DNA Identifies Franklin Expedition Officer Henry Peglar 166 Years After Death

DNA analysis has identified the remains of Henry Peglar, a senior officer on HMS Terror, 166 years after his death during John Franklin's 1845 Arctic expedition. The skeleton was found in 1859 on King William Island, wearing a steward's uniform that contradicted his rank, puzzling historians. A new study in Polar Record confirms the bones are Peglar's, making him the sixth expedition member identified through DNA. The identification resolves a long-standing mystery about the mismatched clothing, with speculation that Peglar wore a dead shipmate's coat. The expedition, which sought the Northwest Passage, ended in tragedy with all 129 men perishing. Other remains identified in a separate Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports study include William Orren, David Young, and John Bridgens from HMS Erebus. The research, led by Douglas Stenton of the University of Waterloo, began in 2013 and uses DNA from descendants. The findings challenge traditional narratives of the expedition's final days, suggesting survivors may have returned to ships rather than marching south. Previous evidence includes cannibalism, confirmed by cut marks on bones, notably those of Captain James Fitzjames identified in 2024.