You're listening to away with words to show up language and how we use it.

I'm Grant Barrett.

And I'm Martha Barnett.

In the late 18th century, the English term mudlark was a rather grim one.

It referred to people who scavenged for usable debris in the cold, stinking, tidal mud

of a river because they didn't have any other means of income.

Today mudlarking is more of a hobby, and it's the subject of a book I'm really enjoying

by Laura Maklem, it's called mudlark, in search of London's past along the river

Thames.

It turns out that much of the river Thames is tidal, which means that twice a day it pulls

back to reveal its secrets.

And Maklem has found all kinds of things over the years, everything from ancient Roman

jewelry to modern engraved wedding rings, and you've got to wonder how somebody lost

that, or maybe they got angry and threw it in the river, but there's so much history

in each one of those objects.

One of my favorite examples is the fact that she's always finding these little clay pipes,

so I'm talking about tiny clay pipes, and the reason they were tiny is because tobacco

was initially very expensive when it was first brought to Britain.

And she also finds a lot of Elizabethan style pins, because in those days everybody was

having to pin their clothes.

And she's even found mesolithic flints, and Grant, I know that will appeal to you because

you've talked before about just what that feeling must be like of picking up something

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