0:00:02 > 0:00:06Heir hunters spend their lives tracking down families of people who died without leaving a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09They hand over thousands of pounds to long lost relatives
0:00:09 > 0:00:12who had no idea they were in line for a windfall.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:30 > 0:00:34Today on Heir Hunters, the Frasers' team get a lead
0:00:34 > 0:00:39on a case worth a fortune, but is there tragedy waiting in the wings?
0:00:39 > 0:00:45We understand that the deceased had one sister, who was murdered aged 21.
0:00:45 > 0:00:53And could you be in for a windfall, how an insurance scheme set up to cover the cost of child burials...
0:00:53 > 0:00:56The parents would have received a payout of £5 5s,
0:00:56 > 0:00:58which would have covered a burial in those days.
0:00:58 > 0:01:03..has paid unexpected benefits to thousands of people.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07I was very surprised that they found me at all because not being a blood relative of Joyce,
0:01:07 > 0:01:10it would seem very hard for them to even trace me.
0:01:10 > 0:01:15Plus we'll have details of the hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of unclaimed estates
0:01:15 > 0:01:18held by the Treasury. Could you be a rightful heir?
0:01:23 > 0:01:27In the UK, two-thirds of people don't have a valid will.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30If they die with no obvious relatives
0:01:30 > 0:01:32their money goes to the Government.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37Last year, a staggering £18 million of unclaimed estates was on the Treasury books.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41A whopping £12 million of that was never claimed.
0:01:41 > 0:01:46Around the UK, more than 30 probate research companies
0:01:46 > 0:01:49compete to find missing heirs and help them claim the cash.
0:01:49 > 0:01:55Fraser & Fraser are a London-based company with over 40 years' experience in probate research.
0:01:55 > 0:01:59Partner Neil Fraser relishes every project.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02Every job, every little piece of research
0:02:02 > 0:02:06is just another challenge and it's just what makes it interesting.
0:02:08 > 0:02:13It's a Thursday morning and the team are very excited about a special case.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17A lady's phoned up to ask for our help.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22A neighbour of hers, Glenys, has passed away.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25All our indication is that she hasn't left a will.
0:02:25 > 0:02:30She owns the property she lives in, a very valuable case for us.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34Very valuable not just because there's property and value in it
0:02:34 > 0:02:39but very valuable because it's come to us at the same time as going towards the Treasury solicitor.
0:02:39 > 0:02:43It's a mammoth coup for the heir hunters to get a lead on a case
0:02:43 > 0:02:45before it's passed over to the Treasury.
0:02:45 > 0:02:48It will put them one step ahead of the competition.
0:02:51 > 0:02:56Originally from Wales, Glenys Murdoch had travelled extensively in her life
0:02:56 > 0:03:01but for the last two decades, she lived in this semi-detached house in Canterbury,
0:03:01 > 0:03:04which could be worth £180,000.
0:03:04 > 0:03:10The neighbour who informed the heir hunters, Paulina Manfredini, was a good friend.
0:03:10 > 0:03:15Glenys was a teacher and she taught French, German, Italian,
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and she was a very good teacher.
0:03:17 > 0:03:24She was quite forthright, you know, she'd tell people off if she didn't agree.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28She knew what she wanted and what she believed was right.
0:03:28 > 0:03:31You know, she wouldn't let anybody park across her driveway.
0:03:31 > 0:03:37I know that Glenys lived in Italy because she taught there.
0:03:37 > 0:03:41I know that she was in Cyprus and she had a house there,
0:03:41 > 0:03:45and she had to leave quickly when the Turks invaded.
0:03:45 > 0:03:51Not only had Glenys lived an exciting and varied life, but she was exceptional in other ways.
0:03:51 > 0:03:56She was very attractive, even at 84, really.
0:03:56 > 0:04:03She had perfect skin, no lines, nothing, these very bright blue eyes that stared at you, no glasses.
0:04:03 > 0:04:09This attractive woman married twice and had a third long-term relationship.
0:04:09 > 0:04:13But in her later years, thoughts of the past preyed on her.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19Glenys talked about her sister, who was murdered
0:04:19 > 0:04:27I think in the early 1950s, and that was a terrific shock for her, I think they were very close.
0:04:27 > 0:04:31But was Glenys's sister Evelyn the last of her family?
0:04:31 > 0:04:37Glenys actually never mentioned any of her relatives, cousins,
0:04:37 > 0:04:40parents, or anything like that.
0:04:40 > 0:04:47With a value of at least £180,000, this case will take a high priority.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51David Slee and Frances Brett will be managing the case together.
