0:00:02 > 0:00:07Heir hunters track down families of people who have died without leaving a will.
0:00:07 > 0:00:13They hand over thousands of pounds to relatives who had no idea they were in line for a windfall.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:28 > 0:00:37Today, two very different cases for the heir hunters, involving big money and family secrets.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41Why Marie Smith's refusal to take advice...
0:00:41 > 0:00:47- She should have made a will. - ..resulted in her fortune passing on to someone else.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49She's left several thousand pounds.
0:00:49 > 0:00:54And why for Paul Matthews, heir hunting is like poker.
0:00:54 > 0:00:59- Can you spare me 30 seconds?- You can never be sure you have a full house.
0:00:59 > 0:01:05Plus a number of unclaimed estates worth nearly a quarter of a million pounds.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08Could you be in line for some money?
0:01:12 > 0:01:17Every year in Britain, over 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:17 > 0:01:24When no family is found, their money goes to the government. That's when the heir-hunting companies step in.
0:01:24 > 0:01:29Using birth, death and marriage records, they race each other
0:01:29 > 0:01:34to be the first to track down any relatives entitled to inherit.
0:01:34 > 0:01:40Fraser & Fraser is one of the oldest firms of heir hunters in the UK.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43We've found the brother's death.
0:01:43 > 0:01:48In its 30-year history, the company has tracked down over 50,000 heirs,
0:01:48 > 0:01:52entitled to a whopping sum of over 100 million pounds.
0:01:59 > 0:02:06It's just after 7am and at Fraser and Fraser's central London offices, the staff are already hard at it.
0:02:06 > 0:02:12Thursday's the day that the Treasury releases the Bona Vacantia, a list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18Under the guidance of Andrew Fraser, the heir hunters are lining up their choices.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22Number seven sounds like a possible, don't it?
0:02:22 > 0:02:27I'll look into it until we get the death certificate.
0:02:27 > 0:02:35Senior case manager Tony Pledger is running the case of Mrs Marie Smith, assisted by Marcus Herbert.
0:02:35 > 0:02:41By searching Frasers' data on births and marriages, he's already found out information.
0:02:41 > 0:02:46We've identified that Marie Smith was married to James Smith.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50And before she married, she was called Huggett. Born in 1914.
0:02:50 > 0:02:55We know her husband pre-deceased her, so that's all sorted out.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00What we need to do is actually find out if they've got any issue.
0:03:00 > 0:03:06We've got people working on that. And find out if she had any siblings.
0:03:06 > 0:03:15After her husband's death in 1988, Marie Smith lived in the family home in Hampshire for another 19 years.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21Towards the end of her days, she suffered from dementia, but refused any help.
0:03:21 > 0:03:26When the police found Marie, her home had fallen into a sorry state.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31Despite the condition inside, it is a large property in a good area.
0:03:31 > 0:03:38The heir hunters researched the property ownership and find that it's worth around £350,000.
0:03:41 > 0:03:48As property makes up the bulk of someone's fortune, they can estimate that this is the estate's value.
0:03:48 > 0:03:55If Frasers can find any of Marie's relatives, they will be entitled to everything she left behind.
0:03:55 > 0:04:00One of those will be the death of her husband.
0:04:00 > 0:04:05Because the estate is so large, it will attract a lot of attention
0:04:05 > 0:04:10from rival heir hunters, so Tony needs to work fast.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Marie P.E.E. Huggett. It's on the land registry.
0:04:14 > 0:04:22The researchers will do a sweep of Huggetts by searching through birth, death and marriage records.
0:04:22 > 0:04:27But the most valuable document will be Marie Smith's death certificate.
0:04:27 > 0:04:35And they're hoping the informant may be a potential source of information or even a relative.
0:04:35 > 0:04:43David Pacifico puts in a call to one of Fraser & Fraser's travelling heir hunters, Bob Smith.
0:04:43 > 0:04:50Bob's one of a squad of mobile agents employed by Frasers. They spend their Thursdays at the wheel,
0:04:50 > 0:04:54ready to follow up leads and sniff out clues.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58They also aim to get to any heirs before rival firms
0:04:58 > 0:05:02and sign them up, earning the company a share of the claim.
0:05:06 > 0:05:13At home in East Grinstead, traveller Bob Smith is ready to leap into action.
0:05:13 > 0:05:17And even more so when he hears the value of the estate.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20OK, mate. OK. Cheers, Dave. Bye.
0:05:25 > 0:05:32This morning I'm off to the Register Office in Guildford to pick up a death certificate
0:05:32 > 0:05:38of our deceased Marie Smith who died about 18 months ago.
0:05:38 > 0:05:46Luckily, we won't be researching the name Smith as she was married and her maiden name was Huggett,
0:05:46 > 0:05:53which strikes me as a reasonably unusual name. So in research terms that helps a little bit.
0:05:53 > 0:06:01Certainly there are fewer Huggetts in the world than Smiths, so it will be easier to trace potential heirs.
0:06:01 > 0:06:09Speaking of Huggetts, back in London, Tony and Marcus are getting to grips with that family's tree.
