HANDCUFFS

AND OTHER RESTRAINTS

Handcults

ALEX R NICHOLS
 Copyright 1997 by Alex R Nichols.

Published by
Kingscourt Publications
The Boot Cottage, The Street, Kingscourt,
Stroud, Glos., GL5 5DR.

ISBN 0 9531338 0 X

First impression November 1997.

Printed by
Aspect Design,
89 Newtown Road, Malvern,
Worcs., WR14 2PD

All rights reserved. No part of this booklet may be

reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher.

Front cover picture: Selection of restraints from the author’s collection.

Back cover picture: Two prisoners in American style prison uniforms and restraints.
 HANDCUFFS

AND OTHER RESTRAINTS

A BRIEF HISTORY AND SURVEY

FEOK 8 OK K 362K2 2K

ALEX R NICHOLS BA(Hons)

 CONTENTS.

—"INTRODUCTION.
2. HANDCUFFS (MANACLES).
3. LEG-IRONS (FETTERS).
4. GRIPS ETC.
5. MISCELLANEOUS RESTRAINTS.
6. CONCLUSION.
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY.
8. ILLUSTRATIONS.

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1. INTRODUCTION.

It seems highly likely that human beings have been using restraints upon
each other from the earliest times. When it was discovered how to make
cord and rope from grasses and reeds, or to cut rawhide thongs from the
hides of animals, these materials were probably used as restraints.
Indeed, it may be argued that part of the process of civilisation entailed
the immobilisation of individuals by the use of restraints rather than
killing or maiming them. It is known that Neanderthal man made ropes
and these could have been used for restraint. The body of the man found
in the peat bog at Tollund showed marks of a plaited cord around his
neck, though it is not clear if this was as a restraint. The earliest writings
make reference to the taking and binding of prisoners, either in warfare
or for slaves. From early times art has shown the binding of prisoners, for
example, Assyrian bas-reliefs on display in the British Museum show
many scenes of bound prisoners-of-war. Some of these reliefs show
bonds that appear to be square contraptions, which could be wood or
metal rather than cord or rope. It 1s certain that these materials were used
for restraints, wooden stocks and pillories and metal artifacts can still be
seen in many places. Ancient literature abounds with accounts of
chaining, the Bible, for example, has accounts of restraints made of brass
and iron.

Metal became the preferred material for security and long term use, first
copper, brass and bronze, then iron. Metal presented a problem because
chain could not be securely knotted like rope. Methods of fastening had
to be devised. Before the lock was invented, rivetting was probably the
usual form of fastening, though sometimes soldering or welding was
employed. A simple fastening could be devised by hammering shut an
open iron or brass ring. Iron restraints, in the form of slave gang chains
and manacles have been found at several [ron Age sites in Britain and
mainland Europe. In Roman times, quite sophisticated locks were made,
judging by the evidence of keys found at many sites and manacles were
made that had locks, but these were not common (Fig.1). Roman manacle
locks were usually of the spring wedge lock type (though of a different
design to that shown in the diagram). This type of lock has a mechanism
consisting of two parts, a plunger in the form of a double spring which
makes a wedge when open and a tube, into which the plunger is pushed,
engaging a projection in it which prevents its withdrawal. The key is a
device that squeezes the spring wedge flat (Fig.2).

In medieval times also there were lockable restraints, but these were very
much the exception. These locks were often of quite complicated
construction, either integral to the restraint or separate padlocks. None-
the-less, at all times until the eighteenth century, hammered rings
and rivetting were by far and away the most common methods of
fastening (Fig.3). Such restraints were removed by opening the rings or
breaking the rivets with a hammer and cold chisel, hence the expression
that irons were “struck off”.

Ordinary, everyday articles were adapted for use as restraints. The most
obvious example is the nautical shackle, the U shaped metal gadget used
to secure rigging on a ship. Two of these threaded onto a metal bar
produce a very effective restraint called the bilboes (Fig.4) and may well
be the origin of our common use of the word shackles to describe
restraints in general. (A fine example can be seen on board HMS Victory
at Portsmouth). The origin of modern restraints is probably based upon
bilboes and the development of locking mechanisms for them.

The spring wedge lock survived for a very long time and is typical of the
pre-industrial revolution individual blacksmiths’ work. This lock usually
turns up in the form of restraints known as “slave irons” (Fig.5). These
are usually of leg-iron size, rarely handcuffs. There are two shackles,
only one of which has a spring wedge lock, the other is locked by
threading the connecting chain through an enlarged link, a device of
ancient origin, present in the Iron Age restraints alluded to earlier. Most
of these restraints are said to be of Middle Eastern origin.

By the eighteenth century, the barrel lock had become common. This
consists ofatube in one half of a hinged shackle containing a plunger, at
one end of which there is a projection which engages a hole in the other

4
half of the shackle. This plunger can be withdrawn from the hole by
screwing in a key on the opposite threaded end, usually against a spring,
thus releasing the lock (Fig.6). A common version of this type of lock
was the “Dutch” padlock, which was still offered in a manufacturer’s
catalogue in the 1950s.

