Cuff of the Day for April 16. Made in France.

Today we visit France.  French handcuffs old and new have always been a bit different. 
What unique or interesting items do you have in your collection?

I will start with a pair of French chain cuffs.

Viva La France The Moroccan, Early Rivolier,Rivolier, La Massenotte and a Long chain La Massenotte

French handcuffs of April 16
 
This was a much more interesting topic as France manufactured a great number of really nice odd restraints.

First out is an odd chain handcuff. The size to the wrist is set by the chains, which are locked under spring loaded rods with a pull ring. To secure the cuff, a hepagonic key screw the bolt down and the rods are no more movable and the cuff is locked.

Next group of cuffs are the Presto Lyon, patented in Lyon in 1922 by M. Mussilier. these are made of aluminium.
There are two basic versions of this cuff; one with a long chain and one with only a swivel (rarest version). The long chain version takes a double bit flat key and the second a single bit key. The short version came in two variations; one with a single pawl (earlier) and one with double pawls. The two later takes the same key. They are also stamped differently  and the one pawl version has smaller stampings as can be seen in one of the photos.

The odd gadget, which most collectors owning a set are not aware of, is that the bows should spring opened by turning the key. The springs are always fainted and the bows are "dead".
I had two of these refurbished with replaced springs (two in each lock) and they now work properly. There is a small lever on the bottom of the cuff that secure them to be allowed to keptunlocked in a case without undesirable closing.


I have attached a link to YouTube to show the proper function;         

The last photo is a group of bicycle chain cuffs in different sizes and shapes.
 
Lars
 
 

Adding also three version of the La policere...

Bonjour,

C'est agréable d'être de retour en France.
Some of my favorite cuffs from France are the Menottes de cercle (Circle cuffs)
I do not know who made them, what dates they are made or who used them.
They are probably prison or transportation cuffs as they would take too long to apply them on a combative arrestee.
Most of these have a triangular headed bolt which screws the 2 halves together.  Others use a spanner key design.

I wonder how many cuffs are in Paris waiting to be added to my collection.

Prendre Plaisir!

Mark, I just love these circle cuffs. They are just as odd as really nice cuffs should be :-)

Lars

More of the same.
The one marked Surete came from the police criminal investigation department or detective unit.
This Le Pegy is the only one I have ever seen with a hexagonal key.
Thank you Patrick!
I really appreciate you letting me have this one!

Is Lars having a good day?

I have an unknown french type handcuff to show you ;)

On page 227 of Alex Nichol's book, A Guidebook to Handcuffs Vol 1, He shows a French Chain Come along with similar handle shape to this one. Looks to have been made from the same stock, but has two handles connected by a twist chain. I added this to my collection, a few years ago. It is a French Come Along. You can see how this one uses a ball, that slides down and gets locked in the handle on the other end. Allowing the officer to twist them, using the handle to hold onto them, and apply pressure to the wrist of the prisoner he is trying to lead. You can imagine why the use of this type of device has been outlawed.
-Richard Knip-

I believe this cuff is French
I have not seen much in the way of Darby cuffs from France but as they are neighbors to England, the design should have been utilized.
I would appreciate knowing more about this cuff if you have anything to share.

I can't see the "Maroccan" with bit key is covered yet. Here are two cuffs with swivel variations.

@Mark, yes I'm happy with the day :-)

Lars

Mark
Why do you think your Darby is French?  Does it have markings?
Joe

Gordon posted a photo of the "Bordello leg irons" they came in three sizes (Mark, show us again..)

What is interesting is that the same maker also made the odd chain cuffs I posted previously. Both ot them takes a heptagonical key (seven sided).
The handcuff has a smaller size key so they are not interchangeable. Attaching a refernce sheet.

Lars

I have a better pic somewhere.
Let me look

I found some other Circle cuffs but having trouble loading them
Brad, can you help?

Lars, I have never heard of these as "Bordello" before now.  I recall them being "Boudoir".
I am not saying that you are wrong, just that I never heard of it and since info is so scarce about these, any name could be correct.
In fact, the only info I have ever seen in print form, pictures them in a booklet I got in France from the Prison at Fontevraud.
I can try to translate but maybe one of us a bit more fluent in French can tell us what this says.  From the limited French that I am able to figure out, the text has nothing to do about the leg irons.  (Chis Gower to the rescue?)
I have the book so if we need to see the previous pages, we can.

lauher wrote: ↑

Apr 16, 2020

Mark
Why do you think your Darby is French?  Does it have markings?
Joe

Joe, there are no markings and the seller simply stated that they were French.
I have no basis for concluding that they actually are.
What is your opinion?

