Norman Island

Norman Island
Norman Island, view from Sage Mountain on Tortola

Norman Island is located at the southern tip of the British Virgin Islands archipelago. It is reputed to be the inspiration for Robert Louis Stevenson's pirate novel Treasure Island.[1]

Contents

History

It is said that the island was named after a pirate who bought it or leased it at some point during the early 18th century,[2] although supporting evidence for this contention is difficult to find.

However, Norman Island also has a documented history of pirate booty being stowed upon the island. In August of 1750 a Spanish treasure galleon named Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe sought shelter from a storm on the North Carolina coast. The crew mutinied and the treasure, said to consist of (amongst other things) 55 chests of silver coins, was loaded into two Bilanders, one of which was manned by Owen Lloyd. The first vessel perished, but Lloyd escaped to St. Croix. After disposing of some of the money, he proceeded to Norman Island where the treasure was buried. Lloyd and his crew were later arrested in St. Eustatius, but word of the treasure spread, and residents of Tortola went to Norman Island and dug it up for themselves. Part of the booty was later recovered by Gilbert Fleming, Lieutenant-General of the Leeward Islands at the time, who travelled to Tortola with two companies of soldiers. Fleming persuaded Abraham Chalwill, the acting Lieutenant Governor of the British Virgin Islands (who had coincidentally lead the search for the treasure on Norman Island) to issue a proclamation whereby the treasure would be returned and the people who had dug it up would receive a one-third share as a reward.[3]

There the historical record ends, but local rumours abound that a member of a well-known local family had been fishing near Norman Island and took shelter in one of the caves on the Western coast of Norman Island during a storm. The surge repeatedly banged his small boat against the walls of the cave, whilst the storm surge caused the water level to rise several feet. When the fortunate fisherman woke the next morning, a large number of rocks had broken off into his small craft, as had a small chest, supposedly filled with gold doubloons. The story cannot be verified as no legal application for treasure trove was ever made,[4] but it is known that members of the family ceased being fisherman and left Tortola at about the time to open some shops in Charlotte Amalie in St. Thomas.

Rumours persist of more pirate gold to be found on Norman Island, although to date no applications have ever been made for treasure trove.

Today

The island is uninhabited and privately owned by Dr Henry Jarecki. Its area is about 600 acres (2.4 km²), and it is about 2.5 miles (4 km) long. A large harbour known as "The Bight" offers one of the most protected anchorages in the area. It is considered to be one of the "Little Sisters," along with Pelican Island, Peter Island, Salt Island, Dead Chest Island, and Ginger Island. This group of islands is smaller, lower, and more arid than other islands to the north and west.

Snorkeling inside a cave at Norman Island, the island of Tortola is visible in the background

Norman Island is a well-known destination for cruisers and other tourists because of 3 water-level caves at the base of cliffs just outside the western edge of The Bight. The caves are ideal for snorkeling, and, if one goes deeply enough into the cliffs, darkness makes the experience like a night dive.

The island has no permanent inhabitants (other than wild goats), but there is a restaurant and bar named "Pirates" located in the Bight. There is also an old barge named the William Thornton (or "Willie T" to locals) which operates as a bar and restaurant.

In the television show The Jeffersons one of the characters is from the Caribbean island of "St. Norman". This is probably an inside joke since the creator of the show was Norman Lear.

External links

Footnotes

  1. ^ "Where's Where" (1974) (Eyre Methuen, London} ISBN 0-413-32290-4, Norman Island.
  2. ^ See for example, Welcome Magazine, Vol. 36, No. 1: "The Real Pirates of the Caribbean"
  3. ^ A History of the British Virgin Islands, Isaac Dookahn, ISBN 0-85935-027-4
  4. ^ Under applicable British Virgin Islands law, the Government would probably have been entitled to a half share, depending upon the coroner's finding as to the circumstances of the treasure's coming to be in the cave.


Coordinates: 18°19′N 64°37′W / 18.317°N 64.617°W / 18.317; -64.617


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Norman Island — In einer Höhle auf Norman Island Gewässer Karibisches Meer …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Norman Island — Sp Nòrmano salà Ap Norman Island L M. Antiluose, D. Britanijos Mergelių Salos …   Pasaulio vietovardžiai. Internetinė duomenų bazė

  • Norman Island (Victoria) — Norman Island is located approximately 4km west of Picnic Point, Wilsons Promontory in Victoria, Australia at 39° 01’ S, 146° 15’ E. It is proclaimed as a Remote and Natural Area under the National Parks Act. External links Parks Victoria Wilsons …   Wikipedia

  • Norman's Cay — in 1981. Norman s Cay is a small Bahamian island (a few hundred acres) in the Exumas, a chain of islands south and east of Nassau, that served as the headquarters for Carlos Lehder s drug smuggling operation from 1978 to around 1982. Contents 1… …   Wikipedia

  • Norman Lockyer Island — Geography Location Northern Canada Coordinates …   Wikipedia

  • Norman Hetherington — Self portrait, 1946. Born Norman Frederick Hetherington 29 May 1921(1921 05 29) Lilyfield, New South Wales …   Wikipedia

  • Norman S. Case — (1937) Norman Stanley Case (* 11. Oktober 1888 in Providence, Rhode Island; † 9. Oktober 1967 in South Kingstown, Rhode Island) war ein US amerikanischer Politiker (Republikanische Partei) und von 1928 bis 1933 Gouverneur des Bundesstaates …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Norman Jaffe — in front of his Bridgehampton Studio, 1993 Born April 3, 1932(1932 04 03)[1] Chicago …   Wikipedia

  • Norman S. Case — Norman Stanley Case Personal details Born October 11, 1888 Providence, R.I. Died October 9, 1967(1967 10 09) (aged 78) Wakefield, Rhode Island Nationality United States …   Wikipedia

  • Norman Francis Vandivier — Born March 10, 1916(1916 03 10) Edwards, Mississippi Died June 4, 1942(1942 06 04) (aged 26) near Midway Atoll …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”