Bizarre discovery of single shoes concealed in wall likely used to ward off spirits
In 2010, the National Trust was restoring Gelli Iago, a 17th-century farmhouse in the Nant Gwynant Valley, Snowdonia National Park, Wales, when they came across the most concealed shoes found in a house.
According to an article by the BBC, contractors were working to save the cottage’s walls and chimney when they made the intriguing discovery.
Within the 400-year-old home, which had been uninhabited for more than 100 years, 58 shoes and 189 shoe fragments were discovered beneath the fireplace.
The collection included men’s, women’s, and children’s shoes dating back to the Victorian era in the 1870s-80s.
"I contacted the landowners (the National Trust) and they said I could come and visit them," said Dr Ceri Houlbrook, lecturer in Folklore and History at the University of Hertfordshire.
They were all carefully packed away in boxes in the outhouse of Gelli Iago and it was a very surreal experience - I was told to let myself in and I'd find them there.
Dr Houlbrook says the amount of shoes found was overwhelming and that they were impossible to put together.
Although it was certainly an unusual discovery, several explanations have been offered.
Concealing shoes in roof spaces, gaps between walls, and fireplaces is a superstitious practice dating back hundreds of years.
One theory is that hiding the shoes was an ancient and superstitious practice used to guard the house against bad luck.
The BBC article states that it was thought that a worn shoe was an indication of a person because it retained the imprint of the foot.
This leads to the perception that a person’s spiritual presence lives within the shoe.
According to the superstition, the shoes therefore had special powers to protect against any evil forces.
A common belief was that the devil did not like the smell of humans and found the combination of leather and sweat disgusting, so the shoes were successful in warding off evil.
No one knows what happened to the other shoe in the pairs, but it is thought that one was placed near a chimney or fireplace while the other was placed in water.
It is also believed that the shoes were positioned in the centre of the home or under the hearth to be used as reassurance for families of the figurative presence of their ancestors.
Alternative explanations are that concealing the shoes could have been an attempt to grant fertility to women living in the household, or that they were used to provide good luck and fortune.
In an article on mythical Guinness World Records titles, Dr Houlbrook explains that she believes it’s a lot more likely that people did it to bring good luck to their households.
However, others believe that the shoes could have belonged to a cobbler, although this is the least likely scenario because some pairs would have likely been found.
Since the 14th century, more than 1,000 concealed shoe discoveries have been made in the United Kingdom.
Northampton Museum has the greatest collection of footwear in the UK, with 15,000 pieces including Egyptian sandals from 300 BC.
The museum’s collection also houses about 100 concealed shoes and 1,900 recorded entries of concealed shoes throughout the UK.
Concealed shoes are usually very worn and were typically found as single shoes.
They have been discovered in cottages, farms, manor houses, and all sorts of public buildings.
Many of the concealed items uncovered have been children’s shoes or clothing because the innocence of young children was thought to make the shoes more powerful symbols.
More left shoes have been found throughout history than right shoes as well as more female shoes versus male shoes, but no one is quite sure of the significance of this.
Ceri says of the 58 shoes found at Gelli Iago, most belonged to men, but there were some women's and children's shoes as well.
They were all in poor condition, dusty, and misshapen.
There aren’t any references to concealing shoes in literature or diaries because it was thought that writing about the superstition would reverse its power.
Although we may never know the truth behind these curiosities, the theories and history behind them are certainly interesting.
"I wish I knew more. I wish I had the time and resources to do some real digging into the history of the building, to see who would have had access to the fireplace in the 1870s/80s," said Dr. Houlbrook.
Were they added one at a time or in one go? Were they a record of people in a community? Was it a ritual or simple waste disposal, perhaps intended to block a draft?
The Trust has continued to appeal to residents and anyone who might have helpful information to help piece together the story of Gelli Iago.
Read more about concealed shoes as part of the myths and magic spread in Guinness World Records 2024, out now!
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