In search of Captain Avery's treasure

[Bocaj]

I suspect William Kidd was so desperate in trying to escape the hangman's noose regardless of his faults it was for gone conclusion he should hang was willing to say anything to save his skin.

The Cornish document could of been Kidd trying to later bargain for his life by appealing to Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland who lived at Brighton most of the time.

He had no political power but this information he was given by description in Cornish archives is remarkably similar to the document uncovered in Scotland.and mentions a contact in Brighton the exact place where duke of Cumberland was living.

So in the respect the treasure described was Every's cache. It clearly not the treasure as claimed in other letters. Kidd was desperate man trying save his skin he was prepared to say anything.

I for one do see enough evidence of a great treasure hoard. As most of pirate had divided up the hoard of Averys crew. While Arvey had a much bigger share perhaps hidden at one time near lizard point. much of his crew lost buried or spent theirs in various places in the world.

Well desperation does improve imagination to some point but it hardly explains how he did know the contents of the chests (except it also improves mind-reading skills).
Then there are of course the Palmer maps which also describes three stumps as the pointer to a cove (or cave) nearby. Certainly too big for a coincidence or is it a superstition to only bury treasures if three stones happen to be in the vicinity?
I am still not convinced about the Lizard point location. Is there any other document beside this one referring to it? I can only read 'Lig.' in the quoted section.
It seems that the only true help to ever find Avery's treasure is through Kidd's letter and maps - otherwise we have nothing.

 

[Bocaj]

517. IV. Examination of John Dann, mariner, of Rochester,
taken on 3 August, 1696. Three years ago I was
coxswain on the Soldado prize, and deserted to go on
Sir James Houblon's expedition to the West Indies
under Don Arthuro Bourne. I went in the Charles to
Corunna, where the ship's company mutinied, their pay
being eight months in arrear. The men proposed to
the master, Captain Every, to carry away the ship,
which he agreed to, and they sailed from Corunna on
7 May, 1693, with eighty-five men. The Captain and
fifteen or sixteen men who refused to go, were set ashore.
The first place we came to was the Isle of May. Here
the narrative abstracted in No. III. is given in slightly
greater detail up to the time of the ship's arrival at
Johanna, Madagascar. Here we resolved to go to the
Red Sea. Here we met with two English privateers,
the Dolphin and the Portsmouth Adventure. The
Dolphin, Captain Want, was a Spanish bottom with
sixty men on board, and had been fitted out at Orkells
(? Whorekill) , near Philadelphia, having left it two
years ago last January. The Portsmouth Adventure .
had been fitted out at Rhode Island, about the
same time; her master was Captain Joseph Faro,
and her crew was about the same number as
the Dolphin. Both had about six guns. They joined
company with us and about June twelvemonth we came
to Liparan Island at the mouth of the Red Sea, where
three more sail of English came to us, one commanded
by Thomas Wake, another, the Pearl, William Mues
commander, fitted out at Rhode Island, the Amity,
Thomas Tew commander, fitted out at New York. The
two first had six guns and about fifty men each, and the
Amity from thirty to forty men. They all joined
partnership, putting Captain Every in command. After
lying there some time they sent a pinnace to Mocha,
and took two men who gave them information as to the
ships coming down. They then stood out to sea and
back to Liparan, where after five or six days the Moors'
ships, twenty-five in number, passed them in the night ;
but hearing of this from a captured ketch they resolved
to follow them. The Dolphin being a bad sailer was
burned, and the men put onboard Captain Every. The
Amity fell astern and never came up, Wake's ship also


