The Stately Home Raiders & The £80 Million Heist / The Johnson Gang
They Walk Among Us - UK True Crime
They Walk Among Us
4.5 • 6.8K Ratings
🗓️ 8 April 2026
⏱️ 44 minutes
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Summary
A gang of masked men used stolen 4x4s fitted with scaffolding poles to ram-raid some of the most historic stately homes across the country, then vanished into the night. Antiques worth tens of millions were stolen from Waddesdon Manor, home to the Rothschild collection. But one detail set this case apart: a convicted thief turned up at Lord Rothschild's door, still wearing his probation tag, and offered to recover the stolen collection himself…
*** LISTENER CAUTION IS ADVISED ***
This episode was researched and written by Eileen Macfarlane.
Script editing, additional writing, illustrations and production direction by Rosanna Fitton.
Audio editing by Joel Porter at Dot Dot Dot Productions.
Narration, additional audio editing and mixing, and script editing by Benjamin Fitton.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | This episode contains distressing themes and descriptions of violence. |
| 0:11.6 | This podcast is intended for a mature audience. |
| 0:16.1 | Listener caution is advised. |
| 0:21.5 | When a man was accused of stealing from one of the richest families in the world, he felt |
| 0:27.2 | compelled to clear his name. |
| 0:30.0 | The notorious thief gained the Lord's trust and vowed to return his stolen treasures |
| 0:35.4 | even if it meant breaking the criminal code. |
| 0:40.5 | Welcome to Season 11, episode 13 of They Aylesbury, after relocating to England |
| 1:06.9 | from Germany in 1859 to marry his cousin Evelyn. |
| 1:12.6 | The Rothschild's fortune came from a banking dynasty in Europe, and Wadsden Manne encapsulated |
| 1:18.7 | the family's wealth. |
| 1:21.1 | The French Renaissance-style chateau was used to display Barander Rothschild's large art collection. |
| 1:30.3 | When he passed away in 1898, he left his estate to his youngest sister, Alice. She added arms and armour to the collection. |
| 1:38.2 | Her estate was inherited by her great-nephew James de Rothschild, who brought his father's |
| 1:43.8 | collection with him from Paris. |
| 1:46.9 | The manor was bequeathed to the National Trust after James died in 1957, however the Rothschild |
| 1:53.9 | family continued to chair a committee and finance the operations. |
| 1:59.6 | James de Rothschild's wife Dorothy was much younger than he was. She oversaw |
| 2:05.5 | the management of the manor for almost 30 years. Following Dorothy's death, responsibility for |
| 2:12.8 | Wadsden Manor was passed to Lord Nathaniel Charles Jacob Rothschild, a successful financier with a strong |
| 2:20.0 | interest in heritage in the arts. Lord Rothschild added more art and valuables to the collection, |
| 2:27.0 | which was displayed to the 225,000 people who visited each year. The collection included English 18th century portraits, |
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