Hiram Marble's excavation at Dungeon Rock (Lynn, MA)

“Captain Veale” was the name shared by two unrelated

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

pirates active in the 17th century. The first, Thomas Veale, was known for legends of his buried treasure. The second Veale attacked ships along

New England New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...

from

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

with pirate John Graham.

Thomas Veale’s Buried Treasure

Thomas Veale (or Veal) and three other pirates sailed up the

Saugus River The Saugus River is a river in Massachusetts. The river is long, drains a watershed of approximately , and passes through Wakefield, Lynnfield, Saugus, and Lynn as it meanders east and south from its source in Lake Quannapowitt in Wakefield ...

in the middle of the 17th century. They were seen carrying a chest but disappeared after purchasing digging tools and other supplies from the locals. They built a shelter and brought a woman with them, supposedly a bride to one of the pirates, but she took ill and died soon after. The authorities raided the pirate camp and arrested three of them, sending them back to England to be hanged. The fourth, Veale, hid in a nearby cave where he lived for a time, occasionally working as a

cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...

. When a large earthquake struck the area in 1658 the cave collapsed, killing Veale and burying his treasure with him. The area (near

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...

) was known as Pirates’ Rock and later Dungeon Rock. Hiram Marble and his son purchased the land in 1852 and spent decades trying to find Veale’s treasure. They began charging for cave tours to help finance their dig but eventually gave up, unsuccessful. The area has been restored and is now accessible to tourists.

Graham and Veale off New England

Merchant Captain John Prentice sailed into the harbor at

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

in 1685, anchoring alongside a

sloop A sloop is a sailboat with a single mast typically having only one headsail in front of the mast and one mainsail aft of (behind) the mast. Such an arrangement is called a fore-and-aft rig, and can be rigged as a Bermuda rig with triangular sa ...

commanded by Captain Veale. In town Veale and his cargo master were seen attempting to buy cannons, offering enormous sums for them. A merchant captain from Pennsylvania who'd been attacked by Veale near Virginia recognized him and contacted officials. Veale and his crew quickly put to sea and fled. Prentice left for Boston soon after, spotting a small boat shuttling between Veale’s

and a nearby 14-man

shallop Shallop is a name used for several types of boats and small ships (French ''chaloupe'') used for coastal navigation from the seventeenth century. Originally smaller boats based on the chalupa, the watercraft named this ranged from small boats a l ...

. Prentice recognized the shallop's commander as John Graham. Veale chased Prentice, engaging in an hour-long running battle. Prentice escaped when a thunderstorm allowed him to put distance between his ship and Veale's. Prentice docked in Boston and alerted town officials that Veale and Greham were in the area. Boston magistrates commissioned Samson Waters as a privateer, authorizing him to raise a militia and take a

barque A barque, barc, or bark is a type of sailing ship, sailing vessel with three or more mast (sailing), masts having the fore- and mainmasts Square rig, rigged square and only the mizzen (the aftmost mast) Fore-and-aft rig, rigged fore and aft. Som ...

to capture the pirates. Few locals signed up until magistrates offered a share of plunder if the pirates were captured, and revealed that a sailor had seen silver, furs, and other treasures aboard Veale's sloop. Waters sailed but Graham and Veale had already departed the area. He was sent out again in 1686 when Veale and Graham were reported in the area but was once more unsuccessful.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veale, Captain Year of birth missing English pirates 17th-century pirates 1658 deaths

Thomas Veale’s Buried Treasure

Graham and Veale off New England

See also

References