Lost Gold of Scotland

**Lost Gold of Scotland** is the 5th episode in Season 6 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Hunting for a lost cache of gold, Josh Gates heads to the Scottish Highlands; his search focuses on a huge gold reserve hidden after the Jacobite Uprising of 1745 and never recovered; Josh joins treasure hunters chasing a lead across the Highlands.

## Historical Context

"Tales of treasure inspire winters, dreamers, and adventurers, but the greatest treasures shape the fate of nations. The lost gold of Scotland is one such fortune, 6 chests containing an estimated 35,000 gold coins. Today's value? Tens of millions of dollars. The gold was meant to fund the Jacobite Uprising of 1745, led by Prince Charles Edward Stuart, a Scottish rebellion against England but the treasure arrives too late. The war is lost. The fleeing rebels bury the gold somewhere in the Scottish Highlands. More than 250 years later, it's still missing."

~ Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh goes to Inverness, Scotland and attends the Highland Games. He then goes to Borrodale Beach and meets Gregor Ewing, a historian, who explains the Jacobite Uprising. They travel by train to Fort William and take a 4x4 to Loch Arkaig, where a primary account says 15,000 of the coins are buried. They meet Derek and Sharon McLennan, treasure hunters, aboard a boat and they dock at a promising spot. They see ruins of an old cottage and find an old farm implement or weapon, pottery, a spoon, a cartwheel penny, a peat spade, a chain, and other artefacts.

Josh heads to Edinburgh and meets Ashley Cowie, and explorer, at the Sheep's Heid Inn. Ashley tells him about Cluny MacPherson and his relation to Charles Stuart. They then go to the National Library of Scotland where they meet Chris Fleet, a map curator. They find an old map of the Highlands which shows the true location of Prince Charlie's Cave, where the gold was supposedly hidden. They also find an old account that refers to the cave as a cage instead.

Josh and Ashley head out into the Highlands and meet Emil Tanasie, a geophysicist. They take an all-terrain vehicle out to the remote Loch Ericht and rappel down a cliff. They find the ruin of a stone hideout and Emil uses a device to measure anomalies in the ground. They metal detect around the anomalies and find a piece of a Jacobite-era sword, iron, and a copper button.

## Final Words

"By arriving too late to save the rebellion, the gold altered the fate of Scotland forever, unleashing years of hardship. Forced to abandon their ancestral land for brighter prospects in the New World, today, more people of Scottish heritage live in the United States than in Scotland. Prince Charlie died in exile in France, but his name and his rebellion are far from forgotten. Despite the destruction they sowed, the prince and his army are seen as patriots. Today, across Scotland, the spirit of their uprising lives on, grit and determination in the face of adversity, an attitude that I've come to learn is the true essence of the Highlands."

~ Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* *This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here*

## Quotes

* "Decked out like an extra from Outlander."
* "Sparron is an old Scottish word. It means iPhone Holder."
* "In this tent, they're having a clan rally which is very different than what we think of in the United States."
* "You've got, you know, the MacDougalls and the clan MacDonald famous, of course, for their ninety-nine cent value meal. Clan Maclean here, famous for their victory at Nakatomi Tower. It's a "Die Hard" joke."
* "Does anybody have a bottle of Vicodin? My back no longer works."
* "Espresso Patronum."

## References

1. ↑ https://api.discovery.com/v1/images/5cc9dae3d1b3ee2e850b3b2f?aspectRatio=16x9&width=1200&key=3020a40c2356a645b4b4