0:00:02 > 0:00:07Heir Hunters track down the families of people who died without leaving a will.
0:00:07 > 0:00:14They hand over thousands of pounds to relatives who had no idea they were in line for a windfall.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:28 > 0:00:33Today, the Heir Hunters come across the name of a mystery man.
0:00:33 > 0:00:37Will he provide the crucial clue to solve their case?
0:00:37 > 0:00:39What I want to know is who he is.
0:00:39 > 0:00:47And a woman who was orphaned by the Blitz is helped to find long-lost relatives she never knew existed.
0:00:47 > 0:00:50- Lovely to see you.- Cheers!
0:00:51 > 0:00:56Plus a list of unclaimed estates worth nearly half a million pounds.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02Could you be related to anyone on it and have thousands of pounds heading your way?
0:01:05 > 0:01:10Every year in Britain, over 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:10 > 0:01:14If no family is found, their money goes to the government.
0:01:14 > 0:01:18That's when the heir-hunting companies step in.
0:01:18 > 0:01:21Using birth, death and marriage records,
0:01:21 > 0:01:28they race each other to be the first to track down any long-lost relatives entitled to inherit.
0:01:28 > 0:01:32Fraser & Fraser is one of the oldest firms of Heir Hunters in the UK.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35We've found the death of the brother.
0:01:35 > 0:01:41In its 30-year history, the company has tracked down over 50,000 heirs
0:01:41 > 0:01:45entitled to a whopping sum of over £100 million.
0:01:54 > 0:01:58It's 7am, Thursday, in Fraser & Fraser's London office.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01The staff are already hard at work.
0:02:01 > 0:02:07Thursday is the most crucial day as it's when the government releases the Bona Vacantia,
0:02:07 > 0:02:11its weekly list of those who have died with no known heirs.
0:02:11 > 0:02:17Head of the company Neil Fraser has studied the list and allocates cases to his managers.
0:02:17 > 0:02:22- Starting at 1, Bevan, you're working on it, aren't you?- Yeah.
0:02:22 > 0:02:26Frances Brett has been working at Frasers for 12 years.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31No case is ever the same, but she hopes today will be plain sailing.
0:02:31 > 0:02:39The case I'm looking at today is that of Myrtle, otherwise Tess, Bevan of Poole in Dorset.
0:02:39 > 0:02:45To earn their commission, the Frasers team must piece together Myrtle Bevan's family tree,
0:02:45 > 0:02:51working out generation by generation who her relatives are and if any are still alive.
0:02:51 > 0:02:57But they haven't got a second to spare. Other heir-hunting companies will be working on this case
0:02:57 > 0:03:02and it's often the first heir hunter to reach the heirs
0:03:02 > 0:03:07that wins the business of helping put in their claims to the Treasury.
0:03:07 > 0:03:14First of all, Frances looks up Myrtle Bevan in the electoral roll and finds her last known address.
0:03:16 > 0:03:23Myrtle Bevan lived in a flat belonging to a housing association in the seaside town of Poole.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27She died in July 2007, leaving no will,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31and the authorities believed she had no living relatives.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40To find out if this is the case,
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Frances needs to speak to someone who knew Myrtle.
0:03:44 > 0:03:47It's impossible to know who her friends were,
0:03:47 > 0:03:51but Frances can track down her neighbours.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53Maybe they were close to Myrtle
0:03:53 > 0:03:57and can reveal some crucial clues about her family and past.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02- OK, bye.- The call to Myrtle Bevan's neighbour has been invaluable.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06Frances now not only knows Myrtle had a sister Joyce,
0:04:06 > 0:04:11but also that when Joyce died, she left Myrtle her life savings,
0:04:11 > 0:04:15making Myrtle a richer woman than Frasers first thought.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21It's given us an idea of the value on this and that could be between £135,000 and £150,000,
0:04:21 > 0:04:24mainly from her sister's estate.
0:04:24 > 0:04:31Now there's even more reason to get a move on and track down heirs before the competition.
0:04:31 > 0:04:36Assisting Frances on this case is Research Director Gareth Langford.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40Gareth uses Myrtle Bevan's maiden name of Ranson
0:04:40 > 0:04:47to search through Frasers' vast database of every birth that has taken place in Britain since 1841.
0:04:48 > 0:04:51And he comes up trumps.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56Got it. OK, she was born in June 1922 by the looks of it.
0:04:56 > 0:05:02Mother's maiden name Diss, a very unusual name. Got to be the right one.
0:05:02 > 0:05:08He then works out that Myrtle's parents were called Harold Ranson and Beatrice Minnie Diss.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11He quickly finds a marriage record.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14There it is. Doesn't happen often!
0:05:14 > 0:05:18And he also finds a record for both of their deaths.
0:05:22 > 0:05:24There it is.
0:05:24 > 0:05:29But he's finding it harder to get any further with the family tree.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32Let's try and find Harry's birth.
0:05:32 > 0:05:39That's because, although they know from the death record that Harold Ranson was 81 when he died,
0:05:39 > 0:05:43there are birth records for two Harold Ransons in the same year,
0:05:43 > 0:05:47one in Guildford and one in Tendring.
