A ‘Scallywag’ Schoolboy Swiped an Abbot's Kneecap 70 Years Ago. His Widow Just Returned It to Glastonbury Abbey
George Box kept the knee bone, along with a piece of tile from the same site, throughout his entire life. He confessed the origins of their acquisition to his wife in his later years
In 1956, an 11-year-old named George Box was on a school trip to Glastonbury Abbey in Somerset, England, where an extensive archaeological excavation was underway. Bored and perhaps feeling mischievous, Box snuck away and managed to steal a kneecap from the site along with a fragment of medieval tile. Abbey staff only became aware of the theft last year when Lucy Newman, the Abbey's collections manager, learned from Box's widow that her husband had taken the items.
Box had kept the kneecap and the tile through his youth and even brought them with him when he moved to Australia in 1970. He displayed the objects proudly in a glass cabinet, alongside other fossils and curiosities he had collected. Upon Box's death, his widow returned the stolen kneecap to the Abbey, motivated by a desire to have it rest in its original place.
Box had initially displayed the items with the intention of returning them upon his passing, which may have been due to embarrassment. The Abbey staff, in preparation for the kneecap's return, constructed a box reminiscent of medieval reliquaries for the journey. Glastonbury Abbey, known for its ties to King Arthur and Queen Guinevere's purported remains, has a rich history dating back to the seventh century and has attracted numerous pilgrims over the centuries.
The kneecap and tile are now on display at the Abbey museum, drawing attention to this unusual piece of the Abbey's fascinating history.
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