seeking shackle information, please help!

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Both sets of leg irons are troubling to me. This may be partially because the photos don't show what I want to see.

The top pair is a very typical pattern for old shackles. There is a lock on one end, in this case a Darby pattern lock, and what we call a puzzle lock on the other. The links interleave and the chain goes through the last link. This means only one expensive lock is needed.

Most of the bits on the top set look hand forged by a blacksmith. But the chain links look like modern chain. I can't absolutely tell, but they look electro-welded. In any event, they are very small for blacksmith forged chain.

The second set has much more typical hand forged chain. Hand forged chain usually has large links, as that minimizes the amount of welding to be done. Forge welding is time consuming and sometimes finicky.

The problem with the second set is that they appear to have a puzzle lock in the middle. This makes no sense to me. It's almost as if they were made from parts, for the tourist trade. The fact that the locks at each end are different, supports that theory. The decorative patterns on the locks are also different.

The patterns on the shackles could be Arabic or Indian.

I am becoming convinced that someone is hand forging replica shackles in India or Pakistan, and importing them. I don't know who the importer is, and I've not seen them on the wholesale market, so I can't say for sure.

Without metallurgical testing, it can be hard to tell much about iron and steel.

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

I remember seeing these on ebay and thought they wanted too much money if I recall. I didn't buy the story of slave shackles and was thinking of more along the line of used for animals. Now the one that was mentioned with 3 shackles configuration might have been used to go around a pole and attached to 2 animals.

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

was thinking of more along the line of used for animals. Now the one that was mentioned with 3 shackles configuration might have been used to go around a pole and attached to 2 animals.

I thought of that, but they still appear to be made from parts. The decoration on the puzzle lock shackle match the Darby style cuff, so those appear to be a set. The chain attached to the puzzle link is different from the chain on the Darby side. The links are longer and appear to be differently constructed. I can't tell for sure. But the links on both sides are consistent within themselves.

My guess is that different smiths made the different sides.

I'd bet lunch that if you touched it to a grinding wheel, the sparks would say "Mild Steel."

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

I don't think these were for animals. Why would they go through the trouble of makeing them with lock boxes and keys? I agree that the second set (leg irons)lock boxes were made by different black smiths and forged together. The patterns could also be African. Here is a photo of a set I dug out of the mud in an old barn in Georga some twenty years ago. I cleaned them up and had to make a key for them. The locking spring is still intact.

The first set does appear to have a more recent chain. I not sure how they would lock the puzzle portion. Is there a loop on that end that the lock box can pass through? I am waiting for a simular set I purchased from someone in the Netherlands to arrive. It has a key so I may be able to reproduce it if you need.

JoeyG

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

Here is a photo of the set from the netherlands.

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

These were made for humans.

I also have believed for many years that the stamped or incribed decorations that are sometimes seen on such shackles are a form of identification that denotes which slaver or slave ship the shackles belonged to.

Steve Santini

P.S. There are also old time shackles made like these in Northern Africa that often show up on Ebay but they are much heavier, have larger manacle circumferances, and were used to secure the hooves of camels. They are big enough for a human to slide their foot in and out of.

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

Pictured here is a set from my collection with a similiar lock box.

This particular set was found in England.

This style of lock box complete with spring wedge mechanism also appears in Medieval manacles from many parts of Europe.

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

This is a Medieval period set in my collection that came from Russia.

The lock style goes back many centuries.

Hello,

I have been searching for information on some slave shackles all over the net but I have not found anything that has helped me. We bought some slave shackles from a man and were told all sorts of things about them but suspect that the seller doesn't really know a thing about them. I realise that this is a hand cuff site but maybe some of the people know about this type of shackle? Here are some pictures to help.


The first set has one cuff with a lock in it and one that clips into itself somehow. The chain is long and it does not have a key. I don't know if it works because I do not want to lock it with no key.

Here is the second set.

This set has three shackles on it. The middle shackle is like the first set, it clips in without a lock in it. There is a locking shackle at each end, one doesn't look like it works but the one with the really big, funny looking key hole does work. There is a home made lookng key with these shackles, not pictured, but it opens the one shackle. I would like to know where these came from, how old they are, what kind of people were locked up in them, and how much they are worth. I want to thank you for taking the time to read this mesasge.

Kind Regards, AK

Click to expand...

I not sure how they would lock the puzzle portion. Is there a loop on that end that the lock box can pass through?

The long link goes through the round link, and the chain is threaded through that. When the lock end is fastened around an ankle, it can't be unthreaded from the puzzle lock.

Look at Steve's examples, and you'll see several different styles of puzzle lock.