Skip to main content

Primary sourceDocument

The Will of James Cook

James Cook

Cook's own last will and testament, written as commander of the Resolution, setting out his bequests to his family.

Cook's own will, showing his personal and family affairs as commander of the Resolution before his death.

Ask James Cook about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Full text (Wikisource)

About this source

What it is

This is the last will and testament of James Cook, written while he was commander of His Majesty's Sloop Resolution. In it he arranges for his debts to be paid and leaves provisions for his father and his wife, Elizabeth Cook.

Why it matters

A will is a deeply personal document that shows the private side of a public figure. It reveals Cook's family ties, his sense of duty to his father and wife, and the kind of property and responsibilities a naval officer of his time held, beyond the famous voyages.

Look closer

  • What does the care taken over family provisions tell you about Cook's priorities?
  • Why might a commander write a will before setting out on a dangerous voyage?
  • What does this document not tell us about Cook's life or death?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Cook on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More James Cook sources

Meet the AI James Cook →
Oil painting of a seated man in a navy blue captain's uniform with gold braid and gold buttons over a white waistcoat. He has grey hair, holds a chart on his lap, and a tricorn hat rests on a table beside him, with sea visible through a window at left.Painting

Primary source

Captain James Cook, 1728-79

Nathaniel Dance-Holland · c. 1775-1776

Oval engraved portrait of Captain James Cook in a naval-style uniform with a high collar and cravat, hair curled at the sides, set within a decorative oval frame. Caption below reads 'Captain James Cook, F.R.S.' with publication credits along the bottom margin.Painting

Secondary source

James Cook, line engraving by Basire after Hodges

William Hodges · 1777

Engraved plate from Philosophical Transactions Vol. LXI, Tab. XIV, p. 410, titled 'Appearances of Venus by Capt. Cook' (top) and 'Appearances of Venus by Mr. Charles Green' (bottom). Each panel shows a series of numbered figures of Venus as a black disc crossing the Sun's curved edge, with arcs representing the Sun's limb at successive moments of the 1769 transit.Document

Primary source

Sketchings of the 1769 Venus Transit

James Cook and Charles Green · 1769

Engraved portrait of a man with white powdered hair, wearing a dark coat over a striped waistcoat and cravat, against a dark background. Below the portrait is a small scene of men in conflict on a shore, with figures wielding weapons. Inscriptions read N. Dance. del. and Rivers. sculp.Painting

Primary source

James Cook, engraving by Rivers after Dance-Holland

Nathaniel Dance-Holland · 1776

Engraved sea chart titled 'Chart of New Zealand, explored in 1769 and 1770' by Lieut. J. Cook, Commander of His Majesty's Bark Endeavour. Shows North and South Islands with coastal names, soundings, compass roses, and a rhumb-line grid. Title and an explanation box appear at top.Document

Primary source

Chart of New Zealand, explored in 1769 and 1770

James Cook · 1770

Ready when you are

Start chatting with James Cook now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions