Earl of Cardigan's legal fight to save family paintings

The Earl , David Brudenell-Bruce, 59, complained about the "hateful words" found "in brackets" in legal documents and suggested they were inserted for "lawyers' benefit".

He told a High Court judge and a London courtroom filled with lawyers that he "meant no offence" but said he liked "blacks and whites not infinite shades of grey".

The earl was giving evidence in a legal dispute over his rights to about 40 paintings of his ancestors historically housed on his ancient family estate at Savernake near Marlborough.

He claims that he is entitled to "use of the paintings" under the terms of a lease and wants to stop estate trustees selling them. Estate trustees dispute his claim and say the paintings were not part of the lease. The hearing is due to end tomorrow.

The earl was questioned by Penelope Reed QC, for estate trustees. She asked him about the meaning of the term "hateful words in brackets" he had used in a written witness statement.

"I have little doubt what I was referring to," the earl told Mr Justice Newey.

"There was inevitably something giving me power to do something as a landlord. There was invariably something in brackets saying 'on certain occasions'."

He added: "It always seemed to be a lawyers' lottery."

The earl suggested that such words were open to the question "is that yes or is that no?"

"I like blacks and whites not infinite shades of grey," he said. "I mean no offence when I say those words but I think it is for lawyers'

benefit."

The earl told the judge that the Savernake Estate had been in his family for "31 generations, for a thousand years" and said his "every waking thought" centred on how he could preserve the estate for the "next generation".

The earl's name is renowned because of the part played by an ancestor in one of the most famous attacks in military history, the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Details can be found on the Savernake Estate website, which explains: "In 1854, during the Crimean War, a very distant cousin of the Savernake Forest family was told that his commander-in-chief had ordered him and his men to mount a cavalry charge on some distant Russian cannons.

"Though he naturally queried the written order, he was again ordered to carry it out, which he reluctantly did - and so James, Earl of Cardigan and his Light Brigade passed into famous history."

A judge was today hearing arguments about the Savernake dispute for the third time in recent months.

In August, Mr Justice Floyd made an order temporarily preventing the earl selling estate "chattels" after estate trustees complained that the earl had tried to sell "estate silverware" under a "variety of pseudonyms" when he was not entitled to.

At that High Court hearing in London, barrister Henry Hendron, for the earl, said his client was "to all intents and purposes down and out" and "had no money".

The earl later dismissed Mr Hendron's submission and said he planned to engage another lawyer.

"I own half a stately home that has a re-build insurance value of £23 million and half a forest worth who knows what," the earl told reporters. "I am not 'down and out'."

Mr Hendron said after the hearing, that he had used the term "down and out" to describe how the earl had "no cash flow", "no income" and "no money coming in". He said he had acted in accordance with his professional duties and done his best for his client.

In July, the Court of Appeal was told that the estate was facing a "dire financial crisis". Appeal judge Lord Justice Hughes described the situation as a "very sad state of affairs".

Lord Justice Hughes was told that trustees wanted to sell paintings housed on the estate to raise money. The earl was against the idea and wanted to block the sale. The judge said there were "complex questions"

to be resolved in the dispute.