British Museum Admits to Breaking Law in Failing to Protect Treasures

The British Museumhas announced, following an internal review of the matter, that it violated UKlawby allowing some two thousand antiquities to go missing.The Timesreports that the UK’s Public Records Act stipulates that museums and libraries “meet basic standards of preservation, access, and professional care,” and that national treasures be under “the care of suitably qualified staff.” Institutions that do not meet these guidelines may be ordered to transfer artifacts elsewhere or to yield them to the National Archives. A museum spokesperson told the news outlet that such an outcome does not seem likely in this instance.

Former chancellor and British Museum chairman of trustees George Osborne and the museum’snewly appointeddirector Nicholas Cullinan wrote in the institution’s 2024 annual report that “a number of actions are currently being considered by management, who are continuing to work with the National Archives towards compliance.”

The admission of wrongdoing by the British Museum stems from the reputation-destroying revelation last summer that a museum staffer had for years been pilfering the institution’s priceless treasures and peddling them on eBay for a pittance. Of the two thousand artifacts illegally taken from the premises, only about 600 have since been recovered, and another hundred identified. After the thefts—many of which involved uncatalogued objects—were brought to light, longtime director Hartwig Fischer hastened his already planned departure. Deputy director Jonathan Williams, who had been warned of the thefts as early as 2021 but had dragged his feet on addressing them, stepped down shortly thereafter. The museum last October announced that it would digitize its entire collection in order to avoid future larcenies. The museum is currently suing the accused perpetrator of the thefts, veteran curator Peter Higgs, who has denied any wrongdoing.