Norman Island (BVI) is Treasure Island

[1750treasure]

It was here on November 13, 1750, that the bulk of the treasure stolen from the Spanish galleon, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe, disabled at Ocracoke Inlet, was buried. One hundred years later, on November 13, 1850, Robert Louis Stevenson was born. He would write a classic adventure story of returning to recover that treasure in 1881 which is known today as Treasure Island. In this book, Stevenson gives the treasure map which describes the treasure buried by Captain James Flint on August 1, 1750. In real life, it was Owen Lloyd, born in Flintshire, Wales, and last living in Hampton, Virginia, and his peg-legged brother John, who stole the treasure. Treasure Island: The Untold Story is the prequel to Stevenson’s classic.

 

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[Au_Dreamers]

Welcome to the site Mr. Amrhein! Looking forward to your posts!

and that's some beautiful diving down there in BVI!

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Interesting - I look forward to reading the book.

It has been my understanding for quite some time that RLS based his story on Cocos Island.

Good luck to all,

~The Old Bookaroo

 

[1750treasure]

Old Buckaroo. I think that the notion that Stevenson based Treasure Island on the Cocos Island treasure was because he had written an article about it in the Monterey Californian of December 16, 1879. The Cocos Island treasure episode occurred in 1820 and that island is in the Pacific. Stevenson rejected that setting and that time frame for his story. Soon after he began Treasure Island he recieved a copy of Captain Charles Johnson's General History of Pirates which covered the Golden Age of piracy. This ended about 1724, Stevenson used material from this book but rejected that time frame as well. He never used a date in his book but by carefull reading it is easy to deduce c 1750, The map of Treasure Island is dated August 1, 1750. What did happen in 1750 rivaled or exceeded what pirates had done decades before.
At Norman Island today there is a bar called Pirates Bight. In 2000, it was called Billy Bones after the Treasure Island character. Every day at 5 pm, the beginning of Happy Hour, a small cannon is fired. Then the party begins!

 

[sphillips]

Excellent post!!

 

[Old Bookaroo]

Most interesting! Thank you for that information!

I knew RLS used The General History of the Pyrates. I placed the "scholarly edition" with Dover Publications and they reprinted it in an affordable trade paperback. I believe Israel Hands was the sailor Blackbeard shot in the knee (crippling him for life, but saving him from the fight with Lieut. Meynard).

I will look for that Cocos Island article - that is a new one to me, and I would very much like to read it.

Somewhat off topic, here is a link to some Cocos Island lore that was also new to me:

http://www.sailoroffortune.com/cocosisland.htm

Again - thank you very much!

Good luck to all,

~The Old Bookaroo

 

[RELICDUDE07]

Good stuff guys !!!!!Old bookaroo?Do you think this is the area they speak of? A map by H.S. Tanner (1836) applies the name Buenaventura to what is now the Salinas River of California, flowing north toward Monterey Bay.... The streams and on the hillsides surrounding both Chatham and Wafer Bays. ... growing on rotten logs on the banks of the stream leading into Wafer Bay .......

 

[birdman]

Fantastic post. I think Treasure Island may have sparked the urge to find treasure in myself along with a chest of Spanish silver that was supposed to be found back in the 30s just one mile from where I grew up. All of the old timers used to tell my father back in the 50s and 60s about the man who found the money. His wife just passed away not too long ago. They never paid taxes on it and I was told to never ask her about the silver because she was still worried that uncle SAM would come collect even after all the years had past.

 

[capt dom]

Didn't Ben Gunn spirit away all the treasure? argh

 

[Au_Dreamers]

Looks like they use the 1750 story and other pirate treasure stories to drum up tourism

The Story of the Norman Island Treasure
By Gerald Singer

http://www.seestjohn.com/history_norman_island.html

 

[1750treasure]

The Norman Island treasure story is played up a bit but not in any great detail. The last post gives a broad overview but it is incorrect in some aspects. There is evidence on Norman of either holes that once contained treasure or the blasting done by the Norman Island Treasure Company. Here is one such "money pit"

You can read a free preview of Treasure Island: The Untold Story herehttp://www.treasureislandtheuntoldstory.com/treasure-island-preview.htm

 

[CanadianTrout]

It has been my understanding for quite some time that RLS based his story on Cocos Island.

That was my understanding as well. I too look forward to reading this book.

 

[1750treasure]

The treasure that was buried at Norman Island was stolen from the Spanish galleon Nuestra Senora de Guadalupe. She had loaded her treasure in Veracruz, Mexico, earlier in 1750. Here I am next to a bronze mooring ring at the fort, San Juan de Ulua, at Veracruz. The date on the ring was 1734. The Guadalupe or La Galga could have tied to this ring. . She was loaded with over a hundred chests of treasure.

 

[1750treasure]

I forgot to add that the fort was used in filming Romancing the Stone in 1984 and was used as a substitute for Cartagena. In the picture below you see the arched storerooms which once acted as temporary storage for billions in Spanish treasure.

 

[Salvor6]

WOW! Thanks John that is really interesting. Love your book.

