Police have published images of Bronze Age gold objects stolen from St Fagans National Museum of History in Cardiff as the investigation into the break-in continues. The jewellery was taken from a display case at about 00:30 BST on 6 October.
Two men from Northampton, Gavin Burnett, 43, and Darren Burnett, 50, were charged with burglary last month and are currently remanded in custody. A 45-year-old woman from Northamptonshire who was arrested in connection with the inquiry remains on police bail.
Detective Inspector Bob Chambers of South Wales Police said the probe is ongoing and officers are focusing on recovering the remaining missing pieces so they can be returned. He urged anyone with information to contact police as soon as possible.
Police are still trying to locate the following items:
– A hoard of four Middle Bronze Age gold armlets from Llanwrthwrl, Powys
– A hoard of five Middle Bronze Age gold objects from Capel Isaf, Carmarthenshire
– A hoard of three Middle Bronze Age gold objects from Heyope, Powys
– An Early Bronze Age gold lunula from Llanllyfni, Gwynedd
Jane Richardson, chief executive of Amgueddfa Cymru, which manages St Fagans, described the pieces as invaluable and irreplaceable parts of Wales’s history and heritage. She urged anyone who knows their whereabouts to contact the police so the items can be returned to the national collection.
St Fagans, founded in 1948, is one of seven national museums run by Amgueddfa Cymru and is among Wales’s most visited heritage attractions. More than 40 historic buildings, reconstructed to represent different periods of Welsh life, stand across the museum grounds. The museum’s main building — where the theft occurred — underwent a £30m redevelopment in 2018 that added three galleries and helped St Fagans win the Art Fund Museum of the Year award in 2019.
