TREASURE OF LOCH ARKAIG
The Jacobite Gold
Overview
Seven caskets of gold provided by Spain to finance Bonnie Prince Charlie’s Jacobite uprising in Scotland 1745 landed on Scotland’s shores but by the time they had arrived the war was already over. 1 casket of gold is said to have been taken by McDonald of Barrisdale while the other 6 caskets of gold are believed to have been hidden at a secret location somewhere at Loch Arkaig.
Over the years treasure hunters have flocked to the highlands in search of the lost gold of the Jacobites without success. Could an auction in 2018 for a silver cup spell the end to this treasure legend?
Map of Scotland published January 1st 1789 by John & James Ainslies Book Sellers & William Faden Geographer to the King Charing Cross London.
OVERVIEW
The treasure of Loch Arkaig, sometimes known as the Jacobite gold, was a large amount of specie provided by Spain to finance the Jacobite rising in Scotland in 1745, and rumoured still to be hidden at Loch Arkaig in Lochaber.[1]
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- “Cameron Reference File”. Clan Cameron Online. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
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The Legend
In 1745 Charles Edward Louis John Casmir Sylvester Severino Maria Stuart, better known as Bonnie Prince Charlie took it upon himself to claim the thrones of Scotland, England, and Ireland in the name of his father ‘The Old Pretender’ assuring his followers that this venture was supported by Louis XV of France who would soon send French forces to assist. However, while Charlie received some financial support from Spain and the Pope it was never the intention of France to back Charles’ efforts and intervene in the cause.
Charles’ brother Henry shipped the first installment of financial support to Scotland in 1745 via the French sloop Hazard (renamed the Prince Charles). The mission was successful and the monies landed on the West coast of Scotland ready for the Jacobites to collect. Unfortunately for the Jacobites, the cache was captured by Clan Mackay (loyalists of King George) before the Jacobites had a chance.
Prince Charles Edward Stuart, 1720 – 1788. Portrait by William Mosman in 1750.
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The Treasure
Artists depiction of the last Jacobite uprising at the Battle of Culloden April 16th 1746.
A second attempt was made to deliver financing in April 1746 via two ships Mars and Bellona which arrived in Scotland with 1,200,000 livres only to discover that they were too late and the Jacobite cause had been lost at the Battle of Culloden on the 16th April. The French ships unloaded 7 caskets of Spanish gold at Loch Nan Uamh, Arisaig on the 30th April with the intention of the gold being used by the Jacobite clansmen to escape the continent.
One casket was stolen and the remaining six were taken to a hiding place at Loch Arkaig. The secret location of the treasure was entrusted to clan chiefs passing from one to the next until ending up in the hands of Ewen MacPherson of Cluny, head of clan MacPherson who hid with the treasure at a cave known as ‘The Cage’ at Ben Adler for over eight years which is where the treasure was last seen.
BACKGROUND
In 1745, Prince Charles Edward Stuart (Bonnie Prince Charlie) arrived in Scotland from France and claimed the thrones of Scotland, England and Ireland, in the name of his father James Stuart (the Old Pretender). Although Charles asserted that his venture was supported by Louis XV of France, and that the arrival of French forces in Scotland was imminent, in truth France had little intention to intervene on the Stuarts’ behalf. However, some limited financial support was supplied by both Spain and the Pope.
Spain pledged some 400,000 livres (or Louis d’Or) per month for the Jacobite cause. However, getting this money to the rebel army was the difficulty. The first instalment (sent via Charles’ brother Henry who was resident in France) was dispatched in 1745. The French sloop Hazard (renamed the Prince Charles) successfully landed its monies on the west coast of Scotland. Unfortunately for the Jacobites, the riches were soon captured by Clan Mackay, who were loyal to King George II,[1] in the Skirmish of Tongue.[2]
THE TREASURE
In April 1746, the ships Mars and Bellona arrived in Scotland with 1,200,000 livres (another Spanish instalment, plus a large French supplement). However, on learning of the Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden on 16 April, the ships left, unloading only the Spanish money at Loch nan Uamh, Arisaig on 30 April[3] (the same place from where the prince had disembarked the year before, and would later embark for France). Thus, seven caskets of Spanish gold arrived in Scotland. As the Jacobite cause was by then lost, with the army scattered and the prince and his lieutenants in hiding, the money was to be used to assist the Jacobite clansmen (then being subjected to the brutalities of the government forces of the Duke of Cumberland[4]) and to facilitate the escape of leading Jacobites to the continent.
