Portable strongbox fastened with three padlocks and keys, made of wood and wrought and tinned iron mounts, Germany or England, 1600-1650

Cylindrical strongbox made of turned wood bound with horizontal and vertical tinned-iron straps with a hinged lid with extended straps that that latch onto loops on the main body for fixing with three separate padlocks. The padlocks are of different types, one with a conventional key the other two with corkscrew and plain barreled keys. The top strap when removed reveals a coin slot in the lid of the box. The straps are fixed to the box with strong rivets. The inside is lined with coloured paper with patterns of leaves and flowers on it and is worn at the bottom and rubbed away in places near the top by the friction-fit lid.

Given from the collection of the late Col. G. Stovell.

This portable strongbox was most likely for use in a parish church or by a charity giving alms to the poor. Boxes like this housed important documents or served as collection boxes for coins and tokens. The style of the box and the padlocks suggests a date between 1600 and 1650. Inside, the patterned paper lining also fits this period.

The wooden box is hollowed out from a tree trunk. It has no joins which makes it very strong. The tree rings on the base are close together suggesting a hard wood like sycamore or beech. The smooth interior suggests it was turned on a face-plate lathe from a solid block.

The security straps on the outside are made of tinned iron (iron with a thin layer of tin on the outside). Tinning iron involves dipping the iron straps in pure molten tin at more than 232°C/450°F. The molten tin fuses to the iron when it cools. The tin makes the straps brighter and more decorative but, more importantly, reduces the risk of the iron rusting in a damp church.

It has long-been thought that this box is English, but it was more likely made in Saxony in eastern Germany where tinning iron was a well-established trade by the mid seventeenth century. Tinning iron does not really take place in Britain until later in the seventeenth century.

The inside of the strongbox and lid are lined with coloured and patterned paper. This paper looks to be as old as the box. A lack of damage to the base of the paper suggests the box more likely contained documents than coins which over the years would have dented the paper as they fell into the box.

For added security, it was quite common, especially during the seventeenth century, for large parish chests and small strongboxes to have more than one lock. Each lock would have been the responsibility of a separate keyholder so that the box could only be opened in the presence of witnesses. This one has three padlocks and three keys which are now on one bunch but would originally have been kept separately.

There are some nice examples of similar systems on larger chests in churches such as at St. Michael's in Oxford where three members of the congregation were elected every year to be keyholders. Only when all three were present and in agreement could the chest be opened. Another example was recorded at the village of Houghton Conquest in Bedfordshire where the legal and financial duties of the trustees for local alms houses and a school were kept in such a box. 'A fair copy of (i)'s feoffment with all future feoffments written [on] parchment should be kept in a box to stand in the chancel of the said church with 3 locks, the rector for the time being keeping one key, one of the feoffees another and the schoolmaster another.' (Bedfordshire Archives Service Catalogue, Attested Copy of Feoffment, 18 Feb 1659/60, Ref: RO27/0)

To open this box you need to follow the line of the outer strap to its long, rectangular padlock and release that with the slightly corkscrewed key. Lifting the outer strap reveals a coin slot in the top of the strongbox. This strap could be opened by the vicar on his own in order to collect charity from the congregation, without the other two keyholders present. It was not possible for the vicar to access the contents of the box because of the other two padlocks. He could then lock it again himself.

The inner strap is fixed to the lid and will lift it when the other two padlocks are released, both of which are fixed to a hinged and forked double-end in the strap. The inner strap can only be opened when the other two keyholders are present as it gives access to the contents of the box. The conventional padlock is opened with the barrelled key. The cylindrical padlock is opened with the spiked key.The hin ge is extremely thick to prevent anyone trying to twist or wrench it open.

This portable strongbox was most likely for use in a parish church or by a charity giving alms to the poor. Boxes like this housed important documents or served as collection boxes for coins and tokens. The box has three separate padlocks each with its own key. For added security, it was quite common, especially during the seventeenth century, for large parish chests and small strongboxes to have more than one lock. Each lock would have been the responsibility of a separate keyholder so that the box could only be opened in the presence of witnesses.

The style of the box and the padlocks suggests a date between 1600 and 1650. While the box was long-thought to be English, its tinned-iron straps mean it is more likely from Saxony in eastern Germany where an industry for tinning iron was established in this period.

M.209-1928