Man Returns Medieval Tiles Stolen from Wenlock Priory 60 Years Ago

In 1967, 9-year-old Simon White, encouraged by his father Clifford, pried up 700-year-old floor tiles from Wenlock Priory in Shropshire, England, as souvenirs. He stored the broken red clay fragments—decorated with a beastly face and a dragon—in a toffee tin, where they remained forgotten for nearly six decades. Recently, White, now 68, rediscovered the tiles while sorting belongings. Using his mother's detailed diaries, he identified the location as Wenlock Priory, visited on a summer day in 1967. He contacted English Heritage, the charity managing the site, and returned the tiles. Assistant curator Matty Cambridge noted the tiles are in unusually good condition due to storage in the tin, and the dragon motif is unique, not seen elsewhere in Wenlock's floors. The tiles likely came from the 13th-century church and library floor, which conservators had relaid in the 20th century, leaving some loose. Wenlock Priory was founded in the late 7th century by Merewalh, ruler of Magonsaete, a subkingdom of Mercia. It became a Cluniac monastery after the Norman Conquest, with monks from La Charité-sur-Loire, France, building a lavish abbey between 1225 and 1260. The priory surrendered to the crown in 1540 during the Dissolution of the monasteries. White, now an amateur archaeologist, expressed delight at returning the tiles, which will remain at Wenlock Priory for potential further analysis by English Heritage researchers.