0:00:02 > 0:00:05Today, the person the heir hunters are investigating doesn't
0:00:05 > 0:00:06seem to exist.
0:00:06 > 0:00:11When we did our search, it turned out that there was actually
0:00:11 > 0:00:15no other Brookstones ever in any of the records.
0:00:16 > 0:00:20And a sailor risks prison, all for the sake of love.
0:00:20 > 0:00:24That was quite unusual, and certainly for a serving personnel,
0:00:24 > 0:00:27absolutely impossible and extremely dangerous.
0:00:27 > 0:00:30The heir hunters attempt to solve a family mystery stretching
0:00:30 > 0:00:31back 100 years.
0:00:31 > 0:00:34All right, then. Cheers.
0:00:34 > 0:00:38We're still unsure as to why the deceased is Collinson,
0:00:38 > 0:00:40yet, his mother marries a Kerkham.
0:00:40 > 0:00:44And one relative gets the surprise of a lifetime.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46We were very excited.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50We've not really had any sort of inheritance before,
0:00:50 > 0:00:53and I was very excited for me and my family.
0:01:07 > 0:01:11When navigating the twists and turns of genealogy research, heir hunters
0:01:11 > 0:01:16often journey through significant passages of our country's past.
0:01:16 > 0:01:22It's quite important to have a grasp of the social history of the UK.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24You need to go with your hunches.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26Those hunches are built on knowledge,
0:01:26 > 0:01:28and that's something that you pick up every time,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31but it may also be something you have acquired through an interest
0:01:31 > 0:01:33in British and international history.
0:01:38 > 0:01:44William Ernest Brookstone was born in Essex on 22 January, 1949.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48He moved to Plymouth in his 20s where he was regarded with
0:01:48 > 0:01:52great affection and fondness by friends and colleagues.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55He was a kind soul. You couldn't help liking him.
0:01:55 > 0:01:56Everybody at work liked him.
0:01:56 > 0:01:58He had a smile on his face for everybody.
0:01:58 > 0:02:00He was just that type of person.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03He worked locally as a machine operator
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and was known for having a great sense of humour.
0:02:06 > 0:02:08He'd make you laugh, always tell you a joke,
0:02:08 > 0:02:11and if you that you were slightly upset
0:02:11 > 0:02:15or you're not in a good mood, he would actually make an effort to
0:02:15 > 0:02:18try and make it a bit better for you and try and cheer you up.
0:02:18 > 0:02:21He was fun-loving, he loved his friends.
0:02:21 > 0:02:24He had a lot of time for everybody. He was generous, kind.
0:02:24 > 0:02:28I've never known anybody to ever have a bad word to say about Bill.
0:02:29 > 0:02:36Sadly, on Christmas Eve 2012, William passed away aged 63.
0:02:36 > 0:02:39Since Bill's passing, I've lost a really good friend.
0:02:40 > 0:02:45I miss his laughs, his smiles. His company.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48I miss mostly about Bill is his sense of humour
0:02:48 > 0:02:51and his warm personality.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53That's what I think I miss most about Billy.
0:02:57 > 0:03:00The case was passed to London heir hunting firm Finders through
0:03:00 > 0:03:02a private individual,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06but barely anything was known about the details of William's life.
0:03:06 > 0:03:09Case manager Suzanne Rowley took up the challenge.
0:03:09 > 0:03:11When we were given the case, we knew that it was worth
0:03:11 > 0:03:14approximately £20,000,
0:03:14 > 0:03:16but it is worthwhile looking into
0:03:16 > 0:03:20and it is good to pass on the inheritance to the rightful heirs.
0:03:20 > 0:03:23With only a death certificate to go on,
0:03:23 > 0:03:27the team needed to find William's birth details.
0:03:27 > 0:03:31William Ernest Brookstone sounds like quite an easy name to research.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34I've never heard the surname Brookstone before.
0:03:34 > 0:03:37But the team hit a problem almost immediately.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41It's always vital to have the birth certificate when working on a case.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44The birth certificate shows us the names of the parents.
0:03:44 > 0:03:45If we don't have the parents,
0:03:45 > 0:03:48we can't do any of the research into the family tree.
0:03:48 > 0:03:53When we did our search, it turned out that there was actually
0:03:53 > 0:03:57no other Brookstones ever in any of the records.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00I was suspicious that, possibly, he could have changed his name.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04Changes in spelling of surnames, again, is very common.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07Or the change of an actual surname completely to another name.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10We come across this on a very regular basis.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14It's not something you would go into a case expecting to happen,
0:04:14 > 0:04:17but you'd be surprised at how often it does happen.
0:04:17 > 0:04:21Suzanne needed to hunt for more elusive records.
0:04:21 > 0:04:26We happened to have a copy of a job application form from 1977.
0:04:26 > 0:04:30It stated that his surname was Brookstone,
0:04:30 > 0:04:33so we know he was using that name at that time.
0:04:33 > 0:04:37It also mentioned that he used to be part of the Navy.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41And friends and neighbours were able to shed further light on these
0:04:41 > 0:04:42shreds of new information.
0:04:42 > 0:04:44Hi. I was wondering if you could help me.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48We are a company in London. So we are heir hunters.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52Further information gathered from neighbours,
0:04:52 > 0:04:55I was able to find out that William Brookstone was actually
0:04:55 > 0:04:58in a same-sex relationship with a Mr Stone.
0:04:58 > 0:05:03Bill and Victor had had a relationship for many, many years.
0:05:03 > 0:05:07I think, certainly, from when Bill was very young.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11When he first came out of the services, I believe.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14And they absolutely adored each other.
0:05:14 > 0:05:18With this information, I went to look at the electoral rolls.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20I was able to pick-up them living together,
0:05:20 > 0:05:22but they were both named Brookstone.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27So, I then thought that, possibly, William could have been
0:05:27 > 0:05:31born as a Brooks and Victor was then born as a Stone.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36Suzanne began a fresh hunt for a William Ernest Brooks.
0:05:36 > 0:05:39I found a perfect record for a William Ernest Brooks
0:05:39 > 0:05:44born on 22 January, 1949 in Woodford.
