Do your brogues need heeling, Sir?

Here's the back cover drawing from my Bushels Of Coalsmoke chap-book of 2005 and a photograph of an old-fashioned Cobbler Shop automaton which originally gave me the idea. I took the photo during a Sunday morning stroll around Morpeth, Northumberland. I've been told the derivation of the town name Morpeth means 'path of death' (mort/peth) but don't know why it was given this chilling title....