Tag: Robert Jenner

Open post

THE BOSSALL TREASURE – An Armchair Treasure Hunt

15/09/202218/08/2023
by Grey

THE BOSSALL TREASURE

An Armchair Treasure Hunt

I.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

VI. Overview

In January 2014 Douglas George Pearson published an armchair treasure hunt book titled ‘The Bossall Treasure’. Unlike most armchair treasure hunt books this book was centred around Pearson’s own family history and their connection to a real life treasure of the Knights Templar!

The exciting real life story of Peason’s ancestors is complemented by the armchair treasure hunt scattered throughout the pages. Cryptic images which would lead a worthy treasure hunter to a precise location somewhere in England where Pearson had buried an ornate gold plated Lorraine cross.

After almost 10 years the Croix de Lorraine remained hidden despite the efforts of many armchair treasure hunt enthusiasts. That was until September 2021 when the clues were finally solved and the treasure was found!

The Front Cover for The Bossall Treasure Treasure Hunt Book.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Legend

A Picture of Bossall Hall, home of the Belt family.

While researching his family history Douglas Pearson was inspired to write The Bossall Treasure when he discovered that a distant relative, John Pearson who was the steward to Sir Robert Belt in the 1600’s was directly connected to a real life treasure legend which could be traced all the way back to the Knights Templar. The story of The Bossall Treasure is a rollercoaster and has everything from power plays, deceitful acts, murder, ambitious characters who will stop at nothing, political and religious differences and closely guarded family secrets.

The tale follows the Pearson family through the generations, their quest for justice after being denied the status of gentry which they firmly believed they deserved, and their connection to this treasure of the Knights Templar and covers its connection to the Freemasons and many historically significant characters such as Sir Robert Belt and the Belt family.

Other characters included in the story are Jaques de Morley the last Grand Master of the Knights Templar, Elias Ashmole, a man who stopped at nothing and who’s enduring legacy is the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford, Darley’s of Buttercrambe, well known members of the horse racing fraternity, the Read family of Sand Hutton, the Bawtry family, Charles I and Charles II.

This isn’t just a well researched and well written story you could read over and over for entertainment, it is also a book filled with clues leading people to find a gold Lorraine cross buried somewhere in England.

Engraving of Lytham St Annes with the famous windmill landmark from the 19th century.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Treasure

The Lorraine Cross As Depicted In The Prize Page Of The Bossall Treasure Book.

While the Pearson legacy revolves around a real life treasure legend in which the ancestor John Pearson while working as the steward to Sir Robert Belt, Lord of the Manor of Bossall Hall near York during the civil war in the mid 1600’s conspired with Sir Robert Belt to hide a hoard of gold and silver plat in the moat surrounding Bossall Hall. It is said that later John Pearson returned to the moat and stole the treasures from the moat.

The prize of The Bossall Treasure armchair treasure hunt is a gold plated bronze Lorraine cross encrusted with jewels measuring approximately 75mm x 55mm. While the treasure may not be worth thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions like some of the more well known armchair treasure hunts like the Thrill of the Chase this treasure will surely be a symbol of achievement and a conversation piece for whoever does find it for they will have solved a treasure hunt that has gone unsolved for almost a decade!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Clues

The Bossall Treasure book is 297 pages detailing the historical story of Pearson’s family history and their connection with a treasure legend. Tucked away in the eleven chapters of the book are 11 clues and puzzles which when solved would point someone directly to the location of a gold plated Lorraine cross which Pearson buried somewhere in England.

The puzzles & clues range in difficulty and complexity with some requiring some serious thought, but Pearson found a way to keep the puzzles engaging and challenging enough that you could spend days working on them and not give up out of frustration.

Pearson spent three years creating the book and the puzzles. With no one to test the clues on, Pearson needed to spend hours looking at other types of puzzles, brain teasers and even the solutions to Kit Williams’ treasure hunt Masquerade in order to gauge the difficulty levels of the clues.

Artwork for one of the puzzles of the Bossall Treasure hunt book.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Conclusion

The Golden Lorraine Cross, Prize Of The Bossall Treasure Hunt.

In 2020 The Bossall Treasure’s official website was shut down and Pearson had begun working on other projects. This didn’t deter some of the treasure seekers who had been on the case of the Bossall Treasure since it began in 2014 and rightfully so. Pearson was still accepting emails with proposed solutions for the treasure hunt.

Over seven years had passed and no one was close to solving the mystery of the Bossall Treasure hunt. That was until September 2021 when a small team of plucky treasure hunters including Lisa Finch, Robert Jenner, Nick Spera, and yours truly, finally cracked the Bossall Treasure after collectively trying for years.

The Solution

THE BOSSALL TREASURE SOLUTION

NICK SPERA

The solution to The Bossall Treasure was divided into 11 chapters. Each chapter’s text and image either by itself or with info from a preceding chapter would give the reader one or more words that ultimately made up the solution to the puzzle. Here is the solution chapter by chapter and then at the end, how it ties into the final chapter text for a confirmer.

