Welcome to the Online Clann Tartan Newsletter for April 2004

Board Minutes
Guilds
Staff & Board Directory
Calendar of Events
Announcements
Maps
Special
Event Maps and Notification
Article-17th Century Footwear

Board Minutes

Board & Staff

If you need to contact someone associated with Clann Tartan, here is where you find out how. If you are unsure who to contact, you can always email us at: info@clanntartan.org

Board Members

Staff

Guilds

Wanted one Camp Representitive......

I was told when I took the position that depending on what happened with the group the Rep's position could be the easiest or the most difficult position on the board. In the past year I have seen both good and not-quite-so good times. But it has always been rewarding. If this sounds like something that you would be interested in please let one of the board members know. If you are interested, but have further questions feel free to drop me an E-mail or give me a call. I would be more then happy to discuss it with you. Look forward to seeing everyone at the next membership meeting in May.

Brenda K. Bartel
Company Representative
651 335 5097
socks142@aol.com

Drill

17th Century Footwear

By David Vavreck

It has been said that one can judge a living history group's dedication to accuracy in their portrayal by looking at their feet.

Period correct footwear can be one of the more difficult and expensive items in putting together a period outfit. Following is the result of research on period footwear, with the intention of improving this part of our presentation.

There is a glossary at the end of this article. Hopefully, I have glossed everything neccessary. Also, you will find a short list of businesses that sell ready made period footwear.

As you know from reading your manuals, Scotsmen - especially Highlandmen - frequently went barefoot in our period. Unfortunately for us, we have a rule against going barefoot at shows; there have been too many trips to the hospital for stitches and such over the years. Broken glass was something 17th century Highlanders would have rarely encountered.

In the past, members of Gaffneyis Regiment have generally worn one of four types of footwear: moccasins, ghillies, latchet shoes, and high boots (this is the proper term; the term "bucket tops" is later).

There were many different types of shoe in the period in question. Two of the above-mentioned four types of footwear are not correct for us.

Moccasins, being Native American footwear, are of course not correct for Northern Europeans. Although originally allowed for new members when our organization was first beginning, thankfully, we have pretty much done away with these.

Ghillies are a whole 'nother beast. They have the advantage that they are easy to make. According to leading shoe scholars, however, ghillies as we know them are a modern invention based roughly on some surviving early medieval shoes, a result of a combination of wishful thinking and a desire to come up with something for rennaisance fairs, rendezvous, and such that is cheap, easy to make, and does not look obviously modern. There are some surviving shoes from the British Isles that vaguely resemble our ghillies, but they date to before AD 900 (Saguto, p.1, and Carlson http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SLIST2.HTM).

Even home made shoes in the 17^th century were shaped to the foot – unlike ghillies, which are essentially a leather bag.

The term ghillie, itself, is a modern construct (Saguto, p.1). In 1894, Mackay listed about sixteen varieties of Celtic footwear form the Middle Ages to the early modern period; nothing resembling ghilles, nor even the term itself, appears (pp.141 ff.).

There is NO documentation for anything resembling ghillies anywhere approaching our period and place. Obviously, ghillies - or anything else that predates our period by seven or more centuries - are not the ideal to which we should aspire.

Image Copyright Marc Carlson. Used with permission.

Latchet Shoes: In the 17th century, the promise of acquiring latchet shoes (along with a decent suit of clothes) was one of the reasons men would join an army in the first place. Usually constructed using a last, (but see brogues below) latchet shoes can be made with or without heels, and may have large openings, or not, between the quarters and the vamp.

Some surviving latchet shoes have hobnails attached to extend the life of the soles.

There is some evidence to suggest that rich folk had big openings, in order to show off their expensive silk hose, and poor folks' latchet shoes were "closed", i.e did not have a gap between quarters and vamp, to better protect the foot. For example, there were many closed latchet shoes found on the Swedish warship Vasa (sunk in 1628, raised in 1961), but very few open latchet shoes; this suggests a distinction in footwear between sailors and officers.

Also, Beabey (pp. 21-22, 23) suggests that open latchet shoes (being more fashionable) are civilian shoes, and closed latchet shoes (being more practical) are military.

Latchet shoes are available ready made in prices ranging from $60 to ca. $540, although some of the cheaper ones have soles that are glued on, rather than stitched. I saw a pair of these lose their soles to the mud last summer.

Another option is to modify a pair of modern shoes.

