Eviction to follow dispute involving siblings with ties to Castle Howard
Sibling dispute may lead to eviction from Castle Howard estate in Yorkshire England.
A recent story published in The Telegraph (found here), shows the kind of hostility that can occur in a sibling estate dispute. One of the parties in this dispute is Simon Howard who has been running Castle Howard in Yorkshire, England. The castle has appeared in cinema and numerous TV shows. It has been the home of the Carlisle branch of the Howard family for more than 300 years. Simon Howard and his wife Rebecca are facing eviction from the estate.
The other parties in this dispute are Nicholas Howard and his wife Victoria Barnsley. Nicholas Howard is the oldest heir to the estate, and is attempting to evict his younger brother Simon and his family. It is alleged that Nicholas made Simon step down from his role as chairman of the company that ran Castle Howard so that he and his wife could take over. It is interesting to note that at the time this happened, Simon was suffering from throat cancer, but has since recovered fully.
It seems like there is a lot more to this story than what is currently known to the public. The Howard family has lived at Castle Howard for many generations. Nicholas was allegedly offered the opportunity to run the Castle Howard estate by, their father Lord Howard of Henderskelfe, but refused in order to pursue a music career. Simon took over instead. Nicholas did not achieve fame in music and instead became a photographer. None of the above allegations have been proven in Court. The full reasons behind the move to evict are unknown.
It is safe to say that the level of acrimony between the two brothers is likely high. Sibling disputes tend to bring out deep-seeded emotions that are potentially hostile. The above scenario clearly illustrates why estate litigation is one of the most emotionally challenging areas of litigation.
It is also important to note that the parties to this potential dispute have a lot of resources to litigate. Any estate litigation in this scenario has the potential to become a lengthy, bitter, and costly dispute. It will be interesting to see what happens in this scenario, and whether it will progress into an estate battle.