More elaborate handles usually indicate a late 18th, 19th or 20th century date. The latch consists of a horizontal bar held in a vertical loop, with a latch fastener attached to the door frame. Old latch fasteners sometimes survive even when the original door has been replaced, but are often overlooked. Latches are frequently decorated with an incised saltire cross at the end, sometimes with vertical lines on either side, and the supporting loop may also be decorated with tiny chamfers and nicks. The pivot end of the latch is generally a spearhead or round shape but may be more elaborate.
Some latches are more complex altogether, with a decorative back-plate and a spring mechanism.
Some have an iron spring, and may incorporate a bolt. More sophisticated 18th century houses have brass drop handles and a more modern type of mortise latch contained within the door. The type was very popular in the Arts and Crafts movement. They could be operated either by a string or thong passing through the door above the latch, or by a finger-hole below. In Sussex a wooden lifting bar is common, and a variety of other mechanisms are occasionally found.