The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1880-08-17 00:00:00

ENOOMIN.
GRE&T ROBBERY OF JEWELLERY.
£l5OOO woant STOLEN.

A great robbery of diamonds, rubies, bracelets,
brooches, and other valuables was committed on
Thursday night at Encombe, the vesidence of the Earl
of Eldon. The property carried off is said to exoeed
£12,000 in value. Amongst the stolen valuables is
mentioned a "large seal," which is probably that
portion of the Great Seal of George 111. which was
presented to Lord Chancellor Eldon by George IV.
London Papers.

o ar own representative writes:—
On Thursday night last a burglary was committed at
It mamba House, near Code Castle, the residence of the
Bari of Eldon, which. from the neatness with which the
work was accomplished, shows it to hove been that of
expert thieves. Although thay me supposed to hove came
down in the train of the Lard Kaye. of London ic the
occasion of the opening of the Bournemouth Pier on
Wednesday. it is thought they most by some means hays
obtained a tolerably fair knowledge of the plan of the
house. If not they must have been particularly fortunate
I. hitting upon the valuables. Llrd and Lady Eldon, from
what we can at present gather. had accepted an invitation
from Yr. Ix-Sheriff Burt, of Swansea, to meet the Lord
and Lady Mayoress at dinner, and the servants of the
establishment had also decid.d upon a holiday. The place
wee thus left unprotected, an opportunity of which the
thieves availed themselves with the greeted success.
£15.000 fell to their lot as booty, consisting of old silver
plate and • quantity of her Is 4,1110 jewellery. AOIOOII
the latter were diamond bracelets, brooches, lockets, and
a tiara, which was valued at £l,llOO. The plate was marked
with the family crest, bet no doubt It has before this been
subjected to the melting process. The police were at once
communicated with; but the thieved appear to have got
chino away. Two suspicions-looking men were seen in the
neighbourhood during the day, but they have entirely
disappeared.
Down to Saturday night the polies had failed to trace
the burglars at Lord Eldre's Dorset mansion. The
jewellery and plate stolen are rerorted to the Chief
Covetable of the county, Captain Ainyatt, to amount to
£12,000 or £15,000' the 1.. has been set down at
£EI,OOO. The following Is the ollicial return of property
camied away :-19 silver table spoon., marked with the
met of the Eldon family (lion's head alli the coronet), 11
silver tea spoons, one necklace, two diamond bracelet.,
the diamond brow*, one sq.lare diamond which had
contained miniature, one sapphire stone est in gold, oue
silver auger basis, large ssel. one diamond sierra of the
same kind as the bracelets, two or three small diamond
clasps, one silver sew tongs with creek also £OO in gold
and silver. Lord Eldon was in residence at the time of
the burglary, and the butler is stated to have been locked
in his room. Two grange men were observed on the
Wareham and Berg Regis turnpike rood between five and
six o'clock on Friday morning. The whole neighbourhood
was on Friday and Saturday well scoured by the police,
under the direction of Captain Amyatt. This is by far
the largest and most successful burglary that has taken
place in Dorset for many years past. The police are
leaving no stone unturned in order to effect a capture.—
Bristol Paper.
We understand that • reward of .C. 500 has been offered_
Two smaller robberile were committed in Biurneraouth on
the day of the opening of the new pier.