Specialists in Wales managed to open an ancient brass lock that had been buried under sand for over four centuries. The four-letter code was deciphered using computer tomography, which allowed the internal mechanism of the find to be studied without risk of damage.
According to a BBC report, this lock was discovered in 1999 by metal detectorist Peter Hughes on Morfa beach, near the town of Port Talbot. It was part of artifacts recovered from the ship Ann Francis, which sank due to a storm on December 28, 1583, while traveling from Spain.
For many decades, the cargo of this vessel remained buried under the sand. Hughes himself reported that he unsuccessfully tried to guess the correct combination on his own for about twenty years. Ultimately, researchers from Cardiff University and the National Museum of Wales conducted a series of scans and determined that the correct code was ANCE.
The lock has a construction of four rotating rings, each inscribed with six letters, theoretically allowing for 1,296 possible combinations. The complexity was increased by additional fixed letters located around the mechanism's edges.
Experts believe that this lock was used to secure a small chest or casket. It was found near Spanish silver coins and specialized weights intended for weighing. However, determining the contents of the presumed chest is no longer possible.
Peter Hughes donated the entire collection of found items to the National Museum of Wales in 2017. In July 2026, these artifacts were exhibited at the National Museum in Swansea. Curators note that the lock has been preserved in exceptionally good condition and functions just as it did many centuries ago.
