0:00:02 > 0:00:06Every year, thousands of people die without leaving a will, and seemingly with no next of kin.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10But, often, there's a distant relative who unwittingly stands
0:00:10 > 0:00:13to inherit, and that's where the heir hunters come in.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35On today's programme, when a shy and reclusive woman passes away,
0:00:35 > 0:00:38she leaves a fortune and a mystery behind her.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41She didn't really leave the house and she
0:00:41 > 0:00:47didn't have any friends outside other than my wife or myself.
0:00:47 > 0:00:53And an unsolved case worth over £100,000 throws up more questions than it does answers.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56She wouldn't talk about anything a lot.
0:00:56 > 0:00:58It was her secret, you know what I mean?
0:00:58 > 0:01:02And we'll have details of some of the hundreds of unclaimed estates.
0:01:02 > 0:01:04Could you be in line for a windfall?
0:01:07 > 0:01:11In the UK, about two-thirds of people don't have a will
0:01:11 > 0:01:15and, therefore, leave no record of their last wishes.
0:01:15 > 0:01:20If they die and leave an estate and an obvious relative can't be found, then the money automatically
0:01:20 > 0:01:27defaults to the Government, who last year made £18 million in unclaimed estates.
0:01:27 > 0:01:34Heir hunters must leave no stone unturned, and there are over 30 companies competing
0:01:34 > 0:01:39to track down beneficiaries and put them in touch with the fortune they never knew existed.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42With so much money at stake, and working for a commission,
0:01:42 > 0:01:46it's a lucrative business and therefore, competition can be fierce.
0:01:46 > 0:01:50It's not going to beat me, I refuse to let it beat me.
0:01:50 > 0:01:57Fraser And Fraser have handled over £100 million worth of inheritance in the last 10 years alone.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The search for an heir can take them anywhere,
0:02:00 > 0:02:04so the team must exhaust every line of inquiry in their hunt for the beneficiaries.
0:02:13 > 0:02:18It's 7.00am on Thursday, and Fraser And Fraser is already a hive of activity.
0:02:18 > 0:02:23This is the morning the Treasury releases its weekly list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:23 > 0:02:28Neil and Tony are scanning their cases to see if any seem worth investigating.
0:02:28 > 0:02:32The case we're going to start to running with is Margaret Porter.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Her maiden name is Nye,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38which is quite a good name to research.
0:02:38 > 0:02:42She's from Carshalton in the Sutton area, Surrey.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47I haven't really got a very good address, I haven't really got a very good age.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52The team have a very little information to go on,
0:02:52 > 0:02:58so they use census and birth, death and marriage certificates to build a family tree for the deceased.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Going back generations and generations,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03the team hope to uncover potential heirs to an estate.
0:03:08 > 0:03:13Margaret Porter, maiden name Nye, passed away in June 2008,
0:03:13 > 0:03:18leaving behind an estate worth an estimated £25,000.
0:03:18 > 0:03:23Jack McAuliffe was her neighbour for 15 years and knew her as a private person.
0:03:23 > 0:03:30Margaret was a very slight, frail lady.
0:03:30 > 0:03:32She was timid.
0:03:32 > 0:03:35She didn't really leave the house
0:03:35 > 0:03:41and she didn't have any friends outside other than my wife or myself.
0:03:41 > 0:03:46Although Margaret spent the last few years of her life alone,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49she had been happily married for over 50 years to Harry Porter.
0:03:51 > 0:03:53As far as Jack knew,
0:03:53 > 0:03:59the couple met before World War II, and were wartime sweethearts during the conflict.
0:03:59 > 0:04:03Margaret worked in a munitions factory in the North of England, and Harry served in Burma.
0:04:03 > 0:04:08When the war ended, they got married, but had no children.
0:04:08 > 0:04:15During the time Jack knew the couple, it seemed Margaret relied on Harry a great deal.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Margaret and Harry were very close to each other.
0:04:19 > 0:04:22He used to do a lot of things for her, shopping,
0:04:22 > 0:04:29some cleaning and housework and what have you indoors, and they seemed to live for each other.
0:04:29 > 0:04:36After Harry died, Margaret had the help of her brother and sister, Ernest and Eileen.
0:04:36 > 0:04:41And when they passed away in 2006, Jack and his late wife helped where they could.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47If my wife baked a cake or bread pudding, some would always go over there.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51Often at my expense!
0:04:53 > 0:04:56The thing that Margaret really enjoyed was her
0:04:56 > 0:05:01little dabble on the weekly lottery,
0:05:01 > 0:05:06in the hope, of course, that she became a millionairess.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Needless to say, it never happened.
0:05:09 > 0:05:13Margaret spent the last few years of her life in a nursing home
0:05:13 > 0:05:17in Carshalton, Surrey before passing away aged 86,
0:05:17 > 0:05:22leaving behind an estate worth an estimated £25,000.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29By 7.20am, the team are piecing the story together.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32With the case seeming to be based in Surrey,
0:05:32 > 0:05:36Neil and Tony think Bob Barrett will be their local man on the ground.
0:05:36 > 0:05:38PHONE RINGS.
0:05:38 > 0:05:41- Hello, Bob Barrett.- Hiya, Bob.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46It's time to call upon the expertise of the travelling heir hunters.
0:05:46 > 0:05:50Throughout the UK, Frasers have a team of researchers on standby,
0:05:50 > 0:05:53who are able to hit the road at a moment's notice.
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Their job is to track down vital clues and information on the case,
0:05:57 > 0:06:01and, eventually, sign up the rightful heirs.
0:06:01 > 0:06:06They have to work fast, as a rival heir hunting company is never far behind.
0:06:06 > 0:06:07Pleased to meet you.
0:06:07 > 0:06:12Bob is one of the team of travelling heir hunters, and is based in the Home Counties.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16Tony sends him to Kingston register office to find the death certificate
0:06:16 > 0:06:20of the deceased and any information he can find on Margaret's parents.
0:06:28 > 0:06:31By 9am, Tony has found the details of the births
0:06:31 > 0:06:37and deaths of Margaret's siblings, Ernest and Eileen, and a phone number for Margaret's sister-in-law.
0:06:37 > 0:06:41I'm hoping that, if your husband turned out to be of the right family,
0:06:41 > 0:06:47then he would have been entitled, and therefore that entitlement would pass to any children that you might have.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51I don't know if you have any children... You didn't? That's a shame.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55It wouldn't actually pass to yourself, because you wouldn't be a blood relative, you see.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00From this call, Tony learns that neither Margaret's brother nor sister had any children,
0:07:00 > 0:07:06so her estate won't pass to nieces or nephews. This means they will have to start looking for cousins.
0:07:06 > 0:07:11Have you any idea of where your mother-in-law was actually born?
0:07:11 > 0:07:13In Ireland?
0:07:13 > 0:07:17The maiden name was Gundry, I think. It's a fairly unusual name, isn't it?
0:07:17 > 0:07:21This conversation has given Tony a very useful lead.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25She thought that the mother of the deceased was born in Ireland,
0:07:25 > 0:07:31so we'll be asking our Irish agent if they can identify the birth in Ireland, and we'll wait and see.
0:07:31 > 0:07:36But we're making some headway, so it's looking fairly positive at the moment.
0:07:38 > 0:07:44Margaret Nye was the daughter of Elizabeth Gundry and Ernest Arthur Nye.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Margaret married Harry Porter, but they had no children.
0:07:48 > 0:07:52Elizabeth and Arthur had two more children, Ernest and Eileen,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55who both married, but also had no children.
0:07:56 > 0:07:58Call for Tony...
0:08:02 > 0:08:03Hello.
0:08:03 > 0:08:08Bob calls with the information he's gleaned from the marriage certificate of Margaret's parents.
0:08:08 > 0:08:1030th April, 1921.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13Yes, tell me who the father is.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Charles Nye.
0:08:15 > 0:08:17So, that's what you wanted to hear, I think.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22- What about the mother? - Elizabeth Gundry, 21, spinster.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Thanks, bye.
0:08:27 > 0:08:31With Bob's update, Neil and Tony can start a family tree.
0:08:33 > 0:08:38Using the 1911 census, Neil notices an interesting trend on Margaret's father's side.
0:08:38 > 0:08:44The names we can read are Violet, Daisy, Rose, and Ivy.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47Obviously, they're all named after flowers or plants,
0:08:47 > 0:08:52which is a trend we've seen once or twice before, but it's still quite rare.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57Margaret's father Ernest was the son of Charles Nye and Emma Haggar.
0:08:57 > 0:09:02So far, we know they had five children and a penchant for flowers,
0:09:02 > 0:09:06naming four of their daughter, Violet, Daisy, Rose, and Ivy.
0:09:09 > 0:09:15I'm a particular fan of flowers in names, my daughter's called Rose. We've got a Rose here.
0:09:15 > 0:09:20They started Violet, Daisy, Rose, and then I think maybe they decided to abandon the whole flower thing.
0:09:20 > 0:09:22Maybe people started to notice.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30Ivy Nye married George Mileham in 1917.
0:09:30 > 0:09:35Neil is looking into whether they had children who could be heirs.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39I just looked at the stem of Ivy.
0:09:39 > 0:09:40Hannah Nye.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45I've just got a son of hers up to date.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52He's in the Hounslow area, and his name is George, after his father, George.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55He's not a flower,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59his sister's called Joan, and that's not after a flower, either.
0:09:59 > 0:10:00Joan, after Joan of Arc,
0:10:00 > 0:10:04and George, after the slayer of the dragon.
0:10:04 > 0:10:08I don't think Neil is going to be calling any of his children by flowers.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13He's not so keen.
0:10:13 > 0:10:15If I have a child, I'll name it after myself.
0:10:15 > 0:10:19Neil - a long standing tradition, he'll be called Neil.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Neil updates Bob Barrett with his discovery of George Mileham,
0:10:27 > 0:10:32Ivy's son, hoping he can pay the potential heir a visit and sign him up.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35I'll give you a treat, you can make your way to Hounslow.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38- Hounslow, right.- Bye.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40I'm on my way to Hounslow now
0:10:40 > 0:10:46to see a gentleman who's in his 90s, the paternal first cousin of the deceased and he's an heir.
0:10:50 > 0:10:53Back in London, the paternal side of the tree just keeps growing.
0:10:53 > 0:10:57As the tree expands, it's a timely reminder of what a sheltered and
0:10:57 > 0:11:05lonely life Margaret lead, despite having so many relatives all living quite locally to her Surrey home.
0:11:05 > 0:11:10With so many stems to research, Aisha has been brought in to help,
0:11:10 > 0:11:14and she's working on another floral name - this time, an English Rose.
