A squabble over an inheritance has landed one member of an aristocratic family in jail. Eithne Donnellan reports from Kilkeel
Nestling within the picturesque Mourne Mountains in Co Down, the sprawling Mourne Park estate has set the Anley family and their ancestors apart from their neighbours for generations.
As descendants of the Earls of Kilmorey they were a well-to-do family who held high-society get-togethers.
Locals recall their generosity and how every Easter they would bestow chocolate eggs on children in the neighbourhood.
In more recent years, however, their stately 18th-century mansion on the estate, Mourne Park House, has fallen into disrepair, and the gardens around it have suffered from neglect. Dry rot is now eating through the walls of the once-gracious residence, and holes punctuate the ceilings. The one-mile drive from the main road to the front door has countless potholes.
It appears that at some point the family's fortunes changed, and the cost of the 800-acre estate's upkeep proved too great.
Then came a further blow in 1992 when Nicholas Anley, who lived contentedly in Mourne Park House with his wife, Julie-Ann, and three children, died of cancer, aged just 48.
He left the property to Julie-Ann, who decided to split the lands between her three children, Debonair (Bonnie), Philip and Marion, by setting up a company in which each would have a one-third share.
The house, too, was divided, but in four parts, with Mrs Anley retaining a 25 per cent interest.
A source close to the family said they were all "trying to make the estate work" until recently, when Marion (33) decided to dissociate herself from the others. She wanted her share of the house and last year secured a court order for the sale of the property.
Under her married name, Mrs Marion Scarlett Needham Russell, she sought the sale of the house in a petition heard at Belfast High Court by Mr Justice Girvan. He ruled that the house should be sold within six months. As a result the family had to be out of the mansion by November last.
Marion now lives with her husband, Alan, in converted stables on the estate. Her mother lives in the gardener's house, while Philip (26), currently working with a local building contractor, lives in another property on the estate. Bonnie (35), now Mrs Needham Horsman, lives in Banbridge and was voted best young businesswoman of the year some time ago for her work with a shipping company at Warrenpoint.
Despite the court order, Mourne Park House was never actually sold. It appears Marion, for some reason, did not pursue the sale. However, the family were all set to sell and had the remains of their father who had been buried in the gardens of Mourne Park House 10 years ago exhumed and reburied in the Church of Ireland cemetery in Kilkeel.
If the house was to be sold, Marion's siblings decided so, too, should its contents, estimated to be worth some £750,000. The furniture was divided among the siblings by court order and was to be auctioned by them in conjunction with the fine art division of Hamilton Osborne King (HOK) in Blackrock, Co Dublin, on the estate this month. However, it was overtaken by events. Marion decided she wanted to keep her share of the chattels.
Ms Sarah Kenny of HOK said the items which were to be sold included dining-room tables, chests of drawers, family portraits, a library of books, silverware, costumes, tea sets, dinner services, and general bric-a-brac which had been in the family for up to 300 years.
Some weeks ago Marion took and put into hiding the antiques she believed she was entitled to. Her siblings sought a High Court injunction against her for their return to enable the auction to take place. She was given five days to comply by Mr Justice Girvan and when she refused her siblings sought to have her committed to prison for contempt of court.
At one hearing Mr Justice Girvan was told by Marion's counsel that she was suffering from a depressive illness and was unable to instruct her solicitors.
However, last Monday Judge Girvan jailed her for contempt after she again refused to surrender the hidden items or reveal where they were stored. She was taken to Maghaberry Prison for 14 days, beginning last Tuesday.
In an interview with the Irish News in Belfast following the court hearing, the contents of which are understood to be disputed by her siblings, Marion said she was trying to protect her family heritage. "This is not about the money. This has never been about the money. This is about salvaging something from the last 10 years of my life," she said.
She claimed the family fallout began after a difference of opinion on whether the family home should be opened up to the public or remain private. Mrs Russell said she wanted to develop tourism on the estate by providing a golf driving range, trail rides for horses and fishing facilities. She felt this would pay for the upkeep of the property.
Since she had studied land economy and estate management, she said, her father's wish was that she manage the estate and make it self-supporting.
The heiress further claimed she decided as far back as 1998 to separate her interests in the property from those of her siblings. However, their differences only came into the public domain after court proceedings were initiated.
Mr Justice Girvan, at an early hearing, urged the family to settle their differences amicably before their inheritance was eaten up by legal bills. It appears his plea has landed on deaf ears, and sources close to the family say that in the end the entire estate may have to be sold off to defray the costs of all the legal wrangling.
Even since going to jail, Marion, a relative of the former Conservative Northern Ireland minister, Richard Needham, has said she is determined not to give back the antiques.
"I don't know what is going to happen to me. I know technically they can push for another committal when I come out and I could be sent back again and again, but I won't give the items back," she said.
Her comments in the media have aggravated the situation, Mr Justice Girvan said in the High Court on Wednesday. "The next time the court will inevitably have to regard the matter as more serious," he said.
Mrs Russell is due in court again on Monday when her action to set aside a court order dividing the contents of the family home is to be heard.
Her mother, sister and brother, when contacted by The Irish Times, said they could not comment on the case as it was before the courts.
However, Philip said the whole situation was "very sad". He added: "None of us wants to see Marion in jail, but I really can't comment at this stage".
Julie-Ann, too, speaking on the BBC earlier in the week, said of her daughter: "She doesn't have to do this. She knows where the furniture is, and she only has to say where it is. I feel unhappy seeing my daughter going to prison, but it is her choice".
Earlier this year Julie-Ann herself hit the headlines when, in what locals believe was an attempt to raise funds, she made an application to the land registry for ownership of lands around Mourne that appeared to fall within the boundaries of her estate but had never been claimed or registered.
Local farmers grazing the land objected, as did the Mourne Heritage Trust, which sought a full public hearing on the ownership issue.
In the face of opposition, Mrs Anley backed down and abandoned her application.
Locals say the present squabbles have come as a surprise to them. "It's very unfortunate because just a few years ago they all got on quite well. I don't know what went wrong. It's a big surprise to everybody," one woman said.
A neighbour, Jim Payne, said he used to get Easter eggs from Mr and Mrs Anley as a child. "They lived a relatively quite life until all this blew up," he added.