Lonely lord sells estate

David Piper failed to find romance with Rosaura Cappelleri

A Devon lord of the manor who placed a lonely hearts advert to find a female partner has sold his estate for an undisclosed sum.

David Piper, 53, has sold the Warleigh Estate near Plymouth, which was valued at £2.4m.

The divorced father-of-four is to retain the title "Lord of the Manor of Warleigh" and several acres of land.

The advert Mr Piper put in the International Herald Tribune last year attracted responses from 1,300 women from around the world.

I have been inundated with responses from interested ladies - there is absolutely no doubt I will find someone David Piper

Although the estate with its 71-roomed listed Grade II mansion house and outbuildings has been sold, the lonely lord's search for love continues.

Romance failed to blossom with Rosaura Cappelleri, a 32-year-old real estate agent who sold her home in the United States to move to Devon in order to meet him.

Mr Piper said: "There is no blossoming relationship between the two of us so I am still searching."

He said Mrs Cappelleri planned to move to France with her two children.

'Interested ladies'

But Mr Piper said he remains confident he will find the woman of his dreams.

"I have been inundated with responses from interested ladies. There is absolutely no doubt I will find someone," he said.

Mr Piper, who owns a hotel on Plymouth's seafront, said he planned to sell his remaining slice of the Warleigh estate in plots of 400 square feet at £1,250 each.

"I think it is very sensible to sell off parts of the land to people who were unable to purchase the mansion house but who want to buy a piece of English heritage while they can," he said.

The lonely lord said he would not rule out re-advertising for a lady in the future.