 

[1750treasure]

Money Bay

The most interesting cove on Norman Island is Money Bay, no doubt named after the 1750 treasure event. But the location for Money Bay on the modern map is doubtful. Early 19th century maps show Money Bay to be a bit closer to the west end where it is likely that Owen Lloyd anchored. Below you can see the southside of Norman Island including Money Bay. The picture was taken from the tallest hill on the island called by the locals "Spyglass Hill."

 

[1750treasure]

Very important day this Sunday. It is Robert Louis Stevenson's birthday. He was born November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. This was exactly one hundred years to the day that Owen Lloyd buried the stolen Spanish treasure at Norman Island. Situatated at the top of Norman on north hill overlooking Soldier Bay and Tortola are some ruins of former habitation. There is evidence that this was an armed dwelling not unlike the stockade in Treasure Island. There are several loopholes for muskets that can be seen. It appears that this location had been attacked as we found several grapshot embedded in the hill below the building. An interesting place.

 

[Lanny in AB]

Fascinating thread. Thanks!

All the best,

Lanny

 

[1750treasure]

The Treasure Point Caves



At the entrance to Man-of-War Bay on the right hand side is a rocky spit called Treasure Point. On the seaside of Treasure Point in Privateer Bay there are several caves that are flooded by the crystal clear Caribbean Sea and inhabited by tropical fish and vacationing snorkelers. There is a legend about treasure having been discovered in the late 19th century.
It is said that Henry Creque of Anegada Island found treasure in the caves which is what prompted him to buy the Norman Island in 1894. His initial investment of forty pounds brought the Creque heirs several million dollars when the island was sold to its current owner, Dr. Henry Jarecki.

One story that supposedly took place in the 1850s, was related in the June 22, 1889 issue of The Daily Light of San Antonio, Texas. It described the caves at the entrance to Man-of-War Bay:
One morning about thirty years ago a fisherman of one of the Virgin Islands arrived at Road Town, Tortola, the capital, with a story that a large schooner was anchored off the coast of Norman’s Island and that her boats were moving along the shore. The island being uninhabited, there could be no question of smuggling; nevertheless, the circumstance was so extraordinary that an expedition was at once organized to investigate.
On arrival off the point indicated by the fisherman, the schooner was, sure enough, in sight, but was already far off, making all sail to the westward. A dim suspicion of the real facts of the case induced the party now to extend their investigations into the “Bat Hole,” a deep sea tunneled cavern extending far into the bowels of the island, and that bore the reputation of having been the treasure vault of pirates in olden days. Tradition peopled the place with ghosts and other undesirable inhabitants, and so nothing could induce the fisherman to colonize despite its excellent fisheries.
The old fisherman took the exploring party to his own settlement nearby, and there they were furnished with boats, torches, etc, and thus equipped they made sail once more for Norman’s Island. They entered the cavern despite the protests of thousands of bats that rushed around the torches. On either side was a narrow sandy beach sloped from the perpendicular walls, leaving a channel of more or less uniform width, in which the boat could with difficulty be turned. After a search of half an hour or so, the explorers came to a spot where the solid wall of the cavern had only recently been attacked with a pick. The pick itself lay prone on the pile of debris that littered the beach below.
On closer investigation, the debris was found to consist of mason work, and to have formed the walling up of a vaulted chamber sunk into the rock, about four feet square. Scattered about among the fragments were found a few pieces of Spanish gold and silver coin and a jeweled sword hilt, together with a sheet of paper, on which were written explicit instructions for the finding of the vault, in which it was stated that a vast quantity of treasure had been stored away by Captain Kidd and some of his companions.
There was nothing mysterious about the paper. It was simply a memorandum, far more exact than grammatical in the instrument it contained, written on an ordinary sheet of foolscap paper. Attached was said to be a chart of the island, but this was not found. As there were no means of obtaining the identity of the schooner no action could be taken in the matter by the local government. But that a long hidden piratical treasure had been carried off there was no room to doubt, in the face of the discoveries made. As to its having been Capt. Kidd’s may of course be questioned, but there does not appear to be any reason to doubt the assertion of the memorandum that had so truthfully guided the treasure hunters to the goal of their desires.

The real caves today bear little resemblance to the preceding description. What is consistent however, when there are tales of treasure there is usually exaggeration. One thing for sure was that it was Owen Lloyd, not Captain Kidd, who started the treasure legends of Norman Island.


Captain David DeCuir of the charter yacht, Antiquity, was my guide at Norman Island. I made six trips to Norman Island and all were with Captain Dave. His experience and knowledge of Norman Island were invaluable in preparation for my book Treasure Island: The Untold Story.
Dave can be found at http://www.sailantiquity.com. Anyone who would like to go to “Treasure Island” should look Dave up.

 

[Jason in Enid]

Very important day this Sunday. It is Robert Louis Stevenson's birthday. He was born November 13, 1850 in Edinburgh, Scotland. This was exactly one hundred years to the day that Owen Lloyd buried the stolen Spanish treasure at Norman Island.

It's a great day for sure! Nov 13 is my birthday also. My first book report I ever did was in 7th grade. I did it on Treasure Island. I guess some things are just pre-destined.....