Pierre Hubert Anson and the mysteries of Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall; Voyage A Shugborough Hall?

Pierre Hubert Anson, Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort and Rennes le Chateau. Voyage A Shugborough Hall?

By Cort Lindahl 2/17/21

 

For some time now I and other authors have assumed a connection between the odd stories of Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall. In the past I have pointed out the similarities in the use of Arcadian imagery at both places including the famous Poussin painting “The Shepherds of Arcadia.” Also looming as part of the story is Philip Sidney’s famous literary tome entitled “Arcadia.” Indeed, the use of the theme of Arcadia is present in more than one lost treasure myth many of which seem to be intertwined or connected via similar themes, individuals, and even family groups.

 

The theme of Arcadia at Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall both include the said overtones of paintings by famous artists Teniers and Poussin. At Shugborugh Hall the Shepherds Monument which includes a bas relief mirror image of the Poussin painting had been there from between 1748 and1756. Later Lady Margaret Anson (Coke) had reproduced the Teniers painting that later became part of the Rennes le Chateau saga.

 

As we all know father Saunière found a parchment hidden in the woodwork of the Rennes Chapel during renovations that mentioned both paintings. After a subsequent trip to Paris to consult with scholars at the Cathedral of St. Sulpice Saunière was then said to have returned to Rennes le Chateau with prints of both paintings. So, this establishes the influence of both paintings at Shugborough Hall long before these things became a factor in the mysteries of Rennes le Chateau. Or is there more to the story?

 

Later Rennes le Chateau icon Henry Lincoln identified a pentagonal array of monuments and landscape points that seemed to form a giant pentacle in the landscape just to the east of Rennes le Chateau with one of the tips of the pentacle being the ruins of Chateau Blanchefort on the peak of what is sometimes referred to as Mont Blanchefort. Interestingly if an arc on the globe is plotted from this star shaped array to the northwest it transects its way to Shugborough Hall in England.  

 

An arc suggested by the orientation of the star in the landscape with regard to truth north may be formed that extends an arc on the globe to Shugborough. This arc on the globe matches the orientation of the pentacle Lincoln had identified. Henry Lincoln’s star in the landscape actually “points to” Shugborugh Hall on the globe. There is a reproduction of the Tower of the Winds of Athens at Shugborough Hall that also serves as a historical example of the establishment of time keeping and in association the creation of a Prime Meridian. In this case the star in the landscape and indeed much of the Arcadian imagery examined here may refer to the Greek mythological character Arcas, the namesake of Arcadia, who was cast into the sky as Ursa Minor whose tail includes the Pole Star. Ursa Minor is the “small bear” whose tail includes the Pole Star. This is also a reference to what a Prime Meridian is.

 

Further investigation by Lincoln included him prompting an art historian to examine Poussin’s painting “The Shepherds of Arcadia” in search of more clues. This art historian concluded that pentagonal geometry was present in the painting. This is not too unusual for contemporary period works of art as many artists or painters established grids similar to graph paper to properly proportion their works. The use of a pentagonal grid in the painting may be another subtle reference to Arcas and Arcadia.

 

Lincoln’s assumptions seem to have also been bolstered by the presence of what is known of as the “Pontil’s Tomb” situated near the Paris Meridian which in turn resembles the scene that is illustrated in Poussin’s painting. As a member of the forerunner of the storied Academy of Arcadia Poussin may have used this pentagonal imagery intentionally to infer a link to the Pole Star and mythology of Arcas. It may be of interest in the overall story that this property was once owned by an American named Louis Lawrence.

 

Lincoln’s star or pentacle array also seems to abut the famous Paris Meridian that had been legally described for the first time by the famous Cassini family of astronomers. The Paris Meridian is located only a few hundred meters east of the eastern tip of the pentacle he defined. The Paris meridian is a line of longitude that once defined time and space with regard to Paris. All French maps of this era refer to the Paris Meridian as the zero point in longitude calculations. Today the “0” meridian used by the entire world is in Greenwich England instead.

 

Of course, the Paris Meridian is a line of longitude that extends northward to Paris and the Paris Observatory that had also been developed over three generations of the Cassini family. As this longitude extends north of the Paris Observatory it actually transects the Louvre Museum in Paris. The Louvre had served as the Royal residence of the French monarchy for centuries prior to the French Revolution after which it was converted to a national museum owned by the French people.

 

Interestingly Poussin’s painting “The Shepherds of Arcadia” is now displayed within the museum at the point which the Paris Meridian transects. In simple terms the painting is also situated directly on the Paris Meridian within the museum. As an aside we will note here that the east to west array of the Louvre and the more modern I.M. Pei pyramid and inverted pyramid also form a westerly arc on the globe that transects to Oak Island Nova Scotia; possibly another stop included in a string of lost treasure and relic stories that include the Arcadian theme.

 

To this point we have established the possibility that an appreciation of the Arcadian theme had been present at Shugborugh Hall long before the time of Father Saunière. This may be of little consequence as a value of Arcadia as defined in Greek myth had been appreciated for a long period of time via the works of the Roman Poet Virgil. It is likely Virgil who had inspired all subsequent appreciation of the Arcadian theme through history.

 

Even Constantine and others through the entire span of history involved here had viewed the works of Virgil as including mystical overtones that included his works being used for bibliomancy or divination somewhat similar to how people came to appreciate the later works of Nostradamus. Even Dante featured Virgil as his guide through some of the layers of hell in his work “The Divine Comedy.” This may have even resulted in Byzantine royal figures such as the naming of Emperor Arcadius and the various Byzantine women of nobility who were also named Arcadia.

 

Later others would also choose to fashion Dante’s tomb in Ravenna, Italy as a copy of Virgil’s tomb which his located in Naples. In this way, we see a virtually ancient appreciation of the imagery of Arcadia as suggested in the pastoral character present in Virgil’s poetry named Daphnis. A rational view of Poussin’s painting may include that it is Daphnis in the tomb. This concept has been extended as an allegory for other famous historical figures including Christ himself being in the tomb as Constantine is said to have believed. Is it possible that much of this Arcadian imagery is an allegory for later valued historical figures in history?

 

Given all this mystery and intrigue are there any earlier sources that may suggest that people knew of a lost treasure story in the area of Rennes le Bains and Rennes le Chateau prior to Father Saunière exposing this concept to the public near the turn of the twentieth century? Our examination here will include some amazing references to a treasure hidden on “Mont Blachefort” as well as other direct connections to the Anson family of Shugborough Hall. If you are a Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall fan prepare to be amazed by some information that will be related here for the first time.

 

The influence of a man named Auguste de Labouisse-Rochefort has been noted by many Rennes le Chateau researchers in the past. His book “Voyage A Rennes le Bains” first published in 1832 notes a folklore story of how the Devil guarded a treasure that was hidden on what he terms “Mont Blanchefort.” This likely refers to the ruins of Chateau Blanchefort located just to the east of Rennes le Chateau which also serves as one of the points of the Pentacle identified by Henry Lincoln as discussed above.

 

Note: the story Le Tresor Diable from Labouisse-Rochefort’s book is featured at the end of this chapter.

 

Rochefort’s book “Voyage” published in 1832 seems to note a story that was later repeated and emphasized by Father Saunière as exemplified by him including the fallen angel Asmodeus as part of the baptismal font he had included in his renovation of the Rennes Chapel of St. Mary Magdalene near the time he also found said parchments that he claimed led him to a great treasure. This thread of new information may suggest that Saunière was well aware of Rochefort’s previous writing on the subject and that the entire story of Asmodeus had previously been told by others in relation to a treasure in the area. The rendering of Asmodeus in the Church may be one of several hidden themes there.

 

Asmodeus is also part of the mythology of King Solomon and the demon was said to be one of the fallen angels that aided Solomon in his building of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount there. Here we also have imagery that includes the famous Temple Treasure of Jerusalem of which there are also legends in the area of it being hidden somewhere nearby. This association also has many ties and overtones related to Freemasonry and their value of the story of Solomon’s Temple. The promise of some sort of treasure vault also has Enochian overtones that were also valued by Freemasons during this late eighteenth century time period. The story of Enoch and the nine-layered vault is present in between the lines of the Oak Island story for example.

 

There is a stream of logic that suggests the famous Temple Treasure had been hidden in the Languedoc after the Visigoth’s sacked the Temple of Peace of Rome where the treasure had been displayed since the time of Vespasian. In 70 AD Titus had sacked the Temple Mount and the Arch of Titus depicts the Temple Treasure being paraded through the streets of Rome at that time.

