What the heck is a lek?
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
There is a long history of concealing shoes in houses for superstitious reasons. It was believed that a shoe’s ability to mould to the wearer’s foot imbued it with their spirit and would ward off evil. Shoes were also a symbol of good luck.
Under the attic floorboards of 87 Milford Hill, a member of the Searle family found a single shoe, dating to the 17th century. We don’t know why this shoe was hidden, but it was probably done in secret and was clearly significant for the person who placed it there.
The practice of concealing shoes has a long history – the earliest known in England dates to 1308. Some concealments mark the arrival of new people to a house or building work. Other concealments coincide with times of trouble for a person, family, or community. Whether used for spiritual protection or hope for better times, the act of concealing shoes is a widespread ritual.
But why hide a shoe? We still don’t know. One suggestion is that the shoe moulded to the wearer’s foot and gait, becoming imbued with their spirit. The shoe could act as a decoy for the person, ensuring that any evil spirits entering the home would mistake it for the wearer and become trapped. Other suggestions include the shoe being a symbol of luck.
Built in the late 1500s, 87 Milford Hill stood on the corner of this street and Ramparts Road – just outside the city boundaries. Like many other suburbs of Salisbury, it provided some respite to those recently arrived in the city. Many came here following crop failure and extreme poverty at home. However, the city could be a hostile place, with violent evictions of those seen as the ‘undeserving poor’. This area was severely affected by the plague outbreaks of the 17th century.
Many of the shoes found on Milford Street and Milford Hill date to this period and are a small legacy of the fresh start that so many new arrivals in Salisbury hoped for.
William Naish’s 1751 map clearly shows the expansion of the city into Milford and the area around 87 Milford Hill, that would eventually become Ramparts Road. By the 19th century these houses on the outskirts of the city were still typically working-class areas. Concealment of shoes appears to be associated with every class except the wealthiest.
George Searle was born on the 26 September 1853 to John Searle, a railway porter, and Sarah Futcher, a former dressmaker, who lived on Green Cross Street, Salisbury.
The family moved to 5 Winchester Terrace, Salisbury, where John became a licenced hawker (travelling street seller). George was also a hawker and had now been joined by four other siblings, Frank, Sidney, Elizabeth and Harry.
In 1878 George married Alice Mary Cane. By 1891, George had become a ceramics and glass riveter and the couple had moved to 79 Green Cross Street, Salisbury. A few years later they moved to Milford Hill, where Alice sadly died on 10 September 1898. George never remarried and continued to live at 87 Milford Hill with the help of a housekeeper until he died in 1919.
George’s sister Elizabeth, a tailoress, had married Trowbridge brewer Albert Fox in 1891. Following Albert’s death in 1913, she moved into 87 Milford Hill. By 1921, she was joined by her brother Harry, whose wife Annie had also passed away. Harry unfortunately died two years later in 1923. It’s unknown how much longer Elizabeth remained at 87 Milford Hill, as no records could be found for her death.
The shoe was donated to Salisbury Museum by Mr Searle, who is most likely one of George, Harry, & Elizabeth’s nephews. It is unclear who found the shoe or under what circumstances.
Caroline Finch, a member of the museum’s Inclusion Advisory Group selected this object ‘because it reflects the history of Salisbury, and the movement from country to town.’
Males great bustards perform spectacular courtship displays, gathering at a ‘lek’ or small display ground to try to impress the females.
The great bustard has a dignified slow walk but tends to run when disturbed, rather than fly.
The hen-bird on display at The Salisbury Museum was one of the last great bustards to be eaten in the town!