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Metal Detecting Discussions => Metal Detecting Stories => Topic started by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:34:53 PM



Title: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:34:53 PM
Today we set off at 3 am ( too early for me ) to do a spot of mudlarking. It was our first time so we were quite excited to see what it would be like. We packed the car with pretty much everything including trowels, sieves. buckets, spades and a whole lot of other pointless stuff. Right back to the journey, we were set to make it to London for 5:30 am and we were beating time until we came into London, where it took us an hour to get from Staines to our mudlarking destination in Bermondsey ( Central London ) . Every road in London seemed to be blocked, so the satnav was well worth it's value today as without it we would have probably been still going round London now. Anyway we made it, we parked up at 5:50am and met up with our mudlarking buddies. At this time it was still dark and the thames was right in, but the views of London all lit up were amazing. We were not too far away from Tower bridge, The Shard, Cheesegrater and the Gerkin. At 6:30 am it was just starting to get light and the tide was going out, so we made our way down the ramp and took our first ever steps on the Thames foreshore. Me and HAMMERRHOID were doing eyes only with a trowel and sieve, but our mates were using metal detectors. We knew we would have about 4 hours until the tide would be in again. Back to the mudlarking, as the thames was still going out at this point, new things were appearing every minute. There was lots of bits of clay pipes and old glass at this point and not much else. After about an hour the metal started appearing this included lots of nails, pins and iron however still scraping away I found a coin ( think it is a george 111 farthing ) followed by a cloth seal, bag seal, buttons and a few tudor hat pins. About 2 hours in I met up with HAMMERRHOID who had unearthed a lovely little coin weight ( still researching ), a few buttons, some fancy glass and some other bits and bobs.     It was 8:30am and by this time there was many people searching the shore, we spoke to quite a few and they had found many coins, thimbles, complete clay pipes and artefacts. Our mates were finding it hard going, but in the end they did retrieve some interesting items. Time was fast approaching 9:20am and suddenly the tide started to turn again, It came in about 30 minutes and as we hadn't found much in the last hour we decided to say goodbye to the foreshore and get packed for the journey back ( we were not looking forward to it much ). It took us another hour to get through the centre, but after that it was a breeze and we got home safe and sound. Overall it was a brilliant day and I urge everyone to try mudlarking, you never know what you might find! Thanks for reading this very long article.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:36:04 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:36:52 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:37:29 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:38:19 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:39:30 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:39:52 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:41:10 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:41:59 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on March 02, 2014, 05:42:40 PM
Glad you both had a good day, I've fancied doing it for a while, Were the detectorists finding  more than eyes only ?  


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:43:34 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:44:43 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:45:40 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:46:25 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:47:08 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:48:02 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:49:02 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:49:51 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:50:43 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:51:38 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:52:27 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:53:14 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:54:01 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:54:46 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:55:25 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:56:20 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:57:05 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:57:47 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:58:25 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 05:58:50 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:00:16 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:00:55 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:01:42 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:02:22 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:03:03 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:03:46 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:04:29 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:05:08 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:05:47 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:06:29 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:07:07 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:07:45 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:08:22 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:08:56 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: deepersweeper on March 02, 2014, 06:09:09 PM
hi Hammerrhoid and cut half,well done on the mudlarking it looks like you both had a great time,now you need to match up those bits of clay pipe lol ;D did the coins come out in good condition? and some unusual glass finds well done i wish i could have gone now


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:09:59 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:10:39 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:11:11 PM
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Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:12:10 PM
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Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: dances with badgers on March 02, 2014, 06:12:44 PM
thought you were'nt allowed detectors on there.nice haul now wash your hands lol oooh . :D :D


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: deepersweeper on March 02, 2014, 06:18:29 PM
good pic of hammerrhoid with knee pads,did he have his skateboard with him ;D ;D ;D


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:20:48 PM
47 mark and cliff- mudlarkers


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:22:33 PM
48 other mark and HAMMERRHOID ( shaun )


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:24:32 PM
49 HAMMERRHOID ( shaun ) and Mark-  mudlarkers


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on March 02, 2014, 06:44:18 PM
Well done both, it looks like you had a great day!! your coin is a little earlier then George 3rd its a George 1st :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: matthewbullingham123 on March 02, 2014, 06:47:59 PM
Fair play with the pictures, Looks like a very good day! Must be nackered from that early start though


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:48:11 PM
Many thanks for the i.d. Dale. Yeah we had a smashing time, Worth all the hassle.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:52:26 PM
Yeah my whole body aches matt. Don't think I've ever got up at 2 am before, wouldn't want to do it all the time. Usually get up when it's light outside. Well at least I'll sleep well tonight.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: diggaduff on March 02, 2014, 06:54:43 PM
Well done, was amazed at how many  people are there :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 06:57:49 PM
Cheers diggaduff, yeah I was surprised how many people came down, when we got there it was just us, there was even more on the other side of the Thames.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: matthewbullingham123 on March 02, 2014, 07:01:53 PM
anyone else see the LEGO man in photo 15 ;)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: diggaduff on March 02, 2014, 07:02:56 PM
Makes you wonder what has been found over the years :o


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:04:38 PM
50 It's me CUT/HALF


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:06:48 PM
51


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:09:03 PM
anyone else see the LEGO man in photo 15 ;)

Yeah just noticed matt, brilliant spot. Nice one.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:13:32 PM
Makes you wonder what has been found over the years :o
Yeah digaduff, you never know what you might find. One of the mudlarkers we spoke to had found a gold posy ring on the foreshore dated 1500 in the museum now.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:19:05 PM
52 The shard and the mudlarkers