 

King Alaric who sacked the Temple of Peace of Rome is said to have been awarded control of Septimania which includes the environ of Rennes le Chateau by his father-in-law Theodoric The Great who had also in part designed much of the plan and architecture of Ravenna Italy in the sixth century. Theodoric had been raised as a hostage in the royal court of Byzantine Emperor Zeno and his wife Arcadia. There is no direct evidence that the Temple Treasure is located in this region though this notion has some rationale as to why it may be true. The fact that it may be in the area is simply speculation that may have caused some folklore tales of it being true. Is it possible? Sure. Is there any real proof? No.

 

Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort was a member of the Academia degli de Arcadia of the Vatican more commonly referred to as the Academy of Arcadia. It is of great interest to Rennes fans that these connections exist. Even Nicolas Poussin was a member of an artist’s guild formed in Rome by exiled Queen of Sweden Christina. By the late seventeenth century this group would be known of as the Academy of Arcadia. The Academy was known to meet in a “sacred grove” on Capitoline Hill in Rome for many years and still exists today. Rochefort’s membership in this artist’s guild may also represent a value of fellow previous member Nicolas Poussin and his painting “The Shepherds of Arcadia.” Indeed there are other works of Poussin that also reference Arcadian themes. Not just “The Shepherds of Arcadia.” The Academy of Arcadia seems to be in part a response to the many other artist’s guilds in Europe at that time.

 

It seems Labouisse-Rochefort did not become a member of this artists guild until about the same time he wrote “Voyage A Rennes le Bains.” Rochefort’s membership in the Academy should not be overlooked as an influence in the entire saga of Rennes le Chateau and other similar “Arcadian” stories. He had also been educated by Jesuit priests in his youth. Rochefort was a staunch royalist prior to and after the revolution. Many of the things noted about later Rennes le Chateau figure Pierre Plantard are reminiscent of the views and values of Labouisse-Rochefort.

 

Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort also held a genealogy via his mother’s Bonafos family that extended all the way back to the 7^th Crusade of Louis IX also known as St. Louis. His ancestor Raymond VI Bonafos accompanied St. Louis in an attempt to invade Egypt which eventually failed. As a result, subsequent members of the Bonafos family were also Knights of St. Louis and held important roles in the French Military during various royal regimes. The Bonafos family connection also included direct links to the de La Tour d’Auvergne family as well as the Rochefoucauld family group that may also be involved in similar historical stories. There are hints that some of his ancestors were Knights of St. John but there is no mention of any Knights Templar in his family history at all.

 

When considering that Rochefort had exposed a treasure story in his book so long before Saunière it may come as a surprise that it is another of the books he authored that reveals a interesting connection to one of the other most famous places where the theme of Arcadia is related to a lost treasure or relic tale. His tome “Les Amours, A Éléonore, recueil D’élégies divisé en Trois Livres (1817)” includes a direct reference to the term “Et in Arcadia Ego.”  

 

The flyleaf of the book does in fact include the same phrase seen in the Poussin painting and also appearing on the Shepherds Monument of Shugborough Hall. “Et in Arcadia Ego.”

 

Above; The fly leaf to Rochefort’s book “Les Amours, A Éléonore, recueil D’élégies divisé en Trois Livres (1817)” (Les Amours, A Éléonore, collection of Elegies divided into Three Books). including the phrase “Et in Arcadia Ego.”

 

In some ways we may view the inclusion of this phrase on the flyleaf of the book as an indication that more information may be available in the book that will help the initiate understand what is going on with regard to not only Rennes le Chateau or Shugborough Hall but the entire range of what I define as the Arcadian Mysteries. The author may have included this as an intentional clue.

 

A description of how I ran across this information may help to inform and amuse the reader.

 

One of the other projects I am working on includes mysterious historical events surrounding the creation and shipment to America of the first Veteran’s memorial in United States History known as the Montgomery Monument. The monument was produced as a gift to the American People and was created by well-known French sculptor Jean Jacques Caffieri. The Montgomery Monument represents a thread of research I have been working on for many years that includes Pierre L’Enfant who created the street plan of Washington D.C. and an altarpiece he also created at St. Paul’s Chapel in New York City which also includes the Montgomery Monument situated in front of the Chapel.

 

St. Paul’s Chapel is famous for surviving the 911 attacks and being where George Washington first consecrated the United States after his first inauguration in New York City. The saga of the Montgomery Monument also includes Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. All will be revealed with regard to this study soon. There is a missing piece of the monument that may represent an American Holy Grail. What is important to see here is how I found a path to Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall while looking into the origins of the monument.

 

The Montgomery Monument was crafted by French Royal Sculptor Jean Jacques Caffieri. As I studied this man and his connections I did find that his great grandmother was the sister of Charles Le Brun (1619-1690) who was the official painter for Louis XIV and other members of the noble class of France in the same era in which Nicolas Poussin was still alive and creating great works of art.

 

Charles le Brun was a student and close friend of none other than Nicolas Poussin. Nicolas Poussin gave his friend Charles le Brun his painting “The Two Nymphs” which also illustrates a classic Arcadian landscape. Le Brun’s paintings do resemble the composition of many of Poussin’s works. In this way it is clear that Le Brun was also a student of Poussin’s. It is also possible that Le Brun was a member of the Academy of Arcadia. This represents an interesting if somewhat distant connection between Caffieri and Poussin.

 

Prior to this of course I had seen references to how Thomas Anson of Shugborough Hall had visited France including a trip to Versailles to meet with Madame Pompadour the mistress of Louis XV as well as the duc d’ Choiseul the foreign minister of France at that time. These two French courtiers were in turn associated with sculptor Caffieri as well as his father who had also served the French monarchy in a similar capacity. It is a matter of note that Thomas Anson of Shugborough Hall was also associated with both the duc d’Choiseul and Madame Pompadour.

 

Madame Pompadour especially seems to be involved in many aspects of court intrigue at this time including a friendship with the mysterious Comte St. Germain. During St. Germain’s time in England there are hints via the work of Andrew Baker that St. Germain had also possibly at least met Thomas Anson as well as the enigmatic Chevalier St. George. St. George was a captured French ship’s captain that developed an odd relationship or friendship with Admiral Anson who had captured him at the Battle of Cape Finisterre.

 

At that time a man named Blaise d’Abbadie was also captured from the same ship L’Invincible that St. George had been captured from. Blaise d’Abbadie is the real inspiration behind what is known of as the Great Cyclic Cross of Hendaye. Blaise would later go on to be the last Governor of French Louisiana and also had a correspondence with Thomas Jefferson in that era. This connection to another famous landscape mystery in the form of the Cyclic Cross of Hendaye is very interesting. The Cyclic Cross was somewhat of a phenomenon after it was featured in an enigmatic book entitled “Mystery of the Cathedrals” written by equally enigmatic author Fulcanelli. Mysteries abound.

 

At this point I decided to word search “Anson and Choiseul” to see if there were any additional connections that would be revealing. Surprisingly when I searched this term one response noted how the duc d’Choiseul and a man named Pierre Hubert Anson had been associated just a little later in history as Pierre Hubert Anson had been born in 1744. This was very curious. A French member of the Anson family? At first I found sources that disputed any relation between Pierre Anson and the Anson family of Shugborough Hall. As I searched further I found no real sustainable connection between Pierre Hubert Anson and the fabled Anson family of Shugborough Hall. I was very surprised to find what came next. Why had someone disputed the fact that Pierre Anson and the Anson family of Shugborough were related in print? 

Later a survey of some of Labouisse Rochefort’s authored publications revealed a great deal. I delved into the text of Auguste de Labouisse-Rochefort’s books. Even the themes of one of his books as including elegies or remembrances of those who had passed relates to some art historians interpretation of what the term “Et in Arcadia Ego” really means or is referring to. An elegy is a form of literary Memento Mori. Rochefort’s book in this case is entitled “Les Amours, A Éléonore, recueil D’élégies divisé en Trois Livres (1817)” (Les Amours, A Éléonore, collection of Elegies divided into Three Books). This book includes the phrase “Et in Arcadia Ego” on the flyleaf. This alone is curious and may be due to Rochefort’s artist guild associations. 

Yet another of Rochefort’s books reveals a great deal. 

