BP — correspondence with David Buckler (email)

Dear Group General Counsel, I am writing in connection with the historical case of BP Properties Ltd v Buckler [1987] EWCA Civ 2, involving my late grandmother, Mrs. Buckler, and later my father as parties. This is a courtesy notification rather than the initiation of any formal proceedings. In reviewing family records and related documents, I have uncovered substantial evidence suggesting material inconsistencies in the facts presented during the original 1974 proceedings and the 1987 appeal. These include questions around BP Properties Ltd’s title and capacity to issue the 1974 unilateral licence at the time it was granted, as the underlying ownership dispute appears to have been adjourned without resolution. Additionally, there are indications of procedural irregularities, such as the characterization of Mrs. Buckler’s responses (including her assertion of ownership), inconsistent treatment of corporate entities (BP Pension Trust Ltd and BP Properties Ltd), and potential unsubstantiated claims regarding public or media involvement that influenced the case’s direction. These findings raise concerns under the Limitation Act 1980 s.32 regarding deliberate concealment or fraud, as well as broader issues of procedural fairness that could warrant reopening the matter under CPR 52.30 (Taylor v Lawrence principles). I am in the process of compiling a full evidential dossier and consulting on potential next steps, which may include a formal application to the Court of Appeal. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] I would appreciate confirmation of receipt and an indication within 14 days as to whether BP is prepared to engage in preliminary discussions. This would allow me to determine the most constructive path forward. Yours sincerely, [signature block trimmed]

Sir/Madam, I am writing on behalf of myself and siblings who are the heirs and successors of Mary Williams of the Williams family, rightful owners and occupiers of Great House Farm, Llandough since 1667 until our dispossession [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] in 1988. I write to summarize our position regarding our historical and ongoing dispossession of Great House Farm, which I alledge involves; – Denial of right to be heard by the land registry due to the fact my grandmother Mr Williams [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] died and our family were in mourning in the limited window granted to challenge BP registration of our land and property in their names. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] Because until her dying breath she maintained her ownership claim. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] Fraud and proceedural unfairness are ultimately rampant in the case of my families dispossession. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] I still have major concerns with how the MOJ just took months to respond only to fob me off last week. Or how the MP fobbed me off and will not provide a proper response. Or how CADW alledge this is nothing to do with them despite failing to list the farm house as a grade II so it couldn’t be demolished. As per a 1700 signature petition, which was practically the whole town at the time. Or the current councillor for Llandough failing to properly reply. Or the fact the national archives report gaps and missing and supressed records. Not withstanding Marconi was staying with us while inventing radio and the town won’t even out a plaque up to make that known. Which is more erasure of the history. Like in BPs planning application saying our 800 year old former court house home was just an old delapitated building. Not withstanding the supression of the 1870 roman soldier we discovered when changing our floor from stone to timber. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] And BP didn’t even seek a ruling on ownership, they only saught possession[personal passage omitted — not about the farm case]. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] There’s court mistakes too. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] 1667 we aquired the land and property in a 999 year leasehold. And in the early 1900’s obtained the superior paper title, free and clear outright equitable ownership, via the deal with Bute Estates quarryman Daniel Thomas. Which led to the tree planting ceremony to affirm this in history. Fredrick Bucklers transfer of Mrs Williams title to BP and their predecessors without her knowledge or consent isn’t legitimate and so has no authority. Him not being able to clarify that transaction due to dying doesn’t make it right as Mary Williams maintained her position after his death. She just couldn’t prove what she claimed without title. And the adjournment and dismissal of the two hearings in 1974 where she made her case, but without getting the ruling doesn’t negate the