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RESEARCH PRODUCT

The Authorities’ Attitude Towards Treasure Hunting

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Shortly after the fall of the Bastille, a London newspaper was scandalized that people had been imprisoned there for mere trifles. Among the prisoners listed was a certain Girard, allegedly a treasure seeker.1 Was treasure seeking indeed merely a trifling offence? What had the courts and law enforcement agencies of premodern Britain and Europe to say about it? As we have seen in Chapter 1, treasure hunting as such was hardly ever illegal. It was, however, riddled with legal difficulties. What percentage of his find would the treasure hunter actually get? What would the fisc demand for the prince’s coffers? In addition to these juridical problems, an important part of pre-modern treasure hunting — magic — was never lawful. However, pre-modern treasure lore was so deeply steeped in magic that it is difficult to imagine treasure hunters not using the forbidden art. In this chapter, we will examine how the authorities dealt with treasure seekers in practice.