described in his will, dated 14 August 1773, as a merchant

Son of William Sanders, a tailor of Staithes, born 15 May 1687, died 1736.

He was much more than the simple shop keeper which history portrays.  In his will he had the SHOP and WAREHOUSES at Staithes, Estates at Handale and Hinderwell amounting to many hundreds of acres each, a farm at Hinderwell and houses at Hinderwell, Lofthouse and Whitby.  He was also the BANKER for Staithes, showing he was a business man of some consequence.

He was baptised on 1st November 1724, died on 12th November 1773 and was buried in HINDERWELL church yard in the family vault.  He also had a family pew in Lofthouse Church and one in Hinderwell Church where it is most probable that young James Cook worshipped with his master.

William Sanderson married Elizabeth Gill (daughter of the Customs Officer) on 6th July 1741.  She was born on 21st November 1724, died in December of 1813 and was buried with her husband in the Sanderson family vault in Hinderwell churchyard.  When she was expecting their second child William, who was born on 17th August 1745 (and who died aged 22 in 1767 in the East Indies), the future Captain Cook was 
employed to help in the shop.

Altogether William and Elizabeth Sanderson had 14 children.  John, born in 1751, was the chief beneficiary in his father's will, along with his mother who carried on the shop, trading as John and Elizabeth Sanderson until their bankruptcy in 1788.  John, born on 10th March 1751, died aged 81 on 18th July 1833 and was buried in the family vault.

After the bankruptcy Mr RICHARD HUTTON carried on the business which was situated somewhere near to where the present Cod and Lobster public house is today.  After a succession of storms which destroyed a number of houses on the sea front, RICHARD HUTTON very prudently moved the building to its present position in Church Street, formally Weatherhill Street, using some of the building material salvaged from the original shop.

This building is now known as Captain Cook's Cottage and has had many uses from a shop to a cafe and now to a private house.

Reg Firth

Originally published in Cook's Log, page 1494, volume 21, number 2 (1998).