record deposited on Banks Island, 1851 and copy of a letter to Sir George Back from HMS INVESTIGATOR, Apr 1853, describing the discovery of the Northwest Passage.
ACCESS AND USE
Language/scripts of material: English
System of arrangement:
As outlined in Scope and Content.
Conditions governing access:
Accessible via The Foyle Reading Room. Free of charge for Fellows, Members and those with valid academic identification. All other users pay a charge and must bring identification in order to register on arrival.
Conditions governing reproduction:
Photocopying at the discretion of the Archivist and subject to completion of 'application for copies' form. No reproduction or publication without permission of the RGS-IBG Archivist.
Finding aids:
Card index and hand list.
ARCHIVAL INFORMATION
Accruals:
Archival history:
Immediate source of acquisition:
Unknown
ALLIED MATERIALS
Existence and location of copies:
Some items are available on micofilm at the Public Archives of Canada.
DESCRIPTION NOTES
Archivist's note: Prepared by Archives volunteer using existing finding aids. Revised by Sarah Drewery.
Date(s) of descriptions: 15th November, 2001. Oct 2008.