AMERICA AND WEST INDIES. 263
1696 .
lagged but came up later. Steering for Surat we caught
up one of the ships which we took after she had fired
three shots. She had £50,000 or £60,000 on board in
silver and gold. We shortly afterwards spied another
ship, mounting forty guns and carrying (as was said)
800 men . She stood a fight of three hours and yielded.
We took from her in money and plate enough gold and
silver to make up each man's share to £1,000, 180 men
sharing in all, the Captain having a double share, and
the master a share and a half. The Portsmouth had no
share, not having taken part in the fight. The Pearl
had a share but this was taken from them again, for
when the Charles men changed with them silver for
gold it was found that the Pearl's men had clipped the
gold ; so they gave them only 2,000 pieces-of-eight to
buy provisions. Captain Want then sailed into the bay
of Persia, the Pearl (I think) went to the coast of
Ethiopia, and Wake to an island near Madagascar,
intending for the Red Sea the next time the Moors'
ships were expected from thence. Captain Every
resolved to go straight to Providence. On the way
the men mutinied, some being for carrying her to
Kiau, belonging to the French near Brazil, but Every
withstood it, there not being twenty men left that joined
with him when they came to Madagascar, in latitude
21°. There we left as many men as were inclined to
stay, and in March or April we came to Providence,
anchoring first off Thora Island, and sending a letter to
Governor Trott to ask for protection and liberty to go
away, which he promised us. We made a collection of
twenty pieces-of-eight a man, and forty from the Cap-
tain, as present to the Governor, besides elephants' teeth
and other things to the value of £1,000. We then left
our ship, which the Governor took, with forty-six guns
in her, after which we bought a sloop, and Every with
about twenty men sailed for England. Twenty-three
other men bought another sloop, and sailed under Cap-
tain Risby to Carolina. Every and I landed in the
north of Ireland at the end of June last, where we parted
and Every went to Scotland. I heard that he was in
Dublin when I was there, but did not see him. He
had spoken of going to Exeter, being a Plymouth man.
I obtained a pass from a landing-waiter for myself and
seven more to go to Dublin; this man made some effort
to detain me, but let us go for three pounds' weight of
gold. I hear that he obtained money from the other
men also. I then went to London, but was arrested at
Rochester, a maid having found my gold quilted up in
my jacket. I was brought before the Mayor and com-
mitted, but kept my jacket in which were £1,045 in
sequins and 10 guineas, which are now in custody of
the Mayor. The wife of our quarter-master came
home from Providence with us, and I lately saw her at


264 COLONIAL PAPERS .
1696 .
Dec. 19.
St. Alban's. The sloop we came home in was given to
Captain Joseph Faro of the Portsmouth Adventure.
Captain Risby's men landed somewhere near Galloway.
63 pp. [Board of Trade. Plantations General,

Taken from the State Papers of 1696

 

[Crow]

An interesting Idea that Kidd may of had information about Aveys treasure?

I have posted Two documents of Averys alleged treasure. We still need to cautious before making too many conclusions. Personally the math from crew pay out is pretty close to claims The Mogul emperor claimed against the British east India company. And i have no doubt that was inflated.

The description of treasure in both document suggest it Averys personal share. Looking at context WK he had nothing to lose to say anything and everything to save his skin.

Crow

 

[Bocaj]

An interesting Idea that Kidd may of had information about Aveys treasure?

I have posted Two documents of Averys alleged treasure. We still need to cautious before making too many conclusions. Personally the math from crew pay out is pretty close to claims The Mogul emperor claimed against the British east India company. And i have no doubt that was inflated.

The description of treasure in both document suggest it Averys personal share. Looking at context WK he had nothing to lose to say anything and everything to save his skin.

Crow

Well I am usual very cautious. It was the "W.K." in the letter you posted that made a huge impact. From that point onward I found a lot of consistencies.

Like you mention above 100k fits nicely as Avery's share. The description of the treasure in both "Avery the Pirate" letters add up to around 100k as well. The size of the chests would fill nicely the "3x3x4ft" dugout in the maps. Then there are the three grey stones with grass on top which also fit the map's description of three stumps. Then there is the date of the "coded" letter which fits nicely WK "ab:"? sitting in jail being interviewed in the first letter.

I can't say if any of the documents (letters,maps) are genuine, copies or pure fantasies and until proven imaginary falsifications I will only judge them by the consistent information they provide. So far I can't see much of contradictions in them. The only thing that bothers me is "the Lizard" because this was a real important navigational aid in the pre-GPS age and as such properly defined coordinate to start from. As mentioned above I read "Lig." in the quoted text and I could imagine the interviewer took a wrong conclusion.

