I haven't looked at this hole (no free time right now), but tanners stretch hides and sometimes during the process a corner or side might get anchored with something more solid (like a post), or get pulled by a tool (like a punch). This is not usually a problem because the sheets will often be cut in a way to work around any hole that may have occurred (there are natural holes too, depending on what happened to the animal when it was alive).
If you do a Google Image search on "medieval tanning rack" it shows cords threaded through the edges of the hide. I don't know how accurate these depictions are.
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![[Image: mendel_i_034_r.jpg?w=440&h=609]](https://archaeologygameofthrones.files.wordpress.com/2015/07/mendel_i_034_r.jpg?w=440&h=609)
So, accidental and deliberate holes sometimes occur in the manufacturing process. I have no idea how they tanned hides in the 15th century or what tools they used but when I look through manuscripts, I see many holes, many cuts, many stitches added to repair flaws.
If you do a Google Image search on "medieval tanning rack" it shows cords threaded through the edges of the hide. I don't know how accurate these depictions are.
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So, accidental and deliberate holes sometimes occur in the manufacturing process. I have no idea how they tanned hides in the 15th century or what tools they used but when I look through manuscripts, I see many holes, many cuts, many stitches added to repair flaws.