A padlock from a 1583 shipwreck is finally opened after more than 20 years

A padlock found with treasure from the Ann Francis, a ship wrecked in a storm in December 1583, has finally been opened. The ship was on its way back from Spain when it went down, and the treasure was found on a beach near Port Talbot in southern Wales. The metal detectorist who found the padlock, Peter Hughes, said he had tried to open it for about 20 years. Dr David Williams of Cardiff University, working with Amgueddfa Cymru (Museum of Wales), used micro-CT scanning. The third scan revealed the four-letter code, ANCE. The original report from the BBC covers Hughes's comments on the find.