The death of an eccentric aristocrat has triggered a bitter feud between his family and a gamekeeper who has inherited part of his fabulous 18th-century estate.
Sir Michael Maxwell left a third of his £2million ancestral pile to Daniel Rippon in his will and the ex-employee now lives in the mansion, ready to cash in on its sale.
But Sir Michael's two nieces, twin sisters Katharine and Charlotte Helmore – who inherited the other two-thirds of the estate – are angrily disputing Mr Rippon's inclusion in the will as well as the sale, as they want to keep the historic estate in the family.
They claim Mr Rippon, 45, who has lived and worked on the estate since childhood, should not have been included and that their uncle was suffering from dementia towards the end of his life which they claim affected his judgment.
Since his death in 2021 they say they have been unable to access the 328-acre Monreith estate near Port William in Dumfries and Galloway, and that Mr Rippon has refused to engage with them.
Monreith House has been in the Maxwell family since 1791 and has a listed category A status for its architectural and historical importance. It is set in mature woodlands and has 15 bedrooms and ten reception rooms, while the estate also includes two cottages.
The home of Sir Michael, the 9th Baronet of Monreith, has been put up for sale with estate agents Savills for £1.89million and is understood to be under offer from a developer. Its contents include an extensive library of rare books, around 500 paintings and hundreds of other artefacts, estimated to be worth £500,000 in total.
All are set to go under the hammer this summer as the sisters cannot afford the £800,000 needed buy out Mr Rippon from his share of the estate.
Sir Michael Maxwell left a combined two thirds of his £2million estate to his twin nieces Charlotte (left) and Katharine Helmore
But he also left a third to gamekeeper Daniel Rippon which the twins say should not have been the case, blaming the move on their uncle's dementia
Mr Rippon, who had lived and worked on the estate since he was a boy, now lives inside the 18th-century house on Sir Michael's estate waiting to cash in on its sale
Katharine, 42, said: 'My sister and I were the closest family my uncle had left and throughout our lives he was always there for us and interested in us, partly because he never had children and also because he loved us and we loved him.
'We offered Daniel Rippon a separate deal in the hope we could preserve the house and the estate for both our family and the region over future generations, but he's not interested and we have no control over the sale, despite it being our inheritance.
'We are in a real predicament. What is happening beggars belief. We have appealed to the executors and Mr Rippon to avoid the sale, but no one is listening to us.
'We are furious about what is going on but we seem to be powerless. We want the estate kept as it is and the more precious items should be placed in museums.'
Dr Nicholas Courtney, 81, a life-long friend of Sir Michael, had power of attorney when he became ill. He said Mr Rippon had been rewarded for his loyal service to Sir Michael and the estate. He said: 'Daniel first arrived on the estate aged just 12 when his father was gamekeeper. Such was his loyalty to Sir Michael that he has been rewarded in the will.
'Michael simply could not have run the estate without him.'
Sir Michael was the nephew of Gavin Maxwell, the author of Ring Of Bright Water, the literary classic about life in a remote Scottish village. In 2011, aged 67, he appeared on Channel 4's Country House Rescue to talk about maintaining his estate and how he was still hopeful he would marry after a lifetime of being single.
The late aristocrat never married but was known for his eccentric style before he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's in 2013. He died in 2021, aged 78.
Mr Rippon and the executors of the will declined to comment.