Stolen cross mysteriously returned after 30 years

The heirloom cross has since been returned to the altar at All Saints' Church

A silver cross stolen from a church 30 years ago has been mysteriously returned after it was left on the doorstep of a retired verger.

The altar cross was taken in 1994 from the sacristy room of All Saints’ Church in North Cerney, Gloucestershire, during a series of burglaries in the area.

The family heirloom had been gifted to the church by devoted churchgoer Lady Murray, who died in 2019 never knowing what happened to it.

Her son, Alex Murray said: "The mystery of the missing cross will remain a mystery, but despite that, we are delighted to have it returned to the church.”

The theft was part of a series of burglaries when thieves broke into the nearby pub and rectory and stole alcohol, cigarettes and petrol from cars during one night.

They left no trace of the stolen items and the cross was considered lost.

But on Tuesday 88-year-old Elmore Crump, a retired verger who served All Saints’ for more than three decades, discovered it on his doorstep in a plastic bag.

Attached was a note which read "You know where this belongs" in capital letters.

“I went to put the dog out at 6am and there it was, I couldn’t believe it," he said.

"It wasn’t there when I went to bed the night before, whoever returned it must be local.

"They knew who I was and they knew where to leave it. Whoever took it clearly had second thoughts. But after 30 years, why now?”

The cross is an intricately adorned silver-plated piece with a mother of pearl inset

Mr Crump said whoever took the cross would have had to climb through "a tiny window" to enter the sacristy, where vestments and sacred articles of worship are kept.

"They could have taken more valuable items, but they only took this little cross," he said.

"It’s a shame Lady Murray isn’t here to see its return.”

However, Mr Murray believes his mother would have been "absolutely thrilled" at the news.

"She loved the church deeply and wanted the cross to have significance beyond our family," he said.

"Like the whole community, she was distraught when it was stolen. It’s wonderful to see the cross back where it belongs."

The cross has now been reinstated on the altar at All Saints’ church and will be locked away when not being used to ensure it does not suffer the same fate again.