On the latest episode of the Mail’s Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things podcast, historian Kate Williams and Royal biographer Robert Hardman investigate one of Ireland’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
In 1907, Ireland was part of the British Empire and followed the customs of the British monarchy.
One such custom was the use of Crown Jewels, important ceremonial treasures, to bestow Knighthoods upon members of the Irish aristocracy.
Ireland’s Crown Jewels were kept safe in Dublin Castle by The Order of St Patrick on behalf of Edward VII, the King of Britain at the time.
The collection comprised a diamond pendant and badge, five gold collars, and nearly 400 precious stones.
The Order of St Patrick’s jewels, as they are known, have an estimated value today of nearly $20 million.
Despite the castle being under constant surveillance, the treasures went missing on July 6, sending Edward VII into a fury and creating an Empire-wide manhunt.
Even though financial rewards were offered for information on their whereabouts, the Crown Jewels remain missing to this day.
On the latest episode of ‘Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things, Kate Williams and Robert Hardman investigate one of Ireland’s greatest unsolved mysteries. Listen here
The Order of St Patrick’s jewels, as they are known, have an estimated value today of nearly $20 million
The Vanishing of the Irish Crown Jewels
Edward VII was scheduled to visit Ireland in July 1907 to bestow a knighthood upon Lord Castletown. The jewels would have been used in the ceremony.
Historian Kate Williams told the podcast how the jewels were kept secure for the upcoming Royal visit.
‘They were kept very carefully’, Williams said.
‘A man called Sir Arthur Vickers, The Ulster King of Arms oversees them. They are held at Bedford Tower in Dublin Castle.
‘They seem very secure – they’re in a strong room, alongside Ireland’s Sword of State. There are only seven keys to get into the tower and two keys to enter the strong room. Everyone thinks the security is foolproof.’
Williams then explained how the theft was discovered and the accusations surrounding the character of Sir Arthur Vickers, the treasure’s protector.
‘The jewels are found to be missing on July 6 – they haven’t been seen since the 11th of June.
Due to the King Edward VII public anger and huge media speculation, a strange cast of characters began offering to help locate the stolen treasure
Historian Kate Williams:’Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes author, offers to help.’ Listen here
‘Vickers was accused of being careless. Many people began to claim that he had given them access to the tower and that there were various security lapses.
‘On one occasion, Vickers had gotten drunk, and a young man had taken the keys to the safe. He then stole the jewels and sent them back to Vickers by post as a joke.’
The heist was carried out completely undetected. Due to the King’s public anger and huge media speculation, a strange cast of characters began offering to help locate the stolen treasure.
‘Psychics say they know where they are, and people begin hunting fruitlessly around graveyards.
‘Arthur Conan Doyle, the Sherlock Holmes author, offers to help. He’s a distant cousin of Vickers.’
The police launched a nationwide investigation to find the jewels. A reward of £1000 was offered for information, worth around £80,000 today.
The authorities’ prime suspect was Francis Richard Shackleton, the brother of famous Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton.
Williams told the podcast why suspicions centered around him.
‘Apparently, he was in great financial difficulty’, the historian said.
‘As Dublin Herald of Arms, he had gotten hold of a key to the safe and had made a copy. The problem for the police was, he had a good alibi.
‘He wasn’t actually in the country at the time of the robbery.’
Shackleton later defrauded an aristocrat, Lord Ronald Gower, of his fortune in 1910 and was sentenced to fifteen months’ hard labour for the crime.
One theory states that the reason why the heist was never solved was that Shackleton, a known homosexual at a time when it was illegal, had used Dublin Castle for liaisons with high-profile figures in Irish society.
Further investigations into his character were abandoned because pursuing that line of inquiry could have implicated members of the aristocracy in illegal sex acts at a time when British rule over Ireland was fiercely challenged.
The mystery of the jewels of St Patrick’s remains unsolved.
To hear more stories like this one, search for ‘Queens, Kings & Dastardly Things’ now, wherever you get your podcasts. New episodes are released every Thursday.