0:06:09 > 0:06:17The first step is to identify Marie's parents. The heir hunters spend days writing family trees.
0:06:17 > 0:06:23They use them like maps to find hidden treasure, working out how a family fits together
0:06:23 > 0:06:26and who is in line to inherit.
0:06:26 > 0:06:32After searching through UK birth, marriage and death records,
0:06:32 > 0:06:35they may have found Marie's parents.
0:06:35 > 0:06:40We found a marriage in 1895 of Walter Thomas Huggett to Clarissa Rapley.
0:06:40 > 0:06:46- But Tony's found a problem. - We might have found the marriage of the parents,
0:06:46 > 0:06:49but 20 years before she was born.
0:06:49 > 0:06:54It's unlikely they were married for 20 years and just had one child.
0:06:54 > 0:07:00So a little bit more time has got to pass before we get a definite idea.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04As most people would have children soon after marrying,
0:07:04 > 0:07:11a 20-year gap should mean older brothers and sisters and possible stems to investigate.
0:07:11 > 0:07:14But they have to find them first.
0:07:14 > 0:07:19But with three heir hunters on the case, the puzzle is soon solved.
0:07:19 > 0:07:25So we've got Walter J Huggett, Clarissa, Ruby M Huggett, a sister of the deceased,
0:07:25 > 0:07:31and Thomas W W. Right. There could be a shed-load of more of them.
0:07:31 > 0:07:37Soon the heir hunters have filled in a few blanks on the Huggett family tree.
0:07:37 > 0:07:44Marie's parents were Walter and Clarissa Huggett. And she had a sister Ruby and brother Thomas.
0:07:44 > 0:07:51But there's a 16-year space before Marie's birth. So are there any more siblings to add to the list?
0:07:51 > 0:07:55In Guildford, Bob's got some news for Tony.
0:07:55 > 0:08:01- I've got the death certificate of Marie.- What did she die of?- Cancer.
0:08:01 > 0:08:08- But there's a fly in the ointment. - Anglia Research rang up and asked for a copy of the death certificate.
0:08:08 > 0:08:10OK. Ta. Bye. Bye.
0:08:12 > 0:08:19That's upped the ante. The heir hunters now know a rival company is chasing the same job.
0:08:19 > 0:08:24They need to find an heir fast. Bob's on his way to Marie's house.
0:08:24 > 0:08:31I'm going to go down now to the address on the death certificate where she lived
0:08:31 > 0:08:36and make enquiries there with the neighbours and such.
0:08:40 > 0:08:45With the competition hot on their heels, Frasers are pulling out the stops.
0:08:45 > 0:08:52Another travelling heir hunter, Bob Barratt, is sent to Reigate Register Office,
0:08:52 > 0:09:00where Marie, Thomas and Ruby Huggett's births were recorded. They hope he'll find more siblings.
0:09:00 > 0:09:05Frasers have to cover every branch of the family tree.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10We've got an elderly decedent whose grandfather was born in about 1847.
0:09:10 > 0:09:15They want to ensure they have explored every possible heir,
0:09:15 > 0:09:20so they are checking Marie's parents to see if they had any siblings.
0:09:20 > 0:09:26If Marie's siblings had died with no offspring, her cousins inherit.
0:09:26 > 0:09:33The plan is to see who was in the Huggett and Rapley family households when Marie's parents were children,
0:09:33 > 0:09:37so the heir hunters need to go back in time.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40Every ten years since the year 1801,
0:09:40 > 0:09:46the British government has taken a national population survey called the Census.
0:09:46 > 0:09:52From 1841, this listed the names of all the people living at every address in Britain.
0:09:52 > 0:09:59They are only released 100 years after they were taken. Marcus is looking at the 1891 Census.
0:09:59 > 0:10:04The mother appears as a 15-year-old nursemaid on the 1891 Census.
0:10:04 > 0:10:12So I've now got the 1881 Census, I've got that family. That's Rapley, Clarissa Rapley.
0:10:12 > 0:10:15I've always liked doing Censuses.
0:10:15 > 0:10:20We always do this even if we've got nearer kin or it looks like we have
0:10:20 > 0:10:26because if the nearer kin have all died off, we need to look at the cousins.
0:10:26 > 0:10:31And we can't wait as the competition would've got the cousins.
0:10:31 > 0:10:35The race is on for just about everyone.
0:10:40 > 0:10:46- Coming up - Marie Smith's secrets are revealed.- She might've done a will and left in the wardrobe.
0:10:46 > 0:10:51And the heir hunters have a case of half-brothers separated by time.
0:10:51 > 0:10:59- And when was the last time you saw him?- 17 years ago. I went looking for him to find him for my mother.
0:11:02 > 0:11:07Heir hunters follow clues to find heirs to unclaimed estates,
0:11:07 > 0:11:12ensuring the money goes to them. Could you be due an inheritance?
0:11:12 > 0:11:17Ellen McDonald died in Welwyn Garden City at the age of 75.
0:11:17 > 0:11:22She left £28,000. Are you part of Ellen's family?
0:11:22 > 0:11:24Or do you know someone who might be?