Six caskets (one having been stolen by McDonald[5] of Barrisdale’s men) were brought to Loch Arkaig (just north of Fort William) and hidden. Their secret was entrusted to Murray of Broughton, one of the Jacobite fugitives. Murray began the distribution to clan chiefs, but when he was apprehended by the government (and later turned state’s evidence)[6] the treasure was entrusted first to Lochiel, the chief of Clan Cameron, and then to Ewen MacPherson of Cluny, head of Clan Macpherson. Cluny was hiding in a cave at Ben Alder, which came to be known as “the cage”,[7] and when Charles briefly joined him there, Cluny had control of the money, which was still hidden at Arkaig.
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Biography, Kybett, Sunan McLean Unwin 1988 ISBN 0-04-440387-9 pp. 192–193.
- ^ Simpson, Peter. (1996). The Independent Highland Companies, 1603–1760. pp. 135. ISBN 0-85976-432-X.
- ^ Bonnie Prince Charlie: A Biography, Kybett, Sunan McLean Unwin 1988 ISBN 0-04-440387-9 pp. 216–217.
- ^ A History of Scotland, Mackie, J. D., Penguin 1964 p.274
- ^ MacDonald of Barisdale had a torture engine referred to as a Barisdale engine.Search for Barisdale Archived 2012-07-29 at archive.today
- ^ Gazetter for Scotland.
- ^ The story of “Cluny’s Cage” was later immortalised in Robert Louis Stevenson‘s novel Kidnapped.
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The Clues
The first known treasure hunt conducted in search of the Jacobite gold was by Archibald Cameron of Lochiel. With the fate of the gold unknown after Charles had finally fled Scotland in 1746 aboard the French frigate L’Heureux it is believed that it remained in the hands of Cluny who had hid with the treasure at ‘The Cage’ for eight years from where he was attempting to finance another Jacobite uprising.
By 1753 stories of the treasure had circulated and gained the attention of Archibald Cameron brother of Lochiel – chief of Clan Cameron who was sent back to Scotland to locate the gold. His expedition didn’t last long, shortly after arriving he was betrayed by a Hanoverian spy known as “The Pickle” whilst he was staying near Loch Katrine at Brenachyle. After his arrest he was charged for his involvement in the 1745 uprising and sentenced to death.
Dr Archibald Cameron , from a rare pint in the Barney Collection of the British Museum. Created by R.Paterson in 1874
Are tens of millions of dollars REALLY buried in the Scottish Highlands? @joshuagates 💰🏴 #ExpeditionUnknown pic.twitter.com/RioNBPPlCB
— Discovery Channel UK (@DiscoveryUK) May 9, 2019
Expedition Unknown’s Josh Gates investigates the Loch Arkaig treasure Legend with treasure hunter Ashley Cowie.
A plethora of claims as to what happened to the treasure after this are kept inside the Stuart’s Papers which are currently in possession of Queen Elizabeth II. Despite large speculation to the treasure still being hidden out in the highlands of Scotland and the trail going cold with the demise of Archibald. Treasure hunters continue to search for the treasure.
According to Clan Cameron records a small sum of French gold coins were found in the 1850’s in the woods near Loch Arkaig. It’s however, unclear if this find has any connection to the Loch Arkaig legend.
In 2016 treasure hunter Ashley Cowie mounted an expedition into the Scottish Highlands in search of the legendary treasure using drills to search the ground in several locations he had deemed as the “most likely burial places”. His efforts were documented in the Discovery channel’s Expedition Unknown with Josh Gates.
Cowie had determined four likely locations based on his findings after conducting over two decades of research into all of the known historical texts and records including the Stuart’s Papers. You can see the locations in the map below.
