Clogs in Britain and Beyond

Michael Jackson grew up in Lancaster, a town where clogs were available from several retail outlets into the 1980s, and they were worn both for work and leisure. He bought his first pair in 1980 when he joined John O’Gaunt Morris Men.  Subsequently he has acquired many more pairs of clogs, and clog-making tools and memorabilia, sometimes as a result of generous donations. The collection includes not only many different examples of British clogs, but also styles of wooden shoes from around the world.

A couple of years ago, a talk in a local museum about clog making led to a piece in a local newspaper (repeated on a number of websites in the North West), which in turn led to an appearance on BBC1’s Bargain Hunt.

In a normal year, he can be seen dancing in clogs with Royal Preston Morris Dancers and Horwich Prize Medal Morris Men.  He can be seen dancing in other footwear with Abram Morris Dancers, Medlock Rapper, Regency Rejigged, and Seven Stars Sword and Step Dancers.

Until normal times return, Michael will continue to be busy with clog-related research.  He is preparing to re-publish an old history of clog-making in Britain, supplemented by his own research into people and businesses involved in the trade at the end of the nineteenth century.  This will be distributed as a PDF free-of-charge in Facebook groups, in order to reach as many people as possible.