0:11:14 > 0:11:16So, Rose marries a William Mitchell.
0:11:16 > 0:11:23She marries in Croydon, but before she married she was a servant in Wimbledon and Epsom.
0:11:23 > 0:11:25I found that out from the censuses.
0:11:25 > 0:11:31I found a death for her in Merton, which isn't too far from Croydon,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33so we're trying to find children in that sort of area.
0:11:33 > 0:11:38Nothing is really springing out at the moment, so I'm just going to have a look for them.
0:11:38 > 0:11:45It's not been too tricky, so far, so while Gareth is at lunch I'll just to try and finish it off.
0:11:45 > 0:11:47But, Neil might have spoken too soon.
0:11:47 > 0:11:53Bob has arrived at George Mileham's house, and it's not good news.
0:11:53 > 0:11:58- Bob Barrett.- If it's to do with the... I've already seen someone about this.
0:11:58 > 0:12:00Oh, you have? With regard to?
0:12:00 > 0:12:04The person they're looking for, regarding the will.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Right, so we can't interest you in doing business with us?
0:12:07 > 0:12:08Sorry to have disturbed you.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10- That's quite all right.- Bye, now.
0:12:10 > 0:12:14And I hope, at the end of the day, it's all worthwhile for you. Bye-bye.
0:12:14 > 0:12:19So, one of our competitors got there first and has signed that particular heir,
0:12:19 > 0:12:23so I'd better get back and tell them the good news in the office.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29- Hiya.- Hello, Neil.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31Good news and bad news.
0:12:31 > 0:12:32Did you get any family information?
0:12:32 > 0:12:35No, he...
0:12:35 > 0:12:39didn't really want to speak to me at all. He's already...
0:12:39 > 0:12:42It's all too much for him, he's an elderly old gent, etc.
0:12:42 > 0:12:45I'll give you something else later. Bye-bye.
0:12:45 > 0:12:46Tone?
0:12:49 > 0:12:51How may assist you?
0:12:51 > 0:12:57Storm clouds are brewing overhead, and Tony's cheery mood proves all too brief.
0:13:00 > 0:13:03That's a bit of a bummer, isn't it?
0:13:08 > 0:13:10With the competition hot on their heels,
0:13:10 > 0:13:14Tony gets straight on the phone to another potential heir. But is he too late?
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Hello? Hello, Mrs Nye?
0:13:21 > 0:13:24Oh, you have, indeed?
0:13:24 > 0:13:26Yes, we're obviously another company, you see...
0:13:26 > 0:13:30You say you've just had a call from somebody else about it?
0:13:30 > 0:13:34Yes, that's another research company, you see.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39But Tony won't be going down without a fight.
0:13:39 > 0:13:41We've just got to go back
0:13:41 > 0:13:45and re-look at our research and work at some other stems up.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47So, there we go.
0:13:47 > 0:13:54It's one of those cases where you expect to get competition on it,
0:13:54 > 0:14:00and that's occurring. But I have every confidence in the team
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and I'm sure that we'll triumph in the end.
0:14:15 > 0:14:20With no sign of Margaret's mother's birth in Ireland, Tony asks Bob
0:14:20 > 0:14:23to collect her death certificate to see if it might offer any clues.
0:14:23 > 0:14:28September 1979 in Merton.
0:14:28 > 0:14:32- So could you sort of try pointing that way?- What was her maiden name?
0:14:32 > 0:14:39- Gundry, G-U-N-D-R-Y, in theory. - OK, cheers.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43I've got something to do now, then,
0:14:43 > 0:14:45which is
0:14:45 > 0:14:48to go to Merton registry office.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50We can't find the birth of the mother of the deceased,
0:14:50 > 0:14:53so we're getting the death to see if it gives a place of birth on it.
0:14:53 > 0:14:59It might not do. But we were told that she was born in Ireland, and we can't find it in Ireland.
0:14:59 > 0:15:01Perhaps she was born between Ireland and Scotland,
0:15:01 > 0:15:04born in the Isle Of Man. She doesn't seem to be born in Scotland.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08So, perhaps she was born over here, or perhaps the name is wrong,
0:15:08 > 0:15:14or incorrectly reproduced, or whatever, I don't know. I'm trying to deal with this. OK? Thank you.
0:15:19 > 0:15:26Coming up on Heir Hunters - good detective work uncovers an enormous family for the reclusive Margaret.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30We had an Ernest, Frederick, Charles, Violet, and Ivy...
0:15:30 > 0:15:34- I think there was about 13 of them, altogether. - There was quite a few, wasn't there?
0:15:41 > 0:15:46Hoopers, based in London, are one of the oldest heir hunting companies in the country.
0:15:46 > 0:15:52The chairman, Mike Tringham, has over 35 years' experience as a genealogist.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56Despite decades of heir hunting and a dedicated team assisting him,
0:15:56 > 0:15:59one case in particular has left Mike stumped.
0:16:06 > 0:16:11It's this kind of case which really gets the juices flowing.
0:16:11 > 0:16:14The more frustrating it is, the more difficult it is,
0:16:14 > 0:16:19the more impossible it seems to solve, the more you want to solve it.
0:16:20 > 0:16:26This was the case of Clare Hunt, a friend to many and lifelong partner to Herbert Hunt.
0:16:26 > 0:16:29But she proved to be somewhat of an enigma after her death.
