There is a long-held notion that pirates buried their treasure and left maps that would allow them to find it later. However, this is a myth.
The origins of this widespread belief come from a story about the pirate captain William Kidd (c. 1655–1701) who tried to escape from captivity by writing a letter to the governor of New York and Massachusetts, Lord Bellomont, in which he claimed he had buried a stash full of gold and jewels on Gardiner’s Island, just off the coast of New York.
Somehow, the newspapers got wind of the story, and rumors of Kidd’s wealth spread like wildfire. However, the search was unsuccessful – nothing was found. Years later it served as the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson’s famous novel Treasure Island and only served to further perpetuate the myth.
In the podcast: Dr. Rebecca Simon answers your questions about the golden age of piracy in the 17th century. And how accurate are depictions of pirates in pop culture?
The reality is that pirates had no reason to bury their treasure. In fact, the word “treasure” often did not mean gold and jewels at all; Rather, it usually referred to other valuable items ranging from textiles and spices to various wines and spirits.
The majority of pirates had short lives at sea and needed to get rich quick, so they plundered goods and sold them ashore to repair and replenish their ships, hire new crews, and support businesses. Burying these items would only have resulted in their families being lost or buying a lot of food and women and they would likely have died before they could be recovered. While it’s a fun story, the reality of the “buried treasure” is as fictional as Treasure Island.
This content is part of our Pirate Myths series – read the rest of the series:
This content first appeared in the December 2021 issue of BBC History Revealed