Lady Somerleyton appeals to Morrisons to find her lost family heirloom

Like any supermarket they get a fair amount of lost property at the Lowerstoft branch of Morrisons.

Pensioner’s purses, children’s soft toys and harried shoppers’ mobile phones are among the items regularly left behind at the store on the Suffolk coast.

But what the staff at the budget supermarket did not expect was for the local lady of the manor to ask them to search for a valuable heirloom she might have mislaid there.

Lady Somerleyton, the wife of Hugh Crossley, 4th Baron Somerleyton, fears she lost the gold, diamond and emerald art deco pendant she was wearing when she popped into the store while doing the school run.

Now staff have been asked to “keep their eyes peeled” as they clear shelves and sweep the floors of the supermarket.

Such was the importance attached to the pendant by Lord and Lady Somerleyton that they put an appeal in their local newspaper, urging anyone who might have found it to come forward.

Lord Somerleyton said: “My wife and I are devastated to have lost the pendant which is a family heirloom and therefore I have decided to offer a cash reward for its safe return, should someone find it."

Unfortunately the fact that Lady Somerleyton, 36, does her shopping in Morrisons appears to have raised eyebrows in some, more snobbish, quarters.

A source close to the family said: “For some reason great play has been made of the fact that it was Morrisons.

“It could have been lost in Morrisons, it could have been lost in the car park of the store or on route. The fact is the family would very much like it back.”

Morrisons themselves said they were more than happy to help reunite Lady Somerleyton with the pendant, thought to be worth several thousands pounds.

Staff have been asked to check on shelves and floors during cleaning and restocking in hope of finding it

“"Everyone at the store is keeping their eyes peeled. We have our fingers crossed that it turns up,” said a spokesman for the supermarket chain.

With a palatial stately home and a title dating back 100 years the Somerleyton family - whose motto is “Everything that is good comes from above” - are well known in the area.

Lady Somerleyton’s husband, Hugh Francis Savile Crossley, 4th Baron Somerleyton, is a restaurateur and hotel owner, with one restaurant in Norfolk and a hotel near Great Yarmouth.

In 2006 he even hosted a music festival on the 5,000 acres surrounding Somerleyton Hall, the Grade II-listed family seat, though bad weather the following year led organisers to scrap the event.

As a child Lord Somerleyton served as second page of honour to the Queen on state occasions.

The family title dates back to 1916, when it was created for Savile Crossley, 1st Baron Somerleyton, a Liberal Unionist politician who served as Paymaster General from 1902 to 1905.

Lady Somerleyton, formerly Lara Bailey, realised she was no longer wearing the pendant, which was attached to an 18 inch long trace link chain, at around 5pm on the afternoon of Monday, October 9, shortly after picking up her children from school and visiting the supermarket. She had also visited the village of Henstead that day.

A cash reward is on offer for its return, though the Somerleyton family would not reveal the amount, and the loss has been reported to Suffolk Police and the family’s insurers.

The established Birmingham-based family jewellers, Rex, Johnson & Sons, sells a similar pendant for just under £4,000, although dealers say original antique Art Deco versions could fetch even higher prices, depending on their weight, condition and provenance.

Anyone who finds the pendant, or knows its whereabouts, should contact the Somerleyton Estate on 01502734901 or email emily.moxey@somerleyton.co.uk.