[Bell Historians] Tower graffiti

[RingingMatters at a...]

St Alkelda's, Giggleswick, also has outlines of boots/shoes and some hands on 
the lead tower roof. 

The boots were done by pressing something pointed (a nail?), into the lead 
around the footwear. All the outlines (about a dozen), seem to have been done 
(from memory), on perhaps only two visits but the interesting thing is the ease 
with which these two visits can be distinguished apart, of course, from the 
dates which are recorded onto the lead, also with a sharp point. The fashions 
are so different; pointed "winkle pickers" on one occasion and toes cut 
straight across on the other occasion. The earlier visit was around 1780 so this 
is a significant primary source for boot/shoe design in the 18th and 19th 
centuries.

Malcolm