Description
Genuine antique work boots/clogs circa 1900. Hand made, leather upper, wooden soles with iron caulkers: strips of metal attached like horse shoes to soles and heels. Uppers nailed to wooden soles. Metal toe guard. Clogs were especially common amongst miners, also factory workers particularly wool, cotton and weaving mills and farmers dealing with changing seasons and the elements. Fantastic original condition with only the slightest honest wear. Museum quality. Incredibly these clogs come with spare parts! Including original antique irons: 9 heel irons and 5 instep irons
Historical note regarding Lancashire clogs: Clog fighting, known in Lancashire as ‘purring’, was a particularly brutal means of settling disputes. The rules were simple, two clog fighters would climb into a large open ended barrel, sit on the rim, and kick away at each others’ shins until one or the other had raised his legs out of the barrel in submission. Three submissions marked the end of the contest. These curious contests, usually fuelled by drink, were illegal, as was betting on them, but that didn’t stop locals enjoying the gruesome spectacle. And it seems the barrel wasn’t always necessary. They fought quite naked, excepting their clogs. A 19th century newspaper report states: When one has the other down on the ground he first endeavours to choke him by squeezing his throat, then he kicks him on the head with his clogs. Sometimes they are very severely injured or killed.
