Stolen art 'worth £3k' returned 30 years later

A painted wooden panel dating back to the 1600s has been returned to a church 30 years after it was stolen.

It went missing from St Leonard's Church in Flamstead, Hertfordshire, in 1996 and was discovered in December last year at an auction house in the south of England.

The painted panel commemorates George Cordell, who served in the royal households of three monarchs and was buried at the church.

The vicar of St Leonard's, Reverend Jo Burke, said she had been "surprised" by the whole chain of events that brought the artwork home.

The stolen relic was discovered by Richard d'Apice, a member of Australia's Heraldry Society, who had browsed Dreweatts' auction house online catalogue from Sydney.

After reading the first line on the panel, which mentioned Cordell, he conducted research.

He discovered his burial place was at St Leonard's, according to a 1812 publication called The Gentleman's Magazine.

D'Apice then emailed Burke in late December last year to share his findings.

"It came completely out of the blue," Burke admitted.

"At first, I was a bit suspicious. Silly, but I just thought perhaps this was a scam or something..."

Burke looked in to the matter and found a photograph of the panel in the church's archive. The police and art loss register had been notified at the time of the theft, and the latter was able confirm the wood panel's identity.

Burke contacted Dreweatts in Newbury and provided them with all the documentation detailing the theft, and they promptly removed the item from sale and arranged for its collection.

It was originally valued at £1,200 and is currently thought to be worth nearly £3,000.

Burke was delighted to get the artwork back and added: "It's really nice because it's part of that web of connections, the history of the church, the history of the village, the history of the surrounding area. It's not just one thing on its own, it's that it fits in with everything else... it feels very fitting."

Cordell is buried inside the church. He served in the royal households of Queen Elizabeth I, King James I and King Charles I for more than 60 years.

His position was Sergeant of the Ewry, and he was responsible for table linens, napkins and other items for the royal table, ensuring they were set in line with royal protocols.

For the last three decades, there's been a space where his coat of arms and memorial once hung.

The panel is due to be returned to its rightful place on the church wall in the coming weeks. Burke and her colleagues will get advice on how the relic can be hung securely.

Hertfordshire Police said: "We are pleased that the artwork, which was taken from the church, has now been returned to where it belongs.

"We'd like to thank the eagle-eyed member of the public who saw the item on an auction site almost 30 years later."

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