0:05:44 > 0:05:48This matched perfectly with the death that we had which
0:05:48 > 0:05:49stated his date of birth.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53Further investigation confirmed that this was the same William that
0:05:53 > 0:05:58had spent some time in the Navy, as his job application had revealed.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00When Bill was in the services,
0:06:00 > 0:06:04he worked in the NAAFI, which is the canteen on board
0:06:04 > 0:06:08the ship, so he knew everybody and everybody would certainly know him.
0:06:08 > 0:06:11I think he makes a big impression wherever he goes.
0:06:11 > 0:06:14Billy did mention that he was former Navy.
0:06:14 > 0:06:16He was quite a private man.
0:06:16 > 0:06:19He didn't really share that side of his life.
0:06:19 > 0:06:24But William's sexuality would have posed a major problem in the 1970s
0:06:24 > 0:06:27and could be the reason why he had left the Armed Forces.
0:06:32 > 0:06:35I can understand entirely why William
0:06:35 > 0:06:38changed his name by deed poll to acknowledge
0:06:38 > 0:06:42and recognise his partner, but that was quite unusual
0:06:42 > 0:06:44and certainly, for a serving personnel,
0:06:44 > 0:06:47absolutely impossible and extremely dangerous.
0:06:49 > 0:06:52Homosexuality was a serious offence under military law.
0:06:55 > 0:06:59Gay sailors like William in the Royal Navy would be
0:06:59 > 0:07:02living in constant fear of exposure
0:07:02 > 0:07:07and a knock on the door by the military police.
0:07:07 > 0:07:11It was a very tense, scary atmosphere.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15They loved their job, they were committed to the Royal Navy,
0:07:15 > 0:07:19yet, under naval law, they were criminals.
0:07:19 > 0:07:23They were liable to arrest, imprisonment
0:07:23 > 0:07:25and dishonourable discharge.
0:07:26 > 0:07:32During the 1970s, anywhere between 80 to 300 military personnel were
0:07:32 > 0:07:36discharged dishonourably because of homosexuality.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40After a sailor was dishonourably discharged from the Navy,
0:07:40 > 0:07:43they would often find it very difficult to get a new job.
0:07:43 > 0:07:47That dishonourable discharge would hang over their heads
0:07:47 > 0:07:51and many employers would be reluctant to employ them.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55It took European legislation to force the ban on gay people
0:07:55 > 0:07:58joining the Armed Forces to be lifted.
0:07:59 > 0:08:04It was not until the year 2000 that lesbian, gay
0:08:04 > 0:08:10and bisexual personnel were allowed to serve openly in the Armed Forces.
0:08:10 > 0:08:15In 1999, the European Court of Human Rights ruled that banning
0:08:15 > 0:08:19people from military service because of their sexual orientation
0:08:19 > 0:08:23was unlawful, unjust discrimination, and that's what
0:08:23 > 0:08:27compelled the British government to finally change the law a year later.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34And today it's a very different story.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38Nowadays, there has been a complete sea-change.
0:08:38 > 0:08:43The Royal Navy is in many ways a model employer.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47Not only can lesbian, gay, bisexual, and now transgender,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52people serve openly, they are protected under the disciplinary
0:08:52 > 0:08:56code against prejudice and discrimination.
0:08:56 > 0:09:00They're allowed to live in married quarters if they have a partner,
0:09:00 > 0:09:04they join in and participate in LGBT Pride
0:09:04 > 0:09:07parades around the country in uniform.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10So, it's a complete transformation from the terrible,
0:09:10 > 0:09:13ghastly days in which William suffered.
0:09:14 > 0:09:16But as Suzanne and her team discovered,
0:09:16 > 0:09:20this didn't stand in the way of William's relationship with Victor.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25So, at the time, there was no legal partnership
0:09:25 > 0:09:28between same-sex couples.
0:09:28 > 0:09:32You weren't able to have a civil partnership or a marriage,
0:09:32 > 0:09:34so in this case, I think
0:09:34 > 0:09:37they simply joined their names to show that they were together.
0:09:37 > 0:09:39Yeah, I would assume that Victor
0:09:39 > 0:09:41was probably the love of Bill's life, really.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45But frustratingly, without a legal marriage, neither Victor nor
0:09:45 > 0:09:49any descendants could be considered as potential heirs.
0:09:49 > 0:09:54Before the civil partnership laws came into force, there was
0:09:54 > 0:09:56a real problem for people in a same-sex relationship
0:09:56 > 0:10:00in that there was no guaranteed right of inheritance
0:10:00 > 0:10:02from one partner to the other.
0:10:02 > 0:10:05So with Victor ruled out as a potential heir,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07the case took an unexpected twist.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Did William himself have children?
0:10:09 > 0:10:13Over the years, a daughter was mentioned.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17It would have been nice to be able to find her.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Or find out the facts and perhaps have had her there
0:10:20 > 0:10:22at the funeral at the end.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26This sort of put a spanner in the works as we then had to
0:10:26 > 0:10:29check to see whether William was previously married.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33If the names were correct and William did have children and they
0:10:33 > 0:10:37had children, this would mean that his children would then inherit.
0:10:37 > 0:10:41If they had passed away, then their children would inherit.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45So, all of the previous work that we had done would become invalid
0:10:45 > 0:10:47and, in fact, it would be the children
0:10:47 > 0:10:50who would benefit from the estate.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54This took the investigation in a whole new direction.
0:10:54 > 0:10:56After ordering up many marriages,
0:10:56 > 0:11:00they came in and they were all incorrect.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03But so far, the heir hunters were having no luck.
0:11:17 > 0:11:21It's Thursday at 10.30 in the morning in London.
0:11:21 > 0:11:25Heir hunting firm Fraser & Fraser are looking into the estate
0:11:25 > 0:11:27of a 71-year-old man from Cheshire.
0:11:27 > 0:11:29All right. Cheers, bye.
0:11:30 > 0:11:33So, I've got a new case just come in called David J Collinson
0:11:33 > 0:11:37who has died in December of last year up in Warrington.
