Owned and inhabited by the family since 1659, St Michael’s Mount is a tidal island with a magnificent castle that can be reached by road from Penzance at low tide.

Felix St Aubyn, chief executive of St Aubyn Estates and son of James, said: “My great uncle, the late Lord Saint LevanHe was a trained lawyer and a zealous guardian of property. “No proposal has been made to transfer the property to Mr. Clemo.”

He added: “Mr Clemo has been a friend of the family for decades. I’ve known him since I was born. The family has so many fond memories of Mr. Clemo that makes this situation especially sad.

“The estate has leased this land free of charge to Mr. Clemo for many years, a reflection of a long and close relationship. For more than a decade the estate has been trying to formalize the arrangement to ensure its tenancy while also reflecting modern practices.”

The nephew complained that Mr. Clemo “refused to have any interest” in the property and “left the family no choice but to issue a warrant,” which was served more than a year ago.

Mr Clemo said the winds changed after John moved inland to Penzance in 2003, starting with the island being closed to visitors on Saturdays.

He said that since the late Lord’s death, new fees have been introduced for locals wishing to enter the island, while visitors have complained about a nearby car park, where stiff fines have been imposed and dogs are banned from certain parts of the island. .