89204 shoes&pattens3

33

Shoes from London sites, 1100-1450

latchet shoes in the larger adult sizes. From this it might be inferred that they were worn morę often by men, whereas the front-latchet type, which has a morę even spread of adult sizes, was worn equally by both sexes. But side-latchet shoes are found in the largest sizes of all, leaving little doubt that this was principally a man’s shoe; it may eąually be significant that the longest ‘poulaines’ (Table 8a) and the finest examples of decoration (Figs. 50-51) are also associated with shoes of this type.

The adult buckled shoes which are illustrated are typical of the whole collection (Figs. 42-3). Both have circular buckles of tinned iron which are held in place by folding over the leather strap on the outer side and stitching it down; the strap which passes over the instep is a separate insert. One shoe (Fig. 42) has only a modest ‘poulaine’ and, although originally high over the instep like the other, has been cut down - perhaps by a particularly fashion-conscious owner - so that it barely covers the toes (cf. Figs. 49-51). One of the front-latchet shoes is similar to these in that the vamp continues high over the instep and there is only a short ‘poulaine’ (Fig. 45). The bifurcated latchet strap is a separate insert, and the strap with the corresponding pair of holes is madę in one piece with the vamp; it is of single thickness but with a reinforcement cord just inside the edge. The other adult front-latchet shoe (Fig. 46) is cut lower over the toes and has a slightly longer, outward-curving ‘poulaine’. Unusually, there is a smali insert to join the vamp and ąuarters on the inner side and, as on several other examples of this type, the short perforated strap is a separate insert folded double and sewn together at the edges. The ends of the latchet strap remain knotted together, but on some other surviving examples each strand was knotted individually after passing through the hole, in the manner of a toggle.

The illustrated side-latchet shoes emphasise the high fashion associated with this style (Figs. 49-51). All are cut very Iow across the toes and at the sides, but the ąuarters are not shaped; unlike the front-latchet shoes, they were generally fastened on the inner, not the outer, side of the foot. The latchet strap itself was invariably madę separately, and because of the length of the shoe the sole was normally madę in two parts. The plain shoe (Fig. 49) has one of the longest ‘poulaines’ in

45, 46, 47 Late 14th-century shoes. Scalę 1:3 approx.

the entire ‘Baynards Castle’ group, extending to over 120 mm, and the seam on the outer side is reinforced with a large rectangular patch, probably stitched on as a repair; this seam would have been exposed to considerable stress, sińce it lies at the point of greatest flexibility and is very short in comparison with the overall size of the shoe. The decorated shoes are very similar in style, although one (Fig. 50) is slightly shaped at the ąuarters and is cut very Iow over the toes; a rough slit has been madę, perhaps to give morę room for the toes, and the end of the ‘poulaine’ has been cut off. Both shoes are similarly decorated with scored lines and areas where the surface has been scraped away to provide a contrasting ‘suede’ finish, but the effects are very different. One (Fig. 50) is very light in appearance, with an overall lattice-work enclosing ‘suede’ lozenges, whereas the