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provide easy exit, or a sliding lever or a 'key' might be used. On carriages there might

have been a leather flap or other cover on the outside to keep the mud out of the latch

hole.

The latch above is what an interior-mounted latch might look like with no handle and a

sliding dead-bolt. These doors were thin, so reaching through the door to an interior

latch hole was not a problem for the key.

Two mortise latches that also could have been used

From the collection of Bob Roger

Because the opening to the latch is square, the

―

key

‖

was usually a very simple tapered

square shaft, and it was sometimes combined with another implement needed by the

porter, such as a corkscrew. These keys became known as carriage keys. The picture

above shows three types. The forged key on the left has been combined with a

corkscrew that folds out for use. The key on the right is a single piece brass/alloy key.