facts. [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] Summary of the Fraudulent Dispossession: – The Title Theft: Evidence supports that a “Title-for-Quarrying” agreement existed with Daniel Thomas of the Bute Estate. We maintain this title was later secretly and fraudulently sold back to the landlords by Frederick Buckler without the knowledge or consent of the rightful owner, Mary Williams. – Procedural Fraud (The 1974 License): The 1987 Court of Appeal ruling was predicated on a unilateral “license letter” issued by the landlords’ solicitors. We reject this document as a fraudulent instrument of stealth designed to bypass adverse possession rights without Mary Williams’ agreement. – Identity Erasure: Throughout all legal proceedings, Mary Williams was intentionally misidentified as “Mrs. Buckler.” [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] Our Position: The Williams family has never ceased its claim. We maintain that the land was taken through criminal stealth and that the current registered titles are “poisoned” by this original fraud. We are now seeking full reparations for the loss of ancestral wealth, the destruction of the Roman archaeological site on the property, and the systematic denial of our right to a fair trial. Please provide a formal response and update regarding your position on this matter within 14 days. Regards, Requester On behalf of and one of the Heirs and Successors of Mary Williams

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Dear Legal/Compliance Team, As heir of Mary Williams (d. 1983) and on behalf of the Williams family, I formally request all information held by BP Properties (or successors) relating to Great House Farm, Llandough, including the 1988 eviction/demolition. Specifically: deeds, leases, conveyance documents (post-Daniel Thomas quarry deal), correspondence with family/council/Cadw/police, rent records showing house ownership vs. defaulted farmland lease, court files (BP v Buckler 1987), and any internal notes on adverse possession or claims by the Buckler family. [wording updated at the author’s request, 19 Oct 2026] This is a formal disclosure request in support of ongoing restitution. Litigation hold required on all files. Reference my prior notice of 15 May 2026. I await your full response within statutory timescales where applicable. Requester

BP Archive Team, I am writing to enquire about records held within the BP corporate archive relating to the former Great House Farm / Ty Mawr property at Llandough, near Penarth, Glamorgan, South Wales. I am conducting historical and legal research into the property, which was acquired by BP Pension Trust Ltd in December 1969 and subsequently administered by BP Properties Ltd. The property was the subject of extensive litigation, including BP Properties Ltd v Buckler [1987] EWCA Civ 2, followed by the eviction of the occupying family in 1988 and demolition of the farmhouse later that year. Research context The central issue of my research is the identification of the individual parcels comprising the historic property. The evidence currently being examined indicates that the historic complex may have comprised separately identifiable: – a house-and-garden plot; – a western agricultural/farm plot containing the barn, stables and courtyard; and – an eastern cottages plot. Later mapping and Land Registry records appear to have treated some of these areas as a combined property. I am therefore particularly interested in establishing *what BP itself understood the boundaries and constituent parcels of the property to be*, and when any change or consolidation of those parcels occurred. Records sought I would be grateful if the BP Archive could search its holdings for records concerning: – BP Properties Ltd; – BP Pension Trust Ltd; – British Petroleum and relevant predecessor/subsidiary property records; – Great House Farm / Great House / Ty Mawr, Llandough; – Llandough-juxta-Penarth / Cogan / Penarth; – the Williams and Buckler families; – possession proceedings and enforcement, particularly 1955, 1962 and 1974–1988; – property acquisition, title investigation and disposal; – conveyances, title deeds, abstracts of title and schedules of deeds; – estate-management correspondence; – property, site and boundary plans; – Land Registry correspondence and registration, particularly 1982–1983. The relevant period is approximately *1955–1988*, with particular emphasis on *1962–1983*. Three priority categories If relevant material survives, I would particularly like to identify the following, in this order: *1. The BP Properties Ltd / BP Pension Trust Ltd property file for Great House Farm / Ty Mawr, Llandough* In particular, any acquisition/title file containing the original property description, conveyances, title investigation, schedules of deeds, property plans, boundary plans or correspondence identifying exactly which land and buildings BP considered to form the