When it comes to WK's desperation - from the trial protocols I see a man that is naively sincere. A fool but not a liar. It's true: he hadn't much to loose from inventing a treasure but being untrained in making things up he wouldn't gain much from it neither.

Well if you agree to the outcome of 1701 trial that William Kidd was a scumbag criminal and murderer then further judging him to be a liar would be consistent. From where I stand he was a patsy. Hanged for another man's crime to calm the EIC's and the worlds richest man's anger. Yes and by pure coincidence (irony) that man was: Henry Every.

Well take your pick, at least for me talking about Kidd without Every doesn't make much sense any way. Now Every is the real important actor in the scene and Kidd if at all plays a minor role. If I am right a very interesting one that could save the day so to speak.

 

[Bocaj]

Is there any map with dates of Avery's voyages with landfalls and encounters at sea?
At least some more detailed timetable?

 

[Crow]

Is there any map with dates of Avery's voyages with landfalls and encounters at sea?
At least some more detailed timetable?

You might find interesting documents in the Secretaries of State: State Papers Domestic, William and Mary?

An assortment of documents relating to domestic matters, including in-letters, petitions, business papers and memoranda, left in the State Paper Office by retiring Secretaries of State during the reign of William and Mary (from December 1694 that of William III). The material covers a wide range of individual applications regarding patronage, passports, trials, evidence of censorship and intelligence gathering, newsletters and printed royal speeches to Parliament and votes of the Commons.
Date: 1689-1702
Arrangement:

The arrangement is generally chronological, though usually undated papers, believed to belong to a particular year, are added after the dated papers for December of the same year.
Separated material:

Important papers, regarded as private papers, were removed by the secretaries according to the practice of the day. Newsletter from Robert Yard to Sir Joseph Williams at the Hague, relating to the sailing from Portsmouth of William Norris as ambassador to the ‘Mogul’ with Captain Warren’s anti-pirate squadron, Jan 1699. Catalogue ref: SP 32/11/64 f.95

in 1699 England had to send anti piracy squadron to the Indian ocean after all piracy events. The ramifications of Kidd Avery Bradish and others.

Crow

 

[Curiousity]

" After Avery disappearence there are theroies regarding his post pirate life: in 1724
British author and pirate biographer Charles Johnson suggested that, after attempting to sell his diamonds, Every died in poverty in Devon after being cheated out of his wealth by Bristol merchants....It is, however, unclear how Johnson could have discovered this...".{Wikipedia]

Years after his disappearence there is one report that indirectly confirms Johnson claims''... In October 1781 John Knill, the Collector of Customs at St Ives, Cornwall, held a meeting with a supposed descendant of Every who stated that his "father had told him that Captain Every, after wandering about in great poverty and distress, had died in Barnstaple, and was buried as a pauper ..." Notice of John Knill, of Gray's Inn: 1733–1811. (Continued from our last)". The Cornishman. No. 15. 24 October 1878. p. 6. {Wikipedia]

Its quite possible that this was his fate he was a pirate...and a seaman..not a businessman in order to live he would have had to either sell his stolen loot...or starve....

 

[Crow]

Hello curiosity.

You might want to dig a little deeper as there is document dated 1700 that seems very interesting about a treasure pertaining to Avery dated 27/ 12/1700 that suggest maybe otherwise. this predated Johnson account by 24 years.

Source Previously unpublished ‘Avery the pirate’ letter, written partly in code, that had been misfiled in an archive. Photograph: Scottish Records Office

Crow

 

[Bocaj]

Hello curiosity.

You might want to dig a little deeper as there is document dated 1700 that seems very interesting about a treasure pertaining to Avery dated 27/ 12/1700 that suggest maybe otherwise. this predated Johnson account by 24 years.

View attachment 2213403

Source Previously unpublished ‘Avery the pirate’ letter, written partly in code, that had been misfiled in an archive. Photograph: Scottish Records Office

Crow

While the letter seems to be authentic we can't know if it was really written by Avery. Whoever copied the letter may have simply assumed it is Avery Writing it. Apart that it describes the same treasure as the 'W.K. - "Avery the Pirate" ' letter there is nothing tin the letter itself including the signature that reveals the author.

