Presented by: Gillian Dooley
Matthew Flinders’ remains were discovered in January 2019 during excavations near Euston Station, thanks to the foresight of someone who affixed a lead plate to his coffin with his name and date of death. This talk describes the ceremonies which attended his ‘return home’ to his birthplace of Donington, Lincolnshire, in July last year, and some of the extraordinary efforts that went into the success of Flinders’ second funeral. It will also explore what we know about his final illness, his last days, and his first funeral in July 1814, based on primary documents – his own journal, and a little-known memoir of his sister-in-law, Isabella, who was present when he died and who organised his funeral.
Presented by National Trust of South Australia, History Trust of South Australia, & Ayers House Function Centre