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Shoes

Now all this reminds me of Rambling Syd Rumpo:

Joe, he was a young cordwangler,
Munging greebles he did go,
And he loved a bogler's daughter
By the name of Chiswick Flo.


Vain she was and like a grusset
Though her gander parts were fine,
But she sneered at his cordwangle
As it hung upon the line.


So he stole a woggler's mooly
For to make a wedding ring,
But the Bow Street Runners caught him
And the judge said "He will swing."


Oh, they hung him by the postern,
Nailed his mooly to the fence
For to warn all young cordwanglers
That it was a grave offence.


There's a moral to this story,
Though your cordwangle be poor,
Keep your hands off other's moolies,
For it is against the law
 
When commenting on the UK Alliance & Permissive Bill in December 1872, the Nuneaton Advertiser claimed there were significant numbers of Birmingham boot and shoe makers at that time. Viv.

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By 1877 there were serious concerns about the effect on boot and shoemakers of imported shoes from America and Canada. It was observed that several Birmingham shoemakers made the move to become suppliers of imported shoes rather than makers of them. All down to cheaper imports coming into the U.K. Viv.
 

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Some stats on shoe/boot making from the 1891 Census for Birmingham/Aston and NE/S Warwickshire - may be of interest or just stats for stats sake!

The tables in S1 show all occupations 'like' cordwainer and those below show the most commonly recorded occupations associated with boot/shoe making at that time.
I've not attempted to look at counts less than 4 as the enumerators descriptions and spellings are far too numerous and time consuming to rationalise!

The second set of tables S2 show occupations from S1 which are listed as 'Employers'

The third table S3 is just a bit of info on general health and welfare - those with Birthplace 'unknown' were all inmates at City B'ham Asylum Winson Green and the mentally impared in the second list below were inmates of 'Warwick County Lunatic Asylum'.
Not quite PC for this day and age!
 

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In 1940's- 50's my great grand father and afterwards a great uncle ran a shoe repair shop in Sparkbrook. The husband of my late sister in law worked in a factory that made prescription shoes/boots for people with special needs. I believe this factory was in West Heath.
 
My Gt Gt grandmother and Gt Aunt worked in the shoe trade in Old Ford, East London before moving back to Birmingham. Gt Aunt Augusta, who lived in Rifle Crescent which I think was in Lozells, was a 'boot clicker' and this link takes you to wiki for a description of that occupation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_and_shoe_clicker

Both ladies were related to the cordwainer mentioned in my post #80. His daughter and granddaughter.
 
Do you remember your early shoes? I distinctly remember having a pair of these:

View attachment 85116

I used to be taken to nearby Perry Barr to the England's shoe shop to get my feet measured in one of those X-ray machines. I thought the machine was terrifying, not unlike a visit to the dentists. I remember getting several pairs of these sandals at different times as I grew. My favourite ones were dark red, but I also had a white pair with white crepe soles. And they were so comfy too. Viv.
Oh Yes, mum always got us measured for Clarks as we got older and i did the same for my kids. My daughter had some red t bar sandals.
 
I don't think I had any quite like that, though was always measured with the intriguing ruler on a stool thing (don't know what they're called!)
 
My Gt Gt grandmother and Gt Aunt worked in the shoe trade in Old Ford, East London before moving back to Birmingham. Gt Aunt Augusta, who lived in Rifle Crescent which I think was in Lozells, was a 'boot clicker' and this link takes you to wiki for a description of that occupation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_and_shoe_clicker

Both ladies were related to the cordwainer mentioned in my post #80. His daughter and granddaughter.

Rifle Crescent in Aston, just round the corner from Potter's Hill and Barton's Bank.

A little Irishman offered me tenancy of half a house there for free...………..if I would let the other half upstairs to 30 'blacks' for a £1 a week each.

I declined the offer.
 
Hi VIVIENE
I Most certainly remember them in deed because my old man gave me a clipping around my ears for looseing one when i was young it was a sunday afternnon and my friend colin went to sutton park by train on our own i was about nine years old by train from aston station, we found our selfs in amongest of bushes in a wooden part but what happenend it was a swamped area i trod into one and i was sinking fast shouted to colin he was trying to pull me out he did with a struggle but i lost the one shoe in the swamp so i had to come back home walking from the park to the station and board the train and walk back all up the lichfield road to our house only to find our dad was in his chair and he seen me slipp the one shoe off and pushed it under the table but he clocked i only put one he asked me about the new shoes he bought me yesterday that was the saturdy before he said can i see your shoes alan so i gave him one of them i handed it to im and said where is the other one i tryed to bluff him its under the table he said give it me and then i had to own up what we did nobody knew we was going to sutton park by train on our own he said where is the other shoe he said and of course i had to tell him the truth be went barmy he said i have just bought you them yesterday i aint got to waste you little so and so he stood up and clipped me around the ear hole and sent me to bed no tea for you so i was sent to bed but when he went to the pub sunday evening but he doubled back and seen me down stairs cause mom called me down but when he seen me sent me back up the stairs and started to shout at our mom then off he went so you see i will never forget those brown shoes thats a memory i have never forgot of living in 5/92 lichfield road Aston
 
Anyone remember these? We had one but I never saw it put use. It lay rusting in the garden. Suppose it was easier to take the shoes to the repairers (or cobbler as we called it). Viv.

View attachment 85253
Yes , we also had one it belonged to my grandfather who lived with us, I remember my dad using it as we got older, he would put new soles on our shoes and then melt a waxy stick thing that he then applied around the edges to colour the new leather the same colour as the shoes. He also put small metal taps on the toes and heels of my shoes so they would last longer I loved the tapping noise it made when I walked!
 
Yes , we also had one it belonged to my grandfather who lived with us, I remember my dad using it as we got older, he would put new soles on our shoes and then melt a waxy stick thing that he then applied around the edges to colour the new leather the same colour as the shoes. He also put small metal taps on the toes and heels of my shoes so they would last longer I loved the tapping noise it made when I walked!
 
My Gt Gt grandmother and Gt Aunt worked in the shoe trade in Old Ford, East London before moving back to Birmingham. Gt Aunt Augusta, who lived in Rifle Crescent which I think was in Lozells, was a 'boot clicker' and this link takes you to wiki for a description of that occupation:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boot_and_shoe_clicker

Both ladies were related to the cordwainer mentioned in my post #80. His daughter and granddaughter.


pen just seen this post...you most likely know but just in case have you seen the photos of rifle crescent i posted some time back

lyn
 
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