By Rocco Clayfield, Founder & Director, GoldPaid Ltd · Published 6 August 2026
Does a church need permission to sell its silver?
Yes, and in most cases the permission is not the parish’s to give itself. In the Church of England, disposing of an article that belongs to a church requires a faculty granted by the chancellor of the diocese sitting as the consistory court. A PCC resolution is not enough. A vicar’s agreement is not enough. Neither is the fact that the item has sat unused in a safe for forty years.
The reason is ownership. Church treasures are not an asset of the PCC in the way a photocopier is. The Church Buildings Council’s published policy states that they belong to the parishioners generally, and that churchwardens hold the goods as their representatives, as temporary custodians for future generations rather than as owners. That single point explains most of what follows: people who are not the owners need someone else to authorise a sale.
What is faculty jurisdiction, and why does it cover a chalice?
Faculty jurisdiction is the Church of England’s own system of permissions for consecrated buildings and the things in them. It is administered by the consistory court of each diocese, presided over by the chancellor, who is a lawyer rather than a cleric. A faculty is the court’s written permission to do the thing you asked to do. It is a legal instrument, not a letter of approval.
The current procedure is in the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015, as amended in 2019 and 2022. Those rules set out two lists of works that do not need the full process: List A items a parish may simply do, and List B items an archdeacon can authorise. Selling or otherwise disposing of an article from the church appears on neither list. That is deliberate. Anything not on List A or List B needs a petition for a faculty and a decision by the chancellor.
Rule 9.6 goes further for the objects most likely to matter. Where a petition concerns the introduction, conservation, alteration or disposal of an article of special historic, architectural, archaeological or artistic interest, the chancellor must seek the advice of the Church Buildings Council before deciding, unless satisfied that adequate consultation has already happened and the Council’s advice is before the court. A Georgian chalice, an Elizabethan communion cup or a named-maker paten will almost always fall into that category.
There is also a record that makes quiet disposal difficult. Under sections 49 and 50 of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018, churchwardens must keep a terrier of land, an inventory of all articles appertaining to the church and a log-book of events affecting it, inspect the fabric and articles annually, and produce the inventory to the PCC each year with a signed statement of its accuracy. An item that leaves the inventory without a faculty is a visible problem at the next annual meeting.
What test does the consistory court apply?
A strong presumption against sale, which the petitioners have to displace with sufficiently compelling grounds. The Church Buildings Council’s policy on the sale of treasures is the starting point for most chancellors, and it deals head-on with the arguments parishes usually make.
| Argument a parish makes | How the published policy treats it |
|---|---|
| We need the money | Not enough on its own. The policy, following the Court of Arches, requires an immediate pressing need to carry out urgent critical work, not general or ongoing financial difficulty. |
| It is too expensive to insure | Weak. There is no legal requirement to insure treasures at full market value; replacement cost cover is accepted. |
| It is a security risk | Weak. Simple measures such as a vestry safe, alarms and CCTV are treated as adequate protection. |
| We never use it | Redundancy alone is not sufficient. An unused object may still carry heritage value and offer mission opportunities. |
| It was only given to us recently | Irrelevant. A lack of long association with the church does not reduce the case for keeping it; newer gifts are weighed equally. |
| It was secular before it came here | Irrelevant. Secular origin does not remove the significance an object acquires through liturgical use. |
Displacing the presumption is possible but uncommon, and it usually takes several factors together rather than one. Law & Religion UK reported a 2026 Chester example, Re St Peter, Little Budworth, where a faculty was granted for the sale of a William Dyce painting gifted to the church in 1924. The chancellor did not rely on money alone. The cumulative factors were that the church environment was unsuitable for the work, that alternative placements with galleries had failed, that museums were reluctant to take new loans, and that the parish faced financial constraints. The painting sold at Bonhams on 25 March 2026 for £267,100 including premium.
One further point matters for anyone planning a scrap sale. Where a sale is permitted, the Council’s stated preference is disposal to a museum rather than the open market, because a museum conserves the object and reduces the risk of it disappearing abroad. A court applying that preference is unlikely to be enthusiastic about melting.
How does the faculty process run in practice?
- Talk to the diocesan advisory committee (DAC) first. Every diocese has one, and it advises parishes before a petition is drafted. If the object looks significant, the DAC may refer the question to the Church Buildings Council at this stage.
- Get the object properly identified and valued. Hallmarks, maker, date letter, assay office, provenance and condition. This is expert work, and a written report from a specialist is worth far more to the court than a photograph and an estimate.
- Resolve the PCC position formally. Minute the decision to petition, the reasons, and what the proceeds would be used for. The court will want to see that the parish has considered alternatives, including loan, display elsewhere, or transfer to a museum.
- Petition the consistory court. The petition goes to the diocesan registry with the supporting evidence. Public notice is normally given so that parishioners and interested bodies can object.
- Wait for the Church Buildings Council’s advice. Where rule 9.6 applies the chancellor must seek it. Amenity societies and other consultees may also comment.
- The chancellor decides. The faculty may be refused, granted, or granted with conditions, for example requiring the item to be offered to a museum first, or directing how proceeds are applied.
- Only then does a sale happen. The sealed faculty is the document a buyer or auction house should be shown. Update the inventory and log-book afterwards, and record where the proceeds went.
Not sure how any of this applies to your own items? Send a photo on WhatsApp and ask. We answer honestly, there is no obligation, and nothing is posted until you decide. Or call 07763 741067, 8am to 9pm, 7 days a week.
What about Roman Catholic, Methodist and other churches?
Faculty jurisdiction is a Church of England system. Other denominations are not outside the rules; they are inside different ones, and in every case there is a body above the local congregation whose consent is needed.
| Denomination or body | Who must authorise a sale |
|---|---|
| Church of England | The chancellor of the diocese, by faculty, on a petition through the diocesan registry, with Church Buildings Council advice where rule 9.6 applies. |
| Church in Wales | Disestablished in 1920, but it runs its own faculty system through the diocesan chancellor under its Constitution. A review of that system was carried out in 2024 to 2025, so check the current rules with your diocese. |
| Roman Catholic | Canon law. Canon 1291 requires the permission of the competent authority to alienate stable patrimony above the set sum; canon 1292 §2 requires the permission of the Holy See for objects precious by reason of artistic or historical significance, for things given by vow, and above the maximum sum. Canon 1293 requires a just cause and a written expert valuation. The diocesan trustees are also charity trustees in civil law. |
| Methodist | Local managing trustees hold property on the Model Trusts and must use the Church’s own property consent process; the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes provide the guidance and, for many transactions, the consents. Do not treat a church council vote as sufficient authority on its own. |
| Baptist, URC and independent churches | Usually a custodian trustee body such as a Baptist trust corporation, plus the local trustees. Read the governing document. Some hold items on specific trusts that prevent sale outright. |
| Church of Scotland | Congregational property questions run through the General Trustees and presbytery, and their guidance should be taken before anything is committed to. |
| Any of the above, as a charity | The trustees, acting within their duties under charity law, in addition to the denominational permission. Denominational consent does not discharge the trustee duty, and the trustee duty does not substitute for denominational consent. |
If you are not certain which body governs your building, the governing document or trust deed will say. Where a congregation has changed denomination, merged or been reconstituted, it is common for the silver to be held on older trusts than the current congregation assumes.
Do charity law duties apply as well?
Yes, and they are separate from the ecclesiastical permission. A parochial church council is a charity, as are most other places of worship, whether registered with the Charity Commission or excepted from registration. The people making the decision are charity trustees and carry the ordinary duties: act only within the governing document, act in the charity’s best interests, manage its resources responsibly, and act with reasonable care and skill.
Two practical points follow. First, check whether the item is permanent endowment or subject to a restricted trust, for example silver given on terms that it be used for communion in that church. Restricted assets cannot simply be converted to general funds because the parish would prefer the cash, and the permanent endowment rules were changed by the Charities Act 2022, so take current advice rather than relying on a memory of the old position.
Second, do not assume the statutory land rules apply. Sections 117 to 121 of the Charities Act 2011 impose formal requirements, including a surveyor’s report, on disposals of charity land. They govern land, not chattels, so there is no statutory report requirement for silver. The underlying duty has not gone away, though: trustees still have to satisfy themselves that they are getting a proper price, and the sensible way to do that is more than one written figure from more than one route.
Finally, proceeds. They belong to the charity, not to any individual, and they should go into the charity’s own bank account and be recorded against whatever purpose the permission specified. Any buyer who offers to pay an individual, or in cash, for church property is not a buyer a set of trustees should be dealing with.
Is church silver worth more than its melt value?
Very often, yes, and by a wide margin. This is the part of the answer that costs us business, and it is still the honest one. Ecclesiastical plate is a collected field. A hallmarked chalice or paten with a legible assay office mark, date letter and maker’s mark, particularly anything pre-1900, will usually clear more through a specialist auction house or dealer than any buyer paying for metal content can offer. Melting is irreversible, and it destroys the part of the value that comes from age, maker and history.
| What you have | Usually the better route |
|---|---|
| Hallmarked chalice, paten, flagon or ciborium, pre-1900 | Specialist auction or dealer, or a museum, if a faculty is granted at all. Not scrap. |
| Named-maker or armorial pieces of any date | Specialist auction. The name and the provenance carry the value. |
| Electroplate (EPNS) altar or vestry items | Neither. The silver layer is too thin to recover, so scrap buyers, including us, will not buy it. See what EPNS means. |
| Modern, unmarked or plain solid silver of no historic interest | A metal buyer is a reasonable route, once permission is in place. |
| Damaged solid silver beyond restoration | A metal buyer is a reasonable route, once permission is in place, but get the damage assessed first. |
A reality check on the plated point. A great deal of what sits in Victorian and twentieth-century vestry cupboards is electroplate rather than solid silver, and it has no scrap value at all. We buy solid sterling (925), Britannia (958) and 800-standard silver only. If your parish lot turns out to be plate, the honest outcome is that nobody will pay you for the metal, and we would rather say so before you post it than after.
Two related pages set out the comparison in more detail: selling to a buyer versus an auction house covers the arithmetic of fees against speed, and antique silver small items explains when age beats weight.
How a lawful postal sale works once permission is in place
If the permission has been granted, the item is genuinely a metal item rather than a treasure, and the trustees have tested the value, a postal sale is straightforward. GoldPaid is postal and UK-wide, with no shop and no branches, so this is the only way we operate.
- Have the paperwork ready before you contact anyone. The sealed faculty or the equivalent denominational consent, the trustee minute authorising the sale, and the name of the person authorised to act. We ask for this on church property and we do not proceed without it.
- Send photographs first. Overall shots plus close-ups of every mark, on WhatsApp or by phone on 07763 741067. We will give an indicative view and, importantly, tell you if we think the piece belongs at auction rather than with us.
- Record what is being sent. Photograph the lot laid out, list it against the inventory entry, and keep that record with the parish papers. Two people present when the parcel is packed is good practice.
- Post it tracked and signed for. Royal Mail Special Delivery Guaranteed, with the cover level chosen deliberately. Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used, which for a valuable church lot is a real limitation rather than a footnote. Split the lot across separate consignments, or do not post at all and use a specialist route instead.
- Assay and written offer. Each item is XRF tested and weighed, and the offer is set against the market rate on the day of inspection. The breakdown shows the standard and weight of each piece. How we value explains the method.
- Accept or decline, in writing. Take the written figure back to the trustees rather than deciding alone. If the trustees decline, the parcel is returned free of charge, tracked, as it was sent. Nothing is melted or altered before you accept.
- Payment to the charity. On acceptance, payment is by Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance, usually within 30 minutes during working hours, and it goes to the charity’s own bank account. Then update the inventory and log-book and file the invoice with the faculty.
Offers depend on inspection, weight, purity, hallmarks, solder, stones, non-silver components and the market rate on the day, so no figure is guaranteed before we have seen the items. Identity and authority checks apply, as they do to any high-value sale, and for church property that means checking the authority as well as the person.
What we will not do
- Buy anything from a church without seeing the faculty or the equivalent denominational consent and the trustee authority. A parish officer’s assurance is not a substitute.
- Buy items that appear on a parish inventory where the paperwork does not account for their removal.
- Pay an individual for church property, or pay in cash. Payment goes to the charity’s account.
- Melt anything before you have accepted a written offer. Declined lots come back intact and tracked, at our cost.
- Tell you we are the best route when we are not. If a piece reads as ecclesiastical plate with collector value, the written valuation says so and we hand it back.
- Buy electroplate, EPNS or silver-coloured base metal, because the recoverable silver content does not exist.
One more thing that occasionally comes up. If silver is dug up in a churchyard rather than found in a cupboard, and it may be at least 300 years old, it may be treasure under the Treasure Act 1996 and must be reported to the coroner within 14 days. That is a separate process from anything above and it has to be finished before any sale is discussed.
Sources
- Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015 (S.I. 2015/1568), as amended, including rule 9.6 on consultation with the Church Buildings Council: legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/1568/made
- The Faculty Jurisdiction (Amendment) Rules 2022 (S.I. 2022/155): legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2022/155/made
- Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018, sections 49 and 50, terrier, inventory, log-book and annual fabric report: legislation.gov.uk/ukcm/2018/3
- Church Buildings Council, Policy on the Sale of Treasures from Churches, summarised by the Diocese of London: london.anglican.org/kb/sale-of-treasures-from-churches
- Re St Peter, Little Budworth, Chester consistory court, reported by Law & Religion UK, 19 May 2026: lawandreligionuk.com
- Code of Canon Law, canons 1291 to 1295 on alienation of ecclesiastical goods: vatican.va/archive/ENG1104
- Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes, sale guidance for managing trustees: tmcp.org.uk/property/sales
- Charity Commission, The essential trustee (CC3), on trustee duties: gov.uk, CC3
- Charities Act 2011, sections 117 to 121, restrictions on disposition of charity land: legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2011/25
- Treasure Act 1996, duty to notify the coroner: legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/24
Common questions
Can a PCC sell church silver by simply voting to do it?
No. A PCC resolution is a necessary step but not sufficient authority. Disposing of an article from a Church of England church requires a faculty from the diocesan consistory court. Selling or disposing of an article is not on List A or List B of the Faculty Jurisdiction Rules 2015, so the full petition process applies and the chancellor decides.
Who actually owns the silver in a parish church?
Not the PCC, in the way it owns ordinary equipment. The Church Buildings Council’s policy states that church treasures belong to the parishioners generally, with churchwardens holding the goods as their representatives. That is why the parish cannot authorise its own sale, and why churchwardens must keep an inventory under section 49 of the Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction and Care of Churches Measure 2018.
What reasons will the consistory court accept for selling church silver?
Few, and rarely one on its own. The published policy treats general financial difficulty, the cost of insurance, security worries, lack of current use, recent acquisition and secular origin as insufficient. Financial need must amount to an immediate pressing need to carry out urgent critical work. Faculties have been granted where several factors combine, as in Re St Peter, Little Budworth in 2026, but the presumption against sale is strong.
Does a Roman Catholic parish need the Pope’s permission to sell a chalice?
For objects precious by reason of artistic or historical significance, canon 1292 §2 requires the permission of the Holy See, as it does for goods given by vow and for alienations above the maximum sum. Below that, permission comes from the diocesan bishop with the consent of the finance committee and college of consultors. Canon 1293 also requires a just cause and a written expert valuation.
What do Methodist, Baptist or URC churches have to do?
Work through the trustee structure rather than the local church meeting. Methodist property is held on the Model Trusts, with the Church’s consent process and the Trustees for Methodist Church Purposes involved. Baptist and URC congregations usually have a custodian trustee body. In every case the governing document or trust deed sets the rules, and charity trustee duties apply on top.
Do charity rules require a formal valuation before selling church silver?
Not by statute. The formal requirements in sections 117 to 121 of the Charities Act 2011, including a surveyor’s report, apply to charity land rather than to chattels. The general trustee duty to act in the charity’s best interests still applies, so trustees should obtain more than one written figure and keep the evidence with the minutes.
Is church silver worth more at auction than as scrap?
Usually, if it is old, hallmarked or by a known maker. Ecclesiastical plate is a collected field and melting destroys the value that comes from age and provenance. A metal buyer is a reasonable route only for modern, unmarked, plain or badly damaged solid silver. Where we think a piece belongs at auction we say so in the written valuation and return it free.
Will GoldPaid buy silver from a church?
Yes, where the permission is in place and the item is genuinely a metal item. We ask to see the sealed faculty or equivalent denominational consent and the trustee authority before proceeding, payment goes to the charity’s own bank account rather than to an individual, and we do not buy electroplate or EPNS because there is no recoverable silver content.
How much cover can we get when posting church silver?
Royal Mail cover may be available up to £2,500 depending on the postal method and cover level used. For a valuable parish lot that is a genuine limit, not a formality. Splitting a lot across separate consignments helps, and for anything of significant value a specialist carrier or a route that does not involve posting at all is the sensible choice.
When is payment made after a church sale is accepted?
Faster Payments within one working hour of acceptance, usually within 30 minutes during working hours, to the charity’s own bank account. Keep the invoice with the faculty and update the inventory and log-book so the disposal is properly recorded for the next annual fabric report.
Is this article legal advice?
No. It is general information about published church rules, legislation and charity guidance, current at 6 August 2026, and ecclesiastical law is a specialist field. Speak to your diocesan registrar, your denomination’s trustee body, or a solicitor before taking any step. GoldPaid Ltd is a UK postal buyer, company number 17382540, rated 4.7 from 24 reviews on Trustpilot.