An Elizabethan padlock has been opened for the first time in more than 400 years after researchers used X-ray imaging techniques to crack its four-letter combination.
The brass lock was part of the Ann Francis treasure hoard, named after the British merchant ship that wrecked during a storm off the coast of Wales in 1583. Researchers believe the lock once secured a chest aboard the ship, before becoming separated from whatever riches it was protecting.
Some of the Ann Francis' cargo was recovered at the time of the wreck, while the rest was claimed by the sea. In recent decades, dredging and storms on Margam beach in South Wales have exposed some of the ship's lost treasure.
Between 1996 and 2017, metal detectorist Peter Hughes found the lock and much of the hoard, which included gold and silver coins. The lock was subsequently acquired by Amgueddfa Cymru — National Museum Wales, which worked with researchers at Cardiff University in Wales to decipher its combination.
To study the lock's internal mechanisms, the team used micro-CT scans, which make thousands of X-rays that can then be configured into a 3D digital image. By matching internal notches to external letters i...
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