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Explore Captain Cook’s Connections With Whitby

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When you visit Whitby, you will see Captain Cook references from around town. Here, we discuss Captain Cook’s incredible connection with Whitby.

Whitby attracts tourists for a variety of reasons. Some peoplelove to see the regional arts and crafts. Others enjoy touring Whitby Abbey or surrounding coastal towns such as Robin Hood’s Bay. While these are all popular attractions, many tourists come to trace the path of the famous Captain James Cook.

Whitby and Captain Cook will always go together, for there may never have been a Captain Cook without Whitby. Here, we explore Captain Cook’s Connections with Whitby.

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Who was Captain James Cook?

Captain James Cook needs little introduction. He was a British explorer, navigator, cartographer, and captain in the British Royal Navy. Famed for discovering Australia, Captain Cook is one of Whitby’s most famous modern heroes.

Captain Cook Monument in Whitby.

Captain James Cook was Born in Marton in Yorkshire

James Cook (1728-1779) was born on 27th October 1728 at Marton-in-Cleveland, Yorkshire, England. Airey Holmes’s farm was his early childhood home.

After a four-year stint on the farm with his father, at 16, he travelled to Staithes to serve an apprenticeship as a shopkeeper and haberdasher. Records speculate that it was here that Cook first fell for the sea.


Cook was introduced to the Walker brothers at Whitby

After just eighteen months, he was introduced to the prominent ship owners Walker brothers at Whitby. John and Henry Walker were friends of Sanderson, the haberdasher. They agreed to take on Cook as a merchant navy apprentice in 1746.

Cook plied coal along the coast between the Tyne and London aboard the Freelove for many years. At this time, Cook was living with the Walkers at their house on Grape Lane. This building is now preserved as the Captain Cook Memorial Museum.


After Cook’s Apprenticeship

After completing his apprenticeship, Cook sailed the Baltic trade routes and passed his exams in 1752. He progressed quickly to be offered command of the collier brig Friendship in 1755. Less than a month later, sensing an opportunity for advancement and adventure, Cook enlisted with the Royal Navy.

Captain Cook Monument in Whitby.

Cook stated that he intended not only to go;

“farther than any man has been before me but as far as I think it is possible for a man to go”

1763–1766: Cook surveys the coast of Newfoundland, the coastline, rocks, and hidden dangers in maps that would be used for the next 200 years.

He also conducted an astronomical observation; on 5th August 1766, he measured the eclipse of the sun with longitude taken at Newfoundland and cross-referenced with England.


The Royal Society and the Admiralty were incredibly impressed

This was when the high seas determined the direction of travel, not only for Cook’s career in the Royal Navy but also for expanding British interests overseas.

Captain James Cook undertook three great voyages for the Royal Navy and, in doing so, secured his reputation as one of the greatest maritime explorers of all time.


Discovery of Australia

Captain James Cook is credited with the European discovery of Australia during his first voyage of exploration from 1768 to 1771. His journey was primarily aimed at observing the transit of Venus across the sun, but it also involved extensive exploration of the South Pacific.

Captain Cook's Memorial Statue in Whitby

In April 1770, Cook and his crew aboard the Endeavour reached the eastern coast of Australia, landing at a place now known as Botany Bay. During this exploration, Cook charted the coastline, mapping the land and making detailed observations. He and his crew encountered Indigenous Australians and noted their way of life, although their interactions were brief.

Cook continued to sail north along the coast, claiming the eastern portion of Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales. His detailed maps and accounts significantly increased European interest in the continent, leading to later colonisation efforts. Cook’s exploration was crucial in expanding knowledge about the Pacific region and its lands.


Captain James Cook, the first navigator to cross the Antarctic Circle

In July 1772, Captain Cook, now a commander, set sail with two colliers, the Resolution and the Adventure, embarking on a significant voyage. By January 1773, he had made history as the first navigator to cross the Antarctic Circle, marking a remarkable achievement in exploration.

During the summer of 1773, the expedition returned to Tahiti before heading on to Tonga. The two vessels lost contact as they prepared for another journey south to explore Antarctica.

Furneaux, who was in command of the Adventure, decided to depart from New Zealand and return home. By January 1774, Cook’s explorations in the South Pacific led him to conclude that no habitable continent existed. Instead of turning back, he chose to continue his quest for discovery.


Cook meticulously navigated and charted new territories

In the spring of 1774, Cook meticulously navigated and charted new territories, including Easter Island, the Marquesas Islands, and the Friendly Isles.

