Late Medieval Laced Boot – Stitched Turnshoes

Description

These boots are authentically constructed replicas of fourteenth/fifteenth century boots. A hand stitched turnshoe construction and premium veg tan leather give an authentic tactile experience similar to a modern minimalist shoe. Externally, they give a highly authentic appearance, with the through-dyed leather upper increasing in character and beauty as they break in.

These shoes are perfect for anyone wanting a historical look and experience in living history, SCA, LARP, martial arts, costuming or cosplay.

Research:

This pattern, known as ‘St Michaels (straight) – Js’ under the Volken typology, reflects finds from St Michaelsklooster, NL as well as matching styles from across Europe and the British Isles in the 14th and 15th century.

For more detail, see:

• ‘Archaeological Footwear’ by Marquita Volken, Catalogue 18.19
• ‘Shoes and Pattens – Medieval Finds from Excavations in London’ by Francis Grew and Margrethe de Neergaard, Items 100 and 101
• ‘Stepping Through Time’ by Olaf Goubitz, Type 65, fig.1, page 192
• ‘Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York’ by Mould, Carlisle and Cameron, fig.1661, page 3327

Materials and Construction:

These shoes are hand-stitched inside-out on the last and turned, making them true turn-shoes. There is a welt in the sole seam – a period feature which protects the stitches.

The upper is hand-stitched with a closing seam. There is no machine stitching, or any external stitching, in keeping with historical construction.

In the heel there is a leather stiffener, thinned at the edge, and cemented into place. The heel stiffener in this design of shoe is important to provide a stable heel cup.

The soles and uppers are made from vegetable tanned cow hide. This leather, as used historically, will continue to soften and form to your foot over time, breaking in to give a personalise fit and a character that improves over the life of the shoes.

• Upper – Vegetable tanned through-dyed cow hide, 2.5mm
• Sole – Vegetable tanned natural cow hide, 4mm

Seams are sewn with a braided synthetic thread that will not rot, and cannot be seen from the outside.

Authenticity vs Durability

These shoes are constructed with authenticity foremost. While you will have the stability of your feet gripping the ground naturally, you will feel pebbles on stony roads and concrete/asphalt will rapidly wear the leather soles of these shoes.

Sizing:

Sizes given are for US Men’s.

To convert  US/AU/UK Ladies to US Men’s, go down 2 sizes

To convert AU/UK Men’s to US Men’s, go up 1 size

Uppers should be snug when new, as they will break in and give a little where your foot applies pressure to the leather.

US Men’s	AU/UK Men’s	AU/UK Women’s
4	3	6
5	4	7
6	5	8
7	6	9
8	7	10
9	8	11
10	9	12
11	10	13
12	11	14
13	12	15
14	13	16