The code itself seems to me a simple substitution cipher. The only problem with it is than not enough text is encoded so its difficult to decipher. "T9211597" - I would decode it (using the textual context) to - "Tressury". Its just a bit different (old?) spelled - "treasury".

The rest is guess work. single or double numbers could also be numbered names and places. "14" is the place where the treasure is buried. "ab:" - I suspect it to decode to "WK" - it would make sense that someone sends a party - after the first "Avery the Pirate" letter reviled the part where WK has hidden the most valuable "neat" part.

I assume if he didn't sink on the way he recovered the other parts (goods and silver) but I doubt that Kidd (ab) did reveal where he moved the gold and precious stones. As (Every?) did assured his backers that ab (Kidd?) would reveal the site where he buried those three chests they divided what they recovered and left (Avery?) with nothing but his live and a hidden place to live under a different name. The history that he died a pauper would make sense...

 

[Crow]

Pl;ease keep in mind two key points.

one: Avery was illiterate that was quite common of the population of the day. many used writers to write letters on their behalf. So there is no physical letter written by him.

two;: At the end of day it will all be speculation his fate. The source of the story of his fate was from the book.

A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, or simply A General History of the Pyrates, is a 1724 book published in Britain containing biographies of contemporary pirates, which was influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates. The prime source for the biographies of many well-known pirates, the book gives an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, and it is likely that the author used considerable artistic license in his accounts of pirate conversations. It is not considered a reliable historical source by many modern scholars and academics of pirate history

The author, who uses the name Captain Charles Johnson, has remained unknown in spite of numerous attempts by historians to discover his identity. There are two main suspects Daniel Defoe and Nathaniel Mist both where known to have their own agenda bias in the writing. Daniel Defoe was spy for government of the day and last thing they wanted was public masses to think Avery ultimately succeeded. The fear was it might of enticed other sailors to follow in his footsteps into piracy and it did. It was better say he died in poverty suited the narrative of government of the day in a moral story against piracy.

Even Defoe own words below.

Defore blended fact and fiction.

Professor Arne Bialuschewski also showed that Mist probably wrote under the pseudonym "Captain Charles Johnson" to create A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the Most Notorious Pyrates

The government did, indeed, worry about Nathaniel Mist, and they worried about him so much that they put Daniel Defoe in his employ to be his friend and spy on him, write for him, and persuade him away from the most damaging articles. In 1718, Daniel Defoe claimed that he had personally spiked stories that Mist would have published and that Mist was under his control. Although this was almost certainly an exaggeration, Defoe said later that he had got Mist out of jail on at least three occasions. When Defoe left off working with Mist entirely in 1724, he complained in Applebee's Journal that Mist had fought with him (physically) and insulted him, and in 1730 he complained that Mist had harmed his career (probably by revealing Defoe's acting as a government agent to other printers.

As you can see the narrative of the fate of Avery and his alleged share of the looted treasure was already controlled by the government of the day. By the time the Captain Kidd followed well there was only going to be one verdict.

Crow

 

[Bocaj]

one: Avery was illiterate that was quite common of the population of the day. many used writers to write letters on their behalf. So there is no physical letter written by him.

I always wonder about it. How could he get a first mate position on board of a man o war if he was illiterate?

two;: At the end of day it will all be speculation his fate. The source of the story of his fate was from the book.

A General History of the Robberies and Murders of the most notorious Pyrates, or simply A General History of the Pyrates, is a 1724 book published in Britain containing biographies of contemporary pirates, which was influential in shaping popular conceptions of pirates. The prime source for the biographies of many well-known pirates, the book gives an almost mythical status to the more colourful characters, and it is likely that the author used considerable artistic license in his accounts of pirate conversations. It is not considered a reliable historical source by many modern scholars and academics of pirate history

That's what we have: questionable data from questionable sources.

The fear was it might of enticed other sailors to follow in his footsteps into piracy and it did. It was better say he died in poverty suited the narrative of government of the day in a moral story against piracy.

They maybe intended but for sure they failed in the case of Avery.

As you can see the narrative of the fate of Avery and his alleged share of the looted treasure was already controlled by the government of the day. By the time the Captain Kidd followed well there was only going to be one verdict.

