Man Returns 700-Year-Old Tiles He Stole as a Boy in 1967

Simon White was 9 years old when his father encouraged him to pry up pieces of a 700-year-old floor at Wenlock Priory in England. He tucked the red clay tiles into a toffee tin and forgot about them for nearly six decades.

Fast forward to today. White, now 68 and retired, was sorting through his belongings when he stumbled upon the tin. The fragments decorated with a beastly face and a dragon looked ancient, but he couldn't remember where they came from.

His mother's meticulous diaries saved the day. Reading through her tiny, spindly handwriting, White found an entry from a summer day in 1967 mentioning a family visit to Wenlock Priory in Shropshire. The pieces clicked into place.

White immediately contacted English Heritage, the charity managing the historic site. "In hindsight, it was a dreadful thing to do," he told reporters, recalling how his father had stood over him encouraging the theft.

The tiles turned out to be more special than White imagined. Matty Cambridge, an assistant curator at English Heritage, confirmed the artifacts came from a 13th-century church and library floor. The dragon tile features a unique design never seen elsewhere at Wenlock.

The priory itself has a remarkable history. Founded over 1,300 years ago as an Anglo-Saxon monastery, it was home to both nuns and monks, including Princess Milburga, later honored as a saint. After the Norman Conquest in 1066, French monks transformed it into an elaborate Cluniac monastery.

The tiles White returned spent decades protected in their tin container. They're now in remarkably better condition than the floor pieces that have weathered centuries of footsteps and rain.

Why This Inspires

White's return shows it's never too late to make things right. His childhood mistake, encouraged by an adult who should have known better, became a chance to preserve history for future generations.

The archaeologist's timing adds a delightful twist. Now retired and pursuing archaeology as a hobby, White worried his local society might take a "dim view" of his youthful theft. Instead, his honesty strengthens the historical record.

English Heritage plans to keep the tiles at Wenlock Priory for display and potential further study by archaeology researchers. After almost 60 years away, these fragments of medieval craftsmanship are finally home where they belong.