property. *2. The legal/property file relating to the 1962 possession proceedings and subsequent enforcement/re-entry* In particular, any BP legal correspondence, instructions to solicitors, plans, property descriptions or internal documents identifying the land and buildings to which the possession order was understood to apply. *3. The 1982–1983 title/registration/consolidation file* In particular, correspondence, plans, conveyances, title investigation and Land Registry material concerning the registration or amalgamation of the relevant parcels, including any documentation showing how the house-and-garden, eastern cottages and western farm/barn/stables/courtyard areas were treated. If these exact files do not survive, I would be very grateful for the nearest surviving files, alternative references or catalogue entries covering the same transactions. Access I would also appreciate advice on: – whether the relevant records are available for public research; – whether they can be viewed in person at the BP Archive at the University of Warwick; – whether advance appointment or reader registration is required; – whether particular records require advance retrieval; – whether copies or digital reproductions can be ordered; and – whether any relevant records are subject to closure or other access restrictions. I am happy to provide further information, including the relevant court case reference, property names, dates and Land Registry title numbers, if this would assist the archivist in identifying the records. Research purpose I am particularly interested in *contemporary BP documentation rather than later summaries*, because the central research question is what BP itself understood the property’s legal identity, boundaries and constituent parcels to be at the relevant dates. Thank you very much for any assistance you can provide. Yours sincerely, Requester

Dear Requester, Thank you for your interest in BP and our archived records. The materials available are from the organisation’s early beginnings up to the end of 1954. Unfortunately, due to the increasing complexity, resource implications of reviewing and recording, and dealing with external access requests, access to post-1954 materials held in the BP Archive is not available. Please let me know if you are still interested in accessing any pre-1955 materials for your research. Kind regards, Bethany Jones archive assistant bp archive [signature block trimmed]

Bethany, Thank you for your reply. I understand that the BP Archive contains material up to the end of 1954, but that post-1954 material is currently unavailable for external access. My original enquiry did include the later BP acquisition, litigation and registration records, so I understand that those parts of my request cannot currently be accessed. I would therefore like to clarify what *pre-1955 material concerning Great House Farm / Ty Mawr* is held within the accessible BP Archive. The reason this is particularly relevant is that Great House Farm was subsequently acquired by *BP Pension Trust Ltd from Western Ground Rents in 1969*, and became the subject of *BP Properties Ltd v Buckler [1987] EWCA Civ 2*. I am researching the underlying root of title and the history of the family’s occupation before *2 February 1955*, which is a critical date in the subsequent dispute. Could you please search the pre-1955 BP Archive holdings for Great House Farm / Ty Mawr, Llandough, including references under: – Great House Farm / Great House / Ty Mawr – Llandough – Western Ground Rents Ltd – Mountjoy Ltd – Bute Estate / Llandough Estate – Williams – Buckler In particular, I am looking for any surviving copies or references to: – the *1916 yearly tenancy agreement* between the Bute Estate and John Williams; – the *1924 Llandough Estate sale particulars — DSA/6/701*; – the *1938 Great House Farm auction particulars — GD/LA/15/255 and DSA/6/1158*; – the *1938 conveyance from Mountjoy Ltd to Western Ground Rents*; – the *1949 agreement or correspondence* concerning Frederick Buckler and Mary Williams taking over the occupation; – the *1953 judgment concerning rent arrears* at Great House Farm; and – any *notice to quit issued before 2 February 1955*. I would also be interested in any pre-1955 *plans, title descriptions, schedules of deeds, abstracts of title or other records* showing how the farmhouse, garden, farmyard, cottages and agricultural land were described or treated. I appreciate that some of these documents may have originated with the Bute Estate, Mountjoy or Western Ground Rents rather than BP itself. What I am trying to establish is whether any such historical material is present within the BP Archive, or whether the BP Archive has catalogue references identifying material which may have subsequently formed part of the title history of the property. If the answer is that the BP Archive contains *no pre-1955 material relating to Great House Farm / Ty Mawr*, I would be grateful if you could confirm that explicitly. If you can identify relevant catalogue references even where the underlying document is not held, those references would also be very useful. Thank you again for your assistance. Regards, Requester [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case] [quoted text trimmed]

