0:00:01 > 0:00:08Heir Hunters spend their lives tracking down families of people who died without leaving a will.
0:00:08 > 0:00:14They hand over thousands of pounds to long-lost relatives who had no idea about their windfall.
0:00:14 > 0:00:17Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:30 > 0:00:36On today's show, a 17-year-old who disappeared from his family home.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38He just walked out.
0:00:38 > 0:00:42Leaving behind a trail of mystery.
0:00:42 > 0:00:50Not really noticeable. Just dressed plainly as if he wanted to fade into the background.
0:00:50 > 0:00:58And the story of a miner whose difficult life brought a windfall to his descendants.
0:00:58 > 0:01:02He died in '76, and 30-odd years later...
0:01:02 > 0:01:06you get a phone call to say you may inherit some money.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09It was quite a shock, to be honest.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Plus a list of unclaimed estates worth over £125,000.
0:01:15 > 0:01:19Could you be due to inherit some money?
0:01:23 > 0:01:28Every year in Britain, over 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:28 > 0:01:35When no family is found, their money goes to the government. That's when the heir hunting companies step in.
0:01:36 > 0:01:43Using birth, death and marriage records, they race each other to find any long-lost relatives
0:01:43 > 0:01:45entitled to inherit.
0:01:45 > 0:01:50But finding these relatives is easier said than done.
0:01:50 > 0:01:57Sometimes people they investigate are so private that parts of their life will always remain a mystery.
0:01:59 > 0:02:05This block of flats in North London was home to Alan Fisher for many years.
0:02:05 > 0:02:09He died in 2006 at the age of 75.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12His neighbour Nelly remembers him.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17He must have moved in about 13 years ago,
0:02:17 > 0:02:21but we didn't get to know him. He liked to be on his own,
0:02:21 > 0:02:26didn't like any noise, would go out in the evening when it was quiet.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29Perhaps he was happy like that,
0:02:29 > 0:02:34but he just seemed so quiet. That was his name, the Quiet Man.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37That's what we all called him.
0:02:37 > 0:02:42But it seems that even though Alan Fisher was retiring in life,
0:02:42 > 0:02:44he can't escape notice in death.
0:02:44 > 0:02:51His name is on the Bona Vacantia, the weekly list of unclaimed estates published by the government.
0:02:54 > 0:02:59It's 8am on a Thursday morning in Central London.
0:02:59 > 0:03:04At Fraser and Fraser, a large heir hunting firm, tensions are running high.
0:03:04 > 0:03:11Today the list of estates is released. Alan Fisher is one case the heir hunters are looking at.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15Right. I'll see if I can get Ewart to go to Enfield.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19At this stage, they know little about Alan Fisher.
0:03:19 > 0:03:26So senior case manager David Pacifico despatches Ewart Lindsay to North London
0:03:26 > 0:03:32to collect Alan's death certificate. He knows this will tell them where he was born.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36We need more information so it's the obvious thing.
0:03:37 > 0:03:45To assist them in tracking down the clues, they employ a crack team of travelling researchers.
0:03:45 > 0:03:49These mobile agents spend their Thursdays primed to chase down clues
0:03:49 > 0:03:53and get a head start in the race against rival companies.
0:03:53 > 0:03:58This formula works because, after 30 years in the business,
0:03:58 > 0:04:04Frasers have tracked down over 50,000 heirs with estates totalling more than £100 million.
0:04:04 > 0:04:09It's mid-morning and in Enfield Ewart's already proving his worth.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13- Hello, Ewart. - I've got the death certificate.
0:04:13 > 0:04:18He was of Flat 15, Holly Lodge.
0:04:19 > 0:04:25They're hoping with Alan's address they'll be able to find out the value of the case.
0:04:25 > 0:04:33Frasers work on commission and their overheads are high. The case must cover their costs.
0:04:33 > 0:04:39If Alan owned his flat outright, it's a good indication of the estate's value,
0:04:39 > 0:04:42but the death certificate yields other information.
0:04:42 > 0:04:48He was born 16th May, 1931. Guess where.
0:04:48 > 0:04:52- Don't tell me - up north. - Cumberland.
0:04:52 > 0:04:54That puts the cat among the pigeons.
0:04:54 > 0:05:00The first rule of heir hunting is that people rarely move far from where they were born.
0:05:00 > 0:05:04Alan lived in Enfield, but is likely to have family up north.
0:05:04 > 0:05:10They'll have to search in Cumberland but the question is why did Alan live so far away from home?
0:05:10 > 0:05:15And, more importantly, do his family even know he's died?
0:05:15 > 0:05:21For now, they need to find out the value of the case. Ewart will check at Alan's old address
0:05:21 > 0:05:27to see if he owned the property. Asking the neighbours is a good way of getting background information.
0:05:27 > 0:05:32Hello. Sorry to trouble you. I'm from Fraser and Fraser.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34I'm enquiring about your neighbour.
0:05:35 > 0:05:41And in the office David asks case manager Marcus to investigate another avenue.
0:05:41 > 0:05:47The death of Alan Fisher. We didn't know anything about him.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49- We've now got his address.- Yeah.