CHAPTER 1:

The solution for this chapter is used by taking the first letter of each component of the image which is backed by the chapter text. We have a map of Lombardy, which is the origin of the Belt family. Next is the Arms of the Medici Family. After that, we have the Indenture or Deed. Finally, the image shows York Minster. All 4 components are then used with their first letter: Lombardy Arms Deed York

The clue derived from Chapter 1 is LADY

CHAPTER 2:

The solution for this chapter is solved almost the same as the first chapter. You again use the first letter of all the image components. We have a Graveyard, the arms of Robert, Elias Ashmole, two chests, and Queen Elizabeth. The first letters of each image component are used to then spell a word: Graveyard Robert Ashmole Chests Elizabeth

The clue derived from Chapter 2 is GRACE

CHAPTER 3:

The solution for this chapter deals with a grid full of letters and 3 images. The reader will learn about the characters’ trip, who they meet, and the treasure they carry to identify the 3 pictures in the image. The 3 images are London, Renzo, and Plate. The solver is to then spell those three words by eliminating letters from the letter grid. They should also notice all three of those words are spelled with letters from the inner box of the grid. To help the solver, the first letter of each of those 3 words were colored red. After eliminating the letters of those 3 words, now match each letter to the letter next to it in the outer box by going through the same order again: LONDON RENZO PLATE. The letters on the outer box next to each will spell WORD CHAPTER THREE. Now, notice next to each letter that started the original three words: L, R, P; there is a number. Going in order, the solver will get 833. The last thing to do is to count the 833rd word of Chapter 3. That word is “Cross”.

The clue derived from this chapter is CROSS.

CHAPTER 4:

The solution for this chapter is solved by using the dates of the six events in the image (gravestones) and then number/letter subbing them to the alphabet. The solver only needs to use the day, not the month or year. In the text, the author changed one of the dates to alert the reader of the potential clue. All the reader needs to do is go by the days on the headstones in the image. Those numbers are: 9th, 4th, 18th, 21st, 5th, 2nd. Subbed to letters in the alphabet gives the letters I D R U E B. Those letters are an anagram to the word: Buried.

The clue derived from this chapter is BURIED

CHAPTER 5

The solution to this chapter is solved by using the image. The image shows Selby Abbey, a market cross scene, and a map in the background. The key is to look at how the cross on top of the market cross is shaded so it overlays perfectly onto the map. By doing this, it looks like it’s a symbol for a church on that map. Next to the cross are the words “on the marsh”.

The clue derived from this chapter is ON THE MARSH

CHAPTER 6

The solution to this chapter is solved with a shift cipher and then anagram. Use the first letter of each characters first name and shift it so A=O. If you use the order from left to right on the page, the answer will still be jumbled, but if you can see pretty easily the jumbled letters will spell the word Opposite.

The clue derived from this chapter is the word OPPOSITE

CHAPTER 7

The solution to this chapter is solved by viewing the image and using the components to create 3 words. From the text we know Picklington lives in Micklegate York. The text states it’s the south gate of the city. In the image we have a map of York with an arrow pointing to its southern “gate”. The last component is John Anstis in the image, who has the meeting at Mickelgate in the chapter. John Anstis is an anagram for Saint John’s. This anagram is used along with “gate” derived from the arrow indicator.

The clue derived from this chapter is SAINT JOHN’S GATE

CHAPTER 8

The solution to this chapter has a short and long way to solve the puzzle. Once again, there is a grid with letters and numbers. This is the first chapter that uses a piece from an earlier chapter that helps align the numbers. The short way to solve this puzzle is to ignore the numbers completely and attempt to anagram the letters to get the term EIGHTY FIVE FT.

The longer way involves the numbers and three marriage dates that are mentioned in the chapter Those dates are: 14th February 1687, 19th May 1710, and 20th July 1719. The solver should notice that 14, 19, and 20 are all numbers in the grid. The key is to solve the puzzle using multiplication to arrive at the other numbers. The pattern is Day= x1, Month= x2, Year is split into two numbers and the first number is x3 and the second is x4. Here is an example of the first marriage date of 14th February 1687: 14×1=14 2×2=4 16×3=48 87×4=384. The solver will now notice all the resulting numbers appear in the grid. Do the same process with the other two marriage dates. By using the letters adjacent to those numbers using the dates in that order, it will spell EIGHTY FIVE FT.

The clue derived from this chapter is EIGHTY FIVE FT

CHAPTER 9

The solution from this chapter is solved with the image and some text in the beginning of the chapter. The chapter describes Belt looking at a document the in the morning. His desk had a window that looked true south over the hills. The image shows the character looking up from the document and out the window. There is also a compass in the corner. Compasses usually denote North if they only show one direction. However, this one shows South. The reader at this time should gather that the clue is True South. The clock shows 2:42. This doesn’t match the time of day the character is sitting at his desk. The key is to understand the difference between True South and Magnetic South. If one looks at the publication of the book which is 2012 and checks the declination between True South and Magnetic South at that point in time, they will see that it is 2 degrees 42 minutes. This is used later on with the final walking steps to the burial of the treasure along with Ch 10’s solution to confirm

The clue derived from this chapter is TRUE SOUTH

CHAPTER 10

The solution from this chapter is derived from the text and image. The image shows a compass with names as well as death years. The reader should notice also an arrow on the East direction of the compass, as well as numbers in the inner circle. The first step to solve the puzzle is to determine the order by matching the proper death year to the right name using Ch 10’s text. After that is complete it should look like this:

Elizabeth Cutler 1745

John Pearson 1781

William Read 1798

Elizabeth Pearson 1809

Henry Pearson 1810

Thomas Cutler Rudson Read 1838

Now that the order is established, line up the numbers in the inner circle with the name order shown above. The result will be 3 .6 6 5&5 20. The reader will notice the 3 . 6 is in blue. Leave these as is. The black numbers are then number/letter subbed to the word FEET. Now combine it with the 3.6 and the arrow indicating East to get 3.6 FEET EAST. The 3.6 feet east is the difference between walking 85ft true south from the gate and walking magnetic south 85ft and then turning east and walking 3.6 feet. The 3.6 feet covers the declination between the two at the 85ft mark at time of the burial of the cross.

