Monday, March 18, 2013

How a £5m, 3,000-acre estate fell into ruin after American heir refused to inherit property for 40 years because he didn't want to pay death tax

John Paget Figg-Hoblyn
John Westropp Figg-Hoblyn
A vast British estate that had fallen into ruin after its American heir refused to claim the land can finally be divided among relatives after 80 years of legal wrangling.

The Hoblyn estate in Cornwall, with its enormous manor house set in 3,000 acres of lush English countryside worth $7.5million, has been inherited by two elderly sisters in California.

However the women's cousin and next male heir - the only person who wanted to restore the estate to its former glory - has been left with a vastly reduced sum because of a change to the century-old will.

The estate, with its 19th-century Fir Hill manor house, belonged to the Figg-Hoblyn family who first moved to the property in 1856.

Full Article & Source:
How a £5m, 3,000-acre estate fell into ruin after American heir refused to inherit property for 40 years because he didn't want to pay death tax

See Also:
John Figg-Hoblyn

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousMonday, March 18, 2013 9:27:00 AM

    This is a fascinating story!

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  2. ThelmaMonday, March 18, 2013 10:58:00 AM

    The man didn't want to pay death taxes?

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  3. ConnieMonday, March 18, 2013 12:04:00 PM

    I don't quite understand why paying the death tax would have deterred him. I'll be interested to read the whole story.

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  4. LeslieMonday, March 18, 2013 3:37:00 PM

    Almost unbelievably sad!

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  5. MikeMonday, March 18, 2013 6:46:00 PM

    I have read Ron Libert's "The Killing of John Figg-Hoblyn" and am so glad to see someone pick up this story and publicize it.

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  6. SueMonday, March 18, 2013 10:24:00 PM

    Overwhelming sense of sadness and despair. All could have been avoided especially the killing of John. May he rest in peace.

    ReplyDelete