0:04:51 > 0:04:56That birth is on the 19th of April 1925.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00Between them they have 53 years' of experience in heir hunting.
0:05:00 > 0:05:05Initially what we need to do is take it back to the bare bones,
0:05:05 > 0:05:08obtain the death certificate, and let's see if we can tie
0:05:08 > 0:05:12in the information from the friend with real facts.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15I'm just phoning our agent Dave Hadley,
0:05:15 > 0:05:19I need him to pick up a death certificate in Canterbury.
0:05:22 > 0:05:25Dave is one of team of travelling heir hunters based across the UK.
0:05:27 > 0:05:34Trained probate researchers, their job is to collect certificates and sniff out clues on the ground.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37I'm from Fraser & Fraser, thank you for seeing me.
0:05:38 > 0:05:43Before becoming an heir hunter, Dave was a policeman for over 30 years.
0:05:43 > 0:05:47He'll have to use the softly-softly approach on this one.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51I might have to do a bit of sweet-talking at Tonbridge.
0:05:51 > 0:05:55Hopefully they'll be able to produce a certificate for me today.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57I know they do a 24-hour service
0:05:57 > 0:06:03but that's not going to be a lot of good to me because I need the certificate as soon as possible.
0:06:03 > 0:06:09Death certificates contain vital pieces of information, like date of birth and maiden name,
0:06:09 > 0:06:15which will help the heir hunters in the office narrow the search for Glenys's first marriage.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Let's find what the deceased's maiden name is, let's hope it's Griffiths,
0:06:18 > 0:06:22which would tie in with all the marriages that we expect there to be found.
0:06:22 > 0:06:27The neighbour has already told the team that Glenys was born in Wales,
0:06:27 > 0:06:30the office need to get another travelling heir hunter, Ewart Lindsey,
0:06:30 > 0:06:33on the ground to investigate further.
0:06:33 > 0:06:35- 'Hello, Ewart?'- Hello, Dave.- 'Hello.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38- 'You're still at home, aren't you?' - Yeah.
0:06:38 > 0:06:41'Can you start going towards South Wales?'
0:06:41 > 0:06:45I'm sure we'll speak to you well before you get to the bridge.
0:06:45 > 0:06:47OK, Dave. Yeah, OK. Bye.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49Thanks, bye.
0:06:51 > 0:06:53So, that's a surprise, isn't it?
0:06:53 > 0:06:55Wales.
0:06:55 > 0:07:00North London-based Ewart doesn't seem too excited at the prospect of a three-hour journey.
0:07:02 > 0:07:06In the meantime in the office, the team are trying to find
0:07:06 > 0:07:09a record of someone who could be Glenys's sister.
0:07:09 > 0:07:15There are two female Griffiths born in South Wales in the 1920s,
0:07:15 > 0:07:20one is a Corinne V born in Cardiff in the September quarter of 1923
0:07:20 > 0:07:23and the other is an Evelyn M
0:07:23 > 0:07:27born in the March quarter of 1923 in Pontypridd.
0:07:27 > 0:07:35And Dave is just going to have a look to see if we can find either of them dying aged 21.
0:07:35 > 0:07:42And because the neighbour told them that Glenys's sister was murdered, David is doing some cybersleuthing.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45Horrible. You don't realise how many murders there are.
0:07:46 > 0:07:52While Dave Slee looks through the horrific stories, Dave Hadley is in Tonbridge and it's not good news.
0:07:52 > 0:07:57We've got the death certificate for Glenys Murdoch, as it turns out.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00It's not really taken us any further forward.
0:08:00 > 0:08:03It shows her date of birth as the 19th of April 1925
0:08:03 > 0:08:08but it doesn't give us a location, which is something that we really wanted to know.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12So I'll pass that information back to the office and see what they want to do from here.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17So Dave's had a wasted trip.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Go home for now and wait for a phone call.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23There's nothing else in the office that's come up at all?
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Not yet, but if something comes up in the London area, you are it.
0:08:26 > 0:08:28I am the man.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- Thanks, bye.- Bye.
0:08:32 > 0:08:39That means fellow travelling heir hunter Ewart's mad dash to Wales is all the more important.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43Well, hopefully the traffic... is good to me.
0:08:43 > 0:08:47I should make it by 11:45, the latest 12 o'clock.
0:08:48 > 0:08:54In the office there's been a breakthrough on the hunt for information about Glenys's sister.
0:08:54 > 0:09:00Owen has found the death of an Evelyn M Griffiths
0:09:00 > 0:09:04in 1945 in Bath, aged 22.