The most important work of Labouisse-Rochefort to consider here may be his work “Trente ans de ma vie, de 1795 a 1826 Ou Memoires Politiques et Littereraires de M. De Labouisse-Rochefort.” (Thirty years of my life, from 1795 to 1826 Or Memoires Politiques et Littereraires by M. De Labouisse-Rochefort). Though his other book that contains elegies includes “Et in Arcadia Ego” on the flyleaf is important to note it is this book that is the most revealing. It also includes memoirs, anecdotes, an remembrances of some of his closest friends. 

Amazingly Labouisse-Rochefort’s book noted above includes an elegy or remembrance of his good friend and associate Pierre Hubert Anson! In research I also found a link to a collectible autograph site that included a note from Pierre Hubert Anson’s wife inviting Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort to dinner! They were indeed close friends. This notation also included the fact that Labouisse-Rochefort was also a member of the Academy of Arcadia and also (in parenthesis below) the fabled and often debunked “Priory of Sion.” In fact the way this is noted suggests the Priory and Academy are indeed the same entity. 

What is amazing here is what Labouisse-Rochefort reveals in the course of his elegy to Pierre Anson. He clearly states in the beginning of this remembrances how Pierre Anson is part of the famous family of Admiral Anson of Shugborough Hall! Though disputed by other sources it may be that at least we can assume that Labouisse-Rochefort and Pierre Anson may have believed this was true at time of Pierre Anson’s death. We are left to only speculate that Thomas Anson was aware of who Pierre Hubert Anson was. Either way it is curious that Pierre Anson was involved in some intrigue that Labouisse-Rochefort refers to in his writing. 

The elegy then goes on to describe how Pierre Anson was a member of the National Assembly of France just prior to the French Revolution along with another famous character I have written of Louis Alexandre Rochefoucauld duc d’Anville. Louis was famous for being friends with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin as well as having published the Declaration of Independence in French for the first time. Louis would go on to lose his life in the “reign of terror” that kicked off the French Revolution. Louis Alexandre Rochefoucauld was the son of the previous duc d’Anville Jean Baptiste who lost his life on the ill-fated d’Anville Expedtion that may indeed be part of the saga of the Money Pit on Oak Island. Some of this authors theories also relate Admiral Anson and a group of ship’s captains and other admirals that had accompanied him on his circumnavigation voyage as also being involved in any possible treasure at Oak Island. 

Speculation here may include the question as to whether Pierre Anson and Thomas Anson had any personal associations via their family name. This may also be possible via associates they had in common such as the duc d’Choiseul and possibly even sculptor Caffieri. Either way this is a bizarre connection between two of the most well-known mysteries involving the imagery of Arcadia. The two men did run in similar circles in France so we may speculate that it is at least possible they knew each other. There is no smoking gun information that proves any of this yet we are left to speculate with some pertinent information as to what may have gone on. 

One of the greatest suggestions of this is how Pierre Hubert Anson was also an accomplished author who wrote about the finances of France as well as what may be considered more esoteric subjects. Pierre Anson had written a play involving Alchemy. Most notable here is how Pierre Anson had translated the works of Lady Mary Wortley Montigu into French. Her letters of her travels into the Ottoman Empire entitled “Letters from Turkey” had been very popular and had also opened a small window into the life of Muslim women in the Ottoman Empire at that time. Why would Anson choose to interpret and publish such a work? 

Interestingly Lady Montigu was also a member of the Divan Society in England of which Thomas Anson and Sir Francis Dashwood were also members. This represents another odd connection between Pierre Anson and Thomas Anson that may suggest more is at play than we will ever know. Pierre had produced the works of one of Thomas Anson’s friends and fellow antiquarians in French for the first time. If not a part of the Anson family it is odd that he chose the works of Lady Montigu to be interested in enough to translate them into his own language for the first time. Perhaps Pierre Anson had done this because he at least he believed he was related to Thomas Anson. 

Note that Dashwood’s West Wycombe estate is very similar to the “Arcadia” represented at Shugborough Hall. West Wycombe also includes a monument similar to the Shepherds Monument, A copy of the Tower of the Winds, and a reproduction of the hexagonal forecourt seen in the ruins of Baalbek Lebanon which Dashwood and Thomas Anson had also visited as part of the Divan Society. Sir Francis Dashwood was also friends with Benjamin Franklin whose name seems to surface in relation to many of these odd period historical stories. It is rumored that Franklin was also part of Dashwood’s infamous “Hellfire Club” also associated with West Wycombe. This again my cause speculation as to whether Thomas Anson had also met or associated with Benjamin Franklin. Most sources state Thomas Anson was not part of the “Hellfire Club” for example. Franklin is part of the saga of the Montgomery Memorial mentioned above. 

Though Thomas or Admiral Anson didn’t seem to have been involved in the Hellfire Club there are many sources that state Lady Montigu was a member! This then may have put her in a circle of very powerful people. It is within the realm of possibility that Lady Montigu had actually met Benjamin Franklin at one of these ribald parties. The Hellfire Club seemed and ideal part of intelligence gathering from some perspectives. What better way to “get the goods” on people than to have them taking part in mock rituals and orgies? Eyes wide shut? This story keeps getting more and more bizarre.  Some sources state that Lady Montigu had been also been part of the original Hellfire Club that seemed to have inspired Dashwood to create a similar club. 

Lady Montigu was also directly related to Lord Sandwich (Montigu) who was a friend and fellow member of the Society of the Dilittanti along with Thomas and Admiral Anson. The society of the Dilittanti was similar to the Divan Society and had many members in common. The Dilittanti more concerned themselves with European history and antiquary interests. The Society of the Dilittanti also includes a membership that features many familiar names as associated with other similar Shakespearian mysteries. This includes descendants of the family of Philip Sidney, his sister Mary Sidney Herbert Countess of Pembroke and many others pertinent to Virginia history such as the Berkeley family of Bruton Priory as well as the family of Lord Bedford. Later even Lord Carnarvon who funded the discovery of King Tut’s tomb in Egypt was of descent from Lady Mary Sidney Herbert the Countess of Pembroke who her brother Philip had dedicated his literary work “Arcadia” to. It would be interesting to know if there was a French analogue to the Hellfire Club, Divan Society or Dilittanti. 

As in the mysteries the most tantalizing clue that is part of Pierre Anson’s elegy in Rochefort’s book includes a short description about how after Anson left the National Assembly and his post in the finance ministry he took a strange trip to southern France where he recorded oddities related to “monuments and the culture of the region.” Is this referring to Rennes le Chateau and Rennes le Bains? There is no timeframe in the elegy though we may assume this trip happened within a year or two prior to the French Revolution. This may mean that the story of the Devil and his treasure at Mont Blanchefort was known to Anson at this time. This may also represent a vehicle via which he became aware of a similar value already existent at Shugborough Hall. 

It is also important to note that Pierre Anson was employed as part of the finance ministry of France during that time. Rochefort also suggests in this elegy that Pierre Anson’s writing on his strange trip was not available to the public at large. Perhaps he also wrote with a pen name? Either way this trip is tantalizing in many different ways when one also considers Labouisse-Rochefort’s appreciation of the treasure story near Rennes le Bains in his book “Voyage A Rennes le Bains.” Here yet again we may be seeing examples of great secrets hidden in pieces of literature that may otherwise be overlooked. Some of this may suggest that Labouisse-Rochefort’s much later trip or voyage to Rennes le Bains was inspired by whatever Pierre Anson had written in this strange yet missing manuscript. 

Note: I will include a full copy of Labouisse-Rochefort’s elegy to Pierre Hubert Anson at the end of this document. 

 

This new evidence may supply Rennes le Chateau and Shugborogh Hall researchers with a new avenue of investigation that transcends many of the older theories about what went on at both places. It may be that Rochefort and his Academy of Arcadia cohorts had more to do with the Rennes le Chateau story than ever suspected. We may also see the beginnings of how to understand ways in which Rennes le Chateau and Shugborugh Hall are actually connected to each other by people and themes that both places have in common. This may also prove that the star in the landscape suggested by Henry Lincoln was intentionally oriented to point the way to Shugborough Hall and the King’s Knot at Stirling Castle.

 

Given all this there are some indications that a similar reverence for the Arcadian theme had been introduced in the American colonies beginning in the late seventeenth century at the time of the enactment of the first Rhode Island Charter by Charles II and the subsequent construction of the Newport Tower in memoriam by Governor Arnold. These similar stories are indeed linked to the same group of royalty that seemed to later promote similar stories at Shugborough and Rennes le Chateau. That is another study for another time but does involve the saga of the Newport Tower and octagonal Powder Magazine in Williamsburg Virginia. These structures were likely built to represent a more ancient value of Arcadia that came from the d’Medici family and Byzantine Royalty originally among other influences.