What a verdict! He didn't bring neither the bandit nor his haul back so they hanged him instead! This time the propaganda worked: Kidd is forever branded as arch typical "Pirate".

So maybe the story of Avery ending as a poor man isn't controlled narrative but the truth after all?

Btw. I always doubted that Defoe wrote the general history and indeed Mist is a better candidate.
Defoe's 'Avery letters' are quite exiting and an excellent example how to mix truth with fiction to create a legend.

 

[Crow]

I always wonder about it. How could he get a first mate position on board of a man o war if he was illiterate?

That's what we have: questionable data from questionable sources.

They maybe intended but for sure they failed in the case of Avery.

What a verdict! He didn't bring neither the bandit nor his haul back so they hanged him instead! This time the propaganda worked: Kidd is forever branded as arch typical "Pirate".

So maybe the story of Avery ending as a poor man isn't controlled narrative but the truth after all?

Btw. I always doubted that Defoe wrote the general history and indeed Mist is a better candidate.
Defoe's 'Avery letters' are quite exiting and an excellent example how to mix truth with fiction to create a legend.

In answer to your question. I always wonder about it. How could he get a first mate position on board of a man o war if he was illiterate?

Being literate was not a prerequisite to even be a ship's captain. in England captain first second and third mate qualification did not come in until 1850. Prior to that existing captain was grandfathered qualification. Any one could call themselves a ships captain or mate as you was assessed on your ability to sail and lead regardless if you could read or write of not. Some ship captains was illiterate right up to early 1850s. It must be remembered the ship Charles II Avery was on was a private vessel fitted out as a Man of War seeking a letter of Marque to become a privateer. Because the owner did not get a letter of marge. Avery and crew were no being paid. Stuck in port Living conditions for sailors back then was pretty dismal.

Also getting back to Defoe you can see the creative license he uses with story of Robinson Crusoe was fictional account of Alexander Selkirk experience on Juan Ferndez. Alexander Selkirk was most indignant that Defore profited from Selkirks story.

So maybe the story of Avery ending as a poor man isn't controlled narrative but the truth after all? I think the narrative will always be lost to history. He could have died in poverty. Maybe his treasure was pilfered by the ones he hoped to sell it to? And there is no treasure remaining? But the Scottish document dated 1700 gives a pretty good description to Cornish document that was clearly mid 19th century copy. While the list of the substantial treasure in both documents could be plausible list of Averys fortune. I do not think you will find a massive Hollywood treasure hoard as some people think.

Ironic there is another pirate sailed the Indian ocean at the same time.

Avery was just one of series of embarrassments to the government of the day. As the piracies was threatening lucrative trade deals.

Part of an account submitted by the owners of the ‘Adventure’, Gilbert Heathcote, Samuel Shepheard, and Henry Tate, to recover their losses and apprehend the pirates, May 1699. Catalogue ref: SP 32/11/147, f.259 below

Adventure’s cargo included lead and iron, and textiles of various qualities. Secured in the great cabin were chests of opium, and $33,500 Spanish dollars. In all, ship and cargo were worth over £13,000 sterling

Memorandum of Captain Gullock supported by Drew Hacker, gentleman, and William Hacker, boatswain, relating to their being marooned, May 1699. Catalogue ref: SP 32/11/146, f.258 below.

You can see how political embarrassing piracy had become. The Wiggs and Tories was manipulating the events to suit their political agendas.

Crow

 

[Bocaj]

This intriguing document suggests Avery (or Henry Every) the pirate buried his treasure near the Lizard after his daring 1695 raid on ships in the Arabian sea (J/1/2277).

An skrifen meur hy dynyans ma a brof Avery (po Henry Every) an morlader dhe ynkleudhya y dresor ogas dhe’n Lysardh wosa y omsettyans bedhek war lestri y’n Mor Arabek yn 1695 (J/1/2277).

You can see the document below.

View attachment 2140606

To be continued.......

Crow

What is the source of this letter and since when was its contents public knowledge?