0:16:37 > 0:16:43Clare Hunt was thought to have been born in the early 1920s, possibly in Blackpool.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48Unfortunately, for the first few decades of her life, very little is known about her.
0:16:48 > 0:16:55It is not until she met Herbert Hunt in the early '50s that her life can be more easily pieced together.
0:16:55 > 0:16:58Herbert's younger sister Lillian remembers Clare well
0:16:58 > 0:17:02and met her for the first time when she herself was only six years old.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07She was so bubbly.
0:17:07 > 0:17:13Her appearance was all perfect, her hair was always done nice...
0:17:15 > 0:17:23She was just someone that you looked up to and you'd think, "Oh, it's nice to see someone like that."
0:17:29 > 0:17:34Clare and Herbert's love affair was one that would last a lifetime.
0:17:34 > 0:17:36But, despite knowing Clare for well over 50 years,
0:17:36 > 0:17:41Lillian was never able to paint a clear picture of Clare's life before Herbert.
0:17:41 > 0:17:48Clare had told me when I was younger that her parents and her sister died in a big car accident.
0:17:48 > 0:17:53Whether Clare was in the accident or not, I've no idea.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57She says she was the only one that was left
0:17:57 > 0:18:00and she had to survive for herself.
0:18:03 > 0:18:07She wouldn't talk about anything a lot.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09I think she thought that was very...
0:18:11 > 0:18:14It was her secret, you know what I mean?
0:18:14 > 0:18:20Despite her tragic start in life, it seems Clare found true happiness when she met Herbie.
0:18:20 > 0:18:27After courting for a while, they left Kent and set up home together in Blackpool.
0:18:27 > 0:18:34Herbie was in the council in Maidstone, and he had a transfer from Maidstone to Blackpool.
0:18:34 > 0:18:40I think that was her home roots, so she always liked to be there.
0:18:40 > 0:18:42They moved up there and they stayed
0:18:42 > 0:18:45till the day they died.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Under the bright lights of Blackpool, Herbie and Clare
0:18:51 > 0:18:55took advantage of all that seaside life had to offer in the 1960s.
0:18:55 > 0:19:00They must have liked bingo very much, because they were always going.
0:19:00 > 0:19:02They liked the night life.
0:19:02 > 0:19:05They didn't have any children to have to worry about,
0:19:05 > 0:19:10so I think they went out a lot together and enjoyed themselves,
0:19:10 > 0:19:13went abroad and everything like that.
0:19:18 > 0:19:22It was the couple's shared love of bingo which gave them a great deal of pleasure,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25especially in their late years when they'd retired.
0:19:25 > 0:19:30Graham Sanderson Roberts, who works in the bingo hall, remembers the couple fondly.
0:19:30 > 0:19:36The doors opened at 10.30, Clare and Bert would probably be in at around 10.45.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40As soon as they came in, it was two cups of tea, two portions of chips,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44always in the same seat. They sat in the same seat for nearly 13 years.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48They would talk to their friends, it was just a routine. It was the same thing every day.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50On its own, number 2.
0:19:50 > 0:19:56And one day in 2002, Clare and Herbert's years of dedication to the bingo balls paid off.
0:19:58 > 0:20:00- One lucky winner. - I was there when the results
0:20:00 > 0:20:08came through, when they shouted and they were told that time they'd actually won just close to £70,000.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10The atmosphere was electric.
0:20:10 > 0:20:14Everybody was cheering, they were clapping. It was just...
0:20:14 > 0:20:17an ecstatic moment for them in their lives.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Despite winning such a huge sum of money, the couple decided to keep
0:20:21 > 0:20:27news of their success to themselves, and their passion for the game couldn't be extinguished.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31They never changed. They were still there five afternoons a week.
0:20:31 > 0:20:33It wasn't the money they were looking at,
0:20:33 > 0:20:38it was the atmosphere of the club, the people, the friends all around them.
0:20:38 > 0:20:40It never changed them.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45Sadly, after over 50 years of partnership
0:20:45 > 0:20:52and just three years after their bingo win, Herbie passed away, and Clare was overwhelmed by grief.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55I think it was very hard for her.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00He looked after her for a long time, and then all of a sudden he's not there.
0:21:00 > 0:21:05And she must have been,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07well, really heartbroken.
0:21:07 > 0:21:13Just eight months after Herbert's death, Clare, too, passed away, in a care home.
0:21:19 > 0:21:22Later on Heir Hunters, Mike struggles to uncover
0:21:22 > 0:21:29official and vital evidence of Clare's early life, which could hold the key to her past.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32We looked in all records available to us in the UK
0:21:32 > 0:21:37and abroad, and unfortunately we were never able to discover
0:21:37 > 0:21:39a record of this marriage.
0:21:44 > 0:21:50For every case that is cracked, there are still many thousands which remain a mystery.
0:21:50 > 0:21:56These cases sit on the Treasury's unsolved list and can remain there for up to 30 years.
0:21:56 > 0:22:02The estates can range wildly in value, from £5,000 to many millions,
0:22:02 > 0:22:06with the rightful heirs completely unaware of the windfall they could claim.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12Today, we've got two cases heir hunters have so far failed to solve.
0:22:12 > 0:22:14Could you have the answer?
0:22:14 > 0:22:17Could you be in line to inherit?
