THE SAD STORY OF WILLIAM AND GEORGE PROCTOR OF THE MITRE TAVERN, LONDON

You may recall my blog post from last year, where I wrote about one of my favourite finds from the River Thames: a 17th-century wine bottle (also known as an onion bottle). If you're lucky, you can sometimes find a glass seal on these bottles, stamped with a name or some initials. Wealthy people often owned their own personalised wine bottles and would take them to the spirits merchant every time they needed a refill.

Although I've never been lucky enough to find a bottle with a seal still attached, I have found several individual seals with various names engraved on them. I always enjoy researching them and trying to find out something about one of the names.

Last June, I found a beautiful bottle seal with the initials WP embossed on either side of a bishop's mitre. When I got home and started researching, I was thrilled to trace it back to a family who lived in 17th-century London. I found out that WP stood for William Proctor, a man who owned the Mitre Tavern in Wood Street, Cheapside, London.

William's wife was Elizabeth, and together they had ten children between 1639 and 1654. However, their story is quite sad. As I researched further, I learned that William and his son George, who was only sixteen, died of the plague in 1665. They were buried together in the same grave. The obituary read: "1 August 1665 Mr William Proctor, Vintner at the Mitre Tavern in Wood Street with his young son, died in Islington (insolvent) ex peste". The church register records William and his son George's burial as "both in one grave on 31 July".

It also mentions that William Proctor was insolvent when he died. I wonder if Elizabeth continued to run the Mitre Tavern after William and George's death. I guess we'll never know. But I'm glad I found this seal on the banks of the Thames and was able to tell the Proctors' story before it was swept away by the waves into the murky depths of the Thames, where it might never have resurfaced!

About Tideline Art

This is Nicola White, self-proclaimed "mudlark" and founder of Tideline Art. Nicola regularly posts videos on her YouTube channel showcasing her incredible treasures and finds. Over the next 12 months, Nicola will be sharing her fascinating stories and finds with us on the Muck Boot blog!

When I moved from Cornwall to London over twenty years ago, I had no idea that the Thames would reveal such a fascinating and magical world to me, and that its muddy banks would uncover a myriad of historical secrets and figures from the past at low tide. I was used to walking along windy beaches in Cornwall and discovering finds, but I never thought anything similar would be possible in an urban environment like London.

Follow Nicola White

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/tidelineart/?hl=en

Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/NicolaWhiteTidelineArt/

YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2K7yEwPIcPaQT5FM78dpyw

More about mudlarking
Stories from the Thames
A rare Tudor coin
An ancient bottle
The smallest finds
The story of the 19th-century pewter mug
Friends, finds and the agony of choice on the banks of the Thames

Related Product
The best boots for mudlarking