Objects Database

Hiatt Pitons

Accession Number

1083.2013.1(a-b)

Object Name

Hiatt Pitons

Created

22/05/2013

Creator

Hermione Cooper

Accession Date

22/05/2013

Brief Description

Two Hiatt pitons.P shaped with round hangers. Wedge shaped with rounded ends.

Materials

chrome, steel

Dimensions

a-15(l) x 2(w) cms b-11(l) x 2.5(w) cms

Number Of Objects

2

Inscription Description

a- "HIATT PN7 61" b- "HIATT PN5"

Colour

brown

Maker

Hiatt

Object Production Place

Italy

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 Method

Donated by Mick Tighe

Acquisition Date

22/05/2013

Condition Check Date

22/05/2013

Rules

Spectrum : UK Museum documentation standard, V.3.1 2007

Modified

22/05/2013

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