A 700-year-old English church that was within weeks of shutting its doors has been saved — at least for a while — by some hidden treasure.
On Good Friday, Reverend Jane Lee was setting up for morning prayers with a lay minister at St. Wilfrid’s in the village of Melling, when the pair stumbled across a small box tucked inside a plastic bag beneath the altar.
Inside were nine gold Britannia coins minted in 1999 and worth close to A$60,000.
Britannia is the female personification of Britain — a symbolic figure usually depicted wearing a classical helmet and holding a trident and shield to represent the nation’s maritime strength, sovereignty, and imperial history
“WE JUST BURST INTO TEARS”
“We just burst into tears when we saw it,” said Reverend Lee.
“We couldn’t believe it. It was like a miracle, because it’s so desperately needed.”
The church had been unable to raise the A$1.5 million needed for essential repairs, including a full roof replacement, and closure looked all but certain.
“We were struggling to keep our doors open,” explained Reverend Lee.
She described the building as being “in a bit of a pickle” given the scale of work still required.
THE CLUE TO WHO DONATED THE GOLD COINS
The sandstone rubble structure with a stone slate roof has stood since the 15th century, according to England’s Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission.
Some remains from the building suggest the church could have been operating since the 1300s or earlier.
Reverend Lee revealed the congregation was getting ready to mark Good Friday 2026 as their last celebration of the Christian holiday in the historic building.
“As we took the altar frontal off, the wedding kneeler was underneath, and I noticed a plastic bag sticking under it.
“When we took it out, there was a box in it with a note.”
WHAT THE NOTE WITH THE GOLD COINS SAID
The note was written on Salvation Army paper dated July 16, 2022, at 11 a.m.
“Hi there, I’d like to donate these nine gold Britannias to Melling church,” said the note.
It was signed by “James, servant of the living God.”
While each coin had a face value of around A$200, the church sold the coins for just under A$60,000
TWO OTHER CHURCHES RECEIVED GIFTS FROM MYSTERY BENEFACTOR
Reverend Lee said that while she doesn’t know the church’s mystery benefactor, two other churches in Lancashire had reported finding similar gifts in 2022, and she had no idea her church had received one as well.
She said while her parishioners have been generous in their giving, after they were hit with the massive repair bill, the church made the tough decision to close its doors.
There were also concerns about being able to pay the insurance.
Proceeds from the sale can now be used as “seed” funding to apply for grants and raise more money for the repair of the church.
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