0:11:24 > 0:11:30Pattie Fenella Lawson passed away in Halifax in 1996 at the age of 73
0:11:30 > 0:11:32and left £42,000.
0:11:32 > 0:11:37Are you related to Pattie? Could you be entitled to her cash?
0:11:38 > 0:11:44John Joseph Ryan died in Lewisham in September 2005, aged 89.
0:11:44 > 0:11:46He left £34,000.
0:11:46 > 0:11:50For more information, visit:
0:11:56 > 0:12:01Often, the heir hunters reunite long-lost kin.
0:12:01 > 0:12:07And they can come across relatives who knew nothing of each other's existence.
0:12:07 > 0:12:13The case of William Stirling was one such story. He was a retired engineer and a bachelor
0:12:13 > 0:12:18who had lived in Birmingham. With no obvious next of kin,
0:12:18 > 0:12:24his name soon appeared on the government's Bona Vacantia list.
0:12:27 > 0:12:32It's 7.30am at Fraser & Fraser's offices.
0:12:32 > 0:12:37Neil Fraser and Marcus Herbert are examining William Stirling's case
0:12:37 > 0:12:41as they think it may be of some value.
0:12:41 > 0:12:47They are short on detail and everything rests on his death certificate.
0:12:47 > 0:12:54They hope the person who registered the death might be a friend or relative of William Stirling
0:12:54 > 0:13:02who can tell them more about him. But other firms may be on the same case, so they need information fast.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05OK, mate. I'm OK. Are you all right?
0:13:05 > 0:13:10Marcus gives Frasers' Birmingham based agent, Paul Matthews, a call.
0:13:10 > 0:13:13William Stirling - S-T-I-R-L-I-N-G.
0:13:13 > 0:13:20He dies the 20th of October, 2007, in Birmingham. Haven't got anything else for him at the moment.
0:13:20 > 0:13:25All right, mate. Speak to you in a bit. Right. Where are we now?
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Still haven't got a clue where we're going.
0:13:34 > 0:13:42Aware that other firms may be hot on his heels, Paul heads straight to the Birmingham Register Office.
0:13:46 > 0:13:52- This one will do us.- Give us a few minutes, we'll see what we can do.
0:13:52 > 0:13:58Hopefully it'll tell us where he was born, the date of birth, and also the informant,
0:13:58 > 0:14:06- as we still don't know if there's value in the estate.- Right.- Any joy? - Good and bad.- What's the good news?
0:14:06 > 0:14:11- We've got an address for you.- Nice one.- And the bad news.- OK, Glasgow.
0:14:11 > 0:14:16- The informant was with the social services.- Social services.
0:14:16 > 0:14:22- So we could be having a quiet day then?- Right. Is that it?- I think so.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27So it seems there is no shortcut to finding more about William.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32But his former address in Birmingham may be useful to the investigation.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Paul calls Neil to update him with William's birthplace.
0:14:37 > 0:14:40He was actually born in Glasgow.
0:14:40 > 0:14:46Neil phones their Scottish researcher to get William's birth certificate ordered.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52We have a William Stirling. Now, my information is a bit confusing.
0:14:52 > 0:14:57Paul's at the property where William Stirling lived.
0:14:57 > 0:15:03I'm outside the address in Moseley. Looks as though he's got a flat in a big house,
0:15:03 > 0:15:08so maybe he was renting. But we won't know till I knock on the door.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13Could you spare me 30 seconds? Thanks anyway. Cheers. Bye.
0:15:13 > 0:15:19It's unlikely that many people will be at home at 10am, but Paul's not giving up.
0:15:19 > 0:15:22One last house to try.
0:15:22 > 0:15:27Paul's persistence pays off. But it's not good news.
0:15:27 > 0:15:32He finds out that William Stirling didn't own the flat he lived in.
0:15:32 > 0:15:39As property forms the basis of most estates, it doesn't bode well for the value of William's estate.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44But more than that, he never appeared to receive any visitors.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48Could it mean that he had no close family?
0:15:48 > 0:15:53In the office, the team have been concentrating on this very question.
0:15:53 > 0:16:00Having found out that his birth was in Scotland, they've tracked down William Stirling's parents.
0:16:00 > 0:16:03And it's a bit of a surprise.
0:16:03 > 0:16:09It seems his mother Mary and his father William Carr were never married.
0:16:09 > 0:16:14But a year after William's birth, Mary married Peter Naylor,
0:16:14 > 0:16:18and their children would be William's half-brothers.
0:16:18 > 0:16:22But if he had brothers, why did he die alone?
0:16:22 > 0:16:26- Hello, Neil.- 'Yes?' - It's not his property.
0:16:26 > 0:16:32- It doesn't sound like there's much money, but we've got the brothers John and George up to date.- Yes.
0:16:33 > 0:16:40George lives in Stoke-on-Trent, and as you're not doing a huge amount, I was going to ask you to go to?
0:16:40 > 0:16:43- No problem. Speak to you later. - 'Bye.'- Bye.
0:16:43 > 0:16:51Neil believes the estate must be worth at least £5,000 or it wouldn't be on the government's list.
