James River

In 1688, four men ·Edward Davis, Lionel Delawafer, John Hison, and Davis· servant, Peter Cleiss ·were arrested near the mouth of the James River. On board the small boat in which they traveled, were almost 2,000 pieces of eight and several hundred pounds of silver plate. Davis, Delawafer, and Hison all claimed to have come by their wealth legitimately after many years of trading in the West Indies. However, Peter Cleiss told authorities that Davis was a pirate captain who for the last nine years (a tremendously long time by pirate standards) had commanded a ship of 14 guns and 100 men. Davis, Hison, and Delawafer, according to Cleiss, had taken a great number of ships and plundered many Spanish towns.

The three were arrested, but before the case could come to trial Peter Cleiss was dead. Legal maneuvers dragged on for years. Eventually, the three pirates saved their lives by admitting to piracy while taking advantage of the King? amnesty. After their release, they were forced to sue for the return of their treasure which was eventually restored on condition that they make a donation of 300 pounds ?or the building of a college in Virginia.·The donation towards the establishment of William and Mary College was made, and the pirates hastily departed for England. As anyone with even a cursory knowledge of the history of piracy must realize, there is something wrong with this story.

Most pirates ?ent on account for a period of two or three years at best.· Blackbeard lasted two ·Steed Bonnet, less than that. But, as would later come to light, Captain Davis·pirates had been raiding continuously for nine years prior to their attempt to relocate to Point Comfort, Va. As Delawafer would later write, ?here I thought to settle, but meeting with some troubles there... I came home to England in the year 1690.·In his book The Description of the Isthmus of Panama, Delawafer details this final five-year long orgy of pillaging which included raids on Spanish shipping on the Pacific and attacks on coastal towns in Panama, Peru, and Chile. Yet the list of the booty seized by Virginia authorities totaled 1,900 pieces of eight and 264 pounds of plate silver ·not one single ounce of gold. It is inconceivable that five years of raiding on the Pacific coast of South America produced not a single gold doubloon for the captain? share.

In 1897 John Fiske wrote that when Davis divided his booty at Juan Fernandez every man got a share equivalent to $20,000. The Captain? share would have been twice that amount or more, so the question any treasure hunter has to ask is: what became of the gold? Simple explanations are usually the best. Since the pirates were attempting to resume normal lives under the guise of legitimate businessmen, they hid their gold to avoid calling attention to themselves by ostentatious display. The bulk of it might be 1,000s of miles away from the Virginia coast, but some of it (at least enough to finance a trip to retrieve the rest) must have been hidden close by. After their release from jail, in 1689 or 1690, the pirates dared not dig it up and attract fresh charges against themselves; therefore, they were forced to enter into a deal whereby their silver would be returned in exchange for their ?onation·to William and Mary College. Their dreams of a quiet life in the Old Dominion gone, they set sail for England, where Delawafer, at least, prospered as his book was well received.

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I hope this will help with your search.

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in it is a complete list of Pirates from the ancient world rome etc.. all the way to 2005


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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,36139.msg221257.html#msg221257

"Keep Digging Its Down There Somewhere" Treasure Hunting, Gold and Coins.

Here are a few more links for you're reading pleasure.

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,36139.msg221260.html#msg221260

"Keep Digging Its Down There Somewhere" Treasure Hunting, Gold and Coins.

Anytime I hope it helps in your search.   

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http://www.thunting.com/smf/index.php/topic,36139.msg221299.html#msg221299

"Keep Digging Its Down There Somewhere" Treasure Hunting, Gold and Coins.