 

Was Pierre Hubert Anson actually related to the Anson family of Shugborough Hall? There is no direct genealogical evidence stating this is true beyond the notation in Rochefort’s elegy to his friend in his book. There is an existent L’Anson family of Scotland and it is likely as in many Scottish and French families that this family eventually came to France for some unknown reason. Relations between Scotland and France through history have been much more cordial than those of England and France for example. I think it is more important to consider here what emphasis Labouisse-Rochefort and Pierre Anson put on this concept. Whether the l’Anson family of Scotland is related to the Anson’s of Shugborugh Hall is unknown. It is just as possible the English Anson family of Shugborough also sprang from the l’Anson family of Scotland at some unknown earlier date.

 

It is obvious that Pierre Anson and Rochefort ran in the same circles that Thomas Anson may have participated in during his many trips to France and the rest of Europe. Others such as author Andrew Baker suppose that Thomas Anson was a sort of diplomatic spy who also had a great affinity for classic art and antiquarian pursuits. All three men seem to have interests that would put them in line with English societies such as the Divan and Dilittanti. All the people discussed here seemed to be antiquarians of one stripe or another.

 

The fact that Pierre Anson’s strange trip to Southern France referencing strange monuments and local culture may be a tip off that the treasure le Diable or Treasure of the Devil of Mont Blanchefort had been a part of local folklore long before this story became popularly known later after the time of Father Saunière. This coupled with Anson’s finance ministry connections does add a strange component to the entire story. Unfortunately, it is impossible to find out more about his interesting man via the internet and would require an extensive survey of archived material in France to find anything more.

 

Had Pierre Anson known he was going to be sacked and hidden money in the area? In relation, he may have been able to see that the French Revolution was just on the horizon and he had taken steps to insure his family’s security by hiding something. Or in more spectacular fashion had he gone hunting for a more ancient treasure said to be in the area for similar reasons? The lack of detail in Labouisse-Rochefort’s elegy of Pierre Hubert Anson is frustrating in this regard. Note also that the name Anson is present in two passages from Rochefort’s “Voyage A Rennes le Bains” yet in a completely out of context fashion that does not seem to mean anything. Had these enigmatic references been added to that story to associate Pierre Anson with the same story?

 

Conclusions

 

Here we have a man that is said to be a member of the Anson family by his friend Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort. No other sources state this is true and in fact some state this is false outright. Is there a reason that Labouisse-Rochefort would make up a story like this? We should note again that this elegy for Pierre Hubert Anson was in a different book than the story he told of the Devil guarding a treasure on Mont Blanchefort near Rennes le Chateau. Then the name Anson does pop up in his book “Voyage A Rennes le Bains” yet in a very out of context way that does not reveal anything. Perhaps he included the name in this manner to show how Anson had influenced what he had written in “Voyage.” It is possible we will never know.

 

There are some aspects of the entire story as told by Labouisse-Rochefort that suggest there are political motivations at play in the stories he told of both Rennes le Bains and his friend Pierre Hubert Anson. Here we are presented with many doubts yet the entire story does also seem to supply us with a rationale as to why the stories of Shugborough Hall and Rennes le Chateau are linked together. We should also not ignore the possibilities of the Anson family of Shugborough being involved in the Oak Island story.

 

In total if we examine all aspects of the story we may be left to consider that all of these folklore stories and events may be related to an intelligence service of sorts. It is no secret that British Intelligence used French spies during the many conflicts the two countries had in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth century on into the Napoleonic era. It seems that some of the targets of this intelligence gathering activity involved the British capturing large amounts of gold from knowing when and where the French were sending it.

 

This makes a great deal of sense in relation to the story of Oak Island as Admiral Anson’s fleet had been involved in the assault on Fortress Louisbourg and other battles such as Cape Finisterre during which Anson had been rewarded greatly for capturing or destroying much of the French fleet as well as personnel such as the Admiral Jonquiere, Chevalier St. George and Blaise d’Abbadie. The story of a French spy named Thomas Pinchon illustrates how he had in fact supplied British intelligence with information that aided them in this manner.

 

Even though this theory does supply a rationale for the story of Oak Island how does it then apply to the legends and myths present at Shugborough Hall and Rennes le Chateau. The Anson name is at least emerging as common ground in these stories as well.

 

This supplies us with a couple of different notions about what may have been going on. It appears that possibly the Shepherds Monument at Shugborough Hall as well as other architectural follies and artwork there may have been designed to communicate the truth about these things to someone who had been initiated into those specific meanings.

 

The only possible conclusion with regard to this information is that Labouisse-Rochefort and Pierre Anson had also been involved in this intelligence gathering activities. Had they opposed it with folklore stories of lost treasures or this there more to it. Had they actually assisted the British in their efforts and had hidden funds at Rennes le Chateau that later were passed off as being part of the Tresor le Diable that Rochefort spoke of in his book? The part of the Rennes le Chateau saga that includes the imagery of Asmodeus does vaguely match some of the folklore overtones present at Oak Island.

 

Pierre Anon’s involvement could have been in association with what ever Thomas Anson, Admiral Anson’s brother had been up to in his many trips to the Continent over the years. There are inferences that Thomas visited Bonnie Prince Charlie for instance via a poem that was written in memory of him that mentions a visit to where the Stewart Prince lived in Frescati, Italy. This is the part of the story we may never know yet we may at least consider that Pierre Anson may have been aiding the efforts of people like Thomas Anson along with other more well-known historical figures such as the Comte St. Germain.

 

This late eighteenth century era of French history is right at the point prior to the French Revolution. The Assembly Nationale and Monarchy were struggling to form a government more like Britain or the United States at this point. Pierre Anson was part of both the Assembly and the Finance Ministry of Louis XVI. This would have also put him in a position to be aware of many financial matters including the movement of large amounts of gold specie. Naturally British intelligence or spying would have wanted to promote the Assembly or even French Revolution as a way to get rid of the French monarchy that had continually been at war with their country for a very long time.

 

In the end this failed during the reign of Napoleon as Britain continued to struggle against France in colonial and economic matters.

 

All of this indicates that a modern treasure had been hidden at Rennes le Chateau or the environ of Rennes le Bains by Pierre Anson and this is the reason Rochefort mentions Anson’s trip to the south of France in a cryptic manner in his elegy. Really the possibilities are endless affording us no real conclusion at this point. All of this remains a mystery only revealed with some historical facts that don’t completely explain anything.

 

One of the main points we may glean from this new information is the sentiments and statements of Labouisse-Rochefort. His political views do seem to match those of later Rennes le Chateau character Pierre Plantard. Rochefort seems to have been a Catholic French Nationalist who was also a Royalist who longed for the days of monarchy possibly when his family had more influence. Rochefort was from Montreal only about eighteen miles from Rennes le Chateau and Rennes le Bains.

 

The fact that Rochefort was from so close by to Rennes le Chateau may have meant he was aware of any local treasure stories since the time he was a child. Some inferences in his background and biography do suggest he was involved in a sort of underground organization that continued to promote Jesuit and Royal values during an era in which both sentiments had been forced underground. Jesuits had been banned in France from 1767 until 1814 a 44 year period much of which encompassed the time Rochefort was doing his writing about his friend Pierre Anson who had passed in 1810.

 

Here we may note that it is not uncommon for a downtrodden or suppressed organization such as the Society of Christ or Jesuits to have created a kind of secret society or doctrine that maintained their values in secret. Here again it must be of significance that Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort was a member of the storied Academia degli de Arcadia of the Vatican. Some of the cryptic nature of Rochefort’s writing may be due to being associated with this possible underground organization as well. There are even hints that this organization had hidden Pierre Anson from the reign of terror of the French Revolution thus allowing him to survive. Other members of the Assembly Nationale such as Louis Alexandre Rochefoucauld did not fare as well at that time and lost their lives to the mob.

 

Is it possible that said Jesuit Secret Society was still in operation later in history during the time parchments with great secrets were found in the Rennes le Chateau Chapel? Had father Saunière been part of a similar group or organization? Many authors do speculate about interactions and common goals of Jesuits and Freemason’s which is a bizarre notion to many yet this is possible.

 

Even given the thread of reasoning given here the truth about all this may never be revealed. Alternately the truth may be laying somewhere in a file cabinet that contains the activities of an intelligence service that helped to organize all this. We may all have been simply looking in the wrong places for information for a very long time.

