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The long-lost remains of Captain
Matthew Flinders, the explorer credited with giving Australia its name, have
been discovered in London.
Experts uncovered the grave of the
celebrated Royal Navy captain as part of an archaeological dig prior to
construction work for the HS2 high-speed railway project. Flinders’ remains
were found in St. James’ burial ground near Euston Station in Central London.
In 1802 and 1803, as commander of
HMS Investigator, Flinders became the first known person to circumnavigate
Australia, confirming its status as a continent. In his book, “A Voyage to
Terra Australis,” the explorer was also first to consistently use the name “Australia.” While others had used the term before
him, Flinders’ work is credited with its gradual adoption. Previously, the
continent had been known as “New Holland.”
Archaeologists identified Flinders’
remains by the lead plate placed on top of his coffin. He was buried at St.
James's burial ground in 1814 but the headstone was removed in the 1840s,
leaving the precise location of his grave a mystery.
“Following the expansion of Euston
station westwards into part of the burial ground in 1840s, Flinders’s headstone
was removed and it was thought that his remains had been lost,” explained the
HS2 project, in its statement. “For a long time, there was an urban
myth that Cpt. Flinders was buried under platform 15.”
A number of places in Australia have
been named after the celebrated navigator and cartographer, including Flinders
Station in Melbourne and the town of Flinders in Victoria. A statue honoring
him was unveiled in London by Prince William on the bicentenary of his death in
2014.
“The discovery
of Cpt. Matthew Flinders’s remains is an incredible opportunity for
us to learn more about the life and remarkable achievements of this British
navigator, hydrographer and scientist,” Helen Wass, head of heritage for HS2, in
the statement. “He put Australia on the map due to his tenacity and expertise
as a navigator and explorer.”
Experts, however, were surprised to
find the grave, given that the burial ground contains 40,000 other human
remains.
“We weren’t confident that we were
going to find him,” Wass added. “We were very lucky that Cpt. Flinders had a
breastplate made of lead meaning it would not have corroded.”
Flinders’ skeleton will now be
studied, in part to gauge what impact life at sea had on him.
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A note to our readers: please do not credit Captain Flinders with the discovery of Australia; indeed, that right has generally been given to James Cook who, in 1770, laid claim to Eastern Australia for Great Britain, naming it New South Wales. He landed in what is called Botany Bay with his ship HMS Endeavour. But even he could not claim "discovery," as between 1606 and 1770 over 50 European ships had made landfall there. So, its existence wasn't exactly a secret! But Captain Cook does get credit for claiming the island continent for Britain. And Britain made good use of it: following the conclusion of the American Revolution, England, having lost her "dumping ground" for criminals whose crimes were not overly egregious, set up a prison colony in New South Wales.
So Captain Flinders gets the credit for calling the continent Australia as well as discovering it was, in fact, a continent.
Until next time,
Fair Winds,
Old Salt
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