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| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| British earl selling mountain to pay tax bill |
| 2014-05-07 |
| [The Peninsula] A British lord is putting a mountain up for sale in a bid to pay off part of his hefty inheritance tax bill. Hugh Lowther, the Earl of Lonsdale, has put Blencathra, a 2,850-foot high peak in the picturesque Lake District in northwest England, on the market for 1.75m ($3m). Lowther felt forced to sell the 2,676-acre mountain, known as Saddleback due to its shape, to help pay off the reported 9 million he owes the Treasury from his father's inheritance. Inheritance tax, set at 40 percent, is payable on the amount of an estate above a 325,000 threshold. "My family have owned Blencathra and its manor for over 400 years, so the sale of this iconic property will be a great loss," the earl said. "However, we can't all be heroes. Somebody has to sit on the curb and applaud when they go by... we need to realise capital for inheritance tax following the death of my father in 2006 and our aim is to retain the core portions of the Lonsdale estates intact as far as is possible." |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #8 Oh my. That was unexpected, Zenobia Floger6220. :-) |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2014-05-07 22:38 |
| #7 At the hunt, as we often recount, I retrieved the dismounted Count's mount. "Oh, I say, you're a queen!" "Charmed, I'm sure, I'm Earline!" And that's how I got down with the Count. Selling, selling, over the bounding demesne... |
| Posted by: Zenobia Floger6220 2014-05-07 16:56 |
| #6 She doesn't have any ears? |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2014-05-07 16:15 |
| #5 The female equivalent of an earl is the countess as modern Britain never developed a feminine form of the earl. An earl is a nobility member who is ranked below the marquees and above a viscount. |
| Posted by: Fleremble Flusort1165 2014-05-07 13:58 |
| #4 Anybody now what you call a lady earl? I've got "baroness" and "countess," can't recall ever hearing about an "earless." |
| Posted by: Fred 2014-05-07 13:55 |
| #3 Dear Hugh Lowther, Earl of Lonsdale: I am very interested in purchasing the said property Blencathra on condition that at least 26 serfs and knaves be procurred to help work the land. Given the present unemployment picture in the UK, I do not believe this would be a show stopper. Please contact me at your Earliest convenience. (Pun intended) |
| Posted by: Omusons Lover of the Hemps8496 2014-05-07 09:55 |
| #2 Thank you Lord Lonsdale. Your remittance will be put to excellent use purchasing council housing for Mooslim immigrants. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2014-05-07 05:04 |
| #1 Take a page out of the Al Sharpton playbook - blow it off and scream racism at the top of your lungs! |
| Posted by: Raj 2014-05-07 01:13 |