The clue derived from this chapter is 3.6 FEET EAST

CHAPTER 11

The solution from this chapter is gained from the family tree in the image along with confirmation from the text. The Pearson’s from this chapter have 8 children but only six of them survive. In the family tree, if you take the first letter of the names of children who survived, you get the word LYTHAM.

At this point you have all the clues solved and should have this message:

LADY GRACE CROSS BURIED ON THE MARSH OPPOSITE ST JOHN’S GATE EIGHTY FIVE FT TRUE SOUTH 3.6 FEET EAST LYTHAM.

The image for chapter 11 also confirms the area by showing St Johns the Divine Church and Lytham Marsh. The BOTG portion would be to stand at the center of the gate of St John’s, and face magnetic south. Walk 85ft in that direction. Then turn east and walk 3.6 feet. That was the burial location of the cross. One could also just walk true south from the gate, which is about 171 deg bearing. This is also confirmed in the text of Ch 11 where it describes the cross being buried in the passage below where the character realizes the curse the cross brings and how he wishes to rid himself of it.

“He entered the Church (St John’s) and took a moment to pray for less troubled times and the new life he was to embark on. On his way out, he walked slowly down the path and he paused under the lichgate. He then continued onto the marsh and paused again, re-affirming to himself his intention for a change of fortune.”

This concludes the solution for the Bossall Treasure. A big thanks to my team of Robert, Lisa, and Adam. Another big thanks to Doug Pearson for creating the hunt that stood the test of time unsolved for almost a decade. I hope you enjoyed reading the solution and that it answers your questions.

Sadly, while writing this post I was informed that Douglas G Pearson had passed away.

Douglas G Pearson made a huge impact on our lives, his book The Bossall Treasure is what brought our little team together, making friends for life. He gave us an adventure, a treasure, a story to tell, but most of all ignited the imagination and inspired not just us but countless others to challenge ourselves and dare to dream.

He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten by the community he touched with his creativity.

Useful Links:

The Bossall Treasure Available on Amazon

Sources & References

Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:

Primary Source: Atlantis of the Sands – Wikipedia

REFERENCES:

“The Incense Road: Ubar”. Nabataea.net. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
“Atlantis: The Lost Empire”. IMDb.
“Atlantis: Milo’s Return”. IMDb.
Wilford, John Noble (5 February 1992). “On the Trail From the Sky: Roads Point to a Lost City”. The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Fiennes, Ranulph (1993). Atlantis of the sands: The Search for the Lost City of Ubar. Harmondsworth: Signet Books. ISBN 0-451-17577-8. OL 17393459M.
Glassé, Cyril; Huston Smith (2003). “ʿĀd”. The New Encyclopedia of Islam (Revised ed.). AltaMira Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0759101906.
Clapp, Nicholas (1999). The road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-395-95786-8. OCLC 41557131.
Zarins, Juris (May–June 1997). “Atlantis of the Sands”. Archaeology. Vol. 50 no. 3. New York: Archaeological Institute of America. pp. 51–53. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Andy in Oman. “Is “The Lost City of Ubar” Found or Still Lost?!”. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Thomas, Bertram (1933). “Ubar – the Atlantis of the sands of the Rub’ al Khali”. Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society. Royal Society for Asian Affairs. 20 (2): 259–265. doi:10.1080/03068379308725252.
Lawrence, T. E. (1964). The letters of T.E. Lawrence. London: Spring Books. OL 17198428M.
Thesiger, Wilfred (October–December 1946). “A New Journey in Southern Arabia”. The Geographical Journal. Royal Geographical Society. 108 (4/6): 135. doi:10.2307/1789822. JSTOR 1789822.
Morton, Michael Quentin (2006). In the Heart of the Desert (2nd ed.). Aylesford, Kent, UK: Green Mountain Press. ISBN 0-9552212-0-X. OL 24229851M.
Phillips, Wendell (June 1972). Unknown Oman. Librairie Du Liban Publications. ISBN 978-0-86685-025-4. OL 9339953M.
“The lost city of Ubar”. Islam 101. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
Thomas, Bertram (September 1931). “A Camel Journey Across the Rub al-Khali”. The Geographical Journal. Royal Geographical Society. 78 (3): 209–38. doi:10.2307/1784895. JSTOR 1784895.
Wynn, Jeffrey C.; Shoemaker, Eugene M. (November 1998). “The Day the Sands Caught Fire” (PDF). Scientific American. Springer Nature. pp. 64–71. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Edgell, H. Stewart (2004). “The myth of the lost city of the Arabian Sands”. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. Archaeopress. 34: 105–120. JSTOR 41223810.
Stark, Freya (1936). The southern gates of Arabia. New York: E. P. Dutton. OCLC 557374. OL 6342012M.
Zarins, Juris (September 1996). “Interview with Dr. Juris Zarins”. PBS Nova Online (Interview). Retrieved 27 June 2013.
Zarins, Juris (2000). Bawden, Garth; Reycraft, Richard Martin (eds.). “Environmental disruption and human response: an archaeological-historical example from south Arabia”. Environmental Disaster and the Archaeology of Human Response. Anthropological papers. Albuquerque, NM: Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. 7: 35–49. OCLC 45708208.
Blom, Ronald G.; Crippen, Robert; Elachi, Charles; Clapp, Nicholas; Hedges, George R.; Zarins, Juris (2006). Wiseman, James; El-Baz, Farouk (eds.). “Southern Arabian Desert Trade Routes, Frankincense, Myrrh, and the Ubar Legend”. Remote Sensing in Archaeology. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. New York: Springer: 71–87. doi:10.1007/0-387-44455-6_3. ISBN 978-0-387-44455-0. S2CID 128081354.
Lawton, John (May–June 1983). “Oman: Frankincense”. Saudi Aramco World. Vol. 34 no. 3. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
Kakutani, Michiko (27 February 1998). “Stumbling Upon the Desert’s Secret”. The New York Times. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
Groom, Nigel (August 1994). “Oman and the Emirates in Ptolemy’s map”. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. Blackwell Publishing. 5 (3): 198–214. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0471.1994.tb00067.x.
Groom, Nigel (Spring 2000). “The Road to Ubar—Pros and Cons”. Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies. Society for Arabian Studies. 5: 42–43.
Jones, Barri (July–August 1992). “On the Incense Trail” (PDF). Minerva. Vol. 3 no. 4. Myles Poulton. p. 17. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
“Information on tentative lists and examination of nominations of cultural and natural properties to the List of World Heritage in Danger and World Heritage List” (PDF). UNESCO.org. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
Sasson, Jack M., ed. (1994). Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. London: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 1351.

