0:00:02 > 0:00:06Heir Hunters track down the families of people who died without leaving a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:12They hand over thousands of pounds to long-lost relatives who had no idea they were due a windfall.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:32 > 0:00:34On today's programme -
0:00:34 > 0:00:39will the Heir Hunters get a breakthrough on one of their toughest cases yet?
0:00:39 > 0:00:44Until we can find out her real maiden name, then we're stuck.
0:00:46 > 0:00:51And what happens when the Heir Hunters uncover a 60-year-old family secret?
0:00:51 > 0:00:58I received a note from Shirley and it says that, "You, Joyce, are my half-sister."
0:00:58 > 0:01:04Plus, how you may be entitled to inherit some of the unclaimed estates held by the Treasury.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:09 > 0:01:13More than two-thirds of people die without leaving a will.
0:01:13 > 0:01:17If they have no obvious relatives, their money goes to the government
0:01:17 > 0:01:21who last year made a staggering £18 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:21 > 0:01:24That's where the Heir Hunters step in.
0:01:29 > 0:01:36There are more than 30 heir-hunting companies who make it their business to track down the rightful kin.
0:01:36 > 0:01:41Last year, they claimed back £6.5 million for unsuspecting heirs
0:01:41 > 0:01:44who would otherwise have gone empty-handed.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48Fraser & Fraser is one of the oldest heir-hunting firms.
0:01:48 > 0:01:52Based in central London, it's run by Andrew, Charles and Neil Fraser.
0:01:52 > 0:01:55George R Galloway. Who's got the marriages?
0:01:55 > 0:01:58During the last 30 years,
0:01:58 > 0:02:04they've helped over 50,000 unsuspecting heirs inherit over £100 million.
0:02:12 > 0:02:18It's seven o'clock on Thursday morning and at their central London office,
0:02:18 > 0:02:23the team are scouring the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates which has just been published,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26looking for cases to investigate.
0:02:26 > 0:02:30- I need a current phone number for them.- I've got a couple in their 70s.
0:02:30 > 0:02:35To appear on the list, estates must be worth at least £5,000,
0:02:35 > 0:02:40but the Heir Hunters never know for sure if they're worth any more than that.
0:02:40 > 0:02:44They can't identify any obvious high value cases,
0:02:44 > 0:02:49but one case they've picked for preliminary investigations is that of Pearl Knight.
0:02:49 > 0:02:55Pearl Knight died on the 3rd of October, 2007, in Seaford, East Sussex.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00Prior to her death, she had spent five years at a care home.
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Pearl came to us in February 2003.
0:03:04 > 0:03:08She was a very lively lady, very friendly, very social.
0:03:08 > 0:03:15She liked parties. She liked to watch her soaps with the other ladies and discuss what was going on.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18She liked to have a drink with the other ladies.
0:03:18 > 0:03:24We used to have a party for any excuse - birthday parties, Independence Day, St Patrick's Day.
0:03:24 > 0:03:30And Pearl was always the first one there. She would have had a drink and when able, got up and danced.
0:03:30 > 0:03:33She really enjoyed the event.
0:03:33 > 0:03:38Pearl had quite a good sense of humour. She'd smack everybody's bum when we'd walk past.
0:03:38 > 0:03:44Didn't matter who walked past. She would smack their bum and have a chuckle.
0:03:44 > 0:03:48She had been referred to the Blatchington Court care home
0:03:48 > 0:03:53as it specialises in looking after residents who require a higher amount of care.
0:03:53 > 0:03:57As Pearl's dementia progressed, a lot of her character began to disappear.
0:03:57 > 0:04:02She was less able to do things and she needed a lot more support from the staff
0:04:02 > 0:04:06for everyday skills, washing, dressing, moving around the home.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10So she became much more reliant on staff.
0:04:10 > 0:04:15When Pearl passed away, she was very greatly missed by staff and residents.
0:04:15 > 0:04:21She was a very social lady and very jolly and that was missed within the house for a while.
0:04:22 > 0:04:28But the fun-loving Pearl is proving a bit of a tricky case for the Heir Hunters
0:04:28 > 0:04:34as they're having trouble working out her last known address before she went into the care home.
0:04:34 > 0:04:38It says she's a spinster, but I can't identify an address I like.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43The one address which looks good has got a male living there with the surname of Knight,
0:04:43 > 0:04:51which would sort of indicate that it's either her brother, her father or her husband.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54I've got a mystery male and I don't know who he is.
0:04:54 > 0:04:58The Heir Hunters need Pearl's birth name to search for heirs.
0:04:58 > 0:05:04The problem is that although she was recorded as a spinster on the Treasury's list of estates,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07they can't assume Knight was her birth name.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12As she was living with a man also called Knight, he could have been her husband.
0:05:12 > 0:05:18Unravelling this mystery will be down to senior case manager David Milchard and his team.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21We don't even know it's got value on it yet.
0:05:21 > 0:05:28Known in the office as Grimble, his 40 years' experience of heir hunting comes in handy on tough cases.
0:05:28 > 0:05:31We don't know what her maiden name is.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35On the death certificate, if she's married, it'll show the maiden name.
0:05:35 > 0:05:42To get hold of this death certificate, one of their travelling Heir Hunters must do the legwork.
