Scottish explorer and navigator Sir John Richardson died

On 5 June 1865, explorer and botanist Sir John Richardson died in his Lake District home at the age of 79. Richardson was one of the explorers who took part in the unsuccessful search for Sir John Franklin, who had gone missing whilst searching for the North West Passage.

Richardson had travelled with Franklin on two other expeditions in the area and the pair had written two extensive volumes on the natural history discoveries they made. It was later discovered that Franklin and his crew had already perished by the time the search party was sent to the Arctic.

Further reading

The Life of Sir John Richardson

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