0:22:17 > 0:22:22Margaret Pike passed away in March 2005 in London.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28A beneficiary to her estate still cannot be found almost five years after her death.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Did you know her? Might you be able to help solve the case?
0:22:34 > 0:22:38Jean Rawlinson died in Peckham, London, in June 2006,
0:22:38 > 0:22:42leaving no will and an estate that is waiting to be claimed.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Could she be a distant relative of yours?
0:22:45 > 0:22:48Might you be the missing link in this mystery?
0:23:01 > 0:23:08Heir hunters Hoopers are given many cases from the Treasury's list, but other cases can be referred to them,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12and one such case was that of Clare Hunt.
0:23:12 > 0:23:17Mike Tringham has been investigating the case for the three years since Clare died
0:23:17 > 0:23:20just eight months after her partner Herbert Hunt, in Blackpool.
0:23:20 > 0:23:25It started off as being pretty routine, or so we thought.
0:23:25 > 0:23:29But once we got started, we soon realised that it wasn't
0:23:29 > 0:23:33as simple and straightforward as the normal run-of-the-mill case.
0:23:34 > 0:23:40The couple had managed to accrue quite a nest egg in their time together,
0:23:40 > 0:23:47and with the help of their £70,000 bingo win they left behind £120,000 in their joint account.
0:23:47 > 0:23:50Because Herbert had predeceased Clare and the money was held in the
0:23:50 > 0:23:54couple's joint bank account, the estate passed to Clare.
0:23:54 > 0:23:58But, sadly, the couple had not made a will.
0:23:58 > 0:24:04As the estate was entirely in Clare's name, only her blood relatives would be able to inherit.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07So Mike began trying to trace Clare's family,
0:24:07 > 0:24:14and this is where Clare's secrecy about her early life began to cause complications.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17There was a date of birth on the death certificate, but neither her
0:24:17 > 0:24:21place of birth nor her maiden name was given.
0:24:21 > 0:24:27That's not unusual, particularly in the cases that land on our desk.
0:24:27 > 0:24:35We started looking at possibilities of identifying her birth, and we drew a blank, unfortunately.
0:24:36 > 0:24:40Usually, Mike would begin by building a family tree,
0:24:40 > 0:24:43using a name and birth, death and marriage certificates
0:24:43 > 0:24:46in order to trace parents and any blood relatives.
0:24:46 > 0:24:53Working through the generations, often a beneficiary can be found who would be eligible to inherit.
0:24:53 > 0:24:59In the case of Clare Hunt, three years after research began, Mike is still no closer to a resolution.
0:24:59 > 0:25:07On Clare's death certificate, it stated she was born in 1921, but, frustratingly for Mike,
0:25:07 > 0:25:13this conflicted with hospital records found from the '80s which stated she was born in 1925.
0:25:13 > 0:25:19We looked at many of the females born, particularly in England and Ireland and Scotland,
0:25:19 > 0:25:25by the name of Clare who were born in either 1921 or 1925,
0:25:25 > 0:25:28but none of them fitted the bill.
0:25:28 > 0:25:31Mike also drew a blank when looking for Herbert and Clare's
0:25:31 > 0:25:35marriage certificate, raising the possibility that the couple never wed.
0:25:35 > 0:25:41In fact, none of Herbert's family had attended any ceremony.
0:25:41 > 0:25:45I just assumed they were married, because when they used to come down they used to share the room.
0:25:45 > 0:25:51So I just assumed they were married, because I don't think my mum would
0:25:51 > 0:25:54have let them do that if they wasn't.
0:25:54 > 0:25:59The question of whether the couple were married had major ramifications.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04Aside from the couple's £120,000 in their joint account,
0:26:04 > 0:26:08Herbert had left behind some money of his own, £12,000.
0:26:08 > 0:26:13If Herbert and Clare had been married, then this £12,000 would have gone to Clare.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19If they hadn't, then Herbert's personal sum would go to his blood relatives, such as Lillian.
0:26:19 > 0:26:24So Mike needed to prove the couple's union one way or another.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29The simplest explanation is that
0:26:29 > 0:26:34she took up with a Mr Herbert Hunt so therefore she had obviously taken on his name.
0:26:34 > 0:26:41Mike's theory seems to have been supported by his discovery of some records from the '90s.
0:26:41 > 0:26:47This is a form filled in by Herbert Hunt, and it's got here "Marital status". It's left blank.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50"Birth of wife." Left blank.
0:26:50 > 0:26:58And then further down, it says "Name of account - Herbert S Hunt and Clare Hunt".
0:26:58 > 0:27:02And alongside the name Clare Hunt it says "Not his wife.
0:27:02 > 0:27:08"Spoke to Bob Leadbetter, 10th September '92."
0:27:08 > 0:27:11That's obviously an official in the bank,
0:27:11 > 0:27:16and they've confirmed, clarified, that Clare Hunt was not his wife.
0:27:17 > 0:27:25With no real idea whether Hunt was Clare's actual surname, Mike was unable to even start a family tree.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Did Clare use a false name?
0:27:29 > 0:27:32Had she ever been known by another name?
0:27:32 > 0:27:37In a further twist, additional records from the Pensions Office
0:27:37 > 0:27:44suggested Clare may have married another man, Bernard Valentine, in 1951, before meeting Herbie.
0:27:44 > 0:27:51If this marriage took place, Bernard or any children they may have had would be heirs.
