Lord of the wedding ring seeks lady

WOMEN wanting a grand life and a grand title now have their chance.

An English lord with plenty of money needs a lady of the manor.

There's only one catch she must be well-heeled too.

David Piper, otherwise known as the Lord of Warleigh, has resorted to the lonely hearts columns in his bid to find a wife.

The 52-year-old divorcee and father of four teenage children knows what he wants in a woman.

The lady the eccentric lord wants on his arm must be young, attractive, intelligent and, most importantly, of independent means.

He wants a woman with more than a few bob because he has plans to renovate his €4.7m country mansion.

He says his ad in the International Herald Tribune has been carefully designed to ward off fraudsters or gold-diggers.

"I would be able to rumble them too quickly," he said.

Mr Piper has already received about 20 replies but has yet to meet any of them face-to-face.

Among those who are hoping to be his bride are an Italian opera singer and a French art dealer.

His manor house has 71 rooms, including 33 bedrooms and 15 bathrooms.

The estate has two miles of river frontage, walled gardens, a bluebell wood, stables, riverside quay and numerous outbuildings.

Mr Piper was a tenant for a number of years before buying the manor house outright in 1999. He has since tried to sell it but is hoping that, with the help of a woman of substance he can retire and live happily ever after there.

The Essex-born businessman, who went to school with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and TV presenter Noel Edmonds, started out as an underwriter for Lloyds in London and then went on to make his fortune from property development.

He was married to his ex-wife for 13 years and have three daughters and a son.

He divorced his wife four years ago. He admits to having various girlfriends since but, literally, pound for pound they were no match for him.