British Liberty And An American Assasination

As an American living in London, I never imagined that I would find an artefact in the River Thames that is linked to a pivotal moment in American history. An artefact which in effect, manages to bring to light an intriguing story that has been long forgotten.

- Jason Sandy

It was an especially beautiful, sunny Sunday morning in August, when I crossed a bridge in Central London on my way to go mudlarking along the Thames foreshore. Viewed from the bridge, the surface of the tranquil water was as smooth as glass and calmly reflected the surrounding cityscape (Fig.1). The water’s mirror effect of the mélange of skyscrapers was to be quite frank almost mesmerising. I descended to the level of the river and meandered along the muddy banks as the tide slowly receded.

While searching eyes only along the uneven terrain of the exposed river bed at low tide, I suddenly spotted a small, unassuming 18th century glass fronted cufflink. It was made up of a rounded glass inset that had been mounted in a decorated pewter setting (Fig.2). Although the surface of the glass had been worn down by tide and time, I thought I could just make out some lettering behind it.