A painted wooden panel dating back to the 1600s has been returned to a church 30 years after it was stolen. It went missing from S...

A painted wooden panel dating back to the 1600s has been returned to a church 30 years after it was stolen. It went missing from St Leonard's Church in Flamstead, Hertfordshire, in 1996 and was discovered in December last year at an auction house in the south of England. The painted panel commemorates George Cordell, who served in the royal households of three monarchs and was buried at the church. The vicar of St Leonard's, Reverend Jo Burke, said she had been "surprised" by the whole chain of events that brought the artwork home. Hertfordshire Police said: "We are pleased that the artwork, which was taken from the church, has now been returned to where it belongs. "We'd like to thank the eagle-eyed member of the public who saw the item on an auction site almost 30 years later." https://lnkd.in/gd2VNduc