Leather shoes

In this image are the remains of two leather shoes - on the top is an adult's shoe, and on the bottom is the sole from a child's shoe.

The sub-soil of much of central Exeter is clay. In the medieval city many pits were dug into this and used as rubbish tips. They often remained waterlogged which has preserved leather, wood and sometimes even cloth - everyday materials from medieval life which rarely survive in the archaeological record.