0:05:50 > 0:05:55The researchers get on to checking the property registers.
0:05:55 > 0:06:00If Alan Fisher owned his flat, it will be listed.
0:06:00 > 0:06:07But it takes time. In Enfield, Ewart has already found out a wealth of information.
0:06:07 > 0:06:13I've just spoken to a lady at number 18. She moved in to the property around 1981.
0:06:13 > 0:06:19And he was already here. He's probably been here for a number of years.
0:06:19 > 0:06:26She doesn't think he was ever married, no children. And it's a council property.
0:06:26 > 0:06:30It doesn't look like Alan owned his property. Bad news for Marcus.
0:06:30 > 0:06:36It doesn't look very good, actually. It appears to be a council flat.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42I think, really, we'll have a look to see if the deceased had any close kin.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46We'll talk to them and it might be something we can resolve quickly.
0:06:46 > 0:06:51If we do and it's still worth a modest amount, we'll sign people up.
0:06:51 > 0:06:54There is a glimmer of hope, however.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00If Marcus can trace any siblings for Alan Fisher, they might know if he had assets.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04The first step to finding out is to find Alan's family.
0:07:04 > 0:07:11The team put together his family tree. They can trace the growth and the decline of the tree
0:07:11 > 0:07:15and see who is in line to inherit.
0:07:15 > 0:07:20The good news is that they already have one vital piece of the puzzle.
0:07:20 > 0:07:27From the death we've been able to identify birth and he was born in Cockermouth, in the northwest.
0:07:27 > 0:07:34We've also identified the parents' marriage. The father is brilliant. His name is Younghusband Fisher.
0:07:34 > 0:07:39Rather superb. He was one of about nine or so children.
0:07:39 > 0:07:44The name Younghusband is solid gold as it is so unusual.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48It's a real boost to the investigation.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52He married Alan's mother Mary in 1911 and they had nine children.
0:07:52 > 0:07:59Alan was the youngest of these, so Marcus may have his work cut out finding any siblings alive.
0:08:02 > 0:08:08So the researchers are on the hunt for death records for Alan's siblings,
0:08:08 > 0:08:14but it's highly likely another firm will be on the same track. Marcus needs to work fast.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Luckily, he's had an inspired thought.
0:08:17 > 0:08:24He's going through the list of probates to see if any are listed for Alan's brothers and sisters.
0:08:24 > 0:08:30This could really shortcut the hunt. There's a chance Alan may have had an inheritance in the past.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34If he has, that could mean the case IS worth pursuing.
0:08:34 > 0:08:37It seems Marcus made the right call.
0:08:37 > 0:08:43We just got the probate for John Octavious Fisher, the brother of the deceased.
0:08:43 > 0:08:46He died intestate.
0:08:46 > 0:08:50John Fisher died in 2006. He left no will.
0:08:50 > 0:08:54As he had no children, his siblings are heirs.
0:08:54 > 0:09:00That means Alan was due a share of his brother's cash, but they need to confirm how much.
0:09:00 > 0:09:04Now they have two things to speak to the family about -
0:09:04 > 0:09:09who Alan Fisher's heirs might be and how much he inherited from John.
0:09:09 > 0:09:13Thank goodness for the probate. It lists a key piece of information.
0:09:13 > 0:09:19The two people mentioned are Charles William Morland and Annie Mary Hails Morland.
0:09:19 > 0:09:25I've just been told that the sister of the deceased was an Annie M Fisher.
0:09:25 > 0:09:32We've got a marriage of an Annie M Fisher to Morland. So this is definitely right.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34This is a breakthrough.
0:09:34 > 0:09:38Because they have a name and address for Alan's sister, Annie Morland,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41Marcus is quick to find her number,
0:09:41 > 0:09:44but something's concerning him.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46She's in her late 80s.
0:09:46 > 0:09:53The problem with that is that we don't normally immediately contact people of that age.
0:09:53 > 0:10:00We try to contact their children. I'll just be extremely gentle with her and see how it goes.
0:10:00 > 0:10:06Another worry is that he might be the one to break the news of her brother's death.
0:10:06 > 0:10:12Mrs Morland? I'm ringing from a company called Fraser and Fraser.
0:10:12 > 0:10:16We're probate researchers. Yes, it concerns the Fisher family.
0:10:16 > 0:10:22I'm rather hoping that you would be the daughter of the late Younghusband Fisher.
0:10:26 > 0:10:30And you had quite a large number of brothers and sisters.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32I have to tell you...
0:10:32 > 0:10:37I'm afraid to say it is your brother Alan who has actually died.
0:10:37 > 0:10:43- We were trying to find his next of kin.- Often the heir hunters won't reveal who's died,
0:10:43 > 0:10:48but as Annie is close kin, Marcus bends the rules.
0:10:48 > 0:10:53Thank you so much for your time. Hopefully we'll speak again. Bye.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57The conversation has provided Marcus with some intriguing information.
0:10:57 > 0:11:05Alan apparently left the family home when he was 17. Nobody ever heard from him from that day to this.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10This is the first that she knows about Alan having recently died.
0:11:10 > 0:11:13She had no contact with him for years.
