History of Locks
Diagrammatic view of a typical turning key spring barb padlock , in this style the barbs are attached to the shackle .
Each part of the key is fabricated at the anvil and the assembly then brazed up . Earlier locks were brazed with copper , later ones with brass . The bit was either formed separately or more often it was cut and shaped integral with the tube sheet .
An example of the spring barb screw key mechanism that survived through to the mid-20th century .
Artefact No . 4851 .
The third style was the screw key type where the tubular shaft of the key was furnished with a thread instead of a bit . The shaft also had a collar attached near the end .
The handmade nature and the craftsman ingenuity meant that a huge number of variants and hybrids were produced incorporating two or more of the styles described above . Whenever another spring barb lock is added to the collection it ’ s examined with great anticipation as to the detail , features and construction .
Spring Barb locks themselves are found in a great variety of styles and for all sorts of purposes ; they are also the everyday locks for the period .
A padlock that incorporates both a turning mechanism and a sliding mechanism ; both mechanisms are quite separate within the lock .
Artefact No . 776 .
A sliding key padlock from the Middle East with the extra feature of external wards .
Artefact No . 804 .
Further Study We have written over the years in various journals , newsletters and reports , including The Locksmith Journal , on the fascinating subject of one aspect or another of primitive locks . It ’ s one that will appear in these pages as more is learnt or artefacts are added to our knowledge base is expanded .
Both the MLA Heritage Room and the Bournemouth Archive has many examples of Spring Barb locks and related books from which we are reading and from which some diagrams are taken including : -
• Primitive Locks and keys by Lieut-General Pitt-Rivers , FRS . 1883 .
• Locks from Iran , P Tanavoli and J T Wertime .
Snippets you might know would be very welcome as an aid to our further documentation / study on this subject . Although MLA EXPO23 is a little way away , one cabinet will contain many artefacts from Pre-Industrial times , but in the meantime watch for more in The Locksmith Journal .
Helical spring padlock operated by a key with either an internal or external matching threaded portion .
Brian Morland , curator of the MLA Heritage Room , HoL Archive and the HoL Heritage Collection of Locks and Keys , welcomes comments and corrections on historical aspects of locks and keys . Brian can be contacted by email : brian @ emorlands . com
MAR / APR 2022
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