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: deepersweeper on March 02, 2014, 07:23:16 PM
spoke to Hammerrhoid and he said it was well worth it and he said he was glad that he didn;t take his detector as it would not have been as productive due to all the nails and copper pins around.i see by the pics that the weather was with you and you all had a good day.well done  :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: celticspikey on March 02, 2014, 07:23:48 PM
Today we set off at 3 am ( too early for me ) to do a spot of mudlarking. It was our first time so we were quite excited to see what it would be like. We packed the car with pretty much everything including trowels, sieves. buckets, spades and a whole lot of other pointless stuff. Right back to the journey, we were set to make it to London for 5:30 am and we were beating time until we came into London, where it took us an hour to get from Staines to our mudlarking destination in Bermondsey ( Central London ) . Every road in London seemed to be blocked, so the satnav was well worth it's value today as without it we would have probably been still going round London now. Anyway we made it, we parked up at 5:50am and met up with our mudlarking buddies. At this time it was still dark and the thames was right in, but the views of London all lit up were amazing. We were not too far away from Tower bridge, The Shard, Cheesegrater and the Gerkin. At 6:30 am it was just starting to get light and the tide was going out, so we made our way down the ramp and took our first ever steps on the Thames foreshore. Me and HAMMERRHOID were doing eyes only with a trowel and sieve, but our mates were using metal detectors. We knew we would have about 4 hours until the tide would be in again. Back to the mudlarking, as the thames was still going out at this point, new things were appearing every minute. There was lots of bits of clay pipes and old glass at this point and not much else. After about an hour the metal started appearing this included lots of nails, pins and iron however still scraping away I found a coin ( think it is a george 111 farthing ) followed by a cloth seal, bag seal, buttons and a few tudor hat pins. About 2 hours in I met up with HAMMERRHOID who had unearthed a lovely little coin weight ( still researching ), a few buttons, some fancy glass and some other bits and bobs.     It was 8:30am and by this time there was many people searching the shore, we spoke to quite a few and they had found many coins, thimbles, complete clay pipes and artefacts. Our mates were finding it hard going, but in the end they did retrieve some interesting items. Time was fast approaching 9:20am and suddenly the tide started to turn again, It came in about 30 minutes and as we hadn't found much in the last hour we decided to say goodbye to the foreshore and get packed for the journey back ( we were not looking forward to it much ). It took us another hour to get through the centre, but after that it was a breeze and we got home safe and sound. Overall it was a brilliant day and I urge everyone to try mudlarking, you never know what you might find! Thanks for reading this very long article.
Great day out boys, nice write up ;) no doubt you will remember that day for a long time to come ;)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:23:51 PM
53 The Thames foreshore- finds galore hopefully


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:26:26 PM
spoke to Hammerrhoid and he said it was well worth it and he said he was glad that he didn;t take his detector as it would not have been as productive due to all the nails and copper pins around.i see by the pics that the weather was with you and you all had a good day.well done  :)
Cheers Deepersweeper my friend. Just a shame you didn't come. No one to tell the jokes on the long journey  ;D .


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:28:10 PM
Today we set off at 3 am ( too early for me ) to do a spot of mudlarking. It was our first time so we were quite excited to see what it would be like. We packed the car with pretty much everything including trowels, sieves. buckets, spades and a whole lot of other pointless stuff. Right back to the journey, we were set to make it to London for 5:30 am and we were beating time until we came into London, where it took us an hour to get from Staines to our mudlarking destination in Bermondsey ( Central London ) . Every road in London seemed to be blocked, so the satnav was well worth it's value today as without it we would have probably been still going round London now. Anyway we made it, we parked up at 5:50am and met up with our mudlarking buddies. At this time it was still dark and the thames was right in, but the views of London all lit up were amazing. We were not too far away from Tower bridge, The Shard, Cheesegrater and the Gerkin. At 6:30 am it was just starting to get light and the tide was going out, so we made our way down the ramp and took our first ever steps on the Thames foreshore. Me and HAMMERRHOID were doing eyes only with a trowel and sieve, but our mates were using metal detectors. We knew we would have about 4 hours until the tide would be in again. Back to the mudlarking, as the thames was still going out at this point, new things were appearing every minute. There was lots of bits of clay pipes and old glass at this point and not much else. After about an hour the metal started appearing this included lots of nails, pins and iron however still scraping away I found a coin ( think it is a george 111 farthing ) followed by a cloth seal, bag seal, buttons and a few tudor hat pins. About 2 hours in I met up with HAMMERRHOID who had unearthed a lovely little coin weight ( still researching ), a few buttons, some fancy glass and some other bits and bobs.     It was 8:30am and by this time there was many people searching the shore, we spoke to quite a few and they had found many coins, thimbles, complete clay pipes and artefacts. Our mates were finding it hard going, but in the end they did retrieve some interesting items. Time was fast approaching 9:20am and suddenly the tide started to turn again, It came in about 30 minutes and as we hadn't found much in the last hour we decided to say goodbye to the foreshore and get packed for the journey back ( we were not looking forward to it much ). It took us another hour to get through the centre, but after that it was a breeze and we got home safe and sound. Overall it was a brilliant day and I urge everyone to try mudlarking, you never know what you might find! Thanks for reading this very long article.
Great day out boys, nice write up ;) no doubt you will remember that day for a long time to come ;)
Thanks celticspikey, it was a brilliant day, would love to do it again.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:29:25 PM
54 The tide going out


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:34:46 PM
55 Dawn in London, the tide fully in.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:41:04 PM
56 Tower bridge when we arrived, all lit up.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:42:02 PM
57 The cheese grater


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:47:21 PM
58 The gerkin


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 07:51:03 PM
59 The shard


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Val Beechey on March 02, 2014, 07:53:09 PM
A great day was had by all. It's not about the finds, it's about the adventure of looking. You've got some good photos to remind you as well.

