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Baronet father wins case against son over share of family castle

Sir John Howard-Lawson has won a legal battle brought against him by his son, Philip Howard, over the rights to the proceeds of sale of 13^th Century Corby Castle. The case, worth £1.5million, was heard by the Court of Appeal who ruled in the Baronet’s favour.

Mr Howard had claimed that his father had no right to the proceeds of sale of the property, which had been the family seat for over 400 years, as he had not complied with the terms of his grandfather’s Will which left the property to him. He said that his father’s failure to comply with the Will’s terms meant that he forfeited his right to the property and that it therefore passed to Mr Howard by default.

It was suggested that Sir John had not adopted the family surname and taken up its coat of arms within 12 months of the death and that this meant he had forfeited the estate. In concluding that he had followed the terms of the 1934 Will Lady Justice Arden said “It seems to me that Sir John sufficiently complied with the forfeiture provision.”

Sir John had originally inherited the property in 1961 and sold it in 1994 to settle VAT liabilities and to make up for losses he had incurred on the insurance market. The castle was originally sold to the family in 1611. Mr Howard was ordered to pay his father’s legal costs. He may appeal to the Supreme Court.

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