Antiques Dealer's Lovejoy Episode Recognition Leads to Recovery of Stolen Napoleon III Crypt Plaques
In a remarkable twist of fate, two priceless altar plaques stolen from the crypt of Napoleon Bonaparte III have been recovered after an antiques dealer identified them from a thirty-year-old episode of the BBC comedy-drama Lovejoy. Hampshire Constabulary has successfully returned the historic wooden prayer frames to St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough, where they were taken during a burglary in February 2014.
Dealer's Sharp Eye Sparks Police Investigation
Paul Gostelow, a Derbyshire-based antiques dealer, contacted Hampshire Constabulary on February 10 this year after recognising distinctive motifs on two plaques in his possession. He had spotted a ball and crown design in the corner of the frames, which he remembered from an episode of the 1990s television series Lovejoy, starring Ian McShane as a roguish antiques dealer.
A police spokesman elaborated: "In February 2014 the Crypt of Napoleon Bonaparte III, last Emperor of France, was burgled and three unique, historically important and priceless altar plaques were taken. After 12 years they were thought to have been lost, until a chance call from Paul Gostelow."
The call was intercepted by PC Mark Webb from the Country Watch Rural Crime Task Force, a heritage crime specialist. Following an investigation with the International Stolen Arts Register, officers confirmed the items were indeed the stolen plaques and travelled to Derbyshire to recover them last week.
Historical Significance and Ongoing Search
The plaques hold profound historical value, originating from the Napoleonic era. Napoleon III, nephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, fled to England in exile after the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and died in 1873. His widow, Empress Eugenie, built St Michael's Abbey in Farnborough as a monastery with an Imperial Mausoleum for her husband and their son, who died in the Zulu War in 1879.
When their son's body was retrieved from the battlefield, handwritten prayers were found in his wallet. Empress Eugenie had these prayers engraved and mounted to create the wooden prayer frames that were later stolen. The recovery allows for their restoration and return to the crypt, though the third plaque remains missing, with police pursuing active lines of inquiry.
The spokesman added: "Ongoing work has identified a number of lines of inquiry and efforts will be made to locate the third plaque, which remains missing." This case highlights the intersection of popular culture and crime-solving, as a vintage television show played a crucial role in preserving heritage.
