Blackbeard’s Crib

Take a hilarious tour of Blackbeard’s famous ship, Queen Anne’s Revenge, on Horrible Histories TV CRIBZ.

Buried Booty: Fact or Fiction?

Did pirates really bury their booty? Are maps and hints scattered across the globe? Is there any chance I could find buried treasure?

Good luck finding that shoebox.

Unless you happen to find a shoebox full of money that someone buried in your yard (and that’s unlikely enough), most likely, no you will not. The fact is, most pirates lived in the here now and did not concern themselves with saving treasure. Any loot received from sacking a ship was divided up, and quickly spent in taverns, brothels, and markets. These ongoing and constant adrenaline filled spending sprees would have made it difficult for even a fiscal pirate to save any amount of wealth. What’s more, is that these pirates were not obtaining their wealth from mostly coins and gems, but from trade goods like cloth, spices, and other perishables that would be ruined if buried.

Johnny Depp lied to you.

But, we are constantly shown by the media that pirates buried or hid their treasure, from Davy Jones’ heart in Pirates of the Caribbean toa huge planet of gold in Treasure Planet, and what Hollywood tell us, has to be true, right?

Wrong. So, so wrong. The Hollywood film industry has incorporated treasure maps and buried chests into many pirate movies for theatrical effect, nothing more.

Well, great, now my whole life was a lie.

The dashing Captain Kidd

Not exactly, there are a few accounts of pirates burying their 401k. Most notably, Captain Kidd, whom delayed his execution by telling authorities where he had buried some treasure. He was, in fact, telling the truth, and the government seized what they found, and hanged him anyway.

The cryptic message inside Levasseur’s necklace. Good luck!

Another is Oliver Levsseur, nicknamed La bouche (the buzzard) who was a very successful pirate up until his capture. As he was standing on the execution stage with a noose around his neck, he flung his necklace containing a cryptic message into the crowd and shouted, “Find my treasure, he who may understand it!”

People claim both treasures are still hidden around the world and those who have the means have been searching for them since their owners still walked the Earth.

-Lauren