Four centuries after a storm drove the Ann Francis onto the sands near Port Talbot, a small brass padlock has given up the word that once released it: ANCE. The answer came not from a key or a guess but from a scanner that sees inside objects without opening them, a reminder that the past often keeps its secrets in forms we only recently learned to read. The lock now sits among the coins and silver it may once have guarded, and its solved mechanism stands as a quiet testimony to patience, both the centuries of waiting and the two decades a single finder spent turning its dials.
Scientists crack 400-year-old shipwreck padlock code using micro CT scanning
A lock that spent four centuries in the sand finally gave up its four letters
Mark
Why does a padlock matter this much?
Mimi
It's in unusually good condition, and it was found beside the Ann Francis material, so curators can date it tightly. Siân Iles says others she has seen are corroded and in pieces.
Mark
And the code itself?
Mimi
ANCE. Four rings, six letters each, 1,296 combinations, all aligned with the loop at the top.
Luke
Worth noting the scan found the letters, but the report doesn't say what happened when the lock was actually opened.
Mark
Fair. So we don't know if it's been opened?
Luke
Not from this account. It says the code was identified and the mystery solved. Nothing about what was inside.
Mimi
And curators say the contents are unknown anyway. Iles says that's part of the story.
Mark
What about Hughes?
Mimi
He tried for about 20 years by hand and failed. Now he's thrilled the team succeeded.
Luke
The idea that it guarded the coins or a chest of documents is a thought, not a finding. The report says it may have.
Mark
And the scanning wasn't straightforward?
Mimi
No. David Williams was sceptical, the second scan went terribly, and the third approach worked.
Der Puls
- A brass lock that defeated its finder for twenty years has finally yielded its four-letter code.
- With 1,296 possible letter combinations and rings that must align exactly, guessing by hand was never a real path.
- Researchers at Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru turned a hospital-style scanner on a small relic and tried new approaches until the third scan cracked it.
- The solved lock now rests on display in Swansea, where curators are left wondering what treasure, perhaps documents or textiles, it once protected.
Four centuries after a storm drove the Ann Francis onto the sands near Port Talbot, a small brass padlock has given up the word that once released it: ANCE. The answer came not from a key or a guess but from a scanner that sees inside objects without opening them, a reminder that the past often keeps its secrets in forms we only recently learned to read. The lock now sits among the coins and silver it may once have guarded, and its solved mechanism stands as a quiet testimony to patience, both the centuries of waiting and the two decades a single finder spent turning its dials.
A brass padlock that spent four centuries in the sand of a Welsh beach has finally revealed its secret: the four letters that open it spell ANCE. Researchers at Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru reached the answer using micro CT scanning, a technique that looks inside objects without ever opening them.
The lock was found in 1999 by metal detectorist Peter Hughes near Margam in Port Talbot. It belongs to a hoard from the Ann Francis, a ship lost in a storm in December 1583 while returning from Spain. Hughes found it beside Spanish silver coins and coin weights, which suggests it once guarded valuables, perhaps a chest of documents or textiles that did not survive.
Hughes, now 69, began his search by chance, when a coin on Morfa beach started a journey of more than twenty years. The padlock was the one thing that beat him. He spent about two decades working its dials, and when the answer came he compared it to the Da Vinci Code and said he was truly thrilled.
The puzzle was genuinely hard. Four rings of six letters each, aligned with a loop at the top, made hand-guessing hopeless. Dr David Williams of Cardiff University was sceptical at first, since his scanner was not built for such work. The first scan revealed visible letters, the second went badly, and the third, using a different method, delivered the code. He admitted he was blown away that it worked.
The hoard went to Amgueddfa Cymru in 2017 and was displayed at Swansea Waterfront Museum in July 2026. Curators note the lock is in excellent condition and still works as it did centuries ago. Its link to the wreck allows precise dating. What it once held remains unknown, but as curator Siân Iles put it, the code would have meant something to whoever knew it.
The story also serves as a reminder for detectorists: under the Treasure Act 1996, finds in Wales must be reported to a Finds Liaison Officer within 14 days, or the finder risks a fine or up to three months in prison.
A brass padlock that spent four centuries in the sand of a Welsh beach has finally given up its secret: the four letters that open it spell ANCE. Researchers at Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru reached the answer using micro CT scanning, a technique that looks inside objects without opening them.
The lock was found in 1999 by metal detectorist Peter Hughes, from Maesteg, near Margam in Port Talbot. It belongs to a wider hoard from the Ann Francis, a ship caught in a storm on 28 December 1583 while returning from Spain. Its cargo lay hidden under the sand for centuries. Hughes found the padlock close to a collection of Spanish silver coins and near two coin weights, which has led experts to think it may have guarded those objects, or secured a chest holding valuables that did not survive, such as documents or textiles.
Hughes, now 69, says the discovery began by chance. On a day off he was walking Morfa beach with his detector when he came across a coin. That, he said, began a journey of 21 years, and he eventually turned up hundreds of artefacts. The padlock defeated him. He spent about 20 years turning its dials and hunting for the right combination, without success. He compared the eventual solution to the Da Vinci Code, and to opening the Ark of the Covenant, and said he was truly thrilled.
The mechanism is harder than it looks. Senior curator Alastair Willis explained that the lock has four rings, each carrying six letters, which gives 1,296 possible combinations. The letters also have to be aligned with the loop at the top. Guessing by hand was never a realistic option.
Dr David Williams, a research associate in Cardiff University's School of Engineering, said he was sceptical when asked to help. The scanner he uses was not designed for this kind of job; it works on the same principle as a hospital scanner, but for smaller items. The first scan was a surprise, because letters were visible. The second went badly. For the third, the team tried a different approach and worked out the code. Williams said he was blown away that it worked.
Hughes handed the hoard to Amgueddfa Cymru in 2017. The collection, with the lock at its centre, went on display at Swansea Waterfront Museum in July 2026. Senior curator Siân Iles called the padlock's condition excellent, noting that similar locks she has seen are usually corroded and in pieces. This one still works as it did hundreds of years ago. Because it was found so close to the Ann Francis wreck and alongside the rest of the collection, it can be dated tightly.
Iles said the lock was probably made for a chest or small box, and that what it held is unknown. Some things, she said, will never be known, but the code would have meant something to the person who knew it.
The story also carries a practical note for anyone with a metal detector. Under the Treasure Act 1996, treasure found in Wales must be reported to a Finds Liaison Officer within 14 days of the find, or of realising an item might be treasure. Failure to report can bring a fine or up to three months in prison. A coroner holds an inquest, and if a museum wants the find, the Treasure Valuation Committee has an expert value it and recommends a reward to the Secretary of State. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different rules.
The lock remains on show in Swansea, now with its code solved.
Bemerkenswerte Zitate
I tried to unlock it for about 20 years, I tried moving the dials, finding the right combinations, and I failed.— Peter Hughes, metal detectorist
I was blown away that we actually cracked it.— Dr David Williams, Cardiff University
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