Partner Jane Franklin
Queer Places:
Kensal Green Cemetery
Kensal Green, London Borough of Brent, Greater London, England
Sophia (Sophy) Cracroft (1816 – June 20, 1892) was the eldest daughter of Isabella Franklin and Thomas Cracroft, and the niece of Arctic explorer Sir John
Franklin. In 1836, she accompanied Sir John and his second wife, Lady Jane Franklin, to Van Diemen's Land
(Tasmania) after Sir John accepted the post of lieutenant governor, returning to Britain with them in 1844.
Prior to 1845, Cracroft was romantically pursued by Captain Francis Crozier, who proposed to her twice. While no direct correspondence between them survives to confirm her stated reasons for rejecting him, Lady Jane noted in her diary that Sophia "liked the man, but not the sailor." Cracroft ultimately declined both proposals (concisely noting in her diary after the second: "Received second application from Captain C."). Contrary to popular fictional accounts—such as those depicted in Dan Simmons's novel The Terror and its television adaptation—Cracroft did not ask Crozier to join Sir John's 1845 expedition. Crozier was holidaying in Italy when approached by his friend Sir James Clark Ross and joined the expedition primarily out of a sense of naval duty.
Following the disappearance of the Northwest Passage expedition, Cracroft played a central role in Lady Jane's relentless campaign to organize search and rescue missions. Functioning essentially as Lady Jane’s secretary and administrative assistant, Cracroft helped handle extensive correspondence and public appeals. Their lobbying efforts eventually drew the support of high-profile figures, including Charles Dickens, who stepped in around 1854 to write in defense of the expedition's crew against reports of cannibalism published in British newspapers.
After Sir John Franklin's death and the official conclusion of the search efforts, Cracroft remained Lady Jane's devoted companion on extensive global travels, visiting Alaska, the United States, Hawaii, Canada, South America, China, Japan, India, and Europe. Sophia Cracroft died on June 20, 1892.
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