Mudlarks

At the weekend I went to an exhibition of finds by Mudlarks. 

Mudlarks are people who search the foreshore of rivers to see what they can find. You need a permit from the Port of London Authority to do this along the banks of the Thames and so legally there are not that many people who do it. Today was a chance to meet them and for them to showcase their best finds

 Every piece had been well researched and had a story to tell. I was so fascinated by the stories that I didn't take enough photos especially of the most interesting pieces.

Clay pipes are probably the most common item found by mudlarkers. They were often prefilled with tobacco and sold by shops for single usage before being thrown away. 

There was pottery from many periods in history including Roman, Tudor, Victorian and more recent times.

In this display box are lots of trade tokens dated during the 17th century. All found in the Thames mud. They were used predominantly between 1648 and 1674 by all kinds of different traders. They were often stamped with the issuer's name, location of the business, year of issue and denomination. During the mid 17th century there was a lack of small denomination coins issued by the government  so traders issued their own. Most of the mudlarks had some trade tokens on display. I even held on dated 1664. I found them fascinating and with a magnifying glass you could see the trademarks clearly imprinted on the token. 

The two shoes in front of the picture were both found on the Thames foreshore and have been restored by a leather restorer. The small child's shoe is Victorian and had been shod with metal to increase its wear.

A Roman oil burner in almost perfect condition.

Delft and Chinese pottery

It was a very interesting and free exhibition and one to look out for in the future.