51713 shoes&pattens
6

16

Shoes and Pattens

17 Early/mid 13th-century boot and ankle-shoes.

The boot was fastened with a drawstring but the three ankle-shoes were laced at the side. For linę drawings of the same shoes see Figs. 25, 15, 27 & 28.

become widespread until the second half of the 14th century (see below, pp. 32-3). Decoration is very rare, now that embroidered shoes had passed out of fashion, though it should not be forgotten that the concentric lacing circles on tali ankle-shoes and boots may have had sonie omamental, as well as functional, value.

Ankle-shoes or boots are by far the most common form of footwear, accounting for over half the total number of individually registered finds (Tables 1-2). There are just six shoes cut below the ankle, and three of these may have been a special type of indoor slipper similar to that found in one of the early 12th-century groups (Figs. 18-19; cf. Fig. 11 and p. 13). The two which are most complete were both madę from single pieces of very thin, soft leather, with a finely stitched butt seam joining the sole to the upper, almost cer-tainly without rands. There was binding or a top-band (not surviving) but no tracę of any fastening. One (Fig. 18) is conventionally styled, high at the instep, whereas the other (Fig. 19) is cut very Iow

18, 19 Early/mid 13th-century shoes. Scalę 1:3 approx.