0:05:46 > 0:05:51Frasers has a team of foot soldiers poised and ready to go wherever the hunt takes them.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Their job is to collect birth, death and marriage certificates,
0:05:55 > 0:05:59- as well as interview people who knew the deceased.- Thanks.- OK.
0:05:59 > 0:06:03Tracking down clues takes them all across the country
0:06:03 > 0:06:08with the ultimate goal of finding and signing up heirs.
0:06:08 > 0:06:14Bob Smith has worked for Frasers for over 14 years. He deals with investigations in the south-east.
0:06:14 > 0:06:20In his time, he has visited countless heirs, neighbours and record offices across the region.
0:06:20 > 0:06:26- I'll go to Eastbourne. I think that's where the death will be. - 'Eastbourne is Seaford, is it?'
0:06:26 > 0:06:30I think so, yeah. I'm not totally sure. I think so, yeah.
0:06:34 > 0:06:40As Bob heads off to the Eastbourne Register Office, head scratching in the office continues.
0:06:40 > 0:06:46They've found that the mystery man is Hugh Knight and as he may have been married to Pearl,
0:06:46 > 0:06:51research director Gareth is called in to start looking for marriage records.
0:06:51 > 0:06:58If we can find Hugh's marriage, then hopefully we will find Pearl's maiden name at the same time.
0:06:59 > 0:07:03The other alternative, obviously, is that Hugh isn't her husband
0:07:03 > 0:07:08and she was just living with Mr Knight maybe.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11We're just not quite sure what's going on,
0:07:11 > 0:07:17so we'll start with looking for the Hugh marriage and hopefully, that will clear things up for us.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21If Pearl and Hugh were married, Pearl will have a maiden name
0:07:21 > 0:07:26which the Heir Hunters need to be able to find her blood relatives.
0:07:26 > 0:07:31If Pearl and Hugh are brother and sister, then Knight is her birth name
0:07:31 > 0:07:36and they need to trace the rest of the Knight family to find entitled relatives.
0:07:36 > 0:07:38Or is there another explanation?
0:07:38 > 0:07:44Until they can confirm any of these facts, they need to explore all possibilities.
0:07:44 > 0:07:47A potential marriage for Hugh A...
0:07:48 > 0:07:53And if this is right... We'll quickly cross-reference it.
0:07:53 > 0:07:55March 1938.
0:07:56 > 0:08:00So, the 1938 for "Hugh A" is incorrect.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05We were hoping it was gonna be to Pearl, the deceased, but he's married an "Amy L",
0:08:05 > 0:08:07so we'll carry on looking.
0:08:07 > 0:08:12The marriage searches for Pearl and Hugh have drawn a blank.
0:08:12 > 0:08:18So if Pearl isn't Hugh's wife, but his sister, Pearl Knight would be her birth name.
0:08:18 > 0:08:22But they're not having much luck with the birth searches either.
0:08:22 > 0:08:29Because we can't find a birth for Pearl Knight, it could be that she's just not born in England and Wales.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33We'll check Scotland and hopefully we'll check Ireland as well.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37If we can get the death certificate, that will answer all our questions.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44Bob has just arrived at the Eastbourne Register Office.
0:08:45 > 0:08:49- Hello. Can I help you?- Hi. I'd like copies of two death certificates.
0:08:49 > 0:08:54- Died in Eastbourne?- Well, one died in Eastbourne, one died in Seaford.
0:08:54 > 0:09:01- Right. Lewes will have the one in Seaford.- Oh, right.- And the one for Eastbourne we can do for you.
0:09:01 > 0:09:05- I could have sworn Seaford would be here.- It depends what year actually.
0:09:05 > 0:09:10- Well, it was this... Two years ago. - It'll be Lewes.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13- Definitely Lewes. - There's the application form.
0:09:13 > 0:09:20Unfortunately, it's not the right office for Pearl's death certificate, but he can get Hugh's.
0:09:20 > 0:09:25- The priority service means Bob can get a copy straight away. - Thanks very much.- OK.
0:09:25 > 0:09:29- Hello?- 'Dave, hi, it's Bob.' - Hi, mate. How are you doing?
0:09:29 > 0:09:35Good news and bad news. I got to Eastbourne and got the death of Hugh Knight.
0:09:35 > 0:09:38- Yeah.- Died 2nd of November, 2002.
0:09:40 > 0:09:44- Yeah.- And there's a nephew informant - a Peter Stafford Knight.
0:09:44 > 0:09:50- Yeah.- Now, the death of the deceased is actually at the Lewes Register Office.
0:09:50 > 0:09:54- So, obviously, I've got to pop over there now.- 'OK.'
0:09:54 > 0:10:00They might not have Pearl's death certificate, but they have a new bit of information to follow up -
0:10:00 > 0:10:07the name of Hugh's nephew, Peter Stafford Knight, who may be able to help their enquiries.
0:10:07 > 0:10:13As the researchers hunt for his contact details, speculation about Hugh and Pearl grows.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17- I reckon they're living together. - No, I think Pearl is his sister.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20You see, Hugh is basically...
0:10:20 > 0:10:25He's born 1906 in Epsom, quite well-to-do parents, whose mother is born in India.
