James Fitzjames
@captjamesfitzjames.bsky.social
Captain James Fitzjames RN (1813-1848?) research by Fabiënne Tetteroo MA / jamesfitzjames.com / BA Art History+MA Naval History / Collector of ephemera
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So many new followers, hello! I'm a historian writing a new biography of Captain Fitzjames of Franklin Expedition fame, debunking the many misconceptions about him & providing exciting new information. Here I'll post about my research & my 19th century collection.
Admiralty wax seal on the envelope of an 1852 letter from John Barrow. Pretty!
[British Library] #NavalHistory
[British Library] #NavalHistory
January 15, 2026 at 3:03 PM
Admiralty wax seal on the envelope of an 1852 letter from John Barrow. Pretty!
[British Library] #NavalHistory
[British Library] #NavalHistory
I love Rear Admiral Sir John Ross' signature.
[John Ross to John Brown, 20 February 1850, British Library] #Arctic #NavalHistory
[John Ross to John Brown, 20 February 1850, British Library] #Arctic #NavalHistory
January 13, 2026 at 11:14 AM
I love Rear Admiral Sir John Ross' signature.
[John Ross to John Brown, 20 February 1850, British Library] #Arctic #NavalHistory
[John Ross to John Brown, 20 February 1850, British Library] #Arctic #NavalHistory
When I order items at archives I don't always know what I'll get. Sometimes it's a box full of disintegrating letters & documents and you have to just gently unfold them all. Info about Fitzjames' father Sir James Gambier somewhere in there! [The National Archives]
January 10, 2026 at 3:44 PM
When I order items at archives I don't always know what I'll get. Sometimes it's a box full of disintegrating letters & documents and you have to just gently unfold them all. Info about Fitzjames' father Sir James Gambier somewhere in there! [The National Archives]
It is! At first I just skimmed through them but ultimately I decided to just read everything. 😅 He sometimes addresses the reader, he really wrote all this because he hoped that someone in the future would read his journals. Well, here I am!
January 6, 2026 at 11:01 PM
It is! At first I just skimmed through them but ultimately I decided to just read everything. 😅 He sometimes addresses the reader, he really wrote all this because he hoped that someone in the future would read his journals. Well, here I am!
John Barrow's (1808-1898) journals span 30 years & consist of almost 60 (BIG) volumes. I will read every single page. After 2 years I'm about halfway through. It's incredible to be able to read about every day of his life & to get to know him so well. He wanted to be remembered. #19thC #research
January 6, 2026 at 10:15 PM
It's a miracle this guy made it to 90 in good health and simply died in his sleep with the amount of alcohol he consumed. Or appears to have consumed going by his journals. 😅
January 5, 2026 at 11:58 PM
It's a miracle this guy made it to 90 in good health and simply died in his sleep with the amount of alcohol he consumed. Or appears to have consumed going by his journals. 😅
No, just spread out over the day. 😂
January 5, 2026 at 11:25 PM
No, just spread out over the day. 😂
JB probably also thought it would be no fun to have dinner with a teetotaller because JB had a glass of wine/port/whisky or all three every day. 😅
January 5, 2026 at 11:07 PM
JB probably also thought it would be no fun to have dinner with a teetotaller because JB had a glass of wine/port/whisky or all three every day. 😅
My first archive visit of 2026 is to Oxford University, reading more journals of John Barrow Jr., Fitzjames' close friend & a friend to all Franklin Expedition searchers. He's so dear to me. These are some of my notes of today.😄 #19thC #research #NavalHistory
January 5, 2026 at 7:38 PM
My first archive visit of 2026 is to Oxford University, reading more journals of John Barrow Jr., Fitzjames' close friend & a friend to all Franklin Expedition searchers. He's so dear to me. These are some of my notes of today.😄 #19thC #research #NavalHistory
I wish! Although I already have such good Fitzbarrow lore. ❤️
December 29, 2025 at 2:03 PM
I wish! Although I already have such good Fitzbarrow lore. ❤️
Merry Christmas from the Euphrates Expedition! 🥲🎄
[3rd in command James Bucknall Estcourt to his father, 26 December 1835. Gloucestershire Archives] #19thC
[3rd in command James Bucknall Estcourt to his father, 26 December 1835. Gloucestershire Archives] #19thC
December 26, 2025 at 9:44 AM
Merry Christmas from the Euphrates Expedition! 🥲🎄
[3rd in command James Bucknall Estcourt to his father, 26 December 1835. Gloucestershire Archives] #19thC
[3rd in command James Bucknall Estcourt to his father, 26 December 1835. Gloucestershire Archives] #19thC
Same! I don't like podcasts and audio books. 😅
December 17, 2025 at 11:24 AM
Same! I don't like podcasts and audio books. 😅
Ah, yes I guess you can find the physical info in O'Byrne if the officer provided it.
