TRUSTEES from Abbey Cwmhir have said they are “very impressed” that the power of a stone taken from the abbey near Llandrindod Wells could have been taken so seriously.

The stone, which is from the 13th Century gritstone walls of the Abbey, was taken as a small keepsake by an anonymous Australian history enthusiast who claimed to be an “avid follower of the Welsh Kings”.

The remorseful fan posted the stone with an unsigned letter back to the abbey as they believed the stone had been bringing them bad luck. The stone was taped to a greetings card containing the apology.

In the card, the sender said: “I am so sorry for taking, borrowing, stealing this piece of the old Abbey Cwmhir. I have been an avid follower of the Welsh Kings and their history so I took this rock. Ever since I have had the most awful luck as if Llewellyn himself was angry with me. So I am sending it back. I will not leave my name or address, just a heartfelt sorry from an Australian fan.”

The last Prince of Wales, Prince Llywelyn, is believed to have moral influence over the Abbey, including the rocks used to build it.

The trust have framed the stone with the note, and put it on display in the Exhibition Room at Home Farm, provided by Cadw, next to the ruins of the original Abbey.

Roger Coward, from the Abbey Cwmhir Heritage Trust, said: “We do hope that returning the stone has brought better luck to the sender. In fact we wish him or her the very best in all possible ways and send our thanks for the stone.

“To be honest, we had no idea the stone had been take so it came out of the blue, it is very small you understand. There is a humorous side to this as well as a serious one.”

He also said that the trust had attempted to use their contact in Australia to find the sender who they have described as “clearly contrite” and who they know “doesn’t want to harm the existing remains” of the abbey.

When asked about the claims from a website that Prince Llywelyn’s headless ghost had been haunting the sender, Mr Coward said that it was not mentioned in the letter and that he was unsure of where the claim had come from.

He said that the only feature reported as “haunting” from the abbey is the intense silence and its affect on visitors who aren’t used to it.