Mudlark'd: Hidden Histories from the River Thames

A captivating history of London as told through objects recovered from the muddy banks of the Thames and the lives of the people who owned them

Mudlark’d combines insights from two hundred rare objects discovered on the foreshore of the River Thames with a wealth of breathtaking illustrations to uncover the hidden histories of ordinary people from prehistory to today. Malcolm Russell tells the stories behind each find, revealing the habits, customs, and artistry of the people who created and used it.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, London was the busiest port in the world, exchanging goods and ideas with people from every continent. The shores of the Thames have long been densely packed with taverns, brothels, and markets, and the river’s muddy banks are a repository of intriguing and precious objects that evoke long-forgotten ways of life. With Russell as your guide, a bottleneck of a jug is shown to be a talisman to counter the ill effects of witchcraft. Glass beads expose the brutal realities of the transatlantic slave trade. Clay tobacco pipes uncover the lives of Victorian magicians. A scrap of Tudor cloth illuminates the experiences of Dutch and French religious refugees.

These are just some of the stories told in Mudlark’d, which also contains a primer, giving advice on how to mudlark on tidal rivers around the world and outlining the tools and equipment you will need.

1140376342
Mudlark'd: Hidden Histories from the River Thames

A captivating history of London as told through objects recovered from the muddy banks of the Thames and the lives of the people who owned them

Mudlark’d combines insights from two hundred rare objects discovered on the foreshore of the River Thames with a wealth of breathtaking illustrations to uncover the hidden histories of ordinary people from prehistory to today. Malcolm Russell tells the stories behind each find, revealing the habits, customs, and artistry of the people who created and used it.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, London was the busiest port in the world, exchanging goods and ideas with people from every continent. The shores of the Thames have long been densely packed with taverns, brothels, and markets, and the river’s muddy banks are a repository of intriguing and precious objects that evoke long-forgotten ways of life. With Russell as your guide, a bottleneck of a jug is shown to be a talisman to counter the ill effects of witchcraft. Glass beads expose the brutal realities of the transatlantic slave trade. Clay tobacco pipes uncover the lives of Victorian magicians. A scrap of Tudor cloth illuminates the experiences of Dutch and French religious refugees.

These are just some of the stories told in Mudlark’d, which also contains a primer, giving advice on how to mudlark on tidal rivers around the world and outlining the tools and equipment you will need.

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Mudlark'd: Hidden Histories from the River Thames

Mudlark'd: Hidden Histories from the River Thames

by Malcolm Russell
Mudlark'd: Hidden Histories from the River Thames

Mudlark'd: Hidden Histories from the River Thames

by Malcolm Russell

eBook

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Overview

A captivating history of London as told through objects recovered from the muddy banks of the Thames and the lives of the people who owned them

Mudlark’d combines insights from two hundred rare objects discovered on the foreshore of the River Thames with a wealth of breathtaking illustrations to uncover the hidden histories of ordinary people from prehistory to today. Malcolm Russell tells the stories behind each find, revealing the habits, customs, and artistry of the people who created and used it.

In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, London was the busiest port in the world, exchanging goods and ideas with people from every continent. The shores of the Thames have long been densely packed with taverns, brothels, and markets, and the river’s muddy banks are a repository of intriguing and precious objects that evoke long-forgotten ways of life. With Russell as your guide, a bottleneck of a jug is shown to be a talisman to counter the ill effects of witchcraft. Glass beads expose the brutal realities of the transatlantic slave trade. Clay tobacco pipes uncover the lives of Victorian magicians. A scrap of Tudor cloth illuminates the experiences of Dutch and French religious refugees.

These are just some of the stories told in Mudlark’d, which also contains a primer, giving advice on how to mudlark on tidal rivers around the world and outlining the tools and equipment you will need.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780691235974
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Publication date: 05/10/2022
Sold by: Barnes & Noble
Format: eBook
Pages: 224
File size: 22 MB
Note: This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Malcolm Russell has contributed to publications such as Treasure Hunting, The Searcher, and Beachcombing. A lifelong mudlark, he studied history at the University of Sheffield, where he was recently an honorary research fellow in the Department of History. His remarkable finds were featured in the Thames Festival exhibition Foragers of the Foreshore.

Table of Contents

An Introduction to Mudlarking. 10

1 Enslaved People & Immigrants. 22

Ornatrices-The enslaved hairdressers of the Roman Empire, revealed by a pin.

Hanse-The merchants who supplied Tudor England, revealed by a ring.

Strangers-The refugees who helped transform England's economy, revealed by lead seals.

Black Georgians-London's eighteenth-century Black residents, revealed by a glass tube.

Lascarsd-The Indian seamen who manned British ships, revealed by a coin.

2 Criminals. 54

Cunning-Folk-The fight against witchcraft, revealed by a pottery fragment.

Coiners-The forgers transported to Australia, revealed by counterfeit coins.

Intimates. 72

Sex Workers-Prostitution in early modern London, revealed by a candlestick.

Courting Couples - The early modern journey to marriage, revealed by a cufflink.

4 Believers. 86

Pilgrims-Medieval religious travellers, revealed by an ampulla.

Printers-The Arts and Crafts movement, revealed by pieces of type.

Fascists-Britain's first fascist organization, revealed by a badge.

5 Entertainers. 106

Street Musicians-London's sonic culture wars, revealed a Jew's harp.

Indigenous North Americans-Native travellers and performance, revealed by beads.

Parachutists-The aerial entertainers of the Edwardian age, revealed by a clay pipe.

6 Queer Folk. 124

Romans-The men of antiquity who had sex with men, revealed by a coin.

Mallies & Macaronis-Queerness in Georgian London, revealed by lead tokens.

Cross-Dressing Women-The emergence of a lesbian identity, revealed by a button.

7 Addicts. 148

Smokers-Consumers of a new intoxicant, revealed by clay tobacco pipes.

Gamesters-Gambling addicts of Georgian London, revealed by a die.

Gin Drinkers-Imbibers of London's spirit, revealed by a bottleneck.

8 Traders. 170

Mountebanks & Dentists-The evolution of oral care, revealed by a tooth.

Quacks-Georgian medical entrepreneurs, revealed by a medicine bottle.

Costermongers-Victorian London's street sellers, revealed by a token.

9 Fighters. 190

Forgoten Heroes of the Crimea-War with Russia, revealed by a clay pipe.

Auxiliary Firefighters-Extinguishing the Blitz, revealed by a button.

The Red Army-Creating killers in the Second World War, revealed by a round of ammunition.

A Mudlarking Primer. 214

Endnotes. 218

Further Reading. 220

Sources of Illustrations. 220

Index. 221

Acknowledgments. 224

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