On July 6, 1907, the Irish crown Jewels were discovered to be missing from the Dublin Castle, and their whereabouts are still a mystery today. Whoever stole them pulled off one of the greatest heists of all time.
The jewels consisted of a star decorated with Brazilian diamonds and featured an emerald and ruby cross set against a blue enamel background.
There was also a diamond badge and five gold collars elaborately inlaid with jewels. Today, the Irish Crown Jewels are valued to be about twenty million dollars.
The precious stones are not linked to the monarchy but to the Order of St. Patrick. The order was established in 1783. The jewels were typically worn by the Grand Master of the Order, who was also the Viceroy.
At the time, the Viceroy was none other than Joseph Gordon Campbell. Before the jewels were raided, they had been locked away in the Bedford Tower, which was located in the Office of Arms. This office was responsible for guarding the gems.
The Ulster King of Arms, Sir Arthur Vicars, was in charge of the office and held two keys to the safe the jewels were stored in.
He also was in possession of seven keys to the building. In addition, there was an outdoor patrol of soldiers keeping watch over the area for 24 hours every day.
The timing of the theft might raise some eyebrows. The jewels were stolen right before King Edward VII was to visit and were supposed to be used to swear in a new knight to the Order of St. Patrick.
Vicars was not strict about security at all. The jewels were last seen on June 11, but between then and the time they went missing, there had been several reports of security breaches. For instance, the doors to the building and room where the jewels were housed had been found ajar multiple times.
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Many people had access to Vicars’ keys. While Vicars was drunk at a party, the son of the earl of Aberdeen took one of the keys to the safe, stole the jewels, and returned them to Vicars by mail as a funny prank. Vicars also enjoyed showing off the jewels to visitors.
On the morning of the robbery, a cleaner came across signs of an intruder in the room. The door to the safe was wide open, and the keys had been left in the lock. The ribbon and clasp of the diamond badge were left behind as well.
According to Vicars, it would’ve taken the thief about ten minutes to undo them, which indicated that whoever it was didn’t seem to be in a hurry.
The primary suspect was Francis Shackleton, the brother of Ernest Shackleton, the first man to explore the Antarctic. However, he was not in the country when the jewels were stolen.
However, some were led to believe that Shackleton collaborated with an associate to snatch the treasures.
No proof was uncovered to support these accusations, although Vicars was fired from his position as Ulster King of Arms.
In the end, the detectives never found out who the culprit was, and the jewels still haven’t resurfaced. One can only imagine where they might be now.
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