You probably need to consult with a good folklorist 
knowledgeable with ancient British Isles lore.  I believe
this was covered the last time this thread came up (it's 
a very popular topic, for some reason), but I had heard 
that the practice ultimately goes back to human sacrifice.
There is some belief that the song "London Bridge is Falling
Down" may have originated as a cautionary tale sung by and/or
to children.  Stray, unattended, some presumably orphaned,
children were grabbed off the streets of London to be buried
under the foundations of the bridge to appease the river 
deity/spirit for the affrontery of the crossing. I know this
may seem unbelievable, but this was during the Middle Ages
or before, and I believe there is good anthropological evidence
to back it up. (This is not my area of expertise and this is
from memory.) Why children in particular?  I don't know, but
there could be lots of practical as well as symbollic reasons.

Using shoes or articles of clothing is perhaps the next best
thing to an actual sacrifice (after hair, nail clippings, etc).
If memory serves (David R. could probably correct me), this 
is an act of associational magic.  In other words, the power of
the objects used is derived from direct contact with the people
involved, hence old shoes and clothing (more contact) are 
better than new ones (little or no contact).  The other common
type of magic is symbollic, as in the case of the raptor
claw representing lightning.  (They may be called something 
other than 'associational' and 'symbollic' magic; it's 
been awhile since I've had any anthro. classes.) You'll also find both types of 'magic' in most religions, old and new 
(e.g., laying-on-of-hands is direct, associational; sacramental
wine as 'the blood of Christ' is symbollic, etc.).  As the same
mechanisms are used in varying systems of belief it shouldn't 
be surprising that they get mixed now and then.  See, for 
example, the melding of native spiritual beliefs and 
Catholicism among the Penitentes of the southwest.

My apologies for the length.

Marty Perdue
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