0:10:25 > 0:10:30So I think Pearl is probably born in India or something like that.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34- That's what I'm going on at the moment.- Right.
0:10:34 > 0:10:40Gareth's researching of the census records is throwing up some interesting guesswork
0:10:40 > 0:10:42about Pearl and Hugh's origins.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46I found the 1911 Census of Hugh Knight.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49And they're quite a well-to-do family.
0:10:49 > 0:10:56Hugh's father is a Lloyd's underwriter and insurance broker and they have a servant living with them.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00And the other thing is that the mother, Lily,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03or Leily, as it looks to be, is born in India.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06So they're quite a wealthy family.
0:11:06 > 0:11:10So it could easily be that they're going to and from India,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14which would explain why we can't find her birth here.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19The Census has also identified the Knight family home - Wingfield House,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22which was located in the leafy county of Surrey.
0:11:22 > 0:11:29Whilst it has since been demolished, in 1911, it is recorded as being a large, 12-room house.
0:11:29 > 0:11:33Not only was it home to the Knight family of five,
0:11:33 > 0:11:37but also one servant, as well as a coachman, his wife and children.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43If we're in the right family, there's gonna be some value here
0:11:43 > 0:11:47because in 1911, they are very, very wealthy.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51As Gareth races ahead expanding the Knight family tree,
0:11:51 > 0:11:55case manager Grimble still has a niggling doubt about this premise.
0:11:55 > 0:12:01- Well, my theory is they just lived together and she just took his name.- Possibly.
0:12:01 > 0:12:07- But she is described as a spinster. - That's what I mean.- I see where you're coming from now.- Yeah.
0:12:07 > 0:12:09Fair point.
0:12:09 > 0:12:13If Grimble's hunch is right about Pearl not officially marrying Hugh,
0:12:13 > 0:12:18but just taking his name and living together, that could spell trouble.
0:12:18 > 0:12:24If that's the case, we will be... in a pickle, to put it politely.
0:12:24 > 0:12:30Because if they never married and her death certificate doesn't show a maiden name for her,
0:12:30 > 0:12:36then we're not gonna know what name she's born as, so we'd never get to the end of that.
0:12:36 > 0:12:42As they try to unravel the mystery of Pearl Knight, will the Heir Hunters ever crack the case
0:12:42 > 0:12:47and work out who her blood relatives and heirs will be?
0:12:47 > 0:12:53Unless we can come up with something positive, I'm afraid this case is gonna go to the government.
0:12:58 > 0:13:05Sometimes when someone dies, it's not only their financial legacy that is left behind,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08but a key to unlocking the past.
0:13:09 > 0:13:14When heir-hunting company Hoopers took on the case of Cyril Curtis,
0:13:14 > 0:13:19they were to stumble across a family secret spanning almost 60 years.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22We have to be very careful when we contact heirs
0:13:22 > 0:13:28because we never know what's round the corner, we never know what we're opening up.
0:13:28 > 0:13:31Certainly, in this case, that was apparent.
0:13:34 > 0:13:41In 2008, Cyril Curtis died in Great Yarmouth, leaving an estate of £23,000.
0:13:43 > 0:13:49He had lived to the age of 80 and in his later years was very reclusive.
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Neighbour Barbara Yerrell lived next door to Cyril.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57I found Cyril to be an extremely sort of a lonely person.
0:13:57 > 0:14:02And I can honestly say that in the 17 years that I knew him,
0:14:02 > 0:14:05I never, ever saw anybody go to his house.
0:14:05 > 0:14:10So he wasn't a man that had too many friends, I would say.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12He hadn't got too many friends.
0:14:12 > 0:14:18But quite a likeable sort of person which I found very likeable.
0:14:18 > 0:14:21As no obvious relatives have been found,
0:14:21 > 0:14:27probate researchers Hoopers took up the challenge of finding any of Cyril's living family.
0:14:27 > 0:14:32Founded in 1923, they are one of the UK's most established heir-hunting companies.
0:14:32 > 0:14:37Could I get someone to have a look for a death for me? Anna?
0:14:37 > 0:14:42From their central London office, their team of over 20 full-time researchers
0:14:42 > 0:14:46has reunited thousands of heirs with unexpected windfalls.
0:14:46 > 0:14:52Jeremy Ford is one of Hoopers' case managers who began investigating into Cyril Curtis's family.
0:14:52 > 0:14:56At the very outset, it's very much a blank canvas scenario.
0:14:56 > 0:14:59No idea what became of the deceased.
0:14:59 > 0:15:04We were able to establish that he never married or indeed had any children
0:15:04 > 0:15:09and was a child of Frederick and Helen Curtis,
0:15:09 > 0:15:14who married also in Great Yarmouth, and we started piecing the jigsaw together.
0:15:14 > 0:15:19The researchers were quick to find Cyril's brothers and sisters.
0:15:19 > 0:15:24The grandfather Fred had been married twice and Cyril was one of his six children.
0:15:24 > 0:15:30If any of Cyril's brothers and sisters or indeed their children were alive, they would be heirs.
0:15:30 > 0:15:36We established that one of Cyril's brothers was Leonard Edgar Curtis.
0:15:36 > 0:15:43On his death certificate which we obtained, we noticed that the informant on that was a stepson.
