The Underwater Coal Mine of George Bruce. An Oak Island mystery featuring another “Money Pit,” Philip Sidney and Sir Francis Bacon.

The Underwater Coal Mine of George Bruce.

An Oak Island mystery featuring another “Money Pit,” Philip Sidney and Sir Francis Bacon. Cort Lindahl 3/8/2020

 

Culross, Scotland. The Moat Pit of Sir George Bruce is visible to the left in this illustration.

 

 

Over the years there have been many theories that speculate whether the Money Pit of Oak Island was even possible to have engineered as described. Many Oak Island searchers have theorized about box drains and lateral tunnels having been dug from the Money Pit itself. In opposition to this notion many others have said it would have been impossible given the technology of the day for anyone to have executed such a construction in the wilds of Nova Scotia at an early date.

 

What if there were a way to prove that the engineering feat of the Money Pit was possible by citing contemporary uses of similar technology?

 

History does provide us with an engineering feat in late sixteenth century Scotland that may suggest a construction such as that supposed at the Money Pit on Oak Island is indeed possible during the era in question. Due to the efforts of a brilliant man who was part of the famous Bruce family of Scotland we may now assume all of the supposed engineered aspects of the Money Pit were possible. This short tale is amazing and may also provide us evidence related to Oak Island beyond the construction technology used by George Bruce in his coal mine. It may be that there are some literary clues that had been left by Bruce and others that also may refer to Oak Island. 

 

 

 George Bruce of Culross on the banks of the Firth of Forth had executed a feature of his coal mine there in a way that is reminiscent of speculative descriptions of the Money Pit on Oak Island Nova Scotia. Bruce had actually constructed a man-made island in the Firth of Forth from which he sunk a shaft and created lateral tunnels connecting to the already existing coal diggings on the shore. In so doing he had also included a drainage tunnel from which he extracted water using the “Egyptian Wheel” method.

 

The Egyptian Wheel was a complex device that used livestock to turn a wheel which in turn lifted a series of buckets full of water out of the drainage tunnel is series. In this way George Bruce was able to keep the tunnels dry enough for the miners to continue to extract coal. This is an amazing feat of engineering for the 1590’s when Bruce built all of this.

 

Later King James IV and I King of England, Ireland, and Scotland visited Bruce’s coal mine. As the story goes Bruce had failed to inform the king that a portion of his mine went under the Firth of Forth. Bruce accompanied the King on a tour of the coal mine during which they emerged onto the man-made island surrounded by water. When the King realized he had travelled beneath the river he was furious and accused Bruce of attempting to assassinate him. Eventually the King realized that Bruce had been with him the entire time and marveled at the accomplishments of Bruce in his construction of such a device.

 

At this time, the Baron of Nova Scotia and Earl of Stirling Sir William Alexander may have also been present since this scene took place during one of James I rare visits to Scotland. Alexander was a courtier of James I who would eventually grant him the lands of Nova Scotia thus making him the Baron of Nova Scotia. If Alexander was present or aware of what George Bruce had done could this have then translated later to a similar construction being executed at Oak Island? This of course is possible though there is no documentation of this having been done. We may speculate that this could be true and that the underwater coal mine of George Bruce could have easily provided the engineering template that made the Money Pit a possibility or a reality.

 

George Bruce was related to other Bruce family members two of whom would eventually be awarded Baronetcies of Nova Scotia. Of course, he was also part of the same family as the famous King of Scotland Robert the Bruce whose family had also produced several very intelligent and influential people including the later Ethiopian explorer James Bruce. George Bruce accumulated a great deal of wealth via his coal mine and other enterprises and eventually built what became known of as Culross Palace in Culross, Scotland near where his mines were located.

 

Here’s where the story takes a bizarre turn with some equally amazing connections to concepts and people we have previously discussed in relation to the Oak Island enigma.

 

George Bruce lavishly decorated his home with a series of wood panel paintings which was a common form of art in this era in Scotland. Even Stirling Castle is famous for its woodwork rendering of famous people and concepts. During this era of art and literature esoteric or hidden concepts were often concealed in such art. This concept is also related to other famous lost treasure and landscape mysteries such as those of Rennes le Chateau and Shugborough Hall of the Anson family.

 

This author has previously discussed the use of Withers “Book of Emblems” in the Mystery of the Bruton Vault in Williamsburg and Quarles’ “Book of Emblems” at Stirling Castle also in Scotland. The Service Stone at Stirling is a stone memorial or grave marker created in 1636 for John Service who was a stone mason at Stirling Castle. The Service Stone as it is known uses an illustration from Quarles’ “Book of Emblems” as part of the artwork on the stone. The stone also features bullet marks from the failed 1745 Jacobite Rebellion of Bonnie Prince Charlie. The Service Stone in this way has also been the point of great speculation as to its possible alternate meanings at such a storied place as Stirling Castle.

