CHARLES

See also:

• CHARLES CHUBB (d. 1845)
• CHUBB, THOMAS (1679-1946)

CHUBB (d. 1845)  , English locksmith, started a hardware business at Winchester, subsequently removing to Portsea . Here he improved on the " detector " lock (q.v.), originally patented in 1818 by his brother, Jeremiah Chubb . He soon moved to London and then to Wolverhampton, where he employed two hundred hands . In 1835 he patented a process intended to render safes (q.v.) burglar-proof and fireproof, and subsequently established a large safe-factory in London . He died on the 16th of May 1845, and was succeeded in the business by his son, John Chubb (1816-1872), who patented various improvements in the products of the firm and largely increased its output . The factories were combined under one roof in a model plant, and the business grew to enormous proportions . After John Chubb's death the business was converted into a limited company under the management of his three sons .