Bramah Gottleib

A Bramah customs sealed padlock with Gottleib's patent improvement, original key, dating from the period 1843-45.

Gottleib's patent was granted in 1829 and the records available for research tell us that several thousand Bramah locks were converted to his design.

Andrew Gottleib worked as a locksmith for the Excise prior to 1829. The Excise required a lock that was unpickable and tamperproof. Gottleib's design did both,that is until a revenue officer Thomas Smith, evolved a foolproof method to pick this lock. Uproar followed and Gottleib modified his lock and by 1834 the lock defied all attempts to pick it. Thomas Smith was promoted to a "footwalk" for his services-a privileged position at this time.