0:11:13 > 0:11:20The interesting thing for us is his brother John Octavious Fisher who died a couple of years ago,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Alan would have been entitled to share in his estate
0:11:24 > 0:11:29and his share was worth about £40,000.
0:11:29 > 0:11:31So...
0:11:31 > 0:11:37this estate has gone from being worth a little bit more than five grand, but not very much more,
0:11:37 > 0:11:41to plus 40 grand on top of that.
0:11:41 > 0:11:46The good news is that the £40,000 sitting dormant in a bank account
0:11:46 > 0:11:52is one step closer to finding its rightful owners, but knowing they hadn't heard from Alan for 55 years
0:11:52 > 0:11:57leaves a big question mark over the case.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05The problem with this estate, although we now know the full extent of the family,
0:12:05 > 0:12:11because the family came from the northwest and the deceased ended up living down in London,
0:12:11 > 0:12:17it may well be that between the northwest and London he married once, twice, three times,
0:12:17 > 0:12:24had any number of children who would have a prior claim over other members of the family.
0:12:26 > 0:12:31Coming up: with the news that Alan Fisher left at least £40,000,
0:12:31 > 0:12:36- the race is on to sign his heirs. - Mr Barlow?
0:12:36 > 0:12:43- But the question is: will they find them?- I'm trying to trace a lady called Janet
0:12:43 > 0:12:48who would have been Fisher? Is that yourself? ..It isn't.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52Thank you for your time. So sorry to trouble you, anyway.
0:12:53 > 0:13:00Many cases the heir hunters tackle involve people with large estates who have lost contact with family.
0:13:00 > 0:13:07Finding someone's relatives can be a daunting task. Perhaps you could be due an inheritance?
0:13:07 > 0:13:11Dorothea Alice Williams lived in Telford, Shropshire.
0:13:11 > 0:13:16She was 88 years old when she passed away and left £27,000.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21Are you related to Dorothea? If so, you could be due her estate.
0:13:23 > 0:13:27Mini-Francis Marsh died in Clapton, London, in March 2004.
0:13:27 > 0:13:31She was 86 years old and left an estate of £20,000.
0:13:31 > 0:13:36Are you related to Mini? Could her cash belong to you?
0:13:37 > 0:13:43Arthur Ronald Sergant Slade passed away in Birmingham at the age of 77.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46He left £20,000.
0:13:47 > 0:13:53If you have any information to help solve these unclaimed cases, then take a look at our website:
0:14:04 > 0:14:09The heir hunters handles thousands of cases like Alan Fisher's every year,
0:14:09 > 0:14:13about people who die having lost touch with their families.
0:14:13 > 0:14:18Occasionally they come across a case that is about the bigger picture,
0:14:18 > 0:14:24where the very act of claiming the inheritance is a statement for the greater good.
0:14:24 > 0:14:31When case manager Bob Smith first encountered the file of Oswald Bowley, seen here at a wedding,
0:14:31 > 0:14:34he knew it would be different.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36This is an unusual situation.
0:14:36 > 0:14:42Normally we deal with people's estate, which is their house or money in the bank.
0:14:42 > 0:14:50- In this case it was compensation due to Oswald.- Oswald was a miner who died in 1976 aged 64,
0:14:50 > 0:14:55but it wasn't until several decades later that Frasers took on the case.
0:14:55 > 0:15:01Oswald was due compensation for health problems caused by his occupation,
0:15:01 > 0:15:07- but it could only be paid out to his heirs.- I'm led to believe the compensation is £6,000 or £7,000.
0:15:07 > 0:15:14It's not life-changing amounts, however, it is recognition of Oswald and the suffering he endured.
0:15:16 > 0:15:23Worksop, Nottinghamshire, 19 miles southeast of Sheffield, once the heart of coal mining country.
0:15:23 > 0:15:27The mines dominated this area for over 100 years.
0:15:27 > 0:15:31At one point, tens of thousands of men worked these pits.
0:15:31 > 0:15:36Oswald was a miner for many years. Gordon Flint remembers his fondly.
0:15:36 > 0:15:44I'm Oswald's step-grandson, but to me he was the only grandfather I knew,
0:15:44 > 0:15:48so he was always Granddad Mick to me. Everyone called him Mick.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51No idea where it comes from.
0:15:51 > 0:15:56I have very fond memories of him spending time with me as a child.
0:15:56 > 0:16:00Oswald had married Gordon's grandmother Ida in 1950.
0:16:00 > 0:16:08They were both on their second marriages. They set up home in this house in Worksop.
0:16:08 > 0:16:12Gordon remembers that Oswald was always larger than life.
0:16:12 > 0:16:19He got me and himself into trouble, bought me pets when I don't think my parents were expecting them.
0:16:19 > 0:16:25And quite a bit of a character. Spent quite a bit of time in the pub, I seem to recall,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28from comments by my grandmother.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32But a very generous and kind person.
0:16:32 > 0:16:40A group of Oswald's drinking buddies from the colliery remember him fondly.
0:16:40 > 0:16:44He was a good bloke to talk to, have a chat to.
