The preparation of skins and leather goods played a significant role in the economy of South East Scotland during the medieval period. Customs records indicate that hides were a frequent export from Edinburgh, throughout the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Leather goods were also widely used within the region. By the late fifteenth century the cordiners (who made shoes and other small leather items) were one of Edinburgh’s leading incorporated trades. Excavations in Edinburgh on land between the Canongate, Holyrood Road and St John Street have revealed extensive evidence of medieval tanning and processing of cattle horns (Mitchell 2014). At this site tanning activity seems to have ceased in the late medieval period, with the area being converted to gardens around the sixteenth-century – perhaps reflecting a wish to move noxious trades further away from the homes of more prosperous families. Mapping of the shifting locations of tanning sites might cast interesting light on the ways in which urban communities were organised and the extent to which noxious trades confined to the outskirts.
Overall, the South East has produced significant physical evidence for leatherworking, both at urban locations and at elite sites, such as Fast Castle. Written sources suggest that leather working was also encouraged on monastic estates. The specific question of parchment production deserves greater research. The large quantities of medieval parchment from the region indicate that there must have been a considerable industry supplying and preparing skins for this purpose. Interdisciplinary approaches involving the study of textual sources, scientific analysis of surviving parchment, and survey of possible production sites, might help to cast light on this question.
Leatherworking Research Questions
- What can we learn about the design and location of medieval tanneries in South East Scotland?
- To what extent was tanning and leatherworking an urban / suburban craft?
- What sort of leather goods were produced in South East Scotland during the medieval period?
- What can we learn about medieval parchment production in the region?