0:15:43 > 0:15:49The name of the stepson, Robert Shepherd, gave Jeremy more details to search on,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53so he concentrated his enquiries on Leonard's step-family.
0:15:53 > 0:15:56- Leonard Curtis.- Leonard Curtis...
0:15:57 > 0:16:00Leonard Curtis.
0:16:02 > 0:16:07- 1944.- 1944. And where?- Liverpool.
0:16:07 > 0:16:09- With Tomlinson.- There you go.
0:16:12 > 0:16:14Liverpool, June '44.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18- Is that him?- That's the one. - OK. Good.
0:16:18 > 0:16:25We did trace the family and that brought us on to tracing a daughter
0:16:25 > 0:16:27by the name of Joyce,
0:16:27 > 0:16:30who later became Joyce Coley...
0:16:31 > 0:16:33..whose mother was Emily
0:16:33 > 0:16:37and we established that her parents never married.
0:16:37 > 0:16:44It seems that in 1956, Leonard had a child Joyce with his partner Emily Shepherd.
0:16:44 > 0:16:48Emily had had two previous children, Jill and Robert,
0:16:48 > 0:16:54but as they weren't legally adopted by Leonard, they wouldn't be heirs to Cyril.
0:16:54 > 0:16:58Joyce, on the other hand, was Cyril's niece and therefore an heir.
0:17:00 > 0:17:06Joyce Coley was born Joyce Curtis and lives in Tipton in the West Midlands.
0:17:06 > 0:17:08Come on.
0:17:08 > 0:17:11The news of Cyril came as quite a surprise
0:17:11 > 0:17:16as she had never known much about her father's family background.
0:17:16 > 0:17:20I had no idea about Cyril or any other brothers or sisters.
0:17:20 > 0:17:24Nobody had ever mentioned him, so he was...
0:17:25 > 0:17:30It was a total shock to hear about such things, especially at my age.
0:17:30 > 0:17:36Although she was brought up by Leonard, Joyce knew very little about her father's past.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40I wasn't allowed to ask questions.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43If I did at any time ask,
0:17:43 > 0:17:48if I'd got any uncles, aunties or anything on my dad's side,
0:17:48 > 0:17:51the question was never answered.
0:17:51 > 0:17:57But when it comes to remembering her childhood, Joyce only has happy memories.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00My dad was what we would call a gentle giant.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04He was almost six foot four, 19 and a half stone.
0:18:04 > 0:18:06He was quite a big chap.
0:18:06 > 0:18:08And he was a real softie.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12He always bought me everything I ever wanted.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14Never questioned anything.
0:18:14 > 0:18:19I did miss him. He was...Dad, a perfect dad.
0:18:19 > 0:18:23And you couldn't want for anything more from him.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31Although Joyce had been located, the case was by no means closed.
0:18:31 > 0:18:37Hoopers needed to exhaust every lead before approaching the Treasury with their conclusions.
0:18:37 > 0:18:44As the research continued, Jeremy was about to uncover a family secret that had been hidden for 60 years.
0:18:44 > 0:18:51As a result of digging around a little bit more regarding the death of Leonard,
0:18:51 > 0:18:57we established that the administrator of his estate was a lady by the name of Hilda Curtis.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00And we thought, "Who is this person?"
0:19:00 > 0:19:04So what we had to do next was try and fit her in.
0:19:04 > 0:19:09And we did establish that Leonard did marry Hilda.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11This marriage took place in 1944.
0:19:11 > 0:19:15From that marriage, we carried out a birth search
0:19:15 > 0:19:20and we established that he had a child from that marriage, a daughter, Shirley.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23Prior to meeting Emily and having Joyce,
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Leonard Curtis had married Hilda Tomlinson whom he never divorced.
0:19:27 > 0:19:31Together, in 1948, they'd had a daughter, Shirley.
0:19:31 > 0:19:36Like Joyce, she too was a niece to Cyril and an heir.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41So we had found Leonard's marriage, a daughter from the marriage.
0:19:41 > 0:19:47We had evidence of a subsequent relationship and a daughter from that relationship.
0:19:47 > 0:19:53And we had the feeling that neither of them knew of the other's existence.
0:19:53 > 0:19:57Jeremy knew to proceed with caution in breaking the news.
0:19:57 > 0:20:00It's quite an emotionally involved situation.
0:20:00 > 0:20:05They find out about their Uncle Cyril. They never even knew of this person.
0:20:05 > 0:20:09And they found out that they had a half-sibling.
0:20:09 > 0:20:14Leonard's previous daughter Shirley was three when he left the family home
0:20:14 > 0:20:16and she never heard from him again.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20As a result, Shirley has few memories of her father.
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Today, her Auntie Marjory has come round to help remind her of him.
0:20:25 > 0:20:31Now, Marge, you can tell me, that was Mum and Dad in 1944 when they got married.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35- Yeah.- Now, who were all these at the front?
0:20:35 > 0:20:41- That's Ruth Pembleton's daughter. - Right.- That's Maureen, the younger sister of May.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44Obviously, I'd wonder why they split up.
0:20:44 > 0:20:50I didn't know whether perhaps it was because of work or whether there was anything else involved.
