The vicar at St. Wilfrid’s Church in the town of Melling in Lancashire, England, made the shocking discovery
Credit: Alamy; Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty
NEED TO KNOW
- St. Wilfrid’s Church in Lancashire, England, was at risk of closure due to needing extensive repairs
- Nine gold coins worth nearly £30,000 (over $40,000) were discovered under the altar with a note from an anonymous donor dated in 2022
- The 14th-century church is on England’s National Heritage List, and features a clock made by the creator of Big Ben’s clock face
A 14th-century church in England will be able to complete necessary repairs to keep its doors open—all because of the shocking discovery of a treasure trove of gold coins beneath the altar inside.
St. Wilfrid’s Church, an Anglican church located in the small village of Melling in Lancashire, was facing closure after operating for about 700 years, The Times reported. The humble church currently hosts a congregation of only five people, and was struggling to raise the £750,000 (about $1.4 million) needed for essential repairs to the building.
Upon preparing for what she believed would be the church’s final Good Friday service ahead of Easter, Rev. Jane Lee, who joined the church almost five years ago, noticed something unusual beneath the altar, according to the outlet.
“As we took the altar frontal off, the wedding kneeler was underneath and I noticed a plastic bag sticking under it,” Rev. Lee, 54, told The Times. “When we took it out, there was a box in it with a note.”
Lee found nine gold coins in the box, alongside a handwritten note dated July 16, 2022, per the outlet.
Credit: Chris Ratcliffe/Bloomberg via Getty
“Hi there, I’d like to donate these nine gold Britannias to Melling church,” the note, penned on Salvation Army paper, read. “James, servant of the living God,” the mysterious donor signed off.
The coins were sold for almost £30,000 (over $40,000), The Times and the BBC reported. The coins bore markings indicating they were produced by the Royal Mint in 1999.
“We were both absolutely flabbergasted. We couldn’t believe it. We both burst into tears. You know, it was just like a miracle,” Lee said, according to The Times.
Credit: Alamy
Other churches in the surrounding area received similar gifts in 2022, both outlets reported, but St. Wilfrid’s gift was not discovered until April.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“For me, it’s significant because we’ve got more community backing now to the church, whereas four years ago we would have probably just spent it on the day-to-day running of it,” Lee told the BBC.
For 150 years prior, a Norman-built church stood on the same site, per the outlets. St. Wilfrid’s is Grade I-listed on the National Heritage List for England. Among the church’s noteworthy features is a clock made by Edward John Dent, who made the clock face for Elizabeth Tower, also known as Big Ben, in London.
PEOPLE has reached out to St. Wilfrid’s for comment.
Read the full article here