0:11:37 > 0:11:41It looks like he possibly may have owned a property
0:11:41 > 0:11:43when he passed away.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45He used to live with his mother for a long time,
0:11:45 > 0:11:46who we believe to be his mother.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49We can start to look. We can...
0:11:49 > 0:11:51It depends what we're going to have on the certificates.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Can we get those certs?
0:11:54 > 0:11:58- Wellingborough?- Yeah.- I don't know.
0:11:58 > 0:12:01We might have to try cos that's what I'm thinking.
0:12:08 > 0:12:15David Collinson was born an only child on 24 March, 1943, in Runcorn.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18With little-known facts about his life,
0:12:18 > 0:12:21neighbours were able to paint a picture of the man they knew.
0:12:21 > 0:12:24You'd see David and instantly recognise him
0:12:24 > 0:12:26because of his big bushy beard, and that, you know.
0:12:26 > 0:12:28He was always a nice bloke.
0:12:28 > 0:12:33Really clever man. Just an easy-going neighbour to get on with.
0:12:33 > 0:12:35You know, you knew you'd never have any problems with him.
0:12:35 > 0:12:41But, over the past few years, David had become a shy and private person.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44And he never used to go out, his health wasn't great.
0:12:44 > 0:12:46You never saw any of David's family.
0:12:47 > 0:12:51David passed away without making any known will.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55Even though you didn't see a lot of him, now that he's
0:12:55 > 0:12:57not there, you notice that he's not there.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09With so few details to go on, the team have got a huge task ahead.
0:13:09 > 0:13:10All right, then. Cheers.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15Case manager Mike Powell gets started
0:13:15 > 0:13:16trying to form a family tree,
0:13:16 > 0:13:18but has scant information to go on.
0:13:20 > 0:13:24We had a date of birth which was 24 March, 1943.
0:13:24 > 0:13:29And the date of death, which was 24 December, 2014, in Warrington.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32The next stage is to find his address which is then
0:13:32 > 0:13:34added to the family tree,
0:13:34 > 0:13:36and then we just compile it from there, really.
0:13:36 > 0:13:38At the moment, I'm relatively hopeful there will be
0:13:38 > 0:13:40some money in the estate.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43It's not a particularly large property, but hopefully,
0:13:43 > 0:13:44if we manage to find someone,
0:13:44 > 0:13:46there will be some money to distribute at the end of the day.
0:13:46 > 0:13:50But they're a long way off from that stage yet.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52OK, cool. I will. All right, bye.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56All the team have to go on is that David used to live with
0:13:56 > 0:13:59a woman called Florence Collinson,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02but she disappeared off the electoral roll in 1984
0:14:02 > 0:14:05and they have no other information.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08Researcher Sinead Collins gets to work.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10What we've done to start off with is to look for a
0:14:10 > 0:14:14death for a Florence Collinson.
0:14:14 > 0:14:17I have found one in Warrington.
0:14:17 > 0:14:21It's Florence Mabel Collinson and she's born on 14 August,
0:14:21 > 0:14:261898, which we would assume that she is the deceased's mother.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30We've looked up for the deceased's birth.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33For a David J Collinson born in 1943,
0:14:33 > 0:14:36and mother's maiden name is Butcher.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39But the team struggle to find a marriage certificate
0:14:39 > 0:14:43for David's parents, linking Butcher and Collinson.
0:14:43 > 0:14:50It could mean that either they weren't married or that she's
0:14:50 > 0:14:54possibly been married before and married under a different name.
0:14:54 > 0:14:58Fortunately, David's father has an unusual middle name, Royal,
0:14:58 > 0:15:02which may help the team identify his parents' marriage.
0:15:03 > 0:15:06What I'm going to do now is I'm going to look for just
0:15:06 > 0:15:09a Leslie R marrying a Butcher,
0:15:09 > 0:15:11just giving ourselves a bit of a broader spectrum
0:15:11 > 0:15:13to look for marriage.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16Parents' marriage is critical piece of information,
0:15:16 > 0:15:17it's a critical step.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18It's the bit which gives us
0:15:18 > 0:15:20the forenames of the parents.
0:15:20 > 0:15:24It's the bit which gives us a starting point to do a birth search.
0:15:24 > 0:15:26Absolutely vital we identify
0:15:26 > 0:15:28the parents' marriage as soon as possible.
0:15:28 > 0:15:31I've got the marriage certificate in front of me
0:15:31 > 0:15:34and what I've found is that I was correct that
0:15:34 > 0:15:39Florence Mabel Butcher married a Leslie Kerkham.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42We already know from the deceased's birth certificate
0:15:42 > 0:15:44that it's Leslie Royal Collinson.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48On this marriage certificate, it's Leslie Royal Kerkham.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51So, it ties in quite nicely, but we are still unsure as to why
0:15:51 > 0:15:56the deceased is Collinson, yet, his mother marries a Kerkham.
0:15:58 > 0:16:02The team now know Florence Butcher married Leslie Kerkham,
0:16:02 > 0:16:06but what was puzzling was why Leslie died a Collinson.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11So, I found a census of a Leslie Royal Kerkham.
0:16:11 > 0:16:16He's the correct age. He's 15 years old, in Wellingborough.
0:16:16 > 0:16:20He's living with a Robert Collinson and a Jane Collinson.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24And David's father's baptism record provides the team with more
0:16:24 > 0:16:26pieces of the puzzle.
0:16:26 > 0:16:28He was born with the name Kerkham
0:16:28 > 0:16:31to parents Arthur Kerkham and Lucy Eleanor.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34We've got a Leslie Royal Kerkham whose father is
0:16:34 > 0:16:40Arthur Charles Kerkham and mother is Lucy Eleanor Kerkham.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44Lucy Eleanor is listed as being deceased, which could be
0:16:44 > 0:16:50a contributing factor as to why Leslie is living with Collinsons.
