Ken Holt was a wealthy farmer in Lincolnshire. In 1952 he befriended Geoffrey Gillett and then persuaded the young man to work on the farm instead of continuing at school. For nearly 40 years, Gillett was Holt’s right arm, a relationship that did not falter when Gillett married. Over these years, when Gillett managed the farm and eventually entered into partnership with Holt, Holt repeatedly promised that Gillett would be the principal beneficiary of his will. These were no idle boasts, but were repeated often, in public, and were given effect in several versions of Holt’s will. In 1992, Holt formed a friendship with Mr Wood (a trainee solicitor), the result of which was the eventual breakdown of his relations with the Gillett family and their exclusion from his will. In Gillett v. Holt [2000] 3 W.L.R 815 Geoffrey Gillett asserted that Holt was estopped from changing his will so as to deny Gillett his expected legacy. As we might think, a simple case of proprietary estoppel based on assurance, reliance and detriment. However, Carnwath J. at first instance thought otherwise and rejected estoppel because first, Gillett could not establish that Holt had made an irrevocable promise not to change his will (and everyone knows that wills may be changed), and secondly, Gillett had suffered no detriment.