A leisurely walk along the beach in Dawlish a few summers ago resulted in finding what looked like the handle of a broken plastic spoon. But, after cleaning it up, I discovered it was a Victorian (I believe) pen knife, nail scissors and nail file combination - a sweet little manicure set encased in abalone shell or mother-of-pearl.
It must have been on the beach for a while because it's very tarnished, but only slightly rusty. So most of the metal might be silver, perhaps? It’s not hallmarked, though, so I feel this is unlikely.
Who was Margaret Morris? Did she drop her manicure set on the beach a century ago and has it been there ever since? Or did someone else lose it much more recently, and has it never been in the sea at all? Or have the tides sent it backwards and forwards along the entire East Devon coastline?
I don't suppose I'll ever know. But, if there is a descendent of Margaret Morris out there, please get in touch, and I'll be happy to return your ancestor's property.
Who or what is a Rummager? It's someone who searches unsystematically and untidily for lost, broken or discarded items, mostly (but not always) man-made.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
It's been a glorious, sunny January day, so this afternoon I was very happy to go rummaging along the beach in Dawlish. The sun sparkle...
-
It's been a glorious, sunny January day, so this afternoon I was very happy to go rummaging along the beach in Dawlish. The sun sparkle...
-
Rummagers are sometimes given little gifts by people who are throwing stuff away, and that is how I came by this bobbin, which I shall now p...
No comments:
Post a Comment