Industrial Change in Wolverhampton and District

Lock Making

For many centuries Wolverhampton and the surrounding areas have been the chief lockmaking district in the country. It is not known when the manufacture of locks began though there are references to lockmaking in the district dating back to the time of Queen Elizabeth I. In the seventeenth century it was the principal trade of Wolverhampton. A Dr Plot writing in 1686 said,

" The greatest excellency of the blacksmiths profession in this country lies in their making of locks for doors, wherein the artisans of Wolverhampton seem to be prefered to all others".

A Portuguese merchant writing in 1732 about Wolverhampton said,

" The chief manufacturers of this town are locksmiths, who are reckoned the most expert of that trade in England".

Trade directories from the late 17th century list most of the lockmakers in the town. Another useful source are the Red Book directories. For instance the Red Book for 1892 lists no fewer than 21 lock manufacturers and 202 locksmiths together with 36 keymakers. Trade directories and Red Books are available for consultation at Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies.

Many of the locksmiths would have served an apprenticeship with a lock maker in order to learn the trade.

Click on the image to enlarge

An indenture is the document that lays out the conditions of the apprenticeship between the apprentice and the master. In this indenture George Arthur Clift is apprenticed to James Hodges until he was 21 years old. The word indenture comes from the irregular shape at the top of the document. Indentures were originally drawn up between master and apprentice on one piece of parchment that was then cut with an irregular line so that the apprenticeship could be proved or disproved by putting the two pieces of the document together. In a true document the indents on the paper would make a perfect fit.

Examples of advertisements taken from Trade Directories show not only the large number of companies involved in lock making, but also the variety of types of locks made in Wolverhampton and the surrounding area.

Click on the image to enlarge

Here is a selection of images from Melville & Co's Directory and Gazetteer 1851

Jeremiah Chubb arrived in Wolverhampton to open a lock-making factory in 1818. In 1820 he opened a factory in Temple Street, and in 1836 moved to St James' Square. In 1838 the works moved to Railway Street on the site of the Old Workhouse.

Chubbs is famous for its Chubb Detector Lock (patented in 1818) which was produced as part of a challenge to design an unbreakable lock following a serious robbery which took place in the Portsmouth Dockyard helped by the use of false keys. Following the robbery a reward of £100 was offered for a lock that could only be opened by its own key. A lock was made by Jeremiah Chubb, who was in business with his brother Charles as a ship's outfitter and ironmonger in Portsmouth.

Extract from The Illustrated Midland News, 4th June 1870

Extracts from Old Wolverhampton Sixty Years Ago 1888 (L9)

The original lock used four levers. Improvements by Charles Chubb, his son John and others in the years 1824 - 1847 produced a lock that had six levers.

Six Lever Chubb Detector Lock from Locks and Lockmaking (L683)

Wolverhampton Directory 1849

Making locks at Chubbs 1911 (L6/CHU/I/1)

Another well known lockmaker was Arthur C Smith of Powlett Street, Wolverhampton:

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Arthur C Smith Illustrated List (L683p)