- For more on Ashley Cowie’s treasure hunting expedition check out their website here: AshleyCowie.com
- For more on Expedition Unknown’s coverage of the treasure legends of the world check out Josh Gates’ website here: JoshuaGates.com
ARCHIBALD CAMERON
In 1753, Archibald Cameron—Lochiel’s brother, who was acting as secretary to the Old Pretender—was sent back to Scotland to locate the treasure. However, whilst staying secretly at Brenachyle by Loch Katrine, he was betrayed (apparently by the notorious “Pickle“, a Hanoverian spy) and arrested. He was charged under the Act of Attainder for his part in the 1745 uprising and sentenced to death, being drawn and then hanged on 7 June 1753, at Tyburn[1] (the last Jacobite to be executed).
The trail then goes cold. However, the Stuarts’ papers (now in the possession of Queen Elizabeth II) record a host of claims, counter-claims and accusations among the Highland chiefs and Jacobites in exile, as to the fate of the monies. The historian Andrew Lang (who was one of the first people to research the papers since Walter Scott secured them for the crown) recorded, in his book Pickle the Spy (1897),[2] the sordid tale, and the involvement of both the prince and his father in trying to locate the monies. The Stuart papers also include an account from around 1750, drawn up in Rome by Archibald Cameron, which indicates that Cluny had not or could not account for all of it.[3]
According to Clan Cameron records, some French gold coins were found buried in nearby woods in the 1850s.[4]
Sourced from: Wikipedia
REFERENCES:
- The history of Clan Cameron.
- ^ ‘Pickles the Spy’ at Project Gutenberg.
- ^ Dr. Archibald Cameron’s Memorial Concerning the Locharkaig Treasure (Stuart Papers, Vol. 300, No. 80) transcript available in the Clan Cameron archives.
- ^ “Cameron Reference File”. Clan Cameron Online. Retrieved 2007-02-02.
ASHLEY COWIE’S EXPEDITION
Sourced from: AshleyCowie.com
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Conclusion
Despite the efforts of many treasure hunters only a small amount of French gold coins appear to have ever been found and it is unclear if this is connected to the Loch Arkaig legend. Perhaps an auction in 2018 can explain this lack of findings?
In 2018 an auction was held in the United States for a silver cup which was bought by a collector from the United Kingdom. This was no ordinary silver cup. The collector hired an antiques expert to research an engraving on the cup which read as follows:
“Charles Edwd Stuart To Chas Selby
Esqr of Earle in Remembrance of
His Many Services in 1745 & 1746.”
Engraving found on the silver cup from Charlie to Selby.
Portrait of Selby holding the silver cup gifted to him by Bonnie Prince Charlie for retrieving the gold from Scotland.
Selby, according to the antiques expert’s research was Catholic Charles Selby. While Bonnie Prince Charlie was in exile in France Selby and Charlie shared correspondence. Within this correspondence it is documented that a large sum of the gold was recovered and smuggled down to London where it was exchanged for paper money. It was then sent over to France for Bonnie Prince Charlie.
This silver cup was Selby’s reward for making the arrangements and seeing that the gold was returned to Charlie. But, is this the end of the Loch Arkaig treasure legend, or is there more treasure out in the highlands of Scotland waiting to be found?
THE SILVER CUP OF SELBY
The silver cup turned up for sale at an auction in the US in 2018. It was bought by the UK collector who then commissioned an antiques expert to research the engraving on it which stated “Charles Edwd Stuart To Chas Selby Esqr of Earle in Remembrance of His Many Services in 1745 & 1746.”
Sourced from: TheScotsMan
Sourced from: Spink
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ADAM L C
Director of Areas Grey
Adam is an avid treasure hunter, seeker of adventure and the creator of Areas Grey. After travelling for almost half his life and cataloguing over 100 treasure legends along the way. He decided this was simply far too much treasure for one person to chase! As a result he created Areas Grey so he could share his stories, connect with other treasure hunters and put a little more adventure in the lives of the treasure hunting community.
Adam is a Private Investigator and former Wilderness Guide with a passion for history and archaeology. With the skills, knowledge and gear, Adam is always eager to go on the next fortune seeking adventure and connect with fellow treasure hunters along the way.
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