200-year-old fish token ‘used in card game’ discovered under Westminster
A 200-year-old fish figurine that may have been used in an old card game has been dug up under the Palace of Westminster.
Researchers believe the intricately carved token, made from animal bone, may have been used in a game called “Lottery Tickets”.
The game, popular in the 18th and 19th centuries, and mentioned in Jane Austen’s 1813 novel, Pride and Prejudice, involves two players attempting to match their cards to the values of those in the middle of a table.
The winner of the round claims a fish token, like the one found by archaeologists.
Its discovery was made by Roland Tillyer, senior geoarchaeologist at the Museum of London Archaeology (MOLA), as part of a major project to restore the Palace of Westminster.
He found the item while monitoring the digging of a borehole deep in the earth under the House of Lords’ Royal Court.
Diane Abrams, the archaeology lead of the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Programme, described the gaming token as a “wonderful” find.
“It certainly highlights the value of the palace’s ‘hidden’ archaeology beneath its buildings and spaces and how even a single find such as this can contribute to its overall sense of history and our literary past,” she said.
Michael Marshall, a team leader of the discovery unit at MOLA, said: “Counters like this were commonly used at gaming tables in Britain during the 18th and 19th century and were used as tokens for scoring.
“A famous literary description of this practice comes from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice [published in 1813] where Lydia Bennet is described as winning and losing fish while playing games of ‘lottery tickets’.”
What else has been found under Westminster?
The find follows the discovery of a section of the original medieval Thames River wall, believed to run underneath the length of the Houses of Parliament.
Medieval timber structures, thought to be part of a river defence system, were also discovered during an excavation of Black Rod’s Garden in 2015.
Archaeologists may have found the remains of a medieval stone wall under Westminster
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Previous ground investigations over the past few decades have uncovered an array of historical artefacts, including a centuries-old sword and buried fragments of King Henry III’s high table.
Those behind the restoration project say they have now carried out a milestone 7,500 hours of specialist intrusive and disruptive surveying work since July 2022.
The work, in addition to the tens of thousands of hours of planning and visual inspection research completed since 2018, will inform decisions about the restoration work.
Last year, a report by the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority suggested a project to revive the Palace of Westminster to its full glory could cost up to £22bn and take up to 76 years.
The authority made an agreement to preserve the palace, which was rebuilt in 1876 following a devastating fire, and to seek independent advice and assurance on the new approach to the works.
While there are dozens of restoration projects already under way, the future scope of the main restoration works is not yet certain – until approval is given by MPs and the Lords to costed proposals.
A vote on how to push forward with the work is expected by the end of 2023.
David Goldstone, CEO of the Houses of Parliament Restoration and Renewal Delivery Authority, said: “We’ll take the important data from this extensive research to inform our future restoration plans for the building, ensuring that we tackle critical issues and preserve and protect the building and the thousands of staff and visitors that use the building every day.”
Nigel Farage has told Sky News he “can’t be pushed or bullied” by anybody after Elon Musk said the Reform MP “doesn’t have what it takes” to lead his party.
In an interview with Sky’s political correspondent Ali Fortescue, Mr Farage said he has spoken with the billionaire owner of X since his criticism on 5 January, when Mr Musk said: “The Reform Party needs a new leader. Farage doesn’t have what it takes.”
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Asked if the pair are still friends, Mr Farage said: “Of course we’re friends. He just says what he thinks at any moment in time.”
He added he has “been in touch” with Mr Musk, though wouldn’t divulge what they had discussed.
“Look, he said lots of supportive things. He said one thing that wasn’t supportive. I mean, that’s just the way it is,” Mr Farage said.
Musk and Farage met in December. Pic: PA
Asked if he was afraid to criticise the tech mogul, the Clacton MP said the situation was “the opposite”, and he openly disagreed with Mr Musk on his views on far-right activist Tommy Robinson.
Mr Farage said: “What he [Musk] was saying online was that effectively Tommy Robinson was a political prisoner and I wouldn’t go along with that.
“If I had gone along with that, he wouldn’t have put out a tweet that was against me.
“By the way, you know, I can’t be pushed or bullied or made to change by anybody.
“I stick to what I believe.”
Mr Musk has endorsed Robinson and claimed he was “telling the truth” about grooming gangs, writing on X: “Free Tommy Robinson”.
But Mr Farage said that Robinson, who is serving an 18-month jail term for contempt of court, isn’t welcome in Reform UK and neither are his supporters.
He said: “If people within Reform think Tommy Robinson should be a member of Reform and play a central role in Reform, that disagreement is absolutely fundamental.
“I’ve never wanted to work with people who were active in the BNP. I’ve made that clear right throughout the last decade of my on/off political career. So that’s what the point of difference is.”
Despite their disagreement, Mr Farage said he is confident Mr Musk will continue to support Reform and “may well” still give money to it.
The entrepreneur has previously spoken positively about Reform UK and there have been suggestions he could make a multi-million-pound donation in its favour.
Devolution plans ‘denial of democracy’
Mr Farage was speaking from Reform’s South East of England Conference, one of a series of regional events aimed at building up the party’s support base.
Elsewhere in the interview, he hit out at the Labour government’s devolution plans which could see some local elections scheduled for May postponed.
This would apply when councils seek permission to reorganise, so that smaller district authorities merge with other nearby ones to give them more sway over their area.
Mr Farage, who is hoping to make gains in the spring contests, claimed the plans are not about devolution but about “elections being cancelled”.
“I thought only dictators cancelled elections. This is unbelievable and devolution or a change to local government structures is being used as an excuse,” he said.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this month. Pic: PA
He claimed Tory-controlled councils are “grabbing it like it’s a life belt”, because they fear losing seats to Reform.
“It’s an absolute denial of democracy,” he added.
Mr Farage was also asked why many Reform members don’t like to speak on camera about why they support his party.
He said he did not accept there was a toxicity associated with Reform and claimed there was “institutional bias against anybody that isn’t left of centre”.
Specialist search teams, police dogs and divers have been dispatched to find two sisters who vanished in Aberdeen three days ago.
Eliza and Henrietta Huszti, both 32, were last seen on CCTV in the city’s Market Street at Victoria Bridge at about 2.12am on Tuesday.
The siblings were captured crossing the bridge and turning right onto a footpath next to the River Dee in the direction of Aberdeen Boat Club.
Henrietta Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Eliza Huszti. Pic: Police Scotland
Police Scotland has launched a major search and said it is carrying out “extensive inquires” in an effort to find the women.
Chief Inspector Darren Bruce said: “Local officers, led by specialist search advisors, are being assisted by resources including police dogs and our marine unit.”
Aberdeenshire Drone Services told Sky News it has offered to help in the search and is waiting to hear back from Police Scotland.
CCTV of the sisters. Pic: Police Scotland
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The sisters, from Aberdeen city centre, are described as slim with long brown hair.
Police said the Torry side of Victoria Bridge where the sisters were last seen contains many commercial and industrial units, with searches taking place in the vicinity.
The force urged businesses in and around the South Esplanade and Menzies Road area to review CCTV footage recorded in the early hours of Tuesday in case it captured anything of significance.
Drivers with relevant dashcam footage are also urged to come forward.
CI Bruce added: “We are continuing to speak to people who know Eliza and Henrietta and we urge anyone who has seen them or who has any information regarding their whereabouts to please contact 101.”
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