0:20:50 > 0:20:54But it was just kept quiet. No-one would discuss it.
0:20:54 > 0:20:59Yeah, but this one is a better one of your dad, I think.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04- That's your mum.- They were nice, those days, weren't they?
0:21:04 > 0:21:11Almost 60 years after Leonard had left his wife and daughter, Shirley received the call from Jeremy
0:21:11 > 0:21:14about the inheritance from her Uncle Cyril.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18I knew my dad had two brothers and a sister.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22I didn't really know their names... at that time.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25I have since found out through family.
0:21:27 > 0:21:33And then he went on to tell me that I had a half-sister called Joyce.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36And I went silent with shock.
0:21:38 > 0:21:44And excitement, really, at the thought that I had family out there that I never knew existed.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50Getting her head around her new-found family has been a lot to take in.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52Right.
0:21:52 > 0:21:57- She was born in 1956. - But she's got your dad's name here.
0:21:57 > 0:21:58Yeah.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02- So she's your half-sister. - My half-sister.
0:22:02 > 0:22:07'When Jeremy spoke to me from Hooper's and told me about Joyce,'
0:22:07 > 0:22:11I said I'd like to meet her perhaps one day.
0:22:11 > 0:22:17And he did say to me that if I wanted to, I could write a letter and he would forward it on to her.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21I didn't hesitate. I just wrote a letter.
0:22:21 > 0:22:25Probably a lot of garbage was in it, but I wrote...who I was,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30that I was married with four children and that we both shared the same dad.
0:22:30 > 0:22:35And it would be lovely to hear from her when she felt the time was right.
0:22:35 > 0:22:39It's been five months since Shirley posted her letter,
0:22:39 > 0:22:45- but she's not yet heard anything back.- How are you going to feel, though, Shirl?
0:22:45 > 0:22:52- She's had so much with your dad. - It's very hard, but it's something I feel I need to do now.
0:22:52 > 0:22:59- Are you going to meet up with her? - Hopefully. I'd like to. But it all depends on her.
0:22:59 > 0:23:04- I would like to.- I just don't want you getting into a state.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08- I know.- I really don't. - I know you're thinking of me.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12- Hey... - But it's not the same, is it?
0:23:12 > 0:23:15No, but we'll just have to see what happens.
0:23:17 > 0:23:22I'm hoping that one day she might get in touch when she feels it's right.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26And it's a shock for her just as much as for me.
0:23:26 > 0:23:31Having sent her letter, for now all Shirley can do is wait.
0:23:39 > 0:23:45For every case that is solved, there are still thousands that stubbornly remain a mystery.
0:23:45 > 0:23:52Currently over 3,000 names drawn from across the country are on the Treasury's unsolved case list.
0:23:54 > 0:24:00Their assets will be kept for up to 30 years in the hope that eventually someone will remember
0:24:00 > 0:24:04and come forward to claim their inheritance.
0:24:06 > 0:24:12With estates valued at anything from £5,000 to millions, the rightful heirs are out there somewhere.
0:24:15 > 0:24:19Today we've got two cases heir hunters have failed to solve.
0:24:19 > 0:24:24Could you be the key? Could you be in line for a payout?
0:24:25 > 0:24:30Miella Helen Roach of Newton Abbot passed away on 3rd January, 2006.
0:24:30 > 0:24:34Does her unusual name ring any bells with you?
0:24:34 > 0:24:38Do you know anything about her? Could you be a long-lost relation?
0:24:38 > 0:24:43Reginald Wild died on 21st June, 2006, in Sheffield.
0:24:43 > 0:24:47All trails to find his relatives have gone cold.
0:24:47 > 0:24:51Could he be your long-lost uncle or cousin?
0:24:51 > 0:24:54Could you be entitled to his estate?
0:24:59 > 0:25:06The estates of Reginald, Miella and thousands of others are lying unclaimed in the Treasury.
0:25:06 > 0:25:11Angela Manchee oversees all these cases.
0:25:11 > 0:25:18The Bona Vacantia Division receives 2,500-3,000 new cases each year.
0:25:18 > 0:25:24They'll be of varying amounts. Some will be a few hundred pounds, some will be many thousands.
0:25:24 > 0:25:29There's probably a nucleus of cases within just a few thousand pounds
0:25:29 > 0:25:34so we've got a lot of cases coming in all the time.
0:25:34 > 0:25:40The staff of 20 do initial searches to find the family and advertise unclaimed estates.
0:25:40 > 0:25:47I would say in about 30%-40% of our cases, we do find entitled blood relatives.
0:25:47 > 0:25:54So it's probably quite a high proportion. That's why we're very keen for referrals to be made quickly
0:25:54 > 0:26:00and if kin are there that they are traced quickly so we can not get involved.
0:26:00 > 0:26:06We shouldn't be involved if there are people out there who are entitled to have the estate.
0:26:06 > 0:26:13If no relatives are found, the assets are turned into cash and the clock starts ticking.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17There's a period of up to 30 years for entitled heirs to claim.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24If no heirs are found, or entitlement can't be proved,
0:26:24 > 0:26:28the money becomes part of the public purse.
0:26:28 > 0:26:34One case the Treasury couldn't solve is being investigated by Fraser and Fraser.
