KING JOHN’S TREASURE

Greymouth Evening Star, 31 August 1934, Page 9

KING JOHN’S TREASURE

EXPLORATION IN THE WASH, f LONDON, July 19. s The story of a treasure hunt in the y Wash for the jewels and baggage of t King John which were lost over seven I) hundred years ago was told to Mr '. Justice Eve in the Chancery Division 1 yesterday. It arose out of a claim for damages for wrongful dismissal and breach of 3 a service agreement brought by Mr 3, E. Gaspard Ponsonby, son of Sir I Frederick Ponsonby, Keeper of the i Privy Purse. Defendant was Mr James R.. Herbert Boone, a wealthy j American. Mr Gavin Simonds, K.C. (for Mr ; Ponsonby) said the agreement was ; made on October 6, 1932. It provided ; for the engagement of Mr Ponsonby s for three years at a salary of £2,000 a year, as the agent of Mr Boone—“to take care of, conduct and carry out a scheme for„ the discovery and recovery of the lost treasure.” It was alleged that Mr Boone wrongfully terminated the agreement and dismissed Mr Ponsonby as from September 28, 1933, leaving over two years of the agreement still to run. The salary due for the unexpired term amounted to £3,879, but, in an endeavour to minimise the damage, Mr Ponsonby ultimately secured other employment as from next September. The salary from that employment tor the remaining portion of the agreement from that date would be deducted from the amount of the claim. “The story is an unusual one,” said Mr Simonds. “It begins rather more than 700 years ago when King John’s ‘train,’ with his gold and other precious possessions, were overwhelmed in the waters of the Wash. It is a fact recorded in history.” In 1906 public interest was greatly stimulated by a paper read by a wellknown antiquarian, Mr St. John Hope, the secretary of the Society of Antiquaries. Three individuals, Sir William Muirhead, an engineer, Mr Curnock, a journalist, and Mr d’Avigdor, formed a syndicate to explore the matter and locate the treasure. The land where it was thought the treasure had been lost had since been reclaimed from the sea. After the war matters had progressed so far that, on November 30, 1929, a license was granted by the Crown to Sir William Muirhead, Mr Curnoclj, and Mr d’Avigdor—who were afterwards called the Wash Committee—authorising them to search for the treasure. Another license in identical terms was granted by the Minister of Fisheries in October, 1930. “You may remember/’ continued Mr Simonds, “that, after the signing of the Magna Carta, King John attempted to rescind concessions he had made. “He was at war with a number of barons and made forced marches through the country, seeking aid here and there. It was in the course of these marches that it is supposed he lost his treasure in an attempt, to cross the Wash at low tide.” “In the. summer of 1932,” continued counsel, “some knowledge ol this matter came to Mr Boone, who appears to have commissioned Mr Simon Elwcs to find somebody who would prosecute, on his behalf, a scheme for the recovery of the treasure.

“Mr Elwes brought Mr Ponsonby and Mr Boone together, and Mr Ponsonby, after investigating the matter, was willing to undertake the venture upon which Mr Boone wished to embark.” Preliminary interviews and discussion took. place, the first being in Paris in October, 1932, and ultimately the agreement sued upon was executed. On October 6, 1932 , Mr Boone also executed a power of attorney which enabled Mr Ponsonby to spend a sum up to £40,000 on the scheme. It became clear that a company would have to be formed, and on December 16, 1932, the company, Feu Research Ltd., was incorporated. The share capital of the company was £l,OOO divided into 1,000 £1 shares. The directors were Mr Ponsonby, Mr Elwes and Lord Francis Hill. The company appointed Mr d’Avigdor deputy general manager for three years at £l,OOO a year. The company also agreed to pay the committee 5 per cent, of Hie company’s share of the total gross value of all treasure recovered within ten years.

PICK AND SPADE WORK. Mr Simonds was referring to the research operations when Mr Justice Eve observed that a. pick and spade seemed to be what were wanted in connection with the work. Mr Simonds said arrangements were made for an aerial survey of the Wash, because it had been shown that things below the earth had been discovered from aerial photographs. Continuing, Mr Simonds said that April, 1933, was an important month in the history of the matter, because Mr Boone sought to justify Mr Ponsonby’s dismissal by reason of a deed which Mr Ponsonby executed on the instructions of the board at that time. The company was short of money, and, to ensure the continuity of the search, the deed was executed. Mr Ponsonby ■ went to Rome for the purpose of the execution and saw Mr Boone, who, under the deed, agreed to pay the company a further £30,000 in three equal instalments. It was alleged by Mr Boone that he was induced by misrepresentation to sign that deed, and that was a reason pul forward lor dismissing Mr Ponsonby. Counsel submitted there was nothing improper in the deed. It was a proper arrangement for a company lo enter into in order lo safeguard its obligations, Mr Boone being at all times in the position of being able to wind up the company. In June, 1933, however, Mr Boone appeared to have met a Dlr Charles Gladitz, who, his lordship would have no doubt, was the cause of all the trouble. Mr Gladitz claimed to be able to locate gold and other metals by means of what he called emanations, and by means of photographs and a needle through a cork. Gladitz’s calims did not commend themselves to Mr Ponsonby and others.. Numerous experts were called in, and they considered those claims to be a gross imposture. An agreement was prepared for the employment of Mr Gladitz by which he would have been vested with the full powers of the company in a proposal to excavate land which Mr Gladitz claimed to be the track of the baggage “train.” By that agreement Mr Gladitz was to deal with the whole matter, with no one from the company to supervise, apart from Mr Boone.

A meeting of the board was held in August tc consider that, and was at-

tended by technical experts and Mr Boone. The experts, in emphatic language, expressed the opinion that Mr Gladitz ought not to be allowed to lake any part in the company’s aitalrs. Mr Ponsonby refused to sign the agreement. ARMY UNDER THE SEA. Mr Simons read a report of an interview which the company had with Air Gladitz, who told those present he had discovered that the “treasure train was ten miles long.” The report went on to say the number of men buried was between 860 and many thousands*, and Mr Gladitz said the foot soldiers lay as they sank in ranks of ten, one pace apart. The mounted men were fifty yards apart. “In the rear of the column he had located 24 carts, but in the middle of the column he had located a big heavy cart, which proved, after scientific analysis, to be full of gold, together with a little silver, and was twice as heavy as any other cart in the column. “He strongly .suspected that that cart Contained the king’s personal regalia, which he proposed to hand to

King George V. He had located the officer in charge of the escort now lying fifty yards ahead of the regalia. “Tho 24 carts in the rear of the column were supposed to contain shrines, crosses, cups etc., looted from the monasteries, aud in the van was a number of horsemen, with saddlebags carrying ready cash to pay the army in order to prosecute the war with the barons.” Other contracts between the company and Gladitz were prepared, and the position was considered at a meeting of the interested parties on September 25 last. The discussion made it clear that, from Mr Ponsonby’s point of view, it was impossible to sign the agreement without endangering the licenses, as tho Wash Committee, who had guaranteed . the company’s obligations, would not countenance the proposal. The company declined to sign the agreement, and Mr Boone took great umbrage. He asked Mr Ponsonby to resign, alleging that the plaintiff had disregarded his instructions. Within a few days Mr Ponsonby resigned, and bis power of attorney was revoked. The hearing was adrjouihied.