0:16:51 > 0:16:58As Frasers operate on commission, it's worth pursuing, especially as they think they've found the heirs.
0:16:58 > 0:17:05Now, at the moment, there's £2,500 per beneficiary. It's worth knocking on their door to see if they get it.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09It's not really taken us that long to sort out.
0:17:09 > 0:17:17But it's not something that's going to enable us to retire. It's a tiny bit of money we're dealing with.
0:17:17 > 0:17:24So Paul is going to Stoke-on-Trent to meet William Stirling's half-brother, George Naylor.
0:17:24 > 0:17:30And London-based travelling heir hunter Dave Hadley is travelling to Woolwich
0:17:30 > 0:17:33to meet the other half-brother, John.
0:17:33 > 0:17:39Dave reflects on what he finds to be the toughest part of the job.
0:17:39 > 0:17:43I've got no idea how close he was to his brother
0:17:43 > 0:17:47or if he's had any warning that his brother has passed away.
0:17:47 > 0:17:53Even with his previous experience as a policeman, it's never easy.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57I'll have to use lots of tact, diplomacy and some sympathy
0:17:57 > 0:18:01cos I'll have to tell him that his half-brother is dead.
0:18:01 > 0:18:09On the M6, as Paul is driving 40-odd miles from William's house in Birmingham to Stoke-on-Trent,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12he questions why the brothers had lost touch.
0:18:12 > 0:18:16I don't know if they even knew about each other.
0:18:16 > 0:18:22So as he's illegit, has the mum put him straight out for adoption?
0:18:22 > 0:18:30But having started something off and done some work, it's nice if you can take it to a logical conclusion.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37But will he get a chance to resolve his case? He's arrived at George's house.
0:18:37 > 0:18:40But he doesn't appear to be in.
0:18:40 > 0:18:46Do you live here at all? I'm trying to get hold of Mr Naylor at No 13, George.
0:18:46 > 0:18:51He's usually in, but he must've popped out.
0:18:51 > 0:18:57While Paul strolls around the block, in the office, Neil's following up the Scottish connection.
0:18:57 > 0:19:04The researchers are finding that getting information about William's father is difficult.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09Just leave it as it is. We don't think there's much value on it.
0:19:09 > 0:19:16We'll put through the work on the two brothers we've got. Then we may look at him later.
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Thanks. Bye.
0:19:19 > 0:19:26Coming up - the hunt for the Stirling heirs continues. But will it be worth it?
0:19:29 > 0:19:36There are thousands of pounds of unclaimed cash sitting in the government's coffers.
0:19:36 > 0:19:38Perhaps some of it could be yours.
0:19:38 > 0:19:43Peggy Louise Glover passed away in Cheltenham at the age of 77.
0:19:43 > 0:19:47She left £50,000, but no apparent heirs.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52If you're related to Peggy, you could inherit her fortune.
0:19:52 > 0:19:57Lillian Anne Dennis died in Nottingham in July 2004,
0:19:57 > 0:20:01leaving £30,000. Could you be one of her heirs?
0:20:01 > 0:20:06Joyce Butler passed away in Broomfield, Essex, in 2006.
0:20:06 > 0:20:10Her unclaimed estate is worth £40,000.
0:20:10 > 0:20:12Are you related to Joyce?
0:20:12 > 0:20:15If you know any of these people,
0:20:15 > 0:20:18please look at our website:
0:20:22 > 0:20:28The heir hunters are pursuing the case of William Stirling.
0:20:28 > 0:20:32They are convinced that the case is around £5,000
0:20:32 > 0:20:37and they've tracked down two heirs, his half-brothers.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42In Woolwich, heir hunter Dave Hadley is speaking to one of the brothers,
0:20:42 > 0:20:45John Naylor and his fiancee.
0:20:45 > 0:20:52Now, we believe that a relative of yours, from the Stirling side of the family, passed away last year.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58I don't know how close... How close are you to the Stirling side of the family?
0:20:58 > 0:21:05- That's my mother's side.- It was your mother's maiden name.- Yes. My middle name is Stirling, you know that.
0:21:05 > 0:21:12Um... We lost touch with the Stirlings when my grandmother died and I was about 14.
0:21:12 > 0:21:19The person in question is what we call a near heir, in that it's actually your half-brother.
0:21:19 > 0:21:26- I don't know if you were aware of him?- Yes. I have a half-brother, William. He's dead?- Yes.
0:21:26 > 0:21:31It was the moment Dave was dreading. And he can see John is shocked.
0:21:31 > 0:21:37And it's a difficult call for Paul up in Stoke-on-Trent.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40He's found William's other half-brother.
0:21:40 > 0:21:45Someone from Frasers' office in London has broken the news to him,
0:21:45 > 0:21:50but the result is the same. It's a shock.
0:21:50 > 0:21:55- I'm sorry about the bad news.- Where was it, do you know?- In Birmingham.
0:21:55 > 0:22:00- I've spoken to his landlady.- We were looking for him.- Really?- Yeah.
0:22:00 > 0:22:07- Oh, dear. But he's been with this lady as a tenant for 35 years. - Yeah. We were looking for him.
