For today’s Nalbound Object of the Week I must tell you of the surprise I got the day I was examining the medieval Nidaros Stocking. That same day, Niina-Hannele Nuutinen brought my attention to a mid-15th century knee-length stocking from Helgeandsholmen in Stockholm, Sweden. Excavated between 1978-1980, it was recently sent to Stockholm’s Archaeological Collection from the Statens Historiska Museet. While ankle length socks are well represented, knee-length nalbound stockings are rare in the archaeological record.
Photo credit: Medeltidsmuseet – used with permission
Object: Helgeandsholmen stocking
Description: “The thickness suggests that it was used as a lining inside a boot. On closer inspection, it can be seen that the stocking consists of three parts and that it has been folded together several times before being pierced by something – hence the light spots and the many holes and depressions. The lower end of the sock also has tar on it, indicating that it has probably been reused as a tar swab.”1
Dated to: mid-15th century CE, “mitten av 1400-talet.”2
Find location: At the turn of 2024, Stockholm’s archaeological collections received textiles from the excavation on Helgeandsholmen (1978-1980) from the Statens Historiska Museet. This previously unknown nalbound sock was among the textiles.3
Material: likely wool
Stitch(es) used: unknown
Inventory number: UP0717-78 HELGEANDS 21539, 21542, & 22691
Current location: Stockholm Stadsmuseet collections shared with their sister museum Medeltidsmuseet, Stockholm
Link to museum catalog or other data: no specific entry in the online catalog yet https://digitalastadsmuseet.stockholm.se/fotoweb/
Some sources in which more information can be found:
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ozfDLTBooGZrAwrv/?mibextid=oFDknk
Photographs:
Ingela Andersson Lindberg had the opportunity to examine the stocking on May 21st this year and has graciously coordinated with the museum to allow me to share these photos with you.
Stockholm stadsmuseet collections
Photo credit: Ingela Andersson Lindberg – used with permission
Stockholm stadsmuseet collections
Photo credit: Ingela Andersson Lindberg – used with permission
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- Translated from https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ozfDLTBooGZrAwrv/?mibextid=oFDknk 6 May 2024. ↩︎
- https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ozfDLTBooGZrAwrv/?mibextid=oFDknk Accessed 6 May 2024. ↩︎
- https://www.facebook.com/share/p/ozfDLTBooGZrAwrv/?mibextid=oFDknk Accessed 6 May 2024. ↩︎
Hi!
Very glad you posted about this lovely find.
Of some weird reason it was posted on facebook that it was lining of a booth. I pointed it out that it was in fact no lining but a normal sock. I have no idea why the communicator said “lining” in the first place. It has been mounted as a sock since the eighties.
It was most likely used as a fluffy middle layer I between the planks on a boat/ship. The tar also indicates this.
I will definitely look into finding more information about its specific find circumstances if available. The Nidaros stocking appears to have potentially been similarly used as a tar swab and was found in the corner of a house under the floor instead of in a ship, but performing a similar function.