Help dating 19th century Hiatt darby handcuffs at Smithsonian National Museum of American History

Hi everyone,

I'm a collections specialist at the National Museum of American History, I'm new to the forum, and I need some help dating a pair of 19th century Hiatt handcuffs. These handcuffs were collected by assistant curator Paul Beckwith of the U.S. National Museum in the prison of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, in 1898-99. They are fairly small--I don't have the exact measurements right now but they are about 2.5 inches (6.35 cm) wide (high?) internally. They are marked only "HIATT" (horizontally, i.e. parallel to the bar) and "10" (perpendicular to the bar). The end plug is pinned. 

As an additional detail that may help, these cuffs were apparently used on Victor Rojas, a fisherman and folk hero in the coastal town of Arecibo who was known for saving dozens of people from drowning throughout his life (and was in fact given medals by the Spanish and British governments for rescuing people from the wreck of the British barque Jane Prowse in 1853) but who was imprisoned in 1881-82 for illegally raffling some fish. If the cuffs were indeed used on him, then they would date from at least c1881.

I'm attaching the photo that is publicly available on the museum's website but unfortunately I can't share any additional photos at this time. I'm hoping that these are enough details to help.

Thank you,
Norman

Hi,
You have an interesting artefact with some great history.
There are a few people here that are experts on British cuffs and Hiatt history.
These cuffs are known as "Darby" style and one possible reason that they are named that is for the "D" shape of the shackle.
As far as we know, there is nobody named Darby who was involved with the manufacture or design of this model.
They are the most prolific maker of these cuffs and with some changes in ownership, they are still around.

Here is a link to one of the most comprehensive timelines and history of Hiatt ever written
www.handcuffs.org/hiatt/index.html
.

It's always great to have the history of a cuff or any artifact that anyone collects.  It"s also rare to have good information.  

I have spent many hours at the National Archives trying to find information on cuffs.  Even if you don't find what you are looking for, going through the documents (1858-1865) is really an education worth the effort 
.
Ron

As Mark said, they are commonly known as a Darby or D shackles, but the two are not related. Darby is a shortening of the term "Father Derby's Bands" see link
viewtopic.php?p=10271#p10271

One end cap shows signs of hammering and pitting. Possibly it was repaired and re-peined and then pinned to hold the cap in. If both ends are pinned it suggests it was from that mid to late 1800s, especially with its 'chunky' shape of the latter period. Earlier ones and better quality ones have a more refined shape. 

These could very well be from 1880, but between then and when they were collected in 1898-99 they were tampered with. If they are not functional, it might be that they were not repaired properly and passed off as a souvenir.

An image of the stamping is the most important to date them. And, if it is not stamped HIATT BEST then it is a softer metal. If not stamped "warranted wrought" it was a cheaper version of the cuff. A serif font or plain font also helps date them, and also the size of the font.
The size of the cuff is not important in dating them.
Paul

Hi all,

Thank you for the information so far!

I’ll take the liberty of posting this cropped image so you can see the stamping. As you can see it’s in pretty rough shape (unsurprising given the oxidation this would have been subjected to in a coastal tropical town) but you can make out the “ATT” fairly well.

It has no other markings other than “HIATT” and “10” as far as I can tell.

Thank you,
Norman

That could be FROGGATT, another manufacturer, if the word looks longer than HIATT. Froggatt usually stamped in that direction, but earlier HIATT ones do too.
PS. Thanks for taking the time to verify what you have. Truely professional. We see a lot of 'new antiques' in museums and displays.

I played around with the contrasts and I think they are Froggatt's

ronspitz wrote: ↑

Jan 31, 2025

I played around with the contrasts and I think they are Froggatt's

Yes, looks like it.

Hello Norman, if you have the time, could you please take a photo showing the ends of the lock tubes. One end is pitted but I don't think they have been repaired. Photos would assist.