Royal Shoe Proclamation

HEAR YE

HEAR YE

By Royal Shoe Proclamation

of Sir Bob

I, Janice have a propensity of purchasing

too many shoes.

Yes friends you heard it first here.

I have enough shoes according to Bob.

I am by no means Imelda Marcos in which I have

a closet full of shoes.

My problem is purchasing antique ones.

I so love them, and well when I saw this

adorable pair in our store from a vendor of ours....

they had to come home with me.

Since I so love antique shoes,

I thought I would talk to you tonight about

concealing shoes.

Have any of you heard about this before?

Concealing (hiding) shoes came about as early as

the 14th century.

By concealing shoes in chimneys, walls,

 under floorboards, in the roof,

around doors and windows and even in ceilings

would protect the living from

ghosts, demons and witches. 

Witches were believed to be attracted by the human scent

of a shoe, and after entering one found themselves

trapped as they were unable to reverse their spell

upon entering a place with a hidden shoe.

Also the belief that shoes had the power to protect

against evil was said to have succeeded in trapping

the devil in a boot, a legend that may have its origin

in a more ancient folk belief, in which the Church

was attempting to convert one into an

"Approved Christian Rite".

Concealing shoes was also thought to capture

or repel a troublesome spirit, or harmful demon.

Others perceived concealing shoes as an intention

to bestow fertility to female members of the household.
There is a long standing connection 
that concealing a shoe served as a fertility charm.
which exemplifies the nursery rhyme 
"There was an old woman who lived in a shoe"

Which reason is more accurate one may never know.
Concealed shoes have been found in homes and buildings
throughout Europe, Australia, Eastern Canada
and The New England states.
Of the shoes found when renovating these early homes
and buildings, 98% were baby shoes.
The most commonplace where the shoes were found,
were in chimneys and hearths.
For whatever reason this practice also died out in
the 20th century.

Maybe next time I find another pair of antique
shoes or boots, I should tell Bob it's to rid our home
of ghosts, witches and demons. :-)
Do you think he will believe that malarkey?

Aren't they cute though?

{Still on the hunt for some black and red ones}

Shoe Proclamation Blessings To All!
Janice