0:26:34 > 0:26:42All day the team have been trying to unravel the mystery of Pearl Knight, who died in 2007 aged 94.
0:26:42 > 0:26:48We thought she was a spinster, but there's a suggestion that she was, in fact, married.
0:26:48 > 0:26:53So we're just looking into that at the moment. It's pretty unclear.
0:26:53 > 0:26:58The problem facing the researchers is that Pearl is recorded as being a spinster,
0:26:58 > 0:27:02but was living with a man of the same surname - Hugh Knight.
0:27:02 > 0:27:09They can't clear up whether Hugh is a brother or a husband. Was she born a Knight or became a Knight?
0:27:09 > 0:27:13So they don't know who her heirs might be.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- I've just looked at this... - Possibly.
0:27:19 > 0:27:25So far, the only lead they have is from Hugh's death certificate - the name of his nephew.
0:27:25 > 0:27:30The witness on Hugh's death is a Peter Knight.
0:27:30 > 0:27:35And I think he's actually passed away quite recently,
0:27:35 > 0:27:42but it looks as if his wife is still there. She might be able to clear up the whole confusion.
0:27:42 > 0:27:49Speaking to people who knew the deceased is usually the quickest way to move a case forward.
0:27:49 > 0:27:55That witness, Peter, we're not 100% sure if he's still around. He may have died recently,
0:27:55 > 0:28:00but...that is probably his widow. There you go.
0:28:04 > 0:28:08Sometimes speaking to just one person can crack a whole case.
0:28:08 > 0:28:12Grimble's hoping that Elizabeth Knight will have known Pearl.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18Who's Fiona?
0:28:19 > 0:28:25That was an answer machine, nobody there, for someone called Fiona.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30- But he's having trouble getting hold of her.- Hello. Is that Fiona?
0:28:32 > 0:28:36Oh, right. Em... I'm trying to contact a Mrs Knight.
0:28:36 > 0:28:40I phoned her number and I was told to contact Fiona.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44Do you know Mrs Knight at all?
0:28:48 > 0:28:50Right. Em...
0:28:50 > 0:28:56Cos Hugh had a nephew, Peter, who I take it was Elizabeth's husband.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01Right, OK. So there's no blood relationship between them?
0:29:01 > 0:29:05Pearl just took the name Knight, I think. Yeah. That's the problem.
0:29:05 > 0:29:10If we knew what her name was, maybe we could get somewhere.
0:29:10 > 0:29:11OK.
0:29:11 > 0:29:14Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
0:29:15 > 0:29:18Just as I thought.
0:29:18 > 0:29:24The reason I got referred to Fiona was that Mrs Knight died a couple of weeks ago.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26That's a shame.
0:29:26 > 0:29:32I don't quite know what Fiona's connection is. She might be the family solicitor.
0:29:34 > 0:29:40Our Pearl Knight... never married Hugh. It was just a relationship.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43She has just taken his name.
0:29:44 > 0:29:46Unfortunately.
0:29:48 > 0:29:52We've got no idea what name she was born with,
0:29:52 > 0:29:57so it will be very difficult, very difficult.
0:29:59 > 0:30:03The mystery about Pearl's relationship to Hugh is now solved.
0:30:03 > 0:30:08She'd assumed the name Knight, but hadn't officially got married.
0:30:08 > 0:30:13So a marriage certificate with the maiden name simply doesn't exist.
0:30:13 > 0:30:18The team are still none the wiser as to who Pearl was.
0:30:18 > 0:30:24My wonderful theory that the deceased was actually Hugh's...sister
0:30:24 > 0:30:29is out of the water now. It turns out Pearl was just living with Hugh
0:30:29 > 0:30:34and my idea that she was born in India is clearly rubbish.
0:30:35 > 0:30:42All they can hope for now is that Pearl's death certificate contains her birth name or place.
0:30:42 > 0:30:48That would at least give them somewhereto hunt for a Pearl born on 16th July, 1913.
0:30:50 > 0:30:57Bob, one of Frasers' travelling heir hunters, is finally at the Lewes Registry Office to pick it up.
0:30:59 > 0:31:03- I'm assuming you want it right away. - Please.- That's our priority service.
0:31:03 > 0:31:07- £7 for the certificate plus a £10 priority fee.- Fine.
0:31:08 > 0:31:12- There you go.- Thank you. - And that's your receipt in there.
0:31:12 > 0:31:15- Right, lovely. Thank you very much. - Thank you.
0:31:16 > 0:31:22Unfortunately for Fraser's, the death certificate does not contain Pearl's maiden name
0:31:22 > 0:31:26and the place of birth is only listed as England.
0:31:26 > 0:31:31The informant is an occupier at the nursing home, so we'll go along there
0:31:31 > 0:31:36and try to interview someone who may know about the family.
0:31:36 > 0:31:39And get an indication as to whether she left any money.
0:31:42 > 0:31:48Bob's made an appointment to see Lianne Sammers, the name on Pearl's death certificate
0:31:48 > 0:31:54and the manager of the care home where Pearl lived for her final years.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Hugh was very important to Pearl.
0:31:57 > 0:32:03She was very fond of him. "My Hugh", "My lovely Hugh". That was how she'd refer to Hugh.