The barrel lock restraint became the universal type, popularly known as
“darbies” (Fig.7) and from the middle of the eighteenth century these
were manufactured in large numbers. As the industrial revolution began
in England, it is not surprising that British manufacturers proliferated.
One firm founded in 1780, Hiatt’s of Birmingham, is still in existence
and is one of the world’s foremost handcuff makers; its products are the
ones most likely to be seen in British Commonwealth countries. Britain’s
position as a colonial power and above all its major role in the slave
trade, provided ample markets for the restraint makers. Hiatt’s were still
offering “nigger collars” in their catalogue at the end of the nineteenth
century (Fig.8).

However, it was in ex-British colonies, the United States of America, that

the first advances on the barrel lock patterns occurred. In 1860
W.V.Adams patented an adjustable handcuff that became the prototype
of a wide range of handcuff types available in the U.S.A., some of which
inevitably travelled abroad (Fig.9). Most commonly used were the types
invented by E.D.Bean (Fig.10) and J.J. Tower (Fig.11), but there were
many other kinds as designers tried to produce ever more secure and
easily usable models. This experimentation culminated in the “swinging
bow” type invented by G.A.Carney in 1912 (Fig.12) and since then
almost all modern handcuffs have been variants of that basic design.

In the latter half of the twentieth century, plastics became common

substitutes for metal in many fields. It is not surprising therefore, to find
that plastic restraints are common. The type most usually seen is the
“plasticuff’, a restraint consisting ofa band of strong plastic, like that
often used by gardeners as a plant tie. This has a simple non-keyed lock
at one end, through which the other end can be threaded, ratchet
serrations engaging and preventing the end from beimg withdrawn;

5
release is by cutting the band (Fig. 13). Adaptation for use as handcuffs
is easy and some plasticuffs are even made so that the lock can be opened
with a standard handcuff key and some with a press-button release or
modified locking mechanisms, for training purposes (the latter brightly
coloured to avoid use with real prisoners!).

Strong polypropylene webbing has also been utilised, usually in

conjunction with a type of fastening that uses hook and loop material
popularly known as “Velcro”, its first manufacturer’s trade mark. Hand
and leg cuffs, arm restraints and belts are made for use not only in the
penal field, but also for violent patients in hospitals (Fig.14). Standard
swinging bow type handcuffs have been made almost entirely from
plastics because of the concern about the transmission of H.I.V. These
handcuffs are capable of being sterilised in an autoclave if contaminated
by prisoners’ body fluids.

Canvas and leather are often used to make restraints. Straps, with or
without locking buckles, and straitjackets are made. Such restraimts were
mostly used in hospitals on insane patients. Leather belts of various
designs are also used as supplementary restraints. For example, it is
common in the U.S.A. for a belt, fitted with a D-ring in the middle, to be
put on a prisoner’s waist, buckled at the back, with a pair of handcuffs
threaded through the D-ring in the front (Fig.15).

The belt restraint presents one solution to the problem of the

transportation of dangerous prisoners, which has become a matter of
increasing concern in recent times. Various types of restraint chains and
handcutf covers have been invented, along with various kinds of
combination sets. These have been designed to maximise the restriction
of prisoners. The simplest is the combination set consisting of a pair of
handcuffs and a pair of leg-irons, joined together by a length of chain
(Fig. 16). More complex 1s the security cover, a device that fits over a pair
of handcuffs after they have been applied, covering the key holes and
then secured with a waist chain (Fig.17). Then there are various kinds of
gang chain whereby a number of prisoners may be secured together.
These devices seem to hark back to the “coffle” of slave trading days:

6
that was a device, often wooden, that secured two or more slaves together
by the neck (Fig.18). The modern devices link the prisoners by their
handcuffs. ’

Another type of restraint is the grip. These are sometimes seen in

museums, or illustrated in books, incorrectly called handcuffs, but they
are quite different. A grip always requires the captor to hold onto it as a
means of maintaining control of a prisoner and is never lockable. It is, in
effect, a strong extension of the captor’s hand. Such devices have been
in use at least since the seventeenth century. A simple grip consisting of
a leather thong about 20cms long with a wooden toggle at each end, has
been described in use in Italy in the mid 1600s (Fig.19). This was twisted
about the prisoner’s wrist and the toggles held by the captor, who could
tighten his grip by twisting it if his prisoner showed signs of resistance.
This type of grip is still being manufactured, though made of chain. A
more complicated pattern is the scissors type. One half ofa figure eight
shaped gadget is placed over a prisoner’s wrist and the other half is used
as a handle by the captor, secured by a spring clip (Fig.20).

The use of restraints as a means of preventing the escape of prisoners is

obvious. but another function seems to be that of making sure that
prisoners are identified as such, to themselves and for all to see! One
training manual describes handcuffing as a symbolic act and it is
common in many countries for people to be automatically handcuffed on
arrest, even in situations where escape is not a consideration. Another
example is the recently reintroduced chain gang of the U.S.A., where it
seems that the function of the restraints is mainly to humiliate. That too
was the major function of the pillory and stocks of olden times.

Restraints of various kinds have been used by people throughout

recorded history and, almost certainly, for a very long time before. In
modern times, after the industrial revolution and the advent of machine
tools and mass production, restraints have become very sophisticated.
This history of restraints is only about the devices manufactured in
an organised manner since then. Those made before the industrial
revolution were by comparison, primitive makeshifts.