0:16:44 > 0:16:51"What are you doing, George?" That's all I can remember. I don't remember a lot.
0:16:51 > 0:16:55I was a manager and I remember the name Bowley.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58I think he had a nickname Ozzy.
0:16:58 > 0:17:03As far as I can recollect, his job was as a packer.
0:17:03 > 0:17:10Ron Booth, an ex-miner and local historian knows just what Oswald's day would have been like.
0:17:10 > 0:17:15His job would be to come on shift after the coal was stripped off.
0:17:15 > 0:17:22He'd build these packs, built with bits of stone that fell down, in-between,
0:17:22 > 0:17:29coal, and he'd build this pack up to the roof with all the old rubbish and that stopped subsidence.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33Coal mining was hard and dangerous work.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37Ron remembers all too well what life was like underground.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41You'd walk down 3-4 miles to the coalface.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45You'd scramble through, two or three times a day, on your knees.
0:17:45 > 0:17:51What happened down the pit was you stripped off to the waist. You just had shorts on.
0:17:51 > 0:17:56And your pit boots. It was hot, really hot.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00I mean, it were a good job for slimming.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04They shovelled all that coal, which was probably 12 tons.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07It would be a tough life, sweating,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11breathing dust, noise, clank, clank.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15You can't believe the noise you had. It was terrible.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19But it was the coal dust that created the biggest problem.
0:18:19 > 0:18:25You couldn't see. Especially when you were jibbing in and put your hand here.
0:18:25 > 0:18:28You couldn't see your hand.
0:18:28 > 0:18:32Rudimentary safety equipment was provided,
0:18:32 > 0:18:34but its use was never enforced.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37Remember them dust masks?
0:18:37 > 0:18:43Oh, yeah. What did you call them? One lad used to put these masks on in the pit bottom.
0:18:43 > 0:18:48We laughed at him, but did he know something that we didn't?
0:18:48 > 0:18:51- I wish now I'd put mine on.- Yes!
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Miners' health now, most of them have got breathing problems.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01A lot of them are terrible. They can hardly walk.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05They were on their knees 6 or 7 hours a day.
0:19:05 > 0:19:0830 years down the pit on your knees.
0:19:08 > 0:19:12And white finger with holding pneumatic drills
0:19:12 > 0:19:16and shaking your wrists. Day after day after day.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19It shattered the nerves in the wrist.
0:19:19 > 0:19:26Oswald became a victim of some of these hazards and it changed his life dramatically.
0:19:26 > 0:19:32I do remember him not being able to walk very fast. His breathing was shocking.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38He could hardly breathe at times and this got worse and worse as he got older.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42He became quite disabled, couldn't walk very far.
0:19:42 > 0:19:46He used to come up to my parents' on a moped.
0:19:46 > 0:19:54That's the lasting memories of him, coming into the house with his old-fashioned helmet on.
0:19:54 > 0:20:00After a lifetime of breathing coal dust, the soft tissue in Oswald's lungs was dying,
0:20:00 > 0:20:04making it impossible for him to breathe.
0:20:04 > 0:20:08Finally, in 1976, Oswald passed away.
0:20:08 > 0:20:14His death certificate lists emphysema as one of the causes, known to miners as black lung.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18If Oswald had the chest disease, I'm not surprised.
0:20:18 > 0:20:22You imagine coal cutters cutting the coal, the dust,
0:20:22 > 0:20:28loading it onto conveyor belts, one to another, until it gets to the loading point.
0:20:28 > 0:20:35All that dust was all over the place and most of the old lads had this chest disease
0:20:35 > 0:20:37and there was no compensation.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42In 1998, 22 years after Oswald's death,
0:20:42 > 0:20:48it was recognised that British Coal should have provided better safety for their workers.
0:20:48 > 0:20:52A compensation deal was struck and backdated to 1954.
0:20:52 > 0:20:57Even though it was nearly 20 years after Oswald's death, he qualified.
0:20:57 > 0:21:02It took another decade before Fraser and Fraser became involved.
0:21:02 > 0:21:05Bob Smith worked the case.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10'We were contacted by the solicitors administrating Oswald's estate.'
0:21:10 > 0:21:16There is compensation due to him, but that cannot be paid to his estate
0:21:16 > 0:21:22unless we find a family member to administer the estate and benefit from it.
0:21:23 > 0:21:30When Bob and his team began the research, they found it was fairly straightforward to track his heirs.
0:21:30 > 0:21:36We established that Oswald had been married twice with no children from either marriage.
0:21:36 > 0:21:43We therefore found Oswald's parents and also established that Oswald had five brothers and sisters.
0:21:43 > 0:21:49Four of those, unfortunately, died as small children, but one sister had survived.
0:21:49 > 0:21:52She married and had two children,
0:21:52 > 0:21:59so we were able in this case to find people that could benefit from Oswald's estate and his compensation.
0:21:59 > 0:22:04It seems that Oswald's sister Ellen had two children, James and Alan.
0:22:04 > 0:22:09James had three children and they are all heirs to Oswald's estate.
0:22:09 > 0:22:14Susan Greenwood is his great-niece, a pub landlady in Reigate.
