Cator family told to pay Lady Pea £80k in row's latest twist

Norfolk's wealthy Cator family have been locked in a dispute with Patricia Ramshaw - known as Lady Pea - for more than two years over her tenancy at the Old House in Ranworth.

The bitter war appeared to have reached its conclusion in June when Lady Pea was evicted from the Grade II listed property - where she had been living since 2021 with a menagerie of animals.

But the family have now been ordered by civil courts to pay £80,000 to their former tenant - who has been living in her car with two Great Danes and a chihuahua - after failing to respond to a claim she had made.

Lady Pea lodged her appeal through the Civil National Business Centre, a government body which allows people to make claims for money through the civil courts.

A letter sent to landlord Sam Cator, and seen by this newspaper, states he had not responded to a claim made by Lady Pea and orders him to pay her the sum of £80,000.

But the family's lawyers have questioned the claim and say he is confident of having it overturned.

A legal representative for Mr Cator said: "Our client is aware of the order. We are concerned about the validity of service of Ms Ramshaw's claim as it appears that our client was not provided with (and therefore could not respond to) the particulars of the claim.

"According, our client is going to apply to have the order set aside and is confident that this application will succeed."

The row centres around Lady Pea's tenancy of the Old House in Ranworth, a picturesque site in the Broads village owned by the Cators.

Lady Pea moved into the £3,500 per month property, paying a year's rent up-front.

She moved into the property and was soon joined by more than 20 animals - some of which lived in the house with her and others that shared the land.

But the relationship between the parties broke down months later, resulting in a tribunal.

Lady Pea argued the property was not fit for rental, due to it lacking heating and having an energy rating of zero.

The Cators argued she had broken the terms of her tenancy by bringing animals onto the site, including four dogs, two horses, pigs, sheep, ducks and geese.

Patricia Ramshaw, outside of Norwich Crown Court (Image: Newsquest)

During the hearing, several bizarre accusations were exchanged between the warring parties.

These included an allegation that Jane Cator, a deputy lieutenant of Norfolk, had spied on Lady Pea from a nearby church tower.

Mrs Cator admitted she would frequent the tower but denied that she was spying on their then tenant.

The tribunal ruled in the Cators' favour, but the judge criticised both sides for the way the case had unfolded.

Judge Stephen Evans said: "These proceedings provide a salutary lesson for those prospective landlords and tenants who embark on entering into a tenancy without defining the ambit of the demise, and without agreeing to all relevant terms of the tenancy before occupation is taken up."

Since her eviction, Lady Pea has been living in her 10-year-old Range Rover with her three dogs - but hopes to move into a new permanent residence soon.

She said: "I feel like they have done everything they can to destroy me, but I am fighting and I am surviving.

"For the last 15 weeks I have been living in my car but I am warmer than I ever was in that house.

"I am really proud of the way I have survived through this awful situation."