James Cook from Yorkshire: Aspiration and Environment

Abstract This paper re-examines aspects of Cook’s environment during his early years in Yorkshire and questions how it was significant in shaping the man. His family background was more aspirational than is often thought and Whitby was an extraordinarily prosperous and enterprising place to train for a life at sea. Particularly important was the fact that education was professional and emphasized mathematics. When Cook left Whitby for the Royal Navy he had developed a deep respect for technical skills, together with a dogged perseverance. His background growing up on a farm was revealed through his concern for the spread of ‘useful crops’ and an increase in animal husbandry in the lands visited. Finally, his general lack of pretension and open-mindedness about the societies he encountered was influenced by the nine crucial years he spent in an outward-looking and openminded environment in Whitby.