0:22:14 > 0:22:19She was amazed when she heard she would have a share of Oswald's £6,000 compensation.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23It's very surprising that it's come to light now.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27Obviously, he died in '76 and 30-odd years later...
0:22:27 > 0:22:31you get a phone call to say you may inherit some money,
0:22:31 > 0:22:36so it was out the blue and it was quite a shock, to be honest.
0:22:36 > 0:22:43It's just a shame that he didn't get it for himself because it would have helped him more.
0:22:44 > 0:22:50For mining expert Ron Booth, the compensation was a matter of principle.
0:22:50 > 0:22:55I think they're worth every penny they've got for it.
0:22:55 > 0:22:59People say, "Oh, miners," this, that and the other.
0:22:59 > 0:23:05If you've never worked down a mine, you don't know what you're talking about. It's hard work.
0:23:05 > 0:23:10People say it's mechanised. It's still the same dangerous job.
0:23:10 > 0:23:16Because Oswald's step-grandson Gordon wasn't a blood relative, he is not in line to inherit.
0:23:16 > 0:23:21He thinks it's a shame Oswald didn't get the money in his lifetime.
0:23:21 > 0:23:28He never earned a lot of money and what he did have, he tended to spend fairly easily.
0:23:28 > 0:23:34A very generous man. And certainly in his latter years, he was very short of money.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38My parents helped him out a lot and looked after him.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42It would've been nice for him to have it, I would have thought.
0:23:49 > 0:23:55It's Day 2 and travelling Heir Hunter Ewart Lindsay is on the quest
0:23:55 > 0:23:59to find the heirs to the estate of Alan Fisher.
0:23:59 > 0:24:05The family knows nothing about him. He walked out when he was 17 and didn't return.
0:24:05 > 0:24:11Apparently, he's got about £40,000 coming to him from his brother's estate.
0:24:11 > 0:24:15We've got to tie up the loose ends on this case.
0:24:16 > 0:24:21You know, in terms of trying to find out about his marital status.
0:24:21 > 0:24:25Alan lived in this block of flats for more than a decade,
0:24:25 > 0:24:29but even his neighbour Nellie didn't know much about him.
0:24:29 > 0:24:37I don't think he had anybody else. He never had any visitors. Very small. He wasn't big.
0:24:37 > 0:24:41Not really noticeable. Just dressed plainly and...
0:24:41 > 0:24:45Just as if he wanted to fade in the background.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50Now he's at the forefront of the Heir Hunter investigation.
0:24:50 > 0:24:58Yesterday, they found out that Alan had eight siblings, but something is bothering Case Manager Marcus.
0:24:58 > 0:25:05The worrying thing about it is because the deceased was born in Cockermouth, then died in Enfield,
0:25:05 > 0:25:11you've got anywhere in between he could have married and the worry is that he may have married.
0:25:11 > 0:25:16We've not found anybody that knew if he had been married or not.
0:25:16 > 0:25:24There's a possibility that there is somebody else that's entitled before the heirs that we've got.
0:25:24 > 0:25:31If Alan Fisher did marry and have children, they would be the first to inherit Alan's cash.
0:25:31 > 0:25:38And with an estate of £40,000 in the balance, it is likely that rivals will be hot on their heels.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41The race is on.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45In order to ensure they have all the heirs,
0:25:45 > 0:25:50Marcus needs to find every marriage listed for an Alan Fisher in the UK
0:25:50 > 0:25:54and then eliminate them one by one.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58And the name Alan Fisher is not exactly unusual.
0:25:58 > 0:26:02His father was Younghusband Fisher - what a brilliant name!
0:26:02 > 0:26:07He was plain Alan Fisher, so it makes it a bit more difficult.
0:26:07 > 0:26:13We've got a long list of marriages for Alan Fisher all over the UK. He could have stopped off anywhere.
0:26:13 > 0:26:21220 miles north of London in Bolton, another mobile agent Dave Mansell has been pulled on to the case.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27As he's up north, he'll be the one paying a visit to Stella, Alan Fisher's niece.
0:26:27 > 0:26:33He's just called her to confirm the appointment and he's had some marvellous news.
0:26:33 > 0:26:36He's keen to tell Marcus.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41Really? Good stuff. OK, mate. Speak to you later. Bye.
0:26:43 > 0:26:46Superb. That was Dave Mansell.
0:26:46 > 0:26:50He's made contact with a niece of the deceased.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53He's gonna see her at 12 o'clock.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58She'll pick her sister up at the same time and they'll be seen together.
0:26:58 > 0:27:01It looks like they have six heirs.
0:27:01 > 0:27:08Of the nine Fisher siblings, only two are still alive - Annie Morland and Sarah Fisher.
0:27:08 > 0:27:14Another sister, Barbara, who has passed away, has three children - Stanley, Barbara and Stella.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18Alan was their uncle, but there's more to find.
0:27:18 > 0:27:25Another heir they know of is Alan's niece Madeleine, Wilson Fisher's daughter, but they can't trace her.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29They hope a rival firm hasn't already contacted her.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33Dave Mansell is driving the 100 miles from Bolton to Cockermouth.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37He's off to see Alan's nieces Stella and Barbara.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40He gives Stella a call.