Pici no 45 looks like a mini plane blade.

Val


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 02, 2014, 08:02:16 PM
A great day was had by all. It's not about the finds, it's about the adventure of looking. You've got some good photos to remind you as well.

Pici no 45 looks like a mini plane blade.

Val
Many thanks, Yeah we had a great day, went a bit wild with the old camera though  ;D .


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 03, 2014, 05:32:03 PM
what occasional visitors don't know about is the hardcore and ballast dumped on the foreshore in many areas from rebuilding by the riverside .this raises the level and makes the early layers deep.
concrete jetties that were in use say in the 50s were just demolished onto the foreshore to fill in muddy areas .
over the last 35 years its changed a lot.
the Victorians were also adding to the level to build barge beds with chalk and rubble and those layers can be 3-4 feet thick .
it all blends in over the years until it looks natural.
the foreshore behind HMS Belfast has been built up with 6 feet of hardcore .but looks natural now.
on the north side near London bridge the foreshore has eroded away greatly leaving huge craters allegedly caused by diggers in the past and definitely wash from  the fast passenger boats .digging is banned there now but you can do eyes only searching for small hammered coins.
along near Wandsworth where there are now expensive condos the foreshore has been beautified with tons of ballast to make it less of an eyesore ,one of my best productive areas was trashed by developers ballast being dumped


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: HAMMERRHOID on March 03, 2014, 06:07:27 PM
what occasional visitors don't know about is the hardcore and ballast dumped on the foreshore in many areas from rebuilding by the riverside .this raises the level and makes the early layers deep.
concrete jetties that were in use say in the 50s were just demolished onto the foreshore to fill in muddy areas .
over the last 35 years its changed a lot.
the Victorians were also adding to the level to build barge beds with chalk and rubble and those layers can be 3-4 feet thick .
it all blends in over the years until it looks natural.
the foreshore behind HMS Belfast has been built up with 6 feet of hardcore .but looks natural now.
on the north side near London bridge the foreshore has eroded away greatly leaving huge craters allegedly caused by diggers in the past and definitely wash from  the fast passenger boats .digging is banned there now but you can do eyes only searching for small hammered coins.
along near Wandsworth where there are now expensive condos the foreshore has been beautified with tons of ballast to make it less of an eyesore ,one of my best productive areas was trashed by developers ballast being dumped
We were at  bermondsey not far from Tower Bridge there were some proper Mudlarks there as well and this area is still very good for finds one of the mudlarks showed me a James 1st coin weight that he had just found and some complete clay pipes and a lovely Georgian buckle   


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 04, 2014, 11:56:50 AM
some idea what it used to be like can be seen here

http://www.hsomerville.com/meccano/Articles/JacobsIsland.htm (http://www.hsomerville.com/meccano/Articles/JacobsIsland.htm)

if you want to find early stuff you need to stick with the area between LONDON BRIDGE and Blackfriars bridge as that was where the action was back in Shakespeares time .
in front of the Globe Theatre is about right .
Londoners used to take a ferry across the river to enjoy the nightlife .
outside that area on the southside finds are sparse .


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: StumbledUpon on March 04, 2014, 12:56:13 PM
Great fun, but don't have much luck, eye sight not to good, visit most years,  :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: congerman on March 04, 2014, 07:51:27 PM
cracking report and pics thanks for sharing  ;)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 04, 2014, 08:12:22 PM
Thanks congerman  :) , glad you enjoyed the report. We had a great time and would love to do it again.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: jcb (THE THIMBLE) jones on March 04, 2014, 08:15:03 PM
pic 10 he has got my hat on lol
looks like a good day all round  :) :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 04, 2014, 08:18:24 PM
Thanks for reading jcb  :) . brilliant day was definitely had.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: legio11augustus on March 04, 2014, 10:25:47 PM
enjoyed reading about your adventure in the big smoke,well done


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: CUT/HALF on March 06, 2014, 08:30:15 PM
Thanks legio. We had a great time  :) .


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 07, 2014, 09:40:41 AM
just as a note most of the old hands experienced diggers would never dig on the southside as finds were too sparse due to less foot traffic ,they always stuck to the north bank and hammered it for decades .
that coincides between the city walls at Blackfriars and Tower of London.
socially speaking the population on the south bank was small and not too well off to lose anything of value .
whereas on the north bank the citizens had more cash in their purse and lost more items of value over the millenia .
wealthy traders on visits to london via ship were likely to lose stuff.
of the hoards found on the north bank foreshore  ,there were around 15 dug up ,whereas no hoards were ever dug up on the southside.
the south bank had the pubs brothels and theatres and bear baiting to which Londoners went in the evenings for R&R by taking a ferry across the river.
these were outside the jurisdiction of the London council of the time.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Neil on March 11, 2014, 09:27:43 AM
Now this is a mudlark pit!

I think this is probably the sort of scene you mentioned in a previous post Galoshers.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 11, 2014, 09:38:01 AM
is that an old photo ?
i am sure i know those 2 gents

looks like Tony on the right and Ian in the hole.
Tony has now given up as he has had a stroke and cant get out .



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: cardiffian on March 11, 2014, 05:37:35 PM
is that an old photo ?
i am sure i know those 2 gents

looks like Tony on the right and Ian in the hole.
Tony has now given up as he has had a stroke and cant get out .


