A silver altar cross which was stolen from a church in Gloucestershire 30 years ago is back in its rightful place after being mysteriously returned.

The cross, which had been gifted to All Saints Church in North Cerney by a local churchgoer, was stolen during a series of burglaries in the area in 1994.

The congregation had given up on ever finding it until last week when it was left in a plastic bag on the doorstep of a retired verger.

88-year-old Elmore Crump, who had served at the church for more than 30 years, said he found it early one morning as he was 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 they knew 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, which is inlaid with mother of pearl, had a note attached with the words 'You know where this belongs'.

Alex Murray, whose mother Lady Winifred Murray had 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 strongroom when not in use, ensuring it doesn’t suffer the same fate again.”