1
2. HANDCUFFS (MANACLES).

For a very long time the standard handcuff pattern was that popularly
known as “darbies”. These are generally lockable with a spring-loaded
barrel lock, though some are made that require the locking plunger in the
lock to be screwed down. This is especially so with the type known as
“plug eights” (Fig.21). After the plunger is screwed down in the lock, the
keyhole is sealed by screwing in a metal plug, using the top end of the
complicated key. These are also made in the standard two shackles joined
by a chain configuration, as well as the more usual solid eight shape
illustrated. All these handcuffs are non-adjustable, but are available in
several different sizes to accommodate variable wrist sizes. This is of no
use to the constable on the beat and so an adjustable type, the “Scotland
Yard” pattern was introduced in about 1880 (Fig.22). This pattern is
adjustable to fit a wide range of wrist sizes. These and the ordinary
darbies are still being made by Hiatts and remain very much in use,
particularly in under-developed countries.

In 1860, in the United States of America, W.V.Adams patented an

adjustable handcuff with a distinctive shape, but without specifying how
it should be locked (Fig.9). The basic design was developed by John
Tower with sophisticated locks patented in 1878, 1879 and 1882
(Fig.11). This type of handcuff is often seen in Western films, even in
those which purport to tell stories about events long before those dates!
The last model is a very secure handcuff indeed, the lock is much more
complicated than the simple barrel lock and has a double locking facility.
After the handcuff is placed on a prisoner’s wrist, the key is inserted in
the lock and given a turn in the opposite direction to that required to open
it. This operates a mechanism which prevents the locking catch from
withdrawing, so that the handcuff cannot be further tightened. This makes
picking the lock much more difficult, especially by the method known as
“shimmung”, which requires a very thin piece of metal to be inserted into
the lockcase, between the ratchets and catch, which would open the
shackle.

In 1882 Edward Bean invented a type of handcuff that was very popular

8
(Fig.10). The swinging arm is made so that it is entirely enclosed in the
lockcase when the shackle is shut. It will not lock in that position though,
until a thumbknob is depressed which releases the locking bolt. These
handcuffs are not as secure as the Tower models and cannot be double
locked. Both types. in common with nearly all other kinds of handcuff of
the time, suffer from the fact that they can be deactivated by a resisting
prisoner. Such a prisoner simply shuts the handcuffs before they are
applied to the wrists, leaving the hapless captor having to unlock them
again before they can be used.

In 1912 George A.Carney invented a handcuff of a revolutionary pattern.

His design was of a shackle that had a “swinging bow”. The ratchet part
of the shackle rotates a complete 360° and goes through the lockcase in
such a way that it will not lock unless there is a limb in it. He did not
specify a particular locking mechanism, but various people have invented
suitable locks. Almost all modern handcuffs are variants of this pattern,
commonly known as the “Peerless” type after the name of the company
which first made them commercially. The standard pattern has a chain
linkage (Fig.12), but hinged (Fig.23) and solid designs are now
frequently seen. British police nowadays often use a solid design known
as the “Speedcuff” (Fig.24).

The Peerless pattern is also popular with its users because it can be
“flicked” onto a prisoner’s wrist and is adjustable to most sizes. There is
a standard size, but several firms supply a range of larger sizes. For
example, Hiatt’s De Luxe range handcuffs are 15% larger than standard.
The larger firms sell leg-irons with short chain linkage that can also be
used as large handcuffs (Figure 33). Almost all models are capable of
double locking, usually by means of a peg on the top of the key, which is
used to depress a plunger in the lock mechanism. This immobilises the
catch that engages the ratchet teeth, so that the shackle cannot be further
tightened. Besides making the handcuff more secure, this reduces the risk
of injury to the prisoner. Perhaps the strongest and best made handcuff
of this type is the “Super” or “F.B.I.” model made by Harrington and
Richardson until 1951 (Figure 25). Production ceased because it was
expensive compared with Peerless or Smith & Wesson models.

Y)
The observant person will note that nearly all modern Peerless type
handcuffs have similar keys, so that one key will open all such handcuffs
regardless of manufacturer. Several firms even make “universal” keys,
somewhat larger than the standard key, which are easier to use. The locks
can be picked quite easily, which is why the makers specify that
handcuffed prisoners should not be left unattended. This problem has
been tackled by making more sophisticated keyways, the Pouta handcuffs
(Fig.26), for example, have a more secure keying system. The most
extreme example is the Chubb “Escort” handcuff (Fig.27) which looks
like a pair of extra secure padlocks. This is probably the most secure
handcuff in current use and is much favoured by the Prison Service.
Special inserts are provided to increase the range of small sizes. One of
the neatest and easiest to use designs is that of the Australian “Saf-Lok”
pattern (Fig.28), which has a complex key to operate a cylinder lock
through the double locking button. This handcuff cannot be unlocked
unless it has been double locked.

Another solution to the security problem is shown in the French Rivolier

handcuffs (Fig.29). There the double lock is activated by a separate
cylinder lock, so that two keys are required to open the handcuffs when
double locked. When not double locked, they operate as ordinary Peerless
type handcuffs, though the key is somewhat larger than usual.

