Toilet implement set from the Thames Foreshore

A find from the mud… Mudlark John Higginbotham discovered this interesting Post-Medieval silver toilet implement (LON-F6F381) on the foreshore of the River Thames.  The individual elements of the tool, which could have been used in various aspects of personal hygiene and the application of cosmetics, overlap with one another to form a three-dimensional female figure.  There are not many exact parallels recorded, although examples of the individual elements are known.  The preservation of this complete set makes it all the more interesting. 

Only those people with a license from the Port of London Authority (PLA) are allowed to search with metal detectors on the Thames foreshore and to disturb the ground.   All others should restrict their activities to searching with their eyes alone! 

John and the owner of the foreshore, the Crown Estate, agreed to waive their right to a reward for this item so that it could be placed in the Tower of London at no expense.  Thank you both!

**Silver cuff link showcasing a royal occasion  **This single silver cuff link (SUSS-5904A7) was found by Tyndall Jones in Warningcamp, West Sussex.  It would have originally been joined by a metal link to a matching cuff link which would have enabled them to hold together two pieces of fabric.  Cuff links with this design ‘Crown over two hearts’ are likely to be associated with a commemoration of the marriage of Charles II to Catharine of Braganza in 1662. 

Silver cufflink from Warningcamp, West Sussex

You may have seen the Portable Antiquities Scheme’s Dr Michael Lewis talking about a similar cufflink in the collection of the British Museum on the ITV series Britain’s Secret Treasures. Michael has been researching these items and has noted that finders have reported almost 90 cuff links of this type since the start of the Treasure Act in 1997.  Before then, there weren’t any records of these items at all!   

Both Tyndall and the owner of the land, Nigel Draffan, waived their right to a reward for this piece of Treasure in order that it could be acquired by the nearby Littlehampton Museum.  Many thanks Tyndall and Nigel!