0:16:52 > 0:16:57What the team discovered was that Leslie Kerkham was Leslie Collinson,
0:16:57 > 0:17:01having being informally adopted by the Collinson family.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07It's all starting to make sense that perhaps Leslie was born to
0:17:07 > 0:17:11Arthur and Lucy, but Lucy's died quite young
0:17:11 > 0:17:14and his father's been unable to care for him,
0:17:14 > 0:17:16so he's been unofficially adopted.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20So he's been given to another family to be brought up,
0:17:20 > 0:17:24which is why he's ended up with the Collinson family
0:17:24 > 0:17:27and why he flits between the two names
0:17:27 > 0:17:30with his marriage and his death.
0:17:30 > 0:17:34Adoptions in the early 1900s can often prove tricky for heir hunters.
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Legal adoption didn't really start until 1927,
0:17:37 > 0:17:42so anything prior to 1926, then we have a problem.
0:17:42 > 0:17:44That's when we get informal adoptions,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47we get people brought up with different families than what
0:17:47 > 0:17:49they were actually born to,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53and if we find that on a bit of research, then it's a dead-end.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58With no blood relatives on David's father's side of the family,
0:17:58 > 0:18:01the team now have to concentrate all their attention
0:18:01 > 0:18:02solely on the mother's side.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07On the parents of the deceased's marriage certificate,
0:18:07 > 0:18:12it shows the grandfather of the deceased is James Butcher.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16The 1911 census proves that David's maternal grandparents were
0:18:16 > 0:18:18Susan and James Butcher.
0:18:18 > 0:18:23When we did a census check, we managed to find a James Butcher who
0:18:23 > 0:18:28is an agricultural labourer, and a Susan Butcher who is a lacemaker.
0:18:28 > 0:18:30They were both living in Bedfordshire.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34During the 1800s,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39lacemaking was very popular as a source of income, particularly
0:18:39 > 0:18:43in the Midland counties of Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48Ann Prigmore from Bedford made lace herself. It was a family business.
0:18:49 > 0:18:52Bedfordshire was very well-known for its lacemaking.
0:18:52 > 0:18:56Most of the families would have made lace.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Agricultural families, particularly.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00If they weren't working on the fields,
0:19:00 > 0:19:01they'd be working with the lace.
0:19:01 > 0:19:03The people that would be buying the lace
0:19:03 > 0:19:05would probably be very wealthy people,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07would be the aristocracy.
0:19:07 > 0:19:11Sometimes lace was thought to be more valuable than gold.
0:19:11 > 0:19:14So the more lace you had, the wealthier you were.
0:19:14 > 0:19:17But it was a different story for the lacemakers.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19The work for a lacemaker was pretty tough.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23Everybody thinks it's this romantic wonderful pass-time, it wasn't.
0:19:23 > 0:19:25It was vary, very long hours.
0:19:25 > 0:19:29You couldn't have your coal fire on in the winter
0:19:29 > 0:19:31because of the soot would discolour the lace,
0:19:31 > 0:19:33so you'd have to work in the cold.
0:19:33 > 0:19:36It was long, hard hours.
0:19:36 > 0:19:39Your fingers would've been very sore. It was a tough, tough life.
0:19:39 > 0:19:42Lace is very, very time-consuming and some of the patterns
0:19:42 > 0:19:45that are very intricate would take a lot longer.
0:19:45 > 0:19:47The pay was pretty appalling, really.
0:19:47 > 0:19:50My grandmother used to get paid six pennies,
0:19:50 > 0:19:54six old pennies, for a piece of lace that was a handkerchief edge.
0:19:54 > 0:19:57My mother would take it round to the corner shop
0:19:57 > 0:20:00and that would be to pay for her food.
0:20:00 > 0:20:04Until the mid-19th century, almost the only schools in lacemaking
0:20:04 > 0:20:06districts were lace schools.
0:20:06 > 0:20:09They would have had very, very big pillows,
0:20:09 > 0:20:11stuffed with anything that they could find
0:20:11 > 0:20:15and they were big bolster pillows that would sit on maids
0:20:15 > 0:20:18and then they would have bobbins, but they wouldn't be very
0:20:18 > 0:20:20posh bobbins, they'd be made out of twigs.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23The lace schools were pretty awful places.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26They were usually in a little room in a cottage.
0:20:26 > 0:20:30The lace teacher would be quite strict and would also smack
0:20:30 > 0:20:34the children, prick their fingers if they got the patterns wrong.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38They learnt a trade, but it was tough going.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40But by the end of the 19th century,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43the industry had gone into decline as a result of the
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Industrial Revolution and, later, with the outbreak of World War I.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51People weren't buying the handmade lace.
0:20:51 > 0:20:53There were machines making lace
0:20:53 > 0:20:56and the First World War also had a big impact with it.
0:20:56 > 0:20:59Women, really, were needed for other work and not making lace.
0:21:04 > 0:21:05Back in the office,
0:21:05 > 0:21:08the team have discovered that David's maternal grandparents,
0:21:08 > 0:21:12James and Susan, had five children in total -
0:21:12 > 0:21:17Leonard, Florence - David's mother - Lucy, Albert and Frederick.
0:21:17 > 0:21:23I found a 1911 census with a Florence Butcher, aged 12.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25She's at school and born in Leicester.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28More importantly is she's living in Wellingborough,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32which we already know is where the parents got married,
0:21:32 > 0:21:34so it's tying in quite nicely.
0:21:34 > 0:21:39She is one of six children and that her parents are James Butcher
0:21:39 > 0:21:43and Susan Butcher, who have been married for 21 years.
0:21:43 > 0:21:47The great thing about this census is that all the children who
0:21:47 > 0:21:50have survived up until this point are all on the census with
0:21:50 > 0:21:51their parents.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55So the oldest is Leonard Butcher, who's 17.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59Then you have Florence who's obviously our deceased's mother.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Lucy Butcher, who is 11, Albert Butcher, who's eight
0:22:02 > 0:22:05and then Frederick Butcher, who is six.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10But initial research for living descendants throws up dead ends.
0:22:10 > 0:22:15I think Shannon found a death for Lucy.
0:22:15 > 0:22:20I found marriages for both my Frederick and Leonard.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24Both get married in the Northampton area.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29But they both died with no issue.
