Did pirates bury treasure?

[Red James Cash]

People have been burying their valuables (and their stolen valuables)ever since there were things that could be called valuables.There werent always banks so what would you do with your stuff?Going into battle,what was the safest thing men could do with their valuables before hand?Bury them.

 

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[etex]

Yes, Captain Crunch buried his at the bottom of his cereal box

 

[CASPER-2]

I have read and seen documentaries that claim Capt Kidd was the only one who did but I've also read Blackbeard may have. Anyone know if only Capt Kidd buried treasure?

BLACKBEARD WAS SUPPOSEDLY THE ONLY PIRATE TO HAVE BURIED TREASURE - CAPT KIDD AND A FEW OTHERS HAVE BEEN RUMORED TO HAVE
BUT MANY THINK EVERY PIRATE DID - NOT
THE FACT IS THAT MOST BOOTY WAS IN THE FORM OF FOOD, MEDICINE, TOOLS, CHINA, FLATWARE ETC - NOT THE GOLD AND SILVER CHEST EVERYONE THINKS ASSOC. WITH PIRATES - A CAPTIVE SHIPS SAILS WERE VERY VALUABLE AS WELL AS POWDER AND WEAPONS
SHIPS CARRIED MONIES TO BUY GOODS AND SUPPLIES AND TO PAY THE CREW BUT NOT THE HUGE CHESTS THOUGHT OF MOST TIMES
THE HUGE CHESTS FOUND ARE FROM TRANSPORT SHIPS LOST IN STORMS FROM MINTS AND MINES IN SOUTH AMERICA
USUALLY

 

[Boatlode]

1) Gold is too heavy to carry around with you.
2) You can't spend it all at once.
3) There are no banks.

What would you do?

 

[Frankn]

Yes, Captain Crunch buried his at the bottom of his cereal box

yea, I have found it many times in the morning. lol Frank...-

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Somebody always beat me to the prize in the bottom ! You snooze, ya lose! Oh well.

The neighbors 4 legged feline keeps burying it's "surprises" in my yard. One of these days I'm borrowing my daughter's chocolate lab, then we'll see who is surprised!

 

[Limitool]

Somebody always beat me to the prize in the bottom ! You snooze, ya lose! Oh well.

The neighbors 4 legged feline keeps burying it's "surprises" in my yard. One of these days I'm borrowing my daughter's chocolate lab, then we'll see who is surprised!

My black lab has "delivered" several... but she had backup of 6-8 other dogs.

 

[Meadow]

Somebody always beat me to the prize in the bottom ! You snooze, ya lose! Oh well.

The neighbors 4 legged feline keeps burying it's "surprises" in my yard. One of these days I'm borrowing my daughter's chocolate lab, then we'll see who is surprised!

Are you my grandma?? j/k She hated animals, and children, but most especially an animal who might be a child's pet. I don't think there was ever a child who wasn't traumatized for life after running into her. I'm sure most of them never had a pet again.

 

[Yates]

Did Pirates bury treasure - or spend it on Rosie?

Captain Kidd hid a box of treasure in an ill-fated attempt to bargain for his freedom. Blackbeard may have hidden some treasure with the belief he would come back for it, but it goes against their psychological makeup. Generally speaking pirates spent their "loot" as quickly as they got it. As a populace they weren't known for their thriftiness, but more for their shoot first and worry about the consequences later. That's not to say they didn't have some plans for their future. For example there was compensation for losing a limb during battle. That said though think of it this way, what do you envision a pirate with several pockets of money doing: burying it in a spot of ground he may never see again, or drinking several bottles of rum and playing an expensive game of "in and out" with Rosie?

 

[Frankn]

My view on this is based on research. There was a French pirate that I tracked down. He retired, recovered his buried riches and built a large house that still stands today. He lived a good life in retirement throughing many parties on his estate. I was trying to get permission to search the estate, but I think the new owner is at it. Think of it this way, they looted rich ships and divided the loot. Booze and babes were cheap in those days. They had to have excess wealth to hide and where else but the"earth bank." Just my view based on actual research. Frank...-


The pirate Taft Haven't researched him yet. Has anybody else?

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Are you my grandma?? j/k She hated animals, and children, but most especially an animal who might be a child's pet. I don't think there was ever a child who wasn't traumatized for life after running into her. I'm sure most of them never had a pet again.

