History of Locks
An early Ratner change key lock ; Mike ’ s notes record that just 30 of this version were made .
Another of Mike ’ s Locks ; a Davis Double Chambered Dispatch box lock . The top cap reads “ Home Office White Hall ” and the inscription under the top cap reads “ If any one apply for a key inform a secretary of state & you shall receive £ 50 ”. The lock is also marked ‘ G R ’ and therefore dates to the early 19th century . ( before 1835 ).
A Whitfield 18 slider safe lock , a particular favourite of Mikes . The sliders are arranged in two tiers , the outer sliders consisting of 12 and the inner has six sliders .
* The partnership of Chatwood & Dawes lasted until the later months of 1862 when Dawes returned to the Midlands & went to work for George Price , safe maker , Wolverhampton . By February 1864 the works in Bow Street had changed its name to “ Chatwood Patent Safe & Lock Company ”.
* The title Chatwood & Dawes survived until Feb 2nd 1864 when the firm became known as The Chatwood Safe & Lock Company . At the time of this restructuring a sleeping partner in Chatwood & Dawes disappeared . The Bolton Chronicle February 6th 1864 carried the official date of dissolution January 30th 1864 .
Another of Mike ’ s documents , typed this time , reads :
Ingersoll ’ s first locks were specially designed for aircraft during WWII .
The Ingersoll Locks Story
Ingersoll Locks Limited started during WWII when Ingersoll Engineering ( part of the Ingersoll Watch Company ) became involved in the manufacture of locks for aircraft . Experts were directed to Ingersoll from the established lock industry to help with this specialised work . Amongst those directed was Mr Jack Taylor , past president of the MLA and during a wartime flying bomb attack , he had an inspiration for a new type of lock that would provide a greater degree of security than was obtainable from existing mechanisms . After 18 months of research and development the unique Ingersoll 10-lever key mechanism emerged . The first commercial Ingersoll 10-lever locks appeared soon after the end of the war and by the early 1950s were becoming established in the UK . Jack Taylor had become a director by this time but left in 1952 to start his own business .
The Ingersoll watch company found that manufacturing and marketing a range of locks was not complimentary to their normal watch business the operation was sold in 1957 to a City of London firm C Tennant & Sons Co Ltd . Tennant at that time were export agents for Ingersoll Watches and looking for an opportunity to expand the activities of a small engineering company they owned in Ascot , Berkshire . This manufacturing operation became the new Ingersoll Locks Ltd . Was developed over the years as Ingersoll ’ s product range and marketing penetration progressively expanded . In 1962 , C Tennant & Sons Co Ltd became a subsidiary of the Gold Fields Group . There are many other such notes hidden in Mike ’ s papers .
Turning to the Chatwood ledgers and in particular the ledger detailing the Standing Instructions from around WWII we find an interesting instruction that
Just one blueprint detailing five concrete blocks for strong room construction . The Drawing office ledger details some 48 different precast standard blocks for 9 ” and 12 ” walls . Elsewhere non-standard blocks for other applications are tantalisingly referred to such as a concrete safe with no outer steel skin .
workers should not leave their posts when the air raid siren sounds , and should only make their way to the shelters when they hear the bombs actually falling .
There are three volumes , which date approximately from between just before WWI to just after WWII , of these work sheets detailing every aspect of Chatwood ’ s working practices which will also be of great interest to those studying industrial social history .
All this adds up to very valuable resources when researching locks , the companies that made them and the people that worked for those companies . There is also a broader interest in the social conditions and practices that can be gleaned ; even people studying their family history might find the share certificate records helpful .
Finally , and with the recent announcement that Covid restrictions are to end here in the UK , the Heritage Room in Rugby is open to visitors again ; but additionally we are restarting our special open days , therefore do advise if you would like to be added to the mailing list . Brian Morland , curator of the MLA Heritage Room , can be contacted at : curator @ emorlands . com
JAN / FEB 2022
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