To say no?

[Honeyroar]

Thirty years ago a neighbour was doing up a derelict farm and shared a load of stone with my father who was also building something. The leftover stone got left on our small holding. Another of my dad’s friends had stone stored there too for a few years. I moved home a decade or so later and built stables near where the stone was. I told both men that we needed the area so they needed to move the stone. Twice. Nothing happened. (it was easier for them to have it cluttering up our small holding than their own basically). Finally I said that if they didn’t move their stone I’d assume that they didn’t want it and they were abandoning it. One came immediately and moved his stone. The other still never came, so we built the stables and fenced off the area. The stone is still there along with some of ours. It’s not high quality building stone, more the remnants that would be good for a stone wall.

Suddenly, nearly 25 yrs later the man has decided he needs the stone to build a wall. It would mean pulling down the fence to get at it (a fence that’s just been newly replaced this spring) and I’m not even sure which is his and which is my dad’s (nor is my dad anymore, and the bloke will try and claim some of ours). Was I unreasonable saying no, he’s lost the stone, and he should’ve moved it years ago when I told him to if he wanted it? He thinks I’m being unreasonable and claims I never s said it. I think he’s a CF.

[TeaStory]

YANBU. You don’t get to store a load of stuff on someone else’s land, to their detriment, for years on end for free and without permission. Pretty sure you’re legally in the clear too.

[NooneElseIsSingingMySong]

25 years later? YANBU.

[Sally872]

I would let him have the stone and finally be rid of it. Insist fence is moved and put back at his cost though.

If you dont know what stone belongs to who just let him pick. Or you pick and tell him what he can take.

[DifficultPifcultLemonDifficult]

Give him an invoice for 25 years worth of storage fees. He can collect the stone upon payment.

[TeaStory]

Sorry, I used “you” to refer to a third party and to the OP in the same paragraph 😳

[Sally872]

If you want the stone keep it yanbu. But don't keep it if you would rather loose the clutter just to prove a point.

[Gawdsake2020]

It’s been 25 years. Tell him no he should of got it 25 years ago.

[Honeyroar]

We would probably use it ourselves in the future to build a wall on our land (can’t afford it now), so I’m happy for it to sit there now until we do. It would make a mess moving the stone and I know this bloke wouldn’t clear it up properly either.

[Honeyroar]

Thanks everyone. I started to question myself Whether I was being mean when I walked away.

[YakkityYakYakYak]

He is a CF. Use it to build a nice wall and send him a photo

[23trains]

30 years! He’s the CF.

[onalongsabbatical]

Stupid man is an entitled idiot. Well done for standing up to his nonsense OP.