Graphic shows details of the discovery and map of Matthew Flinders’ circumnavigation of Australia.
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ARCHAEOLOGY

Remains of Capt. Matthew Flinders found

By Jordi Bou

January 25, 2019 - The remains of Captain Matthew Flinders, the first explorer to circumnavigate Australia and credited with naming the country, have been discovered near a busy London railway station.

The archaeologists identified the remains by the lead plate placed on top of his coffin. He was buried at St. James's burial ground in 1814 but the headstone was removed in the 1840s, leaving the precise location of his grave a mystery.

Flinders made a number of important journeys and was commander of HMS Investigator when he navigated the entire coast of Australia, confirming it was a continent.

A number of places in Australia have been named after him, including Flinders Station in Melbourne and the town of Flinders in Victoria. A statue honouring him was unveiled in London by Prince William on the bicentenary of his death in 2014.

Experts plan to remove tens of thousands of skeletons from the burial ground, where a rail station for a new high-speed rail line will be built.

HS2, which is building the rail line from London to Birmingham, said the remains of Flinders and roughly 40,000 others will be re-buried at a location to be announced.

Sources
PUBLISHED: 25/01/2019; STORY: Graphic News; PICTURES: Associated Press
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