0:05:47 > 0:05:50Gareth doesn't know which is the right one.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53It could be either one.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57The situation with Beatrice Minnie is even worse.
0:05:57 > 0:06:02According to her death record, she was born in 1892,
0:06:02 > 0:06:09but the only birth record Gareth can find for a Beatrice Minnie Diss is someone born in Eastbourne in 1887,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13which is wrong by five years.
0:06:13 > 0:06:18There can't be many Beatrice Minnie Disses. That's five years out.
0:06:18 > 0:06:22One's not been registered properly or she's lied about her age.
0:06:22 > 0:06:29The only way to move forward is to get hold of the official marriage certificate of Harold and Beatrice
0:06:29 > 0:06:33and a hard copy of their death certificates.
0:06:33 > 0:06:40These will give the names of witnesses, the occupations of the parents and the places of birth,
0:06:40 > 0:06:46all vital clues which could help unlock Myrtle's parents' true identities.
0:06:46 > 0:06:48All right. Bye.
0:06:48 > 0:06:55The certificates are held at Portsmouth Register Office, 75 miles from the Frasers office.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00But fortunately for the Heir Hunters, distance is no problem.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04Frasers employs a squadron of travelling Heir Hunters
0:07:04 > 0:07:11who spend their Thursdays at the wheel of their car, ready to go wherever the hunt takes them.
0:07:11 > 0:07:15Their job is to sniff out clues and follow new leads.
0:07:15 > 0:07:22Their ultimate aim is to get to any heirs and sign them up before rival heir-hunting companies.
0:07:22 > 0:07:27The nearest one to Portsmouth is Southampton-based Bob Barratt.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Neil gives him today's assignment.
0:07:30 > 0:07:35The deceased is Myrtle. Her parents are Harry Ranson.
0:07:35 > 0:07:42He was married to Beatrice Minnie Diss. We haven't got a birth for her in 1892.
0:07:42 > 0:07:49What we have got is a birth in September of 1887, five years prior to when she was meant to be born.
0:07:49 > 0:07:57- It may be that her age is five years out.- Not unknown for ladies to do such things.
0:07:57 > 0:08:03The team also hope that the Register Office will have Myrtle's sister Joyce's death certificate
0:08:03 > 0:08:06which could give them vital clues.
0:08:06 > 0:08:11So I've got three deaths and a marriage, hopefully, from Portsmouth.
0:08:11 > 0:08:16Fran's got this, but you can speak to me. I'm only doing six cases(!)
0:08:16 > 0:08:18OK, Neil. Speak to you later.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22Speak to you soon, mate. Bye.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Right, Portsmouth.
0:08:25 > 0:08:32Bob takes on the challenge with gusto, but he's got a real reason for hoping it won't be a long day.
0:08:32 > 0:08:36It'd be nice not to be too late tonight. It's my wedding anniversary.
0:08:36 > 0:08:41It would be nice to get home at a reasonable hour.
0:08:44 > 0:08:49In the office, the team are anxious to crack the case quickly too.
0:08:49 > 0:08:52With Myrtle's estate worth £135,000,
0:08:52 > 0:08:58they know other companies will be trying to track down heirs too.
0:08:58 > 0:09:04Realistically, it would be stupid to think that nobody else will be looking at this matter.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09You've always got to treat the case as though it's competitive.
0:09:09 > 0:09:15Just because we spoke to the neighbour and appear to have been the first person to do so
0:09:15 > 0:09:21doesn't mean that she won't have had calls subsequent to my conversation with her
0:09:21 > 0:09:25and given out exactly the same information that she gave to me.
0:09:27 > 0:09:32Bob's racing down the motorway to get his hands on the certificates.
0:09:32 > 0:09:39The team don't want to sit around doing nothing, so they put together possible family trees
0:09:39 > 0:09:45for both of the Harold Ransons and for the Beatrice Minnie who is five years too old.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52It's now 12pm and Bob has arrived at Portsmouth Register Office.
0:09:52 > 0:09:58I'd like to apply for three deaths and one marriage certificate, if I may, please.
0:09:58 > 0:10:01Complete those forms.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07Coming up - will the office have Myrtle's parents' marriage certificate and death certificate?
0:10:07 > 0:10:11Will they give the team vital information?
0:10:11 > 0:10:17Plus the amazing story of an orphan's quest to find blood relatives she's never met.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21Hopefully, somebody out there, one of them, will turn up trumps.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Now your turn to try your hand at heir-hunting
0:10:29 > 0:10:35with some of the cases that the professionals haven't managed to solve themselves.
0:10:35 > 0:10:40Imogen Florence Watkins died in Woolwich, London, in August 2006.
0:10:40 > 0:10:44She was 88 years old and left an estate worth £36,000.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48Are you related to Imogen? Do you know someone who is?
0:10:48 > 0:10:54Robert Wardle Lyle died in Chertsey, Surrey, in May 2006.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58He was 77 years old and left an estate worth £20,000.
0:10:58 > 0:11:01Are you part of Robert's family?
0:11:01 > 0:11:03Could you be entitled to his money?
0:11:03 > 0:11:09Angela Maria Comi died in Colchester, Essex, in July 2006.
0:11:09 > 0:11:14She was 63 years old and left an estate worth £23,000.
