The Lost Jewels

When Kate Kirby is offered the assignment of viewing and writing about items in the Cheapside Hoard she readily accepts the assignment. Working with photographer, Marcus Holt, she travels to London, India and Sri Lanka as she endeavours to uncover the story of some of the jewels, their significance and how they were mined.

The novel reveals the history of the jewels via a number of time frames - 1666 and the Great Fire of London which also ravaged Cheapside where many London jewellers worked, the lives of young boys in Sri Lanka scratching a living from the dirt as they hoped to find a precious gemstone, 1912 when a hoard of precious jewellery was uncovered on an excavation sight in London as well as the present day with Kate and Marcus trying to piece together the story.

Kate also believed that there was a family connection to the Cheapside Hoard via her great grandmother, Essie, who grew up in Cheapside before suddenly relocating to Boston, USA, and this is an important thread in the story. Poverty in parts of London in the early twentieth century and the work of the suffragette movement to improve life for women also form a background to the story.

Kirsty Manning has written a fascinating novel incorporating historical fact with an absorbing story. A list of further reading is provided at the end of the book for those interested in reading more about the period covered, especially in London.

The Cheapside Hoard - most of th collection is held by the Museum of London and will be on display from 2024. A general Google search for Cheapside Hoard images is also worth a look.