Peter Jonson facts for kids
Peter Jonson and Garret Jonson were skilled shoemakers in London. They made shoes for important people like Elizabeth I and James VI and I, who were kings and queens of England. By looking at the shoes they created, we can learn a lot about what was fashionable long ago.
Meet the Royal Shoemakers
Garret Jonson was a shoemaker for Queen Elizabeth I. He started making shoes for her even before she became queen, back in 1552. At that time, she was living at Hatfield House.
Garret Jonson was not born in England. He came from a place called Cleve, which is now part of Germany. He had been working in London since about 1546. In 1571, records show he was married to a woman named Alice.
Fashionable Footwear for the Queen
In 1564, Garret Jonson made many fancy shoes for Queen Elizabeth. He made a dozen pairs of velvet shoes. These shoes had heels made of cork and wood, covered in velvet.
The queen also wore shoes made from fine Spanish leather. Garret Jonson also gave the queen shoe horns. These were the first shoes recorded for Queen Elizabeth that had heels. This shows how shoe styles were changing!
Peter Jonson was likely Garret Jonson's son. He also became a shoemaker for the royal court. In 1594, Peter Jonson made shoes for Thomasina, who was a court dwarf.
High Heels and Fancy Designs
In 1595, Peter Jonson made special shoes for Queen Elizabeth. These shoes had high heels and arches. A historian named Janet Arnold found an old order for his work. It tells us about the different kinds of shoes he made.
The order listed:
- Eight pairs of Spanish leather shoes in different colors.
- Six pairs of Spanish leather "pantobles" (a type of slipper) in various colors.
- One pair of Spanish leather shoes with high heels and arches.
- One pair of straw-colored pantobles with arches, decorated with silver lace.
- He also repaired and updated many other shoes and pantobles for the queen.
After 1603, when King James became ruler of both England and Scotland, Peter Jonson made shoes for him and his wife, Anne of Denmark. Some of these shoes were described as being in a "Belone" fashion. This might have been a mistake in the records for Polish or Bolognese styles.