About 7 years ago there was a guy who was briefly a member of the Yeovil MDC. He used to be a mudlarker and brought in some displays of finds to be recorded by Brian Read. If I remember rightly they consisted in the main of thimbles, hooked fasteners and buttons. The quality of some of these finds was truly amazing. I don't know whether you will know the guy Galoshers. His name was Ken Bellringer. No puns please, on does the name ring any bells etc.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 11, 2014, 09:07:07 PM
yes i used to know ken before he moved out of London .
he used to do mostly surface detecting dont think he was a big hole digger.

the gents in the hole pictured above is taken after the regs were changed to dig and fill hole in 1 day .
hence its not very big.
prior to that diggers would dig a monster hole over say a week or 2 ,cover it over with scaffolding poles and sheet corrugated metal and rocks on top .

then come back the next day empty out the hole of water and mud and carry on digging deeper and wider .they used buckets to empty the hole .
after a while it got too big to empty out !so they called it a day and filled it in.
and moved along and started another hole .
a few guys had water pumps to empty the holes but they clogged up due the heavy mud.
some had ladders to get in and out of hole, i had a surveyors plug together alu ladder .
the museum and PLA put a stop to monster holes as they said they were dangerous ,(health and safety etc) so enacted a 1 meter deep and dig and fill in in one day ,
some holes were left uncovered and walkers along the forshore fell in up to their armpits as it wasnt apparent they were like quicksand as you walked over them.
this was a great source of laughter and hilarity for the diggers who hauled people out of holes. ;D
some didnt fill in their monster holes and they would take a few weeks to solidify and harden up leaving dangerous holes a person could sink into  ;D



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 12, 2014, 09:17:11 AM
the biggest hole i ever saw was dug by Fred a dodgy antiques dealer from south London .for 2 weeks him and his sons  labored over the 7 feet deep oblong hole which was eventually big enough to hold 2 mini cars stacked on top of each other . eventually it was too big to empty it out even with 3 of them working on it inc a pump.
so they filled it in. Fred used to make a few pilgrim badges on the side .when someone found a choice large Becket badge he would pay them some cash to take an impression then make a few more.
its rumored his badges are on display in US museums .


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 13, 2014, 09:35:16 AM
^^Tony pictured standing round the hole amassed a collection of early lead toys over 30 years which he sold to the London Museum ,although the PAS report says he gave them to the museum he got 24,000 for the collection.
he swapped most of them with other diggers for coins etc.
Theres 2 publications of the toy collection ,one by Hazel Forsythe (Toys,trifles and trinkets ) and another small booklet by Johnathan Horne the antique dealer who had a small exhibition at his shop before they went to the museum. 
His collection of 5000 lead tokens he gave to the BM .




Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 14, 2014, 09:51:06 AM
i am chatting to other old hands working on a list of hoards found in the thames ,although they were lost and not buried
,they just fell overboard in some accident or a lost purse etc


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: herbie on March 14, 2014, 01:21:13 PM
Fascinating reading Galoshers, would love to have a go, even just surface / eyes only hunting.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 15, 2014, 10:27:15 AM
after picking some brains on hoards from the Thames this is what i came up with , this was from the 80s and 90s .
some details are not sure about ...as other diggers didn't advertise their business in the 80s it was all very hush hush
and they might not divulge to anybody for months ,  if ever .


100 tin 1/4 and 1/2 coins of James II and William and Mary in nice condition ,the river silt gives them a nice blue patina
120 William III halfpennies and 3 hammered of Mary and Charles I
3 gold guineas and 2 half guineas
100 medieval hammered  pennies which turned out to be forgeries
40 eddy I and 2 groats and a few hammered Irish coins
a hoard of late 17th century Javanese coins
hoard of 30 tin 1/4 and 1/2 of James II and William and Mary in uncirculated condition (found by well known dealer)
4  Portuguese gold coins of mid 18th century
hoard of hammered silver very clipped
small hoard of Charles I half crowns and James Crowns
20 gold coins of Henry VIII varying denominations
6 gold coins of Henry VIII in a different place ,various

and the biggest of the lot 400 crowns and half crowns of Commonwealth and Charles I found underneath Blackfriars bridge by a member named Yorkie who was doing the surface with his machine ,we had all looked there but he struck lucky between the scaffolding tubes and huge pieces of concrete ,the tide was coming in so he called the 2 guys pictured above to help him get the coins out fast ,but he had to go back the next day to get the rest as the area was covered by water. The BM acquired a few of the rare dated commonwealth coins and the rest were sold off,some were heavily corroded by the black silt so not worth a lot .
no doubt there are other hoards that have been forgotten about or we dont know about .
the tin coins were the most valuable as they were in very nice condition and worth more than gold coins.
all found on the north side of the thames ,no hoards from the south side we know about .




Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 17, 2014, 03:47:23 PM
another major find from the north side ,sold to the London Museum for 15,000 in the late 80s .finder bought his council  house with the money

http://archive.museumoflondon.org.uk/medieval/objects/image.htm?rid=56397&size=3&pid=4&oid=30441 (http://archive.museumoflondon.org.uk/medieval/objects/image.htm?rid=56397&size=3&pid=4&oid=30441)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 17, 2014, 03:59:01 PM
gold chain trapped in a lump of concretion



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 18, 2014, 10:24:43 AM
when Tony standing round the hole above ^ dug up his 17th century silver sweetmeat dish ,he kept it quiet for about 9 months !we knew that something big had been found but didn't know the details .Finally he came clean when he announced the London Museum had bought it and its now on display in a cabinet of artifacts from the period ,but that was a fair while after the deal was done until we got the full details .
thats the way it was then diggers kept their finds hush hush ..


