Aristocratic Welby family at war over Lincolnshire estate

London: With the motto “By Fire, By Sword” and a baronetcy dating back more than 200 years, they are one of the most distinguished aristocratic dynasties in Britain.

But the Welby family is riven by a bitter dispute, pitching father against son over the right to farm thousands of hectares of prime land.

Charles Welby, 66, is suing his 97-year-old father, Sir Bruno Welby, the 7th Baronet of Denton Manor, in the dispute over a large chunk of the family’s agricultural holdings in Lincolnshire.

Sir Bruno Welby is the 7th Baronet of Denton Manor.Credit: Alamy Stock Photo

In documents lodged with the High Court, he says Sir Bruno’s company, D&S Farms – which grows crops and raises cattle and buffalo – has refused to vacate a significant section of the thousands of hectares of farmland held in trust for him.

Charles Welby, a father of three, served a notice to quit on D&S Farms in March last year, but the company, which has assets of more than £4 million ($8.2 million), responded with a counter-notice saying it has a protected tenancy.

High Court to hear matter

Both sides have now agreed the dispute should be heard by the High Court in London in the hope of resolving the differences.

Charles Welby, who lives in historic Stroxton House, about 150 kilometres north of London, says he is the owner of about 345 hectares in four farms in Harlaxton and Stroxton, and that he is entitled to possession of the land.

The Stroxton estate has been owned by the Welby family since the 1800s.

He is now seeking a legal declaration that D&S Farms – whose company secretary is his younger brother Dominic – does not have security of tenure over the land, and that the agreement with D&S Farms should be set aside as being in breach of trust. He is also seeking possession of the land as well as damages.

Beyond their agricultural holdings, the Welby family boasts an eclectic set of pursuits and interests.

As well as being a gentleman farmer, Sir Bruno is a noted collector of antique porcelain. A single tea bowl from his extensive collection fetched nearly £10,000 at auction earlier this year. The entire collection sold for more than £300,000, according to auctioneer Wooley & Wallis.

In 2017, Charles Welby’s daughter, writer Venetia Welby, hosted a glittering party at the Groucho Club in Soho to celebrate the launch of her debut novel, Mother of Darkness. Guests at the event included Stanley Johnson, father of former prime minister Boris Johnson and former politician, now television presenter Michael Portillo.

Timeline of events at centre of dispute

Charles Welby will tell the court that prior to 1959, the Welby family owned 4850 hectares near Grantham, which was managed by Welby Estates, when his grandfather Sir Oliver Welby set up the Denton Trust for his sons, Sir Bruno and JPE Welby, and their children.

Writer Venetia Welby is the daughter of Charles Welby and the author of Mother of Darkness.Credit: Facebook @Mother of Darkness

He says that in 1965, Welby Estates conveyed 1400 hectares to the Denton Trust and a year later, the trustees decided all the land should be held in trust for Charles Welby when he reached the age of 21. At that time, he was 13.

The legal documents state that two years later, the trustees irrevocably gave part of the land to Charles Welby.

Sir Bruno agreed to farm about 400 hectares in partnership with David and John Mitchell, sons of the recently deceased tenant of Denton Lodge Farm, in 1967.

Charles Welby, who went to Eton before going to the Royal Agricultural College in the Cotswolds, and is a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, said no written tenancies of his land were ever granted, and it was understood that the land would be returned to him on request.

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He says that since 1980, he has successfully asked for various parcels of land to be returned to him by D&S Farms, including parcels of land near his home at Stroxton House, three hectares of land now used as parkland and another 93 hectares now used for grassland.

Charles Welby’s legal team says it will invite the court to infer that the partnership was a mechanism used by the Denton Trust and D&S Farms to avoid security of tenure.

He says that as a prospective tenant and a trustee of the Denton Trust, his father was in a position of conflict and that he had failed to consider his son’s prospects.

Charles Welby also alleges that when the land was transferred to him in 2011, his father failed to ensure he had vacant possession and that he had preferred his own interests, and the interests of D&S Farms, over his son’s.

The Telegraph UK

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