Medieval Treasure

As I perused the BBC website this morning I saw a headline "Cash-strapped church's £1.8m cup". Well that's my sort of story so I clicked on the link.

A church, which has just spent £250,000 repairing its roof and as a further £350,000 general upkeep bill, has discovered it has a unique silver chalice worth £1.8m. The treasure is being described as one of the best examples of medieval silverware anywhere in the world. The valuation is admittedly an insurance one by the British Museum, who want to buy it.

The church authoirites need to decide whether they want to sell it. Even if they do it is not a straightforward matter to sell church-owned silver. The officials must apply for a 'faculty'.

I fully expected the church to be one I had never visited but in fact it was one I've been to quite a few times over the years.

The Church is St Cyraic in Lacock Wiltshire. Lacock isn't big but it must be one of the more visited of our parish churches. Lacock is a National Trust village containing Lacock Abbey and has been used as the backdrop for many a TV adapatation. There are always people nosing about so I'd imagine thousands must visit each year. One presumes that they've spent so much money in the various pubs and tea rooms they can't spare much to stick in the donations box which is a crying shame.

For a tour of Lacock and its church.