A silver altar cross, stolen from a church in Gloucestershire 30 years ago, has been mysteriously returned to its rightful place.

The cross, a gift to All Saints Church in North Cerney from a local churchgoer, was taken during a series of burglaries in 1994.

The congregation had lost hope of ever recovering it until last week when it was found in a plastic bag on the doorstep of a retired verger.

Elmore Crump, 88, who served at the church for over 30 years, discovered it early one morning while leaving to walk his dog:

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

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

“I took the cross into the house and spent 3 hours cleaning it. It arrived all black in a plastic bag and I restored it back to silver.

“It’s light, but it’s beautiful. Whoever took it managed to crawl through a tiny window to get inside the sacristy. They could have taken more valuable items, but they only took this little cross.”

The nine-inch-high cross, inlaid with mother of pearl, had a note attached saying ‘You know where this belongs’.

Alex Murray, whose mother Lady Winifred Murray originally donated the cross, said his mother, who died five years ago, would have been “absolutely thrilled…She loved the church deeply and wanted the cross to have significance beyond our family.

“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’. Churchwarden Mark Tufnell said: “By good fortune, someone decided to return it. It’s a beautiful piece, and the congregation is delighted to have it back. We’re now keeping it locked away in the strong room when not in use, ensuring it doesn’t suffer the same fate again.”

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