Letterlocking was a method used by European societies between the 15th – 18th centuries to keep messages private. Ancient human societies found other techniques to protect their messages through the use of seals, or, as in the case of Ancient Mesopotamia, cylinder seals that were unique to each owner. These were eventually replaced with stamp seals, some of which are still used today in the form of signet rings.
Today I seek other ways to keep my public affairs private. Passwords for my online correspondence and purchases are changed frequently, and I make sure to have a secure two-step process for accessing the information along with a back up plan.
During Jane Austen’s lifetime, envelopes were not yet used. The extra weight made the expense of sending or receiving letters more expensive. Therefore, the paper was carefully folded. Often the lines were crossed, as shown in an article from this blog. Images of Austen’s surviving letters demonstrate the method by which she folded them, as described by Jane Austen’s House .
The letter was written across the first three pages and the top and bottom thirds of the fourth page, leaving its middle third blank. With the first page uppermost, the bottom third of the letter was then folded upwards and the top third folded down so that the edges met in the middle. Then, holding the letter lengthways, the left-hand and right-hand sides were tucked inside each other. The packet was sealed with wax and the address written on the blank reverse. – Room 5: How to Write and Fold a Letter, Jane Austen’s House
One method of letterlocking is shown in the YouTube video below.
Letterlocking is the art of using specific folds and cuts in flexible paper to seal it shut for document security. Because paper was not always as common as it is today, it was much more expensive, which led to minimizing the use of paper as much as possible. At this point in history, envelopes would have been seen as excess cost, an issue that was quickly solved with letterlocking.” — Securing Ancient Secrets: The Fascinating History of Letterlocking, Ancient Origins
In a BBC article (see link below), Richard Fisher described the historic research that uncovered the secrets to letterlocking in the early 2000’s. Conservator Jana Dambrogio was the first woman allowed to work in the Vatican Secret Archives when she found a cache of documents and noticed cuts, creases and folds in the paper. Thinking they were evidence of letterlocking, she scientifically described what she observed.
She and a colleague, Starza Smith, searched for more letterlocking samples, which they often found in old archives and museum collections. Recently they discovered a trunk containing 2,600 letters from 17th-Century Europe, of which 577 were unopened. This trove provided details of European life during the 1600s.
As a final act before her execution, Mary Queen of Scots sealed a letter she wrote to her brother-in-law with a spiral lock. He would have known her message had been intercepted if that seal arrived broken. The irony would not have been lost on a juvenile Austen, whose “History of England” included a memorable passage about the doomed queen.
- The Clever Folds That Kept Letters Secret, Richard Fisher, 2021, BBC
- The Postal Service in 18th Century Britain, Jane Austen’s World
Jane Austen's World 
Fascinating to watch the folding. Never realized they would have sealed it from inside.
denise
That surprised me as well. I always assumed the seals were placed outside.
I have sealing wax and seals I bought and used as a teenager.
I tinkered with mine, but lost them during my many moves!!
Thank you for this post. I knew about the sealing wax, but not the method of folding. Some letters were still sealed in 1950s England. They were usually important documents from solicitors etc. I worked for a short while for an insurance company in the 60s, and we would very occasionally receive sealed letters. I think old wills were sealed with wax.
In my childhood I received sealing wax and sealing stamps from old Dutch aunts whose wardrobes came straight out of the Victorian playbook. My, how times have changed!
Not all changes have been for the better. The Victorian post office had several deliveries per day. So a card sent from London in the early post could get to Devon in the late post on the same day, or next morning early. Trollope worked fir the Post Offuce
Clare’s post struck a chord with me – I remember doing some ‘temping’ work for a firm of solicitors in the 1970’s. One of their storerooms had some old documents sealed with sealing wax and it was the first time I’d ever seen anything like this, apart from pictures in books or in films.
Sending a letter was certainly much harder work in bygone days, no simply popping it into a self-adhesive envelope and writing the address!
Indeed it was. Sending letters in the good old days took a great deal of my mother’s day. To save on postage, the paper was ultra light and had to be folded a certain way. Our relatives were spread across the world, and so she diligently spent an hour or two responding to their letters and sending news of our family. She had a special monthly birthday calendar and faithfully sent birthday wishes, condolences, and get well messages to young an old. It was the only way to keep in touch with relatives in The Netherlands, Australia, South Africa, and the Netherlands Antilles. A phone call abroad in the 50’s, 60’s, and 70’s was prohibitive in cost and reserved for emergencies.
Something wrong with that demonstration: you can clearly see (2:27) that some of the text has been lost with the seal.
I noticed that, Harvey. There must have been a trick to it, like knowing where to stop writing to make room for the seal. It’s sad that so much knowledge has been lost over the centuries.
This was using a gummed disc. Clearly the ‘inside’ placement would not have been possible if using an impressed wax seal.
Good point. One would imagine that the original letter writer would have known to keep the area of the discs writing-free.
I actually have a wax seal set and have for many years. Don’t use it anymore though because of email and texting though.
Both wax and gummed discs have their pros and cons. Wax seal sticks require heat and flame to use, gumed discs can get stuck together in humid weather. Either can melt in hot weather.
Gummed discs are easier to use but I prefer wax seals to gummed discs as when they break off you don’t cut off the writing.
I stopped using wax seals for this reason. They looked pretty and decorative, though!
When I lived in the UK during the 1960’s I would purchase postage paid air mail letter blanks from the post office to write to family in the US. The writing area was similar to the one shown and it folded in a similar way. the only difference was that there was a flap that had glue like on a modern envelope. When my former mother-in-law passed away many years later I was surprised to have my daughter give me probably all the letters I had written to the ever loved lady (she wasn’t responsible for her son’s actions) 40 years prior.
I saved all of Mom’s letters and cards. When I get mom-sick, I read one or two and feel her hugs from heaven.
It makes me sound ancient(!) but I do miss the days when letters were more common. I still write letters to relatives abroad and to a couple of pen friends and would hate to replace these with texts and emails, they’re just not the same. Vic, I loved your comment about your Mom’s letters and cards – I too have letters from my late Mum that I treasure, and some of her knitting work. When I read the letters I can hear her talking to me.
So many good things have vanished now–thanks for this super interesting glimpse into the past.
Sounds like origami, Vic. Reading the comments above, people did keep letters written to them.Think of Jane Austens letters , until Cassandra destroyed many of them of course. I have handwritten letters from aunts and uncles and also from my dad when he used to work in Nigeria in the 1960s.
Handwriting is unique to the individual and often expresses their personality. Also rereading letters makes an immediate contact with that person again I think. I always feel they are there again talking to me.I have a letter handwritten by my great uncle Will from 1918. He was in the Civil Service Rifle Regiment during the last Battle of the Somme. The letter is in two parts. It is written to his elder brother another great uncle of mine. The first part ,written in the morning, is when his regiment is at rest and obviously having rations to eat. The aftrenoon part of the letter changes tone. Its edgy and he is a little short tempered. He says they are about to go into action in Aveluis Woods (near Arras in northern France)against Germans on manoevers near the woods. My ucle Will didn’t survive the war. He was killed in action three weeks from writing the letter.He was 18 years old.
No wonder your Uncle Will was edgy, Tony. His letter is a precious memory but also a part of history. I not only saved my mother’s letters, but my mother-in-law’s also. It’s tough to save everything, but some possessions are priceless. I wonder if texts, emails, and IMs will have as much of an historic impact.
Fascinating. I have often wondered how wafers were used.