The Museum's origins can be traced to about 1780 when Marmaduke Tunstall began collecting ethnographic and natural history material from all over the world. He later brought his 'museum' from London to North Yorkshire. After Tunstall's death his collection was purchased, in 1791, by George Allan of Darlington. In 1793 the Literary and Philosophical Society of Newcastle was founded and its activities included the formation of a small museum. The 'Lit and Phil' acquired George Allan's collection in 1823. In 1829 the Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham and Newcastle upon Tyne (now the Natural History Society of Northumbria) was founded as an offshoot of the 'Lit and Phil' and displayed the natural sciences collections in a new museum opened, behind the 'Lit and Phil' (Westgate Road, Newcastle), in 1834. The Museum's collections soon outgrew this building and the new 'Newcastle Museum' was opened on its present site in 1884. In 1890 the well-known North East naturalist John Hancock, who had been instrumental in the campaign for setting up the new museum, died aged 83 years. The Museum was re-named the Hancock Museum in honour of him and his brother Albany. In 1959 the Natural History Society entered into an agreement with the University of Newcastle under which the University agreed to care for the building and collections. Since 1992 the University has contracted Tyne & Wear Museums (TWM) to manage the Museum under a Service Level Agreement.

The Hancock Museum is closed
The Hancock Museum closed its doors to the public on Sunday 23 April to begin its transformation as part of the Great North Museum project - an exciting and innovative world-class visitor attraction designed for the 21st century.

When the new Museum opens in 2009 it will be a flagship visitor attraction incorporating collections from the Hancock Museum and the University of Newcastle's Museum of Antiquities, the Shefton Museum and the Hatton Gallery.