Cross section through the heel of a reproduction 14th century turnshoe background white

A turnshoe is a type of

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

shoe A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

that was used during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

. It was so named because it was put together inside out, and then was turned right-side-out once finished: this hides the main seam between the sole and vamp—prolonging the life of the shoe and inhibiting moisture leaking in through the seam. In the beginning, turnshoes consisted of only one piece of leather sewn on only one side (see carbatinae). In the late early and the high medieval ages, turnshoes mostly consisted of one sole (cowhide or bovinae) and one piece of vamp or upper (goat or cowhide or caprinae/bovinae). In the

late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...

, additional elements were added, like doubled soles. Later turnshoes often have more elaborate seams. The cross-section image shows how the seams are on the inside; the turnshoe shown has a topband (dark leather edge strip), a heel stiffener, and a rand (a thin strip sewn into the seam between the sole and the upper). Some turnshoes lack all of these. Turnshoes were eventually made with

outsole A shoe is an item of footwear intended to protect and comfort the human foot. Though the human foot can adapt to varied terrains and climate conditions, it is vulnerable, and shoes provide protection. Form was originally tied to function, but ...

s sewn onto the rands; then the shoes came to be sewn right-side-out, creating the welted shoe, which displaced turnshoes in the beginning of the 16th century. Since welted shoes did not have to be turned inside-out, they could be made of much thicker leather.

Materials and manufacture

Image:Rhof-schuhmacher.ogv, A shoemaker making turnshoes at the Roscheider Hof Open Air Museum (English subtitles) File:Schuhe Spät- und Hochmittelalter IMG 0004 edit.jpg, Reconstructions of turnshoes of the high and late Middle Ages, showing the characteristic thin, flexible sole (a stiff sole would prevent the shoe from being turned inside-out) File:Shoes MET 29.158.889.jpg, Original slip-on duckbilled turnshoe from the fifteen hundreds, Britain. Turnshoes were generally made of cowhide.

Sheepskin Sheepskin is the Hide (skin), hide of a Domestic sheep, sheep, sometimes also called lambskin. Unlike common leather, sheepskin is Tanning (leather), tanned with the Wool, fleece intact, as in a Fur, pelt.Delbridge, Arthur, "The Macquarie Diction ...

and goatskin were briefly popular in Scandinavia, and to a lesser extent in England in the 12th and 13th century. Soles were generally about 3-4mm thick, with the uppers made of thinner leather, about 2mm thick. Modern turnshoes are often made with thicker leather, 4–6mm on the soles; this makes them quite difficult to turn, but it is possible with vegetable-tanned leather (which softens when soaked in water). Shoes were sewn using waxed wool (which rots quickly), waxed linen thread (which rots more slowly and soon displaced wool), or a thong of leather or

sinew A tendon or sinew is a tough band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It sends the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system, while withstanding tension. Tendons, like ligaments, are made of ...

. Modern turnshoes are usually made with waxed nylon, often in the form of synthetic sinew, which is harder-wearing but stronger than the leather, meaning it may tend to pull through during stitching. After turning, the shoe was shaped while still soft (traditionally on a last). The dry leather was stuffed with waterproofing agents (like cooking oil,

tallow Tallow is a rendered form of beef or mutton suet, primarily made up of triglycerides. In industry, tallow is not strictly defined as beef or mutton suet. In this context, tallow is animal fat that conforms to certain technical criteria, inc ...

lard Lard is a Quasi-solid, semi-solid white fat product obtained by rendering (animal products), rendering the adipose tissue, fatty tissue of a domestic pig, pig.

, or

beeswax Bee hive wax complex Beeswax (also known as cera alba) is a natural wax produced by honey bees of the genus ''Apis''. The wax is formed into scales by eight wax-producing glands in the abdominal segments of worker bees, which discard it in o ...

), which darkened it. The raw materials are fairly cheap; in the early-21st-century

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, no more than £10–15 for a pair. Closings includes various forms of lacing and rolled leather toggles, and vary by time period. Topbands (a method of edging at the ankle opening) are also common. More than half of Northern-European turnshoes were embroidered, with the embroidery recessed into the leather. Silk is the most common material for embroidery; linen was also used. Turnshoes can be made with basic sewing skills but no shoemaking experience, though practice, and using a broken-in, well-worn turnshoe as a pattern, improves fit. Historically, they were often initially roughly-cut, and fine cutting and fitting were done over wooden lasts; modernly they are usually cut carefully to shape, then sewn without lasts. In the latter case, it is the pattern, instead of the last, which needs to match the shape of the foot. Turnshoes were most often made in the home.

References

External links

* (reconstructions) * (includes pattern-drafting) * (pre-drawn patterns)
An example of turnshoe construction
{{Historical clothing Medieval European costume Shoes Articles containing video clips Historical footwear

Materials and manufacture

See also

References

External links