On Tuesday nights I will often wait until I have watched The Curse of Oak Island before I write my blog post. I want to see if something exciting has been found and whether I want to write something.
Last week the teaser showed them finding an item along the shore with a metal detector that they were all excited about. This turned out to be a lead seal that could have been used as a bag seal.
The seal has letters and symbols which could provide more information of where it came from and when it was used. Once more is known about the seal it may prove very significant.
Update: See the comments for more information. A similar seal was found in Jamestown, so this may give a clue on the time when it was used.
Update 2: See also Oak Island Lead Seal Thoughts for more information and thoughts.
Update 3: See also Oak Island – Lead Source for thoughts as to whether the source maters.
They also found a fully intact pottery base of what could be creamware. This type of pottery was first produced in the 1740’s in Staffordshire. The base was found along the road leading from the swamp, and could provide more information about when it was in use.
This scene brought back memories of working on a dig in Israel where we would find many pottery bases. However, they were three thousand years older.
This week they also did a survey of bore holes and wells by taking water samples. They were looking to see what elements were found in the bottom of the holes. As the show came to a close they revealed that significant amounts of Zinc and Copper along with Silver were found in three of the holes.
Update: I went back and re-watched this section to see if I could piece together data from the map and spreadsheet to determine the location of the holes. Two of the three holes with significant amounts of Zinc and Copper were in the Money Pit area. They were also the only holes tested there. The third hole is by itself to the southeast of the Money Pit.
Does this point to treasure? We will probably have to wait until next year to find out.
After a few weeks of not too much happening, this was an exciting episode.
The preview for the next episode mentioned that it is the Season Finale, so I am sure we will hear about something exciting that will have us looking forward to the next season.
One of the things you hear in the preview is that there is evidence of treasure.
What will it be?
Next year may be very exciting based on some of the things they have already talked about doing during the next season. They have also had a long off season to do more research.
I am not sure when they begin their work, but they may already be working again on Oak Island. If not, they are surely staging equipment for the season.
I am looking forward to the final episode of the season after viewing this one.
Steven
Braman's Wanderings 
The cloth seal found is probably english ca. 1638-1714. The 4 atop a cross means it is undyed cloth produced by a cloth makers guild.It is not woad or wool. The initials on the front tell which guild, On the back there should be initials of the weavers scratched on the material.This is NOT from the London guild which had a different symbol. I would guess it was a guild somewhere in southwest England. Please post the photo of the seal on this website.
I do not have a photo of the seal as I am not connected to the show. These are just my thoughts after watching the show. Thanks for the comment. It is always interesting to learn more about things like this. I am sure that we will see similar information in the future on the show as they do the research.
Take a look at 1:39 (photo)
If indeed it is from Norwich then it is pre-1705 as that is when they discontinued using seals there. The books of the Weaving Guild were also destroyed at that time.
Source: A Comprehensive History of Norwich by A. D. Bayne
It’s not a cross it’s a anchor seal sailors anchor seal ⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓⚓
Keep puffing that good stuff – no anchor of any stylistic design looks like this masonic derived symbol.
It actually looks similar to the lead seal on the first image on this page: https://historicjamestowne.org/collections/artifacts/lead-seals/
Definitely does. Unfortunately it is the only seal they don’t give additional information about.
I have a seal that was used in the early and mid-1600s by John Winter, agent for a fishing station off the coast of Maine. Winter used this seal on his letters. He was not a wool merchant. Winter’s seal has his initials on either side of the cross of four. There has to be more to the symbols on this seal for it to be used by a sea captain turned fishing station agent. Winter’s seal was on a ring.
I think the seal is very similar to the seals used in the fur trade from the 1700’s. Hudson bay fur trader has one very that looks the same, only the letters differ. And another one from ” killer” fur trade used between 1760 and 1810. This one uses the letters “F” and “M” next to the cross.
Im sure i seen the same sort of seal on Quest for Captain Kidd – Discovery UK. It was on a grave dating back to a family. to me the picture is upside downas its looks like a symbol of the knights templar the other way up.
The seal is very similar to this one:
http://www.bagseals.org/gallery/main.php?g2_itemId=37593
It is from Bremen, Germany
VERY similar, and I love the explanation that the backwards “4” is actually a rendition of the hand motions when “crossing oneself” (and that it’s use dates back to Roman times). The pattern at the bottom looks like the Masonic compass and square (which of course was descended from the Knights Templar)
Doing research in the Baronets era (1600-1755) (British era 1755-current), One Scottish Baronet Sir Charles Erskine was noted to be missing from Scotland, and then reappeared in the last years of 1690s was a Member of Parliament, and quickly died. If you look at the letters you will see C and E, while the other iconic symbols are those of the ancient Scottish masonry (not the modern General Lodge of England, Scotland, Wales and northern Ireland and Dublin). I make the stateement that this is from that last 1680s-1690s period – and that Erskine was Governor (?) of the island at that time, having assumed it from a prior Baronet, and passing it to a different Baronet when leaving,
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i have the same seal,found in Lincoln uk.the initials both side of the long 4 is F W and look like Roman numerals XX or set square and compass?
Irrespective of whether the lead was mined from France, imported into “the United Kingdom,” and used in Scotland, or Lincoln-England, then smelted and coined, and used as a lead seal is the issue. The statements that it is a T E or Treasury of England is misleading as nobody can have a central stem “I” of the “T” sit on the left side of the character. The only valid letter (and you can see the wear pattern of the bottom “C” and its triangular filial. Somebody of importance would have to be using that – MOST ESPECIALLY from Scotland to Nova Scotia/Colonies, or from a destination to Lincoln-England as its final destination.
They mention cargo fabrics (and textiles) and this could be raw wool or finished textiles. As the Kymptons, of Hertfordshire and Berwick upon Tweed Northumberland, were involved with the sheep industry in the counties surrounding HERTS, and our known father (and potentially, grandfather, and great grandfather, … being in the 1500s-1608 at Berwick), we were involved with the wool merchant trade, fabrics, and textiles – and upper middle class professional tailors (high occupation in those days). These would be the same criteria for sending down such import Lowlands Dutch and Scottish wools and textiles via ship down to London and HERTS, and have it woven, or such bolts of fabrics and textiles, would then be sold and distributed to the various tailors guild spread across the Essex – BEDS, BUCKS, CAMBS, MIDS, and London areas. This would be the same cargo lead seal attached to our products coming our southern warehouses.
This would be the same lead seal of UK-produced fabrics and textiles coming to the Canadian Maritimes and the Colonies, where we as Colonists would then create all the many clothes (continuing the tailoring profession) that were sold to the Colonists for wear.