0:27:40 > 0:27:46I'm on my way. It'll probably be 12.30 before I get there. We've had a delay on the motorway.
0:27:46 > 0:27:53- 'He's gone for my Auntie Sally an' all.'- Brilliant. I'll see you in a while.- 'Bye.'- Bye.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Her husband set off to go and get her sister.
0:27:59 > 0:28:06And their auntie who is 95. So there'll be three people to speak to when we get to the house.
0:28:06 > 0:28:12It's a coup to see so many heirs all at once. He will see Barbara, Stella and her husband James...
0:28:12 > 0:28:20- Mr Barlow?- Yes.- David Mansell from Fraser & Fraser. I spoke to your wife earlier.- Yes, come in.- Thank you.
0:28:20 > 0:28:27And he is also seeing Sarah, Alan's 95-year-old sister who is a little camera-shy.
0:28:27 > 0:28:33- Do you know when your father was born, his date of birth? - 5th of March.- 5th of March?- Yeah.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36He would've been 100 this year.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40- He would've been 100 this year? - Yeah, he'd be 100 in March.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43- So that was 1908?- Aye.- Yeah.- Cor!
0:28:43 > 0:28:49- How many times have you been married?- Just the once. - What do you mean, "How many?!"
0:28:49 > 0:28:55Whilst Dave does the paperwork, Stella reflects on his visit.
0:28:55 > 0:29:01Oh, I was surprised. It isn't every day somebody comes and tells you you'll get left some money.
0:29:01 > 0:29:04Just really surprised, yeah.
0:29:04 > 0:29:10I hadn't seen him since I was a lass. I didn't know if he was still alive or not
0:29:10 > 0:29:12because nobody had heard from him.
0:29:12 > 0:29:16Thankfully, now the family knows what happened to Alan.
0:29:17 > 0:29:22It's just after lunch and Marcus is on tenterhooks.
0:29:22 > 0:29:27Did Dave get there before any rival companies and did they sign to Frasers?
0:29:27 > 0:29:32I'm just about to phone Dave now and see what he's got.
0:29:32 > 0:29:36It's been long enough. How long has he been missing?
0:29:36 > 0:29:39About two and a half hours, it seems!
0:29:41 > 0:29:44- 'Hello, mate, it's me.' - Hiya, Marcus.
0:29:44 > 0:29:49- How are you doing?- We've signed up four heirs.- You've signed four?
0:29:49 > 0:29:53Yeah, three generations.
0:29:53 > 0:29:59- One of the girls. You know Madeleine and Linda? Linda's deceased.- Right. - We signed Madeleine as well.
0:29:59 > 0:30:05Dave's done a great job. That's two generations of Fishers in one sitting -
0:30:05 > 0:30:11Alan's sister Sarah and three nieces, Stella, Barbara and Madeleine.
0:30:11 > 0:30:15But the same old thought is nagging at Marcus.
0:30:15 > 0:30:22They are aware that they might not be entitled to anything if we find out he was married with kids?
0:30:22 > 0:30:27Yeah, I explained it all to them. They've not seen him for over 55 years.
0:30:27 > 0:30:32'Right. Could they remember the name of Joseph's daughter?'
0:30:32 > 0:30:35They thought it may be Janet.
0:30:35 > 0:30:39That's brilliant stuff, mate. Well done.
0:30:39 > 0:30:44So Dave beat the competition and Marcus can breathe a sigh of relief.
0:30:44 > 0:30:46So that's it. Good result.
0:30:46 > 0:30:53We still don't know if the deceased was married with kids, but a good result - four people in one hit!
0:30:53 > 0:30:58There is an added benefit to the Heir Hunters contacting the Fishers.
0:30:58 > 0:31:03They've been able to tell them where Alan was for the last 55 years.
0:31:03 > 0:31:09It's been nice for the survivors who are in their late 80s, early 90s respectively,
0:31:09 > 0:31:15it's resolved for them, before they die, before their life comes to an and,
0:31:15 > 0:31:17what happened to their baby brother.
0:31:17 > 0:31:24When you get a big family like that, the youngest one is always the one everyone feels protective about.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29But he just walked out. He didn't come back one day. Now they know.
0:31:29 > 0:31:37Signing four heirs is a masterstroke, but they're not out of the woods yet.
0:31:37 > 0:31:41They need to press on and find more of Alan's family.
0:31:41 > 0:31:46From Dave's meeting, Marcus now has the name of another niece.
0:31:46 > 0:31:52We've got a possible name, John, for the daughter of Joseph and Evelyn - Janet.
0:31:52 > 0:31:54I'll go and check that.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59Alan's niece Janet is the daughter of Joseph Fisher and an only child.
0:31:59 > 0:32:04It seems Joseph left the family home in Cockermouth when he was young
0:32:04 > 0:32:10and didn't keep in contact with his family, so they couldn't provide any details for Janet.
0:32:10 > 0:32:17The Heir Hunters know she was born in Watford in 1942. There's a good chance she'll be married by now.