 

What we are left with is a series of lost treasure or relics stories that may have in part been developed to cover up very real and more recent skullduggery and intrigue. One thing is for certain. The name Anson continually pops up in relation to these stories as well as the imagery of the architectural follies and artwork present at Shugborough Hall and other places like West Wycombe in England.

 

It is just not this author that associates the Anson’s with any possible treasure in Nova Scotia. Many authors have made that assentation. Not just me. Here now I have supplied some geographic information that connects the two places together. Also supplied is the strange story of Pierre Hubert Anson and his friend Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort which also serves to suggest the Anson name in these mysteries involving treasure. The only conclusion available in broad terms is that the Anson family were involved in developing all these stories and possibly had profited from what ever the truth was behind this interesting myths and legends. Even if Pierre Anson is not part of the Anson family of Shugborough Hall we may see that it was Labouisse-Rochefort that had inserted his name into the entire mystery of the Tresor le Diable at Rennes le Chateau that father Saunière had also been aware of sometime later in history.

 

To understand this we will next examine some interesting family connections between the Anson’s and those involved in recovering large amounts of French gold in times of war.

 

Appendant information:

 

Passage from Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort’s book entitled: “Trente ans de ma vie, de 1795 a 1826 Ou Memoires Politiques et Littereraires de M. De Labouisse-Rochefort.” (Thirty years of my life, from 1795 to 1826 Or Memoires Politiques et Littereraires by M. De Labouisse-Rochefort)

 

Translated from French via Google Translate and minor observations by author Cort Lindahl.

 

 

Through M. Guyot-Desherbiers, I received very sad news from Paris. Mr. Anson is no more! When some great occasion brought me back to the Capital, it was his society which made me appreciate the amenities and resources. And what a society! what illustrious knowledge do I not owe him! what anecdotes! so much memories! What charms he has cast over my literary life and what tender sentiments his lively friendship added to it! - Losing a friend is the fragmentation of one's own existence. Friendship is like love; it produces the unity of two hearts. - I need to devote a Notice to it. It is a tribute that my gratitude must pay to his memory; He will soften my sadness and console my pain a little. When I used to say goodbye to him, I never expected to never see him again. He was in excellent health, led a calm and peaceful life, and the strength of his constitution seemed to assure him long days. A small indisposition reached him, and it is claimed that a mistake by his doctor, Doctor P., was the cause of his almost sudden death. As Mr. P. is sorry, I will add no reflection to this misfortune which afflicts us so much.

 

Anson (Pierre-Hubert) was born to N. Anson and N. Legrand on June 11, 1744, in the small town of Nemours, where his grandfather, Lord Anson's twelfth child, had settled. He belonged to the illustrious English family who produced an admiral so famous for his courage and his travels. Young Anson showed himself worthy of descent by his merit; from an early age he loved glory, but he loved it solid and pure. - After being distinguished in his classes and cherished by all his teachers, his father, not being very rich, made him study law to become a lawyer. He was not yet 20 years old, he was a doctor and was going to be an associate, when M. d'Ormesson, Intendant of Finances, placed him with his son. Mr. Anson, already well educated, was still learning all that his pupil was taught; and when the latter was appointed Controller-General, his fortune seemed assured. It is not on the grave of the friend that I cry, that I will go to recall these days of celebration and drunkenness, nor the triumphs which drew to him in his youth, a pretty face, an ingenious and easy mind and a kind character. Alas! these frivolous and sometimes too easy triumphs hardly leave any pleasant memories, which are often accompanied by just regrets. But what does not happen in the same way, what we never repent of, is the good we do; and Mr. Anson did plenty of it until the last moment of his life. He was not like those parents, proud and hard, who forget in the midst of their elevation and their opulence, that they leave the unhappy in their families. He established his sisters and endowed them, his brother was advantageously placed and he did not forget anything that could ensure their happiness. - Who does not know that at Court, favor often comes close to disgrace. It is the abode of caprice and inconstancy; the ancient Tarpéienne rock seems to be placed there near the Capitol. M. de Calonne reached the ministry; the friend of M. d'Argenson, whom this new minister replaced, could not be retained: that is the custom. Those who go up mistrust all those who surrounded those who go down; they need creatures of their own or that they believe in them, almost slaves; an honest man, who has only talents, does not count in their eyes. How could he please them when he overshadows them? Isn't the attachment he shows to his predecessor an irreparable crime? M. Anson was retired from the general revenue of the Dauphiné, which was not to be vacant for another year. During this spectacle, he took advantage of his leisure time to visit our southern provinces, and if we published the Relation which he wrote at that time, we would find very interesting notes on the monuments and the customs which then existed. - I regret not being able to specify the date of his marriage to Miss Sophie, daughter of Baron de Beaumont, close relative of the former Archbishop of Paris. He loved her passionately and wrote to her, during a few forced absences, the most tender letters. I read this manuscript with inexpressible charm. He had the misfortune of losing her; but there remained to her a son from that marriage, one of the happiest that ever existed. - At that time, all classes of society were agitated in horrible convulsions; unwise innovators called storms; the storm was rumbling; the revolution began; and when all talents were united in this Constituent Assembly, which prepared, almost unwittingly and without foreseeing it, all the misfortunes of France, and which astonished Europe by the energy of its resolutions, as well as by the he guilty audacity of his enterprises, Mr. Anson was not forgotten. He sat next to the Maurys, the Cazalés, and that fiery Mirabeau, who knew only how to break and destroy. Often he proposed happy expedients which might terminate dangerous discussions and prevent many disasters. Finances have had more influence than one might think on the origin of the revolution and even on the crimes which were the horrible result. Why were his advice not always followed? ..... But in these times of effervescence, ambition and madness, could we let ourselves be guided by what was only wise? The witty M. Dupont de Nemours, former colleague and compatriot of M. Anson, who, like him, had the opportunity to show vast knowledge, and a spirit which errors, then in fashion, had not too exalted , is expressed thus in a short Notice: “Since the opening of the legislative assembly, until the revolution of August 10, 1792, he was a member of the Council of the department of Paris. Surrounded by the proscription which struck this council and destroyed the virtuous La Rochefoucauld who chaired it, Mr. Anson wandered from province to province, and finally returned to Paris in an asylum, where he married the excellent Lady (baroness) of Leslie, who has the pain of surviving him. - The storms and misfortunes which have struck so long on so many respectable individuals, have also had their advantages, according to this great law of nature, which makes that all evils combine with some present or future goods just as all goods are altered by some evils. These misfortunes have strengthened the bonds of families; they made marital love more general, sweeter, more tender and deeper. They have produced a host of good works, fruits and consolation of the forced retirement of their authors. Danger builds courage. Mr. Anson is having fun Knows how to make verses, and these verses were the best Tra

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Because we still have the voluptuous Anacreon, a work which could also open the door to the second or third class of the Institute. »What for

 

Shall I add to such a flattering vote, if not that of the writer best suited to pronounce on these matters? One feels that I am talking about the most famous of our critics, of the French Quintilian, of La Harpe, who says in his Cours de litterature: "We have seven or eight translations in verse.

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of Anacreon, all more or less forgotten. But we must except the last one which appeared about six years ago (in 1795), and of which we hardly spoke, considering the time we were in, and which had nothing of Anacreontic. This translation alone can give an idea of ​​Anacreon to those who cannot read it in Greek. It is in general faithful, elegant and poetic, and will be placed by connoisseurs in the very few good translations into verse, which can do credit to our language. "- Indeed, this translation is much superior to all those we know of the prettiest, the most ingenious, the most gracious poet of antiquity (1). The preface in which he exonerates Anacreon from the dreadful wrongs that are reproached to his memory, is written with a force of reasoning, an abandon of style, an elegance of expression, which could only come from the pen of a man of the world, endowed with all the talents of a man of letters. - After having read this ingenious Speech, it is impossible not to cherish the person of Anacreon, as much as one loves his works. If I win my case, said Mr. Anson, he is another great man under the laws of decency and virtue. Let us add, it is a beautiful triumph for morality; also M. G. de Boileau (2) expressed himself thus in a charming epistle which he addressed to the author of

 

this apology:

 

 

 

Never shy innocence

Was not alarmed at his gaiety;

Chaste lover of pleasure,

He celebrated it without license.

He knew too well that beauty

Owes its attractions to decency.

Zealous apostle of the virtues,

Always master of his intoxication,

He sacrifices to wisdom,

On the very altar of Bacchus (3).

