Image: The Elizabethan padlock was discovered buried under sand with the rest of the Ann Francis shipwreck (Picture: Amgueddfa Cymru/Wales News Service)
By Noora Mykkanen
A padlock found in a shipwreck that remained unopened for more than 400 years has finally been solved.
The mystery surrounding the brass lock that washed ashore from the shipwrecked Ann Francis has finally been cracked.
The Ann Francis, an Elizabethan merchant vessel, was making its way home from Spain when it ran aground during a storm on Margam Beach near Port Talbot, Wales, in 1583.
Its treasure, including hundreds of gold and silver coins and one padlock, lay buried under sand for centuries before being found by metal detectorist Peter Hughes between 1996 and 2017.
Experts spent years trying to solve the code for the padlock without damaging the precious artefact.
Read the full article on METRO:
https://metro.co.uk/2026/11/04/ancient-padlock-found-shipwreck-treasure-finally-cracked-solving-400-year-mystery-29764307/
