Does the name Sir William Phips ring a bell? Probably not, unless you’re a scholar of 17th-century colonial governors or, perhaps more relevantly, a dedicated Oak Island theorist. This week’s Tales from Oak Island attempts to firmly plant Phips’ flag on the island’s legendary Money Pit. Could this long-dead English politician and one-time treasure hunter be the mastermind behind the centuries-old mystery?
Phips, as the episode informs us, wasn’t just some desk-jockeying bureaucrat. The man had a knack for finding sunken riches, famously recovering a king’s ransom from a Spanish shipwreck. This haul made him one of the wealthiest figures in the American colonies, paving the way for his governorship of Massachusetts. But did it also lead him to Oak Island?
The Lagina brothers and their team seem convinced they’ve stumbled upon a perfect storm of clues linking Phips to the Money Pit. While the show often relies on leaps of faith and circumstantial evidence, the Phips connection, at least on the surface, seems more grounded than some past theories. The episode lays out a case suggesting Phips, flush with newfound wealth, might have orchestrated the elaborate Money Pit construction to hide an even greater fortune.
Of course, Oak Island wouldn’t be Oak Island without its fair share of dramatic pronouncements from narrator Robert Clotworthy and ominous music cues. But even a skeptic might find themselves momentarily drawn in by the historical narrative woven around Phips. The episode does a decent job of contextualizing the era, reminding us of the rampant piracy and hidden fortunes that defined the 17th-century Caribbean. Whether or not Phips actually buried treasure on Oak Island, the episode offers a glimpse into a fascinating historical figure, reminding us that truth can sometimes be stranger than the wildest treasure-hunting fiction.
Tune in to History on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, at 10:03 PM for “The Secrets of Sir William Phips.”