Special handcuffs are made by several manufacturers for a variety of

purposes. A pair attached to a leading chain, for example, or a pair fitted
with a longer than usual chain linkage. Perhaps the most unusual example
is the range of heavyweight handcuffs produced by the German maker
Clejuso, the heaviest of which weighs a massive 1.3 kilograms (Fig.30).

It is interesting to note that very often the makers of handcuffs are also
the manufacturers of guns. This is particularly so in the U.S.A., where
Colt, Harrington & Richardson, Iver Johnson and Smith & Wesson are
among the best known. In Europe, for example, the French gun makers
Manurhin have also made handcuffs and the Bren company of the Czech
Republic make the “Pouta” brand restraints (Fig.26).

10
3. LEG-IRONS (FETTERS).

As restraints for the hands are made, so are those for the feet. These are
usually larger versions of handcuffs. As there are darbies for the hands,
so there are darbies for the feet, larger, of course, and usually with a
longer chain linkage (Fig.31). Sometimes the linkage is by a bar rather
than chain. this was said to be popular in the British Colonial Service. It
is usual for leg-irons to be of much heavier construction than handcuffs.
All the British ones of this pattern seem to be of a standard single size,
only varying in the length of the chain linkage. This is sometimes very
long, two metres, for example, with perhaps a large ring in the middle for
attaching to handcuffs or a wall. Sometimes a single leg-iron attached to
a single handcuff, or a range of combinations is seen, but more of that
later. Abroad, a range of darbies variants is made. In Germany, Clejuso
made an adjustable leg-iron rather like a large “Scotland Yard” pattern
handcuff until about 1980 (Fig.32).

Not surprisingly, the Peerless pattern has been adapted for use as leg-
irons by being made about 50% larger. There is little variation, the vast
majority ofdesigns look like a larger pair of ordinary Peerless handcuffs,
though with a longer chain linkage, usually about 30cm. However some
are made with a distinctly different shape, Smith & Wesson for example,
(Fig.33). This different shape is claimed by the makers to be a more
secure fit and is also a slightly larger size than the norm.

In Germany, Clejuso make a leg-iron of a pattern somewhat reminiscent

of the Bean design (Fig.34). These are not of the swinging bow pattern
and are considerably heavier in construction, in common with their
generally heavier handcuffs. The French manufacturer, Rivolier has
recently produced a leg-iron that seems to be a “throwback” design, in
that it is non-adjustable and is locked with a simple screw down bolt
mechanism rather like a plugless “plug 8" (Fig.35).

Leg-irons are not used in Britain nowadays, indeed there is a positive

aversion to their use here. It is illegal to manufacture or export them,
though not to import them. Abroad, there is no such ban and they are

1]
 much used. The most notorious use, perhaps, is in the U.S.A., in the
chain gangs that have recently been reintroduced there. There the
shackles have been made with much longer linkage chains than normal
so that prisoners are linked and can move about to work. Each prisoner
wears two pairs, one on each leg with the other shackle of each pair
attached to a different fellow prisoner.

The stocks at Painswick in Gloucestershire. These

show what seems to be a transitional
stage between medieval wooden stocks and modem
leg-irons.

[2
4. GRIPS.

Grips have been in use front the beginning of the modern period at least.
The early Italian design with leather thong and wooden toggles was soon
replicated in iron (Fig.36). These are commonly called “wrist crackers”
or “twisters” and it easy to see why. When applied to a prisoner’s wrist,
they are firm and if any resistance is shown, the captor merely has to
twist the chain to apply a painful reminder to comply. Sometimes these
are used on a handcuffed prisoner, the chain twisted around the handcuff
linkage so that more control can be gained by the captor. There are
French designs that seem half way between these two types, they have
wooden toggle handles, but instead of a leather thong, there is a chain
made of wire spring links.

In this country, the standard grip has been the scissors pattern (Fig.20)
sometimes called “snips”. When closed on a prisoner’s wrist, the grip is
held shut by a spring clip in the handle, covered by the captor’s hand.
This is the type so frequently, wrongly, described as handcuffs, though
they were developed from an early attempt to make a scissors type
handcuff in the mid 1800s. These are particularly effective when used on
a prisoner’s arm, twisted up behind the back. Manufacture ceased in
Britain in about 1980, but this and the previous type are still made by
Clejuso in Germany.

In the U.S.A., in 1869, W.Gray Phillips invented a grip (more usually

called a “come-along” by the Americans) which he called a “nipper”
(Fig.37). Several variants of this design were made, including one where
the closure was activated by a trigger, so that the grip siezed the
prisoner’s wrist as soon as it touched it. Some were of a simple hook
pattern, with a hinged bar closure held shut by the hand of the captor.

Some grips are of complicated design, like those known as “claw” grips.
One modern design, made in Taiwan (Fig.38). has to be placed over the
prisoner’s wrist and the handle turned until the grip is tight enough and
then a knurled nut is screwed down to secure it all. There is a German
design (Fig.39), that has a complicated spring loaded action. These types

13
have been in common use, particularly abroad, for some considerable
time. As always, most experimentation on these devices has been in the
U.S.A. and many designs have been patented there, but never
commercially produced. Some devices were invented that could be
converted into handcuffs if needed, but these never caught on, mainly
because they were so complicated. This made them costly to produce and
tricky to use.

