A South Lakeland village could be thrown into turmoil and a farmer could lose his livelihood over the sale of a landowner’s estate.

Troutbeck farmer Pip Simpson is facing an uncertain future with land he tends set to be auctioned off after a wealthy landowner died, leaving her estate to charity.

Mr Simpson, 45, owns Poole Bank Farm where he currently rents 405 acres of land from the estate – Lanefoot Farm – belonging to the late Mary Dawson.

However, since Ms Dawson’s death two-and-half-years ago, Mr Simpson has been worried about what will become of the land. Mrs Dawson left instructions for her estate to be left to Cancer UK and the RNLI, but this means Mr Simpson could see the land he rents sold off.

Mr Simpson is the third generation of his family to farm the land and although he has tenancy on the land, he has been refused permission by the estate agents dealing with it to bid for what he rents. The estate has been set out into 19 individual plots, each available for individual sale at the auction run by Michael Hodgson Estate Agents.

Mr Simpson rents all 19 plots, nine on a agricultural tenancy and the other 10 on a business tenancy agreement.

Like his grandfather, Bob Brocklebank and his father Mike Simpson before him, Mr Simpson hopes to be able to pass down the family beef and sheep farming business to his sons, Ryan, 21 and Jordan, 17.

Mr Simpson said: “Because Ms Dawson has no family and I have a leasehold for the next two generations of my family before it can be reviewed, it just doesn’t seem to make any sense to auction it off this way.

“There are certain plots up for auction that I rent, that even if you bought, you would not be able to set foot on it as it is under tenancy and has no direct access. I could potentially have nine new landlords on Friday for certain bits of the land I farm and this could, in effect, lead to the demise of my business.”

The news has also concerned villagers in Troutbeck.

Geoff Brown, a committee member of the Troutbeck Village Association and Chairman of the Affordable Housing Group, said: “It is an extremely worrying time for residents as the outcome of the auction could upset the whole village. Troutbeck is made up of a series of hamlets surrounded by farmland, which remains as it is because of the four or five families who have farmed it for generations. This auction could see the land divided up and change the infrastructure of the whole valley.”

The trustees and charities of Ms Dawson’s estate were unavailable for comment.

The auction will be held at The Marchesi Centre, Holly Road, Windermere tomorrow at 3pm.