These are the first shoes that the owner's mother wore. They are traditional Lancashire weavers' clogs. They are iron-clad, as opposed to wooden-clad. The weavers couldn't wear wooden-clad clogs because they would get damp - they had to keep the floor wet for the cotton. Lancashire clog-dancing was a result of everyone wearing these shoes. The dancing is a result of the noise of the clogs moving in rhythm to the machines - and also because the work was boring.
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As a clog dancer, I am convinced that the leather uppers are nailed to wooden soles - notice the nails on the shoes shown. Any irons would have been added to reduce wear. I assumed wood was better than leather for damp environments, but also cheaper.