However, by November 1774, the Resolution set its course for home after an extensive journey. The following summer, in 1776, Cook embarked yet again with the Resolution and Discovery, this time in search of the elusive North-West Passage.

Captain Cook Monument

After a brief stop in Tahiti in December 1776, Cook headed for the Sandwich Islands, named in honour of the First Lord of the Admiralty, the Earl of Sandwich.

In the summer of 1778, the two ships journeyed north, successfully mapping the southern coast of Alaska. Unfortunately, they encountered an impassable wall of ice, forcing them to withdraw to Hawaii. Initially welcomed as a deity, the relationship between Cook’s men and the islanders soured quickly.


Captain Cook’s death

In February 1779, after setting out, Cook and his crew were compelled to return just two days later due to damage sustained by the Resolution’s foremast. With tensions running high from a series of thefts, Cook went ashore, where he was attacked, overpowered, and ultimately stabbed to death.

From 1779 to October 1780, Clerke, who had previously commanded the Discovery, took charge but succumbed to illness six months later.

Lieutenant Gore of the Resolution guided the remaining ships back home, marking the end of a momentous and tragic chapter in naval exploration.


The Captain Cook Memorial Monument

Captain Cook Memorial Monument is a 7ft 6inch bronze statue to commemorate the men who built the four ships that Cook used on his voyages: Endeavour, Resolution, Adventure, and Discovery.

Captain Cook Monument in Whitby.
© Copyright Gerald England and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

Situated in People’s Park on the West Cliff, the statue commands a majestic view of Whitby Harbour, East Cliff, and St Mary’s Church.

The inscription on the south face of the statue reads:

For the lasting memory of a great Yorkshire seaman this bronze has been cast and is left in the keeping of Whitby; the birthplace of those good ships that bore him on his enterprises brought him to glory and left him at rest.

The bronze statue of Captain James Cook also has an inscription that reads:

Front: To Strive, to seek to find and not to yield. To commemorate the men who built, the Whitby Ships and the men who sailed with him.

North Side: In every situation he stood unrivalled and alone on him all eyes were turned.


The Captain Cook Whitby Museum

Tourists can relive many aspects of Captain Cook’s life when they visit Whitby. For starters, they can go to the Captain Cook Memorial Museum.

Captain Cook Memorial Museum.

The museum is inside John Walker’s house. Visitors can view the attic, which is believed to have housed Cook when he was on land. People can also see a model of Cook’s ship, the Resolution, and a letter Cook wrote to Captain Hammond. These are just a few things people will find inside the museum.

The museum has several other relics, so you can easily spend a lot of time going from one artefact to the next.


Captain Cook Whitby Cruise

While in Whitby, you should climb aboard the Captain Cook Experience Cruise. This cruise takes you out to sea to hear stories about the life and adventures of Captain Cook on the way.

Boat trip from Whitby Harbour

If you are interested in history, you will undoubtedly love this adventure. Also, you’ll have a good time even if you don’t love history, thanks to the stunning views you’ll see from the ship. If anything, it’s a beautiful way to visit Whitby.


Captain Cook’s connections with Whitby are not merely historical footnotes; they encompass the essence of exploration and maritime heritage the town proudly embodies. By understanding this connection, we honour Cook’s achievements and celebrate Whitby’s significant role in the Age of Discovery.

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5 thoughts on “Explore Captain Cook’s Connections With Whitby”

  1. Looking forward to seeing Whitby.when I come to England .I live not far from where Captain Cook landed in Australia , Kurnell,
    We don’t acknowledge Cook very much.because the Government here doesn’t want to upset the aboriginal community.They blame Cook for them losing their land .

    Reply
    • Well Margaret Captain Cook did not discover Australia. Aboriginal people had been here for over 60,000 years. They knew where it was. We must remember the Dutch and the Indonesians were visiting Australia long before Cook. Must we keep having to tell this truth all the time?

      Reply
  2. Cook is not claimed to have ‘discovered’ Australia but many parts of the World were unknown to European civilisation and so were found, charted and explored by the great explorers of their day, of which Cook was one, just like Columbus. Cook is said to have achieved the first recorded European contact with the eastern coastline of Australia and the Hawaiian Islands, and the first recorded circumnavigation of New Zealand. What happened afterwards is a different discussion.
    If Elon Musk lands on Mars he will still be hailed as a great explorer even if the Martians were there first!

    Reply
  3. Looking forward to arriving in Whitby very soon, and hopefully tread the same ground the great man James Cook took before finally steering his ship to Australia, where all Australians are now so much better off and fortunate to live in a thriving modern civilisation from the barren and uncivilised continent, it was once.

    Reply

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