FIRE AND JEWEL LOSS

Southland Times, Issue 22131, 27 September 1933, Page 2

FIRE AND JEWEL LOSS

£25,000 OF GEMS FOUND. REMARKABLE OCCURRENCES. A remarkable series of events followed a fire which lately destroyed Dalmore House, Alness, near Dingwall, Rossshire, the Scottish residence of Earl and Countess Temple. After the fire it was stated that jewellery valued at £50,000 was missing. Some of this was later found in the debris. A day or two later two youths found a parcel filled with jewels valued at. £25,000 on the banks of a trout stream in the grounds. The police in Somerset—where Lord Temple has ' a house at Newton street Loe, near Bath—arrested a man on suspicion of being concerned in the theft of the jewels. The fire broke out in Lady Temple’s bedroom while she and Lord Temple, who had arrived in Scotland only a week previously, were attending a wedding at Inverness. Neither Dingwall nor Inverness fire-brigades was available, and when Lord and Lady Temple returned they found the house almost burned out. Villagers had salved some of the furniture. Some time later Mr J. MacDonald and Mr A. Munro, both of Alness, were walking beside a trout stream in the grounds when they kicked over a cardboard box lying in the undergrowth. “Inside was a piece of cake,” Mr MacDonald said. “We thought it funny and searched further, and found a parcel in which was a great heap of jewels—emeralds, diamonds, and a rope of magnificent pearls—wrapped in tissue paper. We immediately took the jewels to the police.’ - Lord and Lady Temple had, by this time, left by car for Somerset. They were stopped at Glasgow and asked to return and identify the jewels. It was found that they included one string of a double-string pearl necklace, valued at £20,000 —Lady Temple was wearing the other string at the time of the fire—a single-stone diamond ring, valued at £lOOO, a double-stone diamond ring, a diamond bracelet and two turquoise rings.

A search of the ruins under Lady Temple’s room resulted in the finding of fragments of jewellery. Loads of debris were removed for further search.

Lord Temple, who is 62, was formerly attached to the Diplomatic Service, and acted as A.D.C. to the High Commissioner of Cyprus. During the war he sewed as captain in the Somerset Light Infantry. He bought Dalmore House two years ago.