Other sources of information:

Bertram Thomas: Bertram Thomas – Wikipedia

Major Wilfred Thesiger: Wilfred Thesiger – Wikipedia

The Road to Ubar – Finding the Atlantis of the Sands by Nicholas Clapp: http://thereaderdiary.blogspot.com/2011/01/

Wadi Rum: Wadi Rum – Wikipedia

Nizwa: Nizwa – Wikipedia

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Written By

Follow On:

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.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

CodeBar Podcast

Join Robert, host of the CodeBar Live podcast and journey into the greatest treasure legends, armchair treasure hunts, codes, ciphers, puzzles, escape rooms, ARG’s, puzzle boxes & more!

VISIT THE CODEBAR

VISIT THE CODEBAR

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Get Free Priority Access To Treasure News, Giveaways, And More!

*By subscribing to the newsletter you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.

Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!

GET IN TOUCH

Fields marked with * are required

Purpose of Email *

Work Together
Guest Writing
Feedback & Suggestions
Provide Information
General & Other

*By using this form you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

Follow us on:

GET IN TOUCH

Fields marked with * are required

Purpose of Email

Work Together
Guest Writing
Feedback & Suggestions
Provide Information
General & Other

*By using this form you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

Follow us on:

“The discovery served to confirm a long-existing tradition, that the money and rich plate had been hidden by our ancestor Sir Robert Belt, during the Civil War, in that part of the pleasure ground.”

– William John Belt, 1779

Open post

THE LOST SKULL – An Armchair Treasure Hunt

25/05/202218/08/2023
by Grey

THE LOST SKULL

An Armchair Treasure Hunt

I.

OVERVIEW

II.

LEGEND

III.

THE TREASURE

IV.

THE CLUES

V.

CONCLUSION

VI.

WRITER

Overview

In September 2019 a Kickstarter was launched by game designer Robert Brewer. The Kickstarter was about a SciFi armchair treasure hunt book that Brewer was going to launch. A little over a month later the book was launched and the hunt began. The book contained amazing artworks hiding 10 cryptic puzzles which when solved would reveal coordinates that lead to the hiding place of the famed Lost Skull of Orion, a skull crafted from marble!

At the start of 2020 treasure hunters Nick Spera and Robert Jenner had solved the puzzles, flown out to the location and in the early hours of the morning dug up the Lost Skull winning a cash prize of $1,000. At the end of this article you can find the expedition journal wrote by Nick Spera and Robert Jenner describing how they solved the puzzles and their epic adventure going to retrieve the Lost Skull of Orion.

The Lost Skull Cover Art.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Origins

Artwork from page 27 of The Lost Skull book.

The Lost Skull is a richly illustrated armchair treasure hunt book created by author, artist and game designer Robert Brewer in 2019. All the treasure hunters in the galaxy are searching for the famed Lost Skull of Orion. Captivated by the Masquerade and The Secret treasure hunt books as a child Robert Brewer discovered that the armchair treasure hunt genre of book was a great hobby to get involved in and decided he too would like to bring the thrill, adventure, and magic of hunting for treasure to others. For the next six months Brewer designed the artwork and puzzles and completed the Lost Skull armchair treasure hunt.

The Lost Skull project started out on Kickstarter so that funding could be gathered in order to publish the book and have it mass distributed. Backers of the project through Kickstarter were offered an extra incentive of receiving the book first and they would be sent an additional clue that wouldn’t be included in the wide release of the book. The Kickstarter was a success and the book launched in October 2019 sending treasure hunters on a researching frenzy in hopes of being the first to solve the clues and claim the Lost Skull.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Treasure

The first person to solve the 10 puzzles and locate the treasure would be the proud new owner of The Lost Skull of Orion, a skull crafted from marble weighing 3.3lbs and worth around $500. But, that’s not all, in addition to the skull the winners would receive a cash prize of $1,000!

A runner up prize for the first person to send a picture of themselves at all 10 locations would also be offered in the form of $500 cash.

The Lost Skull Of Orion.

Even today you can still go out to the ten locations and send the pictures to Brewer in exchange for a numbered skull collectible to show off. The first set of these were the “Champion” skulls which were moulds made of resin.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Clues

Hidden in the beautiful artwork of this SciFi adventure are 10 puzzles in the form of riddles, logic problems, and hidden clues in the images. When solved, these puzzles reveal the coordinates of the location of the treasure’s hiding place. The clues come in varying levels of difficulty so that it could be accessible to those familiar with puzzles and those who were new to the armchair treasure hunt genre.

Artwork from page 29 of The Lost Skull treasure hunt book.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Conclusion

The Winners Of The Lost Skull, Nick Spera and Robert Jenner Finding And Claiming Their Prize.