High Boots are certainly correct, especially for officer portrayals, although there is documentation of Scottish Infantry Captains who wore latchet shoes in the Thirty Years War (1618-1648) and the British Civil War (1638-1651). They are designed for riding, not walking, so they were common amongst cavalry and the gentlemanly class who could afford horses. Musketeers and other low-lifes would sometimes wear high boots, but they were putting on airs doing so. Or, as Beabey points out (p.22), it is likely that period illustrations of pikemen and musketeers wearing high boots are depictions of dragoons (i.e. mounted infantry).

High boots can also be bought ready made at prices ranging up to $800 or more - see below.

Or one can modify a pair of modern boots (surplus East German Army jackboots seem to be popular for this).

**************************************************************************************

Now then - if you don't want to plunk down $150 for a decent pair of latchets, or up to $1000 for good pair of high boots, or if you are intimidated by the prospect of making your own, do not worry. There are other options.

A number of common types of well-documented 17th century shoe are easy to make. Amongst others, these include turnshoes, cloggis, and pampooties.

Turnshoes: A turnshoe is a (usually) soft-soled shoe which is stitched together inside out, then turned rightside out. This method of construction protects the stitching from wear. Any shoe constructed in this manner, regardless of the form of its uppers, is a turnshoe. There were many varieties over many centuries.

Some turnshoes were so constructed, turned right side out, then had a hard sole stitched to them.

Some Scottish turnshoes were made with fashionable uppers (e.g. made to look like proper latchet shoes). These were commented upon by Englishmen, who called them single-soled shoes (proper shoes having hard soles often made of several thicknesses of leather).

Turnshoes were on the way out (in terms of fashion), being displaced by latchet shoes starting about 1570, but they certainly were still around in our period. They were cheaper than latchet shoes, so poor folks still were having them made. Rich folks still wore them indoors, as they are so very comfortable, but they were not considered suitable for dress occasions (I. M. Carlson, pers. comm.).

There are scale diagrams of surviving turnshoes in the Clann Library. Coupled with my already-made pair, which I would gladly loan out for study, anyone who can stitch leather should be able to make these.

Cloggis: A clog is any shoe with a wooden sole. Often times cloggis would be made by the person who needed them, rather than hiring a cordwainer. Also, some "traveling folk" (British so-called Gypsies) made a living making clog soles.

Cloggis are a "poverty shoe". In fact, Holmes' "Academy of Armory" published in 1688, refers to them as "Clog or countrymans shooe".

They are also very practical in Northern Climes, as wood insulates the feet much better than leather from the cold, wet ground. In one form or another, they were in use throughout much of Europe in our period.

Cloggis could and did have many different types of upper. The more one could make them look like professionally-made shoes, the less embarrassment for the wearer. I have seen cloggis made to look like latchet shoes, mules, and so on.

Regardless of the type of upper, cloggis could also have hobnails, again to increase the life of the sole.

These are even easier to make than turnshoes, requiring only a saw to shape the sole, a scissors or knife to cut the leather, and a hammer and nails to attach the leather upper to the wooden sole. Depending on type of upper desired, there is often no sewing of leather required.

It is better to use a hardwood such as oak or ash for the soles, rather than pine or some other soft wood, as hardwood soles last much longer.

Wooden soles can be carved to make arch support; for that matter, simple orthotic (corrective) cloggis can also easily be made. Simply step on your sole with damp (not dripping wet) feet. Using a pencil, have someone else draw the outline of the water pattern made by your feet as you stand (it is important to have that other person do this, as feet change shape whether one is standing or not). Then use a gouge to carve out within the lines, checking the fit periodically until you have happy feet.

Pampooties: These are the type of shoe common in Scotland in our period for the "Clansman, tenant, and 'Humblie'" (Saguto, p1). Pampooties (the Hebridean term), cuarans (Highlands and Ireland), and rivelins (English/Scots) all refer to the same shoe, which was generally made of rawhide with the hair still on.

Unlike so-called ghillies – which are a bag shoe – pampooties are somewhat shaped to the foot.

In a paper written for the Appin Stewerts, a Virginia-based 18th century Scottish reenactment group fighting for Bonnie Prince Charlie, Saguto gives instructions on how to make two versions of this shoe. This paper is also in the Clann Library.

