Security in the 14th and 15th Centuries

There was little significant improvement in locking mechanisms in the 14th and 15th centuries. However, ornamentation became increasingly elaborate. Craftsmen excelled in metal work and designed and produced locks for gates, doors, chests, and cupboards. A "Masterpiece" lock was never used on a door. It was designed and produced as a one-of-a-kind by a journeyman locksmith, or iron monger as a "test" to qualify him as a Master. Masterpiece locks were often displayed without covers to show the component parts of the mechanisms, their functions, the decorative designs of lockcases, and method of assembly.