 

[Crow]

Hello Bocaj

The source of document is in the Kresen Kernow

Kresen Kernow is an archive home to over a million documents, books, maps and photographs related to Cornwall. They look after the world’s biggest collection of archives and books on Cornish themes, going back over 850 years. the Kresen Kernow, Little Vauxhall, Redruth TR15 1AS. To access their archives you have pre book. It's reference number Reference number J/1/2277

But as intriguing as the document is. it is dated by a water mark on the paper 1818. Well after Averys time. However the description of treasure is very similar to Scottish document dated 1700.

Since when was it public knowledge? in the last 20 years or so. But knowlege of it was long before that.

It is unclear who wrote this manuscript or who dictated the descriptions it contains but it seems likely that it is a 19th century copy of an earlier document. The information is given, partially in French, by someone only identified by the initials W.K, someone who seems to have had direct knowledge of the events.

A newspaper in 1878 reported the following.

A rough catalogue supposed to have been from the hand of Captain Avery was in the possession of one Cornelius Ffurssen who in the year 1702 obtained a grant from George, Prince of Denmark to search for the treasure at any point between Helford haven and the Loe Pool.”

reference source. The Cornishman, newspaper 24 Oct 1878


Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (2 April 1653 – 28 October 1708), was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708.

The marriage of George and Anne was arranged in the early 1680s with a view to developing an Anglo-Danish alliance to contain Dutch maritime power. As a result, George was disliked by his Dutch brother-in-law, William III, Prince of Orange, who was married to Anne's elder sister, Mary. Anne and Mary's father, the British ruler James II and VII, was deposed in the Glorious Revolution in 1688, and William and Mary succeeded him as joint monarchs with Anne as heir presumptive. The new monarchs granted George the title of Duke of Cumberland.

William excluded George from active military service, and neither George nor Anne wielded any great influence until after the deaths of Mary and then William, at which point Anne became queen. During his wife's reign, George occasionally used his influence in support of his wife, even when privately disagreeing with her views. He had an easy-going manner and little interest in politics; his appointment as Lord High Admiral of England in 1702 was largely honorary.

Ffurssen didn’t carry out the search himself however but assigned the grant to various other individuals over the years until finally in 1779 it was taken on by two Cornishmen living in Mount’s Bay. These two men went into business with John Knill of St Ives and a formal agreement was drawn up between the three, presumably stating how the treasure would be divided should they find it. A “vigorous search” of the coast was then undertaken. But according to The Cornish Telegraph in October 1913 this “led to nothing more than the discovery of a rusty anchor and several bad shillings”.

There were numerous expeditions to the Lizard and several meetings held between the partners to discuss tactics until in October 1781 a living descendent of Avery was found. This relative actually came to St Ives to meet with Knill and he told him that his father had said that Captain Avery had died a pauper in Barnstable and therefore the family supposed that the treasure did not exist.
This was enough for Knill, his bubble was burst, and he and the others dissolved their partnership and abandoned the search in January 1782.

Crow

 

[Crow]

Here source of Knill papers in Los Angles public library.

Crow

 

[Crow]

It should be noted no one by that name Cornelius Ffurssen exists in birth death and marriages.

Crow

 

[Bocaj]

Hello Bocaj

The source of document is in the Kresen Kernow

Kresen Kernow is an archive home to over a million documents, books, maps and photographs related to Cornwall. They look after the world’s biggest collection of archives and books on Cornish themes, going back over 850 years. the Kresen Kernow, Little Vauxhall, Redruth TR15 1AS. To access their archives you have pre book. It's reference number Reference number J/1/2277

But as intriguing as the document is. it is dated by a water mark on the paper 1818. Well after Averys time. However the description of treasure is very similar to Scottish document dated 1700.

Since when was it public knowledge? in the last 20 years or so. But knowlege of it was long before that.

It is unclear who wrote this manuscript or who dictated the descriptions it contains but it seems likely that it is a 19th century copy of an earlier document. The information is given, partially in French, by someone only identified by the initials W.K, someone who seems to have had direct knowledge of the events.

A newspaper in 1878 reported the following.

