Hugh Cook was the sixth and last child of James and Elizabeth Cook. He was born on 21 May, 1776, and baptised on 5 June, at St. Dunstan’s, Stepney. Captain Cook left his family for the last time in July.
In 1793, aged 16 years, Hugh went to Christ’s College, Cambridge, to study to become a priest. He died later that year on 21 December from scarlet fever. He was buried at St. Andrew the Great, Cambridge.
When I visited Cambridge University, the Archi¬vist at Christ’s College showed me the payment book showing additional fees incurred for Hugh Cook at the time of his death, presumably for medical treatment. In later correspondence, the Archivist kindly supplied copies of the study rent books for the length of his enrolment.
From the payment books, I learnt that he entered Christ's College on 15 February, 1793. It seems that Hugh paid £1.10.0 per term, which was one of the higher amounts (though not the highest) paid by students. This amount might suggest that he was paying for a private room (not sharing) and for better accommodation. His room would have been in what is now called “the Fellows’ Building”, a seventeenth century structure put up to house “Pensioners”, the wealthier class of student.
According to the Archivist, Hugh paid the same amount for the second and third terms, indicating that he stayed in the same room, or standard of room, for that year until his sad death.
Carmel Summers
Originally published in Cook's Log, page 47, volume 46, number 3 (2023).