Overview
- A team from Cardiff University and Amgueddfa Cymru, which announced their work Wednesday, used micro‑CT imaging and 3D modelling to match internal notches to external letters and identify the combination 'ANCE'.
- The scans let researchers extract the lock’s internal key‑like component without dismantling the artefact and remove gritty deposits that threatened its preservation.
- The brass padlock comes from the Ann Francis hoard linked to a ship that sank on December 28, 1583, and was recovered by metal detectorist Peter Hughes during finds made between 1996 and 2017.
- The opened lock and other objects from the wreck are on public display in the Tides of Treasure exhibition at the National Waterfront Museum in Swansea through September 2027.
- Curators led by Alastair Willis and researcher Dr David Williams say the code’s meaning and the exact contents the lock once secured remain unknown, and the non‑destructive opening now enables further archival and material study.