There is a restraint closely related to the grip, a kind of hybrid,

sometimes called a cabriolet, which usually has one ordinary Peerless
type shackle attached to some sort of handle. These often look as though
someone has taken away one T-piece handle trom a chain “wrist cracker”
grip and replaced it with a shackle. Most seem to be of French
manufacture. There is a marked resemblance to the restraints referred to
later in the Miscellaneous section, where sometimes pairs of handcuffs
are made attached to varying lengths of chain. There is an American
pattern that has a single Peerless type shackle attached to one end of a
1.5m. length of chain with a 10cms. diameter ring for a handle at the
other end (Fig.40). This seems to be very much the type of restraint that
is designed primarily to make prisoners know that they are prisoners
and to demonstrate that fact to others, rather than prevent escape.
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14
5. MISCELLANEOUS RESTRAINTS.

Reference has already been made to the fact that restraints are sometimes
used in combinations and they are often used with supplementary
equipment. Well known from earlier times is the “ball & chain”, offered
by one maker in the U.S.A. in the late 1800s in weights varying from ten
to fifty pounds, attached to single or double leg-irons. A typical example
of the combination usage is the Clejuso set referred to earlier (Fig. 16).
This allows a prisoner to walk, sit, eat, drink and use the toilet, all things
necessary if a prisoner is to be transported for a long distance. One
version of this restraint in the U.S.A., called by its manufacturer the “auto
restraint” (Fig.41), is specifically designed for use when transporting a
prisoner by car (automobile in American parlance), presumably over a
relatively short distance. All the chains are shorter than usual, but
designed so that the prisoner can walk, albeit with difficulty, even get into
a car, but cannot run or attack the guard.

Another solution to the problem of handcuffing a prisoner so that the

guard is safe from attack and yet the prisoner can sit reasonably
comfortably and perform simple functions, is the belly chain. This is a
waist chain with handcuffs and is commonly used in prisons in the U.S.A.
(Fig.42). It restrains the prisoner by chaining the hands at the sides.
When leg-irons are used as well, this is quite a secure combination. In:
Marion top security prison in the U.S.A. a prisoner is not allowed to
leave a cell unless so secured (see back cover picture). Various kinds of
belt have also been in common use for some time. The Prison Service in
this country have used a very strong leather belt, fitted with handcuffs on
each side (Fig.43). In the U.S.A. various kinds of leather belts and
harnesses are in use, some lockable. Recently the RIPP company there
has produced a range of belts made from strong polypropylene webbing,
with “Velcro” fastening. They vary from a simple belt with a D-ring
(Fig.44), to a type almost identical to Hie Prison Service one, but with
Peerless type handcuffs.

Various types of plastic handcuffs have been referred to earlier, but

double versions of the plasticuffs are made (Fig.45) and these, as well as

15
the single ones are usable with a variety of belts. Even gang belts are
made that can utilise plasticuffs and secure a number of prisoners
together. It is more usual though, for groups of prisoners to be secured
with gang chains. Sometimes these are chains with the handcuffs already
fixed on them, like the pattern produced by Clejuso (Fig.46) and some
times they are designed for use with the customer’s own handcuffs. A
chain made by C & S Security Inc. in the U.S.A. (Fig.47), comes in
varying lengths and numbers of security links to suit the customer’s
requirements. It can accommodate ordinary or hinged handcuffs, or
handcuffs fitted with a security cover.

Various kinds of leading chains are used, particularly in the U.S.A., the
simplest consisting of a length of chain, about 1.5m., with a 10-15 cm.
ring at one end and a 5cm. ring at the other. A pair of handcuffs can be
threaded through the small ring and the large ring is used as a handle by
the captor. Some makers supply leading chaims with the handcuffs
already fixed at the end, or in any combination to suit the customers’
requirements.

The security cover or box consists of a hinged contraption made of very

strong plastic, which is closed over a pair of ordinary chain linkage
handcutts. As a result the handcuffs resemble the “Speedcuff” type rigid
shackles, but the keyhole is covered. Some have slots for double-locking,
but usually the handcuffs have to be double locked before the cover is
fitted. The cover is then locked in place by the belly chain’s interlocking
system and further security is added if the chain is also padlocked and the
prisoner fitted with leg-irons (see back cover picture).

The jougs, collars and neck-cuffs were common in the medieval period,
but in modern times such things were used almost exclusively in the slave
trade (see Figures 8 & 18) and in African colonial territories. Early
models had plug locks, but later the barrel lock was used. However, there
was a Bean pattern collar, with attached handcuffs, on sale in the U.S.A.
in the 1890s (see p.14) and a similar device was patented there by
D.B.Rayburn in 1931. Such restraints are rarely used nowadays.

16
6. CONCLUSION.

Perhaps, as something of an afterthought, mention should be made of

thumb and finger-cuffs. These seem to have developed from the medieval
thumbscrew and finger-stocks. Various new types have been invented in
modern times, but these have never caught on. They are not easy to apply
safely so as to be escape proof, something which has made them popular
with magicians. They have tended to be regarded as novelties and are
frequently sold in joke and magic shops. However, their inventors meant
them for serious use. The thumbeuff that turns up most often is a cheap,
but well made pattern from Taiwan (Fig.48).