One of the varieties is based on an Aran Isle (Ireland) pampootie collected in the 19th century, which very neatly matches a description in a letter written to King Henry VIII by Scottish clerk John Elder in 1543: "After that we have slayne redd deir we flaye of the skyne bey and bey, and settinge of our bair foote on the insyde thereof, for neide of cunnynge shoemakers ... we play the sutters; compasinge and mesuringe so muche therof, as shall retche up to our ancklers, pryckynge the upper part thereof also with holis, that the water may repas when it entres, and stretchide up with a stronge thwange of the same, meitand above our saide ancklers, so, ... we make our shoois: Therefor, we usinge such maner of shoois, the roghe hairie syde outwart, in ... England, we be callit roghe footed Scottis;" (Quoted in Mackay, p.137).

This description is echoed a century and a half later: "The shoes anciently wore were a piece of the hide of a deer, cow, or horse, with the hair on, being tied behind and before with a point of leather." (Martin, p.128)

Martin also mentions the use of sealskin for such shoes (p.219).

Pampootiess have no stitching in them, being simply bound together with leather thong. Lack of stitching thread is the for homemade Scottish shoes – especially those made by Highlanders - throughout our period (Mackay, p. 142)

The Aran Islanders were still making these in an unbroken tradition at least as recently as the 1980s. They are expected to last about a month of daily hard use, which should be a season or better for us.

Lest you worry about rawhide shoes wearing your feet away, they tend to pick up some moisture from the ground. This, along with simply wearing them, keeps them fairly soft. If they have not been worn for a while, they can simply be soaked in water for a bit to soften them back up. Excess water is squeezed out through the simple expedient of walking within a few minutes of putting them on.

If you would rather not use rawhide for your pampooties, though, go ahead and use tanned leather. Avoid suede; it does not last at all long. Martin indicates that the trend in the 17^th century was away from rawhide to tanned leather (p.128).

**************************************************************************************

Brogues: These latchet shoes are a turnshoe, with a stiff sole stitched on after turning, sometimes with a low heel added as well. They were "favoured by the Scottish and Irish mercenaries who fought for numerous armies throughout Europe in the 17th century " (Beabey, p. 22). A photo of Beabey's reconstruction is found in his article on page 18. There are already instructions on making brogues in your manual.

Klompen: Dutch wooden shoes., actually used throughout much of Europe, including Spain, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, and most of Scandinavia (Wilcox). They are not easy to make without specialist tools, but very affordable to us moderns. See Sources for ready made footwear below.

Startups: Not well documented, but Beabey states that these lace-up calf boots are "believed to have seen service in many 17th century armies." (p. 22) There is a photo of a pair made by him based on a survivng boot at the Duetches Ledermuseum, Offenbach (p. 23).

For a lower-class or military impressions especially, use the leather rough side out. This was done to lessen apparent wear and tear, as the rough side doesn't scuff as easily.

If you decide to try hobnails, make sure you have two pair of period shoes. Hobnails must not be worn indoors, as they will brutalize modern flooring. I have been warned that they can also slip on pavement. They are fine in grass, dirt, or mud, though.

As far as color goes, men's shoes were not always black until the 19th century. Working class folks are usually depicted in 17th century art with tan or brown shoes and boots; rich folk also used other colours as well as black.

Beabey, Mark. "17th Century Boots and Shoes Reconstructed" in Military Illustrated Past & Present #57, Feb 1993. This article describes the "materials, construction methods and styles of military footwear". It is by a British reenactor who is a full-time maker of reproduction leather work; see Bjarnis Boots below. In Clann Library.

Carlson, I. Marc. "Footwear of the Middle Ages: An Ongoing Examination of the History and Development of Footwear and Shoemaking Techniques up to the End of the Sixteenth Century". This online book is available at http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/shoe/SHOEHOME.HTM. Excerpts appropriate for us are available in the Clann Library, including patterns for latchet shoes and a turnshoe (which Carlson calls a "pump").

Holme, Randle. "The Academy of Armory or, A Storehouse of Armory and Blazon". Chester, England, 1688. Marc Carlson has put the relevant shoe portion in facsimile online at http://www.personal.utulsa.edu/~marc-carlson/histshoe/holme/holme1.htm In addition to the "Clog, or countreymans shooe", this also contains woodcuts of an "Irish Broge" and an "Island shooe".

Mackay, J. G. "Notes on a Pair of Pampooties, or Shoes of Raw Hide, from Aran More, Galway Bay." Proceedings of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland 1893-1894 v.28 pp. 136-150.