0:11:14 > 0:11:18Are you Angela's relative? Could her cash go to you?
0:11:18 > 0:11:22If you have any information about these unsolved cases,
0:11:22 > 0:11:25then take a look at our website:
0:11:30 > 0:11:38A knock on the door from the Heir Hunters can change lives in amazing ways, not always because of money.
0:11:38 > 0:11:43News about long-lost family members can affect an heir most deeply.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46I'd sooner have him than any money.
0:11:46 > 0:11:53Such was the case with the estate of Joseph Flynn, investigated by Heir Hunter Mary Teviot.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01Mary runs her heir-hunting company Census Searches from her family home in Burgess Hill,
0:12:01 > 0:12:04alongside her husband Charles.
0:12:04 > 0:12:10Yes, about ringing up West Yorkshire to find out where the Newby Hall archives have gone to?
0:12:10 > 0:12:14- I'll do that.- Today? - Yes.- Thank you very much.
0:12:14 > 0:12:21They're not your average Joe Public. Mary and Charles are a Lord and a Lady, but don't stand on ceremony.
0:12:21 > 0:12:28If you're not "cor, blimey", it might help, but often one wouldn't say one was Lord or Lady Teviot.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32Mary is often employed by solicitors from abroad
0:12:32 > 0:12:37who want her to find British heirs due money from people who have died overseas.
0:12:37 > 0:12:43- You've found it?- Yes. I'll write it down. That'd be a good idea.- Yeah.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47And the case of Joseph Flynn was no exception.
0:12:47 > 0:12:52Though born in Waterford, Ireland, Joseph died in Calgary, Canada.
0:12:52 > 0:12:58One started the case and it came from the Public Trustee in Alberta who are based in Calgary.
0:12:58 > 0:13:03I think the first letter was about possibly February 1994.
0:13:04 > 0:13:08And it see-sawed on and on until mid-1996,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11so it took over two years.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14Mary's research led her to Joseph Flynn's niece,
0:13:14 > 0:13:1973-year-old Sarah Burgess, from Pendleton, Lancashire.
0:13:19 > 0:13:25We'd just come back from holiday and my brother-in-law said, "There's a letter for you from Canada."
0:13:25 > 0:13:30I said, "I don't know anybody in Canada." He said, "Let's open it up."
0:13:30 > 0:13:35And I opened it up. I said, "Hey, I've got some money!
0:13:35 > 0:13:37"I've got an uncle."
0:13:37 > 0:13:41It worked out about £2,500.
0:13:41 > 0:13:48It was a nice surprise, but it was a big surprise because I know nothing about the uncle that went to Canada.
0:13:48 > 0:13:52It was a bit of family history I was quite pleased to get hold of.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57Although the £2,500 inheritance was a bonus for Sarah,
0:13:57 > 0:14:02it was the news about a long-lost relative that pleased her the most.
0:14:02 > 0:14:08Sarah was born in Birkenhead in 1935, shortly before the outbreak of World War Two.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And the war tore her family apart.
0:14:11 > 0:14:18'Driven from the daylight skies, the Nazis turn to indiscriminate night bombing.
0:14:18 > 0:14:24'They visit the full terror of air attacks on the ordinary people of Britain.'
0:14:24 > 0:14:29Her father died shortly after her birth and when Sarah was five,
0:14:29 > 0:14:33her mother and sister were caught up in the worst of the Blitz.
0:14:33 > 0:14:37Well, when the sirens went this particular night...
0:14:37 > 0:14:44We heard them coming over. I remember coming down the stairs holding my mum's hand and my sister Julie.
0:14:44 > 0:14:48I can't say I remember anything after that.
0:14:48 > 0:14:55Eventually, we got in the air-raid shelter, or I thought all three of us had got in the air-raid shelter,
0:14:55 > 0:14:58then I remember going into hospital,
0:14:58 > 0:15:03then I got told by the sister in the ward I was in
0:15:03 > 0:15:06that my mum and sister had died.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09I had no idea and I still don't know
0:15:09 > 0:15:14whether there's any part of a grave or anything of my mum.
0:15:14 > 0:15:17Or my sister. I have no idea.
0:15:17 > 0:15:19No idea.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24Having lost both her parents, Sarah was sent to an orphanage in Wales.
0:15:24 > 0:15:29I don't remember much about it, but I know it was very strict.
0:15:29 > 0:15:32We picked potatoes in the field in the freezing cold.
0:15:32 > 0:15:37We used to have little jackets, no gloves. But those were the days.
0:15:37 > 0:15:44A few months later, Sarah was moved to the place that became her home until she was 16 years old.
0:15:44 > 0:15:50I ended up at St Joseph's in Patricroft, a home for boys and girls there. And I loved it.
0:15:50 > 0:15:56It was brilliant. Every Christmas, you got a present that was yours.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00It wasn't wrapped up, but you all got presents.
0:16:00 > 0:16:06Here, Sarah made good friends who became for her a replacement family.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11I think there was 50 boys and 50 girls. We're all still good friends.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17We always end up talking about the old days, which you do when you get our age, and how good they were.
0:16:17 > 0:16:20Perhaps we didn't always realise it.