Many kinds of toy handcuffs have also been marketed over the years,
early ones of the late 1930s made of metal and recent ones made of
plastic as well as metal (Fig.49) can be found.

This brief history and survey of restraint equipment has, of necessity,

only covered information about the mainstream of such things and then
only the most common items. The range of types of restraint that have
been used in the last two centuries or so is enormous. Since Adams first
patented his idea, there have been hundreds of models patented in the
U.S.A. alone. Indeed it seems that that country is the world’s most
restraint minded country. In August 1996, a convention of Correctional
Facility staff there attracted over six hundred exhibitors to its trade
stands, a large proportion of whom were marketing restraint equipment,

Literature on the subject of restraints is not readily available, especially

for pre-medieval equipment. A list of material possessed by the author
is appended, largely American and much of it out of print. Of this list, the
Stanley Smyth Collection catalogue is very useful and has drawings of
most of the handcuff types of the industrial West. lan McColl’s book is
also very helpful because it contains well over a hundred of the inventors’
original drawings. Hugh Thompson’s article is essential for information
about early restraints. First rate is Tom Gross’s book with excellent
photographs and a most informative text. Much useful information can
also be found in manufacturers’ and dealers’ marketing literature.

ey
The author has had access to various collections, including Europe’s
largest collection of restraint equipment, that of Chris Gower and also to
a series of articles about handcuffs which he wrote for Keyways, the
locksmiths’ periodical. The author’s collection of restraint equipment can
be seen in the National Museum of Law at the Galleries of Justice in
Nottingham.

Collections of restraint equipment can be seen at several other museums

in this country, for example:-
London; The Clink Prison.
The London Dungeon.
The Tower of London.
Gloucester Prison Museum.
Inverary Jail.
Leicester City Museum.
Liverpool City Museum
Norwich Castle.
Stirling Old Town Jail.
Warwick Castle.
The Welsh National Folk Museum, St. Fagans Castle.
Winchcombe, Town Hall Museum (Simms Collection).
York Castle Prison Museum.

Single pieces are often on display in many places, for example there is a
very fine pair of medieval restraints on show at Penhow Castle in Gwent.

18
7. BIBLIOGRAPHY.

Books, booklets and periodicals:

1. Andrews, William. Old Time Punishments. Dorset Press, 1991.
(1890).
2. Anon. Handcuffs, U.S., Vol.1. Desert Publications, 1977,
3. Anon. Torture & Punishment.(The Tower of London). H.M.Stationery
Office. 1975.
4. Barnard, B.G. State of the Art Review, Handcuffs for Police Use.
Home Office. 1989.
5. Cannell, J.C. The Secrets of Houdini. Dover Books. 1973,
6. Clarke, A.A. Police Uniform and Equipment. Shire Publications.
1991.
7. Clede, Bill. Police Non-Lethal Force Manual. Stackpole Books. 1987,
8. Everett, Susanne. History ofSlavery. Bison Group. 1978.
9. Gibson, Walter B. The Original Houdini Scrapbook. Corwen
Stirling. 1976.
10.Gower, Chris. Keyways. April, June, August and October 1995,
“Handcuffs - Their History and Development”.
11.Gross, Thomas. Manacles of the World. 1997.
12.Held, Robert. /nquisition. Qua D’Arno. 1985,
13.McColl, fan. Handcuff Patents. 1997.
14.Norman, Dick. Locksmith Ledger Magazine. \'cbruary, April, May,
September and October 1957. “Know Your Handcuffs”.
15.Norman, Dick. Handcuff Secrets for Magicians. 1957,
16.Peters, John G. Tactical Handcuffing. Reliapon Inc. 1988.
17.Smith, Patterson. 7he Gun Report. (U.S.A.) March 1957. “Shackling
Devices”.
18.Stewart, Don, Ed. The Stanley H.Smyth Collection. Key Collectors
International. 1981.
19.Thompson, Hugh. Archaeological Journal 150. p.57-168. “Iron Age
And Roman Slave-shackles”. 1993,
20.Wresch, Richard C. The Houdini Collection, Niagara. Catalogue.
196]
 Manufacturers’ marketing literature:-
1. U.K. Chubb Safe Equipment Co.
La Trobe Handcuffs Ltd.
Hiatt & Co. Ltd. Several from about 1900-1996.
Reuben Craddock & Sons Ltd. (Price list ¢.1955).
2. U.S.A. American Handcuff Co.
Bean. (Handcuffs and holsters) (c.1880).
C & S Security Co. Inc. (Supplementary Equipment).
Hiatt-Thompson, Inc. (American associate of Hiatt’s).
Humane Restraint Co. Inc. (1982 & 1997) (Mostly
hospital restraints).
Monadnock Ine. (Plasticufts).
Peerless Handcuff Co.
RIPP Restraints Co. Inc. (Polypropylene and Velcro).
Smith & Wesson Inc.
3. Germany. Clejuso. (Clemen & Jung, Solingen).
Horst-Steim. (Moabit - Drawings only).
4. France. Rivolier.
5. Spain. Proselec Espana.
6. Australia. A.D.1. (Australian Defence Industries).

