This is Findon Village - Jewel Thieves at Muntham Court

The following are details of a local crime that happened a few decades back, in fact, 63 years ago. I will explain a few facts to set the scene. Firstly, until the 1960s, a long drive led off the north bound carriageway of the A24 from Findon, to the long gone mansion of Muntham Court. The site of this imposing property is now the Worthing Crematorium.

Secondly, did you know that technically a theft committed during the hours of daylight is not burglary, but comes under housebreaking? I had not really thought about this until I came to document the following thefts. I can assure you that the two jewellery thefts at Muntham Court in 1949 definitely come under the category of burglary.

Harold Heard (photographed here in 2010) was the under-gardener for Colonel Ulric Oliver Thynne of Muntham Court at the time of my tale. One chilly night in early March 1949 he went to lock the main gates and suddenly by chance caught sight of two men walking up the drive to the mansion. He promptly shouted and asked them where they thought were going but they ran off and disappeared into the woods. Harold assumed they could possibly be local lads carrying out their illicit trade of poaching and he left it at that. The next day he learned the truth.

At some point between 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. the two shady characters witnessed by Harold successfully gained entry to the mansion of Muntham Court by scaling a stack pipe to a flat roof near to the tradesmen's entrance. From here they slipped the catch on a convenient sash window to gain access to a bedroom and £1,000. worth of Marjory Thynne's jewellery was taken. This was a large amount just after the Second World War. There was absolute uproar at the mansion when the crime was discovered and the local Findon village policeman was soon pedalling up the long drive to the property.

A reward of £100 was offered for information regarding the recovery of Marjory's jewellery and the other valuables stolen. The reward went unclaimed and the criminals went uncaught and their haul was not ever recovered.

At a distance of over 60 years it is difficult to ascertain if this was a planned local job..... or conducted by a mob from Worthing...... or even London perhaps?

Where is that jewellery now and where are the other items of value?

Between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m. early one morning later that same year of 1949, Marjory Thynne (above) heard noises and saw a light shining in the passageway outside her bedroom door. She went to investigate and two men roughly pushed her aside and with all haste escaped down the stairs. They opened the front door and promptly vanished down the drive. The felons had escaped into the dawn.

Marjory could not believe what was happening and stood and looked in horror at her bathroom and dressing room left behind them "in a terrible mess" she said afterwards. The Colonel appeared because of the commotion and telephoned for the police and they arrived within a few minutes.

The theft was to go down in local history as the second attack on Muntham Court. This time £800. worth of jewellery including pearls, bracelets, brooches and a watch were stolen.

That same village policeman was once again soon puffing and panting and hastily cycling up to the entrance of the Big House. Unfortunately, Marjory could not describe either of her assailants ... "I was not able to give a description of the men because, of course, I was not wearing my glasses!"

It was soon revealed that several of the windows to the mansion had been "tried" before the burglars gained access. Police radio cars arrived. and policemen were in evidence on the downland searching. CID officers believed that this second entry was forced through a pantry window, from which the gauze had been severed.

It was assumed at the time that the two robberies in 1949 were carried out by the same thieves making a return raid.

Traffic on the main road was halted while officers questioned drivers attempting to ascertain if they had seen two men acting suspiciously in the neighbourhood. Their enquiries all led to a dead end.

The target of these crimes was again mainly conerning the elderly Marjory Thynne and she was reported as saying that as a result of this second ordeal she had now lost all of her remaining jewellery. She died a year later. The Colonel died in 1957.

Again, was this a planned raid by local villains knowing the layout of the Thynne's residence.....persons unknown who had worked at the mansion... or thieves from nearby Worthing some four miles distant..... or a London gang? The villains were not caught and so we will never know. Another unsolved crime in the police files.

Where now are the remnants of Marjory's jewellery and the other valuable items that were not recovered?