By Karim Hammam
Scientists from Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales and Cardiff University have deciphered the four-letter combination of a 16th-century brass padlock recovered from the Ann Francis shipwreck off the South Wales coast. The lock, sealed since the vessel sank in 1583, yielded the code "ANCE" after researchers employed micro-computed tomography to examine its internal mechanism.
Discovery and Technology
The padlock was scanned at Cardiff University's School of Engineering using micro-CT technology typically reserved for studying bones and biological tissues. Dr David Williams, a research associate at the university's Musculoskeletal Biomechanics Research Facility, created detailed 3D images that revealed how the lock's notches aligned with letters on its revolving dials. The breakthrough marks the first time this scanning method has been applied to a centuries-old artifact.
The Ann Francis Shipwreck
The Ann Francis was returning from a trading voyage to Spain when a violent storm drove it onto Margam Beach near Port Talbot on 28 December 1583. The vessel broke apart, scattering cargo that included Spanish silver coins and brass coin-checking weights found near the padlock. Experts believe the lock secured a captain's chest containing valuable textiles, silver, or sensitive maritime correspondence.
Significance and Display
Alastair Willis, Senior Curator for Numismatics and the Welsh Economy at Amgueddfa Cymru, noted that while Elizabethan combination locks are known in Britain, this example is uniquely significant because it can be directly tied to a securely dated wreck. The padlock, discovered by metal detectorist Peter Hughes over a 21-year period ending in 2017, is now on public display at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea alongside other recovered treasures, including rare gold coins from the reign of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and an Elizabethan boatswain's whistle.
