Recording methods, archive and conyentions used in the report

As soon as the enormous shoe deposits at ‘Baynards Castle’ and Trig Lane were exposed it became elear that with the time, finance and man-power available it would not be possible to record and conserve each fragment individually. For this reason it has become the Museum’s poiicy to separate the complete or almost complete shoes and the large fragments with details of fastening, decoration or stitching from the loose soles or clumps, unattached rands and smaller scraps of upper. The former - ‘Registered Finds’ - are

2 Typical sheet from the fuli archive catalogue. This section includes part of the early/mid 15th-century group (G15) from Trig Lane (site codę: TL 74).

given an individual registration number, unique within each site, and have always been fully con-served; the latter - ‘Bulk Finds’ - are merely labelled with the number of the archaeological layer - ‘context’ - in which they were found and, before conservation facilities were expanded in response to the Swan Lane (1981) and Billingsgate (1982) excavations, were simply left to dry out.

In preparation for this volume the bulk finds were recorded only summarily. The number of sole and upper fragments from each context was counted, to give an indication of the size of the original assemblage, and features such as rands, turn-welts, heel-stiffeners or topbands were noted so that their introduction could be dated

GROUP 15, C. 1440 Context 274

INDIUIDUALLY REGISTERED < 1 2 4 9 > half

right foot, adult; oual toe seun, thread survlvlnq SOLE: repaired

UPPER: parts present: uamp, tongue

seam position: outslde; angted fastening method: buckie and strap Comments: boot or ankle shoe

clump only, original sole missing

< 12 51> half

boot, right foot, adult; oual toe seun, thread suruiuing SOLE: length 215 mm; one-piece

uorn, repa i red UPPER: mu11 i-p i ece

parts present: uamp, quarters

seam position: at instep, both sides;

horizontal, uertical fastening method: si de laced

<3441 > fragmentaru

Comments: lace hole reinforcement

UNREGISTERED FRAGMENTS

SOLES: total numbers: 6 half, 3 fragmentaru

toe shapes: 3 oual

features: rand; uorn; repaired

UPPERS: total numbers: 2 half, 4 fragmentary

parts present: uamp; auarters features: reused

SIZES: 7 adult

Context 2 75.

INDIUlDUALLY REGISTERED <1141> half

boot, left foot, child's; oual toe seun

SOLE: length 136 mm; one-piece

rand

UPPER: parts present: uamp, quarters, heel re i nforcement seam position: inside

<1142 > half

boot, right foot, child's; rounded toe seun

SOLE: length 125 mm; one-piece

UPPER: one-piece

parts present: uamp, tongue, quarters seam position: Inside; uertical

fastening method: buckie and strap Comments: addltional ?lace-hole on one side