Handcuffs
Cromarty Courthouse Museum

This pair of Hiatt handcuffs were used for prisoners in Cromarty’s Courthouse and jail during the Victorian period. The design of handcuffs has changed little since this pair first went into production in 1780. The a D-shaped wrist restraint and chain are now designed to be slightly more comfortable, but the principle of restricting a prisoner’s hands is much the same.

Hiatt & Co first started manufacturing handcuffs in Birmingham in 1780.