0:22:29 > 0:22:33Leonard Butcher, the oldest on the 1911 census,
0:22:33 > 0:22:38he actually marries a Sarah Foster in 1917 in Wellingborough,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41but they don't have any children.
0:22:41 > 0:22:47When Leonard dies in 1977, his brother Albert registers the death.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50So, that reassures us
0:22:50 > 0:22:54that definitely Leonard didn't have any children from his marriage.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57Florence's sister Lucy actually died quite young.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01She died at the age of 23 years old in Wellingborough,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05and she died under Lucy Butcher so we know she was a spinster
0:23:05 > 0:23:07and didn't have any children.
0:23:07 > 0:23:10Finding any aunts, uncles and cousins as potential heirs
0:23:10 > 0:23:13is looking unlikely.
0:23:13 > 0:23:17With the father's side ruled out after David's father's adoption,
0:23:17 > 0:23:20will the team discover any heirs at all?
0:23:20 > 0:23:23I seem to, yeah, have a bit of a touch at the moment for...
0:23:26 > 0:23:29..for not getting any beneficiaries!
0:23:29 > 0:23:31No, we've been trying to trace the relatives of a gentleman
0:23:31 > 0:23:34who passed away by the surname of Collinson.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Every year in Britain, thousands of people get a surprise
0:23:46 > 0:23:48knock on the door from the heir hunters.
0:23:48 > 0:23:52It just seems a big miracle, so, you know, nobody ever thinks
0:23:52 > 0:23:55this sort of thing happens.
0:23:55 > 0:23:58Today, we've got details of two estates on the Treasury Solicitor's
0:23:58 > 0:24:01Bona Vacantia list that are yet to be claimed.
0:24:03 > 0:24:06The first case is Daisy Irene Sloat,
0:24:06 > 0:24:11who died in Bognor Regis, West Sussex, on 12 March, 1996.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17She was 78 when she passed away and was born in Wickford,
0:24:17 > 0:24:19Essex, in 1917.
0:24:21 > 0:24:26Do you know anyone of that name who used to live in Bognor Regis?
0:24:26 > 0:24:28Could there still be family links to Daisy
0:24:28 > 0:24:31in either West Sussex or Essex?
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Could you be the beneficiary they're looking for?
0:24:39 > 0:24:42The next case is that of Gordon Sheldon.
0:24:42 > 0:24:44He died on 18 May, 1997,
0:24:44 > 0:24:49in Wolverhampton in the West Midlands, aged 63.
0:24:51 > 0:24:55He was born on either 8th or 18 November, 1933,
0:24:55 > 0:24:57and was taken in by Dr Barnardo's.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05Dr Barnardo's were homes for orphaned and destitute children.
0:25:05 > 0:25:09The first opening in 1870 after Thomas Barnardo spotted
0:25:09 > 0:25:11children sleeping on roofs and in gutters.
0:25:11 > 0:25:13The charity is still around today.
0:25:15 > 0:25:20For Gordon Sheldon, Dr Barnardo's could have changed his life.
0:25:20 > 0:25:24Do you know anything that could be the key to solving this case?
0:25:24 > 0:25:27If you think you might be related to either of these people,
0:25:27 > 0:25:29you would need to make a claim on their estate through
0:25:29 > 0:25:32the government legal department.
0:25:32 > 0:25:35Once again, the names of the cases
0:25:35 > 0:25:37we're trying to solve with your help today are...
0:25:52 > 0:25:55In London, heir hunting firm Finders have taken
0:25:55 > 0:26:00on the estate of William Brookstone, an ex-naval steward from Plymouth.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03I can't think of any other way that we're going to get hold of him.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06As a person, he was warm, easy to talk to,
0:26:06 > 0:26:08had a really good sense of humour.
0:26:08 > 0:26:09We were always cracking a joke.
0:26:09 > 0:26:12He was always happy, and that was just Billy.
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Initial research had led nowhere,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18but with friends suggesting William may have had children,
0:26:18 > 0:26:23the team had a new lead to follow which could lead to a living heir.
0:26:23 > 0:26:24Bye-bye.
0:26:25 > 0:26:29When we hear that a person may have had a child,
0:26:29 > 0:26:30although we may have eliminated that
0:26:30 > 0:26:33through official records or formal records,
0:26:33 > 0:26:34we'll obviously need to go back
0:26:34 > 0:26:37and check again to see if something's been missed.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39So I'll start with this, I think.
0:26:39 > 0:26:41- If you could just figure out who he was.- OK.- Yeah.
0:26:41 > 0:26:44Suzanne began a fresh hunt for marriage indexes to see
0:26:44 > 0:26:47if they could trace a child for William.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50My initial search was for a marriage for a William Brooks.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53But it seems they'd hit another dead end.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58After ordering lots of certificates, none of them seem to match
0:26:58 > 0:27:01so my next step was to look at Victor.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03Possibly, he could have married previously.
0:27:03 > 0:27:06All right, thanks a lot. Bye-bye.
0:27:08 > 0:27:12So I'm having a look to see whether Victor married
0:27:12 > 0:27:17and I found a marriage here in 1953 in Paddington.
0:27:19 > 0:27:24And it looks as though he had one daughter living...
0:27:24 > 0:27:25Born in Paddington.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30So that ties in with him having a daughter in London.
0:27:30 > 0:27:33Which all seemed to fit the picture of the neighbours who
0:27:33 > 0:27:35mentioned that they had their grandchildren to visit.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38It was a key discovery to find out that Victor was the one who
0:27:38 > 0:27:40had married and had children.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Even though the neighbours were really certain
0:27:42 > 0:27:44that they had grandchildren,
0:27:44 > 0:27:48I'm 99% sure that William had no children of his own.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52He would've been in his 20s when he was in a relationship with
0:27:52 > 0:27:54Victor, whereas Victor was a lot older
0:27:54 > 0:27:59and had time to previously have a family and have children.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02But it led the team no closer to finding blood
0:28:02 > 0:28:04relatives of William's who would be heirs.
