EARL’S £700K RAID TERROR
Aristocrat coshed after wife confronts masked intruder at Goodwood
A MASKED burglar struck at one of Britain’s most famous stately homes, tying up the aristocratic owners and forcing them to open a safe full of valuable antique jewellery.
The robber, possibly part of a gang, hit the Earl of March with a blunt instrument before escaping with loot worth some £700,000, including a ring Charles II gave to a favourite mistress who was an ancestor of the earl.
Lord March and his wife remained tied up until the morning, when a member of staff arrived for work. The couple have been left ‘devastated’ by the attack and theft.
The raid took place at Goodwood House in West Sussex, which is famous for its horse racing meetings and the Goodwood motoring festival.
Police said yesterday that the burglary of the Grade I listed building, which began life as a 17th century hunting lodge, took place at 4.30am on Wednesday, and appealed for anyone with any information to come forward.
Sussex Police’s district commander for Chichester and Arun, Justin Burtenshaw, said a man – believed to have been wearing a full-face balaclava – used a ladder to break in through a first floor window.
The noise of the break-in woke Lady March, 54, who went to investigate and ended up running into the robber outside her door.
The intruder then pushed her back into her bedroom and when Lord March, 61, stepped forward to help her, the burglar hit him on the head with a ‘blunt instrument’, causing an injury to his ear.
The criminal then forced Lady March to open the safe and left the property with his haul. It is not known whether he was working with accomplices.
Along with the historic ring, he escaped with 40 antique items including an 1820 diamond tiara worth around £400,000 and a 19th century diamond necklace worth £200,000.
Several high-value watches, including a Rolex and GirardPerregaux, were also taken, along with emerald, diamond and sapphire rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces.
Police inquiries will focus on whether the crime was planned during a visit to a part of the
‘Beautiful and treasured’
house sometimes open to the public and whether the burglar was targeting particular items of high value.
Mr Burtenshaw said: ‘Lord and Lady March were discovered by a member of staff who contacted the police. This was a terrifying ordeal for them and I would like to pay tribute to the courage of them both.’
Lord and Lady March are understood to have been left tied up for about two hours before they were found and the police were called.
Last night father-of-five Lord March – otherwise known as Charles Gordon-Lennox, Earl of March and Kinrara – said: ‘The last 48 hours have been challenging and I would like to thank Sussex Police, my team here at Goodwood and the local and national Press for their support.
‘I am pleased to tell you that we are both recovering and entirely focused on providing the police with anything that may help recover the stolen items, some of which have such personal significance and others such historical value.’
It is not known if the family seat has ever experienced such a high-value burglary before.
Detective Inspector Till Sanderson said: ‘The theft of these beautiful and treasured items has left Lord and Lady March devastated at their loss.
‘Forensic teams are working with detectives to investigate the circumstances and we are appealing for anyone who saw any suspicious activity during that night up until 7am or in the previous days to contact us.
‘We are doing all we can try to trace the stolen treasures, liaising with auction houses, stately homes, dealers and those with specialist knowledge. I appeal to anyone who may know anything to contact detectives.’
Sussex Police arrested a 26year-old man from Hampshire in relation to the incident. He was last night released on bail pending further inquiries.