At the start of February 2020 treasure hunters Nick Spera and Robert Jenner solved all 10 clues and recovered the Lost Skull of Orion from its hiding place and claimed $1,000! Nick and Robert flew out to Hudson Ohio where in the early hours of the morning dug up the famed Lost Skull of Orion and became the winners of The Lost Skull armchair treasure hunt.

The Runner Up prize of $500 was won by Tray Fitzgerald and the Champion skulls went to Beth Hoanec, Brian Poeppelman, Bill Gardner, and Tina Jones.

Robert Brewer says that “even though the main prizes have been won, I designed my hunt so it can still be enjoyed by being able to solve the puzzles and visit the locations and see the images and clues come to life. I think this hunt can be a good introduction to new hunters and even a family activity. Enjoy”

Find more from Robert Brewer on The Lost Skull website and on their social media accounts linked below.

The puzzle book full of amazing artwork is still available to buy if you think you have what it takes to solve the puzzles!

Useful Links:

The Lost Skull Website

Twitter

Instagram

The Lost Skull Available on Amazon

Sources & References

Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:

Primary Source: Atlantis of the Sands – Wikipedia

REFERENCES:

“The Incense Road: Ubar”. Nabataea.net. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
“Atlantis: The Lost Empire”. IMDb.
“Atlantis: Milo’s Return”. IMDb.
Wilford, John Noble (5 February 1992). “On the Trail From the Sky: Roads Point to a Lost City”. The New York Times. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Fiennes, Ranulph (1993). Atlantis of the sands: The Search for the Lost City of Ubar. Harmondsworth: Signet Books. ISBN 0-451-17577-8. OL 17393459M.
Glassé, Cyril; Huston Smith (2003). “ʿĀd”. The New Encyclopedia of Islam (Revised ed.). AltaMira Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0759101906.
Clapp, Nicholas (1999). The road to Ubar: Finding the Atlantis of the Sands. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. ISBN 978-0-395-95786-8. OCLC 41557131.
Zarins, Juris (May–June 1997). “Atlantis of the Sands”. Archaeology. Vol. 50 no. 3. New York: Archaeological Institute of America. pp. 51–53. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Andy in Oman. “Is “The Lost City of Ubar” Found or Still Lost?!”. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Thomas, Bertram (1933). “Ubar – the Atlantis of the sands of the Rub’ al Khali”. Journal of the Royal Central Asian Society. Royal Society for Asian Affairs. 20 (2): 259–265. doi:10.1080/03068379308725252.
Lawrence, T. E. (1964). The letters of T.E. Lawrence. London: Spring Books. OL 17198428M.
Thesiger, Wilfred (October–December 1946). “A New Journey in Southern Arabia”. The Geographical Journal. Royal Geographical Society. 108 (4/6): 135. doi:10.2307/1789822. JSTOR 1789822.
Morton, Michael Quentin (2006). In the Heart of the Desert (2nd ed.). Aylesford, Kent, UK: Green Mountain Press. ISBN 0-9552212-0-X. OL 24229851M.
Phillips, Wendell (June 1972). Unknown Oman. Librairie Du Liban Publications. ISBN 978-0-86685-025-4. OL 9339953M.
“The lost city of Ubar”. Islam 101. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
Thomas, Bertram (September 1931). “A Camel Journey Across the Rub al-Khali”. The Geographical Journal. Royal Geographical Society. 78 (3): 209–38. doi:10.2307/1784895. JSTOR 1784895.
Wynn, Jeffrey C.; Shoemaker, Eugene M. (November 1998). “The Day the Sands Caught Fire” (PDF). Scientific American. Springer Nature. pp. 64–71. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
Edgell, H. Stewart (2004). “The myth of the lost city of the Arabian Sands”. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies. Archaeopress. 34: 105–120. JSTOR 41223810.
Stark, Freya (1936). The southern gates of Arabia. New York: E. P. Dutton. OCLC 557374. OL 6342012M.
Zarins, Juris (September 1996). “Interview with Dr. Juris Zarins”. PBS Nova Online (Interview). Retrieved 27 June 2013.
Zarins, Juris (2000). Bawden, Garth; Reycraft, Richard Martin (eds.). “Environmental disruption and human response: an archaeological-historical example from south Arabia”. Environmental Disaster and the Archaeology of Human Response. Anthropological papers. Albuquerque, NM: Maxwell Museum of Anthropology. 7: 35–49. OCLC 45708208.
Blom, Ronald G.; Crippen, Robert; Elachi, Charles; Clapp, Nicholas; Hedges, George R.; Zarins, Juris (2006). Wiseman, James; El-Baz, Farouk (eds.). “Southern Arabian Desert Trade Routes, Frankincense, Myrrh, and the Ubar Legend”. Remote Sensing in Archaeology. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. New York: Springer: 71–87. doi:10.1007/0-387-44455-6_3. ISBN 978-0-387-44455-0. S2CID 128081354.
Lawton, John (May–June 1983). “Oman: Frankincense”. Saudi Aramco World. Vol. 34 no. 3. pp. 26–27. Retrieved 1 January 2015.
Kakutani, Michiko (27 February 1998). “Stumbling Upon the Desert’s Secret”. The New York Times. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
Groom, Nigel (August 1994). “Oman and the Emirates in Ptolemy’s map”. Arabian Archaeology and Epigraphy. Blackwell Publishing. 5 (3): 198–214. doi:10.1111/j.1600-0471.1994.tb00067.x.
Groom, Nigel (Spring 2000). “The Road to Ubar—Pros and Cons”. Bulletin of the Society for Arabian Studies. Society for Arabian Studies. 5: 42–43.
Jones, Barri (July–August 1992). “On the Incense Trail” (PDF). Minerva. Vol. 3 no. 4. Myles Poulton. p. 17. Retrieved 17 November 2019.
“Information on tentative lists and examination of nominations of cultural and natural properties to the List of World Heritage in Danger and World Heritage List” (PDF). UNESCO.org. Retrieved 24 May 2012.
Sasson, Jack M., ed. (1994). Civilizations of the Ancient Near East. London: Hendrickson Publishers. p. 1351.

