Note 1 — Chapter II

Pattens were a primitive form of what are now known as overshoes, although “undershoe” defines the patten more correctly. The upper part was made of wood, like the frame of an ice-skate, but broader,—not unlike the frame of an oval horse-brush; and it was put on by pushing the foot firmly into overstraps made of leather or “girth cloth,” in the same way as a horse-brush is fixed on a groom’s hand. The under part was an oval-shaped ring of thin iron, measuring about six inches long, four inches broad, and one inch deep. There being no fastening at the back, the heel of the wearer’s shoe made a “slip-shod” noise on the wooden sole, which, added to the clanking of the iron soles, especially on any pavement or causeway, produced a double-beat “clatterin’ clatter.” To the inexperienced they were as difficult to walk with as skates are; they kept the foot about two inches from the ground, and were taken off before entering the house by merely withdrawing the foot. They not only kept the feet dry, but a “clean hoose.”