In the meantime Redfield gave up his watch over Money Island and moved to Charleston where with the spoils of his guardianship he lived a good life raised a family and told his children tales of the riches Kidd left behind. As a deterrant to piracy authorities used Kidd as a horror lesson: the pirate’s body was hung in an iron cage over the River Thames for two years. ![]() Kidd was arrested in England in 1700 and despite pleas to former sponsor King William III was publically hanged in London in 1701. They built several residences probably at Shandy Hall. Kidd is said to have instructed Redfield to take a portion of one of the chests if he did not return.Ī schooner Kidd provided made it possible for Redfield to gather help from other locations. Redfield then buried gold left for his support in three places along Greenville Sound. Kidd paid a shipmate named John Redfield to live across from the little island and guard his treasure until he could return. To mark the spots they planted saplings over each chest. The legend has him supervising while workmen buried two iron chests full of gold and silver. He could also use his treasure maps as barter.Ībout 1699 Kidd passed the beautiful and uninhabited land of Greenville Sound and chose a scenic island full of oak and yaupon as one of his branch banks. That way if exonerated he stood a chance of recovering at least a portion of his prize. He began to sail north for home with a ship full of treasures and he reportedly buried chests full of jewels gold and silver as he sailed up the east coast to New York. He was then also accused of piracy when in 1698 he captured a heavily laden French ship - which he was supposed to do as a privateer - but not apparently if it were captained as this was by an Englishman. The sailor died from the blow and Kidd was labeled a murderer. His fate was sealed when he struck a troublesome sailor over the head with a bucket. But in time Kidd apparently crossed the watery line that divided privateering and piracy resulting in increased riches but the loss of his political support. He owned an imposing residence in Manhattan made friends with at least three governors and occupied a pew in Wall Street’s Trinity Church first established by William III of England - the same monarch who was said to receive a tenth of everything Kidd confiscated in the name of the crown. Kidd a rather elegant pirate had acquired a small fortune and a good reputation both by marriage and through privateering the legal brother to piracy. From time to time both locals and fortune-seekers from afar have shoveled the dirt furiously searching for Kidd’s treasure.Īccording to legend Kidd supervised the burial of glittering treasure on the little island that would become known as “Money.” Then when hurricanes arrived in the 1990s they toppled over.”īut considering the digging that’s been done on the candidly named island it’s a wonder it didn’t wash into oblivion. “But the wave wash from the waterway hurt the trees. “The island was about twice as big when we moved here and there used to be many trees including some large ones ” he says. According to John Bullard it has changed a lot since he purchased neighboring Shandy Point 30 years ago. ![]() Money Island on Greenville Sound sits like a mute punctuation mark to the mainland. Kidd has provided plenty of fun frolic and fantasy for those familiar with the story. And even if it doesn’t the legend of the very real Capt. The tale of Money Island seems to have at least a smidgin of validity. The tale was pervasive at least until the 1840s and some old-time Wilmingtonians were even known to have dug expectantly in their inland home gardens even as late as the 1920s. William Kidd buried treasure on Money Island in about 1699. It has been both whispered and shouted for centuries that Capt. ![]() A little isle that looms large in Wrightsville’s oral history lies just south of Bradley Creek Point and immediately east of Shandy Hall opposite the mainland shoreline.
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