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 20, 2014, 04:01:10 PM
here is a French sword blade i found just sticking up out of the mud still in its scabbard !i was checking an  area where few ever tread .the scabbard which was rotten  got trashed trying to remove it as they were welded together .and when it came out the blade was in very good condition with the edge as sharp as when it was made .
however regular digs around where it came out failed to turn up the hilt .i tried many holes and nothing -the hilt was lost . ???
it has a French makers mark and the date 1827 .
36 inches long +  6 inches for the tang part

the missing hilt bugs me as it should have been there somewhere but just could not find that hilt ...gggrrrr




Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Neil on March 20, 2014, 04:16:28 PM
Nice find Galoshers - I'm enjoying your mud larking tales and finds.

Keep them coming.



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: cardiffian on March 20, 2014, 11:12:35 PM
Nice find Galoshers - I'm enjoying your mud larking tales and finds.

Keep them coming.


I agree with Neil your stories are very interesting.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 21, 2014, 01:19:54 PM
thanks , as and when i recall the stories i will post them as they just pop into my head in the morning.
i am at the moment looking for a piccy of a stuart gold and enamel diamond ring my pal found ,which the London museum bought for 20,000 .at first they said it was a Victorian forgery ! but he persevered via the V&A expert who said it was genuine.
so there was a row between the experts over it and eventually they accepted it was the real thing but it took a while .
the diamonds were found to be of Indian origin ,24 of them .


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on March 21, 2014, 01:38:57 PM
What a find, but don't tell Badger or he'll be on his way to London  ;D


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 22, 2014, 10:34:02 AM
The actual history of the diggers dates back to the late 70s and early 80s before even the mudlarks existed .
a lose collection of guys started digging in Queenhithe dock on a Sunday just as a pastime after reading Joan Allens book on treasure hunting. about a dozen were there when tides allowed.

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=queenhithe+dock&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SGYtU_H2N8Se0QXhoYDwCA&sqi=2&ved=0CDYQsAQ&biw=1385&bih=740 (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=queenhithe+dock&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=SGYtU_H2N8Se0QXhoYDwCA&sqi=2&ved=0CDYQsAQ&biw=1385&bih=740)

at first it wasnt very deep digging ,just 12 inches . then some bright spark youth started digging deep holes and finding valuable daggers from the medieval to 17th century period .2 grand a pop in the 80s was good money !so then some of them started digging 24/7 as they were doing so well they were earning more than their salary .

(the daggers were in very nice condition wth bone handles and quillon daggers in superb condition ,many now in the Tower Armouries and in the London museum) as good as the day  they were lost nicely preserved in the mud)

new cars were common amongst the diggers .
!
Big holes were getting noticed by the passing cop boats and soon the PLA started making a fuss and the London Museum got involved to ban the diggers from digging holes completely .

thats when the Mudlarks Society came into being around late 80s to get around the possible ban and licences were issued to all diggers so that they reported finds to the museum.and filled in their monster holes properly .
it was the only way round the ban

But later on they then banned deep holes and they could only be a metre deep and had to be filled in on the same day ,no more 2 week holes could be dug .
********************************
a piccy of onion bottles and delftware pots found by myself ..


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 23, 2014, 05:37:27 PM
here's some gold items i dug up underneath Putney Bridge at the start of the boatrace lost by careless spectators over the years i guess  .i was raking over the surface and i checked it with the Deus

one earing a belcher chain and 3 rings


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: troutmasterfunk on March 23, 2014, 05:50:03 PM
Nice finds  :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: diggaduff on March 23, 2014, 05:57:07 PM
Some nice precious there :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on March 23, 2014, 11:48:13 PM
The river Avon should produce some good finds the romans used it as a natural port and they built a little harbour at seamills, then the Saxons came along and settled where Bristol castle once stood. From then on Bristol became a very important port for probably a good 1000 years with a lot wealthy merchants trading.......So what was lost in the rivers who knows?


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on March 24, 2014, 12:20:16 AM
 You've got some great finds there.Those onion bottles are superb and very collectable,and a nice bit of jewelery as well, Great memories mate.Do you still do mudlarking ?


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 24, 2014, 02:43:29 PM
oh yes its in my blood now after reading these 2 books i became addicted  ;D ???



and heres a saxon glass bangle with a copper coating ,the london museum couldn't make up their mind if it was roman or saxon but they settled on saxon glass reworked from roman glass
surface find eyes only on the bangle
amazing it never got smashed after all the years on the foreshore
not sure why it has a copper coating ...

i sold around a dozen of the glass onions to a few dealers and still have some left ,the ones i sold were in tiptop condition and made around 900 each
to major glass dealer laurence  at  http://www.theantiquedispensary.co.uk/ (http://www.theantiquedispensary.co.uk/)

i must have dug around 30 onions over the space of 2 years


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 24, 2014, 02:53:51 PM
yep the river avon should have plenty of finds waiting to be dug up


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Chef Geoff on March 24, 2014, 04:01:49 PM
Unfortunately the historically important part of the Avon ie Bristol is now the floating harbour and so permanently flooded, the tidal river at Bristol is the "New Cut" and was only dug in the early 19thC :'(


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on March 24, 2014, 05:58:38 PM
Unfortunately the historically important part of the Avon ie Bristol is now the floating harbour and so permanently flooded, the tidal river at Bristol is the "New Cut" and was only dug in the early 19thC :'(

Yeah you are right, from the cut back to the Severn should be ok, but its just mud mud and mud :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on March 24, 2014, 06:34:18 PM
Copper is used as an undercoat  (for want of a better word)  these days for better adhesion when you plate  or enamel an item. Maybe  they did something similar ??