Dealers’ catalogues:
UK Fetters, London. (1992).
Handcuffs International U.K. (1982).
H.P.P.(U.K.) Ltd. (Trojan brand handcuffs).
2 USAC W.S.Darley & Co. (1996).
S.A.French of New York. (1887).
T.J.Ferrick. (Pre-1960).
Patterson Smith. (Pre-1960).
Reliapon Police Products. (1996).
8. ILLUSTRATIONS. ~*

All items are from the author’s collection, unless otherwise stated.
Scale indicates inches and centimetres.

. Roman manacles (Hugh Thompson).

. Diagram of a spring wedge lock.
. Old leg-irons with rivet closure (HM Prison Service Museum).
. Bilboes. (Chris Gower Collection).
. “Slave Irons”. (Chris Gower Collection).
. Diagram of a barrel lock.
. Hiatt “Regulation” darbies.
. Page from an old Hiatt catalogue of about 1900.
CONNN
PWN

9. Adams handcuffs. (Chris Gower Collection).

10.Bean Handcuffs.
11. Tower handcuffs.
12.Peerless handcuffs.
13.Plasticuffs.
14.RIPP quick-cuffs. (RIPP instruction Iecaflet).
15.Leather “D-ring” belt. (Humane Restraint catalogue).
16.Clejuso “Hamburger” combination set.
17.Hiatt “Blue Box” security cover and chain.
18.A coffle of slave trading days. (Illustration from a magazine).
19.Jtalian leather and wood grip.
20.Standard grips.
21.“Plug Eight” handcuffs. (Chris Gower Collection).
22.“Scotland Yard” pattern adjustable handcuffs.
23.American Handcuff Co. hinged handcuffs.
24.Hiatt “Speedcuffs”.
25.Harrington & Richardson “Super” handcuffs.
26.Pouta handcuffs.
27.Chubb “Escort” handcuffs and inserts.
28.Australian Defence Industries “Saf-Lok” handcuffs.
29.Rivolier high security handcuffs.

2]
32.Clejuso old pattern leg-irons.
33.Smith & Wesson leg-irons.
34.Clejuso new pattern leg-irons.
35.Rivolier leg-irons.
36.Clejuso steel chain grip.
37.Phillips “Nipper” grip.
38. Taiwanese “Claw” grip.
39.German “Claw” grip.
40.Hiatt-Thompson single shackle and leading chain.
41.American Handcuff Co. “Auto Restraint”.
42.Smith & Wesson belly chain handcuffs.
43.Replica Prison Department restraint belt.
44.RIPP “D-ring” belt (RIPP catalogue).
45.Monadnock double plasticuffs.
46.Clejuso gang chain.
47.C & S Security Co. gang chain.
48.Taiwanese thumbcuffs.
49.Various toy handcuffs.

Page 12. The stocks at Painswick, Glos.

Page 14. Bean collar and cuffs (dealer’s catalogue).

Le
 _\

elie eee
SE ne EE ge eae ALS

Figure 2. Diagram of a spring wedge lock.

23
Figure 3. Old leg-irons with rivet closure. (HM Prison Service Museum [AAPSM
1990.0083], displayed at Gloucester Prison Museum).

SOROS

Figure 4. Bilboes. Lockable by a rivet or hammered ring in the hole in the end of the rod.
(Chris Gower Collection).

24
Figure 5. “Slave Irons”. Although old and rusty, still in working order, with key.
(C.G.Coll.).

SVN Re
Y

Figure 6. Diagram of a barrel lock.

Dio
 WN GCC[ED \
AL.
Xr
Ss

WN

RK
IASG
WV

WE \S\\

MEE
Oo

Figure 8. Page from an old Hiatt catalogue of about

1900.

26
 Figure 9. Adams Handcuffs. (C.G. Coll.).

Figure 10. Bean Handcuffs. Note the push button below the keyhole on the left hand
shackle.

pf
Figure 12. Peerless Handcuffs. Model 300 pattem.

28
F
igure 13. Plasticuffs, variou s makes (note the pattem w ith keyhol c) and speci al cutter,

Yipes
| QUICK CUFFS

e Restraint catalogue.
QC-100s
designed
are

handcuff
back-up
be
to
a
street

and
the

prisoners
means

BELT
on

securing
situation,afast
of
arrest
mass

frequently
tactics. encountered
in
a

as
is
Operations

Special
SWAT
in
and

an
Group

TRANSPORT

Figure 15. Leather “Ty. ring” belt. Illustration from Hum

QUICK CUFFS” may be used as a single cuff (figure A),
double locked (figure B), as ankle restraints (figure C) or to
secure your subject to a chair arm or gurney rail for medical

Figure 14. RIPP Quick-cuffs. Instructions leaflet.

transport (figure D).
Made from 700 LB polypropylene webbed belt, attached

30
D-ring (steel for law enforcement or plastic for EMS) and hook
& loop materials, QUICK CUFFS” provide strong, quick and
secure handcuffing. They are silent for noise security and
lightweight, pliable and easily carried in quantity without
impairing mobility. (QUICK CUFFS” are packaged in pairs.)

HUMANE
Figure 16. Prisoner in the Clejuso model 128M “Hamburger” combination handcuff and
leg-iron sc.

3]
Figure 17. Hiatt “Blue Box” security cover and chain. (See also back cover picture).