 

(1)  That of M. de Saint-Victor had not been published. - (1846) (2) Today Marquis de La Caze. - (1824.) (3) At the time when I had just written this Notice, I received the article that Father Sabatier (de Castres) wanted to devote to the friend I regret, in the 7th edition of Three Centuries of French Literature. It is designed as follows:

(2)   

(3)  “ANsoN. born with a decided taste for the fine arts, and with a talent for poetry, he made it the object of his relaxation in the various jobs which he exercised, and the fruits which resulted placed him in the Temple of Memory next to the most pleasant literati. The new Translation into verse, which he gave To distract himself from the persecutions he suffered in France, Mr. Anson had transported his idea to Greece, with the sage of Theos, as Elien called him. On leaving these classic shores, he wanted to make an excursion to his family's former homeland, and he chose, to translate them, the letters of that Milady Wortley-Montague, whom the English boldly compare to Madame de Sévigné, to this Madame de Sévigné to whom, in France, we dare not compare anyone. The reign of unparalleled terror had ceased; honest people began to breathe a little; Mr. Anson was recalled to the Department Council and subsequently appointed General Postmaster (1). - Blessed by the poor whom he relieved, filled with benevolence for all those who implored his credit, he divided his time between homework Odes of Anacreon, combines elegance with fidelity, and the style is so natural, so graceful, that it seems less a version, than an original inspiration. Theos poet would not have expressed himself otherwise if he had written in our language, and the first duty of translators is to make their models speak, as they themselves would have spoken in the idiom of their interpreter. It is to having shown himself faithful to this rule in his new translation of Letters from Milady Montague, during his travels in Europe, Asia and Africa, that Mr. Anson owed the success of this last work, which proves that his prose is neither less easy nor less elegant than his verses. Besides, the most famous and the most severe critic of this century has presented in his Cours de Littérature, the translation of Anacreon, by M. Anson, as the most faithful and the most poetic that has been published until present from this charming poet. It is preceded by a speech of 500 pages, where Anacreon is fully exonerated of the charge of drunkenness and libertinism; so that, thanks to the erudition and eloquence of his new translator, he is one more great talent in the circle of decency and virtue. »(1810) (1) Bonaparte took this place from him, and without offering him compensation, he created a Director-General; only Mr. Anson was retained the first of the five directors who governed this part.

 

of his place and a charming retreat, rue Ville-Levesque, where he enjoyed domestic happiness, surrounded by a few friends who for a long time could not be consoled for such a cruel loss. It took place on November 18, 1810. I was one of those who will always mourn him. Despite the distance of our ages, we were united by a sweet sympathy that I was proud to have inspired in him. Skillful administrator, perfect friend, excellent husband and good father, he united all the qualities which make an amiable man, and all the virtues which make illustrious citizens. The Monitor of November 30 expressed himself as follows: "All those who have known him in the career which he has provided with an honorable" distinction, have esteemed in him talents which have constantly received their leadership from him. ardent and enlightened zeal "for the public good, by which Mr. Anson was animated. His views were sound, his mind righteous, his knowledge wide and varied. To the qualities which made him recommendable as a public figure, he added literary titles which were not without distinction. His translation of Anacreon "is always faithful and often elegant. That of the Letters of" Milady Montague has proved that he was no more foreign "to modern literature than to that of the ancients. His widow, "the object of his most assiduous and touching care, his" friends, superiors and subordinates, will retain the "memory of his modesty, of his active beneficence, of the" frankness of his character and of his purity. of its conduct (1). "

 

me(1) I could have abbreviated this notice, but I did not want to change anything I had written then; it will be seen that my opinions have not changed, that I have always had the same independence, the same frankness, and that I judged, at that time, the revolution, as I had judged it in 1793, and as I judge her today. Wise, prudent and reasonable n, such will be my refrain, which I will repeat to you over and over again: POINT OF REVOLUTION, REVOLUTIONS ARE THE MOST HORRIBLE AND THE MOST FUNNY OF CHOSES. (Notes printed in the Anecdotal of January 21, 1824.)

 

 

N. B. - The Modern Biography or historical gallery, published in 1816 by Alexis Eymery, places the birth of Mr. Anson in Paris on June 18, 1744, and his death on November 20, 1810. The place and the days of these dates are incorrect. M. Guyot-Desherbiers says positively: "A terrible disease, of which M. Anson had experienced the attack several years ago, came to assail him with a new fury," on November 16, and 'removed in 32 hours. The letters I received from Paris at that time, from friends of the deceased, all confirmed this date. I do not know if I should point out the indecency of this sentence: He died of the consequences of indigestion; it is perhaps the first poet who died thus. I never conceived how a man of wit could seek to shine at the expense of feeling; nor how could a writer who respects himself a little, dare to joke so foolishly at the grave of an illustrious man? - I will add to this old article, we owe to M. Anson: 1o Anecdotes on the Lefèvre family, from the branch of Ormesson; 20 two historical memoirs on the towns of Milly and Nemours; 3o the comedy of the Two Lords; 4o the piece of the Alchimist, which he composed in partnership with L. Hérissant; 5 ° I have a large quantity of his letters, written with great abandon, charm and wit, and several of his unpublished poems. - (1824.)

 

Below; The story of the le tresor le Diable (The Treasure of the Devil) from Labouisse-Rochefort’s book “Voyage A Rennes le Bains.”

 

This is how this great affair was discovered. One day, when the devil had leisure, it was before the revolution and when the sun would shine brightly, he began to spread these words on the mountain. A young Shepherdess from the neighborhood who had got up in the morning saw these big piles of beautiful moonoie, your shiny. She is surprised, moved, stirred, she withdraws, calling her mother her father, her tant, her uncle…. But the Devil is hasty; everything was gone.

 

However, the great news spread throughout the village; we intrigue, we get excited, we come alive. Several inhabitants come to an agreement, contribute and decide to go to a witch doctor. The project is running. He is told of the wonderful discovery. This wizard was not stupid; He specified first, that he would be given the moldy treasure, when he was brought up, put that before, he needed four or five hundred francs for the preparations for his trip.

 

Money is count; we leave, we arrive. The wizard warns him that he is going to fight the Devil, that when he calls, we must come and help him defeat him. Everyone promises to have good courage - we go to the Places. The sorcerer makes pretense, invocations, threats; he draws circles and strange figures.

 

Suddenly we hear a loud noise… .. Our genes are frightened - they are fleeing, we are chasing them with firecrackers and stones! The sorcerer shouts envy, Help! Help! We let him scream, sands to inquire about the outcome of the fight.

 

Reference to Catherine d’Medici in “Voyage A Rennes le Bains.”

 

The Dauphin and the other children of France, going to Avignon, to visit Pope Clement VII, slept in Castelnaudary. In this trip was concluded in Marseilles, the marriage of Catherine de Medici, niece of the pope, with the second son of the King, who was since Henri II. Catherine brought as a dowry to her husband, the count of Auvergne and that of Lauragais, whom we are crossing; they belonged to him from the head of mother, Magdeleine de La Tour; she also had a hundred thousand ducats.

 

NOTE; The Madeleine de La Tour mentioned above in Rochefort is the younger sister of Anne de La Tour who married the Second Duke of Albany John Stewart. Here is yet an earlier link to the Arcadian theme. Madeleine married Lorenzo d’Medici II whose father was the one who had Virgil translated into modern Italian for the first time. Anne de La Tour’s genealogy suggests she was descendant of “Belle Moree’ an Egyptian Princess. This may relate to Sara the Egyptian girl of the story of Saintes Maries de La Mer. This is the value of Mary Magdalene in French Nobility and is no surprise Rochefort was aware of this. This represents an ever earlier link between the Stewart and d’Medici families. Later Charles I would marry Henrietta Marie the daughter of Marie d’Medici and French King Henri IV.

 

 

 

 

Part II: Its a Family Affair. 1/20/21 by Cort Lindahl

What if there was an easy way to find connections and associations that may reveal the true nature of odd historical stories like Rennes le Chateau, Oak Island or Shugborough Hall? How could the strange story of Pierre Hubert Anson and Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort fit into this entire scheme? When one looks into such things there are points of the search that seem to bind this into a continuous quest for treasure. As it turns out an examination of the relations and story of Daniel McInnis one of the three young men from the original Money Pit story may lead to a conclusion that applies to all of these places. Daniel McInnis was also the young man who discovered the Money Pit that spawned the legendary story of the Oak Island Treasure.

 

Let’s follow the relations of Daniel McInnis back through time to see if we can come up with any aspects that may help us to solve this mystery. As it turns out Daniel does have a heritage that may indicate he had knowledge of the truth of the Money Pit story even before he found it.