0:27:51 > 0:27:56If Mike could find evidence of this union, the case could be cracked.
0:27:56 > 0:28:00We looked in all records available to us in the UK
0:28:00 > 0:28:06and abroad, and unfortunately we were never able to discover
0:28:06 > 0:28:09a record of this marriage, if indeed it took place.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12No, I wouldn't have said she was married before,
0:28:12 > 0:28:16and I'd stake my life on that.
0:28:16 > 0:28:18She was always Herbie's.
0:28:20 > 0:28:25I have this theory that perhaps she did marry a Mr Valentine
0:28:25 > 0:28:31and the marriage didn't work out and she walked out, and not long after,
0:28:31 > 0:28:38she met Herbert Hunt, and because she was already married and had walked out on her husband,
0:28:38 > 0:28:45she couldn't marry Herbert, and that situation remained for the rest of her life.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50With no further leads, Mike has hit another dead end on this case,
0:28:50 > 0:28:54and the question of exactly who Clare Hunt was remains a mystery.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58At the moment, I'm at a loss as to where we go from here.
0:28:58 > 0:29:02I hope someone might remember her,
0:29:02 > 0:29:08might recall who Clare was, might have gone to school with her,
0:29:08 > 0:29:12might have met her, might have been married to her. Who knows?
0:29:19 > 0:29:24Mike has searched for over three years and is no closer to solving the case.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Might you have the missing piece of the jigsaw?
0:29:27 > 0:29:29Do you recognise Clare from her photograph?
0:29:29 > 0:29:33Do you remember her marrying a Bernard Valentine?
0:29:33 > 0:29:39Perhaps you knew her under a different name, when she was in her 20s and early 30s.
0:29:39 > 0:29:42Even the tiniest piece of information might hold
0:29:42 > 0:29:49the key to unlocking this case and returning Clare's estate of £120,000 to the rightful beneficiary.
0:29:58 > 0:30:02The Fraser's team are investigating the case of Margaret Porter,
0:30:02 > 0:30:08who died in 2008 in Surrey, leaving an estimated estate of £25,000.
0:30:08 > 0:30:12Despite leading a quiet life, Margaret had married Harry Porter
0:30:12 > 0:30:18after the Second World War, and it was a union that would span over 50 years.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23When Harry passed away in 1998, Margaret became increasingly
0:30:23 > 0:30:29introverted and shy, and her friend Jack always considered her a reclusive person.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31She was just one of these people, I suppose,
0:30:33 > 0:30:35who is in her own little world.
0:30:37 > 0:30:39Although Margaret lived in her own private world,
0:30:39 > 0:30:43the team are uncovering dozens of family members who live close by.
0:30:43 > 0:30:47And while they're still in need of a breakthrough on the maternal side
0:30:47 > 0:30:51of the tree, the paternal side is growing by the minute.
0:30:51 > 0:30:55Minnie. Yeah? Age 22, born Middlesex. Croydon, according to that.
0:30:55 > 0:31:01Gareth has found a clue on the census that reveals a sibling who had lain undiscovered until now.
0:31:01 > 0:31:06When we found the census of Violet in Ipswich,
0:31:06 > 0:31:08she is living as a housemaid,
0:31:10 > 0:31:17but she's also living with a Minnie Nye, who's also a housemaid, who's got to be a sister.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21I mean, it would be the coincidence of two Nyes living together,
0:31:21 > 0:31:23both born in the same sort of area.
0:31:23 > 0:31:26So we're guessing that she's a sister that we didn't know about.
0:31:26 > 0:31:29So I'm going to see what happens to Minnie.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33But yeah, she definitely going to be an aunt of the deceased.
0:31:33 > 0:31:37Aisha has some additions for the family tree, too.
0:31:37 > 0:31:43She has found a brother on the paternal side who married and had children.
0:31:43 > 0:31:47Erm, I can't find Shirley, so I've found her daughter,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50married her off and got her up to date on the telephone.
0:31:53 > 0:31:58Ernest and his four sisters also had another sister, Alice Minnie,
0:31:58 > 0:32:00and a brother, Frederick.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04Frederick married Mary and they had a daughter, Shirley.
0:32:04 > 0:32:09She later had a child of her own, who stands to inherit.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13Alice Minnie had two children, Robert and Violet.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15Violet died without kin,
0:32:15 > 0:32:18but Robert fathered six children,
0:32:18 > 0:32:19who will all be heirs.
0:32:20 > 0:32:25- Can you get that?- '619 for Tony.'
0:32:25 > 0:32:27Bob has an update for the team.
0:32:27 > 0:32:31He has the death certificate for Margaret's mother.
0:32:31 > 0:32:33Might this unlock the maternal side of the tree?
0:32:33 > 0:32:40Elizabeth Nye, maiden name Gundry, born 13th January 1900
0:32:40 > 0:32:43in Wimbledon. Not Ireland at all.
0:32:47 > 0:32:52Even with this new information, Elizabeth Gundry's birth details still can't be found.
0:32:52 > 0:32:54Something's not right here.
0:32:54 > 0:33:00It's beginning to look like a mistake has been made in the birth records of Margaret's mother.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02It's not in Wimbledon at all,
0:33:02 > 0:33:05and the son who informed on the death has got it wrong.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11The date of birth is wrong,
0:33:12 > 0:33:14or there's a wrong spelling on it.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18So it's a bit of guesswork at the moment.
