The Delfe Treasure

1. The Montfords

Hanover Square, London — 3rd April 1733

"One moment, if you please." Aldrick raised his finger and turned to tap on the sounding box before opening the small hatch and shouting up to the coachman, "Find a safe place to pause here, Wilson, else we will arrive early." 

After the rattle of wheels on cobblestones had stopped, he returned his attention to Elizabeth and her chaperon. "Yes, you are correct, you do need additional information of him. I have been remiss."

"You have also been remiss with presence. I have not seen you at all these past days. Betrothed then abandoned me it seems." 

"To my great loss." He glanced at the chaperon, then turned his gaze back to Elizabeth. "I will reveal reasons in due course. First, allow me to offer a glimpse at a little-known aspect of the family. My great-grandfather, Bartholomew, the first Baron Montford, had been a privateer comm —" 

"What is a privateer?"  

Aldrick sighed as he nodded. "Yes, I am sorry. Try as I might, my speech remains filled with nautical jargon. Privateers were nobles and gentry, and often, former naval officers who were commissioned by the Crown to prey on the ships of the enemy. Are you familiar with Sir Francis Drake?" 

"I am. He was the first to captain a ship completely around the world, and he was knighted by Queen Elizabeth, my namesake."

"Exactly. Drake was also the first great English privateer, capturing vast quantities of gold and silver from Spanish ships and their fortifications ashore." Aldrick again raised his finger. "But, back to Bartholomew. He had been commissioned by the first King Charles to prey on Spanish and French shipping in the Caribbean during the Thirty Years' War."

"I always muddle dates. When was that?"

"It ended in 1648, the year Sir Matthew, my grandfather, was born. He is the second Baron Montford, and he was raised in the great comfort afforded by his father's successes along the Spanish Main. He grew up listening to his father's stories, and he dreamt of gaining a privateer's commission. But by the time he reached the age of wisdom, attitudes had changed, and peace treaties had made privateering illegal."

"I would hope so. Kings commissioning piracy is an odd concept."

"It was not considered piracy, rather an aspect of war. But by the time it was banned, many privateers had turned to outright piracy, preferring to pay corrupt port officials small fees for haven rather than having to give a major portion of their treasure to the Crown."

"Treasure to the Crown?"

"The King had granted the commissions, and in many cases, provided the ships and provisioned and armed them, so a goodly portion of a privateer's treasure fell to the Crown. Depending on Articles of Commission, the officers and crew shared one third to one half for their efforts."

"Much like the share-cropping contracts my father creates."

"Indeed! But what had once been a game among gentlemen had devolved into a violent disruption to settlement and commerce in the colonies. Then increasing concern by the Crown, the Government and the merchants led to the tacit approval of a new breed of privateer, the pirate hunter."

"Like a constabulary."

"Very much. But in this instance, the successful constables used their own ships and provisions, so they were granted most of the wealth found aboard captured pirate vessels and in their havens ashore. In addition, they received a bounty for each pirate they brought to justice."