0:28:06 > 0:28:12In any situation, Victor's children or grandchildren wouldn't be
0:28:12 > 0:28:17able to inherit from William's estate, as William
0:28:17 > 0:28:22and Victor were never legally married or in a civil partnership.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25However, with William's true name now part of the search,
0:28:25 > 0:28:29Suzanne got the team to return to his birth certificate which
0:28:29 > 0:28:32revealed his parents as Winifred May Goodwin
0:28:32 > 0:28:34and Ernest Walter Brooks.
0:28:34 > 0:28:37But their search for brothers and sisters was fruitless.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41Once I discovered that he had no other siblings,
0:28:41 > 0:28:46he never married and had any children, I then was able to use
0:28:46 > 0:28:50the parents' names to look for them on the census to look for wider kin.
0:28:50 > 0:28:53From William's birth certificate, we were able to see
0:28:53 > 0:28:56that his father was a railway goods guard.
0:28:56 > 0:29:00Census records showed his maternal grandparents as William Goodwin
0:29:00 > 0:29:01and Edith Chenery.
0:29:02 > 0:29:05William and Edith had three children in total -
0:29:05 > 0:29:08Albert, Winifred and Jack.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12We discovered that William had a maternal uncle called Jack Goodwin.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16In 1939, he married a Elsie Rose Flat
0:29:16 > 0:29:19and he was a railway porter.
0:29:19 > 0:29:22And all the records pointed towards a strong connection with
0:29:22 > 0:29:24the railway across the family.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27From the marriage certificate between William and Edith,
0:29:27 > 0:29:31we were able to find out that William was a shunter at a railway.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37In fact, the family played a role in one of the biggest
0:29:37 > 0:29:40achievements in transport history, in the capital.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47The first Underground railway line opened in 1863.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51People were very sceptical about the whole concept of the Underground.
0:29:51 > 0:29:53People thought it wouldn't be safe.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55They would have been steam-operated in the early days.
0:29:55 > 0:29:59If you can imagine steam trains in a confined Underground platform,
0:29:59 > 0:30:02it was quite hellish for the first people that used it.
0:30:02 > 0:30:04William's grandfather, William Goodwin,
0:30:04 > 0:30:07was a shunter on the Great Eastern Main Line,
0:30:07 > 0:30:10which formed part of the early Central Line.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12It was one of the earliest true Underground lines,
0:30:12 > 0:30:14cos it actually went underground.
0:30:14 > 0:30:17It was the first one that was, sort of, sold as being for people
0:30:17 > 0:30:20who wanted to enjoy central London. So, theatre-goers and shoppers
0:30:20 > 0:30:22and people who wanted to enjoy the nightlife.
0:30:22 > 0:30:26It was the first line to run right through the heart of central London.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29For William Goodwin, in 1911, I can only imagine that
0:30:29 > 0:30:32working on the railways would have been quite a proud job.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35It would have been quite a nostalgic industry to work in
0:30:35 > 0:30:38and it would have been a real sense of pride that the workers had.
0:30:38 > 0:30:40And by the turn of the 20th century,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44the Underground had spread entirely across London.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46The 1930s was a huge period of transition
0:30:46 > 0:30:48for the London Underground.
0:30:48 > 0:30:50For someone working on the Underground at that time,
0:30:50 > 0:30:53it would've been an exciting time, probably, a chance for new jobs,
0:30:53 > 0:30:58new roles. It's where the brand of London Underground,
0:30:58 > 0:31:01if you like, really came into its own.
0:31:01 > 0:31:04William's uncle, Jack Goodwin, started on the railways
0:31:04 > 0:31:07in a junior, but what some would see as glamorous, role.
0:31:07 > 0:31:11For Jack, working in the 1930s as a porter, I imagine,
0:31:11 > 0:31:14he probably would have seen a lot of different people.
0:31:14 > 0:31:18Then, he probably would have been helping rich people get their
0:31:18 > 0:31:21luggage on and off trains, workers to and from trains.
0:31:21 > 0:31:25So, it would have been a job filled with lots of variety.
0:31:25 > 0:31:27Jack Goodwin progressed to become senior ticket collector
0:31:27 > 0:31:29at Stratford Station.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33I imagine, that would have been a job that would have come with
0:31:33 > 0:31:35a lot of pride. It would've been, I imagine,
0:31:35 > 0:31:37one of the most senior jobs in the station.
0:31:37 > 0:31:40Jack would've witnessed so much change and he would have been
0:31:40 > 0:31:43experiencing first-hand London becoming what it is today.
0:31:49 > 0:31:52And as the research into William's mother's side of the family
0:31:52 > 0:31:55continued, focusing on William's two uncles,
0:31:55 > 0:31:59the team were, finally, getting closer to finding potential heirs.
0:32:00 > 0:32:05So, Albert marries an Elizabeth Bridger in 1947.
0:32:05 > 0:32:07However, they didn't have any children.
0:32:07 > 0:32:12So, I went to look at the next maternal uncle,
0:32:12 > 0:32:13which was Jack Goodwin.
0:32:13 > 0:32:16Jack had three children. Two of them,
0:32:16 > 0:32:19Elsie and Mary, both passed away without having any children.
0:32:19 > 0:32:23Frederick was the only one still living.
0:32:23 > 0:32:26And he was our first heir.
0:32:26 > 0:32:28Born in 1946,
0:32:28 > 0:32:32Frederick was William's first cousin and lives in Romford.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34It was the first time I'd heard anything.
0:32:34 > 0:32:37I'd lost complete touch with him and so,
0:32:37 > 0:32:39I couldn't wonder who'd left me any money. Then, when I found out
0:32:39 > 0:32:42who it was from, I thought, "Oh, well. Oh, poor Billy."
0:32:42 > 0:32:45Despite losing touch with his cousin,
0:32:45 > 0:32:47Frederick has fond memories of him growing up.
0:32:47 > 0:32:49A quiet boy, bit shy.
0:32:49 > 0:32:52Once he was down in the Navy, in Plymouth, I mean,
0:32:52 > 0:32:55the only time we saw him was on leave.