0:16:20 > 0:16:24In 1956, Sarah met her husband Arthur.
0:16:24 > 0:16:28The couple were together until Arthur's death in 2000
0:16:28 > 0:16:33and had a son and two daughters Jo and Janice and a granddaughter Jade.
0:16:33 > 0:16:41Sarah lost her father at birth and her mother when she was five, so she remembers almost nothing about them.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45Can't remember much of my dad, but I remember my mum.
0:16:45 > 0:16:49I have a feeling I'm a bit like her in looks and what have you.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54And she knows nothing about any of her parents' brothers and sisters.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58But nearly 70 years after she lost her mother,
0:16:58 > 0:17:05Sarah's now decided to find out more about her family history and perhaps even meet her own flesh and blood.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10Just be a journey. A journey of discovery and surprise, I think.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15Hopefully, somebody out there, one of them, is gonna turn up trumps.
0:17:15 > 0:17:19And daughters Jo and Janice think it's important too.
0:17:21 > 0:17:26- I think so because it's nice to know...- Where we come from.- Yeah.
0:17:26 > 0:17:31I'd love to know where I get my red hair from. I'm the only one.
0:17:31 > 0:17:35- Maybe there's more of me out there in Ireland.- God forbid!
0:17:42 > 0:17:48Today, Sarah has arranged to meet Lady Teviot in the hope of getting more information
0:17:48 > 0:17:54about the other heirs to Joseph Flynn's estate, Sarah's relatives.
0:17:54 > 0:17:56- Hello.- Oh, hello.
0:17:56 > 0:18:01Pleased to meet you, after, you know, quite a long time!
0:18:01 > 0:18:04They look at Joseph Flynn's family tree.
0:18:04 > 0:18:11- That's the one that you started from.- And here you are, the baby of the family.- Yeah.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13At my age, 73, being the baby!
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Who knows where they've ended up? You don't know.
0:18:18 > 0:18:25I know now that you're interested in tracing some of your relatives in Waterford.
0:18:25 > 0:18:29We have found a list of addresses to give to you.
0:18:29 > 0:18:34They're all in Waterford, so we're hoping to contact some of those.
0:18:34 > 0:18:38Joseph Flynn was one of eight children.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42His brother Richard was Sarah's father
0:18:42 > 0:18:47and his sister Mary married a man called Edward Doyle from Waterford.
0:18:47 > 0:18:53Mary and Edward had eight children, many of whom went on to have children themselves,
0:18:53 > 0:18:59meaning there might be dozens of Doyles related to Sarah, many of whom might still live in the area.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03Mary has possible contact numbers for these Doyles.
0:19:03 > 0:19:07The biggest point now is if they want to know.
0:19:07 > 0:19:12I'm sure they will because they're the most hospitable country.
0:19:12 > 0:19:18Mary also has something very special for Sarah - letters written by Edward Doyle to Joseph Flynn.
0:19:18 > 0:19:24Here are a couple of letters from 1946 from Edward Doyle.
0:19:24 > 0:19:29"Dear Joe..." Joseph who went off to Canada. "We received your letter.
0:19:29 > 0:19:36"Glad to hear that you're in good health." And then the next letter tells about your mother.
0:19:36 > 0:19:42- Oh, right.- Here it says, "Now to tell you about Sall..." Obviously Sarah.
0:19:42 > 0:19:48"..was killed in England and her little girl in an air raid in Birkenhead.
0:19:48 > 0:19:55"We don't know anything of the rest of the family." And so the letter goes on. There's a lot in it.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00It's very interesting to see that Joe actually knew about your mother.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05- It's a very emotional thing. - I wonder if they knew about me?
0:20:05 > 0:20:10I shouldn't have thought so. The raid was in 1940, wasn't it?
0:20:10 > 0:20:15- Yeah.- This letter is six years later, so they probably totally lost touch.
0:20:15 > 0:20:20- It's just one of those things that kind of happens, isn't it?- Yeah.
0:20:20 > 0:20:27It's been a great pleasure to meet you and I wish you all the luck in the world with all that.
0:20:27 > 0:20:30- Brilliant.- Bye-bye.- Thanks, love.
0:20:30 > 0:20:33The meeting has moved Sarah deeply.
0:20:33 > 0:20:37My mum being mentioned, it brings it home to me
0:20:37 > 0:20:45that I do have an extended family who do know my mum and my family in some shape or form.
0:20:45 > 0:20:52I'm hoping that one of them, if not more, will feel the same as I do and want to be in touch.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56And it's been a memorable occasion for Mary too.
0:20:56 > 0:21:03It was a very emotional experience for Sarah. I'm sure when she gets to Ireland, she'll get a warm welcome
0:21:03 > 0:21:06because she's a delightful person
0:21:06 > 0:21:13and it's wonderful to see somebody who had a shattered childhood become such a wonderful, humorous lady.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17Coming up - will Mary's list of Doyle phone numbers do the trick?
0:21:17 > 0:21:21I'm just wondering if you might be a relation to me?
0:21:21 > 0:21:29And will Heir Hunter Bob Barratt sign up some heirs and get back in time for his wedding anniversary?
