Our garden gnome has been passed down the family, and dates from the 1930s. When he came to us I was interested to look at the history of gnomes, and to read that they were introduced to the UK by Sir Charles Isham in the 19th century.
https://www.trees.com/history-of-garden-gnomes
Further research led to an interesting fact, the house we live in is built on the site of an old house where Sir Isham spent his last years and died. I really feel that our gnome (although much later than Sir Isham’s) has come home!
He is in a poor state as most of the back has broken away, and at some point he was filled with concrete to keep him intact.
So I have done the obvious thing and knit him a coat to keep him warm in the winter.