Eccentric millionaire leaves entire £8million winemaking fortune to VILLAGE that shares his name…& locals will get a cut
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AN ECCENTRIC French millionaire has left his £8m fortune to a village because it shared its name with him - even though he never visited. Roger Thiberville, a meteorologist who lived in Paris, has left Thiberville, Normandy, and its 1,800 residents with his inheritance.
![[The mayor has revealed how the town will spend the cash]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/mairie-et-tribunal-de-paix-961297650.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Thiberville died in August aged 91 and had no children or relatives to put in his will. The recluse owned four Parisian apartments in a posh area and had inherited money himself from his parents wine-making operation. The £8m (10m Euros) is five times Thiberville's budget and has left residents in the town stunned.
![[Guy Paris, the mayor of Thiberville, said he thought the gift was a joke at first]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/guy-paris-mayor-thiberville-961299062.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The village's mayor Guy Paris said he first thought it was a practical joke. Paris told l'Eveil: "I was a little surprised but I was going to be even more so when I was going to know the estimate of these assets. "Luckily, I was sitting down. "It was a lovely surprise just before Christmas.”.
Residents are keen for the council to spend the cash on public investments. Little is known about the man Thiberville who lived alone in a small apartment in Paris. Mayor Paris said he had been told that Thiberville had never visited Thiberville. Local man Bruno told The Times: “We should use it to provide better facilities for young people.
![[The hsitoric church in Thiberville]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/en-wikipedia-org-wiki-thiberville-961297648.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
“That’s something we really need.”. Another villager, Robert, commented: “We’ve never had so many journalists descending on us before. "There have been television crews from Paris and across France, and now reporters from other countries. At least it’s for a happy story but frankly, we’ll be glad when things calm down.”.
![[Only 1,800 people live in the idyllic town]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/thiberville-france-961311723.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
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