The Claim
The crown jewels of Ireland haven’t been seen since 1907
The crown jewels of Ireland, also known as the state jewels of Ireland consisted of a elaborately jewels star and set of badges that belonged to the Order of St. Patrick, an Irish version of the English and Scottish orders of chivalry.
The primary jewel is made of 394 precious stones which were taken from the English crown jewels of Queen Charlotte. Made in 1831 by the jewelry company Rundell and Bridge, the crown jewels were presented by William IV as part of a revision of the old order that was being replaced.
In 1907 the crown jewels of Ireland were stolen from Dublin castle and various notices were put in place giving a description, they read as follows:
A Diamond Star of the Grand Master of the Order of St. Patrick composed of brilliants of the purest water, 4 5⁄8 by 4 1⁄4 inches, consisting of eight points, four greater and four lesser, issuing from a centre enclosing a cross of rubies and a trefoil of emeralds surrounding a sky blue enamel circle with words, “Quis Separabit MDCCLXXXIII.” in rose diamonds engraved on back. Value about £14,000.
A Diamond Badge of the Grand Master of the Order of St. Patrick set in silver containing a trefoil in emeralds on a ruby cross surrounded by a sky blue enamelled circle with “Quis Separabit MDCCLXXXIII.” in rose diamonds surrounded by a wreath of trefoils in emeralds, the whole enclosed by a circle of large single Brazilian stones of the finest water, surmounted by a crowned harp in diamonds and loop, also in Brazilian stones. Total size of oval 3 by 2 3⁄8 inches; height 5 5⁄8 inches. Value £16,000.
£14,000 in 1907 is slightly just over 1.5 million pounds in 2019, making the stolen collection worth an absolute minimum of £3 million. One of the things i think when is see thefts like this is “who could you possibly sell it to”, normally with something like gold or silver you have the option of numerous buyers and you can always melt it down, but this is the most sought after missing item in Ireland.
Whoever stole it seemed to be an insider to Dublin castle where the gems were kept, and the theft happened shortly after a new safe was delivered but couldn’t fit into the correct safe room, so instead was placed in the office of Sir Arthur Vicars, the Ulster King of Arms.
There were seven keys that gave access to the office where the safe containing the jewels were kept, and the safe itself had only two keys, both of which were kept by Vicars who was well known to drink on duty.
One night when Vicars awoke he found the crown jewels had been taken out of the safe and placed round his neck, and not knowing whether it was a prank or not just placed them back inside and locked them up again.
The last time the jewels were seen publicly was when the 7th Earl of Aberdeen worn them for a parade on March 15, 1907, and the last time they were known to be in the safe was on 11 June the same year when Vicars showed them to someone visiting his office.
On June 6 when the safe was opened again the jewels were discovered to be missing, and only 4 days before a visit from King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra, who had planned to make a substantial investment to the new Order of St. Patrick.
The king was apparently furious with the theft, but the visit took place anyway, though the investment wasn’t given due to the missing jewels. Apart from the actual crown jewels themselves, five collars from members of the order were also taken, valued at just over £1000 each at the time making them worth about £100,000 a piece in 2019.
The Dublin Metropolitan Police led the investigation into the theft but Vicars was being very uncooperative. He refused to resign or appear at a Viceregal commission into the theft, but instead agreed to a public Royal commission instead, were he publicly accused his second in command of the crime.
Apart from a number of people pointing the finger at each other and denying everything they were accused of, the investigation didn’t actually get anywhere, and due to the severe lack of security equipment at the time, there was no evidence to implicate anyone.
There’s numerous rumours floating around as to where they may be and who took them, with some local newspapers at the time suggesting Lord Hando, the son of the 7th Earl of Aberdeen was involved, and others about how various police had their reports silenced for various reasons.
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