0:22:07 > 0:22:09I'm sorry about that.
0:22:12 > 0:22:20- When was the last time you saw him? - About 17 years ago. We went looking for him to find him for my mother.
0:22:20 > 0:22:26Both brothers had attempted to make contact with William in the past.
0:22:26 > 0:22:34I arranged to meet him one Saturday in a pub in Birmingham, which I did. But I've never seen him since.
0:22:34 > 0:22:41My brother arranged for me to meet him. And I met him to make sure it was him.
0:22:41 > 0:22:46And we arranged to bring my mother to meet him and he wasn't there.
0:22:46 > 0:22:53- So...she was a bit upset. - Were there any sort of family problems?
0:22:53 > 0:22:58- No.- Or was he just his own man?- He just wanted to be on his own, yeah.
0:22:58 > 0:23:05- I won't say there's any love lost between us, but...- But it's still your half-brother, isn't it?
0:23:05 > 0:23:11That's right. I'd like to know how his life ended up and what he went through.
0:23:11 > 0:23:14I don't know how much is involved.
0:23:14 > 0:23:20They don't publish the figures when they advertise these things.
0:23:20 > 0:23:24I don't know how much you'll be entitled to.
0:23:24 > 0:23:31- This is an awkward time for us. We're getting married next week. - Congratulations.
0:23:31 > 0:23:34I don't know if this is a good present.
0:23:34 > 0:23:41- He was always careful with his money. He was the quiet one, really. - Oh, right.
0:23:41 > 0:23:47- Was he a bachelor?- As far as I know, yeah.- I don't think he's the marrying type.
0:23:47 > 0:23:54- I doubt he got married.- You don't know where he was living? - Last I knew, he was in Birmingham.
0:23:55 > 0:24:02- So how long will it take to sort out? - Unfortunately, we don't know... - I'm not bothered about that, anyway.
0:24:02 > 0:24:10- It's just sad that you never managed to find him. Do you know who his father was?- I've no idea.
0:24:10 > 0:24:17We were always brought up as equals, you know. There was never... My dad never said, "You're not my son."
0:24:17 > 0:24:21That was never mentioned. It was always just...
0:24:21 > 0:24:25That's right and proper and the right way to do things
0:24:25 > 0:24:32- cos there's no reason not to, is there? But he was illegitimate, yeah?- I suppose you'd call it that.
0:24:32 > 0:24:39- We actually found that his dad was a William Carr.- William Carr? - Mean something to you?- No.
0:24:42 > 0:24:50Paul goes through the paperwork and George agrees to allow Frasers to help him submit his claim.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54- Nice meeting you.- Thank you. - All the very best.
0:24:54 > 0:25:00- Thanks very much, Dave.- OK. And I hope your wedding goes well. - Thank you.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05But things aren't all signed and sealed in London.
0:25:05 > 0:25:12Dave's left John Naylor the paperwork as he decides he'd like to think it over.
0:25:12 > 0:25:18George, who is closest to William in age, is still coming to terms with the news.
0:25:18 > 0:25:21Shocked. Not expecting this at all.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24Completely out of the blue, you know.
0:25:24 > 0:25:28Um... We just had no... No contact.
0:25:28 > 0:25:34We spent that long looking and never finding him, like, you know.
0:25:34 > 0:25:41An important part of the job for the heir hunters is passing on news like this.
0:25:41 > 0:25:47At least he knows what's happening. So now he's got some sort of closure on it.
0:25:53 > 0:26:01Frasers continue their research into the Stirling case, wanting to ensure they find all the heirs.
0:26:01 > 0:26:06They look closely at the William Carr branch of the tree
0:26:06 > 0:26:09and find out some surprising news.
0:26:09 > 0:26:16Quite by luck and pretty good research in Scotland, we were able to identify a marriage for William Carr.
0:26:16 > 0:26:23He married a Margaret Pearson and had four more children. So these are half-blood siblings of the deceased.
0:26:23 > 0:26:28William's father had married just two years after William was born.
0:26:28 > 0:26:32And he had two sons, Brian and Alexander.
0:26:32 > 0:26:36And then two daughters, Pearl and Wilma.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40All of these children are heirs to William's estate.
0:26:40 > 0:26:45There are now six beneficiaries. If the estate is only £5,000,
0:26:45 > 0:26:49they won't get much each. But there's a twist in the tale.
0:26:49 > 0:26:56We've had some great news, virtually. Whereas we thought it was maybe £5,000, £6,000, £7,000,
0:26:56 > 0:26:58the confirmed value now is £29,000.
0:26:58 > 0:27:03William's paternal half-siblings will receive a welcome windfall.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08But did they know about their brother, William Stirling?
0:27:08 > 0:27:14We've spoken to them and they weren't aware that their father was in a relationship
0:27:14 > 0:27:16prior to him marrying their mother.
0:27:16 > 0:27:21John Naylor has a few ideas of what to do with the money.
0:27:21 > 0:27:28If I get any inheritance, I might take the family on holiday or just generally look after the family.
