Treasure hunters baffled as mysterious letter washes up Thames bank

Can YOU solve the riddle in the bottle? Treasure hunters baffled by mystery clues that washed up on the Thames

• EXCLUSIVE: Message in a bottle – found in a clear container – contained a poem
• But treasure hunters have been left scratching their heads over the strange clues

Treasure hunters are baffled by a mysterious note that washed up on the banks of the River Thames. 

The message in a bottle  – discovered in a clear container – carried a four-line poem that appears to be a clue for a treasure quest.

Shared between mudlarkers – people who hunt riverbeds for historical treasures – the unusual find sparked intense debate as the hobbyists tried to work out what it meant.

The message read:  ‘Wide and heavy, Filling out the town, North of Freehold, I can be found.’

But – far from pirate legends – the cryptic verse was printed by a computer in a calligraphy font and then laminated.

The mystery has left members of the mudlarking community scrambling for answers – as they tried to read between the lines of the short note

But – far from pirate legends – the cryptic verse was printed by a computer in a calligraphy font and then laminated

Shared between mudlarkers – people who hunt riverbeds for historical treasures – the unusual find sparked intense debate as the hobbyists tried to work out what it meant

The mystery left  members of the mudlarking community scrambling for answers – as they tried to read between the lines of the short note.

Some said it must be a treasure map – while others theorised it may have come thousands of miles across the sea.

Posting the find on the forum, the man who discovered it said: ‘I have a bit of a puzzle for you today.

‘I was on the Thames last week and found this message in a bottle! 

‘It looks like some kind of cryptic clue but it’s too tricky for me, so I need to call on the collective brain to try and solve this one!! 

‘I could be wrong but does this have a hint of the US about it? Maybe our friends across the pond can help?’

A investigative commenter said that it could be from a town in New Jersey, while another speculated that there is also a Freehold in Massachusetts.

Others, however, thought it is more likely to be related to Freehold in Lancashire – which is still  more than 200 miles from where it was found.

The message in a bottle – discovered in a clear container – contained a four-line poem that appears to be a clue for a treasure quest

One said: ‘Definitely clues to something purposely hidden.’

Another added:  ‘“Wide” and “Heavy” are both capitalized so those might be names of something too rather than a description.’

And a third joked: ‘I wish I had scrolled past this! Now I need to know who wrote this, why they wrote it, what it means and what we’re looking for.’

But some thought the answer may be far more benign – as one joked: ‘I think this is a scavenger hunt clue and now that it’s gone there will be a load of lost and confused people on the beach looking for it!’

And a second joked: ‘Looks like they couldn’t answer it either, so tossed it in the river and went for a beer!’ 

Another lady claimed it may be a reference to an online game.

She sparked laughs from members when she said: ‘Apparently Freehold is a dungeon in the “World of Warcraft” online role-playing game.’

But another said: ‘It seems to have been purposely set among the stones. I doubt it would look so pristine had it traveled across the Atlantic to find its way onto the Thames foreshore. 

‘If it’s a scavenger hunt clue, I’d think it’s somewhere in London, perhaps a pub?’

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