0:33:20 > 0:33:23The team must solve this puzzle.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26Without Elizabeth's correct date of birth, they cannot access her
0:33:26 > 0:33:32siblings and cousins Margaret had who could be heirs.
0:33:32 > 0:33:39During another check of the 1911 census, they have a breakthrough and find Elizabeth and her siblings.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42We were looking for the birth. We haven't found the birth.
0:33:42 > 0:33:44What we've found is the 1911 census...
0:33:48 > 0:33:52..which in the case we have people born in Wimbledon, born in Dublin,
0:33:52 > 0:33:58born back in Wimbledon, and then...around.
0:33:58 > 0:34:00So it's just...
0:34:03 > 0:34:08It probably should have been found earlier, and would have if we'd been working it fully.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12But we got told it was in Ireland from a fairly good source, couldn't find a birth,
0:34:12 > 0:34:16believed it was in Ireland, and we've concentrated on the easier bit first,
0:34:16 > 0:34:18so we've got to catch up on this side now.
0:34:18 > 0:34:23Looks like we've got six children on that,
0:34:23 > 0:34:27so we've got five stems to work up.
0:34:29 > 0:34:32Elizabeth Gundry was also from a big family.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35She had five brothers and sisters -
0:34:35 > 0:34:39Margaret, Kathleen, James, Walter and Mary.
0:34:39 > 0:34:43If they had any children, they would be heirs to Margaret's estate.
0:34:45 > 0:34:52Neil rushes to tell Tony of their breakthrough so he can call another potential heir.
0:34:52 > 0:34:58- We're all getting dynamic again, are we? Where are we going?- Netta.
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Well, I think it's a good try-out first off. Yeah.
0:35:01 > 0:35:03Hello?
0:35:03 > 0:35:06Hello, sorry to trouble you. Is that Mrs Randall?
0:35:06 > 0:35:11Although Mrs Randall cannot inherit, her late husband George was a cousin of Margaret's.
0:35:11 > 0:35:16This means any children Mrs Randall may have had could be beneficiaries.
0:35:16 > 0:35:20And I'm hoping that you did have children.
0:35:20 > 0:35:22Oh, three. Oh, that's good. Right, OK.
0:35:22 > 0:35:26So your three children would, we think, be entitled to the share
0:35:26 > 0:35:29of an estate of somebody who has died quite recently.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32It sounds as though the news is pretty good.
0:35:32 > 0:35:39The indication is it looks as though we're ahead of the competition, which is great news.
0:35:39 > 0:35:41..contact addresses...
0:35:41 > 0:35:46We should have found this before lunch, but obviously with no-one looking at it until later,
0:35:46 > 0:35:48it's the reason we're slightly behind.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51So it's good news. We're catching up.
0:35:51 > 0:35:53That's right, I can check all these out. Yeah.
0:35:53 > 0:35:58There's a cousin of your husband called Cathy, and she's married to Les and they live in Guildford.
0:35:58 > 0:36:01We'll find that and we'll work it backwards.
0:36:01 > 0:36:03That's lovely. Thanks ever so much.
0:36:05 > 0:36:08Elizabeth's sister Mary married Frederick Randall,
0:36:08 > 0:36:13and they had two children, one of whom is living and would be an heir.
0:36:13 > 0:36:16Their other child, George, has now passed away but was married
0:36:16 > 0:36:21to Netta Randall, and they had three children, who would all be heirs.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Netta has told Tony about a cousin of her husband's, Catherine.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31She would also be an heir, so the team are keen to track her down.
0:36:37 > 0:36:43Meanwhile, away from the hustle and bustle of the office, Bob has been having a somewhat less dynamic day.
0:36:43 > 0:36:45Waiting.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49A bit of waiting here and a bit of waiting there.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55So, just for a change, I'm doing a bit of waiting.
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Waiting for a phone call now from Tony.
0:37:03 > 0:37:07While Bob plays the waiting game, the office is in full flow.
0:37:09 > 0:37:11Oh, hello. Mrs Voyce?
0:37:11 > 0:37:13Still on the phone?
0:37:13 > 0:37:17- He's on the other line at the moment, I'm afraid.- No problem.
0:37:17 > 0:37:191939. Yeah?
0:37:20 > 0:37:24Bob is waiting outside the home of a potential heir,
0:37:24 > 0:37:27but he needs some details from Tony before he can proceed.
0:37:27 > 0:37:30Finally, Gareth gets in touch...
0:37:30 > 0:37:34- Would you like the tree, then?- ..and steers him in the right direction.
0:37:36 > 0:37:43On the mother's side we would seem to have one, two, three, four, five, six, seven,
0:37:43 > 0:37:45eight, nine, ten...
0:37:45 > 0:37:47Probably ten...
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen heirs.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53And on the other side there's about five or six, I think,
0:37:53 > 0:37:58so we could have 15, 16, perhaps more, people entitled in this matter.
0:37:58 > 0:38:03So it does take a lot of organising, and, obviously, we've still got a lot to backtrack on,
0:38:03 > 0:38:07and it's now ten past five and I'm fed up and I want to go home.
0:38:10 > 0:38:12But it's not home time for Bob just yet.
0:38:12 > 0:38:16He's still pounding the streets in his hunt for an heir.
0:38:16 > 0:38:18It must be further down.
0:38:19 > 0:38:26Having found the correct address, will his final throw of today's dice produce an heir he can sign up?