A rough catalogue supposed to have been from the hand of Captain Avery was in the possession of one Cornelius Ffurssen who in the year 1702 obtained a grant from George, Prince of Denmark to search for the treasure at any point between Helford haven and the Loe Pool.”

reference source. The Cornishman, newspaper 24 Oct 1878


Prince George of Denmark and Norway, Duke of Cumberland (2 April 1653 – 28 October 1708), was the husband of Anne, Queen of Great Britain. He was the consort of the British monarch from Anne's accession on 8 March 1702 until his death in 1708.

The marriage of George and Anne was arranged in the early 1680s with a view to developing an Anglo-Danish alliance to contain Dutch maritime power. As a result, George was disliked by his Dutch brother-in-law, William III, Prince of Orange, who was married to Anne's elder sister, Mary. Anne and Mary's father, the British ruler James II and VII, was deposed in the Glorious Revolution in 1688, and William and Mary succeeded him as joint monarchs with Anne as heir presumptive. The new monarchs granted George the title of Duke of Cumberland.

William excluded George from active military service, and neither George nor Anne wielded any great influence until after the deaths of Mary and then William, at which point Anne became queen. During his wife's reign, George occasionally used his influence in support of his wife, even when privately disagreeing with her views. He had an easy-going manner and little interest in politics; his appointment as Lord High Admiral of England in 1702 was largely honorary.

Ffurssen didn’t carry out the search himself however but assigned the grant to various other individuals over the years until finally in 1779 it was taken on by two Cornishmen living in Mount’s Bay. These two men went into business with John Knill of St Ives and a formal agreement was drawn up between the three, presumably stating how the treasure would be divided should they find it. A “vigorous search” of the coast was then undertaken. But according to The Cornish Telegraph in October 1913 this “led to nothing more than the discovery of a rusty anchor and several bad shillings”.

There were numerous expeditions to the Lizard and several meetings held between the partners to discuss tactics until in October 1781 a living descendent of Avery was found. This relative actually came to St Ives to meet with Knill and he told him that his father had said that Captain Avery had died a pauper in Barnstable and therefore the family supposed that the treasure did not exist.
This was enough for Knill, his bubble was burst, and he and the others dissolved their partnership and abandoned the search in January 1782.

Crow

Actually this letter is sourced from two persons. The official? who wrote the letter and the interviewed (or spied upon) W.K.

The way it is written it seems that many details are a bit foggy to the writer (shipwrecked or landed, cave?). My suspicion is he listened to a conversation of a third party so he couldn't clarify those points couldn't understand clearly. Also the talk was in French and probably too fast to write it down immediately so he mixed it later with English and he added further details he forgot on top of the text.

My suspicion still is that W.K. is William Kidd and the letter is a copy made by someone listening to a conversation he had while he was in jail in London before Dec 1700 (the date of the second letter). It could also a possibility that he spoke directly under difficult circumstances not allowing a clear and broad questioning.

The description of Every's? journey (second letter) and future plans points to a place away from Britain or Europe (strange place). with the seavoyage and further "cast off" involved. An island as destination would fit quite good the description.

The interviewer wrote in his conclusion on top of the letter "the Lizard" but as with the rest of the uncertainty it could have been a wrong conclusion he made from what he was able to listen to. W.K. did only say 'l'est du Lig(or z?)'. It could have been some other landmark before arriving from an open ocean voyage. Another possibility is that they reused the 'Lizard' as a name in some other place beyond Europe as they have done endlesly in the Amerikas - kind of 'New Lizard Point'

Unfortuantely I have no access to this or many other archives and I am very grateful for your shared knowledge in this matter.

 

[Crow]

Actually this letter is sourced from two persons. The official? who wrote the letter and the interviewed (or spied upon) W.K.

The way it is written it seems that many details are a bit foggy to the writer (shipwrecked or landed, cave?). My suspicion is he listened to a conversation of a third party so he couldn't clarify those points couldn't understand clearly. Also the talk was in French and probably too fast to write it down immediately so he mixed it later with English and he added further details he forgot on top of the text.

My suspicion still is that W.K. is William Kidd and the letter is a copy made by someone listening to a conversation he had while he was in jail in London before Dec 1700 (the date of the second letter). It could also a possibility that he spoke directly under difficult circumstances not allowing a clear and broad questioning.

