P is for Pirates

The traditional literary image of a pirate is of a seafarer who stole great sums of money and buried it on a desert island, with its location marked by a treasure map.

Not so. There are very few documented cases of pirates actually burying treasure, and no documented cases of a historical pirate treasure map. Most of what we know about pirates and buried treasure comes from the pages of Treasure Island.

It's true, pirates raided many ships, but most of the time the items stolen were practical things - food, water, alcohol, weapons, or clothing. These things were be needed immediately, so weren't buried. In many cases the ship itself was taken or scavenged.

The pirate most responsible for the legends of buried treasure was Captain William Kidd. The story was that Kidd hid valuables (gold and silver) from a plundered ship called the Quedah Merchant on Gardiner's Island, near Long Island, New York.  He was subsequently captured and returned to England, and the buried loot found and used as evidence against him. Kidd was then put through a very public trial and executed in 1701.  Although much of Captain Kidd's loot was recovered from his wife and various others who were given it for safe keeping, there was still much speculation that a vast fortune remained, buried in another location. None has ever been found. Some are still looking for it...