0:38:30 > 0:38:33Well, after all that, there's nobody in.
0:38:42 > 0:38:46After a day of frustrations and mixed fortunes, Bob goes home
0:38:46 > 0:38:49and will pick up his search again tomorrow morning.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56It's a new day and a fresh start.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Bob is still chasing down heirs to Margaret Porter's estate.
0:39:00 > 0:39:05He's come to see a potential beneficiary, but nobody seems to be at home.
0:39:05 > 0:39:07It's one of those jobs where no-one's in.
0:39:07 > 0:39:12After confirming with a neighbour that this is the correct address, Bob leaves a note.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19I'm off to Camberley now,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22to try and see another heir.
0:39:22 > 0:39:25I say another heir - this is my third attempt.
0:39:25 > 0:39:32With a bit of luck, this chap will be in. I think he's in his 80s, so a good chance he won't be out at work.
0:39:36 > 0:39:42- Hello.- It looks as though Bob has the right address, but has he managed to sign up an heir?
0:39:42 > 0:39:44What a smashing old gent.
0:39:44 > 0:39:47Signed an agreement with us, so at least I've found someone in,
0:39:47 > 0:39:51which is good. I better ring and tell them in the office that I've had some success.
0:39:53 > 0:39:57And now his luck's changed, Bob heads to an appointment made by the office
0:39:57 > 0:40:03with another possible beneficiary in Kent, Francis Mitchell, and his wife and daughter.
0:40:03 > 0:40:06- Francis rather than Frank?- Francis.
0:40:06 > 0:40:10- Francis.- He always calls himself Frank, but officially it's Francis.
0:40:10 > 0:40:13The person that died is in fact a cousin.
0:40:13 > 0:40:16Have you heard of an Uncle Ernest?
0:40:16 > 0:40:19- Oh, yes.- It was one of his children who's died.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Oh!
0:40:21 > 0:40:26I warn you, one of the things I'm going to ask you is the date of your marriage, and sometimes
0:40:26 > 0:40:30the men get in a dreadful position - "She's sitting next to me and I can't remember it!"
0:40:30 > 0:40:33What was it, '45?
0:40:33 > 0:40:37- No, it was the 16th of March '46. - Oh.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40There we are, you're fired!
0:40:41 > 0:40:44And your mother's maiden name?
0:40:44 > 0:40:46- Nye.- Nye.
0:40:46 > 0:40:50Could I ask you now about your mother's brothers and sisters,
0:40:50 > 0:40:53so aunts and uncles on your mother's side?
0:40:53 > 0:40:56Well, there was Ernie, Frederick...
0:40:56 > 0:40:57Fred.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01..Charlie. He had a boy, a son.
0:41:01 > 0:41:04Do you remember his name, Charlie's boy?
0:41:04 > 0:41:07- Charlie, he was called.- Yeah.
0:41:07 > 0:41:11- Yeah.- Do you remember anything else about him?- Is he the one that only had one leg?
0:41:11 > 0:41:13Yes, he only had one leg.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16What, did he lose it in the war or something?
0:41:16 > 0:41:17No, he lost it playing football.
0:41:17 > 0:41:19- Did he?- Yeah.
0:41:19 > 0:41:24Anyone else? Are we done? Ernest, Frederick, Charles, Violet and Ivy.
0:41:24 > 0:41:27I think there was about 13 of them altogether!
0:41:27 > 0:41:29There was quite a few, wasn't there? Ida.
0:41:29 > 0:41:31- Ida, yeah.- Do you remember Ida?
0:41:31 > 0:41:33- Ida.- Did she marry?
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Yes.
0:41:35 > 0:41:38- Any idea of a name?- Mr Yeoman.
0:41:38 > 0:41:40That's an unusual one, isn't it?
0:41:40 > 0:41:42- Yeah.- Any children?- No children.
0:41:42 > 0:41:48No. And we think there may have been a couple more that died as children, but, erm...
0:41:48 > 0:41:50Well, I think you did quite well on that.
0:41:51 > 0:41:54It's been a very successful visit for Bob.
0:41:54 > 0:41:58Fraser's will help Frank make a claim for part of Margaret's £25,000
0:41:58 > 0:42:03estate, and hopefully he won't be the only one in line for a windfall.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08Right, take me glasses off, otherwise I'll fall over when I stand up.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10Thanks very much.
0:42:10 > 0:42:13- Nice to meet you. - All right. And you.- Bye. - All the best.- Thanks very much.
0:42:13 > 0:42:16- Cheerio. Thanks for being here. - Thank you. Thank you.
0:42:21 > 0:42:28And for Tony and the team, it's been a successful case, and it seems all their effort was worth it.
0:42:28 > 0:42:31It was rather difficult to get going, but I'm pleased to be able to say
0:42:31 > 0:42:34that it now looks as if it will all come together.
0:42:34 > 0:42:38We've got, I think, getting on for 30 heirs or so, which isn't a bad number.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40It's a manageable number.
0:42:40 > 0:42:44They will hopefully all get a reasonable sum of money.
0:42:46 > 0:42:52So it's nice to know that we've finally been able to get this one almost wrapped up.
0:42:52 > 0:42:55If you would like to find out more
0:42:55 > 0:43:01about how to build a family tree or write a will, go to bbc.co.uk.
0:43:09 > 0:43:13Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:13 > 0:43:16E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk