History

"Lock the door" a multi-millenary gesture. An inventor by necessity, since the Stone Age, man has discovered a way to be the master of his home by closing the entry to the place where he chooses to live. The concept of “protection of privacy” was born. Early doors did not lock from the inside. Man then invents the lock. This latter practice consists of two notches in the frame and a wooden bar that must be raised from the ground at each opening. However, the problem then of an external closure then arises. He therefore invents a pin, mother of the modern key, which passes through a hole through the centre of the door and activates the operation of said night latch.

In the Valley of the Kings, Egyptologists have discovered locks. The Egyptian lock opens with an “L” shaped wooden or bronze key with two cylindrical teeth towards the top which match the thickness of the bolt.

The Hebrews improved on such a key by giving it several pegs of varying heights. This system fitted with projections, increases opportunities for security following a mathematical principle; it is the principle behind modern keys with what is called the cutting table. At that time, one only had to force the key into the bolt holes and then pull sideways to drive it in and open the door. In perfecting the movement of the key, which is rotating to the side, the technician then sets this familiar gesture: "to turn the key.

It is during the time of Caesar that the locksmith gains an important privilege. Integrated into the army, the locksmith is not a soldier like the others. Sidelined during the battles, if he is captured, he remains at the service of the victorious army to pursue his profession.

In Roman civilization, a long period passed without further development. It is with St Eloi (588-660) that the nobility of metalworking is rediscovered.

As a teenager, he manifests an exceptional virtuosity in metalworking that a few centuries later, earns him the nickname of "the Mozart of Metal Work”. His father moulds him into a talented silversmith. He travels to Paris where the king’s treasurer brings him into his workshops. The young worker displays his brilliance and imagination. Alongside the King’s treasurer, who he has befriended, Eloi will soon be entrusted with the Archdiocese of Noyon and the Tournai. It will become the Holy Church, honoured and prayed to in countless locations. All the locksmiths of the Western world also place themselves under its protection.

Locksmithing has its folkloric names, such as the "Tape-dur" as it was then called, or "Brûle-gueule" which becomes "Brûle noire” in Champagne. In Switzerland, it is called "Machura" and in Marseille bad workmen are saddled with the name "My Aunt’s Locksmith".

In the Middle Ages, keys have a small ring in a simple geometric form and a prominent bit. The object is still basic, but at this time the user, as well as the manufacturer, consider the lock as utilitarian art. Lords and King get into the habit of moving with their locksmith and the King of England had his own locks put into place each night.

From the 13th century, St. Louis drafts a first regulation prohibiting a locksmith from working at night because the lighting is not sufficient for the meticulous activity and one might suspect him or her of making false keys. Today the ancient texts are still in force, although they have fallen into disuse. Furthermore, finding an executioner to nail one’s ears to a bench, make being a locksmith felon not an easy thing nowadays.

During the renaissance, a sign of a flourishing civilization, beauty takes precedence over convenience. Aesthetics is also progressing faster than mechanics, which remains rudimentary. In the sixteenth century, Francis I creates a real status for the locksmith. If a key is lost, opening the door cannot be done except for in the presence of the master of the site. Any forger could eventually be hanged on the gallows with the inscription "Door Picklock”.

During the reign of Louis XIV the first locksmith workshops are created. It is under the reign of Louis XIV that the corporate regulations of 1650 were enacted, which stated that the locksmith trade is one of four liberal arts after painting, sculpture, and music. In the eighteenth century, the technology and industrial revolution takes place and as such, so does the subsequent blossoming of many locksmith companies. Picard, for example, is created in 1721, Fontaine in 1740, Bricard in 1782, Laperche in 1788. Louis XVI’s passion for this industry fostered the development. But is in the nineteenth century, with the first steam engines and the cast iron processes that mass-produced items will replace objects made by hand. 1825 sees the creation of Fichet, 1830 Debeaurain, 1864 Vachette, 1870 Bezault, 1896 Stremler, and 1920 Thirard.

In 1926, the "NS Triplex pump” is born. Then in 1929 the "NS switchable pump" safety recognises its own key and turns dangling in air in the presence of a foreign key. Then came the war from 1939-1945. In France they make most of watertight and anti-blast to equip shelters. "Locksmith" factories are damaged or forced to convert and produce war materials. After the liberation, the activity resumes as does the technical progress.

Only in recent times has the lock been regarded as the safest means of protection. The Bible itself gives it its most spiritual sense in the promise from Christ to Peter: "I'll give you the keys of the Kingdom of the heavens."

Locking an object is a guarantee of safety and calms the owner’s concerns. Over the centuries, evolutionary closing systems have progressed from the most primitive to the most sophisticated that we see today. Still, the lock remains a symbol of strength and security.