Disgraced explorer who tracked Franklin expedition memorialized in Westminster

A temporary sign commemorates explorer John Rae in Westminster Abbey in London, England, on Tuesday, Sep. 30, 2014. The sign sits in front of a memorial to Captain John Franklin.

A Scottish explorer once derided for his theories on the lost Franklin expedition has at last been honoured in the storied halls of Westminster Abbey in London, England.

Nineteenth-century explorer John Rae helped map the Canadian Arctic, and found key clues regarding the fate of Captain John Franklin's lost Arctic expedition. But Rae fell out of favour in Britain for suggesting the Franklin crew may have engaged in cannibalism, and he died in disgrace in 1893.

Now, 121 years after his death, Rae is being honoured for his contributions as an explorer with a plaque in Westminster.

"This is a little act of reconciliation" Westminster dean Dr. John Hall told CTV News.

Rae led many expeditions in northern Canada in an effort to map the Arctic coast. He also spent time living with and learning from the Inuit along Hudson Bay.

During his time with the Inuit, Rae discovered evidence suggesting the crew of the Franklin expedition may have resorted to cannibalism. A group of Inuit reported seeing 40 sailors towing a boat, then later found 30 corpses showing signs of cannibalism. They told Rae about their discovery, and sold him a fancy plate with Captain John Franklin's name engraved on it. They said they got the plate from the sailors.

But the thought that Captain John Franklin's crew would do such a thing did not sit well in Britain, particularly with Franklin's widow. She launched a campaign to discredit Rae with help from a number of influential Brits, including celebrated author Charles Dickens.

"Rae became the target of a campaign that damaged his reputation and rendered him effectively invisible," said historian and writer Ken McGoogan. McGoogan wrote a book on Rae's Arctic discoveries called 'Fatal Passage: The Story of John Rae, the Arctic Hero Time Forgot.'

Rae was so thoroughly discredited in Britain that some of his descendants believe he was disowned by his family.

"We suspect that he was deleted out of our family history when he was deleted out of Victorian establishment history," said Jane Hamilton, Rae's Canadian great-great-grand-niece.

Rae mapped large parts of the Canadian Arctic for the Hudson's Bay Company. He is credited with discovering the final link in the Northwest Passage, which allowed ships to safely sail through the Arctic Ocean.

Rae's Franklin expedition discoveries have also contributed to modern theories regarding what happened to the crew of the lost HMS Erebus and Terror.

One of the two ships was discovered in the Arctic earlier this month.

With files from CTV News' Daniele Hamamdjian