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 