Written by the TreasureGuide for the exclusive use of treasurebeachesreport.blogspot.com.
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| British Pewter 76th Regiment Button Metal Detector Find |
Yesterday I mentioned a British military button found at St. Augustine that was thought to be associated with the wreck of a British ship that sank after the British fled Charleston. That reminded me of a find that I made that is remotely related.
Years ago I found a pewter 76th Hindoostan Regiment British button (not 74th) in St. Lucia along with a variety of things, including grape shot and musket parts, musket balls and flints, as well as other buttons including one from the 54th foot.
The 76th button is shown in the photo here. The bottom of the button is actually to the left, where you can see the "76." Not the best photo. The button also shows an elephant with carriage and has the words HINDOOSTAN PENINSULA around the top of the button.
I’ve been trying to find out when the 76th and 54th were on the island of St. Lucia. That is my primary question at this point. I’d like to find out if possible which battle the two buttons came from.
By the way things were scattered about where the 76th and 54th buttons were found in St. Lucia, it did appear to me that the buttons and other items were from a battle.
It seems the 76th and 74th were in a lot of the same places, but do not know when they were together and when not.
The 76th (Hindoostan) Regiment of Foot was raised in 1787 by the East India Company.
I have one source suggesting that the 76th was involved in a battle with the French on St. Lucia in 1788. I also have a source saying that the 74th was stationed in St. Lucia in the 1840s. I don’t know if the 76th was there at the later date or not, but it could be as I think the 76th was also under the leadership of Archibald Cambell.
Here is a link to a detailed chart showing the dates of the various regiments of foot if you are interested.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Regiments_of_Foot
It is a good reference for British military regiments.
And here is a link if you want to learn more about the 76th Regiment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/76th_Regiment_of_Foot
I sure would appreciate any help in finding exactly when the 76th or 54th were on St. Lucia.
The Nov. 3 treasure hunter’s benefit cookout is becoming a really big affair - probably one of the biggest treasure hunting affairs of it’s kind that you’ll ever find. And with lots of prizes and goodies that you won’t find anywhere else.
If you missed the flyer with all the details, go back a few posts in this blog.
Here are new details sent in by Aquanut John.
I talked to Taffi Fisher today. She's going to donate a 1715 Pate Fleet or Atocha 8 Reale cob coin to be auctioned off at the benefit. Also she will be there for a short time to visit.
Also, Elle has sent me her last copy of her book "The Marigalera of the 1715 Fleet" that will also be available! This may go on auction or in the raffle!
I will also offer 3 rice bowls dated around 900 AD from the Vietnam wreck of the Tang Dynasty era which I got from Treasure Hunting' Tom.
Additionally, I'll put up for auction, out of my personal collection, an original Tairona Indian Pre-Colombian Tumbaga figurine of unknown age to generate interest.
I'll post pictures of my stuff and Elle's book next week when I get back from the Keys. BTW, Elle is also known as Laura Strolia, a wonderful researcher, so you don't want to miss what she has to say!
Additionally, There will be other limited addition treasure books, cobs, displays, treasure items and more available to everyone that attends.
Aquanut
The wind has shifted. It is now out of the South. That means the seas will be smoothing out.
The surf web sites are predicting around three foot seas today. Look for smooth seas this weekend. That might be a good time to get in the water and check out the low tide zone.
The south winds might also wash up some shell piles in some locations.
Treasure Coast beach detecting conditions for old shipwreck cobs or treasure coins remains poor.
Metal detecting is such a great hobby. And you can tell from what is being done for the cookout that really great people are involved. They come from all walks of life, young and old, male and female. They are different in any ways but have a lot in common.
No matter who you are, metal detecting has a lot to offer. You can learn so much. You can discover history on your own. You can make new friends. I can’t even begin to list all the benefits for those who do it, but there are other benefits too, such as the millions of coins that are returned to circulation and the discoveries are made.
And the web has helped. There are a lot of good sites for research now - a lot more than a few years ago.
As I looked for information on the button yesterday, I found several photos of 76th Regiment button finds, some posted by detectorists.
And when I was looking for information on the FEC box car seal, it wasn’t the railroad association that was able to answer my question, but I found the answer by looking at other metal detector finds.
We contribute a lot to the public knowledge base. And that benefit should not remain unappreciated.
The web is changing how knowledge is accumulated and distributed.
Passion motivates people - young or old.
Amateurs have always made contributions, but academics protect their place in the ivory tower. The public now has the ability to put their knowledge out there for the world to see.
I’ll leave you with one thought that is very important to me. Nothing in this country needs reformed more than our educational institutions.
Happy hunting,
TreasureGuide@comcast.net
