There’s always been a need to keep ourselves, our families and our valuable items safe from criminals. The number one item throughout history that has been used to keep us and our valuables safe are locks. Imagine a world without locks. Would we be able to sleep well at night or leave our homes to go to work or elsewhere? Probably not.
I wanted to share a brief history of locks and how important they have been throughout history.
In today’s world there are so many different types of locks, from simple combination locks to highly advanced retinal scanners. The origin of locks started some 6000 years ago with an example found in ancient Syria and evolved into a more advanced system of wooden pins that were lifted out of drilled holes by inserting a key. The earliest metal locks began to appear between 870 and 890 AD by the Romans. Wealthy Romans would keep their valuables in metal boxes secured by a lock. The keys would be made to be very decorative and worn as a necklace or ring and were a status symbol to show others that they had something of value that requires a key. This type of ancient lock is called a warded lock. The warded lock is made with a series of obstructions inside the lock that prevent the key from turning and may also prevent the key from entering the key way.
The modern lock evolved greatly during the Industrial Revolution at the end of the 18th century. The development of precision engineering added to the complexity and variety of locks and keys. The most popular style of lock created during this period is called a lever tumbler lock and was invented by London locksmith Robert Barron. This style of lock has a series of levers that are lifted to a specific height allowing the lock bolt to slide, allowing access to the user. The lever tumbler lock was improved by Jeremiah Chubb. After a burglary at the Portsmouth Dockyard in 1818, the British government held a contest for 100 pounds for anyone that could construct a lock that could only be opened with the key specific to that lock. Jeremiah Chubb developed the Chubb detector lock for this contest. The lock he invented was incredibly difficult to pick and would alert the lock owner if it had been interfered with. Jeremiah won the contest after a professional locksmith took three months to pick the Chubb detector lock. Jeremiah joined his brother Charles in 1820 to form their own lock company. Over the years, the Chubbs made improvements to the lever lock, including adding more levers and a disc that further prevented lock picking.
A different style of lock that used a cylindrical key with notches that moved metal slides inside the lock was invented by Joseph Bramah in 1784. The lock was very advanced for the time and Bramah was so confident in this lock that he displayed the lock in his lock company window and offered 200 Guineas (approximately 30,000 pounds in today's money) to anyone that could invent an instrument that could open the lock. The challenge stayed in place for 67 years until American locksmith Alfred Charles Hobbs won the prize during the Great Exhibition
in 1851 after spending 16 days and 51 hours to open it.
The next step in lock evolution would be the pin tumbler lock. The first patent for the pin tumbler lock was issued to American physician Abraham Stansbury in 1805, but the modern pin tumbler lock that is still used today was invented by Linus Yale Sr. This type of lock was inspired by the ancient Egyptians and uses metal pins of various lengths to prevent the cylinder from moving without the correct key. Linus Yale jr further advanced his father's pin tumbler lock with a flat key with serrated edges.