Pointy Shoes

Was the Founder a frumpy dresser?  The College statutes, which were drawn up in 1400, itate:

 Insisting furthermore to each and every one of the priests and scholars of our said College that they shall not cultivate long hair or beards, or wear pointed shoes, or hoods with frogging, or carry swords or long knives, inside the College or outside in the city of Winchester, its suburbs or Soke, without the permission of the Warden; nor are they to patronize or frequent taverns, shows, or other disreputable places, but they are to keep away altogether from such places and suspect company; furthermore we absolutely forbid the priests to wear red or green boots.

 BBC News recently carried a story about the moral evil threatened by the wearing of ‘poulaines’ or ‘cracows’, with the greatest outrage happening in the 14th and 15th centuries.  You can read the story here.  

So, given William of Wykeham's conservative taste in clothing, was there a sharp intake of breath in 1393, when the coloured glass of Chapel’s East Window was delivered to Winchester?  The main lights depict a selection of Israelite kings (descendants of Jesse) and Old Testament prophets.  All are dressed in elegant clothes of the time, although some sport the avant garde ‘Cote Hardie’.  Those whose feet can be seen, are shod in distinctly pointed shoes and, worse still, several of them have red or green coloured footwear.  See the images below of Daniel, Joathan and Samuel.  Most blatantly, King David sits with crossed legs playing his harp and displaying red boots!