Other sources of information:

Bertram Thomas: Bertram Thomas – Wikipedia

Major Wilfred Thesiger: Wilfred Thesiger – Wikipedia

The Road to Ubar – Finding the Atlantis of the Sands by Nicholas Clapp: http://thereaderdiary.blogspot.com/2011/01/

Wadi Rum: Wadi Rum – Wikipedia

Nizwa: Nizwa – Wikipedia

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Written By

Follow On:

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.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Expedition Journals

Expedition Journals are detailed accounts of treasure hunters such as myself that have conducted in-depth research and have gone on expeditions in search of lost treasures.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Get Free Priority Access To Treasure News, Giveaways, And More!

*By subscribing to the newsletter you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.

Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!

GET IN TOUCH

Fields marked with * are required

Purpose of Email *

Work Together
Guest Writing
Feedback & Suggestions
Provide Information
General & Other

*By using this form you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

Follow us on:

GET IN TOUCH

Fields marked with * are required

Purpose of Email

Work Together
Guest Writing
Feedback & Suggestions
Provide Information
General & Other

*By using this form you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

Follow us on:

“Even though the main prizes have been won, I designed my hunt so it can still be enjoyed by being able to solve the puzzles and visit the locations and see the images and clues come to life. I think this hunt can be a good introduction to new hunters and even a family activity. Enjoy.”

– Robert Brewer, 2020

Open post

Basing House – Lost Treasures of the Marquess

23/02/202218/08/2023
by Grey

BASING HOUSE

Lost Treasures Of The Marquess

I.

OVERVIEW

II.

ORIGINS

III.

THE LEGEND

IV.

THE TREASURE

V.

CONCLUSION

VI.

WRITER

Overview

In southern England nestled along the banks of the river Loddon lies the tiny village of Basing. It is an area that has experienced a lot of history, Iron age pottery has been found in the area, coins from Roman settlement and even the remains of both Saxon and Norman castle ramparts. Built on top of these former castles however, was the 300 room mansion named the Basing House.

Owned by the various Marquess of Winchester, who themselves have an interesting and rich history the house was often visited by royalty and was an important landmark of the time. During the time of the British Civil war between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians the house was often under siege, during this time it is said that a fortune in gold was hidden by the Marquess, is the treasure still hidden in the crumbling remains of the house, or is the missing gold just a myth.

Aerial view of Basing House Grounds.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Origins

The Basing House was built under the direction of one of the sixteenth-century’s most long-lived public figures Sir William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester. Sir William’s list of titles are extensive, from household controller and lord chamberlain to King Henry VIII, to being Lord treasurer to Edward VI and Queens Mary and Elizabeth.

As treasurer to the various Tudor monarchs, royal visits were common. King Edward VI visited the house in 1552, staying for three days and Queen Elizabeth I enjoyed her stay at the house so much in 1560 that she returned twice more, in 1569 and 1601.

Entrance to Basing House, Old Basing, Hampshire, UK.

Portrait of William Paulet, 1st Marquess of Winchester (1485-1572).

When the civil war erupted in England in 1642, the Paulet family still owned the house but were avid Royalists and supporters of King Charles I. This caused parliamentary forces to repeatedly lay siege to the house. The king sent over 300 troops to help reinforce the house.

In November 1643 the first serious attack on the house occured, led by Sir William Waller, 500 foot soldiers and 500 cavalry marched from Windsor Castle to Basing House. After much fighting between the two sides and after nearly two weeks of attacking Waller called off the siege and retreated with his troops to the nearby town of Basingstoke.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Legend

On 14th October 1645, the defenses of the old Norman ringwork were finally breached by cannon which allowed Oliver Cromwell (who had personally taken over the siege) and his men to then bombard the main gateway to the house and overrun the site. As the fighting dissolved into brutal hand to hand combat, the Marquess finally gave himself and the house up.

The attack was reported to have taken no more than an hour and was followed by a looting of any valuable goods, including rich fabrics and furniture. The house was set on fire until finally little remained of the once grand Tudor home, especially after parliament issued a decree that allowed the general population of Old Basing to take whatever they wished from the rubble, soon not even a wall remained.

Cromwell at the Storming of Basing House, 1900 (oil on canvas), Crofts, Ernest (1847-1911).

Depiction of Basing House after the siege from A history of the ancient town and manor of Basingstoke in the county of Southampton; with a brief account of the siege of Basing House, A. D. 1643-1645, pages 428/429.

As the house was repeatedly attacked from parliamentarian troops over the course of three years the treasure legend began. The Marquess was not a poor man, and being constantly under attack, and with the fear of his home being taken it is said that he hid over £3 million worth of his gold in the walls and foundations of the house.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Treasures

By the end of the eighteenth century the possibility of the story of the missing gold was revived when several gold Coins of the appropriate time period were found during the digging of the Basingstoke Canal, which was routed right through the House’s old ruins.

A Charles II. of England, 1660 – 1685 Golden Guinea.

Worshiping the golden calf, as in Exodus 32:1-35, illustration from a Bible card published 1901 by the Providence Lithograph Company.

