A mudlarker has found a human jaw bone on the Thames which possibly dates beyond the 17th century.
Amy Sinden, 38, found the mandible on a portion of the bank within Southwark on Thursday, January 26.
Dozens of curious dentists and archaeologists have been speculating about its origin on social media.
Some believe it could belong to a convict from one of the Thames’ 18th-century prison hulks.
Amy, a primary school art teacher, said: “It was only the second time I’d been on this particular area of the foreshore… I looked down at my feet and saw it.
“I recognised what it was straight away because it was quite distinctly human… I was a bit in shock.
“I had this understanding that this was a person – a genuine person – and I’m glad to have found them. They’re no longer a lost soul on the Thames.”
Amy did not disclose the exact location of the find for fear people will go there without a license and get swept away by the tide.
All human remains must be reported to the police and crime scene investigators were at her house within hours.
A police investigator reportedly told Amy that they believed it could date back to the 17th or 18th century.
Police confirmed that no criminal investigation is underway and further tests are being conducted to establish the bone’s age.
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There are clues about the artefact’s origin. The bone’s dark colouration and evidence of fossilisation suggest it’s been in the Thames soil for a very long time.
http://southwarknews.co.uk/history/its-hands-on-history-lara-maiklem-on-the-magic-of-mudlarking/
The presence of large erupted molars suggests it belongs to an adult, as does the size of the bone.
The good condition of the teeth could also indicate the owner was living in Britain prior to the widespread consumption of sugar in the mid-17th century and 18th century.
http://southwarknews.co.uk/history/bermondseys-biscuit-history-the-beloved-treats-invented-in-the-peek-freans-biscuit-factory/
Hundreds of human remains have been recovered from the Thames over the last two hundred years, often through historical dredging activities.
Last year, a graphic designer found a remarkably intact 5,000-year-old leg bone while rowing.
The 5,000-year-old human bone found in the River Thames https://t.co/P15q8f43TB
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) February 13, 2022
Amy, who found the jaw, has only been mudlarking for nine months but already has an impressive find portfolio.
Astonishingly, she found a leather Roman horse harness mount just ten minutes before discovering the bone.
One of her favourite finds has been a flint blade from the Neolithic period. She often finds Cretaceous Bivalvia fossils – distant cousins of shellfish such as muscles.
She started mudlarking in May last year as a way to distract herself from the dehabiltating effects of long-covid, from which she is gradually recovering.
“My health really deteriorated and couldn’t walk far and struggled with breathing and there was no park nearby I could walk to.
“But the tube station is a few metres down the road from where I live and, from there, I could easily get to St Paul’s. It meant I could have a little look around the river and have a bit of fresh air and activity.
“It’s opened a whole new world I never knew about.”
Her find has been reported to a Museum of London find liaison officer (FLO) who will keep track of any new information.
Mudlarkers must get a license from the Port of London Authority because there are risks involved like getting caught up in the tide. New permits are currently unavailable but check this page regularly to be in with a chance of getting one.
http://southwarknews.co.uk/news/business/poundland-coming-to-east-dulwich-branded-sign-of-the-times-and-reverse-gentrification/