Cordoba in Spain was famed for its fine, soft leather, which was in great demand as footwear for the nobility. High-class shoemakers were known as cordwainers (or cordovans)

Some versions of Child 200 use the footwear to highlight the difference in class between "high heeled shoon, made of Spanish leather-o" and "lowland brogues" or "low-heeled shoes" or even bare feet.