 

The McInnis name is very popular on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. Their family relations there include many intermarriages with the MacDonald family. Both families were also known supporters of the Jacobite movement and were involved with Bonnie Prince Charlie’s attempt to invade Britain in what is known of as the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. This rebellion also included many aspects that could have led to lost treasure stories or reality that in turn may have gained a legendary veneer as time went on after the war.

 

One of the most famous figures of the ’45 Jacobite Rebellion was a woman named Flora MacDonald. Flora is famous for having helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape after the end of the hostilities. Flora was actually imprisoned for her efforts but as we may see she was held in somewhat of a gilded cage in London that may expose a lot of truth to the Oak Island story as this narrative progresses.

 

As it turns out Flora MacDonald and Daniel McGinnis are not only distantly related via their Scottish heritage but also more closely related after both they or their families came to America. After Flora’s imprisonment, she married a British Army officer from the 84^th regiment of foot that was later stationed in Anson County North Carolina just before the American Revolution. Flora and other members of the MacDonald family had made their way to North Carolina where they also became intermarried with the family of Daniel McInnis who also was from there. Here we see a rather close family association between Flora MacDonald and Daniel McInnis.

 

As this story unfolds we may see that it is no coincidence that the MacDonald’s and McInnis’ were living in Anson County North Carolina during this era after the failed ’45 Jacobite Rebellion.

 

At one point both Flora, her husband and Daniel ended up settling in Nova Scotia after the war. Flora and her husband were stationed at Ft. Edward in Nova Scotia and we all know that Daniel later came to own a few of the lots on Oak Island Nova Scotia itself. Given this story it is very curious that Daniel who must have also held Jacobite sympathies is part of the saga of Oak Island including the original folklore of the story that resembles in some ways the Money Pit story in the pages of Sidney’s “Arcadia.”

 

There are some aspects of this story overall that may indicate that Daniel McInnis had been prompted to or had chosen to make up a story about lost treasure on Oak Island. Why would he do such a thing you may ask? The answer of course is very complex but does involve very large amounts of gold that would have been captured during times of war. If this is true then it still meant that Oak Island was an important place in the overall story but not in the way the story is commonly told. It is easy to imagine Flora MacDonald telling Daniel McInnis the truth of this story or even having prompted him in his activities.

 

Daniel McInnis may have been working in league with an intelligence service to cover up the truth of what had really gone on at Oak Island. If true this would explain many of the inconsistencies in the story the way the public perceives it today. Daniel’s relation to Flora MacDonald may indicate that his allegiances were the same as hers. This then will lead us to a more rational and fact-based view of what may have gone on at Oak Island along with aspects of the story as told. This all may be revealed by inspecting what happened to Flora MacDonald after she was sentenced to prison for aiding Bonnie Prince Charlie in his escape.

 

All of this may also indicate that Flora was much more than a random person who had encountered Bonnie Prince Charlie as the British were searching for him. As the story goes Bonnie Prince Charlie was even dressed as a woman by Flora during this escape. In a strange way this echoes the fate of Pyrocles one of the heroes of Sidney’s book that dresses as a woman to be closer to the women he wants to marry. This plot element is also present in another medieval chivalric novel entitled “Amadis de Gaula.” A member of the McInnis family John also aided Bonnie Prince Charlie in his escape but he was not punished as severely as Flora MacDonald.

 

After Flora was caught and sentenced for her role in the rebellion she was sent to London to serve her time aboard a ship anchored there. Here is where the story begins to take on elements of intrigue possibly associated with those that profited off of large amounts of golden wealth lost in times of war. At this time in England and the rest of Britain there was a great deal of sympathy for the Jacobites and this resulted in some of those found guilty being treated relatively well. Many Jacobites were also exiled in Sweden and the American colonies which had a strong impact on the cultural development of both places.

 

While imprisoned a woman known as Lady Primrose gained some sympathy for the plight of Flora MacDonald. Lady Primrose raised 1500 pounds for Flora and also arranged for Flora to serve her term of imprisonment in her London home. This is strange as this part of the saga of Flora Macdonald is usually left out of other narratives of her life prior to going to North Carolina. Lady Primrose was a known Jacobite sympathizer who as it turns out had many connections to those that may have actually planned or known of what the actual significance of Oak Island truly is.

 

What may astound the reader at this point is that what is going to be revealed here suggests the very same people knew the truth of the origins of other similar stories to Oak Island including the famous Rennes le Chateau lost treasure story as well as all the mysteries surrounding the strange architecture of Shugborough Hall. These same people and stories may have also later inspired people in Virginia to create similar reality or mythology in this very tradition. To believe this some small leaps of faith based on the real data at hand may be necessary.

 

Lady Primrose herself may expose a trail leading back to what is really going on with these treasure legends. The Primrose name itself may lead us to a kind of nadir or central theme in being able to figure this all out. Her family relations and future relations show a distinct pattern of people and activities that are indeed related to the famous Anson family of Shugborough Hall and even include later relations to the MacDonald family itself. In the mix we will also discern that it is Admiral Anson’s brother Thomas is who is the most important person to understand as this story unfolds.

 

The Primrose family included the title of the Earl of Rosebery which over time also includes many interesting family relations and other associations. In fact the 4^th Earl of Rosebery Archibald Primrose took a woman named Anne Margaret Anson for his wife in 1815 during a time when the Money Pit at Oak Island was still actively being investigated. Anne Margaret Anson was the daughter of the Viscount Thomas Anson who was later than the original Thomas Anson who had built the Shepherds Monument at Shugborough Hall.

 

Anne’s mother was also named Anne Margaret and had come from the very influential Coke family of England. The elder Anne Margaret was also an accomplished artist and painter whose legacy may help to connect the stories of Rennes le Chateau, Oak Island and Shugborough Hall into one single story. Lady Anson the painter was also an accomplished copyist or one who reproduces earlier great works of art in painting. One of her most famous copies is a work by the classic artist Teniers entitled “Saint Anthony Abbot Meets St. Paul the Hermit.”

 

As we all know the story of Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall have come to include the famous painting by Nicolas Poussin “The Shepherds of Arcadia.” The painting is referred to at Rennes le Chateau by the presence of the Pontil’s Tomb not far from Rennes le Chateau that resembles the scene in the painting complete with similar tomb, vegetation and landscape. Later this concept was later expanded by Rennes le Chateau researcher and author Henry Lincoln that theorized a large Arcadian pentacle in the landscape of Rennes le Chateau based on the position of landmarks there. Mr. Lincoln also went on to espouse an analysis of the painting that included pentagonal geometry that all applies to the symbol of the star in relation to the mythology of the Greek land of Arcadia.

 

So how does this then connect us to Shugborough Hall? Here we see that the Poussin bas relief mirror image of the Poussin painting is included on the famous Shepherds Monument with the inclusion of a strange reliquary atop the tomb that is not present in the Poussin rendering. The Shepherds Monument has been a source of intrigue and mystery as there is a coded portion whose meaning is hotly debated by mystery lovers with regard to what is actually being portrayed or represented on this architectural folly. In this way the imagery of Poussin has been associated with both Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall via the theme of Arcadia.

 

Part of the story of Rennes le Chateau includes Father Sauniere finding two parchments hidden in the Chapel of St. Mary Madgalene there while he was in the process of restoring the church. Both parchments seemed to have intentionally included stegenographic codes that can be deciphered much in the same way some interpret the First Folio of Shakespeare. Using this method the first parchment seemed to reveal that a treasure as well as the tomb of Merovingian King Dagobert II was included in what may be hidden at Rennes le Chateau.

It is the second parchment that may also provide us a link to Shugborough Hall and the artistic sensibilities of the Anson family.

 

The second parchment reveals a decoded message that reads:

“Shepherdess no temptation, Poussin, Teniers hold the key. Peace 681. By the cross and this horse of God, I make (or destroy) this Demon Guardian at midday, Blue Apples.”

Here we may be forced to consider how and why these two mentioned artists are referred to at Shugborough Hall long before Father Sauniere was ever compelled to mull over how these two paintings were important to what was going on at Rennes le Chateau. Both paintings and artist had been referred to at Shugborough Hall many years prior.

 

Lady Anson had produced her copies of the Teniers painting at some point prior to her passing in 1848 and the Shepherds Monument that refers to the Poussin painting had been part of the construction of that monument between 1748 and 1756. How had these specific references to these specific pieces of art become part of two of the most storied “mysteries” in the western world? At one point the befuddled Father Sauniere even traveled to St. Sulpice in Paris seeking help from the educated priests there. He returned from Paris with copies of both the Teniers and Poussin paintings. With regard to Sauniere this had happened subsequent to him finding the parchments in about 1899.

 

This has to be more than a coincidence. Are there other factors that reveal a connection? How had a mysterious parchment found at Rennes le Chateau refer to the same artists that are part of a story developed at Shugborough Hall at least 40 years prior to Father Sauniere finding said parchments? The answer to that question may lead some amazing results that will then in turn also lead us to one of the most famous lost treasure stories in the world at Oak Island Nova Scotia. Given the other information exposed to this point it seems that none of this is a coincidence but  had all been planned somehow.

 

Before presenting more proof of how these places are related lets examine the further family relations of the Anson, Primrose, and MacDonald family. Interestingly this group of families also seems to include a few characters that had accompanied Admiral Anson on his circumnavigation during which the Manila Treasure Galleon was captured that made him and some of his officers very wealthy men. These men continued to play a prominent role in the British Navy including other instances of vast sums of gold disappearing during times of war.

 

It is possible that this is the true root to not only the Oak Island Legend but other similar stories such as Rennes le Chateau. This group may also have included French and Spanish cohorts that kept them informed as to the movements of the French Fleet as well as the location of funds these fleets were moving to North America. They had formed a kind of Naval Intelligence service that Admiral Anson’s brother Thomas was also a member of. If all of this is true then it would also be no surprise to see banking interests of some form involved in this entire story as well.

 

Overall the families involved would eventually come to include family links between the family of Augustus Kepple who was one of Admiral Anson’s cohorts on his circumnavigation. Other strange correlations to Captain Piercy Brett and Captain Campbell may also fit the notion that these families all worked together to capture treasures during war time of which they were allowed to keep some of the spoils.

 

We even see a relation between Lady Anson the painter and the Keppel family via her father’s second marriage to a member of the Keppel family Lady Anne Amelia Keppel which produced some half siblings of Lady Anson’s that are indeed part of that family. Interestingly the progeny of Lady Anson’s father Thomas Coke Earl of Leicester and Amelia Keppel would include Lady Margaret Sophia Coke who married Sir Archibald Kepple MacDonald. Sir Archibald was in turn the progeny of Sir James MacDonald and Lady Sophia the daughter of William Keppel the 4^th Earl of Albemarle. (Note that Albemarle County is where Thomas Jefferson was from and where Monticello is located named for William Kepple also once Governor of Virginia).

 

Lady Janette Anson the daughter of Admrial Anson married a man named Sambrooke Adams whose son Thomas then took the Anson name and became Thomas Anson Viscount who is the second important Thomas Anson in this story. Frederica Sophia Anson was the daughter of this Thomas Anson who then married Bouverie Francis Primrose. Their son George Anson Primrose eventually married (1899) Mary Cecelia Kenny of Nova Scotia the daughter of Thomas Kenny a prominent Nova Scotia Politician. Though a later connection this is the second intermarriage involving members of the Anson and Primrose families including the connection to the Earl of Rosebery mentioned above. (Note there is no proven familial link between this Adams family and that of the U.S. President of the same name John Adams).

 

So though somewhat confusing we are starting to see one big happy family all associated with the Anson, Kepple, Primrose, and MacDonald family. These relations may shed some light onto the importance of the relation between Flora MacDonald the Jacobite heroine and Lady Primrose just after the 1745 Jacobite rebellion. In turn we are also starting to see how these people could have been possibly involved in the true meanings and associations of historical oddities such as we see at Oak Island, Rennes le Chateau, and Shugborough Hall.

 

This entire scheme of intrigue also leads us to one Daniel McInnis the said discoverer of the fabled Money Pit on Oak Island Nova Scotia. Besides being the individual who found the Money Pit Daniel also obviously played a role in how the story of Oak Island was told through time. He spent a good deal of time and energy into the recovery of the treasure. Given the circumstances and the way the story progressed we may be forced to at least consider other options with regard to the validity of the notion that there is a treasure still located at Oak Island.

 

There are many pro’s and con’s to any discussion of this sort. We are seeing indications of a group of people that may have been involved in the propagation of treasure stories at specific places for their own reasons. Does this mean there is no treasure involved? That question is hard to answer as what has now been exposed could lead to any number of possible conclusions.

 

Is there a treasure that was left at Oak Island by these people? Or had they gone there to retrieve something they knew was left by the d’Anville Expedition yet were unable to recover? Had they stored some of their wartime booty on Oak Island and retrieved it later? Any combination of these ideas may also be possible.

 

Also of interest is how this entire story could relate to the information exposed in the last chapter with regard to Auguste Labouisse-Rochefort and one Pierre Hubert Anson. Another aspect of French history includes many Scottish people coming to France throughout a long span of history. This would include members of the Scots Guard of French Royalty many of whose families had served in that capacity since the fifteenth century. Many other Scottish families also came to France as exiles that had took part in the Jacobite Rebellions and other seditious activities in Britain. These exiles did include members of the MacDonad and likely McInnis family as well and we should not neglect the possible influence of these exiles in all the stories discussed here including Oak Island and Rennes le Chateau.

 

For example the French military commander of Italy during the Napoleonic era was a man named Jacques MacDonald. Jacques was actually a cousin of Flora MacDonald’s. Jacques was also involved in the Grand Orient Freemasonry of France and Italy during this period of history after the French Revolution. Of course the Jacobites of Bonnie Prince Charlie and his family had a large impact on the development of the Grand Orient of France and Grand Orient of Italy Masonic organizations.

 

There are some inferences that Jacques MacDonald was directly associated with Bonnie Prince Charlie, his wife and daughter the Duchess of Albany (Jacobite Peerage). Note here also there are inferences that Thomas Anson visited Frascati where Bonnie Prince Charlie and his brother the Catholic Cardinal lived. In fact some sources state the heart of Bonnie Prince Charlie is entombed in Frescati Cathedral where his brother was a factor.

 

At this point it is important again to again discuss how Flora MacDonald and Daniel McInnis lived in Anson, County North Carolina prior to the war. We have discussed all the family and friendly associations of the Kepple, Primromse, MacDonald, and Anson families. It may be no surprise that some informed speculation could involve the fact that Admiral Anson had awarded both Daniel McInnis and Flora MacDonald land in North Carolina. It is a fact that Admiral Anson owned large tracts of land in North Carolina that he may have administered via an entity known as the Anson Company. Though not confirmed it may not be a stretch of the imagination that Anson had rewarded these two Jacobites that had in turn supplied information about missing Jacobite funds after the 1745 Jacobite Rebellion.

 

It may be these factors that later led to the involvement of Daniel McInnis in the propagation of the Legend of the Money Pit at Oak Island. Though Flora only lived in Nova Scotia for about a year her direct involvement is unknown beyond the fact that she was directly related to Daniel McInnis whose other family kin John McInnis had helped Bonnie Prince Charlie to safety just has Flora had.

 

Via this roundabout association of the MacDonald’s to the Anson’s and in turn the presence of their family in the French Military may help to tie the stories of Rennes le Chateau, Shugborugh Hall, and Oak Island together in a rational manner that is quite different than many of the other theories revolving around these lost treasure stories. In the end the treasures may have not been lost at all.

 

We are seeing how and why alternate stories would have been developed when British sources ended up with large amounts of French gold. As a matter of course the sources who supplied them with information had to be protected. This may be one reason the stories of Oak Island and Rennes le Chateau contain imagery from older literature or Folklore. The perpetrators of these stories had intentionally used these folklore stories as a cover for their very real intelligence activities which in turn involved gathering information about large amounts of gold. The promise of riches is a very powerful tool for luring even loyal French subjects into such a web of intrigue.

 

The fact that sources were protected and military figures profited from this activity is all the more reason to have kept it secret even after a significant amount of time had passed. It is possible the solution to these mysteries is present in some inaccessible file locked away in some bastion of British intelligence services today. After time had passed the public at large began to be fascinated by the stories that were left behind.

 

Does this mean there isn’t any treasure? This point of view should be considered where it is possible that the treasure in question was associated with warfare. A popular view of this concept is the older yet popular movie “Kelly’s Hero’s” which involves the WWII heist of German gold by allied forces. In the end the movie involved the American’s making a deal with the German’s guarding the gold that included them all getting equal shares. What happened with regard to the story of Oak Island may be something similar.