Shoes

The Shoes

   The footwear worn by Anglo-Saxons would appear to be of the simple flat-soled variety. In most illustrations footwear worn by both men and women is the same with few variations. It is from the archaeolgical record that we can determine the many different styles of shoe.
   The commonest method of making shoes was by the 'turn shoe' method. This is where the shoe is made inside out and then 'turned' so that the seams end up on the inside. This would indicate that shoes were made of soft leather easily turned and not stiff leather such as soles are made of today.
   Some of the richer shoes had metal buckles to fasten them and fancy tag-ends, but some form of toggle or latchet was more common. Where the shoe was ankle high this fastening was used, otherwise the shoe was low enough to be slipped on like a slipper.
   Shoes are very difficult to make - and I have not mastered the art. My collection of shoes are purchased, 1 pair from a re-enactor, another pair from a market and the last pair from a high street shop. But they are all 'in the style of' and materials of Anglo-Saxon shoes.

In the re-enactment world there are many people who make and sell shoes. This pair was made for me by Tony Sayer of 'The Vikings'.

This shoe is flat-soled and round-toed, made with a very thick sole. The upper is in one piece with the seam up the front.	Here you can see it on my foot. It is fastened with a thong over a triangular insert.	The sole has hobnails hammered into it. These are not authentic but are put on re-enactment shoes for safety, so that warriors don't slip over in battle.

This pair of shoes I purchased from the market at Eye in Suffolk. They began life as green suede bedroom slippers. I dyed them in the washing machine and then covered them in waterproofing called 'dubbin' (you can get it from camping shops).

A slip-on shoe, again flat-soled and round-toed. The sole is quite thin on this shoe. I have lined the shoe with wool for comfort. The white bit is an 'authentic' inner-sole made from two foot shaped pieces of fabric stitched together with some fleece in the middle. As this shoe is quite supple, I was able to lay it flat and mark out a pattern for the red wool lining, which I then stitched in place with the shoe inside-out.	The uppers are made in two parts with a seam at the back as well as up the front. The thonging on this shoe is decorative, but if it was extended could be used to fasten the shoe.	This repair I did myself with linen carpet thread and a leather needle, as the sole had come away from the upper. No hobnails on this shoe.

My final pair of shoes are the most comfortable, most waterproof, most warm of shoes. They are again bedroom slippers, made of sheepskin, purchased from Nursey's of Bungay, a leather and sheepskin goods shop.

Another flat-soled round toed pair of shoes, with a stiff sole (with a slight heel - though as I have worn them the uppers have sagged to cover the elevation).	The uppers are made in four parts, with back, front and two side seams. All I did to them was remove the obviously modern trim around the top edge and cover them in waterproofing 'dubbin'.

Here are some shoe patterns, for the above, if you feel like making your own:

Two piece shoe based on a find from Heddeby. (My re-enactor made shoe)	Three piece shoe also based on a find from Heddeby. (My Eye market shoe)

Making a Shoe
If you do decide to make your own shoes, you will need to get some leather or suede from somewhere. This can be purchased from any re-enactors fair, or find a leather/sheepskin goods factory shop and ask them for off-cuts. I made a pattern out of stiff fabric first - to see if I could make it work. You can do it this way too, then you know that the bits you cut of the leather will fit and not have to fiddle about with the shoe to make it fit after you've made it.
Stand naturally on your fabric, on a flat surface and get a friend to draw round each foot. Label each foot shape with which foot it is and which way up it goes. Cut out each foot shape leaving a seam allowance all the way round.
Stand naturally again on your foot shape and get a friend to help you lay the 'upper' fabric over your foot. Flatten the fabric over the front of your foot and and draw round the shape of the front of your foot, matching the sole. Cut the fabric roughly at ankle height so it lays flatter over your foot - but don't cut all the way across. Smooth the fabric round the outside of the foot, again cutting and marking as necessary.
When you're done you should have a pattern like the one below (shoes found at Sutton Hoo were similar):

Repeat for the other foot, making sure you've marked which is which. Cut out the two patterns leaving a seam allowance all the way round. Then match the toe of the upper to the sole and stitch round.
Stitch up the side seam. At this point you can try on the 'mock-up' to see if it works as a shoe and make any adjustments.
Turn the shoe inside out and try it on. Fingers crossed it will fit O.K. (If in doubt always make the shoes bigger then necessary as you can easily stitch them smaller - you can't make them bigger if there's no spare fabric!) If they're the right size but don't stay on your feet very well, cut some holes around the top and add a piece of leather thong to tie them on with - very authentic.