[MR] Early, Medieval and Renaissance Locks and Keys

[rmhowe]

I realize not everyone is interested in locks and keys, however,
for some of you this will likely prove quite golden. It was
written in response to someone wanting to make a chest lock
for the Mastermyr Chest. I believe he has the book. However,
many of you have no references at all. (Just another one of 
those Odd Things I tend to collect information on.)

Artsikhovskii, A.V. & Kolchin, B.A. (eds.): Trudy Novgorodskoi 
Arkheologicheskoi Ekspeditsii. Tom II. (Materialy i Issledovaniia 
po Arkheologii SSSR. 65.) Moskva (Izdatel'stvo Akademii Nauk SSSR), 
1959. 362, (2)pp. Prof. illus. Lrg. 4to. 
(Novgorod 1958 Volume II: Iron and Steel by B.A. Kolchin includes 
many metalworking, woodworking, wood turning, needlework tools 
and pages 78-97 on locks, wooden locks, metal lock plates and keys. 
Weapons by A. F. Medvedev,  Leatherwork and Shoemaking by S.A. 
Izyumova, Metal articles of dress and adornment by M.V. Sedova, 
Seals, Agriculture.

Arwidsson, Greta and Gosta Berg: The Mastermyr Find: A Viking Age 
Tool Chest from Gotland.  Stockholm: KVHAA/Almqvist & Wiksell. 1983.
Kungl. Vitterhets Historie Och Antikvitets Akademien, Almquist 
& Wiksell Intl., Stockholm, Sweden, 1983. Discusses Viking age
woodworking and metal-working tools, woodworking techniques, 
and material culture. Reprinted by Norm Larson Books, CA 2000.
Larbooks at impulse.net $20. It does indeed have good sectional
drawings of the locking mechanism. 

Bailey, Gordon; Detector Finds 2, Payne, Greg (Ed.) (Retail 
Price £8.00 Each) 1995, pb, ISBN 1897738013. purse frames, 
pocket sundials, medieval handles, thimbles, furniture fittings,
 sentimental brooches, baldric buckles, watch keys, lead weights, 
cased mirrors, toy cannons, cuff links, nut crackers, petronels, 
sword belt fitments, scissors, horse pendants, foot pattens, 
wine labels, -barrel locks and keys-, palm guards, button hooks, 
dividers, sword and dagger chapes, brass horse bells, jaws harps,
hatpins, lead 'bells', spoons, scabbard fitments, miniature 
domestic utensils, jettons.

Bailey, Gordon;  Detector Finds 3; Payne, Greg (Ed.) (Retail Price 
£10.00Each) 1997, ISBN 2897738226 
Lace tags, belt decorations, horseshoes, medieval candle holders, 
bayonet scabbard hooks, pewter syringes, bronze pot legs, walking 
stick tops and ferrules, medieval purse holders, brass lettering 
from tombs, decorative pouring spouts, -casket, chest and door keys-;
snake form belt hooks; Roman and Saxon Pins; silver pins and bodkins;
pilgrims ampulla, -medieval barrel locks and keys-, cosmetic 
implements; finger rings; clothing accessories. 

Blair, John: Anglo-Saxon Oxfordshire; Sutton Publishing Ltd. /
Oxfordshire Books, 1994/8, 230pp., 102 illustrations. 
A very unique 7th C. -Janus head lock case- from Bishop’s Court.
ISBN 0750917504 pb, £14.99

Brisbane, Mark (ed.): The Archaeology of Novgorod, Russia, Lincoln:
The Society for Medieval Archaeology, monography 13, 1992. 
Subtitled ‘Recent results from the town and its hinterland' this 
volume provides an English account of the important results that 
continue to flow from the excavations at Novgorod. Six Russian
authors describe excavations in and around the town: historical
development, lay out of properties, interpretation of the finds 
as evidence of trades, social and cultural states; description of 
buildings and building techniques, and recent finds including 
musical instruments. It is an excellent summary with lots of 
illustrations. 240p with text figs and photos. 
(Medieval Archaeology Monograph Series 13, 1992). They found 
1,200 locks and keys here. A sample page of locks and keys and 
a chronology page of those types are in the book.

CHAPMAN, D.J.: Medieval Locks and Keys, a Short Account of Their 
History and Origin; Illus. in b/w. 12pp. Wrs. Privately printed 
at Maidstone college of Art, 1956.

Daniel Diehl and Mark Donnelly: Medieval Furniture: Plans and
Instructions for Historical Reproductions; The successor to
Constructing Medieval Furniture presents fourteen new furniture
designs. The projects are preceded by useful sections on medieval
decorating, wood- and metalworking, woodcarving, locks and finishes. 
Illustrated throughout. 179p, 16 color plates, many b/w illustrations
(Stackpole Books 1999). ISBN: 0811728544 (Put in for availability.)

