Spilsby - Notable People

Notable People

  • Sir John Franklin, the sea captain, governor of Tasmania, and explorer was born in Spilsby. He died during an expedition to the Canadian Arctic, while attempting to chart the Northwest Passage. Although he did not succeed, a statue of John Franklin in Spilsby erroneously bears the inscription 'Sir John Franklin - Discoverer of the North West Passage'. There is also a monument in the church and a plaque on the wall of the Franklin baker's shop in High Street, marking Franklin's birthplace.
Born on 16 April 1786, the 4th son of 9 children and educated at Louth, he experienced his first taste of the sea aged 12 when he visited Saltfleet. He joined the Navy at the age of 14 and fought in two of the greatest sea battles: Copenhagen in 1801 and Trafalgar in 1805. He served as midshipman to another Lincolnshire explorer, his cousin Matthew Flinders. Being shipwrecked off Australia did not deter the young John Franklin who later took part in exploration to the Arctic. He is often referred to as 'The man who ate his boots' as in 1819, while commanding his first expedition to the Arctic, he and his companions suffered incredible hardship and survived by eating lichen and leather from their boots.
In 1829, he was awarded the Geographic Society Gold Medal and was knighted by King George IV, he was also presented with a silver plate by the people of Spilsby. In 1836 he was appointed Governor of Tasmania. At the age of 59, he made his last voyage to seek the Northwest Passage between Canada and the Arctic. Sadly, the entire expedition disappeared and it was 12 years before their fate was known. During these years, his widow, Lady Franklin, spent all her money organising ships to search for the missing party. Finally, she received confirmation that her husband had died on Beechy Island in July 1847. It was assumed he died from natural causes and the rest of the party by disease and starvation. Several suggestions have been put forward and one theory is that the probable cause was lead poisoning from faulty cans.
  • Stephen Sackur - BBC TV Journalst was born in Spilsby.

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