0:32:17 > 0:32:23By cross-referencing birth and marriage records with electoral rolls in the Watford area,
0:32:23 > 0:32:31they hope to find her quickly, but Janet and Fisher are common names, so they have several to choose from.
0:32:31 > 0:32:37I've got four phone numbers for people called Janet born in 1942 in the Watford area.
0:32:37 > 0:32:44I'm hoping that one of them is Janet Fisher or was Janet Fisher before she married.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48It's a shrewd short cut. By calling the Janets on the list,
0:32:48 > 0:32:52there's a good chance he'll find the right one.
0:32:52 > 0:32:55One down and no joy.
0:32:55 > 0:32:58Hello. Is that Mrs Jones?
0:32:58 > 0:33:02I'm so sorry to trouble you. My name is Marcus Herbert.
0:33:02 > 0:33:08I'm ringing from a company in London called Fraser & Fraser, we're probate researchers.
0:33:08 > 0:33:15I'm trying to trace a lady called Janet who would have been born as Janet Fisher. Is that yourself?
0:33:15 > 0:33:20It isn't. Thank you for your time. I'm so sorry to trouble you. Bye.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24No. That's all I can do today on that.
0:33:24 > 0:33:31Marcus knows he needs to find Janet before the competition, but he still feels confident.
0:33:31 > 0:33:34I've had a rip-roaring day really.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39Um... Basically, we've found everybody just about that we've needed to find.
0:33:39 > 0:33:45Except for... The deceased had a brother called Joseph, who had a daughter Janet.
0:33:45 > 0:33:50We've identified her birth, she's still got to be found.
0:33:50 > 0:33:55The only thing we're still worried about is if the deceased married.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00Born up north, ended up in the south, could've married anywhere.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04It's late in the day and the team are thinking about heading home,
0:34:04 > 0:34:10but Marcus decides to give the search for Janet Fisher one last shot.
0:34:10 > 0:34:14We were looking at Janets born in 1942 in Watford.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20And there's a son with a date of birth living with her.
0:34:20 > 0:34:27I look the birth of the son up and it gives the mother's maiden name as Fisher. Janet is living in Watford.
0:34:27 > 0:34:34It's a great moment. Marcus's hard work has paid off. He phones travelling Heir Hunter Ewart.
0:34:34 > 0:34:41- Ewart, it's me. I've found Joseph and Evelyn Fisher's daughter Janet. - Perfect. Perfect, yeah.
0:34:41 > 0:34:48Coming up - the Heir Hunters are pleased that they have the Fisher clan wrapped up. Or have they?
0:34:48 > 0:34:55We've got all of Alan Fishers' marriages to tackle today. I've kind of lost the will to live!
0:35:00 > 0:35:05The Heir Hunters' job is to fill in the gaps of people's lives,
0:35:05 > 0:35:10tracing long-lost family members in order to give them an inheritance.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Perhaps you could be due a windfall.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17Baldrick James died in Leicester in 2004. He was 78 years old
0:35:17 > 0:35:20and left a cash sum of £19,000.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22John Jones passed away in Luton.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26He died in December 2004 at the age of 53,
0:35:26 > 0:35:29leaving a sum of £20,000.
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Boris Bilacon passed away in Newcastle-upon-Tyne.
0:35:33 > 0:35:38He was 80 when he died, leaving a legacy of £20,000.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44If you have information which could help solve these unclaimed cases,
0:35:44 > 0:35:47then take a look at our website:
0:36:00 > 0:36:04It's Day 3 on the case of Alan Fisher,
0:36:04 > 0:36:10a shy, retiring man who had lived in this block of council flats in Enfield
0:36:10 > 0:36:13and left an estate of £40,000.
0:36:13 > 0:36:19After tracking down his relatives, the Heir Hunters have found that he left home 55 years ago aged 17
0:36:19 > 0:36:22and they have no idea what happened.
0:36:22 > 0:36:27They have signed four heirs and are hoping to get to one more,
0:36:27 > 0:36:33but as they know so little about Alan's adult life, a huge question mark hangs over the investigation.
0:36:33 > 0:36:40If he was married with issue, there are others with a prior entitlement to benefit from his estate,
0:36:40 > 0:36:44rather than the people that we have already found
0:36:44 > 0:36:48who are nephews and nieces and two siblings.
0:36:48 > 0:36:56In Watford, travelling Heir Hunter Ewart is enjoying a visit close to home for a change.
0:36:56 > 0:37:03I've got an appointment in Watford which is probably a bit less than two miles away from where I live
0:37:03 > 0:37:06to see a Mrs Hicks
0:37:06 > 0:37:10and she will be a niece of the deceased.
0:37:10 > 0:37:14As Ewart arrives to see Alan's niece Janet Hicks,
0:37:14 > 0:37:18Marcus wrestles with a long list of possible Fisher marriages.
0:37:18 > 0:37:25We've got all of Alan Fishers' marriages to tackle today and I've kind of lost the will to live!
0:37:25 > 0:37:30We've eliminated about five out of about 30 so far.
0:37:30 > 0:37:34And we've still got about another 20-year search to do.