Having problems with posting, photo shows the lightweight Bordello Legirons.  This is a name that Alex gave them.  Several of us told him they were a French Prison restraints but when he bought them they were labelled Bordello Restraints!
Next shown is a French Chain Handcuff with 6 posts so various adjustments are possible.
Unusual French Segmented Handcuff
Rivolier Legirons made in about 2002
GK training handcuffs
Modele 2004 non swing through Legirons with push button double locking.

A more robust French Transportation Leg Iron used to transport political prisoners to Devils Island, French Giuana.
For other pics of these, check out yesterday's Latin Countries blog.

Lars, Took a while but I found the pic you requested.
These are the three known different sizes of the Boudoir/Bordello Leg Irons.
Chris, I have never seen the segmented cuff in your above pic.
 Can we get a close up of it?
Really unusual.

Mark
Your Darby certainly could be French. The swivel is the most notable difference from the norm.
Don't think I have seen another quite like it.
Joe

French leg irons. Picked these up in Virginia 20 some years ago. No idea what the were or if even legit.

Years later somebody somewhere posted a picture of another pair stating that they are very old French stuff.

With Virginia roots I just assumed slavery history. I can’t see VSP using them.

Ever notice how old French stuff always has some little parts to lose. These would probably be incomplete except they were rusted shut when I found them. Took years to get them open.

Maybe some of our European members might know more. I’d love to hear.

Brad



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Hey look at me. I’m posting my own stuff again.


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And of course, no French cuff collection could be complete without some of this stuff.

Somebody had too much time on their hands.




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And this Is Ben. He’s been helping in case you’ve been wondering how I have such style. He’s not French but does have a certain penache.


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The French did use to occupy his homeland though, before they turned it over to us, if that counts.

Merci beaucoup!


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Lets add in the barrel key and the flat key version of the La Massenotte, T Handle Shaped Come Alongs. as well as adding in another of the Heavy French Leg irons, like Brad's.
-Richard Knip-

Amazing how many variations there are of these things. Are any two alike? Lots of bicycles in France missing chains



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Richard, do you recall where your iron leg irons came from?

Yours have eight links, mine have five and the other pair I have a pic of has seven links what do you suppose that’s about? Being able to walk vs immobilization?


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Mine came from Ebay in France. They just sold the as a heavy french leg iron. As far as the number of links, im not sure? I suppose the idea of immobilization could be right? Mine would be move for a person while being moved, where he would have needed to walk, maybe? Or someone on a work detail? Perhaps yours would have been something used at night to further immobilize the prisoners from escape? Or for prisoners that were at higher risk of escape?  Hard to say for sure. I have never found any documentation of these. Yours is the second pair I have now seen and you mentioned a third, that you had seen. Who else has one in a collection on here? Anyone?
-Richard Knip-

I guess if mine had been used for slave transport they would have needed to be more confining. Not very nice people.


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3 More Circle Cuffs

Here are some French connection photos.

I think the leg irons got the name bordello because they used to hang at the front of said establishment in Paris. A collector asked to buy them, but was refused. But the name stuck. That's the story I heard.

Great collection, Nils! Wow!
-RK-

Thanks for all the interesting posts on the topic of French cuffs; I have a particular fondness for them myself.

Does anyone know why major manufacturers, such as Rivolier, chose to use a combination of two metals to make their handcuffs? Is there some functional advantage to this? I suppose one advantage would be a reduction in weight.......

Finally, I was able to photograph my collection^^
Here are my france ones.

Sorry, my computer won't upload it -.-

photorestraint wrote: ↑

May 01, 2020

Thanks for all the interesting posts on the topic of French cuffs; I have a particular fondness for them myself.

Does anyone know why major manufacturers, such as Rivolier, chose to use a combination of two metals to make their handcuffs? Is there some functional advantage to this? I suppose one advantage would be a reduction in weight.......

i believe weight would be the major advantage to using the aluminum. Most French cuffs are pretty small and thin. The aluminum could cut a few ounces off the weight of the cuffs. Other than that, depending on when they were made, it could also be the availability of materials?
Lira, you have a couple of great French cuffs for your collection there! Very nice!
-Richard knip-