Nova Scotia, Canada isn't the only place which claims to have it's own Money Pit which has captivated people in search of wealth.
Dartmoor, England also has a Money Pit situated below Yar Tor. Here, the area is known for many kistvaens, or burial pits, usually about 3 foot x 2 foot. Each side composes of a single slab with a flat covering slab. The dead were either interned or their ashes placed inside the chest They date back to the Bronze Age.
One particular kistvaen is associated with the legend of a farmer from Poundsgate.
The farmer was known as a kind and friendly soul until one night he had a dream in which he saw the kistvaen loaded with money.
He took this dream as an omen and the very next morning rushed to the old site and opened the old tomb.
All he found was a heart shaped piece of flint. So, thinking this find was better than nothing, he slipped it into his pocket and returned to his farm.
From that day, the old farmer became mean and bitter. He quickly lost his friends and it wasn't long before his life became dull and stagnant, with every waking moment he could smell that same fetid stench that had wafted out of the grave.
About a year later his young son found the heart shaped flint and took it outside to play. Before long, the children had lost interest in the stone and it was discarded. That very same day the farmer reverted back to his old jovial and kind self.
It became obvious that it was posession of this strange heart shaped stone which had caused his change in behaviour.
This may simply be a tale to either prevent people fromm looting the ancient graves, or a warning that reed andlust for money will turn you into a nasty and unpopular person. However, what remains interesting are the parallels beween this piece of folklore and the Oak Island Money Pit.
Both tales are concerned with the pursuit of wealth, or treasure. A heart shaped stone was found in the Money Pit as can be seen every year at the Oak Island Tourism Society's Explore Oak Island Days.
Although the English Money Pit legend is concerned with Bronze Age tombs, it could provide an anthropological clue to the creators of the Canadian Money Pit - could it have been dug by peope from Dartmoor who were familiar with this myth? Is that why the heart shaped stone found it's way into the pit, as a historical jibe at anyone who invested time and money in recovering promised wealth?
Photo courtesy of Ken and Jan Pineo
The Oak Island Money Pit heart-shaped stone, width approx 10 inches
The Dartmoor Money Pit can be found at grid reference SX 6817 7384.More information on this and other mysteries can be found at Legendary Dartmoor
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