The final resting place of explorer Captain Matthew Flinders has long been the topic of urban myth.
Was he buried under Platform 15 of London’s Euston Station, which was once part of an historic burial ground?
Or, after his headstone was lost and his coffin moved – were his remains gone forever?
Today the mystery has been solved, with archaeologists at the UK’s largest dig site confirming they have discovered the remains of the British navigator, who was one of the first founders of Australia.
“It was just so exciting because he’s such a renowned figure,” Helen Wass, Head of Heritage at HS2 told 9News.
“And there we had his name, Captain Matthew Flinders, we had his date of death, it was just really amazing,” she says.
Helen is the chief archaeologist and historian on the HS2 project, a new high speed rail line which will connect London to Birmingham, and the East and West Midlands, and further north.
She’s overseeing a team of more than 1,000 archaeologists on the dig, which spans more than 60 separate sites along the new rail route.
The discovery of Captain Flinder’s grave is one of their most significant finds to date. And luck played a part, as the Captain was buried with a metal breast plate – or plaque – on his coffin, clearly stating his details.
“The fact that he was buried with a lead plate means it hasn’t decayed which is really fortunate for us, so we have it beautifully preserved,” Helen explains.
Captain Flinders was the first person to sail around Australia. He died in London on July 23rd 1814, and was laid to rest at St James’ burial ground, along with 60,000 other people.
But his headstone was lost during the expansion of Euston Station in the 1840’s, and it was thought his remains had been lost.
“This is a very exciting moment for Australia,” said George Brandis, Australian High Commissioner to the UK.
“Matthew Flinders, like Arthur Philip and James Cook, is one of the great founders of our nation.”
There are many more remains and treasures to be found. Construction on the rail line is scheduled to begin in June, but before then each site must first be carefully excavated and examined.
The team has been busy digging up centuries of British history, with artefacts such as tools, personal belongings, and Victorian time capsules giving some fascinating insights into the changing society over the centuries.
“We have found early prehistoric settlements, burial grounds, and we have Roman settlements, deserted medieval villages, even a war of the roses battlefield site,” Helen says.
The train line hasn’t been without controversy. There’ve been many protests, environmentalists aren’t happy, and it’s several billion dollars over budget.
But the archaeological finds continue to generate good news for the project.
“There’s so many different stories that lead you into different paths of history, society, and change,” Helen says.
And Captain Matthew Flinders' story can now have a proper ending. He’ll be reinterred, along with tens of thousands of other people found at the site, at a resting place to be agreed upon with the Church of England.