Mark Roberts is a

Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...

businessman notable for the purchase of approximately sixty

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

title A title is one or more words used before or after a person's name, in certain contexts. It may signify either generation, an official position, or a professional or academic qualification. In some languages, titles may be inserted between the f ...

s as

Lord of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

Marcher Lord A Marcher lord () was a noble appointed by the king of England to guard the border (known as the Welsh Marches) between England and Wales. A Marcher lord was the English equivalent of a margrave (in the Holy Roman Empire) or a marquis (in ...

and his legal claims to historical rights associated with them. In several cases he has attempted to profit from the claimed rights. After having some of his rights revoked by a change of law in 2005, and a ruling that Marcher Lords no longer exist in 2008, Roberts' only standing legal right is to a

moiety Moiety may refer to: Chemistry * Moiety (chemistry), a part or functional group of a molecule ** Moiety conservation, conservation of a subgroup in a chemical species Anthropology * Moiety (kinship), either of two groups into which a society is ...

of wreck off the coast of some areas of Wales.

Biography

In 2001 Mark Roberts claimed as the Lord of Alstonefield, a title won for £10,000 at auction, to own mineral extraction, hunting and fishing and access rights in the Staffordshire village of

Alstonefield Alstonefield (alternative spelling: Alstonfield) is a village and civil parish in the Peak District National Park and the Staffordshire Moorlands district of Staffordshire, England about north of Ashbourne, east of Leek and south of Buxton ...

. He sought charges of up to £45,000 from residents of

Peterstone Peterstone or Peterstone Wentlooge ( cy, Llanbedr Gwynllŵg) is a small hamlet to the south west of the city of Newport, South Wales. Location Peterstone Wentlooge lies six miles to the west of Newport city centre and 7½ miles east of Cardif ...

for access across pathways and verges claimed through the title of Lord Marcher of Trelleck. However, his activities have been curtailed by a change in the law in 2005 meaning that no-one can be charged for access across common land if it can be shown that they have already done so for twenty years. In addition to the above, Mark Roberts also claimed that when he purchased the Lord of Alstonefield title along with several others (for £10,000 each), that the vendors – Harpur Crewe Estate, had in fact accidentally also sold him several entire properties, some of which had already been purchased from the former Harpur Crewe Estate. This delayed the registration of these properties for several years before a court ruling eventually ruled against Roberts. Claims to extensive sections of foreshore under the title of Lord Marcher of St. David's delayed the planning process for a marina in the town of

Fishguard Fishguard ( cy, Abergwaun, meaning "Mouth of the River Gwaun") is a coastal town in Pembrokeshire, Wales, with a population of 3,419 in 2011; the community of Fishguard and Goodwick had a population of 5,407. Modern Fishguard consists of two p ...

. In 2008 his claim to be Lord Marcher of St Davids was rejected in a High Court action, along with his claims to have certain 'franchise' rights in that capacity. The judge ruled that Roberts only had

of wrecks along stretches of the Pembrokeshire Coastline, as

of the City of St. David's.Judgment in ''Crown Estate Commissioners v (1) Mark Andrew Tudor Roberts (2) Trelleck Estate Ltd: ChD'' (Mr Justice Lewison), 13 June 2008 He faced estimated costs of over £600,000. In 2008 he lost another legal case, claiming rights over parts of the

Severn , name_etymology = , image = SevernFromCastleCB.JPG , image_size = 288 , image_caption = The river seen from Shrewsbury Castle , map = RiverSevernMap.jpg , map_size = 288 , map_c ...

estuary under the title of Lord Marcher of Magor. In 2015, Roberts attempted to auction leasehold rights to 25 acres of land in

Spittal, Pembrokeshire Spittal is both a village, a parish and a community in Pembrokeshire, Wales, on the A40 trunk road, approximately halfway between Haverfordwest and Fishguard. In the 2011 census, the population of the parish was 494. Name The village's name ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Roberts, Mark British businesspeople Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Real property law Lords of the Manor