A wooden toggle from the 1845 Northwest Passage Expedition led by Sir John Franklin.

The toggle was recovered by the US expedition under Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka between 1878-1880. It is described as 'Item 84. Wooden toggle found on Irving Bay' in the 1881 catalogue of items that he sent back to Britain in 1881 [TNA, ADM 1/6600]. A second toggle (AAA2349) is in the list as 'Item 85. Wooden toggle found on Erebus Bay.' This location is likely to be an error, as the toggles were found in the area of Point Le Vesconte, just north of Erebus Bay. The label is consistant with others from objects recovered by Lt. Schwatka and the number '84' on it confirms this association.

Schwatka's expedition passed down the west coast of King William Island and passed Point Le Vesconte around 16 July 1879. Here they found a body, whose gilt buttons and the quality of the blue cloth suggested an officer. It was reinterred. About four miles further on Toolooah located the remains of another body, thought to be a sailor from the belt buckle and musket caps [Schwatka, page 87]. The accounts mention very little specifically about the material found in the location.

The toggle has a label with '28' pasted over an earlier label, indicating that it was displayed in the Royal Naval Museum, Greenwich, 'Case 3. No. 28. wooden toggles. It was also in Display 14 at the Royal Naval Exhibition at Chelsea in 1891. The official catalogue stated 'Wooden toggles found in Erebus Bay' [page 6].