0:27:28 > 0:27:34And celebrate it a bit. And buy those luxuries that we haven't had.
0:27:34 > 0:27:36Maybe buy myself a nice motorbike.
0:27:36 > 0:27:40But George is more philosophical about it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43I'd sooner have him than the money.
0:27:43 > 0:27:45Yeah.
0:27:52 > 0:27:58It's 11 o'clock on a Thursday in Fraser & Fraser's office
0:27:58 > 0:28:03and the heir hunters are four hours into the case of Marie Smith.
0:28:03 > 0:28:08It's a valuable estate of £350,000. But they haven't made much progress.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Anglia Research asked for a copy of the death certificate.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17With rival companies in the race to find heirs, they need results fast.
0:28:17 > 0:28:25Case manager Marcus Herbert has received some exciting news from Bob Barratt at Reigate Register Office.
0:28:25 > 0:28:32Bob's phoned and he's done a general search and managed to identify three other siblings of the deceased.
0:28:32 > 0:28:37That brings the total to five. Lillian Mabel Huggett born in 1901,
0:28:37 > 0:28:44but after the '01 Census, which is why she didn't show up. Mum was probably pregnant at the time.
0:28:44 > 0:28:49Dorothy Winifred C Huggett - the C must be Clarissa after her mum.
0:28:49 > 0:28:54There's a Leslie Scott SJK Huggett. I don't know what the "SJK" is.
0:28:54 > 0:29:01So we've got five siblings of the deceased. And we now know that the deceased didn't have any issue,
0:29:01 > 0:29:08so we're hoping of one of her brothers or sisters, there'll be children from there.
0:29:08 > 0:29:14It's a breakthrough. That crucial information takes the case to a new level.
0:29:14 > 0:29:19The heir hunters have completed the second tier on the family tree.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23They found that Marie had five brothers and sisters -
0:29:23 > 0:29:27Ruby, Thomas, Lillian, Dorothy and Leslie.
0:29:27 > 0:29:29But all five of them are dead.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34However, there's still hope. If any of Marie's siblings had children,
0:29:34 > 0:29:37they would be her heirs.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42Frasers must get to them before the competition.
0:29:42 > 0:29:47Mobile agent Bob Smith is in Marie Smith's old neighbourhood.
0:29:47 > 0:29:53He's hoping her neighbours can shed more light on Marie's family connections.
0:29:53 > 0:29:55Nobody home.
0:29:56 > 0:30:01Sorry to bother you. I'm enquiring about the lady who lived next door.
0:30:01 > 0:30:05- There is a niece somewhere. - Right. Interesting.
0:30:05 > 0:30:08It's confirmed their hopes.
0:30:08 > 0:30:15There was a niece who never visited. But a neighbour used to visit Marie, so we'll try and contact her.
0:30:15 > 0:30:20So Marie did have one regular visitor, but it wasn't a relative.
0:30:20 > 0:30:28Perhaps she can fill them in on possible family members. But Bob's not sure how to find this woman.
0:30:28 > 0:30:31By luck, another local provides the answer.
0:30:31 > 0:30:36- She's moved over to Firglen Drive. - Called Pat?- That's right.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41- There's an entry to an unmade road. - Oh, right.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45A simple task, or so it would seem.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53Negotiate all the potholes.
0:30:53 > 0:30:58He's beginning to wonder if he should have packed his wellies.
0:30:58 > 0:31:00They're all up that road there.
0:31:00 > 0:31:05They're not called travelling heir hunters for nothing.
0:31:05 > 0:31:11Bob may not be making progress, but in the office they're forging ahead.
0:31:11 > 0:31:14They've tracked down a marriage
0:31:14 > 0:31:18for Marie's brother Thomas to Dora Miller.
0:31:18 > 0:31:23Then they've traced a daughter, Vera. Could this be Marie's niece?
0:31:23 > 0:31:27Born in 1920, this would make her rather elderly,
0:31:27 > 0:31:31which may explain why she stopped visiting Marie.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38Oh, it's a lake, a fishing lake.
0:31:38 > 0:31:40Eugh!
0:31:40 > 0:31:43Beats walking on a farm.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Bob's arrived at Marie Smith's former neighbour's house.
0:31:47 > 0:31:49Success.
0:31:49 > 0:31:53He hopes she'll know more about Marie's niece.
0:31:53 > 0:31:57- Mr Johnstone?- Yes. - I was hoping to speak to your wife.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01The husband of the ex-neighbour is home.
0:32:01 > 0:32:08- Apart from having a key to get in and out...- There was no other real communication about the family?
0:32:08 > 0:32:15- No. She is aware that there is a niece.- But I'll leave my card with you.- If we come up with anything...
0:32:15 > 0:32:18Yes, particularly about the niece.
0:32:18 > 0:32:25There's that mention of the niece again, but no name. And Bob's had his fill of country lanes.
0:32:28 > 0:32:33In the office, Tony Pledger's been doing some research
0:32:33 > 0:32:37into two of Marie's sisters, Lillian and Dorothy.
0:32:37 > 0:32:43We knew Dorothy married Arthur Baker. We knew there was a Lillian as well.