Figure 18. A coffle of slave trading days. Illustration from a magazine.

32
igure 20. Standard grips, Pape’s of about 1900 and Clejuso’s of about 1990

Ls,
 NO GD]HK GK
Figure 21. “Plug Eight” handcuti8, showing the plug removed for unlocking. (C.G.Coll.).

QQ QM

Figure 22. Reuben Craddock & Sons “Scotland Yard” pattem adjustable handcuffs.
Figure 24. Hiatt “Speedcuffs” model 2103.

35
 \

“
\

\\
\
\\\ \

~y

Figure 26. Bren (Pouta) handcuffs. Note the key.

 sialic :

Figure 27. Chubb “Escort” handcuffs, adjustableto three sizes of wrist. Note the inserts for
use on very small wrists.

Figure 28. Australian Defence Industries “Saf-Lok-Mark-IV™ handcuffs.

 W

Figure 30. Clejuso heavyweight model 15 handcutf

f®. Weight 1.3 Kg. (2Ib.1002z.).

we)(o/0)
Figure 31. Hiatt standard pattern leg-irons.

Figure 32. Clejuso old pattern leg-irons. Discontinued in the mid 1980s.

39
Figure 33. Smith & Wesson model 110 leg-irons, with short linkage for use as large
handcuffs.

Figure 34. Clejuso new pattem leg-irons.

40
Figure 35. Rivolier leg-irons.

41
 \

Figure 37. Phillips “Nipper” grip.

Figure 38. Taiwanese “Claw” grip.

42
Figure 39. German “Claw” grip.

Z
Figure 41. Prisoner in the American Handeut® Compan
y model L-300 “Auto Restraint”
combination set,

44
 x
aw

Figure 42. Smith & Wesson model 1800 belly chain handcufls, (See also back cover)

Figure 43, Prisoner in a replica Prison Department restraint belt

45
 TRANSPORT BELT
KIPE™ THANOPOMT BELTS are made fromm 7° wide, IMO LH
wAypropylene weed LAL and hook & kun materials, The
method oh commute provides a denithe seal bon Arength and
securily, and it allows the size to expand Irom a DT to M4"
waiss, (May as te ordered in UA, sizes to fit up to OF waists.)
THOM) (figure A) bs filled with 42° wide steed D-ring tor use
with any v4 A standard handeutts,
THM (Nipire B) features
ani iached halleull so
thial the subject need never
be uncutled
TEA “Treatment Het"
(figure C) has been
\ RIPP catalogue illustration).

specially developed lor

secured moaility and
allows movement A the
or
increased
be
to
wearer
decreases, This telt has
two culls x44 at spectiied
lengths A 6,4, 10 of 17°
from the center oA the belt
(When ordering, be sure to

4o
specity desired length.)

Figure 45. Monadnock dout ) le plastiouflS.

TEM Is designed to
a
of
as
function
part
Vi)
postive, ch restraint
system. Fitted with two 1”
14°
apart,
placed
D-rings
the TEA) can be used
MEDICAL
KIPP™
with

Figure 44. RIPP “D-ring” belt

RESTRAINERS (MI-IH) or
with
attached
ME-YI)
either pad locks or plastic
cutis (ligure D). (The TE
Yh) may aso be used with
plastic cutts alone, instead
 P ee 8
Ri jcc NO

Figure 46. Clejuso gang chain.

Figure 47. C & S Security Company gang chain. This one has three security links, but can
be manufactured to have as many links as the customer requires.

47
 Figure 48. Taiwanese thumbeutis.

Figure 49. Various toy handeutis.

Su HD
Alex Nichols became interested in handculls and restraints about 1946
when he first examined a pair of Hiatt’s “flexible” model handcuffs
owned by the policeman father of one of his friends. Later he borrowed
a pair of “darbies” and learned how they worked and how to escape from
them without a key, He bought his first pair of handcuffs from a magic
dealer in 1952 and then discovered that it was cheaper to buy them
directly from the maker, when he bought some from Hiatt. (Nowadays,
manufacturers will not sell directly to the public). After reading
J.C.Cannell’s The Secrets of Houdini, he and three friends formed an
amateur magic and escapology act which operated in the Bristol area for
about thirty years. Collecting restraint equipment seemed to follow
naturally and with that contact with other collectors and manufacturers,

He worked as a Probation Officer for twenty-six years and after he retired

in 1991, he studied part time at Cheltenham and Gloucester College of
Higher Education and gained a degree in History with Cultural Studies.
His collection of restraint equipment is one of the largest in Britain and
can be seen at the National Museum of Law at the Gallerics of Justice in
Nottingham,

Acknowledgements:

The author is grateful to the following:

The editor of Archaeological Journal for permission to photograph the
illustration for Figure 1. HM Prison Setvice Museum for permission to
photograph the irons for Figure 3. Chris Gower for the loan of restraints
to photograph for Figures 4, 5, 9 & 21. James Weaver for acting as a
prisoner in the photographs for Figures 16 & 41 and Mark Dodd the
same in Figure 43 and both of them in the back cover picture. Matthew
Colling for proof reading . Mike Salter for much valuable advice,
 ISBN 0-9531338-0-X
£3:50, Kingscourt Publications ||
|||

9 "780953" 1s sGuLe