The caretaker has been sacked after accidentally giving away a £5million Tudor artifact

Brian Wilson has been fired from his job at a 16th-century mansion on charges of gross misconduct after he let a car salesman run off with the 460-year-old piece of decoration

A clumsy caretaker gave away a £5million antique because he thought it was rotten and destined for the bonfire.

Brian Wilson has been fired from his job at a 16th-century mansion after he let a car salesman run off with the 460-year-old decorative piece bearing Queen Elizabeth I’s royal coat of arms.

He thought the oak coat was riddled with woodworm and dry rot, and told a court he believed if he gave it away he wouldn’t burn it.

But despite his faux pas, he still won his claim for unfair dismissal.

The hearing heard Mr Wilson give the antique to Andrew Potter, who he said had turned up at Seighford Hall in Stafford and asked to search the “pile of fire”.

The Grade I listed building has fallen into disrepair for almost two decades and was bought last year by First Blue Leisure who are planning to convert it into a hotel.

The auctioneers ruled that the coat was in “excellent condition for its 400+ years” with “minimal damage”.

In October 2020, Managing Director Thomas Butler invited Mr. Wilson to a meeting to discuss the sale of fireplaces, a tractor and the “transfer of a historical artifact” without a permit.

Mr Wilson was not present and said he had not received any letters about it as he had moved home.

Although Mr Wilson had no post, Mr Thomas fired him for gross misconduct.

Labor judge Kate Hindmarch ruled that he was wrongly fired as he had not been notified of the decision to fire him.

She awarded him £4,065.82 in illegal deductions from wages and unused holiday pay.

But she concluded: “I found it [Mr Wilson’s] acted illegally and that he was not credible in his statements. His behavior was reprehensible and I think the base premium should be zero.”