18th Century Shell Collection From Captain Cook’s Final Voyage Recovered 40 Years After It Went Missing

18th Century Shell Collection From Captain Cook's Final Voyage Recovered 40 Years After It Went Missing
(Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Gary Todd)

Captain Cook had collected several items during his expedition, but the items from his final voyage were missing. However, after four decades, a shell collection from the same mission was found.

Captain Cook's Shell Collection Recovered

A shell collection from the 18th century deemed "globally important" had been recovered. The collection, which contains over 200 specimens, including rare creatures and extinct species, was reportedly from Captain Cook's final voyage and was thought to have been missing for 40 years.

The collection was finally found and reclaimed by English Heritage, a nonprofit organization overseeing more than 400 historic houses, monuments, and other sites throughout England. It fell to the hands of Bridget Atkinson (1732-1814).

Atkinson, a native of Cumbria in northern England, has collected more than 1,200 shells from around the globe. Atkinson was enthralled with conchology, the scientific study of mollusk shells, even though numerous women gathered them for their ornamental value in her time. She gathered "ugly ones" as well as "pretty ones."

"Bridget never left Britain, and rarely left the county of Cumbria, but her family and friends travelled across continents and sent her shells by ship, carriage, and cart," said Frances McIntosh, a curator with English Heritage.

Her son Michael was stationed in Bengal as an employee of the East India Company, which conquered a sizable portion of South and Southeast Asia. Richard "Rum" Atkinson, Bridget's brother-in-law, owned two sugar estates in Jamaica that employed slave labor and served as a director of the East India Company. These estates passed to Bridget's children after he died in 1785. Imperialism benefited thousands of British households, including the Atkinson family.

George Dixon, a neighbor of Bridget's, served as an armorer on Captain Cook's disastrous third expedition, and she enlisted him in her quest for shells. Through him, she got into possession of shells gathered during Cook's last expedition.

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About Captain Cook's Voyage

James Cook (1728-1779) was a British explorer, naval officer, and cartographer. He is best remembered for his three Pacific Ocean journeys between 1768 and 1779.

Cook traveled thousands of kilometers on these expeditions, charting regions of the world never before seen by Western explorers. In addition to several other noteworthy maritime accomplishments, he performed the first voyage of New Zealand ever documented.

For his first voyage, the Pacific expedition (1768-1771), he sailed aboard Endeavor on May 27, 1768. Cook's trip had three objectives: first, to build an observatory in Tahiti so that the transit of Venus-the planet's passage between the sun and the earth- could be noted on June 3, 1769. The second goal, spearheaded by 25-year-old Joseph Banks, was to document natural history. The pursuit of the Great South Land was the ultimate covert objective.

After arriving at the southern coast of New South Wales in 1770, Cook continued northward, mapping Australia's eastern shoreline and, on Aug. 22, 1770, asserting Great Britain's claim to the region.

His second voyage between 1772 and 1775 aimed to gather astronomical data and determine whether the southern continent was populated. Resolution and Adventure, the two ships, were outfitted for the mission. Before departing in 1772, Cook drew out his intended itinerary for the future journey and produced a map displaying the discoveries made in the Southern Ocean till 1770. Cook crossed the Antarctic Circle for the first time in 1773 with the help of astronomers, naturalists, and an artist. He claimed to have traveled further south than any other person.

Cook's third and last exploration journey (1776-1779) aimed to find a North-West Passage, an ice-free sea path connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Once more, Cook issued the Order of Resolution, and Charles Clerke issued the Order of Discovery. Cook first traveled south from England to Tahiti in 1776 to bring the Tahitian man Omai back to his homeland. Cook had brought Omai along on his second expedition, and she had generated interest in London.

In January 1778, Cook's final expedition discovered the Hawaiian Islands. The locals from Kealakekua Bay initially welcomed them warmly. When they left, the locals were happy with their departure, but the atmosphere changed when Cook returned four days later due to Resolution needing repair.

Following the theft of a ship's boat, Cook attempted to hold the king hostage. The locals were worried, and on Feb. 14, 1779, Cook was stabbed and died. Captain Clerke took over after Cook's death but perished on the journey. Lieutenant Gore eventually managed to return the ships home.