Steve Santini 14 Oct 2010
#9I am a frequent visitor to the forum, but this is my first attempt at using it for information. I have a pair of Hiatt plug 8 leg irons. Stamped on the bow in large letters on each side of the bow are the names L. Hillier on one side and Easton Grey on the other. They appear to have been stamped that way by the manufacture. the letters are well stamped and about three eights in hight. I have never seen any Hiatt with names on them. Does anyone have any idea as to who or why the names are so prominently stamped on the restraints. I will attempt to send a picture of the cuff, but without a camera there is no way I can get a pictue of the names that I know of.
George
If you mean the two little teeth on the bow tip near the threaded toe of the cuff that fit into filed slots in the lock tube, yes, they do denote an earlier plug restraint. However, Froggatt was making plug cuffs with one tooth like this right up until he stopped making them.
The teeth and indents are likely to make it harder to pry the toes from the threaded spanner once the cuff is screwed shut. Meaning, it is harder to get a chisel in there to forcibly strike them apart.
One feature that is certainly very telling on the age of this restraint is the spiked prong that goes into the hollow tip of the key just like a "Boer War" model plug cuff.
When you see this on plug leg irons you are dealing with a very early model.
Based on all the versions I have owned and handled over the years I believe they stopped making them like this during the mid to late 1880's.
Steve Santini
