Captain Kidd was one of many notorious pirates that operated during the 17th century “Golden Age of Piracy.” Legend has it he hid his treasure, intending to come back to it, but was stopped short when the law caught up with him. So where is this alleged treasure, and if people know where it is, has someone retrieved it? Just off of the town East Hampton, New York is Gardiner’s Island, named after the family that has owned it since 1693. Six years later William Kidd sailed there in June and with permission of the Gardiner family buried what amounted to a box of gold, two of silver in a ravine. He gave a gift of cloth and sugar to the family as thanks saying he would be back for it.
While this is a confirmed treasure burial, there are rumors of other buried treasure that Kidd hid on other islands and areas he visited. This includes near the Rahway River in New Jersey. No, there is no treasure map with a special x marking the spot. Nor is he the only pirate or thief who had allegedly buried treasure and gold for later. It has driven many to seek out their fortune as treasure hunters.
What Is Captain Kidd’s Background?
William Kidd was born around 1645 in Greenock, Scotland. Outside of this not much is known about his background. The general consensus seems to be that he was at sea at a very early age. At the time it wasn’t unusual for youth to serve as cabin boys between 12-16 years old on ships. They would carry out tasks like cleaning, fetching and moving supplies, steering, and rigging. They were often children who had very little other options, they were either orphans or came from impoverished families.
Kidd eventually became a Captain and was a privateer – a person that commits piracy on behalf of the government against enemy ships. This often took place during times of war. Unlike regular pirates, privateers are taxed on the goods or money they get from their raids. They can only keep a small portion of what they receive, while the rest goes to the commissioner. Their job turns nasty when privateers don’t stop after the government asks them to cease activities when peace is established again.
Kidd was a privateer for the Earl of Bellmont, who was the governor of New York, Massachusetts Bay, and New Hampshire. His job was to take down French ships and pirates that were in the Indian Ocean aboard the ship, Adventure Galley, eventually capturing the Quedagh Merchant. However, it was deemed he was a pirate upon his return to Bellomont.
What Adventures Did Captain Kidd Have?
Not all events during Kidd’s pirating spell were positive. During his initial trip, a third of his crew died from disease, especially cholera. The already decimated crew became even more disheartened with the rugged condition of the ship and that they didn’t find many French ships or pirates to attack. Mutiny was mentioned by those that stayed although throughout his time many abandoned him.
At one point Kidd killed one of his crewmen, a gunner named William Moore who wanted to attack a Dutch ship. Kidd refused as that would have been an act of piracy. They got into a fight and apparently Kidd dropped a heavy bucket on Moore’s head. Moore died the next day. While captains were allowed to be violent to their crew up to a point, killing was a against the law.
Why Did Kidd Never Return for His Treasure?
Kidd ran into some trouble when he was no longer able to claim being a privateer. The capture of the Quedagh Merchant, which was being used by Armenian merchants to transport goods from Indiana including satin, cloth, gold, and silver, was outside of his job, and officials claimed Kidd to be a pirate. Others were under order to find and capture Captain Kidd and his crew.
Kidd had found out that he was wanted as a pirate. He made arrangements to be on a different ship, sold the stolen items and hid his treasure to be used as way to negotiate his freedom. He went to Governor Bellomont believing he was going to grant him clemency. Instead, as a way to save his own neck and keep at arm’s length from Kidd, Bellomont lured him to him so he could turn him over to England.
Kidd was arrested July 6, 1699. The conditions of the prison he was in were terrible, and he was there for two years before his trial. He had defense lawyers, although due to a funding error he only gained defense on the day of the trial with no preparation. He was charged with murder and piracy, and sentenced to death. Kidd faced public execution by hanging on May 23, 1701 in London. His body was left on display by the river as a warning for future pirates.
Has Anyone Tried to Find Kidd’s Treasure?
Kidd’s treasure which he buried on Gardiner Island did not remain secret for long. As the Gardiner family knew where it was buried, they were able to give it to authorities upon Kidd’s arrest and trial. That treasure is no longer there, unless more was secretly buried on it that the family took to their grave. Legends of other pirates hiding their treasure has persisted over the years. In his book, Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson used many real-life examples of pirates who buried their treasure in a similar way to Captain Kidd.
However, despite the many rumors, Captain Kidd’s treasure is the only pirate stash that has been officially confirmed and found. Often the treasure was spent for goods or gambling, taken back by authorities, or sank to the bottom of the ocean on ships during storms or battles. Considering how long it took to find the Titanic, where there was a large but specific search area, the likelihood of finding sunken treasure for most is unobtainable. The ship that Kidd captured, the Quedagh Merchant, was believed to have been found in December of 2007 near the Dominican Republic.