0:37:36 > 0:37:41Back in Watford, the good news is Janet has signed to Frasers,
0:37:41 > 0:37:45but when it comes to the Fisher family, she wasn't much help.
0:37:45 > 0:37:52Her father Joseph had brothers and sisters and she didn't know much about them whatsoever.
0:37:52 > 0:37:58You could see the reason why. Her father left Cockermouth in about 1952
0:37:58 > 0:38:01and came down to live in Watford.
0:38:01 > 0:38:08She hadn't been in contact with her aunts and uncles for over 50 years, so it's understandable.
0:38:08 > 0:38:13Nevertheless, she signed, so, you know, it's good for me.
0:38:13 > 0:38:16It's good for my figures.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19Ewart phones in to the office.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24- Good news, Marcus.- She signed? - Yeah, Mrs Hicks signed.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28Quite a nice lady. I'm afraid she didn't know much about the family.
0:38:28 > 0:38:34She was the one that I think her father was, along with the deceased,
0:38:34 > 0:38:39one of the ones that they didn't know where he was for a few years.
0:38:39 > 0:38:45The Fisher clan is certainly large, but obviously not that close.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50And it's a tragic coincidence that Winchmore Hill where Alan lived
0:38:50 > 0:38:54and Joseph's home in Watford are less than 20 miles apart.
0:38:54 > 0:38:58But it seems the brothers never knew they lived so close.
0:38:58 > 0:39:05With Janet's signature on the contract, the Heir Hunters now have five heirs confirmed -
0:39:05 > 0:39:11Alan's sister Sarah and four of his nieces, Barbara, Stella, Madeleine and Janet.
0:39:11 > 0:39:17But they will have nothing to claim if the office find that Alan Fisher married and had children.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21And it seems their fears are about to be realised.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24Yeah, we got a marriage in Enfield.
0:39:25 > 0:39:28Yes, in 1968.
0:39:28 > 0:39:32The office may have found the marriage of the deceased,
0:39:32 > 0:39:35a possible marriage when he was about 37.
0:39:35 > 0:39:42So that's good. So we'll head to Enfield and try and obtain that marriage.
0:39:42 > 0:39:49Marriage certificates list couples' parents and although Fisher is a common name,
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Ewart is confident the Alan Fisher they're looking for will stand out.
0:39:54 > 0:39:59You know, his father has got a very, very good name. Fantastic name.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02And it's Younghusband.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06One word. It's not two separate words.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08It's Younghusband Fisher.
0:40:08 > 0:40:13And on this particular marriage I'm picking up in Enfield,
0:40:13 > 0:40:17if the father was Younghusband, it's the correct marriage.
0:40:20 > 0:40:26And then the guys could go ahead and look for children,
0:40:26 > 0:40:28look for issue of that marriage.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33It's not impossible. He was 37 years of age when he got married,
0:40:33 > 0:40:37when this particular Alan Fisher got married.
0:40:37 > 0:40:44It's a nail-biting moment. The Heir Hunters have invested three days of hard slog on this case.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48This certificate could turn everything on its head.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Turn of a coin and it changes.
0:40:51 > 0:40:57- But just as Ewart arrives at the Register Office... - Almost at Enfield Register Office.
0:40:57 > 0:41:02Gonna give Ewart a call and break the happy news to him.
0:41:05 > 0:41:10Ewart, it's me. That Enfield marriage for Alan Fisher is wrong.
0:41:10 > 0:41:15We've just found some bits and pieces which proved it's wrong.
0:41:15 > 0:41:20That one's 16 years younger than ours, so forget all about that.
0:41:20 > 0:41:28After all that, it was a false alarm and there's not much more Marcus can do on the Fisher case.
0:41:28 > 0:41:32He has plenty to be pleased about with five heirs signed,
0:41:32 > 0:41:36but Alan's marital status is still a mystery.
0:41:36 > 0:41:42The niggling problem of the deceased's own marriage, yes or no, did he or didn't he?
0:41:42 > 0:41:44There you go.
0:41:44 > 0:41:51The Heir Hunters can't process the claim until they have ensured they have found every heir.
0:41:51 > 0:41:56A long period of time is unaccounted for in Alan's life, so did he marry?
0:41:56 > 0:41:58Nellie thought he wasn't the type.
0:41:58 > 0:42:04He was just the sort of person who goes in the background, very quiet and...
0:42:04 > 0:42:08And always smiled if you spoke to him.
0:42:08 > 0:42:12But didn't really want to engage in conversation.
0:42:12 > 0:42:15He seemed nervous of everybody.
0:42:15 > 0:42:20It's three months since the team began the investigation
0:42:20 > 0:42:24into Alan Fisher and there's been a twist in the tale.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28Brilliant case. The research went extremely well.
0:42:28 > 0:42:33It was fairly straightforward. It wasn't too difficult to research.
0:42:33 > 0:42:38It was nice that we found siblings of the deceased, interesting names.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41But the family decided to go it alone.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46As the heirs decided not to have Frasers' help to submit the claim,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50Marcus will never know if Alan Fisher married and had children.
0:42:50 > 0:42:53But you win some, you lose some.
0:43:11 > 0:43:15Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2008
0:43:15 > 0:43:18Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk