Boy's 1956 theft from Glastonbury Abbey leads to return from Australia after 70 years

An abbot's kneecap and a medieval tile fragment, stolen by an 11-year-old from Glastonbury Abbey in 1956, have been returned after 70 years, including a journey to Australia. George Box, then 11, took the items from an open grave during a school trip while excavations were underway. He kept them for decades, emigrated to Australia, and displayed them at home; his second wife arranged their return after his death in 2025. Thought to belong to a 13th-century abbot, the kneecap was likely unearthed during excavation of abbots' tombs. The widow brought the relics back while scattering George's ashes in Somerset.