0:32:43 > 0:32:50It turns out that Lillian has also married a Mr Baker. So Lillian has married John Baker.
0:32:50 > 0:32:56Dorothy's married Arthur Baker. There's two brothers married two sisters.
0:32:56 > 0:33:01But their children would all be called Baker.
0:33:01 > 0:33:08But until you got their certificate, you wouldn't be able to tell which couple the children went with.
0:33:08 > 0:33:13Through records on file, the heir hunters have found a Gwyneth Baker,
0:33:13 > 0:33:17another niece, and she was born nine years after her cousin Vera.
0:33:17 > 0:33:23But as Lillian and Dorothy Huggett married two men called Baker,
0:33:23 > 0:33:28they can't tell her exact parentage, making it difficult to trace her.
0:33:28 > 0:33:35They cross-reference the birth and marriage records, and it's not long till they find something.
0:33:35 > 0:33:40Roger's found a Gwyneth L Baker, born in 1929, in...
0:33:40 > 0:33:47Wandsworth. So we will be doing a marriage for that in a moment. But that is a niece of the deceased.
0:33:47 > 0:33:51So unless she's died off as an infant,
0:33:51 > 0:33:57we'll get nieces, nephews, which is great so we don't have to go back on it.
0:33:57 > 0:34:03So that now means they have two possible nieces for Marie Smith.
0:34:03 > 0:34:07But as they were born in the '20s, they may be already deceased.
0:34:07 > 0:34:11Bob's back at the car and phones his news through to Tony.
0:34:11 > 0:34:18I finally spoke to Mr Johnstone. Apparently the deceased was not a very popular person
0:34:18 > 0:34:25- and nobody really wanted to know her, sort of thing, so... - OK. Bye.- 'Bye.'
0:34:30 > 0:34:36It's just after lunchtime and at HQ, Marcus is feeling just fine.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Trawling marriage records has got a result.
0:34:40 > 0:34:46Roger's found a marriage of Gwyneth Baker to a Mr Ward, niece of the deceased.
0:34:46 > 0:34:51Tony calls the woman he hopes is Gwyneth Ward.
0:34:51 > 0:34:53This could be their first heir.
0:34:53 > 0:34:58- 'Gwyneth Ward.'- Mrs Ward, it's Tony Pledger from Fraser & Fraser.
0:34:58 > 0:35:05He's found his woman. She is the niece and the sole survivor of the Huggett clan.
0:35:05 > 0:35:10The other niece, Vera, died and there were no other children.
0:35:10 > 0:35:15So Dorothy had a sister, Lillian? Right. OK.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19Tony has to break the news of Marie Smith's death.
0:35:19 > 0:35:24Unfortunately, your Auntie Marie has passed away.
0:35:24 > 0:35:31We think that she's left possibly several thousand pounds, but doesn't appear to have left a will.
0:35:31 > 0:35:36Well, she might've done a will and left it in the wardrobe!
0:35:36 > 0:35:44But we don't think there is a valid will. I was wondering if one of our researchers could call and see you?
0:35:44 > 0:35:47As the last of her generation,
0:35:47 > 0:35:55she is now the only heir and is entitled to the whole of her aunt's £350,000 estate.
0:35:55 > 0:35:59Tony needs to get someone out to sign Gwyneth up fast.
0:35:59 > 0:36:05Have you been approached by anybody else? Yeah? Um... There is a possibility.
0:36:05 > 0:36:11That's lovely. We'll make your acquaintance later on. Thanks. Bye.
0:36:11 > 0:36:18She's confirmed that she's the only heir. Made an arrangement for us to go and see her at three o'clock.
0:36:18 > 0:36:20Excellent. Who are we sending?
0:36:20 > 0:36:27I don't know. I've got to find out where everybody is. But that's something to firm up on.
0:36:29 > 0:36:36They have no time to waste. Tony phones Bob Barratt, who is searching for Huggett births in Reigate.
0:36:36 > 0:36:44- Hi, Bob. Whatever you're doing we want you to stop as we've got one niece entitled on this job.- Right.
0:36:44 > 0:36:51- She lives in Loughton, Essex.- Right. - So we need you to go out there, hopefully for three o'clock.- OK.
0:36:51 > 0:36:53Right.
0:36:57 > 0:37:02But just as Bob Barratt hits the road...
0:37:02 > 0:37:07the intrepid Bob Smith gets wind of the race. He wants in on the action.
0:37:07 > 0:37:12- Bob?- 'Hello.'- Bob, hi. It's Bob Smith.- 'Hello, mate. How are you?'
0:37:12 > 0:37:18Do you want me to do this appointment because I've done all the enquiring?
0:37:18 > 0:37:22- That would be even better, wouldn't it?- Yeah. Cheers.
0:37:24 > 0:37:31So as Bob Barratt returns to base, one hour and several hairy traffic moments later,
0:37:31 > 0:37:37Bob arrives at Loughton. But has he made it before the competition?
0:37:41 > 0:37:44Hi, Mr Ward. Hi. It's Robert Smith.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48The first job is to check a few family details.
