A saddler and harness maker's steel round leather knife made by Richard Timmins & Sons in Birmingham. The shaft that held the original handle has broken off at the shoulders above the blade. It is stamped with the maker's name 'R. TIMMINS & SONS CAST STEEL'.

The knife was possibly intended for trading with Inuit as it is a similar shape to an ulu (semi-circular bladed knife) used by Inuit women for a range of activities like skinning and cleaning animal carcasses, and cutting foods.

A relic of Sir John Franklin's last expedition 1845-8 obtained from the Inuit at Repulse Bay in 1854 by the Rae Expedition. The Inuit said that they had obtained the material from a camp to the north west of the mouth of the Back River where a party of Europeans had died of starvation.

The knife was one of a number of items retrieved by Dr Rae and displayed as a group in the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich, 'Case 21. Relics of Sir John Franklin and his party, brought to England by Dr. Rae, consisting of silver watch cases, knives, forks, buttons &c. Presented to Greenwich Hospital by the Lords Commissioners of the Admiralty, 2nd December 1854.'

The item is shown in the drawing by Edward Pulleyn (AAA3972) and in the 'Illustrated London News', 4 November 1854, p. 433.