Shoes found buried under Nottinghamshire school may have been used to ward off evil spirits

It is thought that the shoes could date back to the 1820s

A pair of shoes possibly dating as far back as the 1820s have been found under the floorboards at a Nottinghamshire school. Whilst improvements were being carried out at Kirkstead Junior Academy in Pinxton, the shoes were found under the floor close to the fireplace.

It is thought that the shoes were left there by superstitious builders or the original property owner and could date back to when the building was first built as part of a boarding school. It is understood that the shoes could have been put there for superstitious reasons to act as a good luck charm to ward off evil spirits.

There have been many reports of children's shoes being found deliberately buried in old properties throughout the UK, with historians still debating the reasons why. In recent years there have been transformational improvements across the Pinxton Village Academies, which includes Longwood Infant Academy, John King Infants Academy, and Kirkstead Junior Academy.

Headteacher, Anne Ingle, said: “We are very surprised by the find, and children have been particularly inspired by them to discuss and enrich their local history studies. It is a fantastic insight into the community and possible beliefs and superstitions of the people of Pinxton in times gone by.”

Pupils at the school have their own ideas about the age of the shoes and their origin. Anne continued: "We estimate the shoes are probably around a size 5 or 6 in modern terms, and we have discussed the idea of them belonging to a builder who worked on the building in 1820.

"We intend to share our find with the local museum and historical society for further inspection and hopefully they may be able to give us more answers. The children are keen to know as much about the find as possible."

Before the 1790s shoes were designed to be worn on either foot, but the ones found at the school show a clear left and right shoe. It also appears that the shoes have some machine stitches, metal lace holes and a range of repairs and modifications.

Since the shoes were found, lessons have been inspired by learning about the history of the school and local community. A year six pupil, Teddy, said: “I think the boots are very interesting because you can see the stitching and the holes where laces went. In some ways they are very different to modern shoes, there’s no rubber, and they look uncomfortable! I think if they did have wooden soles or stiff leather, they would have been heavy to wear, and difficult to walk in.”

Year two pupil, Betsy, said, “All of the shoe is worn, and the leather is damaged. They are very old shoes, and they look like it would be hard to walk in them. I think they are very interesting."