Person Richardson; Sir; John (1787 - 1865); surgeon; naturalist; Arctic explorer Richardson John Sir surgeon; naturalist; Arctic explorer 1787 - 1865 British Male 1 Nith Place, Dumfries, Scotland 05 November 1787 17871105 Lancrigg, Grasmere, Westmorland, England, United Kingdom 05 June 1865 18650605 Burial: Grasmere churchyard, Westmorland, England, United Kingdom

Surgeon Botany Geology Natural history Ichthyology Education: Edinburgh University MD Career: Apprenticed to his uncle James Mundell, retired naval surgeon in practice at the infirmary in Dumfries, on whose death he transferred to Dr Samuel Shortridge (1800); paused his studiesto serve as temporary house surgeon, Dumfries and Galloway Infirmary (1804); assistant surgeon aboard the frigate Nymphe (1807); advanced to senior surgeon following service on Hiberia, Hercules, Blossom, and Cruiser; surgeon to the lst battalion, Royal Marines, taking part in raids on St Mary's and Cumberland Island, Georgia (1814); resumed study in Edinburgh and became doctor of medicine (1816): started a private practice in Leith, Edinburgh (1818): joined the Coppermine Expedition (1819-1822); surgeon to the marine division at Chatham but allowed to deputize his duties to accompany Franklin on a second expedition (1824): retured to Canada and went overland by fur trade routes to the mouth of the Mackenzie River (1825): returned to England (1827); appointed chief medical officer of Melville Naval Hospital, Chatham (1828); senior physician at the Royal Naval Hospital Haslar, Gosport (1838); inspector of hospitals (1840): traveled with John Rae on an unsuccessful search for Franklin (1848-1849); retired to the Lake District and occupied himself exploring the Westmorland hills and touring Europe (1855); died at home in bed. Honours: Kt 1846; CB 1850 Parents: Gabriel Richardson, brewer, provost at one time, and chief magistrate of Dumfries for many years, and Anne, daughter of Peter Mundell of Dumfries. Spouse: 1) (m. 1 June 1818) Mary Stiven (1795-1831), daughter of Alexander Stiven, brewer of Leith; 2) (m. 8 February 1833) Mary Booth (1807-1845), niece of Franklin and daughter of John Booth of Stickney, near Ingoldmells, Lincolnshire: 3) (m.4 August 1847) Mary Fletcher(1802-18S0), daughter of Archibald Fletcher and Eliza Fletcher. Children: 7 from his second marriage. Medals and prizes: Royal Medal 1856 Fellow 24/02/1825 38 Charles Willam Paslev William Scoresby Junior Frans Beaufort John Barrow Gilbert Blane John Deas Thomson Charles Stokes Edward Forster Everard Home Alexander McLeay Dan Moore William Henry Fitton Robert Brown John Franklin Charles Babbage William Hyde Wollaston Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB Obituaries: Proc Roy Soc 1866-1867 vol 15 pp xxxvii-xliii International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 5 Nov 1787 - 5 Jun 1865 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 25/06/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA5665 21/11/2001 Andyg Pmab 26/06/2025 RS_NET\VidaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/73862190 f1c08529-9342-4990-a0a2-e0ba1ccecc93