The top part of a brass belaying pin from one of the ships of the 1845 Northwest Passage Expedition led by Sir John Franklin.

The brass belaying pin was recovered by the US expedition under Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka between 1878-1880. It is described as 'Item 62. Brass belaying pin from natives on Adelaide Peninsula' in the 1881 catalogue of items that he sent back to Britain in 1881 [TNA, ADM 1/6600].

Schwatka's expedition possibly found this in the possession of Inuit camped west of Stewart's Monument, Hayes River around 15-17 May 1879. Gilder records 'We obtained from them a few trifling relics of the Erebus and Terror, in exchange for knives and needles.' [Gilder, pages 77-78]. Klutschak's account notes 'Among them we encountered the first relics of objects which once were either parts of the two ships Erebus and Terror or otherwise belonged to the Franklin expedition. Arrow tips, lances, show shovels, in brief everything made of wood, copper, and iron...' [Klutschak, page 64].

The brass belaying pin is painted with a white number '(4)', indicating it was displayed in the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich, 'Case 6. Native tools &c, obtained from the Ookosiksillik Esquimaux at Hayes River, and made from parts belonging to H.M. ships "Erebus" and "Terror". It had the original designation of Case 6, No. 4 before the catalogue entry was amalgamated into one for the final published version.