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: pontyboy on March 24, 2014, 10:21:47 PM
Nice find Galoshers - I'm enjoying your mud larking tales and finds.

Keep them coming.



Me too...Great stories and invaluable information about the Thames foreshore, you should write a book if you haven't already, about the foreshore


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 25, 2014, 09:41:36 AM
the London museum said that the copper may have leached out from the glass where it was included to give color ,but not conclusive .
for muddy areas i have a long metal probe on a fork handle ,its around 4 feet + long .
other MLs have even longer rods to probe in the mud .they used them when probing for roman pottery in the estuary near Rochester where there was a Roman pottery at Upchurch making black wares and then they dug up complete items from quite deep down.
so you can probe in the mud and when you get a dink on a bottle or some other item you know where to dig.
the 1/2 inch diam metal rod has groove along its length so it gets a soil or mud sample in the groove so you can see whats down there.


you could always start a Severn and Avon mudlarks society ! why not must be some good sites waiting


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 26, 2014, 10:07:48 AM
heres a piccy of the silver spur i found ,the buckle is 17th century so that should place it in time despite the rowel being a solid lump of rust that couldnt be saved.  the rowel would have been large and spikey

so i was advised to go see the spur expert at the tower of london.
upon inspecting it she dismissed it as modern !!i was flabbergasted at her apparent incompetence.
i pointed out that the buckle is 17th , no 'she said its a modern nickle silver spur. !!
i came to the conclusion the Tower of London spur expert was totally clueless

(nickle silver wasn't invented till the late 1800s in Germany )

shocked at this i left ,i got a free day at the tower though.

Later on i took it back to the FLA at the London museum and after a few weeks was invited in to pick it up .

their opinion was it was 17th ok but it was made of LEAD !!!
(would anyone make a spur out of lead )

i was flabbergasted once  again at this disclosure . i pointed out that if it was lead you would be able to bend it easy but it was very stiff and unbendable.
this fell on deaf ears , and i could never find out who the cretinous ignoramus who said it was made of lead was .but just shows you cant trust the museums experts .

the hallmarks on the inside have been eaten away by corrosion and are indistinct to see what they are .
i found it in an area where there was a bridge of boats across the river during the civil war so i suspect it was lost at that time.

so its a warning never to trust the so called experts and get a 2nd and 3rd opinion
i have to get around to taking it to the V&A museum as theyre very knowledgeable in the metalwork dept.

quote

The Civil War

Putney is reknown for it's part in the civil war.  "In 1647, Cromwell, equally
jealous of the Parliament and of the king, who was then at Hampton Court, fixed
the head quarters of his army at Putney in order to watch their respective
movements.  The houses of the principal inhabitants were occupied by the general
officers, who, during their residence here, held their councils in the parish
church...     On the escape of the king from Hampton, on the 13th of November,
the army quitted Putney, after a residence of three months."6

The first bridge of any kind between the two parishes was built during the Civil
War after the battle of Brentford in 1642, the Parliamentary forces built a
bridge of boats between Fulham and Putney.  According to a newspaper article of
the day;

"The Lord General hath caused a bridge to be built upon barges and lighters over
the Thames between Fulham and Putney, to convey his army and artillery over into
Surrey, to follow the king's forces; and he hath ordered that forts shall be
erected at each end thereof to guard it; but for the present the seamen, with
long boats and shallops full of ordnance and musketeers, lie there upon the
river to secure it."

No doubt this bridge played some part in forcing Charles I to withdraw his base
to Oxford.  According to Wadford7 this bridge remained in use up until 1647 and
maybe later.

The benefits of such a bridge obviously impacted someone of importance as in
1671 a bill was introduced into Parliament proposing the building of a bridge
between Putney and Fulham.  Opposition to the proposal was strong, particularly
from those who saw the bridge as being a commercial threat to the power of the
City of London.  It was also felt that this bridge would (quite correctly)
impact the watermens trade.  The bill was lost by 67 votes to 54. The bill was
rejected again in 1688.  



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Chef Geoff on March 26, 2014, 10:15:03 AM
Totally different type of mud I think if you step in the mud at Bristol you'll be up to your waist in no time, problem is the banks are sloping in to the water and silted so there is no "bottom" as such that you can walk on but there must be some forgotten areas on the Severn though :-\


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 26, 2014, 10:22:40 AM
i have no experience along there but maybe up the Severn could be ok but how far does the tide go out up there ??
it may not get exposed further up ,i dunno


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 26, 2014, 11:46:24 AM
some roman black upchurch wares amongst this lot

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=roman+upchurch+pottery&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dr0yU82sDci00QW04IHABw&ved=0CD8QsAQ&biw=1385&bih=740#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=fSaL7CFTcDimoM%253A%3BN6B8iAQdhknIfM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fcommons%252Fe%252Fe4%252FRoman_pottery_from_Britain.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FBlack-burnished_ware%3B2304%3B1158 (https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=roman+upchurch+pottery&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=dr0yU82sDci00QW04IHABw&ved=0CD8QsAQ&biw=1385&bih=740#facrc=_&imgdii=_&imgrc=fSaL7CFTcDimoM%253A%3BN6B8iAQdhknIfM%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fupload.wikimedia.org%252Fwikipedia%252Fcommons%252Fe%252Fe4%252FRoman_pottery_from_Britain.jpg%3Bhttp%253A%252F%252Fen.wikipedia.org%252Fwiki%252FBlack-burnished_ware%3B2304%3B1158)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on March 26, 2014, 12:20:29 PM
Totally different type of mud I think if you step in the mud at Bristol you'll be up to your waist in no time, problem is the banks are sloping in to the water and silted so there is no "bottom" as such that you can walk on but there must be some forgotten areas on the Severn though :-\

I had a good old chat to a lorry driver about metal detecting and it turned out he was a local men from Berkeley, he told me when they dredge the Severn at Sharpness, you get the local hunters detecting the spoil........ he could not tell me what they find, but the area has plenty of history, so the finds must be coming out   


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Chef Geoff on March 26, 2014, 12:40:14 PM
I did do a bit of research donkeys years ago in Bristol reference library (pre internet) about the regular dredging of the floating harbour by barge but I could never find out if it was dumped just outside at Hotwells or taken out in to the Seven. ???


