Page 61 - John Barber's Oakham Castle and its archaeology

with Groups 2 and 3, in one case (in the west drainage trench), in a sealed layer. In layer (1c), wares of Groups 2 and
3 were closely associated with pipes dated 1640-80, although it should be noted that a part of this layer had been
slightly disturbed by building operations. This was unfortunately the only close dating evidence available for any of
the post-medieval pottery, there being no satisfactory associations in layers (1) or (1b) of the rampart.

Tygs
This well-known form comprised the largest single group of post-medieval coarse pottery from the site, sherds from
at least 35 vessels, mostly bases, being recovered. No rims were found. Most of the sherds came from a layer at 7ft in
the moat (Fig. 2). The ware is bright red, grey, or purple, with a manganese glaze, in colour brown, purple or black.
There is also a great variation in shape and size. Some of the vessels are tall and cylindrical, but most are squat and
globular. One, two or three handles are known. In size, base diameters range from 2in to 3.6in, but no adequate
estimation of height can be made. A fine heavy example is illustrated (Fig. 8.8).

LEATHER OBJECTS

Many fragments of leather, mostly scraps with many knife cuts, came from three different levels of the moat,
preserved (in some cases well preserved) in wet or waterlogged layers of silt or clay. These were kept in water for the
duration of the excavation, then allowed to dry out slowly, and finally cleaned and treated by Mr L Biek and his staff
at the Ancient Monuments Laboratory, Ministry of Works, to whom my thanks are due for their excellent work.
The find-spots of the more important fragments
were fairly well recorded, for they were sufficiently
large and distinctive to excite the interest of the
workmen, and on one occasion to stop the mechanical
excavator.
Four uppers (two right, two left), one with its sole
beneath it, were found in the layer of silt between 13ft
6in and 18ft 3in. The illustrated specimen (Fig. 9.1)
was lying almost on bed-rock in stanchion hole VI
(see Fig. 1) and was associated with a rim sherd of a
jug (Fig. 7.3), dated to the early fourteenth century,
that is, about the same time as the shoe with pointed
toe came into general use. As the drawing shows, this
upper was cut in one piece from the bend, as probably
were the other three. The instep was slit in an obtuse
angle, the heel turned, and the upper sewn to itself on
the inside of the foot. No stitching remains.
In these examples, there are usually two or three
pairs of pierced lace-holes on the inside, and one (the
lower) on the outside of the foot. The upper one or
two outside pairs, however, are slit, the reason for this
being apparent, after cleaning, in one example only. A
reconstruction of the method of lacing is shown in
Fig. 9.2. In this case, the laces were grouped in three
pairs; the lower pair was made in a similar way to
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examples from Norwich, described by Mr J W
Anstee. A thin strip of leather was cut along its length
nearly to one end. Each side was rolled to form a lace,
and both then threaded through the two pierced holes,
the uncut end forming an effective stop. Only this end
fragment survives in our example, but the creases of
the holes on the other side of the boot suggest that this
pair was once diagonally laced.
The upper pairs of laces, however, were not
arranged in the same way. A lace of rectangular
section was doubled and passed through a large slit on
the outside flap, the loop being secured by an ornate
knot, and perhaps a toggle. The ends were tied on the
inside of the boot, underneath the inside flap.

Other specimens from this layer included:
Fig. 9. Leather objects.

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