Whitby - The Endeavour

Whitby Abbey was founded in 657 AD by King Oswiu, as an act of thanksgiving, after defeating Penda, the pagan king of Mercia. The abbey became the leading royal nunnery of the kingdom of Deira, and the burial-place of its royal family. In 664, the Synod of Whitby took place, which determined the calculation of the Christian date of Easter, according to which Easter always falls on the first Sunday after the first full moon after the beginning of spring on March 21st. This rule for the movable holiday prevailed throughout Europe and is still in force today.

When Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries and the abbey here surrendered in 1539. By then the town that had developed had between 20 and 30 houses and a population of about 200.

The city was the training ground for Britain's most important seafarer, James Cook. His monument overlooks the city's harbor.

This pub is named after the HMS Endeavour a Royal Navy exploration ship that James Cook led on his first voyage of discovery to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia from 1768 to 1771.

The HMS Endeavour was a British Royal Navy exploration ship that Lieutenant James Cook led on his first voyage of discovery to Tahiti, New Zealand and Australia from 1768 to 1771. The ship was built here in 1764 as the coal ship Earl of Pembroke. It was purchased by the Navy in 1768 for Cook´s scientific mission to the Pacific and got renamed.