O’dell Latch keys information

I have collected a few of these over my 18 months of collecting. I have sorted them in rows by rarity IMO. Top line very rare, second line somewhat rare and bottom line not very rare at all.

Be interested if anyone has any information on these and in particular how old they would (short of Victorian and Scottish for most of them). Also interested in what the more complex ones would be used for as I assume they would be for more important access? The T shapes one also interests me as this is quite iconic.

does anyone have some pictures of some super rare ones?

thanks Simon

Attachment 20919

I’ll kick off with hopes that others will follow...

I have no. 2 on my want list...

Attachment 20921

i only have 2 very common keys
but i have got pictures of a interesting lock

Simon,

Congrats. The top row indeed features some rare and rather unusual Odell keys. I would call the second one from the left (top row) a French night latch key, which predates the English Odell. So that one could be from the very early 18th century.

Whenever you see a T-shaped Odell, it is a key blank.

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Originally Posted by biblioclef

Simon,

Congrats. The top row indeed features some rare and rather unusual Odell keys. I would call the second one from the left (top row) a French night latch key, which predates the English Odell. So that one could be from the very early 18th century.

Whenever you see a T-shaped Odell, it is a key blank.

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Hi Biblioclef

yep the latch keys that are earlier are rather interesting as weren’t they typically for staff use in France. The one with a strange figure of 8 bow to me looks like it could be German (not sure why it just has a feel about it).

Was the French latch key idea effectively copied and altered by the O’dell makers in Scotland or were they created separately I can’t really find any information on the history of o’dell keys or if the lock mechanism is the same throughout time. I understand they were typically used to access blocks of apartments in Scotland from late 18th century but I wonder why some of them are much more detailed - I assume they were either for more regal apartments, governments blocks or because of the complexity as a main door lock albeit deemed not secure enough for a main door to a house.

Attachment 20964Attachment 20965Attachment 20966

I have attached pictures above of doors at the Queen’s college Cambridge which shows these key were used elsewhere and not just in Scotland’s where I assume the more typical warding comes from and were used to actually lock rooms their rather than block access but not for securing anything important and just mainly access doors.

I have a picture of an o’dell key that another collector has which I will get permission to post from the Bank of Scotland which is a great key. I assume this would just be for an entrance room rather than any kind of vault or strong room.

Also I have 2 keys marked with the maker McLaren were they one of the main makers - does anyone know anyone else?

Thanks

"The one with a strange figure of 8 bow to me looks like it could be German (not sure why it just has a feel about it)."

it is not a german key, maybe asia

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Originally Posted by Gerry

"The one with a strange figure of 8 bow to me looks like it could be German (not sure why it just has a feel about it)."

it is not a german key, maybe asia

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Surprised you think that - Indian keys for example that I have seeen are really poor worksmanship and not of this standard.

What makes you think it is Asian - would love to see some examples? thanks!

maybe asia or north africa

From my understanding that photo is from a Chinese padlock and is a completely different kind of key? Much longer and does have an enclosed ward as the end, it’s open.

This is the only key I have seen with a more complicated ward which fills the whole key - however this is much older...

Attachment 20997

best regards

Have acquired a few more latch / O’dell keys - see picture.

Does anyone else have a collection of these keys they can share?

Attachment 21477

These were mostly made in Willenhall, were common in the 19-early20C. Look for the keyhole plate in conservation areas of old towns throughout Britain — though rarely is the latch still present on the door.

They remained popular in Scotland, especially for main (i.e. street) doors of tenement blocks well into the 1980s in poorest areas, gradually being replaced by electric intercoms and door releases.

Early keys were forged blanks, later ones mostly cast.

I saw a display latch on the counter in an ironmonger's shop in Fleetwood in the 1960s, but it was already so old-fashioned the shopkeeper declined to sell it to me :-(

American tourists like to pay high prices for these keys.

Some of the long keys, especially open at the end, are indeed for arab-made 'chinese' padlocks, sliding along in a groove in the bottom of the lock body.

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Originally Posted by simoncpage

Hi Biblioclef


I understand they were typically used to access blocks of apartments in Scotland from late 18th century but I wonder why some of them are much more detailed -

Attachment 20964Attachment 20965Attachment 20966

I have attached pictures above of doors at the Queen’s college Cambridge which shows these key were used elsewhere and not just in Scotland’s where I assume the more typical warding comes from and were used to actually lock rooms their rather than block access but not for securing anything important and just mainly access doors.


Also I have 2 keys marked with the maker McLaren were they one of the main makers - does anyone know anyone else?

Thanks

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You don't indicate where you have collected your keys,though many are from Scotland. McLaren are the oldest-established locksmith business in Edinburgh. Through a couple of centuries they have cut many keys and stamped their name on them.

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Originally Posted by chubbbramah

You don't indicate where you have collected your keys,though many are from Scotland. McLaren are the oldest-established locksmith business in Edinburgh. Through a couple of centuries they have cut many keys and stamped their name on them.

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These were made in Willenhall, in the 1980’sAttachment 22100 probably from original patterns, but with the backs of the brass ones flattened to make them easy to display.

New Odell key acquired. It was very rusty looking but on cleaning it it looks to be possibly brass? Any ideas how you would clean it? Is it brass or bronze? Why were some made of brass / bronze as they wouldn’t protect ammunition would they? The shape of this one is rather rare and so not a special presentation key? Any ideas appreciated.