Pirate shoes on a shoestring By Merlin Blencowe*
F
ootwear is often the last item of a pirate costume that receives any attention and it’s easy to see why. Authentic, reproduction historical footwear can be eyewateringly expensive, while being not particularly glamorous or even comfortable to wear. There is also very little choice in children’s sizes, and traditional leather soles can be a real slip hazard in wet conditions. Pirates have become associated with buckettop boots, but this has more to do with Hollywood than with history. It’s true that cavaliers and some
fishermen did wear such boots, but for the most part pirates were low-status folk, who wore ordinary shoes like everyone else (when they weren’t barefoot, that is). Here then, is a very easy way to create a pair of authentic-looking shoes for Golden Age of Piracy re-enactment, using a cheap pair of modern shoes. For most of the 17th and early 18th centuries, the common sort of footwear was the latchet shoe, some of which were quite similar in construction to a modern pair of desert boots! You can find these classic tancoloured boots in any
An original example of a 17th century latchet shoe.
shoe shop and they often turn up in charity shops too. I bought a pair on sale for only £6. Most are made from soft, thin leather, which can be cut easily by ‘sawing’ with a sharp craft knife. To turn them into latchet shoes, all you need to do is cut away a portion of the leather from each side of the shoe, as shown in the picture. This creates a sort of ‘window’ on each side and leaves a single pair of holes for lacing. If your desert boots are rather high, then you may also want to trim away some of the material around the ankles.
I applied a fair amount of ‘dirt’ to my shoes with instant coffee, shoe polish and wood ash to disguise the stich holes where the leather has been cut away and hide the manufacturer’s embossed logo. The result was a pair of convincing historical shoes that are comfortable and safe to wear, and so cheap you won’t care when you ruin them! *Previously a volunteer on the tall ship ‘Zebu’, which was sadly wrecked of Holyhead Breakwater in May this year, Merlin has recently applied to join the Liverpool-based Gunpowder Pirates.
The Red Lion
63 High Street, Swanage, BH19 2LY Dorset Hospitality in a Family-Run C17th Traditional Inn
Great Selection of 6 Cask Ales & over 50 Ciders
Occasional Live Music
Varied Menu with Light Bites and Specials Boards
Heated Smoking Area
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3 Star Accommodation ~ All Ensuite Rooms,
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August 2021 cc Pirate Pirate Plunder Plunder May 2019 09/07/2019
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