The description of Every's? journey (second letter) and future plans points to a place away from Britain or Europe (strange place). with the seavoyage and further "cast off" involved. An island as destination would fit quite good the description.

The interviewer wrote in his conclusion on top of the letter "the Lizard" but as with the rest of the uncertainty it could have been a wrong conclusion he made from what he was able to listen to. W.K. did only say 'l'est du Lig(or z?)'. It could have been some other landmark before arriving from an open ocean voyage. Another possibility is that they reused the 'Lizard' as a name in some other place beyond Europe as they have done endlesly in the Amerikas - kind of 'New Lizard Point'

Unfortuantely I have no access to this or many other archives and I am very grateful for your shared knowledge in this matter.

Hello Bocaj

I have no definitive opinion. On Avery Treasure. Your hypothesis of WK is William Kidd. And some how he had knowledge of hidden treasure belonging to Avery is interesting one. However I feel more research is needed. We do not know if any letters are attributed to Avery. the exact spelling of his name or when her died. There is much we do not know abut the man.

I am not convinced at all of the claims by shipwreck explorers Dr Sean Kingsley and Rex Cowan claim to have solved what they call the longest cold case in pirate history: the “pirate king” had entered the service of the king of England, William III, as a spy. It sound conspiracy theory stuff. In one passage, Avery wrote: “I am not the least concerned for Tank 29 f B26 being out of the T9211597.” Its meaning remains secret.

They It's speculated that "Tank" might be a code word for treasure, possibly referring to a specific item or a collection of valuables. The numbers "29 f B26" and "T9211597" are likely intended as coordinates, possibly indicating a location where treasure is hidden.

But nothing is certain

Crow

 

[Bocaj]

Hello Bocaj

I have no definitive opinion. On Avery Treasure. Your hypothesis of WK is William Kidd. And some how he had knowledge of hidden treasure belonging to Avery is interesting one. However I feel more research is needed. We do not know if any letters are attributed to Avery. the exact spelling of his name or when her died. There is much we do not know abut the man.

I am not convinced at all of the claims by shipwreck explorers Dr Sean Kingsley and Rex Cowan claim to have solved what they call the longest cold case in pirate history: the “pirate king” had entered the service of the king of England, William III, as a spy. It sound conspiracy theory stuff. In one passage, Avery wrote: “I am not the least concerned for Tank 29 f B26 being out of the T9211597.” Its meaning remains secret.

As I wrote somewhere T9211597 is in all probability Tressury (or Tressori) - Treasury (the whole haul).

Tank29 = Tanker - a localized part of the treasure - like oil-tanker for oil. I can't decipher fB26 because there is not enough text encoded for any frequency analyses. the '2' is an 'e' but 'f','B' and '6' are very difficult to guess. maybe 'item'? Your English is better then mine maybe you can try other 4 letter words?

Unfortunalty it is impossible to guess 4, 8 but 14 (most important the place name where the treasure is buried) we know '1' is 's' could be some 'Saint ?' island or town.

The rest are person and place names with many places starting with '2' = 'e'. The signiture '2' = 'E' stands for Every also in "5:, 6: and 2" the '2' = 'e' means "Every" or "myself"

The ':' is just a marker to declare a coded letter where it could be taken as a number within the context.

In any case it is a very simple substitution code using a 26 letter and number key. The issue is the very limited encoded data that makes a complete decoding without the key almost impossible. Actually a clever way to only encode the very essential data using known names and words as hints to the key. Which means it not a shared key but shared knowledge! Using a sligly distorted version of "treasure" is also a good way to make decoding more difficult.

4 yo is d1fiult t0 si r!ght? - encoded is another way to throw frequency analyses of the track!

finally ab: is WK from the context, he is the one whom the most precious "neat" tanker of the treasure depends becasue he moved it to some nearby location. Everything in my research points to this. It does explain everything including those letters and why Avery died a poor man.

 

[Crow]

Hello Bocaj

Here is some thing of interest the information of treasure to being alleged to be in Cornwall dates back to 1701 as it IS recorded in official Charles the III state papers of 1701 mention the correspondences. Calendar of state papers, Domestic series, of the reign of William III... Preserved in the Public Record Office v.6 1700-1702

Crow