0:32:03 > 0:32:06It was a relationship of love
0:32:06 > 0:32:10and I think Hugh and Pearl had different strengths.
0:32:10 > 0:32:15Hugh's was looking after Pearl and Pearl's was letting him!
0:32:15 > 0:32:20After his death, Pearl had moved into the care home.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25It's unclear whether she had had a property to sell.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31While Pearl was here, we had very little or no interest in her financial affairs
0:32:31 > 0:32:35so we wouldn't be sure what estate Pearl would have had.
0:32:35 > 0:32:41Lianne didn't know of a maiden name and couldn't value the estate.
0:32:41 > 0:32:43It's not the news they hoped for.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47The problem with my case of Pearl Knight
0:32:47 > 0:32:52is that we can't identify her natural name.
0:32:52 > 0:32:56She never married the guy she lived with. Just took his name.
0:32:56 > 0:33:00So we've come up against a complete and utter brick wall.
0:33:00 > 0:33:07Her birth name is the link to finding blood relatives and entitled heirs,
0:33:07 > 0:33:13but it seems who Pearl was before she assumed the name Knight may never be uncovered.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18Until we can find out her real maiden name, we're stuck.
0:33:18 > 0:33:21I don't think we can get on to it.
0:33:21 > 0:33:27I'm not sure where we can go now. This may be one mystery that gets away.
0:33:27 > 0:33:31The case of Pearl Knight has stumped the Fraser's team.
0:33:31 > 0:33:37Whilst they won't close the case, they're unlikely to get anywhere.
0:33:38 > 0:33:42Pearl's estate could be worth £5,000 or considerably more,
0:33:42 > 0:33:48but whatever the value its fate is unknown. If a breakthrough doesn't come,
0:33:48 > 0:33:53all Pearl's money is destined to end up in the Treasury's coffers.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04In some cases, where heirs are successfully tracked down,
0:34:04 > 0:34:08it's not the financial inheritance that ends up being most important.
0:34:08 > 0:34:16Finding out about family they never knew existed is often the most welcome news, but also emotional.
0:34:18 > 0:34:22We always have to be very careful when we approach heirs
0:34:22 > 0:34:27because we never know what we will open up or uncover.
0:34:27 > 0:34:33Cyril Curtis died on February 9th, 2008, in Great Yarmouth,
0:34:33 > 0:34:35leaving an estate of £23,000.
0:34:35 > 0:34:43He had no family around him and neighbours like Barbara Yerrell were his only visitors.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48There's no disputing it. He was an extremely lonely man.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Very lonely man.
0:34:50 > 0:34:57Cyril had never been in contact with his family, so when Jeremy Ford of Hooper's tracked down
0:34:57 > 0:35:02four entitled heirs to his estate, they were surprised to hear of him.
0:35:02 > 0:35:05But that wasn't the only shock.
0:35:05 > 0:35:07My beauty.
0:35:07 > 0:35:12Two of those heirs were nieces Joyce Coley and Shirley Hughes.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Are we crossing here?
0:35:14 > 0:35:21They were both daughters of Cyril's brother Leonard by two different mothers
0:35:21 > 0:35:26and therefore half-sisters, but they'd never known of the other.
0:35:26 > 0:35:30I was silent, with shock. And excitement, really.
0:35:30 > 0:35:34The thought that I had family out there.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38It's strange. I've never met any of the family at all.
0:35:38 > 0:35:40Never knew who there was.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43Didn't know they existed.
0:35:43 > 0:35:49Leonard Curtis had left his wife Hilda and daughter Shirley when Shirley was three years old.
0:35:49 > 0:35:55He went on to meet Emily Shepherd and whilst they never married, they did have a daughter, Joyce,
0:35:55 > 0:36:00who Leonard was a father to until his death.
0:36:00 > 0:36:05Without Cyril dying intestate, none of this would have come out.
0:36:05 > 0:36:12Keen to find out more about her half-sister, Shirley has made initial contact with Jeremy Ford,
0:36:12 > 0:36:17- the heir hunter who tracked them down.- It all depends on her.
0:36:17 > 0:36:24- She might not want to. I've made contact with her. - And she's not got in touch?- No.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Perhaps she wants to let sleeping dogs lie.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31Family is central to Shirley's life.
0:36:31 > 0:36:35He has his own name badge. Don't you?
0:36:35 > 0:36:41She gave up work a few years ago to help son Tony and granddaughter Jennifer.
0:36:41 > 0:36:47I never had a large family when I was little. There was just me on my own.
0:36:47 > 0:36:50I always said I'd like a big family.
0:36:51 > 0:36:54See you later. Bye.
0:36:54 > 0:36:58See you later. Rob's at the bus stop for you.
0:36:59 > 0:37:06It's been five months since Shirley wrote to her half-sister Joyce and so far she's had no response.
0:37:06 > 0:37:11I get a bit deflated. I had a call and thought it was her. It wasn't.
0:37:11 > 0:37:15I just felt deflated. Does she really want to know me?
0:37:15 > 0:37:20I've just left it up to her, but it would be nice to hear from her,
0:37:20 > 0:37:27even if it was just to say that I received your letter, but don't think we should go further.
0:37:27 > 0:37:32I phoned Shirley. She hadn't heard anything.