0:21:32 > 0:21:39At Fraser & Fraser, the team are investigating the case of a Myrtle Bevan
0:21:39 > 0:21:44who died in July 2007 without leaving a will.
0:21:44 > 0:21:51Myrtle didn't own her own property, but the Heir Hunters believe her estate is worth a fair sum of money
0:21:51 > 0:21:57because a neighbour revealed that Myrtle's sister Joyce had left her an estate of £135,000.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02But the team are struggling to piece together Myrtle's family tree,
0:22:02 > 0:22:05which they need to do to find any heirs.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10- Her age is five years out.- Not unknown for ladies to do such things.
0:22:10 > 0:22:18Bob Barratt has gone to Portsmouth Register Office to find clues about Myrtle Bevan's living relatives.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23- Hi, Frances. I've got three deaths and one marriage here.- Go on then.
0:22:23 > 0:22:28- Beatrice Minnie Ranson.- Yeah. - 22nd of September, 1973.- Yeah.
0:22:28 > 0:22:33And she was born on the 25th of July, 1892.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35- Where?- In Eastbourne.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39- Yeah! OK. - Got that one right, did we?
0:22:39 > 0:22:44- No, she lied about her age. - She knocked five years off.- She did.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48- At least we know that birth is correct.- Good.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54- Do you want any details from the marriage certificate? - Go on then.- He's 28, she's 27.
0:22:54 > 0:22:57- She's lied all the way along.- Yeah.
0:22:57 > 0:23:03They've worked out her age at death from her lies that started when she got married.
0:23:03 > 0:23:05- It's a girl thing.- SOME girls!
0:23:05 > 0:23:11The team now know the identity of Myrtle's mother Beatrice Minnie,
0:23:11 > 0:23:17even though her desire to make herself younger almost threw them off the scent.
0:23:17 > 0:23:21Bob also clarifies which is the right Harry Ranson.
0:23:21 > 0:23:26- Harry Ranson, born 6th of December, 1891, in Guildford.- Guildford, yeah!
0:23:27 > 0:23:32The ceremonial crumpling up of the wrong tree!
0:23:34 > 0:23:39On top of the marriage and death certificates for Myrtle's parents,
0:23:39 > 0:23:43Bob also has the death certificate of Myrtle's sister Joyce
0:23:43 > 0:23:47and this gives the team an even more interesting clue.
0:23:47 > 0:23:54Death of Joyce Lowden, she lived at 127... Sorry, this is the informant, Peter Marsh.
0:23:54 > 0:24:01Peter Marsh is not a member of the family, but because he informed the authorities about Joyce's death,
0:24:01 > 0:24:04he was the last person she ever saw.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Could you go and knock on Mr Marsh's door?
0:24:08 > 0:24:11What I want to know is who he is.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15- Okey-doke. Speak to you later. - Bye for now.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21Could Peter Marsh be the only person left who knew Myrtle's family well?
0:24:21 > 0:24:28Could he give the team crucial clues to lead them to the heirs before the competition?
0:24:29 > 0:24:36Bob makes his way to the address given for Peter Marsh on Myrtle's sister's death certificate.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41It's looking particularly empty.
0:24:44 > 0:24:48Fish and chip shop, which is convenient.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52No-one in there.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59Now I feel particularly daft cos I've come to totally the wrong place.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03I thought you was gonna find my relatives!
0:25:03 > 0:25:11But in his rush to get there and be in time for his big night out, Bob hasn't taken in the right address.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14We might try and find the right road now!
0:25:14 > 0:25:21Will he be lucky second time round and will Peter Marsh be able to give any leads to help crack the case?
0:25:27 > 0:25:32Bob finally finds the house, but where is Peter Marsh?
0:25:33 > 0:25:37I'm in the right road anyway, but no-one seems to be in.
0:25:37 > 0:25:42He tries every neighbour, hoping someone will know how to find him.
0:25:42 > 0:25:50My name's Bob Barratt from a firm called Fraser & Fraser. I'm trying to trace a gent that lived at 127.
0:25:50 > 0:25:54He went to hospital. I haven't seen him come out.
0:25:54 > 0:25:57The family was clearing out all the stuff.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01- Sounds like he's long-term in hospital or he's died.- Yes.
0:26:01 > 0:26:07- I appreciate that. Thanks ever so much. Be seeing you. Bye-bye.- Bye.
0:26:07 > 0:26:11Right, well, that explains why the house is like this.
0:26:11 > 0:26:14It isn't what Frances wants to hear.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21- Hi, Bob.- Hello. I've got bad news, I'm afraid.
0:26:21 > 0:26:25- Mm-hm.- I finally located this bloke's house.
0:26:25 > 0:26:30And it's not semi-derelict, but it's in a pretty poor state.
0:26:30 > 0:26:34- You might as well head home. - Cheers, Frances. Bye.
0:26:34 > 0:26:37It's a massive blow for the team.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42Peter Marsh can't help them speed ahead with their investigation.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48That's a bit of a pity. It's a bit of a mystery that we might never know the answer to now.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51A bit frustrating, but never mind.
0:26:51 > 0:26:56Now I'm gonna head back towards home and see what crops up.