Eras, V.J.M.: Locks and Keys Throughout the Ages, Lips and Co. 
1957. Publisher: Dordrecht: The Author, ca1956.; Cloth; 194 pp; 
304 illustrations. An extensive study of locks, their history, 
their metallurgy, their application, and much more.
or the
Dutch Edition; ERAS, V.J.M.,: Sloten en Sleutels Door de Eeuwen Heen.;
[Dordrecht, Lips], 1941. 4to. 175 pp. Met ca.300 ills.

Cherry, J.: The Medieval Jewellery from the Fishpool, Nottinghamshire,
Hoard; Archaeologia 104, 1973, pp.301-21 including a 
page on the Thames Hoard of 15th C. Jewellery and Plate LXXXVI 
depicting the primary pieces in color. Heart shaped brooches, fancy
chains, rings, a -lock- locket, etc..

D'Allemagne, Henry Rene: Decorative Antique Ironwork, A Pictorial
Treasury, over 4500 illustrations, Dover, New York, 1968, 416 pages, 
PB, ISBN 0486220826, contains many locks, keys and escutcheon plates 
on pages 36-104, and also contains many illustrations of medieval 
and renaissance chests and almsboxes on pages 391-408.

Egan, Geoff: The Medieval Household: Daily Living 1150-1450  
ISBN 0112904904 This sixth volume in the series `Medieval Finds 
from Excavations in London' has fixtures and fittings, furnishings, 
locks and keys. 342p with illus (Stationery Office 1998) Hb £50.00

A Viking Lock and a wooden lock case with metal parts was found 
at Jorvik (York, England) and it shows up in differing views in 
R.A. Hall's books The Viking Dig and Viking Age York. 

Hall, Richard: Viking Age York; Batsford Ltd., London, English 
Heritage Series. 1st Ed. 1994. ISBN 0713470143 PB or 0713470135 
HB. This one has the wooden cased lock with internal metal 
mechanism found at 6-8 Pavement Street, possibly from a chest.
The iron barreled padlock from 16-22 Coppergate is on pages 92-3.

Hall, Richard: The Excavations at York - The Viking Dig; The
Bodley Head, London, 1984, ISBN 0370308212 PB. This one has the
10th Century iron barrel padlock with explanatory drawings and
a separate key on page 108 and 110.

Holmquist, Wilhelm: Excavations at Helgo, Volume I for 1954-6,
Kungl. Vitterhets Historie och Antikvitets Akademien, Stockholm,
1961 has pages 115-6 and 120-22 as well as plates 33-7 (multiple 
examples on each) on locks and keys found there.

Kolchin, B.A.: Metallurgy and Metalworking in Ancient Russia,
Translated from the Russian, Published for the Smithsonian
Institution and the National Science Foundation, Washington, 
D.C., Printed in Jerusalem by S. Monson, 1967. Has eight pages
on Russian locks and keys.

A 14th C. medieval German Locksmith is depicted at work in the
Mendel Hausbuch.

Mills, Nigel: Medieval Artefacts; 1999, ISBN 1897738277.
Buckles; strapends and belt mounts; seal matrices; thimbles; 
pilgrim badges; finger rings; brooch buckles; harness pendants;
-locks and keys-; weights, spoons, knives and pottery; arrowheads, 
spurs and edged weapons; purses, pins, buttons, pendants, mirrors, 
and whistles; ecclestiastical objects; select bibliography. 	

Ottaway, Patrick: York 17/6 / Anglo-Scandinavian Ironwork from 
16-22 Coppergate; 1992, 284pp, 160 illustrations, ISBN 187241429X, 
£30.00 The site produced evidence for every aspect of the 
production of iron artefacts, although smelting probably took place 
elsewhere. The wide range of excellently preserved ironwork, the 
most complete collection from  pre-Conquest England, is also 
evidence for a variety of domestic and craft activities. This also 
includes quite a variety of pages on various styles of barrel, 
door and chest type locks. Very well illustrated. 
Available from the York Archaeological Trust. 

PITT-RIVERS, Lieut.-Gen.: On the Development and Distribution
of Primitive Locks and Keys. ; London. Chatto & Windus. 1883.
4to. pp. 31. 10 hors texte plates, printed on rectos only,
each with an unnumbered text leaf. Gilt-decorated boards.
Discusses the etymology of words for locks and keys; and
European (including Scandinavian) Chinese, Egyptian, Greek and
Roman pieces. 
(While this thing is quite rare I did manage to borrow a falling
apart copy from the Chicago Public Library I think. Two pages
of the thirty-one were still attached.)  

Quennell, Marjorie and C.H.B.: Everyday Life in Roman and Saxon
Time - Including Viking and Norman Times; New York, G.P. Putnam's
Son's, 1984, has several pages on locks in the Smith section.
Also in the People and their Houses section.

Shire Books out of Britain has a book on Keys, or Lock and Keys 
but I cannot find my copy at present.

Ward, John: Roman Britain, Parkgate Books; has a number of pages
on Roman locks and door-locks.

Master Magnus Malleus, OL © 2002 R.M. Howe
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