Another variation of the treasure story involves a life size solid gold golden calf worth over $10 million dollars is also supposed to have been hidden during the war. In an effort to trick Cromwell, the Marquis instead of hiding the gold, had it melted down.

The precious yellow metal was then cast into a life-size statue of a calf, which was then splashed with ordinary paint, and disguised to look like a cheap piece of garden sculpture. According to Dr John Thornton a treasure authority “The gardens of these old castles were always covered with this type of statuary”. “It was a clever gambit to trick the Roundheads.

The idea that Civil War treasure may genuinely lie somewhere in the grounds has certainly been taken seriously by present-day descendants of the Marquis, Mr Christopher Orde-Powlett, whose family continued to own the site up to the twentieth century. As late as 1963 Mr Orde-Powlett allowed a metal-detector survey to be made in the area and especially the old chapel, but although this indicated the presence of buried metal, weeks of digging at the time failed to disclose anything more than old musket balls, stained glass and ancient pottery and a calf statue has not been found on the property.

In 1965 divers from the British Royal Engineers explored the murky depths of the old Roman well, hauling up tons of centuries old ballast and debris from the bottom of the ninety-foot well that had enabled the besieged to hold out for so long during the Civil War, however they found nothing.

Image of the tunnels under the grounds of Basing House.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Conclusion

A general plan of the Basing House Grounds.

Today, the Basing House site is managed by the Hampshire County Council whose officials maintain a neutral opinion on the likelihood of any treasure. One major sticking point is the fact that the Marquis did manage to survive the war, and if he genuinely did hide a fortune in some secret place he would surely have returned for it.

At the time of his capture all his estates were confiscated and he was sent to the Tower of London for high treason. Fifteen years later with the Restoration of Charles II in 1660 he was freed and what remained of his lands were restored to him. By then the Basing House was no more than rubble so he spent his last years at Englefield, Berkshire, a property he had acquired through his second marriage, however, it is unlikely that he would not have sought out any secret cache of gold or golden calf that he thought the Parliamentarians might have missed.

He actually had a pretty strong financial reason for making such a search since, due to the general inefficiency of the time, he never received the 10,000 compensation for his lost estates which Charles II’s Parliament awarded him.

So is the treasure at the Basing House real or just a legend? What has the old mansion grounds still to yield up, especially with all the secrets of its still not fully explored subterranean recesses.

Sources & References

Information for this article has been provided by various sources and are referenced here:

REFERENCES:

Images of England: Basing House Ruins, English Heritage, retrieved 17 December 2007
“Basing House”. Hampshire Cultural Trust. Archived from the original on 15 July 2015.
John Gough Nichols, Literary Remains of Edward VI (London, 1857), pp. 452-3.
John Nichols, Progresses of Queen Elizabeth, vol. 1 (London, 1823), pp. 87, 258.
John S. Brewer, Court of King James, vol. 2 (London, 1839), pp. 20-23.
John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. (London, 1828), pp. 250, 252.
HMC Salisbury Hatfield, vol. 15 (1930), p. x, 243.
John Nichols, Progresses of James the First, vol. (London, 1828), p. 258: Ethel Carleton Williams, Anne of Denmark (London, 1970), p. 87.
Heath, James (1676). A chronicle of the late intestine war in the three kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland with the intervening affairs of treaties and other occurrences relating thereunto.
London: J.C. for Thomas Basset. p. 91. Retrieved 5 December 2018.
Rakoczy, Lila (2007), Archaeology of destruction: a reinterpretation of castle slightings in the English Civil War, University of York (PhD thesis), p. 121
CAP Studios staff (2012), Hackwood House, CAP Studios, archived from the original on 20 April 2013, retrieved 14 December 2011
“Cost-cut museums shifted to trust”. 1 November 2014 – via www.bbc.co.uk.
“Basing House – Hampshire Cultural Trust”. www.hampshireculture.org.uk.
Haunted England: The Penguin Book of Ghosts by Jennifer Westwood and Jacqueline Simpson
Undiscovered by Ian Wilson
Popular Mechanics Magazine July, 1968 Page 108

Websites

Basing House – on the Hampshire Cultural Trust website
The story of the Basing House siege-Wikipedia
Sir Stephen Hawkins Regiment of Foote Sealed Knot Regiment who perform an annual re-enactment of the siege of Basing House
Basing House – Wikipedia
Historic UK
Castles Forts Battles

Map sources for Basing House

Coordinates: 51°16′07″N 1°03′09″W / 51.26872°N 1.05248°W / 51.26872; -1.05248

Other Sources
The Marquess of Winchesters Regiment of the English Civil War Society who reenact the regiment based at Basing House during the English Civil War.

Time Team Search for the second Basing House Channel 4’s Time Team’s excavation of the Basing House area – Dailymotion.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Written By

Follow Him On:

ROBERT JENNER

Guest Writer

Robert, a guest writer for Areas Grey, has had treasure hunting coursing through his veins from a young age. A fascination with pirates, shipwrecks and lost treasures inspired him to study Marine Archaeology at QUT, working aboard cruise ships many years, then creating and hosting Live from the CodeBar: a podcast about treasure hunting.

Robert is also a member of Fourtune; the most successful armchair treasure hunting team to date which have solved: ‘The Lost Skull’, ‘It’s In LA’, ‘The Letters of St Germain’, ‘Hidden Treasures Treasure Hunt’, and more recently ‘The Bossall Treasure’ which had gone unsolved for almost 10 years!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

CodeBar Podcast

Join Robert, host of the CodeBar Live podcast and journey into the greatest treasure legends, armchair treasure hunts, codes, ciphers, puzzles, escape rooms, ARG’s, puzzle boxes & more!

