Consistory Court of Wakefield: Collier Ch, September 2002
The associate vicar, supported by the DAC, petitioned for a faculty permitting the sale of a collection of books known as the ‘Priestley Collection’ along with several other books given to the church over the past 150 years. The chancellor had directed that academic institutions should be approached to see if they would purchase the collection. Only one institution showed interest in a small part of the collection. The petition was now urgent as Sotheby’s, who had inspected the collection and valued it at between £60,000 and £90,000, had an impending sale. The parish identified a pressing need for the proceeds of sale, namely drainage and repair work to the porch, which would be boosted by an English Heritage grant that would be lost unless a swift decision was made. The CCC advised that a university would be the most appropriate place for the collection, either on loan or sold. The chancellor considered Re St Gregory’s, Tredington [1972] Fam 236 identifying the tests as whether a good reason had been put forward and whether it was a sufficient reason in all the circumstances. The chancellor held that the majority of the works were redundant and that the current financial need amounted to sufficient need to justify the sale. The proceeds of sale would go towards the repair work identified and the history of the connection between the library and the church, along with a catalogue of the books should be deposited in the parish records.
(2003) 7 Ecc LJ 236
