Body of Legendary English Explorer to be Reburied in Hometown

After construction expanded the London Underground, Flinders’ remains were thought to be lost to time. (Wikimedia Commons)

The remains of Matthew Flinders will be reburied in his home village of Donington, England. Flinders, a famous English navigator, completed the first circumnavigation of Australia and gave the continent its name. His remains were discovered underneath London this year.

Archaeologists found the grave of Flinders while excavating the city’s abandoned Underground tunnels as a part of an upcoming high-speed railway project. Flinders was interred in the St. James burial ground in 1814, but the expansion of the London Underground destroyed his gravestone and moved his body. Archaeologists were able to identify him based on a lead breastplate on top of the coffin.

“It is fitting that the last voyage of Captain Matthew Flinders will be back to the village of Donington where he grew up,” said Helen Wass, head of the excavator team on the railway project. “We are pleased to be playing our part in his last journey.”

By the end of the 18th century, navigators such as James Cook had only partially mapped the land now known as Australia, not knowing exactly how far the landmass extended. Having only explored the Eastern Coast, Cook labeled the rest of the land “Terra Australis Incognita,” meaning “Southern Unknown Land” in Latin. The idea of Terra Australis had existed since ancient times, with Ancient Greeks believing that there must exist a massive landmass at the South Pole to balance the amount of land in the Northern Hemisphere. 

Flinders, who was a member of the British Royal Navy, was suspicious of Cook’s findings. In 1801 he set out to complete a circumnavigation of the coastline, which he accomplished in 1803. He eventually published his findings in 1814 as A Voyage to Terra Australis, claiming that this newfound land was not the landmass of legend but an entirely separate island, which he proclaimed should be named “Australia.” Unfortunately, he died the day after its publication at the age of 40. He never saw the results of his work. 

Australians consider Flinders a national hero. One of the country’s largest universities, a major thoroughfare in Melbourne, and a town in the state of Victoria all bear his name. However, as Flinders never lived in Australia, the excavation team determined it would be more fitting if he was reburied in his hometown in England.

“It is with great honour and joy that we received the good news that the mortal remains of Captain Matthew Flinders will come to Donington,” said Reverend Charles Robinson, vicar of the Anglican church where Flinders used to attend mass. “It is a privilege to welcome home this great explorer to rest in peace in his home church.”