Scientists have solved a mystery surrounding a 400-year-old padlock found in a shipwreck off the coast of Wales, using a hospital CT scanner to uncover its code. The padlock was discovered by a metal detectorist who found it buried in sand, and it had resisted every attempt to unlock it for many years. Alastair Willis, a senior curator at the Swansea Waterfront Museum, explained that the padlock has four rings, each with six letters, creating a total of 1,296 possible combinations. He noted that the letters must align correctly with a loop at the top and added that there are also fixed letters at the ends meant to confuse potential thieves.
The padlock was uncovered alongside other artifacts on a beach near Port Talbot in southern Wales. The metal detectorist, Peter Hughes, initially found a Spanish silver coin, which indicated he had discovered something significant. During his searches, he also found other treasures, including gold and silver coins and standardized coin weights. Hughes described his two-decade-long struggle to unlock the padlock by trying different combinations without success.
After Hughes donated the padlock and other treasures to the Amgueddfa Cymru, also known as the Museum of Wales, in 2017, the museum, in collaboration with Cardiff University, decided to use micro-CT scanning to unlock the padlock. Although Dr. David Williams from Cardiff University was skeptical about whether CT scanning would be effective, he agreed to lead the effort. After two unsuccessful scans, the third scan revealed the correct combination: ANCE.
Researchers believe that the padlock was likely used to secure a chest that may have held coins or other valuable items, such as documents or textiles, which might have been lost over the years. What do you think about this method of solving historical mysteries?
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Source: Good News Network, by Andy Corbley