0:26:58 > 0:27:04Without somebody to speak to who hopefully knew the deceased and the family,
0:27:04 > 0:27:10we are back to the drawing board and researching into the family the hard way,
0:27:10 > 0:27:18searching through birth, marriage and death records without any clues we hoped Peter Marsh could provide.
0:27:18 > 0:27:25The team must crack this case the long way and maybe wasted valuable time trying to find Peter Marsh.
0:27:25 > 0:27:32Gareth sets to work. He looks up Myrtle's parents on a national population survey taken in 1891
0:27:32 > 0:27:36and finds Myrtle's mother's siblings.
0:27:36 > 0:27:41- She's got two sisters and a brother. - And Myrtle's father's siblings.
0:27:41 > 0:27:47We've got Harry Ranson and he's got three brothers - Percy, John and... looks like Gilbert.
0:27:47 > 0:27:52The next step is to find out what's happened to his siblings.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56The maternal side has died out with no family members still alive
0:27:56 > 0:28:00who could be entitled to any of Myrtle's estate.
0:28:00 > 0:28:03But on the paternal side, he has more luck.
0:28:03 > 0:28:11It's extending. We're finding marriages for the uncles of the deceased on the Ranson side.
0:28:11 > 0:28:16So...hopefully they'll have children
0:28:16 > 0:28:19and we'll work the tree up that way.
0:28:19 > 0:28:25Gareth knows from the census that Harold Ranson's parents were William and Mary.
0:28:25 > 0:28:29They had four children - Harold, Percy, John and Gilbert.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34He now works out that Gilbert Ranson married a Catherine Pace in 1916
0:28:34 > 0:28:38and they had two children, Leslie and Audrey.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43Audrey is no longer alive, but she had a son, Andrew Bruce, who is.
0:28:43 > 0:28:48Andrew is Myrtle Bevan's cousin once removed and an heir.
0:28:48 > 0:28:54At the moment, we've got a cousin of the deceased who hopefully we'll contact soon.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56A cousin once removed, Andrew Bruce.
0:28:56 > 0:29:03We need to get a traveller to him. He's not on the phone, so the earlier we contact him, the better.
0:29:03 > 0:29:08- Frances gets on the phone to Bob Barratt.- Hi, Bob.- Hiya.
0:29:08 > 0:29:12We do have a branch up to date on Gilbert.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17- Right.- He lives still in the Guildford area.- Right.
0:29:17 > 0:29:24- Unfortunately, I have no phone number. Ex-directory. - OK, I'll head towards then.- Bye.
0:29:24 > 0:29:30With Bob sent on yet another mission, his anniversary celebrations can't start yet.
0:29:39 > 0:29:45After a slow start, we're finally getting somewhere with the research,
0:29:45 > 0:29:48but it is a hard slog.
0:29:48 > 0:29:54Now Gareth has got further with another of Myrtle Bevan's relatives - Gilbert's son Leslie.
0:29:54 > 0:29:58- Are you gonna ask what I think is right?- Yes.
0:29:58 > 0:30:03Leslie was in Surrey in Addlestone, date of birth 23rd of March, 1918,
0:30:03 > 0:30:06living with Gwendoline F.
0:30:06 > 0:30:10- So Gwendoline F Ranson was Leslie's wife.- Yeah.
0:30:10 > 0:30:16Well, fortunately from Bob's point of view, I'm not gonna send him to Dorset tonight.
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- He can see Andrew.- Andrew Bruce.
0:30:19 > 0:30:25- He's only 90.- A mere babe! - He's the youngster in the family at the moment.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Aged 90, Leslie is a first cousin of Myrtle Bevan.
0:30:29 > 0:30:36Frances rings him up to tell him he's in line to inherit. Leslie's wife Gwendoline answers the phone.
0:30:36 > 0:30:40I actually was hoping to speak with your husband Leslie.
0:30:40 > 0:30:43But the response is unexpected.
0:30:43 > 0:30:48It certainly is in reference to his first cousin dying, yes.
0:30:48 > 0:30:55Have you? Well, fortunately, we are also looking at the same matter.
0:30:55 > 0:30:59Another heir-hunting company has phoned Gwendoline and Leslie.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04Unfortunately, somebody else has spoken to him before us,
0:31:04 > 0:31:08so we hope that Bob, who is on his way to see Andrew, gets there first.
0:31:10 > 0:31:17Now there is an extra reason for Bob to get to the second heir Andrew Bruce fast.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20DOG BARKING Hello there.
0:31:20 > 0:31:25- Is it Mr Bruce?- Yeah.- I'm Bob Barratt from a firm called Fraser & Fraser.
0:31:25 > 0:31:33Bob Barratt's got past the dog, but has he got to Andrew Bruce before another heir-hunting company?
0:31:33 > 0:31:38I got a phone call during the day to tell me this is what had happened
0:31:38 > 0:31:42and they said they would send me a form.
0:31:42 > 0:31:47- I say nothing bad about any other company, but we're...- The best.- Yeah.
0:31:47 > 0:31:53It's bad luck for Bob. Andrew has already had a phone call from Frasers' rivals.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58But they haven't paid a visit or given Andrew information on Myrtle.
0:31:58 > 0:32:02The person who has died is a cousin on your mother's side.
0:32:02 > 0:32:06- A cousin of my mother? - A fairly distant relation.