0:32:55 > 0:32:57He used to come and visit us on a Sunday, in his Navy uniform.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00He looked ever so smart in his walking out uniform,
0:33:00 > 0:33:02with his bell-bottoms and all that, with his hat.
0:33:02 > 0:33:05It would've been nice if he could have actually stayed in the Navy.
0:33:05 > 0:33:08He'd have probably come out, after 20 or 25 years,
0:33:08 > 0:33:10Chief Petty Officer or something.
0:33:10 > 0:33:12He'd have had a good career and a good pension.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15And Frederick is able to confirm the family's long-running
0:33:15 > 0:33:17connection to the British railway.
0:33:17 > 0:33:22My dad worked on the railway, Billy's dad worked on the railway.
0:33:22 > 0:33:25Billy's grandad, my grandad, worked on the railway.
0:33:25 > 0:33:28Billy's uncle, Albert, who was my dad's brother,
0:33:28 > 0:33:32he worked on the railway. It was a railway family.
0:33:32 > 0:33:35But the story wasn't over.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38As Suzanne had to ensure all of William's heirs were found,
0:33:38 > 0:33:42she crossed over to William's father's side of the family.
0:33:42 > 0:33:45So, we're looking at William's paternal side of the family.
0:33:45 > 0:33:48The first thing we need to do is look for the father,
0:33:48 > 0:33:51on the 1911 census,
0:33:51 > 0:33:55which will then enable us to look for his parents.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00Their names were James Walter Brooks and Mary Ann Brooks.
0:34:00 > 0:34:03Further clues revealed that they had four children.
0:34:03 > 0:34:06Although, one died as an infant.
0:34:06 > 0:34:08This left two paternal aunts.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12The team were immediately thrown, however, as the family
0:34:12 > 0:34:16surname appeared different on the census to their birth records.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20Now, one of the aunts was Annie Lilian Brooks.
0:34:20 > 0:34:27On the census, it notes them all as Brooks, spelt with an "S".
0:34:27 > 0:34:33However, on Annie's birth, it mentions her name with an "ES".
0:34:33 > 0:34:36Confident they had the right aunts,
0:34:36 > 0:34:38the team began to look at their children, to establish
0:34:38 > 0:34:41if there were any living heirs.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45Turns out that Annie had four children
0:34:45 > 0:34:48and Florence had two children.
0:34:48 > 0:34:52Once all the research was complete, there were six heirs in total,
0:34:52 > 0:34:55which meant that they all received a reasonable sum of money.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58For Suzanne and the team, it was an amazing hunt
0:34:58 > 0:35:01through the twists and turns of British history.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03William was quite an interesting character.
0:35:03 > 0:35:05It's always rewarding to work these sorts of cases,
0:35:05 > 0:35:08where we find out more about the person.
0:35:08 > 0:35:11But, for friends and family, it's been a chance to look back
0:35:11 > 0:35:13and remember William.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17I suppose, I could, you know, when things are all settled up,
0:35:17 > 0:35:19have a little drink to Billy.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24With great sadness that he passed on Christmas Eve and every
0:35:24 > 0:35:29Christmas Eve there's still a drink raised to him, just to remember him.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32Not that we'd ever forget him, because he was that sort of guy.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35He stays in your memories.
0:35:44 > 0:35:48London based heir hunting firm Fraser & Fraser have been
0:35:48 > 0:35:51struggling with the mystery of David Collinson.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55Quiet guy, kept himself to himself. The positive things about him,
0:35:55 > 0:35:57never caused any trouble.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00After proving his father was informally adopted, the team
0:36:00 > 0:36:04will only be able to find potential heirs through his mother's family.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07- Only one way to find out. - Give it a call.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10With the heir hunters having ruled out three of his mother
0:36:10 > 0:36:14Florence's four siblings, there is only one uncle left.
0:36:14 > 0:36:17We began into an Albert Masters Butcher.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20He dies in 1991, in Kettering.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22And, before that, he marries an Agnes, in 1925,
0:36:22 > 0:36:26in Wellingborough and they have two daughters.
0:36:28 > 0:36:33But the team have no luck with the first daughter, Margaret.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38We found a death entry for Margaret L Butcher.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41No marriage, spinster. Spinster death, again.
0:36:41 > 0:36:45A Margaret, who dies in 1946,
0:36:45 > 0:36:49at quite a young age, she's born 1928.
0:36:49 > 0:36:54With her dying a spinster, all hopes of an heir rely on the other sister,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57David's cousin. And they could have a breakthrough.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02We've done our standard checks, such as births, deaths and marriages.
0:37:02 > 0:37:04And we can't find a death for her at all.
0:37:04 > 0:37:07We have found out that she has children.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10So, we're going to contact them, instead of her,
0:37:10 > 0:37:12just because of her age.
0:37:12 > 0:37:15The firm's travelling researcher is put on standby.
0:37:15 > 0:37:17Do you fancy a trip?
0:37:19 > 0:37:21No! Come on.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26Probably up to Northamptonshire.
0:37:26 > 0:37:28I've got an heir born in 1931.
0:37:28 > 0:37:30I'm going to try and speak to her son first,
0:37:30 > 0:37:32so, hopefully, he'll be involved.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35You can go up there. All right.
0:37:37 > 0:37:40If Mike can successfully make contact with the heir, Ewart,
0:37:40 > 0:37:43their travelling research, will be dispatched.
0:37:43 > 0:37:45PHONE RINGS
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Hello, sir. Very sorry to trouble you. It's nothing to worry about,
0:37:48 > 0:37:51in the slightest. We're a company who specialise in tracing missing heirs
0:37:51 > 0:37:54and beneficiaries. We've been trying to trace the relatives
0:37:54 > 0:37:57of a gentleman who passed away. So, I think his dad was a gentleman
0:37:57 > 0:38:00called Leslie Royal Collinson. Now, are you aware of David
0:38:00 > 0:38:03ever having any brothers or sisters at all?
0:38:03 > 0:38:04Take care, bye-bye.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07He was more than happy with everything. Pretty much confirmed
0:38:07 > 0:38:09that she was the last link on this side of the family.
