For sale: A fairy tale

Re/Max agent lists 700-year-old estate on eBay; castle contents and titles included.

In 1272, King Alexander III bequeathed thousands of acres of rolling Scottish hills and plains to a Flemish knight, named William Locard, in return for his loyalty to the Scottish Crown. The King declared the lands a Feudal Barony and overnight William became the 1st Baron of Lee. The fairy tale story that had just begun can be seen at www.leecastle.com.

Seven centuries later, with the click of a mouse, one lucky individual could become the 35th Baron or Baroness of Lee. The 261-acre Barony, Lee Castle, all its contents, including centuries old tapestries, and the rights to the title of Baron or Baroness of Lee are now up for auction on eBay, through RE/MAX Clydesdale-Biggar in Scotland. The auction can be viewed at www.eBay.com (search: Scottish Lee Castle).

“After more than eight million clicks on our website, we definitely captured the fantasy and imagination of many from all over the world,” said Nassim Tahzib, a California web consultant assisting the owners of the estate.

Located equidistant between Glasgow and Edinburgh, medieval Lee Castle was remodeled almost two hundred years ago in a Gothic style, with the help of Pugin, the legendary architect and Gothic designer who amongst his many accomplishments helped design and build the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben. The property has always been privately owned and today is a protected historic building.

Lee Castle has been extensively renovated over the last two decades with all modern conveniences. The newly completed infrastructure, includes multi zone central heat and air-conditioning, backup generators, water well with filtration, fire protection, 3 remote electric gates, state of the art video security, phone and high speed computer lines, an indoor pool, a pub with its own elevator, and for the busy traveler, a helicopter landing pad.

History has it that “Braveheart,” Sir William Wallace, champion of Scottish people and crusader for his nation’s freedom against the English Crown, was born in Lanark and lived his childhood just a stone’s throw from the estate and later was victorious against the English Army at the battle of Stirling Bridge in 1296.

Another prize that comes with the estate is the 25-member Pipes and Drums of the Barony of Lee, who will play for the new residents at their beckoning.

Gordon Lockhart of Re/Max said, “Perhaps the greatest feature of this estate is the buyer becomes the 35th Baron or Baroness of Lee, with all titles and rights, recognized by Her Majesty Elizabeth II, Queen of Great Britain and the Commonwealth.”

In addition the new owner will have the privilege of registering their own coat-of-arms, motto, and yes, even the family tartan. After all, surely a Scottish Baron or Baroness would not be a true Scot or dream of participating in the ceremonial opening of the Scottish Parliament without his or her kilt.