Objects Database

Hiatt Piton

Accession Number

266.2008.1

Object Name

Hiatt Piton

Created

29/10/2008

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

29/10/2008

Brief Description

Hiatt P shaped 'channel' piton. P shaped with round hanger. Channel shaped with rounded end.

Materials

chrome, steel

Dimensions

11(l) x 2(w) x 3.5(d) cms

Number Of Objects

1

Inscription Description

Letters HIATT" on back.

Colour

brown

Maker

Hiatt

Provenance

Though there is a little confusion about the spelling, it seems that a Mr Hiat(t) started producing prisoner's handcuffs, felon's leg irons, gang chains and Nigger collars in Birmingham around 1780. Fortunately, the leg irons, gang chains and collars were soon consigned to history, though Hiatt as a company survived for over 200 years as one of Britain's, and the world's, leading providers of handcuffs. The factory closed in 2008, though it seems 'Hiatt' still survives under new ownership since Hiatt products are still available in 2013.
Unsurprisingly, for a company that specialised in high quality steel restraint devices, they diversified a little at some point to produce pitons and karabiners. We don't have any direct information of when this came about, but the early karabiners seemed to have appeared in the late 1950's with the British Mountaineering Council approving the large 'D' shaped karabiner in 1963.
We suspect these pitons come from the same era or maybe a little later, and they look a lot like the Chouinard Lost Arrow piton which was around at the time. The Hiatt ones were sized 1-7 and with the others we have in the collection there's nearly a full house. The Hiatt ones were part of Mick Tighe's armoury back in his early mountain guiding days.

Acquisition Date

29/10/2008

Condition Check Date

28/04/2009

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

28/04/2009

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