A fragment of a woollen overcoat found in a grave, possibly for Lt. John Irving, from the 1845 Northwest Passage Expedition led by Sir John Franklin.

The fragments were recovered by a party from the US expedition under Lieutenant Frederick Schwatka between 1878 and 1880. It corresponds with the general entry 'Item 88. Various small articles found in the grave of Lieut. John Irving' in the 1881 catalogue of items that he sent back to Britain in 1881. [TNA, ADM 1/6600].

Schwatka's expedition visited Crozier's camp near Point Victory on the west side of King William Island. Heinrich Klutschak wrote 'Inside the grave a luxuriant growth of moss was flourishing on some remnants of blue cloth which, judging by the buttons and the fine texture, had once belonged to an English officer's uniform.' ['Overland to Starvation Cove' p. 83]. Colonel Gilder also recorded that within the open grave '...was found a quantity of blue cloth, part of which seemed to have been a heavy overcoat, and a part probably wrapped around the body.' [Gilder, 'Schwatka's Search', page 124].

John Irving was the fourth son of John Irving, Writer to the Signet, was born in Edinburgh on 8th February, 1815. He was trained at the Royal Naval College, Portsmouth where he was awarded the second mathematical prize. After serving for a few years in the Navy, he left in 1837 and emigrated to New South Wales. Six years later he returned to the United Kingdom and rejoined the Navy. He was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant on 23rd March, 1843, serving in ‘Volage’ and ‘Excellent’ during the 1840’s. He was one of the three lieutenants on HMS ‘Terror’.