Richard Pickersgill (18 April 1749 – July 1779) was an English naval officer who accompanied the sailor and explorer

James Cook Captain (Royal Navy), Captain James Cook (7 November 1728 – 14 February 1779) was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer, and cartographer famous for his three voyages of exploration to the Pacific and Southern Oceans, conducted between 176 ...

on two of his Pacific voyages. Richard Pickersgill was born in 1749 in West Tanfield, near

Ripon Ripon () is a cathedral city and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. The city is located at the confluence of two tributaries of the River Ure, the Laver and Skell. Within the boundaries of the historic West Riding of Yorkshire, the ...

, to Richard and Ann Pickersgill (née Lee). Pickersgill was the nephew of John Lee, the servant of George Jackson, a senior officer in the Admiralty. It is believed that his uncle managed to position him through his relationships on his first ships. In 1766, at the age of 17, he participated in the circumnavigation of the world under Captain

Samuel Wallis Post-captain, Captain Samuel Wallis (23 April 1728 – 21 January 1795) was a Royal Navy officer and explorer who made the first recorded visit by a European navigator to Tahiti. Biography Wallis was born at Fenteroon Farm, near Camelfo ...

on HMS ''Dolphin''. Two years later, on 26 August 1768, Pickersgill belonged as a

Master's mate Master's mate is an obsolete rating which was used by the British Royal Navy, Royal Navy, United States Navy and merchant services in both countries for a senior petty officer who assisted the sailing master, master. Master's mates evolved into th ...

on HMS ''Endeavour'', which set off with James Cook to its first South Sea voyage. On this trip he also impressed Cook, who had a high opinion of his skills as a surveyor, his dealings with the indigenous peoples they encountered, and his judgment. When Robert Molineux, the

Master Master, master's or masters may refer to: Ranks or titles In education: *Master (college), head of a college *Master's degree, a postgraduate or sometimes undergraduate degree in the specified discipline *Schoolmaster or master, presiding office ...

of the ''Endeavour'', died on the return journey to England, Pickersgill was promoted to Master on 16 April 1771. After his return to London, Pickersgill was promoted on Cook's recommendation to

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

. On 13 July 1772, Cook began his second expedition with HMS ''Resolution'', and Richard Pickersgill joined as the Third Lieutenant. He did not accompany Cook on his third voyage, but in April 1776 took command of the ship ''Lyon'' and was sent to

Baffin Bay Baffin Bay (Inuktitut: ''Saknirutiak Imanga''; ; ; ), located between Baffin Island and the west coast of Greenland, is defined by the International Hydrographic Organization as a marginal sea of the Arctic Ocean. It is sometimes considered a s ...

on the east coast of

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

. Richard Pickersgill died in 1779 at the age of 30, when he accidentally fell into the

Thames River The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the ...

when boarding a ship and drowned. According to Richard Pickersgill, the

Pickersgill Islands The Pickersgill Islands are a small archipelago to the west of the main island of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, South Georgia. They are southeast of Annenkov Island and west-southwest of Leon Head, South Georgia Island, South ...

off

South Georgia South Georgia is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic Ocean that is part of the British Overseas Territories, British Overseas Territory of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. It lies around east of the Falkland Islands. ...

in the South Atlantic and Pickersgill Harbour, a natural harbour in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

, were named after him.

References

External links

Journal of Richard Pickersgill, Third Lieutenant of the Resolution
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pickersgill, Richard 1749 births 1779 deaths 18th-century English explorers English explorers of the Pacific Circumnavigators of the globe English cartographers English sailors Explorers of New Zealand People from Hambleton District 18th-century Royal Navy personnel Royal Navy officers Deaths by drowning in the United Kingdom Military personnel from North Yorkshire Participants in James Cook's voyages