Dear Requester, I have checked our records in relation to your request and have been unable to locate any documents concerning the matter prior to 1955. As explained in your email, this is because bp did not acquire the property until the 1960s. If you have any other questions do let me know. Thanks, Bethany Jones archive assistant bp archive [signature block trimmed]

*FORMAL PRESERVATION NOTICE* *Great House Farm / Tŷ Mawr, Llandough-juxta-Penarth* *Titles: WA231076, WA240304, WA513690 and WA735527* *Planning references: 89/01396/OUT and 92/00671/RES* *URL: **greathousefarmwiki.wordpress.com <https://greathousefarmwiki.wordpress.com>* *To each recipient separately, in your own capacity as a current or potential holder, custodian or controller of relevant records:* This notice is addressed to each recipient *individually*. It is *not a joint request*, and it does not ask any recipient to speak for, investigate on behalf of, or answer in place of any other person or organisation. Each recipient is asked to respond only in respect of records within that recipient’s own possession, custody or control, including records inherited from a predecessor organisation or retained on its behalf. 1. Nature and purpose of this notice This is a *formal preservation notice* concerning documentary material relating to Great House Farm / Tŷ Mawr, Llandough-juxta-Penarth, adjoining St Dochdwy’s, and the subsequent development of the site, including the area now associated with Church View Close. It is *not a claim form, is not service of proceedings, and is not intended to constitute or replace any FOI request, internal review, complaint, subject-access request or other statutory process already made to any recipient.* The purpose of this notice is to require the preservation of potentially relevant material while the documentary history, title chain, registration history, planning history, possession proceedings, demolition and subsequent development are being reconstructed. A separate first-stage preservation notice has been issued or is being issued to Cadw / Welsh Government FOI, HM Land Registry Wales Office and DPO, Heneb / GGAT HER, RCAHMW, Vale of Glamorgan FOI Unit and DPO, Glamorgan Archives, South Wales Police FOI, The National Archives, the Wales Office FOI team, and the National Library of Wales. Persimmon Homes (Wales) Ltd has received a separate preservation letter. *You are receiving this notice separately because the published documentary record places you, or a predecessor whose records may remain in your custody or control, within the documentary, legal, professional, administrative or development chain concerning this land.* 2. Land and documentary scope Please preserve, and do not destroy, alter, overwrite, discard, transfer out of custody without a recorded handover, or otherwise dispose of, any record within your possession, custody or control relating to the land or matters identified below. The scope includes, without limitation, *originals, copies, working papers, drafts, annotations, plans, photographs, negatives, films, tapes, maps, registers, indexes, correspondence, emails and attachments, electronic files, archived mailboxes, databases, metadata, internal notes, meeting records, instructions, client or matter files, survey material and other associated records.* The material requested includes: *1. Historical ownership, occupation and conveyancing* The 1877 split; the 1916 and 1939 tenancies; the 1938 Bute to Western Ground Rents conveyance; the 1969 Western Ground Rents to BP Pension Trust conveyance; and any plans, schedules, abstracts, searches, correspondence or other documents relied upon in relation to those transactions. *2. Possession proceedings and subsequent litigation* The [removed] and [removed] possession orders; the 1974 proceedings; *BP Properties Ltd v Buckler [1987] EWCA Civ 2*; House of Lords leave papers, including *YHL/PO/JO/10/11/2536*; and *Buckler v United Kingdom (1989)*, including associated correspondence, instructions, evidence, plans and working papers. *3. Land registration* The first registration of *WA231076*, including the application dated 30 November 1982; the first registration of *WA240304*, including the application dated 23 February 1983; subsequent amalgamation, transfer or closure; and every plan, conveyance, abstract, search, application, correspondence trail or professional file relied upon in connection with those registrations or changes. *4. 