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Scottish Express
May 1, 2011 Sunday
Edition 1;
New light on pirate tale:
Exhibitions tell of Scot Kidd's life and death - and of his lost treasure
By Robert James
HE WAS the marauding seafarer whose exploits led to him going down in
history as one of Britain's most infamous pirates.
Now two new ventures on either side of the Atlantic are to shed more
light on the legend of Greenock-born Captain William Kidd, 210 years
after he was hanged in London.
The Museum of London Docklands is to host an exhibition about Kidd's
life, including his famous last letter with the promise of hidden
treasure. And in the Dominican Republic, a new visitors' centre will
allow tourists to dive to his sunken galleon.
Dr Tom Wareham, the museum's Curator of Maritime History, said: "The
wreck of the Quedagh Merchant is being designated an underwater
museum.
"There will be an onshore visitors' centre and divers will be able to
float over the actual site of the ship itself."
He added that both ventures will open on or around May 23, the date in
1701 when Kidd was executed at Wapping.
The sailor was a privateer, commissioned by the British king to
plunder French ships. But he was declared a pirate after mistakenly
capturing the Quedagh Merchant, an Armenian vessel captained by an
Englishman but sailing under the French flag.
Kidd, learning that he was a wanted man, scuttled the ship and hid his
treasure - a haul worth £100,000 in 1700 that has never been found. He
planned to offer the booty in exchange for clemency but was hanged
after a trial in the House of Commons.
The new exhibition will chart the "surprising truth of how London's
corrupt political activities were entrenched in piracy".
Dr Wareham said: "There have been debates among academics about
whether Kidd was set up or not. Our view is that he quite definitely
was a pirate, although his trial wasn't exactly fair.
"It is amazing how many Scotsmen have contributed to the mythology of
piracy. There was Kidd himself and other pirates such as John Gow, who
was also executed at Wapping. Then you think about Robert Louis
Stevenson, who used the Kidd legend as inspiration for Treasure
Island, as well as Sir Walter Scott and JM Barrie who also wrote about
pirates.
"Perhaps it is something in the Scottish imagination, the sense of
adventure which appeals to Scottish writers."
From: A. Papazian
May 1, 2011 Sunday
Edition 1;
New light on pirate tale:
Exhibitions tell of Scot Kidd's life and death - and of his lost treasure
By Robert James
HE WAS the marauding seafarer whose exploits led to him going down in
history as one of Britain's most infamous pirates.
Now two new ventures on either side of the Atlantic are to shed more
light on the legend of Greenock-born Captain William Kidd, 210 years
after he was hanged in London.
The Museum of London Docklands is to host an exhibition about Kidd's
life, including his famous last letter with the promise of hidden
treasure. And in the Dominican Republic, a new visitors' centre will
allow tourists to dive to his sunken galleon.
Dr Tom Wareham, the museum's Curator of Maritime History, said: "The
wreck of the Quedagh Merchant is being designated an underwater
museum.
"There will be an onshore visitors' centre and divers will be able to
float over the actual site of the ship itself."
He added that both ventures will open on or around May 23, the date in
1701 when Kidd was executed at Wapping.
The sailor was a privateer, commissioned by the British king to
plunder French ships. But he was declared a pirate after mistakenly
capturing the Quedagh Merchant, an Armenian vessel captained by an
Englishman but sailing under the French flag.
Kidd, learning that he was a wanted man, scuttled the ship and hid his
treasure - a haul worth £100,000 in 1700 that has never been found. He
planned to offer the booty in exchange for clemency but was hanged
after a trial in the House of Commons.
The new exhibition will chart the "surprising truth of how London's
corrupt political activities were entrenched in piracy".
Dr Wareham said: "There have been debates among academics about
whether Kidd was set up or not. Our view is that he quite definitely
was a pirate, although his trial wasn't exactly fair.
"It is amazing how many Scotsmen have contributed to the mythology of
piracy. There was Kidd himself and other pirates such as John Gow, who
was also executed at Wapping. Then you think about Robert Louis
Stevenson, who used the Kidd legend as inspiration for Treasure
Island, as well as Sir Walter Scott and JM Barrie who also wrote about
pirates.
"Perhaps it is something in the Scottish imagination, the sense of
adventure which appeals to Scottish writers."
From: A. Papazian