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Leather Working
Everybody today probably has some items made from leather. In the Saxon period it was even more widespread as they did not have flexible plastics as we do today. Leather was important as it is not only flexible, but also strong and hard wearing.
Leather was used for a variety of things including shoes, belts, pouches, saddles and bridles, scabbards, covering shields, bookbindings, cups, bottles and bags. Leather garments such as cloaks, hoods and jerkins could be made, and if these were then oiled (using fish or vegetable oil) they could be made waterproof. Presumably blacksmiths and other metal workers would have worn leather aprons, although there is no direct evidence for this.
To produce leather from animal hides was a time consuming (and smelly) process. The hides of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats and deer, and perhaps horses, were all used. Once the animal was killed the skin was removed and the first job was to remove any bits of flesh and fat. In order to do this the hide was soaked and pounded and placed over a wooden beam where it was scraped with a special knife. The hair and outer part of the skin were then removed by rubbing urine, quicklime or wood ash into the wet surface. This loosened the hair and allowed it to be scraped off. The hide was then washed to stop the chemicals affecting it further.Fig. 1 A selection of everyday items made from leather. (Click on image for a closer look)
After the hair and fat had been removed, the tanner had to prevent the hide from stiffening or rotting in one of several ways. It could be rubbed with an oily substance like tallow (animal fat), egg yolk or dubbin (a mixture of fish oil and tallow). It could also be treated by rubbing salt, brain or potash alum into the surface to produce a very pale leather. Both these methods were quick and easy but if the leather got wet the oils or minerals would be washed out and the leather would rot.
The best method of preserving leather was to tan it; that is treat it with a chemical called tannin. To do this the hide was rubbed with dung (which allowed the tannin to penetrate the leather), a process known as bating. Actually the bating process, which employed the dung, is a remarkable one from the properties it imparts to the hide. The dung of carnivores, particularly dogs, was used because it contains an enzyme that digests collagen, which is an elastic component of the hide. Prior to bating, the hide is springy and "lively", having rather a mind of its own; after bating it is quite relaxed, and lies flat without encouragement. It's difficult to describe, but easy to recognise when the hide is compared before and after bating. The dung was washed from the hide after bating; it had done its job, and there was no need to retain such a smelly component of the leather-making process.
It was then hung over a pole in a clay lined pit and soaked in a mixture of water and crushed oak bark - which produced the tannin.
When the leather was tanned it could be cut and stitched into the items required. In order to sew the leather, holes were made with an awl (a needle was not strong enough to puncture the leather) and it was then stitched with a needle or pig bristle using linen, wool or gut thread. Leather items were often decorated by tooling and painting. The tooling was done by wetting the surface of the tanned leather and pressing the design in with a metal, bone or wooden tool. The leather was also sometimes dyed.Fig. 2 Tooled leather scabbards. (Click on image for a closer look)
The commonest leather finds are shoes. A new shoe might only last a few months before it needed to be repaired and most shoes found have been patched in some way. Even after repair they might only last a few months more. Because of this, shoes were rarely decorated. Shoes were usually made by the 'turn shoe' method. This involves stiching the shoe together inside out, and in such a way that the stitching does not pierce the outer surface of the leather. Once the shoe is finished it is turned the right way out. This method of construction has the advantage that it does not leave any exposed stitching on the outside of the shoe, prolonging its useable life.
Sometimes the freshly skinned cow-hide would be cleaned to prevent it rotting, but otherwise be left untreated so as to make rawhide. This is much stiffer and stronger than ordinary leather and could be used for edging and facing shields, making shoes, or any other job requiring a stiffer, stronger material. Like leather, it could be softened by soaking for ease of working, but would become hard as it dried.Fig. 3 Leather turn-shoes (Click on image for a closer look)
The skin could also be tanned in such a way as to keep the hair on the skin. These furs could then be used for trimming clothes, lining cloaks, as sleeping mats and blankets, and perhaps even for items such as sleeping bags.Fig.4 More leather turn-shoes (Click on image for a closer look)
Ben Levick April 1993 (With ammendments by John E. Taylor III)
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