A ROMAN FOUND GUIDE TO MUDLARKING
The Art of Scavenging the River Mud.
Mudlarking on the Thames
Mudlarking: the act of scavenging on the river banks in the hopes of lost treasures. A very close relative to our little hobby of metal detecting and one that we often dip our toe into the mud of every now and then.
One excellent opportunity for Mudlarking is on the banks of the River Thames. A river that has been inhabited for literally centuries, thousands of years in fact, first becoming a settlement in 43AD during Roman Times when the Roman Empire came to Britain. The Thames was chosen as a prime settlement due to its excellent strategic location which was perfect for trade to and from the continent. Londinium or London as we now know it has remained an important capital for Britain ever since and this is largely down to its capacity for trade. Thousands of years of trade means one thing … thousands of years of items being lost into the river and thousands of years of history to be found on its banks.
We are very lucky to be proud PLA (Port of London Authorities) Permit Holders to mudlark the Thames Foreshore and it is crucial to have this permit to be able to mudlark. Much like metal detecting there are the rules and laws around mudlarking the foreshore as it is such a rich site for history. These are pretty similar to the laws we have metal detecting such as reporting your historic finds and everything that falls under the treasure act, as well as being careful on where you go. There are some areas of the Thames where mudlarking is prohibited or limited on what you are able to do in regards to digging and scraping, in fact as a general permit holder you are even prohibited from scraping to a depth of more than 7.5cm and on certain points of the foreshore such as the Northbank there is no scraping or even the turning over of stones allowed.
Mudlarking is mainly an eyes only venture so you have to have your wits and your best hawk eyes about you! We have been very kindly invited by some much more experienced mudlarks to join them on the foreshore, most recently was our trip with Si Finds, so we thought we would share with you some tips and tricks and everything that we have learnt out on the river banks.
SOME BACKGROUND
Letterpress Type
The Thames foreshore is an environment that is rather unlike anything else, the banks and the detritus on the shore get refreshed with each new tide, much like how the turn of a plough can refresh a field for us metal detectorists. This provides a rather unique opportunity for mudlarks to discover lost history on a continual basis, saving relic by relic items that have been lost to the river for many decades, sometimes centuries.
Being tidal the River Thames can raise and lower its waters from 7 - 10 metres, constantly covering and uncovering the foreshore taking all of the objects that are trapped in its waters and jumbling them all around over and over before depositing them at the next low tide. Its riverbed also contains anaerobic mud, meaning finds and artefacts can be protected from oxygen and therefore decay and decomposition creating an incredible chance for the preservation of organic materials and finds that would normally be lost to time and history. All of that combined with thousands of years of habitation and trade creates plenty of opportunities for lost or sometimes purposefully cast items into the river making the Thames Banks one of the longest archaeological sites in Britain.
Mudlarking is not a new hobby, the act of scavenging on the foreshore looking for these lost items has been around for centuries and some of the well documented historic mudlarks were actually Victorian Street Children. For these ‘original’ mudlarks they seized the opportunity given to them by the tides to go down onto the foreshore and look for and collect items that they could then sell on to survive. Some particular items that they mudlarked would have been copper nails from shipbuilding, iron, coal and ropes, all very useful materials that they could sell easily to make a profit and maybe a meal.
Mudlarking has recently become an incredibly popular hobby, so popular that the PLA have actually suspended the issue of new foreshore permits, so you may find some competition on the banks! But like metal detecting it can be an incredibly rewarding hobby that connects you with items from the past and helps to unlock some hidden local secrets that you may never have known about without finding that little lost gem.
KEEPING AN EYE OUT
Remember to keep an eye on the tide!
Now, when ratting about on the foreshore you really need to keep your eyes open for anything and everything that could pop up, but there are a few tips to start you looking in the right spots.
The foreshore is built up out of a variety of materials, the dense clay river mud, sand, shingle, old mooring and docks as well as of course plenty of objects to be found. But it is this dense clay river mud that is best to look out for, these will normally be much darker and sticker patches of the foreshore than the rest and often contain some of the best finds.