No lol!
Actually I love animals, it's just this one cat that has picked my flower bed as his kitty litter box! That plus he has gotten a couple of wild birds I feed. We have stockade fences plenty of escape routes. I could use a water gun and squirt the little dickens!


All the Islands off the Mass. coast are potential pirate booty banks but they are off limits to TH'ers.

 

[Limitool]

No lol!
Actually I love animals, it's just this one cat that has picked my flower bed as his kitty litter box! That plus he has gotten a couple of wild birds I feed. We have stockade fences plenty of escape routes. I could use a water gun and squirt the little dickens!


All the Islands off the Mass. coast are potential pirate booty banks but they are off limits to TH'ers.

Now surely there are serious Treasure Hunters who hunt for treasure all around those islands and in their waters on the sly. But unlike the folks in CA. who found all the gold coins and broadcasted it to the world they'll NEVER say a word if something is found. And that's a shame that the people who find such things by accident or on purpose can't say anything without SOMEBODY wanting some of what YOU FOUND.

 

[The Rebel]

There's an excellent book by Richard Zacks: "Pirate Hunter: The True Story of Captain Kidd" that goes into some of the history of piracy of that period.

I read that book 2 years ago & it was awesome!

I live close by to an island where he supposedly buried some treasure. I grew up on that story & it planted the treasure bug in me. You did an excellent job of explaining the whole book. He must have been pretty PO'd when those he trusted turned their back on him for their own personal gain. Very sad what happened to him.

 

[The Rebel]

Ok the book was- True tales of Buried Treasure, by Ed Rowe Snow. Pub 1952.

When I was in kindergarten (1975) my mom got me from the library "True tales of pirates and their gold". I wasn't able to read but loved the pictures of skeletons, swords, treasure chests in it. It also had a section on Treasure marks to look for. I may need to go buy that book for old times sake.

 

[Msbeepbeep]

Now surely there are serious Treasure Hunters who hunt for treasure all around those islands and in their waters on the sly. But unlike the folks in CA. who found all the gold coins and broadcasted it to the world they'll NEVER say a word if something is found. And that's a shame that the people who find such things by accident or on purpose can't say anything without SOMEBODY wanting some of what YOU FOUND.

 

[Robot]

I hope not!

Many of the lesser known Pirates were opportunist that preyed on lesser defended "Slave Ships"
Once captured they would proceed to an American Port to sell their booty.

The better known Pirates had little need to build a private bank such as Oak Island when there were more than enough Banks, Financial Houses and Merchants living in New York during this time period to accommodate them.

Pirates such as Every, Morgan, Tew and the famous Captain Kidd bribed New York’s’ governors for protection and used these Financial Houses to launder their treasure. Captain Every was so prolific at this that he was one of the few pirates to retire back to an estate in England with benefits.

Many of the men we call pirates today were legal privateers acting with the full blessings of England.

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend”

It was only if they attacked British ships or after England signed peace treaties with their enemies were these privateers labeled once again as pirates.

Many Pirates (During the Golden Age of Piracy) chose to live in New York during Edward Hyde, 3rd Earl of Clarendon appointment as colonial governor (1701 – 1708).

Governor Hyde’s flamboyant manner of dressing was only surpassed by his reputation as the worst corrupt governor Britain ever appointed to an American colony.

Captain Kidd during this time period was living in his mansion in New York and was also involved with the construction of Trinity Church.

It was only later when England proceeded to rid their colonies of this corruption and pirating that many moved on.

England reacted against the growing revolution in the American colonies along with their willing acceptance to trade with France and Spain against British embargoes and in response they encouraged loyalist merchants and privateers to move to Nova Scotia to prey on these ships.

Many British privateers who operated out of Lunenburg Nova Scotia required Halifax merchant's businesses to exchange their booty with.

 

[au-artifax]

One special note about what "treasure" might mean. Back in the era many things we take for granted today were considered treasure back in Kidd's time. Spices, cloth, certain woods and fibers, chemicals like kno3 and elements like lead and pig iron, art objects, most that would decay and lose their value if buried, probably were NOT buried. Would someone bury silk underground if they wanted to recover something of value...probably not. The only thing that would have been buried was noble metals for sure. This sounds good yes, but also makes you think that the general phrase "treasure" could mean "junk" today. So when looking for treasures recounted from ages of storytelling, consider if the treasure might have been just "junk" as we see it today. Thousands of pounds of treasure ( monetary pounds, not weighted pounds) might just have been some perishable valuables of the time.