How Mudlarking Came To Be
If there is one thing that London has, it’s history. Referred to as “liquid history” the river Thames tells the story of London’s ancient past. Dating back to the Bronze Age (2000 BC) London has thousands of years of history just waiting to be discovered. The Romans were the first to establish the city, in 43 AD, originally naming it Londinium. Ever since then, civilizations have used the river for transportation, trading, and everyday needs. Docks, shipyards, factories, markets, and houses have lined the river for thousands of years. The river has been the city’s dumping ground over the years, swallowing London’s history. From nails to coins to bombs to shoes and raw sewage the River Thames has seen it all. The river’s anoxic soils have allowed these objects to withstand the test of time, becoming a time capsule of London’s past. Twice a day, the river floods with tidal water, up to 24 feet, washing in trash and treasure waiting to be discovered. With millions of people who have called London home for the past 2,000 years, there are people who scavenge the river searching for these long lost items. That’s where the mudlarkers come in. A mudlarker is a person who searches the river’s banks trying to find objects of value. Surprisingly, this term is unique to London. There have been scavengers in other parts of the UK and other parts of the world but the term “mudlark” is unique to the scavengers of London. Since the 1700’s people have been mudlarking along the river, finding lost treasure, uncovering the stories of London’s past. Mudlarkers of the Past Throughout the 18th and 19th century mudlarking was considered to be an occupation. This was only a job for the lowest of the low and ranks in the top 7 worst jobs during the Victorian Era. Poor people of London would forage for lost treasure from centuries past in hopes of finding something of value they could sell. This was quite a dangerous endeavor as the people had to beware of the deadly tides as well as trek through sludgey sewage water. They also had to endure the fear of catching a deadly disease such as cholera, measles, or scarlet fever. It wasn't the most glamorous job but they had to do it to survive. To make matters even worse, most of these mudlarkers were children. Children have always been believed to be better mudlarkers than adults because they are shorter, giving them a better vantage point, not to mention that they usually have better eyesight than the average adult. Most of these children were aged from 8 to 14 years old and typically boys. Dressed in raggedy, ripped clothes they would gather near the river’s edge when the tide began to fall. The shipyards were the most ideal spot as wood, iron, and copper nails were more abundant in these areas, bringing in the quality funds. When the tide began to come in again, the mudlarkers would rise from the banks, now covered in mud and heading home with just a few pennies in their pocket. Mudlarkers of the Modern Day Thankfully, mudlarking today is much safer than mudlarking of the past. The River Thames has transformed into one of the cleanest metropolitan rivers in the world making mudlarking conditions much more desirable. However there are some dangers that remain with mudlarking today including the aggressive tides, cold waters, broken glass, hypodermic needles, and raw sewage is still a possibility. But today, mudlarking is done as a hobby by the middle aged history nerds of London (so you won’t see London’s homeless foraging through the river banks). What makes the mudlarkers of today so special is their experience. If you decide to head down to the banks yourself during low tide, you will find a sea of metal, glass, rocks, and sand. To the untrained eye it is impossible to decipher what is a valuable, ancient object and what is not. In the book Mudlarking: Lost and Found on the River Thames, Lara Maiklem describes how as a child she would spend hours walking along the river, picking up random objects that piqued her interest. Over time, as she did more and more research and spent more and more time walking the river at low tide she eventually became the “mudlarking expert” that she is considered to be today. She is one of 51 members of the Society of Mudlarks which was founded in the 1970s. This society is quite prestigious, mysterious, and is very difficult to become a part of. To become a member, you need to have had a standard permit and have been reporting your findings to the Museum of London for 2 years. Even then you may not be granted membership. However, you do not need to be a part of this society to be a mudlarker, all you need is a permit. To obtain one of these permits an application and a fee is required by the Port of London Authority. This permit is a requirement for everyone to have who is searching, metal detecting, beachcombing and digging on the foreshore. Not only does the society report their findings to the museums but all mudlarkers are supposed to. This is so that they can preserve items that are of historical significance and to put the items on display to educate the public. However, they only take the items of most importance so mudlarkers still have their own extensive collections for their keeping. Not to mention most mudlarkers want to donate their most important findings so that it can be appreciated by everyone. From a tourist who will spend the day searching for a piece of London’s history to an expert with a decade’s worth of experience, mudlarkers of the modern day come in all shapes and sizes. Traces of Mudlarking in London and Beyond All around London there are a variety of different ways for citizens and tourists to learn about and get involved with mudlarking. The Museum of London is one great option to see items that have been found over the years. Since they began working with the Society of Mudlarks in the 1970s, they have collected over 90,000 objects found on the foreshore. Their collection mostly consists of items from the Medieval time period including pottery, weapons, buttons, and jewelry can all be found in their collection. The Tower of London also has a display of objects that have been donated by Mudlarkers and put on display for visitors. Their collection includes a variety of arrowheads, daggers from the 1300s, a pistol, and a hand cannon. They even have a stirrup from the time of the Vikings. If museums aren’t your cup of tea, you can always go mudlarking yourself. When my parents were visiting, my dad and I went mudlarking along the bank near the Tate Modern. As we made our way down to the foreshore, we quickly discovered that we did not have the proper shoe attire on as we struggled to keep our balance on the mud coated steps and rocks (I would recommend wearing rain boots). Regaining our balance, we saw a beach covered in what seemed to be all junk to us. Mostly metal pieces and broken glass. As we walked along, I kept my fingers crossed that we would find something special. But after about a half hour of searching I settled for a piece of sea glass and my father a rusty metal bolt (typical electrician). We may have not found a cool, old Roman object but in a weird way our finds were our own treasure and unique souvenir. *Sidenote: bring disposable gloves if you go mudlarking, it was quite dirty* If you can’t find your own ancient treasure, there is an antique market at Covent Garden every Monday. I stumbled upon this market one Monday afternoon while my cousin Erika was visiting. After hopping from vendor to vendor we stumbled upon a poorly aged man with battered, worn hands who happened to be a mudlarker. Conversing with him, I learned that he has been a mudlarker for over 20 years and has his own collection of over 500 items. His tables were covered with just a fraction of his collection, some of which were so dear to him, they weren’t even for sale. From Roman coins to thimbles to buttons to beads there was thousands of years of history right in front of our eyes. Being a history dork myself, I decided that I couldn’t help myself and had to possess some of his precious finds for myself. He showed me a vibrant bracelet on his wrist that he assembled himself of all his favorite beads he had found along the river. And that’s when I got the idea to buy a few beads for myself and make a bracelet. I carefully rummaged through the tiny bowl of beads and decided on two beautiful, perfectly intact Roman beads. One blue and one green, I would forever have a piece of London’s rich history wrapped around my wrist. A Final Note You don’t have to be in London to discover the mysteries of mudlarking. Books are a great way to hear the tales of mudlarkers like Lara Maiklem whether you’re in London or halfway across the world. A Field Guide to Larking also by Lara Maiklem, Thames Mudlarking: Searching for London’s Lost Treasure by Jason Sandy and Nick Stevens, and London in Fragments: A Mudlark’s Treasures by Ted Sandling are just a few books you can read to discover how mudlarkers uncover London’s past. Reading one (or all) of these books will inspire you to travel across the seas to see the wonders of the Thames for yourself. Just you wait and see.
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