A member of one of Britain’s most prominent aristocratic families has launched legal proceedings against his 97-year-old father in a dispute over farmland.
Charles Welby, aged 66, is taking legal action against Sir Bruno Welby, the 97-year-old 7th Baronet of Denton Manor, concerning agricultural estates in Lincolnshire.
The conflict involves control of substantial farming operations managed by Sir Bruno’s company, D&S Farms.
D&S Farms cultivates crops and rears livestock including buffalo, with the enterprise holding assets exceeding £4million.
The Welby dynasty, whose baronetcy spans over two centuries and bears the motto “By Fire, By Sword”, now faces internal strife as the High Court prepares to adjudicate this family rift.
Charles Welby issued an eviction notice to D&S Farms in March 2024, demanding they vacate approximately 854 acres spanning four farms in Harlaxton and Stroxton, which started the dispute.
The company, where Charles’s younger brother Dominic serves as company secretary, rejected the demand by filing a counter-notice asserting protected tenancy rights.
Charles Welby, who resides at the historic Stroxton House near Grantham, maintains he owns the contested land and has rightful claim to its possession.
The case between the family has gone to the High Court
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PAHe seeks a judicial declaration that D&S Farms lacks security of tenure and wants the existing arrangement declared void due to breach of trust.
The aristocrat is also pursuing damages alongside his possession claim.
The Welby family’s landholdings trace back to before 1959, when Charles’s grandfather Sir Oliver Welby controlled 12,000 acres near Grantham through Welby Estates.
Sir Oliver established the Denton Trust for his sons Sir Bruno and JPE Welby, along with their descendants.
The High Court will hear the case between the family
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Wikimedia CommonsIn 1965, Welby Estates transferred 3,483 acres to this trust.
The following year, trustees determined the entire holding should be reserved for Charles Welby upon his 21st birthday, when he was merely 13 years old.
Two years afterwards, trustees permanently allocated portions of the estate to Charles.
In 1967, Sir Bruno entered a farming arrangement with David and John Mitchell, whose father had recently died whilst tenanting Denton Lodge Farm, to work approximately 1,000 acres.
Charles Welby contends no formal tenancies were ever documented for his property, with an understanding that D&S Farms would return the land upon request.
He points to successful recoveries since 1980, including parcels near Stroxton House, eight acres converted to parkland, and 230 acres now utilised as grassland.
His legal representatives argue the farming partnership served as a device enabling the Denton Trust and D&S Farms to circumvent tenure security provisions.
Charles alleges his father occupied conflicting positions as both potential tenant and trustee, neglecting to properly evaluate his son’s interests.
He further claims that during the 2011 land transfer, Sir Bruno failed to secure vacant possession, favouring his personal interests and those of D&S Farms above his son’s entitlements.