Si Finds, Luck in the Muck, Mudlarking the River Thames

In this special episode of Armchair Historians, Anne Marie is joined by her great-nephew and co-host Finley. We talk to YouTube sensation Simon Bourne of Si Finds about one of our favorite hobbies, treasure hunting and specifically mudlarking. Since the beginning, the River Thames which flows from the Cotswolds, through the heart of London, and into the North Sea has been a place where people from all over the world and throughout time have crossed, sailed, and walked along. It is a tidal river that rises and recedes with the tide of the North Sea. It's at low tide when mudlarks come out and peruse the Thame's foreshore for treasure, pieces of history.

Its history stretches back to over 30 million years ago when the river was once a tributary of the River Rhine because Britain was not an island. Mudlarks have been known to find Roman coins, 400-year-old clay pipes, Tudor pottery, and the list goes on.

Simon is a Society of Thames foreshore permit holder which means he is an advanced mudlarker known for his historically relevant foreshore finds. This designation also gives him access to otherwise restricted areas of the River Thames. Simon takes us on his adventures along the foreshore and other historic places through his YouTube channel, Si-Finds, teaching us about history through his finds.

Resources:

Si-Finds, YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/Sifinds
Mudlark, Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mudlark
Port of London Authority, Foreshore Permits: https://www.pla.co.uk/Environment/Thames-foreshore-permits
Mudlarker Simon returns Nathan Posener’s RFC dogtag he found in Thames ,East London Advertiser: https://www.eastlondonadvertiser.co.uk/news/mudlarker-simon-returns-nathan-posener-s-rfc-dogtag-he-found-3449608

Support Armchair Historians:
Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/armchairhistorians
Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/belgiumrabbitproductions