London, England, May 26, 2021 / 06:00 am
The theft of the gold rosary that Mary, Queen of Scots took to her execution is a “very tragic loss” for Catholic history, a curator has said.
Jan Graffius, the curator of the Stonyhurst Collections, made the comment after police reported that thieves broke into Arundel Castle in West Sussex, southern England, on May 21, stealing the rosary and other items worth more than $1.4 million.
“This is a very tragic loss for history, and specifically for Catholic history,” she told CNA.
“I heartily wish that the stolen artifacts are speedily reunited with their rightful owner, whose family has faithfully cared for them over so many centuries.”
Devastating news from Arundel Castle. The utterly priceless rosary of Mary Queen of Scots has been stolen. After her execution these personal effects were sent to the Duke of Norfolk, Britain’s leading Catholic, whose descendants have kept it, until now. pic.twitter.com/58dQ74aVC5
— Dan Snow (@thehistoryguy) May 24, 2021
Mary, Queen of Scots, also known as Mary Stuart, carried the rosary beads to her execution at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire on Feb. 8, 1587.
Viewed as the legitimate sovereign by many English Catholics, she was effectively imprisoned by her cousin, Elizabeth I, for 18 years before her execution for alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate the Protestant monarch.
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