WhatFinger


Francis Shackleton, Irish Crown Jewels theft

Fingers pointing at old Crown Jewel thief



I have a soft spot in my heart for thieves, at least those that lead a Robin Hood type existence. So when historian Sean J. Murphy pointed the finger at Francis Shackleton, the brother of polar explorer Ernest, in the Irish Crown Jewels theft, I was a little bit happy.

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First of all, because this is a good old fashioned scandal of a famous family; secondly, because someone stole the crown jewels right from under the Irish’s noses. Don’t get me wrong, at least a quarter of my blood runs Irish, I have nothing against them. But nobility is something that Australians – most of us at least – don’t take well too. The event took place at the beginning of the 20th century, when the Irish Crown Jewels, located at the Dublin Castle, were nicked. It occurred three days before King Edward VII was due to make a state visit; he was naturally outraged. The jewels consisted of the star and badge of the Order of St. Patrick, and were made from Brazilian diamonds, emeralds and rubies. They were never recovered, and so the real proof is going to have to remain hidden for the time being, leaving us to rely on historical records. Which is just where Murphy went to find the evidence that he thinks points towards Shackleton as the guilty culprit. According to Murphy, Shackleton –who was the Dublin Herald, shared a house with the original suspect, Sir Arthur Vicars, the Ulster King of Arms. The original inquiry said that Vicars “did not exercise due vigilance or proper care as the custodian of the regalia.” The only set of keys was kept at Dublin Castle with Vicars, the only man with access. “I have seen the records of Shackleton's interviews and they are a masterpiece of control of his interrogators,” Mr Murphy said in an interview with The Times. “Shackleton is threatening to reveal all sorts of damaging information if he is pressed too hard.” The “damaging information” is, according to Murphy, evidence of a homosexual group within the Dublin Castle; information which would definitely have been, at the time, worth a cover up. He links this to letters written by an official who refers to Shackleton and others within the castle as being “addicted to certain practices.” An Irish-American newspaper of the time, The Gaelic American, was known to have claimed that wild parties were held by Vicars in the Office of Arms. According to the paper, on one of these occasions someone relieved Vicard of the keys to the safe, removed the Crown Jewels, and subsequently returned them all to him days later by post. “I think Shackleton witnessed this and realised how easy it was to get the jewels,” Mr Murphy said. Vicars never was able to get over the event, and his will – which was held back under the censor for 55 years – says the following; “I was made a scapegoat to save other departments responsible ... they shielded the real culprit and thief, Francis R. Shackleton. My whole life and work was ruined by this cruel misfortune and by the wicked and blackguardly acts of the Irish Government.” He was shot dead in front of his wife in an IRA raid on his home in 1921. All in all, my kudos goes to Shackleton and his family, who damn well better have those jewels locked up somewhere tight, yet on display! Joshua Hill, a Geek’s-Geek from Melbourne, Australia, Josh is an aspiring author with dreams of publishing his epic fantasy, currently in the works, sometime in the next 5 years. A techie, nerd, sci-fi nut and bookworm.


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Guest Column Joshua Hill -- Bio and Archives

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