VISIT THE CODEBAR

VISIT THE CODEBAR

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Get Free Priority Access To Treasure News, Giveaways, And More!

*By subscribing to the newsletter you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.

Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!

GET IN TOUCH

Fields marked with * are required

Purpose of Email *

Work Together
Guest Writing
Feedback & Suggestions
Provide Information
General & Other

*By using this form you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

Follow us on:

GET IN TOUCH

Fields marked with * are required

Purpose of Email

Work Together
Guest Writing
Feedback & Suggestions
Provide Information
General & Other

*By using this form you are agreeing to the terms of the Privacy Policy

Follow us on:

“The rooms and chambers in both houses completely furnished, afforded the soldiers gallant pillage. A bed in one room furnished that cost £1,300; great store of popish books with copes and such utensils; silver plate valued at above £5,000; some cabinets of jewels and other treasure; one soldier had six score pieces of gold for his share, and another got three bags of silver, who not able to keep his own counsel, it grew to be common pillage amongst the rest, the fellow at last having but one half-crown for himself.”

– Oliver Cromwell, 1810

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.

	USA: Amazon.com
	UK: Amazon.co.uk
	France: Amazon.fr
	Germany: Amazon.de
	Spain: Amazon.es
	Italy: Amazon.it

	USA: Amazon.com
	UK: Amazon.co.uk
	France: Amazon.fr
	Germany: Amazon.de
	Spain: Amazon.es
	Italy: Amazon.it

THE BOSSALL TREASURE

An Armchair Treasure Hunt

Overview

In January 2014 Douglas George Pearson published an armchair treasure hunt book titled ‘The Bossall Treasure’. Unlike most armchair treasure hunt books this book was centred around Pearson’s own family history and their connection to a real life treasure of the Knights Templar!

The exciting real life story of Peason’s ancestors is complemented by the armchair treasure hunt scattered throughout the pages. Cryptic images which would lead a worthy treasure hunter to a precise location somewhere in England where Pearson had buried an ornate gold plated Lorraine cross.

After almost 10 years the Croix de Lorraine remained hidden despite the efforts of many armchair treasure hunt enthusiasts. That was until September 2021 when the clues were finally solved and the treasure was found!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Legend

This isn’t just a well researched and well written story you could read over and over for entertainment, it is also a book filled with clues leading people to find a gold Lorraine cross buried somewhere in England.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Treasure

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Clues

The puzzles & clues range in difficulty and complexity with some requiring some serious thought, but Pearson found a way to keep the puzzles engaging and challenging enough that you could spend days working on them and not give up out of frustration.

Pearson spent three years creating the book and the puzzles. With no one to test the clues on, Pearson needed to spend hours looking at other types of puzzles, brain teasers and even the solutions to Kit Williams’ treasure hunt Masquerade in order to gauge the difficulty levels of the clues.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Conclusion

Sadly, while writing this post I was informed that Douglas G Pearson had passed away.

He will be sorely missed, but never forgotten by the community he touched with his creativity.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Written By

Follow On:

ADAM L C

Director of Areas Grey

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.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

CodeBar Podcast

Join Robert, host of the CodeBar Live podcast and journey into the greatest treasure legends, armchair treasure hunts, codes, ciphers, puzzles, escape rooms, ARG’s, puzzle boxes & more!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Subscribe

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.

Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on:

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on:

“The discovery served to confirm a long-existing tradition, that the money and rich plate had been hidden by our ancestor Sir Robert Belt, during the Civil War, in that part of the pleasure ground.”

– William John Belt, 1779

THE LOST SKULL

An Armchair Treasure Hunt

Overview

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Origins

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Treasure

The first person to solve the 10 puzzles and locate the treasure would be the proud new owner of The Lost Skull of Orion, a skull crafted from marble weighing 3.3lbs and worth around $500. But, that’s not all, in addition to the skull the winners would receive a cash prize of $1,000!

A runner up prize for the first person to send a picture of themselves at all 10 locations would also be offered in the form of $500 cash.

Even today you can still go out to the ten locations and send the pictures to Brewer in exchange for a numbered skull collectible to show off. The first set of these were the “Champion” skulls which were moulds made of resin.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

The Clues

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Conclusion

The Runner Up prize of $500 was won by Tray Fitzgerald and the Champion skulls went to Beth Hoanec, Brian Poeppelman, Bill Gardner, and Tina Jones.

Find more from Robert Brewer on The Lost Skull website and on their social media accounts linked below.

The puzzle book full of amazing artwork is still available to buy if you think you have what it takes to solve the puzzles!

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Written By

Follow On:

ADAM L C

Director of Areas Grey

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.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Expedition Journals

Expedition Journals are detailed accounts of treasure hunters such as myself that have conducted in-depth research and have gone on expeditions in search of lost treasures.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Subscribe

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

LET’S CONNECT AND FIND SOME TREASURE!

It’s always a pleasure to hear from a fellow treasure hunter, get in touch using the form below.

Whether you’re looking for someone to help with a treasure hunt, if you’ve got a story to tell, some vital information to share, feedback for Areas Grey, or if you just want to say “hi”, all emails are welcome!

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on:

GET IN TOUCH

Follow us on:

“Even though the main prizes have been won, I designed my hunt so it can still be enjoyed by being able to solve the puzzles and visit the locations and see the images and clues come to life. I think this hunt can be a good introduction to new hunters and even a family activity. Enjoy.”

– Robert Brewer, 2020

BASING HOUSE

Lost Treasures Of The Marquess