0:32:06 > 0:32:11- And as soon as we find an heir, we put a claim in on...- Excuse me.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16Yeah, sure, before she takes all the paint off!
0:32:16 > 0:32:23My wife would be proud of me. It's my wedding anniversary today and I haven't had to look at the date.
0:32:23 > 0:32:28- It's imprinted on your memory.- More than my life's worth to forget it!
0:32:28 > 0:32:30- Andrew...?- James.
0:32:30 > 0:32:37Unless there's anything else you'd like to ask me, I'll just ask you to consider us and I'll say goodbye.
0:32:37 > 0:32:42- Nice to meet you. - Thank you very much.- OK.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48His mission complete, Bob takes his leave.
0:32:48 > 0:32:51Very pleasant man. I hope he uses us.
0:32:51 > 0:32:56He's been contacted by one of our competitors before us,
0:32:56 > 0:33:01but I'm sure if he uses us, he won't be disappointed. Time to go home!
0:33:01 > 0:33:04Home for my anniversary.
0:33:12 > 0:33:16In central London, another Thursday is done and dusted.
0:33:18 > 0:33:23But a week later, the heirs to Myrtle Bevan's estate decided
0:33:23 > 0:33:27to sign up with another heir-hunting company,
0:33:27 > 0:33:32so all Fraser & Fraser's hard work on this case has been for nothing.
0:33:33 > 0:33:3912 years ago, Heir Hunter Mary Teviot tracked down Sarah Burgess
0:33:39 > 0:33:43who was an heir to the estate of Joseph Flynn.
0:33:43 > 0:33:48Joseph Flynn was Sarah's uncle, although she never knew him.
0:33:48 > 0:33:55In fact, Sarah knew almost nothing about her ancestors as she'd been orphaned at just five years old
0:33:55 > 0:33:59when her mother and sister were killed by a bomb.
0:33:59 > 0:34:03I have no idea whether there's a grave of my mum and sister.
0:34:03 > 0:34:1012 years after Mary tracked her down and spurred on by her daughters Janice and Jo,
0:34:10 > 0:34:15Sarah has built up the courage to do her own bit of family finding.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18She's asked Mary Teviot for help
0:34:18 > 0:34:24and Mary has given her a list of people with the surname Doyle living in Waterford, Ireland.
0:34:24 > 0:34:28Sarah hopes that at least one might be a relative.
0:34:28 > 0:34:31It'll take time to get in, won't it?
0:34:32 > 0:34:35CONTINUOUS TONE No dialling tone.
0:34:37 > 0:34:39Dead.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Try the next one.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45- RINGING TONE Is that a Thomas Doyle?- Yeah.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50STILL RINGING
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Nobody home.
0:34:54 > 0:34:57Third time lucky?
0:34:57 > 0:35:01Five...one...two.
0:35:01 > 0:35:04RINGING TONE
0:35:06 > 0:35:11- 'Hello?'- Hello. Is that Betty Doyle?- 'It is.'
0:35:11 > 0:35:17I'm calling from England. I'm just wondering if you might be a relation to me?
0:35:17 > 0:35:24Did you have a legacy of, eh... an Uncle Joseph?
0:35:24 > 0:35:26'Joseph Doyle?'
0:35:26 > 0:35:29- No, Joseph Flynn.- 'I did.'
0:35:30 > 0:35:34Well, I'm his brother's daughter.
0:35:34 > 0:35:39- 'You're Sarah?'- Yeah, the youngest of Richard and Sarah's children.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44It's great news for Sarah. She's got through to a Betty Doyle.
0:35:44 > 0:35:51They're related because Joseph's brother Edward had a son called Tom who is the father of Betty,
0:35:51 > 0:35:55making Betty the first cousin once removed of Sarah.
0:35:55 > 0:36:02- It's wonderful to know that somebody is there.- 'We are so long-tailed a family, it's unbelievable!'
0:36:02 > 0:36:05- Oh...- 'It is absolutely enormous.'
0:36:05 > 0:36:11Well, do you know, we want to come over. Is there any chance of that, say, in about two or three weeks?
0:36:11 > 0:36:14- 'Yes.'- Myself and my two daughters.
0:36:14 > 0:36:19Oh, I'm gonna get upset now. It's so brilliant to get...
0:36:19 > 0:36:24- So will I leave it with you?- 'OK, Sarah.'- Oh, it's lovely. All right.
0:36:24 > 0:36:28- 'OK, bye-bye.' - Bye, chuck.- 'Bye-bye, lovey.'
0:36:28 > 0:36:31I'm getting upset now.
0:36:31 > 0:36:36I honestly didn't know whether they'd be pleased or not.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Well, she sounds like she's gabby like you!
0:36:39 > 0:36:42THEY LAUGH
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Full up.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46That's the first family...
0:36:47 > 0:36:52Oh, don't ask me! First family that I've ever been in touch with.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56As we know, there's loads of them, isn't there?
0:36:56 > 0:37:01Yes, brilliant. I don't know where to start actually.
0:37:01 > 0:37:04- To think all these years we never bothered.- I know.
0:37:04 > 0:37:11If it hadn't been for Uncle Joseph, none of us would have known. I just can't wait to go.