Fitzjames' service record is registered in ADM 107/75, but no info on the results of the lieut exam. I would like to see that.
Fitzjames' service record is registered in ADM 107/75, but no info on the results of the lieut exam. I would like to see that.
December 17, 2025 at 10:27 AM
Ah, yes I guess you can find the physical info in O'Byrne if the officer provided it.
Fitzjames' service record is registered in ADM 107/75, but no info on the results of the lieut exam. I would like to see that.
Fitzjames' service record is registered in ADM 107/75, but no info on the results of the lieut exam. I would like to see that.
Yeah, it's crazy. She'd say she was too tired to type but clearly not too tired to send me a long monologue. Well, I'm too tired to listen to all that. 🥲
December 17, 2025 at 10:13 AM
Yeah, it's crazy. She'd say she was too tired to type but clearly not too tired to send me a long monologue. Well, I'm too tired to listen to all that. 🥲
One friend of mine used to send me 10 minute or 20 minute voice messages and I refused to listen to them. Just call me or summarise in a text.
December 17, 2025 at 9:56 AM
One friend of mine used to send me 10 minute or 20 minute voice messages and I refused to listen to them. Just call me or summarise in a text.
Fitzjames' baptismal record.
Physical information is hard to come by, I think? I do have descriptions of Fitzjames in letters etc but he doesn't feature in a description book, those started from 1837 onwards after he was already a Mate.
Physical information is hard to come by, I think? I do have descriptions of Fitzjames in letters etc but he doesn't feature in a description book, those started from 1837 onwards after he was already a Mate.
December 17, 2025 at 9:52 AM
Fitzjames' baptismal record.
Physical information is hard to come by, I think? I do have descriptions of Fitzjames in letters etc but he doesn't feature in a description book, those started from 1837 onwards after he was already a Mate.
Physical information is hard to come by, I think? I do have descriptions of Fitzjames in letters etc but he doesn't feature in a description book, those started from 1837 onwards after he was already a Mate.
The 1854 Navy List says that Fitzjames' death has been reported since 20 March 1854, because the Admiralty struck the entire Franklin Expedition off the Navy list per 31 March 1854. Obviously they didn't all die on that day. Their wages just stopped.
December 17, 2025 at 9:39 AM
The 1854 Navy List says that Fitzjames' death has been reported since 20 March 1854, because the Admiralty struck the entire Franklin Expedition off the Navy list per 31 March 1854. Obviously they didn't all die on that day. Their wages just stopped.
Date of birth for who, Fitzjames? He was born 27 July 1813. Model of officer capability, sounds interesting. What did you base the model on?
December 17, 2025 at 9:39 AM
Date of birth for who, Fitzjames? He was born 27 July 1813. Model of officer capability, sounds interesting. What did you base the model on?
I think it's because it seems as if HMS is part of the name of the ship, but it's not. It signifies ownership. Now that I know I can't say it wrong again. 😄
December 16, 2025 at 8:05 AM
I think it's because it seems as if HMS is part of the name of the ship, but it's not. It signifies ownership. Now that I know I can't say it wrong again. 😄
Common mistake (I also got it wrong in the beginning):
You either say HMS Erebus or the Erebus. It's never "the HMS (His/Her Majesty's Ship)".
[Image not of Erebus, but ships drawn by Secret FitzUncle.] #NavalHistory
You either say HMS Erebus or the Erebus. It's never "the HMS (His/Her Majesty's Ship)".
[Image not of Erebus, but ships drawn by Secret FitzUncle.] #NavalHistory
December 15, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Common mistake (I also got it wrong in the beginning):
You either say HMS Erebus or the Erebus. It's never "the HMS (His/Her Majesty's Ship)".
[Image not of Erebus, but ships drawn by Secret FitzUncle.] #NavalHistory
You either say HMS Erebus or the Erebus. It's never "the HMS (His/Her Majesty's Ship)".
[Image not of Erebus, but ships drawn by Secret FitzUncle.] #NavalHistory
So happy that it's back online! Well done for all involved. I have so many things to search for.
December 15, 2025 at 3:12 PM
So happy that it's back online! Well done for all involved. I have so many things to search for.
Edinburgh is such a beautiful city! Next time I visit I want to ascend some hills.
December 12, 2025 at 2:43 PM
Edinburgh is such a beautiful city! Next time I visit I want to ascend some hills.
Wishing you a great time! It was my first visit to the NLoS and it's all well arranged. Plus it's in beautiful Edinburgh.
December 12, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Wishing you a great time! It was my first visit to the NLoS and it's all well arranged. Plus it's in beautiful Edinburgh.