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on March 26, 2014, 01:03:04 PM
my guess would be out to the severn? it was worth the research though.

Doing a little research now on the Severn through times it should be great detecting, just look at some of the finds. 

www.severnestuary.net/sep/pdfs/severnarchaeodesignguidefinal06 (http://www.severnestuary.net/sep/pdfs/severnarchaeodesignguidefinal06).


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 27, 2014, 09:41:54 AM
heres a few more items to look at


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 27, 2014, 12:55:27 PM
more items


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on March 27, 2014, 03:54:10 PM
Thats an absolute treasure trove, I love buckles


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 29, 2014, 10:38:03 AM
heres a piccy of one of the old hands which appeared in the Sunday Times magazine many years ago ,Malcolm in the piccy died many years ago. he liked the south side of the river away from the crowds on the north bank


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on March 31, 2014, 04:18:07 PM
after searching long i finally found a piccy of the gold and diamond ring my buddy found and bagged 20,000 for .
 24 but 5 diamonds on the bezel  they were big

paid off his mortgage on this find

http://www.artfund.org/what-we-do/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/5514/finger-ring (http://www.artfund.org/what-we-do/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/5514/finger-ring)





Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: pontyboy on March 31, 2014, 04:37:25 PM
Great find :)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on March 31, 2014, 07:03:26 PM
That has got to be the nicest ring that I have ever seen


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 01, 2014, 02:12:02 PM
heres a reliquary cross found 1994 and sold for 24,000 found by detectorist at queenhithe

http://www.artfund.org/what-we-do/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/5492/reliquary-cross-english (http://www.artfund.org/what-we-do/art-weve-helped-buy/artwork/5492/reliquary-cross-english)

it has a hinge at the bottom and a catch at the top  and the front opens out to reveal a box inside where some sort of relic could be concealed



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: matthewbullingham123 on April 01, 2014, 04:48:20 PM
wow very nice , some good storys :D


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 01, 2014, 09:30:08 PM
if you follow this link you can see a left handed dagger found in Queenhithe ,just 1 of the many dozens found in very good condition.
i also saw a magnificent rapier dug up still in its sheath and now hanging in the London museum similar to the one show here .
(they may have moved them to Leeds armoury so it says here )

15,000 worth of sword when sold .

http://www.folger.edu/documents/ShaxRestlessWorld_Folger%20Magazine_Fall2013.pdf (http://www.folger.edu/documents/ShaxRestlessWorld_Folger%20Magazine_Fall2013.pdf)

this book has photos of the daggers and sword found ,you can see it in Waterstones if your browsing

titled Shakespeares restless world , explains that everybody was carrying a dagger at that time for protection so  lot were made and lost ,i found a few myself


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 02, 2014, 03:45:17 PM
heres a ceramic figure i dug up ,19th century German said the V&A ceramics dept
he has lost his right hand which aint bad considering he was lost in the river for some years
6 inches high of a cavalier holding a love letter so they said


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on April 02, 2014, 10:46:47 PM
Thats a really nice bisque figurine


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 03, 2014, 02:49:13 PM
a mid 18th century white salt glazed tankard i found but i broke it when digging it up so i stuck it back together with superglue and its quite strong, a couple of tiny fragments are missing ,shame....


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on April 03, 2014, 04:21:42 PM
Thats a shame, nice though


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 04, 2014, 10:31:53 AM
incidentally Queenhithe is now a national monument so you cant dig or scratch the surface even.
shame as there must be a kings ransom lying deep in the mud ,only 30% was dug over the years till it was banned .
digging deep holes in the mud there meant that the diggers get themselves into a very muddy state as the soft slushy mud used to collapse in on them and they needed to be hauled out on occasion  ;D


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 05, 2014, 10:18:16 AM
heres a small novelty pen knife could be georgian period



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 08, 2014, 06:13:22 PM
a few copper coins from 1673


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 08, 2014, 09:26:47 PM
the Thames diggers bible 'Treasure in the Thames ' written by Ivor Noel Hume in 1956 is now fetching over $140 if you can find a copy as its so rare now.
gives you all the lowdown on the finds at that time


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: pontyboy on April 08, 2014, 09:52:26 PM
incidentally Queenhithe is now a national monument so you cant dig or scratch the surface even.
shame as there must be a kings ransom lying deep in the mud ,only 30% was dug over the years till it was banned .
digging deep holes in the mud there meant that the diggers get themselves into a very muddy state as the soft slushy mud used to collapse in on them and they needed to be hauled out on occasion  ;D


Anybody out there who was lucky enough to dig the Queenhithe ???