0:37:48 > 0:37:55Now, Mrs Ward, I understand you spoke with Mr Pledger, and he explained to you
0:37:55 > 0:38:02- that your Aunt Marie who was Mrs... - "Mairi."- "Mairi", sorry. She was Mrs Smith.
0:38:02 > 0:38:09- She died sometime last year.- Mm-hm. - If I may, I'd like to go through a little questionnaire with you
0:38:09 > 0:38:16to ask you what you know about your family and Marie herself. And you were born as Baker?
0:38:16 > 0:38:21- Your date of birth? - 23rd November, 1929.
0:38:21 > 0:38:26- And what was your mother's name? - Lillian Mabel Huggett.
0:38:26 > 0:38:32Marie Smith is seen here in the blue suit at Gwyneth's wedding in the 1940s.
0:38:32 > 0:38:36Bob wonders why they didn't keep in contact.
0:38:36 > 0:38:43- She was a very nice person and at other times she was horrible.- Yeah. - She was super to her friends.
0:38:43 > 0:38:50- Very, very generous. And then she told us never to contact her again. - Really?- This is why we haven't.
0:38:50 > 0:38:57- We haven't been neglecting her. - Sure.- It was her request.- Really? - She thought we were after her money.
0:38:57 > 0:39:03Gwyneth was once very close to her aunt, seen here together when she was a little girl.
0:39:03 > 0:39:06A neighbour said she would upset people
0:39:06 > 0:39:13- and it had put off people wanting to help her.- She couldn't be close with two people at the same time.
0:39:13 > 0:39:20- But she did suffer from dementia. - We said she ought to make a will and she got uppity about it.
0:39:20 > 0:39:27And so we left it. We thought, "If she makes a will, that's fine. Her money will go somewhere else.
0:39:27 > 0:39:33"But if she doesn't, I shall get the last laugh." And I had it today.
0:39:33 > 0:39:39But lots of people do think making a will spells the end for them.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- Anyway...- It's a pity. It really is.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47Gwyneth is obviously upset that her aunt was so prickly.
0:39:47 > 0:39:52There's a terrible irony to why she lost touch with Marie.
0:39:52 > 0:39:59We wondered what would happen. And I thought, "Well, if she's made a will, I'll hear no more.
0:39:59 > 0:40:06"If she hasn't, I wonder if anybody will ever contact me because I am her only living relative?"
0:40:06 > 0:40:11So when I heard this, I was rather thrilled to think that I had won
0:40:11 > 0:40:15and she didn't do what I told her to do!
0:40:15 > 0:40:20- Thanks very much.- Thank you very much indeed.- Thank you.- Bye-bye.
0:40:22 > 0:40:24Bye-bye.
0:40:24 > 0:40:31Despite fierce competition from at least two companies, Bob was first to meet the heirs,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35and he's left the paperwork for them to consider.
0:40:35 > 0:40:40- 'Hello, Bob.'- Hello, Andrew. I've just finished the interview.
0:40:40 > 0:40:45I haven't signed as they've got an appointment tomorrow with Kin UK.
0:40:45 > 0:40:52It went as well as I think. It went very well, yeah. It went very well. Yeah. Yeah.
0:40:59 > 0:41:04It's a month later. Gwyneth Ward has agreed to sign with Frasers.
0:41:04 > 0:41:12And today, partner Andrew Fraser is meeting her at her Aunt Marie's house to discuss its sale.
0:41:12 > 0:41:17- Morning, Gwyneth.- Good morning. - Welcome to your aunt's house.- Yes.
0:41:17 > 0:41:21- Please be warned, it's not great inside.- Yes. OK.
0:41:21 > 0:41:26The house is still in the same state as when Marie lived and died there.
0:41:26 > 0:41:32Thank you very much. Oh. It is a bit of a mess. There's flies around.
0:41:34 > 0:41:40It's a shame that people are allowed to live like this and it's left as it is.
0:41:40 > 0:41:48But everyone probably offered help, but she wouldn't accept it. And unfortunately, that is what happens.
0:41:52 > 0:41:56- I often think this is so sad, really.- Yes.
0:41:56 > 0:42:02In the office, there's the excitement of trying to find people.
0:42:02 > 0:42:05And it all starts with very sad stories.
0:42:05 > 0:42:12Despite the bad blood between her aunt and herself, Gwyneth would like to honour her memory.
0:42:12 > 0:42:19You must've thought about what to do with this large sum of money when you actually do receive it?
0:42:19 > 0:42:25Some of it I'll give to charities that my aunt would've liked it to go to.
0:42:25 > 0:42:32I'll do that. Then I shall give it to my son and my daughter, the majority of it.
0:42:32 > 0:42:34And then I shall go to South Africa.
0:42:34 > 0:42:40This is a chance for her to reflect on her relationship with her aunt.
0:42:40 > 0:42:46I don't feel guilty about it because I did what I could. And it was her choice.
0:42:46 > 0:42:52It's a shame the place is in the state it's in when she was so careful with it.
0:42:52 > 0:42:56But that's one of those things, isn't it?
0:43:17 > 0:43:21Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd 2008
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk