Rosary beads that belonged to Mary Queen of Scots were stolen in a robbery at Arundel Castle in West Sussex, family home to the Duke of Norfolk.
Sussex police said more than £1 million worth of items were taken overall including coronation cups given by Queen Mary to the Earl Marshal. A spokesman for the castle said the items were of “priceless historical importance”.
The golden rosary beads are of especial significance as they were central to the Queen’s faith, and she carried them throughout her imprisonment, and she is known to have been holding them on the way to her execution. Queen Mary is of particular importance in Britain’s Catholic history as she was forced into exile and ultimately put to death because of fears that she would restore Catholicism were her claims to the Scottish or English thrones pressed.
Sussex police said: “Various items have been stolen of great historical significance. These include the Gold Rosary Beads carried by Mary Queen of Scots at her execution in 1587, several coronation cups given by the Sovereign to the Earl Marshal of the day, and other gold and silver treasures. The rosary is of little intrinsic value as metal, but as piece of the Howard family history and the nation’s heritage it is irreplaceable.”
A spokesman for Arundel Castle Trustees said: “The stolen items have significant monetary value, but as unique artefacts of the Duke of Norfolk's collection have immeasurably greater and priceless historical importance.
“We therefore urge anyone with information to come forward to the police to assist them in returning these treasures back where they belong.”
Andrew Griffiths, MP for Arundel and the South Downs, said it was “very sad” and described the theft as a “crime against the whole nation”.
Brighton and Hove Archaeological Society tweeted: “What terrible news from Arundel. This theft is from all of us. It is our heritage.”
At 10.30 pm last Friday a burglar alarm went off in Arundel Castle, alerting staff to the break in. When police arrived on the scene, they discovered that the thieves had smashed a window and a series of glass cabinets in the course of their heist.
Detective Constable Molly O’Malley said police believe a burnt-out four-by-four saloon discovered nearby in Barlavington “was linked”.
One expert has speculated that given the limited value of the raw materials of the items stolen, the thieves were likely looking to sell the priceless artefacts to wealthy private collectors. Speaking to BBC Radio Sussex, Peter Squires, professor of criminology at the University of Brighton, said: “In war zones in the Middle East, there is a lot of evidence of museums being looted and the stolen items quickly finding themselves on to the dark web where they are bid on by dealers.
“Gold of course may just be melted down, which massively reduces its value, so to find someone who wants the items rather than just the bullion value is the thieves' objective here.”
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