Person    | Male  Born 16/3/1774  Died 19/7/1814

Captain Matthew Flinders

Categories: Exploring

Countries: Australia

Explorer and navigator of the Australian seas. Born in Donington, Lincolnshire. Invented the Flinders Bar, a device for counteracting the vertical component of a ship's magnetic field, and gave Australia its name.

It was thought that Flinders' remains had been moved in the mid/late 1800s when additional tracks into Euston were laid over the St James Chapel graveyard in which he had been buried. Then the HS2 plans revealed that his grave probably lies "somewhere underneath what is now platform 15" at Euston Station. 2017 BorderMail reported on the chances of the HS2 dig being able to ID Flinders remains when the "biggest exhumation in British history, of more than 60,000 bodies" begins. The best chance according to the lead archaeologist will be "if they could discover an intact coffin with a metal name plate". Yes, we can see that would help. January 2019: His remains were found and identified. 9News has a short film showing the burial plaque and featuring the debate about what should happen to it.

Flinders' daughter was mother to Flinders Petrie.

October 2019: The government announced: "His final resting place will be in at the Church of St Mary and the Holy Rood in Donington, near Spalding, where he was baptised, and where many members of his family are buried. There is currently no set date for when his body will be reburied in at the church." But, May 2020, it seems the burial has not yet taken place.

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This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Captain Matthew Flinders

Commemorated ati

Captain Matthew Flinders

London County Council Captain Matthew Flinders, R.N., 1774 - 1814, explorer ...

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Flinders statue

Unveiled by Prince William at Australia House on 18 July 2014 and installed i...

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Other Subjects

John Bridgens

John Bridgens

Role on the lost expedition: Petty officer on SS Erebus. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial
Wilfrid Scawen Blunt

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt

Diplomat, poet, hedonist and traveller. Born Petworth House, Sussex. Advocated anti-Imperialism, and supported Irish nationalism. Legendary womaniser, one being William Morris's wife, Jane. Married...

Person, Animals, Exploring, Poetry

1 memorial
William Goddard

William Goddard

Role on the lost expedition: Petty officer on SS Terror. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial
Captain, Sir John Franklin

Captain, Sir John Franklin

Born Lincolnshire. Royal Navy. Governor of Tasmania 1836-43. where there is also a statue. Left England in 1845 leading an expedition of 2 ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, to voyage the last unnav...

Person, Exploring, Tragedy, Arctic & Antarctic, Australia

3 memorials
John Cowie

John Cowie

Role on the lost expedition: Petty officer on SS Erebus. See John Franklin.

Person, Exploring, Tragedy

1 memorial

Previously viewed

Cecil Sharp

Cecil Sharp

Collector of English folk-songs and dances. Born Denmark Hill. Spent 1882 - 92 in Australia. Developed an interest in English folk-music in 1899 and began his prolific collection which later expand...

Person, Dance, Museums / Libraries, Music / songs, Australia

1 memorial
Zeppelin Raid

Zeppelin Raid

EC1, Farringdon Road, 61, Zeppelin Building

This plaque has been noted by a few people, the author Julian Barnes being one. See "Memorial hunting" on the New Visitors Page (button ...

2 subjects commemorated, 1 creator