Craft, Industry and Everyday Life: Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian and Medieval York: Leather and Leatherworking in Anglo-Scandinavian & Medieval (The Small Finds)

The fifth report in the series "Craft, Industry, and Everyday Life" describes finds in the northern English city relating to leather and leatherworking over about 600 years. It is the largest assemblage yet recovered from England, and its close dating makes it of national and international importance. Various contributors look at the sites and their dating, the nature of the assemblages, conservation, the craft and industry, leather in everyday life, and the wider geographical context. General Introduction 3185 Introduction to the sites and their dating by R.A. Hall, N.F. Pearson and R. Finlayson 3187 The nature of the assemblages 3203 Conservation of the Leatherwork by J.A. Spriggs 3213 Craft and Industry 3222 The surviving evidence 3222 The leatherworking trades 3222 Current documentary knowledge by Lisa Liddy 3222 The street-name evidence by Gillian Fellows-Jensen 3226 The physical evidence 3227 Environmental evidence by Allan Hall and Harry Kenward 3230 The osteological evidence by T. P. O’Connor 3231 The leatherworking tools recovered by Patrick Ottaway and Carole A. Morris 3235 The waste leather with a contribution by Ailsa Mainman 3245 The craft of the leatherworker 3256 The shoe-maker 3256 Shoe construction with a contribution by Penelope Walton Rogers 3256 The sheath- and scabbard-maker 3261 Decorative techniques employed on leather 3262 Teeth marks 3264 Types of leather used 3265 Conclusion 3267 Everyday Life 3268 Introduction 3268 Shoes 3268 Constructions 3268 Anglo-Scandinavian styles 3274 Medieval styles 3312 Sizes 3336 Decoration with a contribution by Penelope Walton Rogers 3340 Refurbishment and repair 3346 Foot pathologies 3351 Sheaths and scabbards with a contribution by John A. Goodall 3354 Other leather objects 3392 Wealth and status reflected in the leather from York 3415 The Wider Picture 3418 Anglo-Scandinavian and medieval leather found at York 3418 Comparable assemblages from elsewhere in Britain 3426 Possible cultural influences 3428 International relations by Carol van Driel-Murray 3431 The significance of the York assemblage by R.A. Hall 3436 Catalogue 3439 Appendix: Quantifications of shoes of each style 3533 Contents 7 List of Figures 9 List of Tables 14 General Introduction 17 Introduction to the Sites and their Dating 19 16–22 Coppergate 19 Excavations at Bedern 32 Anglo-Scandinavian Coppergate 36 The Nature of the Assemblages 35 Conservation of the Leatherwork 45 Craft and Industry 54 The surviving evidence 54 The craft of the leatherworker 88 Conclusion 99 Everyday Life 100 Shoes 100 Shoe sizes 170 Refurbishment and repair 180 Foot pathologies 185 Sheaths and scabbards 188 Other leather objects 226 Wealth and status reflected in the leather from York 249 The Wider Picture 252 Anglo-Scandinavian and medieval leather found at York 252 Comparable assemblages from elsewhere in Britain 260 Possible cultural influences and trading contacts 262 International relations 265 The Significance of the York Assemblage 270 Catalogue 273 Appendix: Quantifications of shoes of each style 367 Acknowledgements 371 Summary 372 Résumé 373 Zusammenfassung 375 Bibliography 377 Index 385 Blank Page 3 The latest addition to the very popular series on "Craft, industry and everyday life" which offers accessible and thorough coverage of important evidence of artifact finds from York, setting them in their broad social and cultural context to explore details of their manufacture, distribution and use. This volume provides a general outline of the methods of shoemaking, sheath and scabbard making and the decorative techniques employed, as well as detailed descriptions of the leather items themselves. Also included is a summary of the Anglo-Scandinavian shoe and sheath assemblages in context to the Anglo-Saxon background and contemporary material elsewhere in the British Isles, as well as similarities between York leather assemblages and those recovered throughout north-west Europe.