Angela Heyes, 48, and Husband Neil, 46, Sue Mother for Farm Inheritance: A Modern Day King Lear Tragedy

The battle over a £7.5m farm in Cornwall has been likened to a modern-day King Lear by a judge, as Angela Heyes, 48, and her husband Neil, 46, are locked in a bitter inheritance dispute with her mother, Sarah Holt.

The couple left their lives in Surrey behind a decade ago to move to Cornwall on the promise that they would inherit Angela’s parents’ farm, which includes a glamping site and a yurt. However, following the death of Angela’s father in 2020, the family is now embroiled in a legal battle over who owns the farm.

Angela and Neil claim they uprooted their lives based on promises made by both of Angela’s parents that they would inherit the farm. They allege that Angela’s father assured them that the farm would be theirs one day and wanted it to stay in the family for future generations.

However, Sarah Holt, backed by Angela’s siblings, is fighting the claim, arguing that any assurances made to Angela and Neil were too uncertain to give them a good claim to the entirety of the land. The case has now reached the High Court, with Judge Paul Matthews comparing it to the tragic story of King Lear.

Despite the farm’s value and potential for development, Mrs. Holt’s lawyers argue that the farmland is not large enough to support a family and that Angela and Neil had not devoted their lives to the farm based on promises about the future. The judge has rejected Mrs. Holt’s application for judgment, ruling that the case will proceed to a full trial.

The judge has urged the parties to try to settle their differences outside of court, warning that the case could have ruinous consequences for Angela and Neil if it goes to trial and they lose. The outcome of this Shakespearean inheritance battle remains to be seen as the legal drama unfolds in Cornwall.