1988 possession and demolition* The taking of possession on or about *29 November 1988* and the demolition commenced on or about *6 December 1988*, including any planning, listed-building, heritage, police, enforcement, media, contractor, survey, photographic or inter-agency liaison material. *5. Planning and subsequent development, 1989–1996* Planning application *89/01396/OUT*; reserved matters application *92/00671/RES*; conditions 16–18; GGAT / Cotswold Archaeology material; records concerning any *section 52, section 106, planning obligation, local land charge or equivalent instrument*; and the transfer from BP to Ideal Homes dated *3 December 1993*, together with all associated plans, correspondence, approvals, agreements, searches and completion material. *6. Family records* Records concerning *Mary Doreen Williams (died 1983)* and *William Buckler*, insofar as those records relate to Great House Farm / Tŷ Mawr, the land described above, its occupation, ownership, possession, disposal, registration, development or demolition. 3. Predecessor and inherited files Where you hold, or may hold, a file originating with a predecessor, successor, merged practice, affiliated practice, client or other entity, that material is also within scope. This includes, without limitation, records originating from: *Loosemores of Cardiff; Robbins Olivey & Blake Lapthorn / Blake Morgan; Linklaters & Paines; Debenham Tewson / DTZ / Cushman & Wakefield; Wyn Thomas + Partners; Ideal Homes Wales; BP Properties; BP Pension Trust; Cotswold Archaeological Trust; Cardiff Bay Development Corporation; and South Glamorgan County Council.* The reference to a predecessor file does not assert that you necessarily hold such a file. It identifies material for which a reasonable custody or succession inquiry should be made where applicable. 4. Preservation steps Please take reasonable steps to prevent the routine destruction, deletion, alteration or overwriting of potentially relevant material, including material held in *archived mailboxes, legacy systems, off-site storage, document-management systems, backup repositories and other electronic or physical stores*. Where relevant material has been transferred to another repository, archive, successor organisation or third party, please preserve the information necessary to identify the transfer and its current location, including any accession, file, box, reference or custody details. Nothing in this notice requires the creation of records that do not exist. The request concerns the preservation of records already held or controlled by you. 5. Purpose and legal position This notice is *not a finding against any recipient*, and I am not asking any recipient to determine title or adjudicate the underlying dispute. The *1987 Court of Appeal judgment* is relied upon here only for matters actually determined by that judgment, including the issues concerning possession, limitation and the October 1974 letters. This preservation notice does not treat that judgment as having determined the complete documentary root of title to the farmhouse parcel. The underlying documentary history, including the relationship between the farmhouse parcel and the agricultural land subsequently dealt with through Western Ground Rents and BP, remains a matter requiring reconstruction from the primary records. Accordingly, preservation is requested precisely so that the documentary record can be established from the records themselves rather than through assumptions based on later registration, later occupation, later planning treatment or secondary descriptions. 6. Acknowledgement and identification of records Please acknowledge receipt of this notice and, in your own capacity, confirm: *(a)* the officer, partner, records manager or other person responsible for implementing the preservation hold; *(b)* what records within your possession, custody or control you have identified as falling within the scope above; and *(c)* where you identify no records within scope, what relevant systems, files, repositories or predecessor records you searched in reaching that conclusion. A substantive assessment of title is not requested from you. The immediate requirement is preservation and identification of the documentary material you hold. The public documentary index and developing evidence record is available at: *https://greathousefarmwiki.wordpress.com/ <https://greathousefarmwiki.wordpress.com/>* Please monitor that site for subsequent identification of documents, references and specific schedules relevant to your organisation’s records. Where a reliable public email address is unavailable, a postal preservation notice will also be sent. For example, a postal notice will follow to *Loosemores, Nothing in this notice constitutes an abandonment, waiver or limitation of any claim, position or remedy concerning *title, registration, concealment, limitation, reopening, rectification or alteration of the register, or any associated matter.* [personal passage omitted — not about the farm case]