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 09, 2014, 02:41:54 PM
yep me,  for many years along with numerous others till they banned it .
but nearby along was ok too


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 15, 2014, 01:35:45 PM
here is a pipe of the Irish Inniskilling fusiliers  so my buddy who deals in militaria says

they were out in Egypt for some reason so this commemorative pipe was made and probably lost overboard by a sailor

hence its complete ness

shows the castle of Enniskillin on the bowl and Egypt on the other side

from wiki
The Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers was an Irish infantry regiment of the British Army formed in 1881 by the amalgamation of the 27th (Inniskilling) Regiment of Foot and the 108th Regiment of Foot.[1] It saw service in the South African War, the First World War and the Second World War, before being amalgamated into the Royal Irish Rangers in 1968.[2]

Contents


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Christoph1945 on April 15, 2014, 02:05:47 PM
Nice find; it looks like you could fill it with tobacco and smoke it!  ;)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 15, 2014, 07:32:24 PM
i was curious why they would make a commemorative clay pipe over the Irish fusileers in Egypt in the 1880s period and this give the facts ..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Irish_Fusiliers (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Irish_Fusiliers)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_occupation_of_Egypt (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_occupation_of_Egypt)

The pre-1914 full dress of the regiment comprised a scarlet tunic with dark blue facings, worn with dark blue trousers and the standard fusilier raccoon-skin cap. Regimental distinctions included a green plume worn on the left side of the headdress and an Irish harp as part of the badge.


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 20, 2014, 03:21:06 PM
pewter spoon with makers mark ALD on the back, no idea who he was ,
any ideas?


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 23, 2014, 12:33:15 PM
some more piccys of a dig some years ago with a buddy in the hole with his Compass 77B of around 3o years usage and still going strong ,its the top machine on the Thames foreshore! and still in use
a good selection of finds thru the ages inc viccy bottles and a dagger chape etc




Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on April 25, 2014, 04:07:45 PM
here we have a nice salt glazed tankard with sponged decoration from the queen Anne period .we know its queen Anne as
it has the revenue stamp mark for the queen Anne period at the top . AR .  despite having a broken base and chips still rare enough to make 950 from a dealer who had it repaired so you couldn't tell the difference and then sold it on


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on April 25, 2014, 08:37:55 PM
Thats a great find,Unusual to find one in that condition as well


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: pontyboy on April 25, 2014, 10:25:58 PM
Thats a very rare find


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on May 05, 2014, 07:46:51 AM
here is a crisp as struck 1/4  token from 1664 issued in London by a John Milett of abchurch lane which is now Lombard street near the bank of England. script writing on a token is rare to see so wonder if he was a scribe or letter writer ?



Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on May 05, 2014, 05:31:17 PM
Very nice, I bet a lot of the tokens we find today went in the ground in that condition, the Thames mud is kind.

Does all water logged/boggy ground preserve the artefact's/coins?


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on May 05, 2014, 08:10:59 PM
i should think so but where its black/ acidic silt it can eat right thru a hammered coin and pickle a copper coin..i have royal farthings that are very thin from pickling and have holes in them
but generally if its muddy everything is well preserved inc leather and bone which needs careful drying and expert preservation.
steel items are also well preserved as no air is present . blades , padlocks, keys , pretty much the same as when they were dropped


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on May 06, 2014, 11:30:22 AM
some very/extremely  rare pattern coins came from the thames foreshore ,you wont find them in the Seabys catalogue only in J Norths books .
i suspect they were issued as trial pieces into  the population and when they received them in their change thought they were duds and chucked them away fearing execution for passing forged coins . how would anyone know they were trial pieces


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on May 06, 2014, 05:48:22 PM
some very/extremely  rare pattern coins came from the thames foreshore ,you wont find them in the Seabys catalogue only in J Norths books .
i suspect they were issued as trial pieces into  the population and when they received them in their change thought they were duds and chucked them away fearing execution for passing forged coins . how would anyone know they were trial pieces

Have you any photos of the pattern coins? it would be interesting to see ;)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on May 06, 2014, 07:33:27 PM
no i sold em back in the 80-90s s ,daft i know now ,but a dealer was chasing me and i succumbed ,fool that i am ,other buddys also sold em on .
but if you look in J norths vol 2  coins books and check out the rare stuff  you can get an idea.

pre digital piccy era ....


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on May 08, 2014, 09:18:12 AM
just heard on the grapevine that a searcher recently found a WW1 D S Medal on the foreshore at Westminster near parliament ,valued at around 2000 !


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on May 08, 2014, 05:33:26 PM
WOW what a find


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on May 09, 2014, 08:54:53 AM
he will check it at the forthcoming sunday  mudlark meeting and will have 2 grand cash in his pocket as he deals in medals .will get further info on who the owner was when he researches the owner .eagerly waiting some feedback .


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on May 13, 2014, 09:49:18 AM
just heard about the DSM ,it was owned by a WW1 air gunner and only 400 were issued ,so a rare medal


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on June 09, 2014, 12:39:09 PM
talking to a mate who inquired how many hammered gold came from the thames and as far as i know not many compared with silver coins .
the major wharfs that were busy back in time yielded a few but not as common as silver hammereds.

it was easier to find a medieval quillon dagger than a gold hammered coin under  the thames foreshore

i would say 2 from queenhithe and 6 from billingsgate docks


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on June 21, 2014, 07:46:43 AM
heres some  Victorian ring pics


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: dances with badgers on June 21, 2014, 12:21:03 PM
lovely ring mate  ;)


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on June 21, 2014, 12:54:49 PM
year mark of r looks like 1815 so pre viccy

actually i have to correct myself as the town mark was chester not birmingham so its 1880 for letter r


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dryland on June 21, 2014, 10:04:44 PM
That really is a nice ring


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: galoshers on June 30, 2014, 01:18:32 PM
heres a nice brass anne coin from the thames


Title: Re: Mudlarking on the Thames with CUT/HALF and HAMMERRHOID
Post by: Dale on June 30, 2014, 04:12:20 PM
The coin looks unusual the portrait don't look right, was it a medal? what's on the reverse :) 


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