0:37:32 > 0:37:34I've phoned Joyce.
0:37:34 > 0:37:39She'd got the letter, but couldn't bring herself to do anything with it.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43She said it was too big an issue.
0:37:44 > 0:37:50For Joyce, finding out that her father had a previous family has been a huge shock.
0:37:50 > 0:37:58I will contact her, but it's getting straight in my mind what's gone on in my life.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03I want to get that straight first and then I can move on.
0:38:03 > 0:38:05You know...
0:38:05 > 0:38:09It's a big step. It's a real big step.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12You know, I...
0:38:13 > 0:38:15I will do it.
0:38:17 > 0:38:25Since Hooper's told Joyce about her half-sister, she's discovered her family knew but never told her.
0:38:25 > 0:38:30This has been very difficult for Joyce to come to terms with,
0:38:30 > 0:38:36- but she IS curious about her half-sister.- I've often wondered if she works or...
0:38:36 > 0:38:42if she's at home, what does she do, does she look after her grandchildren, you know?
0:38:42 > 0:38:46Or is she working? I've very often wondered that.
0:38:46 > 0:38:54I've worked all my life. So, you know, you do get to wonder what's she doing.
0:38:58 > 0:39:05It's been six months since Shirley wrote the letter to Joyce and the shock has subsided.
0:39:05 > 0:39:11- The half-sisters are now ready to meet each other. - I received a note from Shirley.
0:39:11 > 0:39:16And today I'm going to see her for the very first time.
0:39:16 > 0:39:19Within an hour.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23So it's all excitement now. I think it will be nice.
0:39:23 > 0:39:28It's not going to be long. Be a good boy. Not be long now.
0:39:28 > 0:39:30Stay there. Stay.
0:39:36 > 0:39:40They've arranged to meet at a hotel near Joyce's home in Birmingham.
0:39:40 > 0:39:44There's all sorts running through my head.
0:39:44 > 0:39:49I'm nervous, I'm... My stomach is upset! All knotted.
0:39:51 > 0:39:57But I'm excited as well. It's an excitement nervousness, if that sounds right.
0:39:57 > 0:40:01And everyone, family, are all excited.
0:40:03 > 0:40:09I think if they could have come, they would have. That would have frightened her off!
0:40:09 > 0:40:14It still might yet. We just have to take it as it comes
0:40:14 > 0:40:19and just hope that we hit it off and she would like to continue
0:40:19 > 0:40:22and meet up occasionally perhaps or...
0:40:22 > 0:40:27We'll just take it as it comes. For now.
0:40:28 > 0:40:33Neither Shirley nor Joyce has even seen a photo of the other.
0:40:33 > 0:40:39I'm looking at people coming through the door and thinking, "Is this her?
0:40:39 > 0:40:43"Could it be?" I'm really anxious.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46Very excited, but more anxious.
0:40:49 > 0:40:52Is this gentleman with you?
0:40:52 > 0:40:57Oh, wow! Oh, it's lovely to meet you!
0:41:02 > 0:41:04Thank you.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06Thank you very much.
0:41:08 > 0:41:13- Oh, you're all steamed up. - Just take these.- Thank you.
0:41:13 > 0:41:19- I've bought you one as well. - Thank you.- Something to remind you, to be reminded by.
0:41:20 > 0:41:24- Oh, dear.- I know! Do you want to sit down?
0:41:24 > 0:41:28Honestly, I'm so grateful for this. I'm...
0:41:28 > 0:41:30You know, em...
0:41:30 > 0:41:34It's just... I just wish we'd met sooner.
0:41:34 > 0:41:39- Looking at you, we're so alike. - We are in some ways.
0:41:39 > 0:41:41We're so alike.
0:41:41 > 0:41:44You've got less colour in than mine.
0:41:44 > 0:41:48Yes, yes, I need mine doing now... That's Dad.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51- Oh, is that Dad?- Our dad.- Gosh!
0:41:51 > 0:41:55- Was that him in Llandudno or somewhere?- Wales.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00- Gosh, I can't believe that. It's lovely.- That's how I was dressed.
0:42:00 > 0:42:02Constantly.
0:42:02 > 0:42:08It's all thanks to Cyril Curtis not making a will that heir hunters carried out an investigation
0:42:08 > 0:42:15uncovering Joyce and Shirley. More important than the financial inheritance
0:42:15 > 0:42:21- has been finding each other. - Half-sisters. We are. - We're not half-sisters.
0:42:21 > 0:42:26- We're full sisters. And always will be.- That's nice. Thank you.
0:42:26 > 0:42:32- That's lovely. - We'll always be together. - Hopefully we'll be together, yeah.
0:42:32 > 0:42:39And, um, keep in touch and spend time together, perhaps?
0:42:39 > 0:42:43- We could go out for the day. - Yes, now we've found one another.
0:42:43 > 0:42:48- We'll be inseparable now. - Oh, that's lovely. Thank you.
0:42:51 > 0:42:57If you would like advice about building a family tree or making a will, go to bbc.co.uk
0:43:06 > 0:43:10Subtitles by Subtext for Red Bee Media Ltd - 2009
0:43:11 > 0:43:13Email subtitling@bbc.co.uk