 

Also discussed in prior works is how the Withers “Book of Emblems” may apply to a sort of mystery in Williamsburg, Virginia in which designs in the book are suggestive of headstones in the Bruton Parish Churchyard in Williamsburg. This legend states that a cache of Sir Francis Bacon’s papers was brought to colonial Virginia by famous rebel Nathaniel Bacon. At first this cache was said to have been stored in a vault in the bell tower of the Jamestown Church. After a time as the Colonial Capitol was moved to Williamsburg the vault was also moved to beneath the bell tower of the Bruton Parish Church there. It is possible that this conundrum in Williamsburg was based on earlier similar historical oddities that had also included a Book of Emblems. These earlier references to Books of Emblems may be the real reason Withers book had been used or associated with what was going on in Williamsburg.

 

So here are two examples of how “Books of Emblems” were valued during this period of history. These books were a sort of Rosicrucian guide to those that may have been able to at least speculate as to the allegorical and metaphorical themes of the illustrations which are often accompanied by enigmatic mottoes or poems.

 

The Books of Emblems in part were designed to inspire the reader to learn more about these strange designs and symbols. As such they may have also been used to initiate people into specific meanings presented in a secret way. This type of communication is common in alchemy, Freemasonry, and Rosicrucian circles of the day. It may also be that these books were meant to simply inspire the reader given the level of knowledge or imagination they already possessed.

 

For example, we do know that the two sons of the Baron of Nova Scotia William and Anthony were among the earliest of speculative Mason’s in Scotland. The Baron of Nova Scotia himself was an accomplished author in the age of Shakespeare, Sir Francis Bacon, and others like Philip Sidney. Some literary historians even suggest that some of the themes present in Shakespeare works like “Julius Caesar” and others had been inspired by the earlier poetry of William Alexander Baron of Nova Scotia. Still further Alexander had even been suspected by some as having been involved in the production of the works of Shakespeare. This is not unusual as the list of suspects is quite lengthy in the current era (2020).

 

It seems that the later popularity of Books of Emblems had been somewhat presaged by George Bruce who used the first Book of Emblems to come to England and Scotland as the basis for many of the wood paneled paintings present at Culross Palace. Bruce had apparently been an admirer of a Whitney’s “Book of Emblems and Other Divises” and had included designs from the book in some of the paneling in his lavish home. If nothing else this fact displays that George Bruce was interested in the kind of hidden or obscured meanings within Whitney’s book. He certainly was intelligent enough and likely well-read enough to understand some of the allegories present in such a book.

 

One of the illustrations Bruce included in his home from Whitney’s “Book of Emblems and Other Devises” was a depiction of a Coconut Palm. Any fan of the Oak Island Money Pit saga knows that husks from coconuts have been found on Oak Island in a context that suggests their presence was part of the engineering of the Money Pit itself. Though a stretch of logic it is interesting to speculate if Bruce had also used coconut husks as part of what he had created in the form of his underwater coal mine. It may be that this strange rendering of a palm at Culross Palace has a connection to other uses of coconut husks in a similar manner.

 

The mine had been constructed in an era during which Sir Francis Drake and others had gone to the tropics and may have known about any potential uses of coconuts and their husks. It is also interesting that the illustration in Whitney’s book originally depicted a loosely consolidated bale or bunch of hay at the top of a post that resembled a coconut palm. The illustration of the same design at Culross is then changed to that of a palm tree that appears very similar in form. Though some art historians portray this as a later mistake we may see the possibility that he had included this anomaly intentionally. This of course is an idea only suggested by the facts here.

 

Is it possible that coconut husks were also used at Bruce’s coal mine? It is possible that they were used to hold or soak up water just as many Oak Island theorist’s suggest.

 

The notion that Sir William Alexander the Baron of Nova Scotia had also known George Bruce or had been there during James I visit to Bruce’s coal mine is possible. As stated Alexander was an accomplished author himself. It is no coincidence that in two cases of poems that had been written by him that literary historians state his inspiration was Whitney’s Book of Emblems. Here we have both Sir George Bruce and Sir William Alexander having been influenced and aware of Whitney’s work. Is it possible this does link us to Oak Island and the Money Pit there?

 

Amazingly Whitney’s “Book of Emblems” also supplies us with a surprising link to another period character whom this author has speculated inspired the original folklore of the three young men finding the Money Pit on Oak Island. Plate 38 of Whitney’s book is dedicated to none other than Philip Sidney author of the book “Arcadia” which was later amended by the Baron of Nova Scotia Sir William Alexander himself! It has been repeated many times here by this author that Sidney’s book seems to reference Oak Island and the Money Pit. It is unknown exactly which illustrations from Whitney’s book are included at Culross Palace including the one that refers to Sidney.

 

Whitney and Sidney were actually friends who had fought together in the Netherlands prior to Sidney being killed there. Further Whitney had dedicated the entire Book of Emblems to Philip Sidney’s uncle the Earl of Leicester Sir Robert Dudley who was a close confidant and some say paramour to Queen Elizabeth I herself. Robert Dudley was Philip Sidney’s uncle. If the conspiracy theory that Dudley and Queen Elizabeth were actually the parents of Sir Francis Bacon is true then this would have made Sidney Bacon’s first cousin!

 

These connections do seem to be scant but it is somewhat amazing that a man who had constructed a real “Money Pit” in the form of his underwater coal mine had an appreciation for Whitney’s “Book of Emblems” that in turn connects us with the imagery of Sir Francis Bacon, Sir Robert Dudley, and Philip Sidney. This author does link Sidney who had once been awarded a portion of what would later be termed Nova Scotia by Sir Humphrey Gilbert to the mythology of the Money Pit itself.

 

Still the mere mention of the name Sir Francis Bacon also has inspired many to speculate as to his involvement in the Money Pit saga as well. Many speculate that as in the case of the Bruton Vault in Virginia that the papers of Sir Francis Bacon had actually been stashed in a vault or Money Pit on Oak Island. Sidney’s book describes a “Money Pit” with a “graven stone” at the bottom that covers the entrance to a vault. The story also includes “Aristomenes Box” that contains parchment as well as other papers below the stone at the bottom of the pit.

 

It is no surprise then that there are many conspiratorial theories that Sir Francis Bacon had been the actual author of Whitney’s “Book of Emblems.” There are indeed some earmarks and other designs in the book that have been associated by symbolists and Rosicrucians with Sir Francis Bacon which include the strange arrangement of some out of place letters and numerals in the book and the inclusion of the image of a Hog in one design. The hog is also present in a prominent illustration of Withers “Book of Emblems” possibly related to the Bruton Vault in Williamsburg that many also associate with Bacon’s lost papers which may in the minds of many supply us with the true author of the works of Shakespeare.

 

Withers “Book of Emblems” as it may apply to a similar mystery involving Bacon in Williamsburg also includes Philip Sidney’s nephew Philip Herbert as one of the dedicatees of the tome. Philip and his brother William Herbert are also the dedicatees of the Frist Folio of Shakespeare which is said to include a great deal of artwork and ciphers that supply information that some say also leads to Oak Island and Bacon’s papers (See the work of Petter Amundsen).

 

Philip and William Herbert were the sons of Philip Sidney’s sister Mary Sidney Herbert the Countess of Pembroke who was part of what may be termed the Wilton Writers Circle that I suspect was behind the works of Shakespeare in league possibly with William Shakespeare himself. The Wilton Writers Circle was active in the age during which the Baron of Nova Scotia was also an accomplished author and during which Whitney’s book was also very popular. Other members of the Wilton Writers Circle may have included people like Ben Jonson who had dedicated the First Folio of Shakespeare to the Herbert Brothers as well as famous architect Inigo Jones.

 

Here in the form of the life and works of one George Bruce we may be supplied with some faint hints or clues as to what had actually gone on at Oak Island in the past. Of course, all of this may be an allegorical journey meant to teach us concepts. Given that it is still interesting to contemplate the real and factual overtones of George Bruce, his underwater coal mines, and why he chose to decorate his home with illustrations from a book that in turn connects us to the imagery Sir William Alexander, Philip Sidney, Sir Francis Bacon, and the lost papers of Bacon. It appears that in many ways these Books of Emblems may apply to any contrived mysteries at Oak Island or in Williamsburg. In turn the famous Beale Treasure of Virginia is also associated with what may be termed the mystery of Bacon’s Vault in Williamsburg.

 

Had Bruce’s Money Pit been the template for the Money Pit of Oak Island? The other connections to Sidney and Bacon may make this a more viable theory which could be somehow true. If nothing else this tale emphasizes the degree to which the art and literature of the era was impacted by Sir Francis Bacon, Philip Sidney, and all the mysteries surrounding the works of Shakespeare. It may be that wealthy and influential people were telling us alternate stories via the art and literature they chose to promote and decorate their homes with. This in an era in which art usually had some definite political, religious or social overtones. This author has pointed out many instances of this concept being true.

 

George Bruce had married two women named Primrose. Later in history the Primrose family would constituted the Earls of Rosebery. This may also later supply us a link to Nova Scotia and the money pit as the daughter of Thomas Anson of Shugborogh Hall had later married into the Primrose family of Nova Scotia. In fact there are three intermarriages between the Primrose family and the Anson’s one of which was between them and a family of that name from Nova Scotia. The Primrose family are also direct kin to the famous Rothschild family of England. Though the Anson and Rothchild relations come to us long after the time of Sir George Bruce it is still of interest to the overall stories of Oak Island and Shugborough Hall.

 

Also of note here is the family relations of one Daniel McInnis to the above group of families including the Primrose, Anson, Keppel, and other members of the MacDonald family. Daniel McInnis and famous Jacobite heroine Flora MacDonald are also related to all these people in many ways. We may also note that prior to coming to Nova Scotia Flora and Daniel had lived in Anson County, North Carolina named for Admiral Anson of Shugborough Hall and Moor Park. It is no surprise then that the creator of what is termed the “Moat Pit” undersea coalmine Sir George Bruce’s first wife was none other than Margaret Primrose, daughter of Archibald Primrose of Burnbrae. Bruce’s second wife was Euphame Primrose the daughter of David Primrose a resident of Culross as well.

 

This is a very interesting link to how and why the Money Pit had been constructed. The possible involvement of Daniel McInnis’ cousin Flora MacDonald gives us even a closer link to the notion that the Money Pit had been fashioned after George Bruce’s undersea coalmine. This information also opens the door to some new speculation that has never been considered in the Oak Island saga prior.

 

If Daniel McInnis and Flora MacDonald were involved in the manner suggested here then this could mean that gold from the failed ’45 Jacobite Rebellion had been stashed on Oak Island and hidden in a construction similar to the “Moat Pit” of Sir George Bruce. The Primrose family would have definitely been aware of the story of Bruce and his coal mine. All of the family links discussed here as well as the direct connections to the life of Philip Sidney and the Anson family go a long way toward suggesting that this authors theory that Sidney’s story of a Money Pit in his book “Arcadia” had also been used as part of the legacy and folklore of the Money Pit on Oak Island.

 

All of this does suggest that Admiral Anson and other select members of his inner circle were aware of something that had been hidden at Oak Island or alternately they had been behind the construction of the Money Pit. The former seems to be more likely as they may have been aware of this story via their relations to the Primrose family. It is noted that Lady Primrose took an unusual interest in Flora MacDonald during her imprisonment for aiding Bonnie Prince Charlie in his escape from Scotland after the failed 1745 Jacobite Rebellion. At that time another man named John McInnis was also punished for aiding Bonnie Prince Charlie in his escape.

 

If we break this information down we still don’t know if the Money Pit had been their prior or that this family group had constructed the Money Pit for their own reasons. This author has long espoused that the Money Pit story included in Sidney’s book “Arcadia” inspired or effected the way the story of Oak Island had been told. The story of Daniel McInnis finding the Money Pit and its description in the many years after its discovery could have easily been based on the Money Pit story in Sidney’s book.

 

Its seems these families including the Primrose, Keppel, and MacDonald families were at least privy to the truth of what ever went on at Oak Island. It is easy to image a scenario in which Daniel McInnis was on Oak Island to guard whatever secrets the island held. Alternately he had knowledge of something that had been hidden there in the past. This would not have been unusual since Admiral Anson and his brother Thomas had both been involved in receiving intelligence information about the movement of large amounts of Spanish and French gold in the colonies.

 

In this case we may be left to speculate that the gold that had been hidden on Oak Island had been associated with the failed Jacobite Rebellion and then moved by said Jacobites to Oak Island. If true then Anson’s intelligence network could have been aware of the entire story via informants and later possibly from Flora MacDonald herself.

 

It may also be considered that this group including the Anson’s had already recovered something from the island and had left behind this elaborate story which contains just enough clues for someone to figure it all out. In the past this may have required the searcher to have been initiated into all the secrets of the entire story in some ways. In today’s world, the use of the internet has allowed his author to make all these connections. Even given that it has taken several years to connect these dots which expose a whole new reality with regard to the bizarre and tantalizing story of Oak Island and any possible treasure stashed there.

 

It is easy to see how over the years such a story has birthed a wide variety of appendant folklore and theories. This new information does directly link all these families together which amazingly includes Sir George Bruce and his amazing undersea coal mine.