The river tends to group the items into a form of categories that is normally based upon the object's weight and densities and then deposits them in large clusters altogether. One particular cluster to look out for that are often contained within these dark clay patches are iron and metal deposits. Inside these deposits as well as plenty of nails and iron junk there can be other metal items such as coins, buttons, tudor pins or lead letterpress type that it is worth keeping an eye out for.
It can be very hard to spot these objects, especially as the treasures tend to be rather small, such as tudor pins where it is literally like trying to spot a needle in a big muddy haystack. So don’t be afraid to get up close and down and dirty. Sometimes you just don’t spot that gem hiding in the mud until you basically have your nose in it. Kneepads are advised.
Some other places upon the foreshore that can be particularly rich for finding are the harder deposits or areas of the bank that are visibly being worn away and eroded, exposing objects that have been trapped there. Sometimes these may be old victorian dumps that could contain whole bottles or quirky victorian finds or even much older containing who knows what treasures!
Tide lines as well are normally particularly rich with finds as the river tends to distribute the most objects in long lines across the foreshore. These lines are normally organised by weight as well so you may find one that is particularly good for pottery or tiles ect. It is also very important to keep an eye out for just parts of objects that you can spot peeking out from their submersion in the sand or mud, often these get cast over and we have found many a complete clay pipe bowl lurking underneath that fragment of a stem peeking out onto the surface.
The mudlarking community itself is one of the most friendliest and welcoming of the hobbies and there really is no end of wonderful people that can be met out on the Thames banks. These people are also such a wealth of knowledge and history that they have gathered from years mudlarking the foreshore and can provide some very important pointers to help you find just what you are looking for.
Possibly one of the most important tips that we can share would be to keep an eye on that tide, like we have mentioned before the Thames can rise between 7 - 10 metres and you would be shocked just how fast that can happen. There is normally a 2 hour grace period either side of a low tide where the foreshore will be accessible but you really have to have one eye on the river and one eye on the mud to avoid getting cut off. We’ve definitely come victim to this a few times being far too engrossed in plucking tudor pins from such rich dark mud and getting wet feet trotting back through the narrowing foreshore. Keep an eye on your access points and always have an out game!
THAMES BUCKET LIST
What’s on your bucket list?
We both have been avid fans of mudlarking for a while and each have our own personal Thames Bucket Lists that we are working hard on ticking off, but here are some of the most iconic and common finds to come out of the foreshore that to us just scream THAMES MUDLARKING.
Pottery:
Staffordshire Slipware
Westerwald Stoneware
Roman Samian Ware
Medieval Green Glaze
Bellarmine Bartmann’s Jug / Beard
Clay Pipe Bowls and Stems
Wig Curlers
Metal Finds:
Tudor Pins
Lead Letterpress Type
Medieval Tokens
Pilgrims Badges
Musket Balls
Trade Tokens
Coins
Other Artefacts:
Bone Die
Thames Garnets
Glass Beads
Vulcanite Bottle Stoppers
WHERE TO GO?
Bankside, Thames Foreshore
There are many spots to go on the Thames foreshore, some very popular and some very secret … We have certainly not explored every nook and cranny yet! But here are some of the more easily accessible and popular spots that are often frequented and have brought up many of the iconic Thames finds from our bucket list.
Blackfriars Bridge - A pretty popular mudlarking spot that has brought us a wealth of complete clay pipe bowls and we’ve heard plenty of rumours of good finds popping up from these shores.
Tate Modern Southbank - Actually the first spot that Roman Found has ever mudlarked and brought us lots of luck in the form of Tudor Pins, whole clay pipe bowls, bottle stoppers, pottery, basically all of the iconic finds that make us happy.
The Northbank - This side is a protected archaeological site so it is best to check which bits are accessible and eyes only, no scraping or turning over of rocks allowed as this is the most historic and habited side to the river.
Cannon Street Bridge - We may have heard some rumours that this is the spot for Thames Garnets, we are yet to prove or disprove these rumours …
Much like fieldwalking, mudlarking is a pastime that we find can take a little time to get your eyes in, but with a little patience and a bit of luck you too might be turning up some little treasures from the foreshore. With the correct permit of course.
