The gold rosary beads carried by Mary Queen of Scots to her execution in 1587 were among historic treasures worth more than 1 million pounds ($1.4 million) stolen in a raid from a castle in the south of England.

Mary, a Roman Catholic, was ousted from the Scottish throne then imprisoned, accused of treason and executed on the orders of her Protestant cousin Elizabeth I of England, a series of events that loom large in the British imagination.

Several coronation cups as well as gold and silver items were also among the loot taken from a display cabinet at Arundel Castle in the county of West Sussex.

Staff were alerted to the break-in on Friday evening and the police arrived within minutes. Officers are examining an abandoned 4x4 car which was discovered on fire soon after the theft.

Sussex police said the rosary was of little value as metal, but was "irreplaceable" as part of the nation's heritage.