Martin, Martin. A Description of the Western Islands of Scotland Circa 1695, etc. Introduction by Charles W. J. Withers and R. W. Munro. Birlinn Ltd., Edinburgh, 1999. In Clann Library.

Saguto, Al. "Pampooties" 1984, revised 1999. Available at www.appins.org/pampooties.htm, also in the Clann Library. Mr. Saguto is the resident cordwainer at Colonial Williamsburg.

Wilcox, Turner. "Mode in Footwear." Scribner's Sons, NY, 1948.

Apart from the latchet shoes sold by Sykes Sutlery and Museum Replicas, I have not examined any of these products; caveat emptor. This list is provided as a service, not an endorsement. Prices generally do not include shipping.

Armlann sells a closed latchet shoe for $60, and high boots for $250. www.armlann.com/index.htm

Bjarni Boots (Mark Beaby's company) sells latchets shoes from 300 pounds, startups from 450 pounds, and high boots from 550 pounds (the pound is currently worth roughly $1.80). He also sells leather mugs, buckets, buffcoats, saddles and more. I have to believe that although pricey, his product excels. http://www.bjarnisboots.co.uk/

Bushwoman (Shirlee Pfeil) sells klompen at rendezvous (Big Island, for example) for $25. http://members.tripod.com/Bushwomans/

Historic Shoes offers a good looking closed latchet shoe for $60. www.turnshoes.co.uk/

S. B. Juniper makes several varieties of period footware, including latchet shoes, high boots, and mules in the 100-450 pound range. The work on her website looks superb. www.anaperiodshoes.co.uk/

Museum Replicas carries an open latchet shoe for $70. http://66.0.193.113/cgi-bin/www11650.storefront

Plantagenet Shoes markets several varieties of latchet shoe from 115 to 145 pounds.

www.plantagenetshoes.freeserve.co.uk/

Sykes Sutlery carries very good latchet shoes for $150. www.sykesutlery.com

Cordwainer - English term for a shoemaker, from Cordoba, Spain, which produced the best shoe leather for centuries (Scots corollary is cordiner)

Crooked lasted - shoes made with a left and a right, like modern shoes

Hobnails - short shanked nails with curved or pointed heads, used by soldiers to prolong the life of soles from Roman times until at least WWII

Last - a carved wooden mock foot over which shoes are stitched

Mule - a slipper-like shoe with a vamp, but no quarters

Quarters - that portion of the upper that goes around one's heel

Souter or Sutter - Scots English term for shoemaker, from the Latin sutor

Straight lasted - shoes made that could go on either foot

Upper - that portion of a shoe above the sole

Vamp - that portion of the upper that covers the front of the foot

Calendar of Events

April 2004

May 2004

June 2004

Map to Inver Grove Heights location- Dance	Map to St. Paul location St. Christopher's- Dance
Map to Board Meetings Boltt Corporation, 509 Sibley Street Suite 200 Saint Paul, MN 55101	Map to Board/Quarterly/Annual Meetings Corcoran Park, Minneapolis

top
Board Minutes
Guilds
Staff & Board Directory
Calendar of Events
Announcements
Maps
Special
Event Maps and Notification
Article-17th Century Footwear

Event Maps and Notification

Siouxland Renaissance Festival (Sioux Falls, SD) June 5th & 6th 2004

Location

Sioux Falls, SD is located near the SD/MN border, approximately 270 miles from Minneapolis, MN.

Drive Time

Allow about 7 hours from the Twin Cities.

Directions

From the Twin Cities head South on I-35 to I-90.

Take I-90 West Sioux Falls, SD.

Go South on I-29 about 6.5 miles to 41st Street.

Turn right on 41st Street and go West about 5 miles to HWY 17

Go south on HWY 17 about 1/4 mile to Exit 77 - look for signs for Wild Water West - the festival is on the grounds behind the water park.

Alternate directions - This route can save about 40 miles.

From the Twin Cities, Take US-169 South about 72 miles to where it becomes MN-60 West.

Follow MN-60 about 87 miles to I-90 West.

Take I-90 West to Sioux Falls, SD.

Go South on I-29 about 6.5 miles to 41st Street.

Turn right on 41st Street and go West about 5 miles to HWY 17

Go south on HWY 17 about 1/4 mile to Exit 77 - look for signs for Wild Water West - the festival is on the grounds behind the water park.
top
Board Minutes
Guilds
Staff & Board Directory
Calendar of Events
Announcements
Maps
Special
Event Maps and Notification
Article-17th Century Footwear