Dunbeath Castle owner resigned as director of multiple companies on day of death
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Further information surrounding the death of Caithness businessman Stuart Wyndham Murray Threipland reveals that he resigned as director of 14 companies on June 12, the day he was found dead from a gunshot wound.
Mr Murray Threipland (76), known as Tertius, was found with a fatal gunshot wound to the head and next to his vehicle on the Wilton Estate in Wiltshire – a property owned by his stepson, William Herbert, the 18th Earl of Pembroke.
He died on the same day that property agents Savills announced that his estate and 13-bedroom castle at Dunbeath had gone on the market at offers over £25million and he resigned directorship of 14 companies.
According to Companies House records, he also resigned as director of Kitagawa Europe Limited exactly one month before on May 12.
Wiltshire Police said: "Officers were called to an address in Wilton at 1.10pm on June 12 following a report of a sudden death of a man in his 70s.
"There are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and a file will be prepared on behalf of HM Coroner for Wiltshire."
It was reported that a friend identified the body.
Wilton mayor Andy Kinsey said Mr Murray Threipland had rented a property on the Wilton Estate and often stayed there. He added: “It is devastating really for his lordship. It is very sad. I had met him (Mr Murray Threipland) a few times and his wife.”
Further tests were ordered and the inquest was adjourned until August.
In an earlier statement, the family said: “Stuart Murray Threipland, known to many as Tertius, sadly died on June 12 in Wilton.
“He will be hugely missed by all his family.”
Mr Murray Threipland was married twice, first to Belinda Mary Musker, who was the mother of his three children, and later to Claire Rose Pelly. The present Earl of Pembroke, inherited the title when his father died of cancer in 2003.
When Dunbeath Castle and estate went on the market, Evelyn Channing from Savills said: "The current owners have invested a great deal of time, love and capital into Dunbeath Estate over the last 26 years and are now keen to see it develop and prosper further under the ownership of a new custodian who shares their enthusiasm for Caithness and has an exciting vision for its future."
The A-listed castle dates from the 15th century but was significantly remodelled in the 1860s in the grand Baronial style by David Bryce who also transformed the gardens and grounds.
