The Captain Cook Museum, Whitby

The Captain Cook Museum is located at Whitby, in a narrow street near the harbour in Grape Lane. It is the old home of Quaker John Walker who first took James Cook under his wing when he started his legendary sailing career when he was seventeen. James lived in the attic of the old house an studied there when he was ashore before his historic career in the Royal Navy. The Captain Cook Museum has many exhibitions and models with the attic where he studied and slept. There various rooms in the Museum such as the Whitby Room which hold various documents, letters and pictures from James career, the Artists Room which holds watercolours telling the stories of James Cook’s journals.

Captain Cook History

Captain Cook was born in a small cottage in Marton in Cleveland. He was one of eight children although four of the children died in there infancy. Tragedy hit again later when at the age if twenty three his brother died and only James and his two sisters made it into adulthood. James became an apprentice with a Quaker by the name of John Walker who sailed vessels to London and James began his sailing career on the coal carrying vessel the Freelove.

His intelligence serves him well as he was promoted to mate on another of Walkers vessels, the Friendship. He then decided to leave the wing of Walker and after turning down the chance to command the Friendship he opted to join the Royal Navy. With Walkers blessing he began serving on the HMS Eagle and within moths he was promoted to Masters Mate, the same rank he attained with John Walker.

After marrying Elizabeth in 1762 he took to America where he served in the seven year war against the French. Later he was offer the command of the Endeavour, a Whitby built vessel as a lieutenant. He sailed his first voyage to observe the Venus planet which led him to Tahiti and eventually to New Zealand where he charted the coastline and later went on to discover the new lands of Australia. In 1772 he sailed his new vessel, the Resolution for his second voyage which took him to explore the South Pole.

His final voyage saw him being ambushed by the natives of Hawaii where he was stabbed repeatedly and killed. His body was stripped of its flesh and burned, and eventually after negotiations with the natives, his remains are returned and were buried at sea.