0:37:13 > 0:37:20Getting in touch with relatives has triggered a desire in Sarah to find her mother and sister's graves.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22Beautiful place.
0:37:22 > 0:37:28Her daughter Janice has done some research and they are visiting a cemetery in Birkenhead
0:37:28 > 0:37:31where Janice thinks they are buried.
0:37:31 > 0:37:37Mum, did you know that your dad's buried with them as well? We didn't know, did we?
0:37:37 > 0:37:39No, I never knew.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44- Can't be that much further away, can it?- No.
0:37:44 > 0:37:52- We're gonna get right muddy, aren't we?- We should've brought our wellies. - Yeah, I thought about that myself.
0:37:52 > 0:37:54- This is it, Mum.- This?
0:37:54 > 0:38:00Yeah, unfortunately. Maybe the headstone's underneath, I don't know.
0:38:07 > 0:38:11STARTS SOBBING I didn't want to get upset!
0:38:13 > 0:38:17- Just look at it.- Yeah. - Couldn't even...
0:38:20 > 0:38:24I don't know that I wanted to see it after all.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26It's too much...
0:38:30 > 0:38:32It doesn't seem much, does it?
0:38:32 > 0:38:36- Oh, I don't know.- At least we know where they are, Mum.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41- We didn't even think they were together.- Yeah. Yeah.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43Well, it's so sad.
0:38:43 > 0:38:45All these years.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48No headstone, no nothing.
0:38:52 > 0:38:58But I'm glad. I'm glad I've seen it at last. Well, before my turn, but...
0:38:58 > 0:39:01Just grass.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07Enough. Enough.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10Can't do anything.
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Leave it there.
0:39:15 > 0:39:22Now Sarah knows where her mother and sister are buried, she can draw a line under her past.
0:39:35 > 0:39:41It's time for her next mission - finding living relatives she's never met before,
0:39:41 > 0:39:47uncles, aunts and cousins related to the parents she hardly even knew.
0:39:47 > 0:39:51Sarah and her daughters are off to Waterford
0:39:51 > 0:39:56where, according to cousin Betty, there are dozens of family members.
0:39:58 > 0:40:03Sarah's Irish relatives are waiting for her in a restaurant.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09Do you know what? I've got a fit of the giggles!
0:40:09 > 0:40:11GIGGLING
0:40:11 > 0:40:13Oh, dear!
0:40:13 > 0:40:18Sarah enters and for the first time in her life meets relatives
0:40:18 > 0:40:24from her parents' generation and blood relations she never knew she had.
0:40:24 > 0:40:26Pleased to meet you at long last.
0:40:26 > 0:40:31- Great.- Lovely to see you. And you have a resemblance to us as well.
0:40:31 > 0:40:37You do, a great resemblance. Lovely to see you, Sarah. Lovely to see you.
0:40:37 > 0:40:43- Pleased to meet you. A first cousin once removed.- Lovely to see you.
0:40:43 > 0:40:49- Pleased to meet you.- I can't believe it.- I'm Eddie and this is my father.- Pleased to meet you.
0:40:49 > 0:40:55With the help of Mary Teviot, Sarah is now part of a huge family in Ireland.
0:40:55 > 0:41:00- I bet you never dreamed... - It is a dream.- A dream come true.
0:41:00 > 0:41:06- A second cousin.- You're Thomas? - Yeah. Lovely to meet you.
0:41:06 > 0:41:12And Sarah's daughter finds out she's not the only one with the ginger gene.
0:41:12 > 0:41:17And I'm a second cousin Mary. And I had two redheads.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21You have so many cousins, you won't even want to know them!
0:41:21 > 0:41:24We've been through everything -
0:41:24 > 0:41:28scared, apprehensive, are you gonna like us?
0:41:28 > 0:41:30We rang three numbers here first
0:41:30 > 0:41:34and we didn't get anybody, then we got you.
0:41:34 > 0:41:36- And Betty was in!- Lucky you!
0:41:36 > 0:41:42- It's thanks to Betty we're here. - How could we refuse such a request?
0:41:42 > 0:41:45We couldn't. We couldn't.
0:41:45 > 0:41:49I'm delighted to have been able to do it for you.
0:41:49 > 0:41:51Because I thought I had nobody.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54No, well, there you go.
0:41:58 > 0:42:00It means the world to Mum,
0:42:00 > 0:42:04finally to meet the family she knew in the back of her mind she had,
0:42:04 > 0:42:10but never in a million years thought she would ever get to meet them.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13It's all been worthwhile. Absolutely.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16I can't...
0:42:17 > 0:42:22There's only one word I can use. I'm overwhelmed. Overwhelmed.
0:42:22 > 0:42:28And it's all thanks to Uncle Joe that we're all doing this and meeting up again.
0:42:28 > 0:42:32It's opened up another life for my mum now.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34I can't...
0:42:34 > 0:42:37I'll get too upset. I'm just...
0:42:37 > 0:42:41- Very pleased that you exist. - It's the first blood family.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45- All right, Mum. - APPLAUSE
0:42:50 > 0:42:53- Cheers.- Cheers.
0:42:54 > 0:42:56It's a lovely occasion.
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd