Glossary of Footwear Terminology, H

Half Moon Knife
  See Trenket

Hand-Leather (Modern terms include: Shoemaker's Mitten)
A piece of leather wrapped around the left hand to protect the skin of the shoemakers hand from being cut by the thread when yerking the thread.  Might be a medieval tool.

Handwax
A modern generic term for shoemaker's wax. Also called "hand".  This term doesn't seem to show up until after the introduction of the sewing machines in the 1860s. These machines used a different sort of wax to cere the threads.  It does not appear in Johnson 1755, Websters 1828, OED, OAD.

Head Knife
See Trenket

1. A component added to the rear (or seat) end of the sole.  This may have originally been developed for utility (e.g. helping to control stirrups) but were apparently spread as a  fashion. The heel may consist of separate "lifts" ("built heel") stacked and pinned or sewed together, or else be made from a single block of wood or cork, and covered with leather or other material. In either case the bottom section which rests on the ground is called the "top piece". See Raised Heels [Thornton/Swann, 1983][Webber, 1989] Heels are made of either wood or leather [Holme, 1688] This term dates from at least 1577 [OED 2d Ed.].
2. The backmost part of the foot and the last, also the component under the heel seat of a shoe. [Goubitz, 2001]
3. Heel (Other medieval spellings include: Hele)
   The rear quarters.  In modern parlance the heel is the added part of a shoe or boot, under the quarters, but this is not a medieval usage.

Heel Block (Footynge Block)
This three inch cube is the wooden piece that the shoemaker keeps his left heal on to tighten the stirrup, as needed. [Holme]

1. The front surface of a heel.  See Breast.
2. The vertical front of the heel component, found under the arch of the shoe. [Goubitz, 2001]

1. Several leather lifts, a top piece, and a quarter rubber are assembled to form the heel. [Vass]
2. The method and material by which the heel component is built, joined together and attached to the shoe. [Goubitz, 2001]

Heel Cover

1. The material (leather,cloth etc.) covering usually a wooden heel. [Thornton/Swann, 1983]
2. The leather or textile covering of a heel's core; the core can be made of leather, wood or cork. [Goubitz, 2001]

Heel cup
A piece of leather (part of the upper) on the outside of the back of the shoe covering the seam joining the quarters. It may be a narrow strip or a long, vertical piece of leather in line with the heel. [Vass]

Heel edge
The outer surface of the heel. Usually it is black, but sometimes it is colored to match the upper leather If it is not colored, the individual lifts are readily discernible. [Vass]

Heel lifts

1. Two to four pieces of leather cut to the shape of the heel, which they jointly form. [Vass]

Heel Liner (Modern terms include: Heel Stiffener Inside Counter, Counter)
A piece of lining leather used as a stiffening or internal reinforcement in the rear quarters or heel area. It is most frequently sewn inside the shoe. In medieval shoes it is whipped in place, and is usually invisible from the outside.   Please note that we have no idea what these were called in the Middle Ages, and the closest English shoemaking term, counter, has too many conflicting interpretations depending on who you ask.  Any of the layers by which a heel is built (stacked), except for the cupping and the top piece. [Goubitz, 2001]

Heel Parer
A person who makes heels [OED 2d Ed.]

Heel Plate
Anyone of a number of different devices, all of which are designed to extend the wear of the heel. In it's most modern form, it is a half moon shaped piece of nylon, adhesive backed that is placed on the heel at the point of maximum wear and nailed in place. Earlier (and sometimes still today) this plate was made of steel. Other variations include v-plates, quarter tips, circlettes, all of which are inset into the heel, and going back at least to the Civil War, horse shoe plates, which are mounted to the surface. [James Howell]

Heel quarters
The part of the shoe around the heel, the counters [Holme, 1688][OED 2d Ed.]

Heel seam
Sometimes used (erroneously) to refer to the "Back seam" (q.v).   The Heel Seam refers to the seam running up the back of the shoe's heel, not the wearer's.

1. The imprint of, or area covered by the heel of the foot. The rear end of insole or sole on which the heel of the foot rests. [Thornton/Swann, 1983][Webber, 1989][OED 2d Ed.]
2. The area in the shoe or on the insole on which the heel of the foot rests. [Goubitz, 2001]
3. Both sides of the back part of the sole or insole, or the area that would be covered by the heel, if there is one.

Heel section
The back of the shoe. [Vass]

Heel Shave
A type of spokeshave used to make heels [OED 2d Ed.]

Heel-stiffener
See Counter

Heel Tip
A metal heel plate [OED 2d Ed.]

Heel wedge
Pieces of leather with a tapering profile inserted between the heel lifts to heighten the heel along the back. [Goubitz, 2001]

Helling Sticks
An 18th century term for Hollin Sticks. [Saguto]  See Polishing bone.

Hidden stitch
A technique of sewing (See tunnel stitch). [Goubitz, 2001]

High Instep
See Girths

High Shoe (Other medieval spellings include: Heigh Scoh, Scoh, Unhege-Sceo Modern terms include: Ankle Boot, Ankle Shoe, Half boot)
A shoe that extends to the ankle, or slightly higher.  There is no way to be more specific between the high shoe and low boot, as the medieval meaning are not clear.

Hold
This concept is one of the most basic in sewing leather, but can a trick to describe.  Inserting thread into leather, in order to grab that leather is making a stitch.  Once it’s grabbed the leather and is gripping it, it and the leather being gripped make up a hold.  The two terms are very similar, and may appear synonymous.  They are not.  The hold is determined in part by the thread, and how that thread is passed through the leather, but also by the amount of the leather captured within the stitch on each side of the seam, how far back from the edge the hole is made, how deeply the hole is made through the leather. [Saguto]

Even though in traditional shoemaking, the term “hold” is only used regarding closing seams in the uppers, I maintain that there is no appreciable difference between the medieval edge-flesh stitches other than the size of leather and placement of the seam, therefore I use the term hold in describing the inseam as well – anticipating the term “hold fast” in later shoemaking.

Hole, Holed
v. To make a hole, as for stitching.  This term is apparently not a medieval shoemaking term, although its use is consistent with medieval use. [Devlin, 1840]

Hollin Sticks (also Helling Sticks, Shoulder Sticks)
There are a number of types and shapes of these sticks, with various types of “shoulders”, or raised guides to help shape shoe soles. (See also Bones and Sticks)

Hueses (Hauses, Husseaus)
A kind of legging or hose.  Also possibly boots that reach the thigh. They can have pikes, and so may be footed hose with leather soles.  They are possibly related to chaucers.

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Footwear of the Middle Ages - Glossary of Footwear Terminology H, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001, 2005 I. Marc Carlson. 
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