0:38:09 > 0:38:14So, it looks like she will probably be the only heir to this estate.
0:38:14 > 0:38:18If we are right that the deceased has an interest in the house
0:38:18 > 0:38:21he lived in, the property and prices are
0:38:21 > 0:38:24around £90,000-£100,000. So, as she's the only heir,
0:38:24 > 0:38:26she'd be the one that's to stand to inherit at all.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31Yeah, if I've give you that and I'll take that one,
0:38:31 > 0:38:33- so I can take down the address. - Yeah.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36But, as the heir hunters double-check their research,
0:38:36 > 0:38:39they stumble across another twist to the tale.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43We found another beneficiary, the daughter of Frederick Butcher.
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Frederick Butcher is the younger brother of Florence.
0:38:47 > 0:38:50He's born in 1904, in Wellingborough and he marries
0:38:50 > 0:38:53a Muriel Kathleen Kingham,
0:38:53 > 0:38:57in 1927, in Wellingborough.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01Despite previous research suggesting David's uncle Frederick
0:39:01 > 0:39:04had died without children, new documents came to light that reveal
0:39:04 > 0:39:08he had married Muriel Kingham and had a daughter.
0:39:09 > 0:39:14Originally, we thought that Frederick had no children
0:39:14 > 0:39:16and that he died with no issue.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19But, we've later found, from ordering
0:39:19 > 0:39:23his wife's death certificate, there is a daughter,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26who's witness on her death.
0:39:26 > 0:39:32So, she could potentially be the daughter of Frederick.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34So, what we're going to do is we're going to go back
0:39:34 > 0:39:36and we're going to find her marriage
0:39:36 > 0:39:40and find out what her maiden name is. Now, if it is Butcher, there is
0:39:40 > 0:39:43every likelihood that she is Frederick's daughter.
0:39:43 > 0:39:45And, therefore, an heir on this case.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48The information wasn't obvious first time round,
0:39:48 > 0:39:52as Frederick's wife, Muriel, had two names.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56On the birth entry of the cousin, the mother's maiden name was
0:39:56 > 0:39:59listed differently to what the mother got married at.
0:39:59 > 0:40:01She was married under "Muriel Kathleen Kingham."
0:40:01 > 0:40:03But, on the birth certificate,
0:40:03 > 0:40:05the mother's maiden name was down as "King."
0:40:05 > 0:40:08So, obviously, we were looking for a completely different name
0:40:08 > 0:40:11and it just turns out that, for some bizarre reason,
0:40:11 > 0:40:14"King" was the maiden name, not "Kingham."
0:40:14 > 0:40:17This meant that, originally, Mike and the team had
0:40:17 > 0:40:19been unable to locate this birth.
0:40:19 > 0:40:22We find the wrong birth certificate.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25We were researching the wrong family. Wasted,
0:40:25 > 0:40:28we have to throw the whole lot away. It may only come out
0:40:28 > 0:40:31when we get all the certificates back at a later date and then
0:40:31 > 0:40:33everyone put them all together and realised
0:40:33 > 0:40:35there's something wrong.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38We've made hundreds of mistakes, like that, over the years.
0:40:38 > 0:40:41Our experience means we don't make as many as we could.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43For an heir hunter, we've got
0:40:43 > 0:40:47to be sure that we're going down the right line of research.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50So, it's up to Mike to finish off the case for good.
0:40:50 > 0:40:53We noticed that the beneficiary was born in 1928.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55So, I didn't want to contact her straight away.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57OK, cool, I will. Bye.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00So, we contacted one of her daughters,
0:41:00 > 0:41:03who informed us that the beneficiary, her mother,
0:41:03 > 0:41:06had dementia. So, obviously, it was a lot easier to go
0:41:06 > 0:41:10through the daughter, who then informed us about the family.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13And it seems that Frederick's daughter had gone on
0:41:13 > 0:41:16to have two daughters and a son, Andrew Ross.
0:41:20 > 0:41:22We were very excited.
0:41:22 > 0:41:27We've not really had any sort of inheritance before
0:41:27 > 0:41:30and I was very excited for me and my family.
0:41:30 > 0:41:33I knew that David was a distant relative,
0:41:33 > 0:41:35but we just hadn't had any contact.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Although Andrew had only met David as a boy,
0:41:38 > 0:41:41the call from the heir hunters has sparked fond memories.
0:41:41 > 0:41:43He was quite a clever guy.
0:41:43 > 0:41:46He was quite into TV and radio and things like that.
0:41:46 > 0:41:48I'm quite disappointed, really, that no contact has been
0:41:48 > 0:41:52made between us, cos I think I'd probably have got on well with him.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59After a tricky start, the heir hunters had succeeded
0:41:59 > 0:42:04in finding not one, but two heirs to the estate of David Collinson.
0:42:04 > 0:42:08Informal adoptions happen more regularly than you'd think.
0:42:08 > 0:42:11Often, it adds a bit more flavour to the job,
0:42:11 > 0:42:13makes things a little bit more interesting.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16Otherwise, you'd just be doing the same repetitive stuff everyday.
0:42:16 > 0:42:20Instead, you get cases, like this, which change your mind.
0:42:20 > 0:42:23You know, you have to work out a really difficult puzzle.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26The successful result had been a combination of following
0:42:26 > 0:42:30gut instinct and then proving this with documentary evidence.
0:42:30 > 0:42:33For us, it's vital we follow the correct line.
0:42:33 > 0:42:35We have to take gambles.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38And we have to take gambles when we can't get the proofs.
0:42:38 > 0:42:42We follow a hunch, we work a family, in the hope that we can
0:42:42 > 0:42:44prove it later.
0:42:44 > 0:42:47But it's vital we can prove it.
0:42:47 > 0:42:48And, for the heirs,
0:42:48 > 0:42:51it's been a chance to take a trip down memory lane.
0:42:51 > 0:42:53We recently went on a holiday up to the Lake District
0:42:53 > 0:42:56and on the way back, we did actually call and see David's house.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59It was quite interesting to see where he'd been living and,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03if there's a nice cheque arrives, then we'll all drink a toast, yes.