[Regia-NA] Re: Jorvik shoes

[Robert Kenyon]

Yup, you're right.  Of the 54 cataloged shoes with one-piece uppers joined
with a side seam (type 3-no flap & toggle) which includes the style you
describe, all but one are closed with a vertical or angled medial (inside of
foot as opposed to lateral) seam.  Re: the flap & toggle shoes, according to
Mould, Cameron & Carlisle, more than 90 were found at York, all with the
seam and toggle on the inside.  In the section of the book where the
individual finds are cataloged, 24 are described in detail (finds 15429
through 15452) and every one of them has a "medial closing seam" (inside of
the foot), as opposed to a lateral closing seam (outside); and the lateral
quarter extends to form the flap which folds
over to fasten on the medial side.  Most of the later style shoes in the
book have the seams on the medial side too.  Several good folks here and on
other lists have pointed out that the toggle is much easier to fasten on the
inside of the foot.

So, anyone have definitive evidence for toggles on the outside?

Thanks,
Wulfric


> Date: Sun, 19 Jun 2005 01:21:19 EDT
> From: NickBibby at aol.com
> Subject: Re: [Regia-NA] Jorvik shoes
> To: list-regia-na at lig.net
> Message-ID: <ea.6ba42956.2fe65acf at aol.com>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
>
>
> I made a different, slightly earlier style of Jorvik shoe [the  one with
> slits running round the top threaded with a flat thong] which also has
it's seam
> on the inside. I haven't checked my 17/16, but I seem to remember that
the
> earliest, one piece style, also has it's seam on the inside of the foot.
> Presumably since "shoe fashion" in early medieval times was so
conservative.  Seams
> went on the inside, as far as cobblers were concerned. So naturally  any
> closure relating to that seam would go there to, regardless of
practicality?
> Just a theory. This is not discussed in the book.
> Cheers,
> Nick.
>
____________________________________________________________________________
_
> In a message dated 6/18/2005 5:54:27 PM GMT Daylight Time,
> robertpkenyon at adelphia.net writes:
>
> Hi  all,
> Just thought I'd share this annoying little epiphany.  After  recently
> completing a pair of Jorvik style turnshoes with the flap and  toggle
going
> over the instep and fastening at the outside of the foot, I  re-read the
> relevant section of "Leather and Leatherworking in  Anglo-Scandinavian and
> Medieval York" by Quita Mould, Ian Carlisle, and  Esther Cameron (from The
> Archaeology of York series, The Small Finds 17/16  Craft, Industry and
> Everyday Life).  Much to my chagrin I discovered a  passage that I had
> previously overlooked.  I had always assumed that  the flaps fastened on
the
> outside of the foot and others have too, judging  by the reproductions
> offered by many of the suppliers out there, and the  photos on the
> leatherwork page of Regia's website.  However, according  to Page 3302:
>
> "A large group of distinctive ankle-shoes fastened with  flaps and toggles
> over the instep were found at the sites under  consideration here, and
> elsewhere in York.  Though varying slightly in  aspects of construction,
they
> all comprised an upper of fundamentally  one-piece construction closed
with a
> single side seam at the vamp wing on  the inside of the foot.