1922.] Making of Clogs, Clog-Soles and Clog-Blocks. 739 



shoes are known to have been worn in London earlier than the 

 14th century, and may have been used in other parts of 

 the country, but they were new to Lancashire.* 



Clogs are wooden shoes with leather uppers, and*pattens have 

 rings of iron to keep the shoe off the ground. No kind of foot- 

 gear could keep the feet warmer and dryer on wet ground, and 

 they are reputed to protect the women who work in the Lanca- 

 shire weaving sheds, which have damp floors, against rheumatism 

 and other ills. Clogs are worn extensively in Lancashire, Wesl 

 Yorkshire, and in neighbouring counties, by men, women and 

 children. They are useful for dairy -work, both on the farm and 

 in the cheese-factory, and are admirable for gardening, poultry- 

 keeping or other work that involves standing or walking in wet 

 places. Fashion has done ill-service to workers and children by 

 decreeing that boots, however poor in quality, are smarter to 

 wear than clogs. Clogs have light grooved irons underneath 

 the edge of the sole and heel to make them wear better. A piece 

 of leather is sometimes nailed on the sole within the irons to 

 deaden the clatter which is apt to provoke merriment in districts 

 where they are unfamiliar. Compared with thick boots they 

 are not unduly heavy. The uninitiated would suppose that a 

 rigid wooden sole would be most uncomfortable ; but the clogs 

 are large enough for the foot to have freedom inside, and they 

 depend upon the buckled flaps or laces that meet over the ankle 

 to keep them on. There are several types, the " Lancashire " 

 being distinct from the ' ' country, ' ' and considered to be smarter 

 wear owing to the slightly pointed toe, which would be most 

 uncomfortable unless extra length were allowed. " Country " 

 clog wearers desire no such decorative style. It has been said 

 that the habitual wearing of clogs from childhood checks the 

 development of certain muscles at the back of the leg, and that 

 clog- wearers may be known by their rocking walk as though they 

 had runners or rockers on their feet. Shoes or slippers, how- 

 ever, could be procured for summer and indoor wear and for 

 running about at games, while clogs are greatly to be preferred 

 to the cold and sodden boots that must often be worn bv children 

 who can have only one pah- at a time. 



Kind of Wood Used. — Alder wood is preferred to any other 

 for making clog-soles. It is so scarce that gangs of clog-block 

 cutters visit the districts where it grows, sending off the roughed- 

 out pieces of alder to the northern counties where clog-soles are 

 fashioned from the blocks. The scarcity of material is no new 



* From "A Short Sketch of the Clog and Pa-ten Trade," by Alderman 

 Bi-oughton, published by the Amalgamated Society of Master Cloggers. 



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