0:09:04 > 0:09:09I can't find a corresponding birth for her in the Bath area
0:09:09 > 0:09:16so this could potentially be the Evelyn M Griffiths born in Pontypridd in 1923,
0:09:16 > 0:09:21and the sister of the deceased that was supposed to have been murdered.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26It seems highly likely that this is Glenys's sister.
0:09:26 > 0:09:33Evelyn Griffiths was 22 years old when she was killed in a tragic hit-and-run incident.
0:09:33 > 0:09:38She was hit by a Ministry of Works' van on a lonely road late at night.
0:09:38 > 0:09:42The driver ran away and the case was never solved.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Perhaps this is the reason that Glenys thought it was murder.
0:09:48 > 0:09:54Glenys was only two years younger than her sister Evelyn and it must have been a terrible shock for her.
0:09:56 > 0:10:00She always talked about it. Whenever she came in and had a cup of tea and a piece of cake or whatever.
0:10:00 > 0:10:03She'd always come out with the story of her sister.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07She didn't tell me anything really about it except that she,
0:10:07 > 0:10:10you know, obviously missed her a lot and they were very close.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18With Glenys's sister found, Frances has also made progress on finding Glenys's parents.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23Well, fortunately the Register Office in Pontypridd helped me out
0:10:23 > 0:10:29today, and they found the entry for a Glenys Margaret Griffiths
0:10:29 > 0:10:34who WAS born on the 19th of April 1925,
0:10:34 > 0:10:38who was the daughter of a Thomas Griffiths
0:10:38 > 0:10:42and an Ethel Margaret Dunn.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Now that the team know who Glenys's parents were, Ewart can do some digging.
0:10:46 > 0:10:49I'm now heading to Newport Register Office
0:10:49 > 0:10:52to try and pick up the parents' marriage.
0:10:54 > 0:10:58As far as they know neither Glenys nor her sister had any children,
0:10:58 > 0:11:03so they need to look for cousins as potential heirs.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07But researcher Alan has come across a common heir-hunting problem.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11We know her parent's names but the problem is
0:11:11 > 0:11:16because she was born in Wales and her maiden name is Griffiths, which is a very Welsh name,
0:11:16 > 0:11:20it's very common, her father's name being Thomas Griffiths without an age...
0:11:20 > 0:11:23and even with an age it would be incredibly hard to identify a death.
0:11:23 > 0:11:27The mother is a little bit better, Ethel Margaret, we can do a few more things with her.
0:11:27 > 0:11:30Because the name Dunn is not so common,
0:11:30 > 0:11:35Alan will concentrate his search on finding family for Glenys's mother, Ethel Dunn.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39He's planning to look at the 1901 census.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43The census is a national survey conducted every 10 years.
0:11:43 > 0:11:49It lists the names, ages, and genders of all the people living at every address in the UK
0:11:49 > 0:11:52and provides a snapshot of each family.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54He thinks he's found something.
0:11:54 > 0:11:57On the 1901 Census, there's the deceased's mother, Ethel.
0:11:57 > 0:12:05She's got a sister May, the grandparents of the deceased are an Alfred and a Jane Dunn.
0:12:05 > 0:12:09From the census, the team can see that Glenys's mother, Ethel,
0:12:09 > 0:12:13had four siblings - two brothers that died early in life,
0:12:13 > 0:12:16a sister May, and another brother, Walter.
0:12:16 > 0:12:19The grandfather is described as a coachman.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23It appears that the whole family were in service at one time or another.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26I think the late 19th century and the early 20th century
0:12:26 > 0:12:31certainly can be thought of as the golden age of domestic service.
0:12:31 > 0:12:37It was larger, as a single sector of workers, than industrial workers or even agricultural labourers.
0:12:37 > 0:12:40It was a job that meant travel and aspiration.
0:12:40 > 0:12:44I think it was very common for people in service to try and advance the careers
0:12:44 > 0:12:47of their children or their nephews and nieces
0:12:47 > 0:12:52within service, by giving them introductions, pointing them towards openings and giving them tips
0:12:52 > 0:12:54about the skills they would need.
0:12:54 > 0:12:59You find a large number of domestic servants would be connected, by family or
0:12:59 > 0:13:04marriage, to other domestic servants at most points through the late 19th century and early 20th century.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09And it looks like Glenys's mother's family moved for work too.
0:13:10 > 0:13:16Of Ethel's surviving siblings, they traced Walter to London where he worked as a butler
0:13:16 > 0:13:19but they can't find if he was married or had any children.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22But they're having better luck with Ethel's sister, May Dunn.
0:13:22 > 0:13:29Our potential mother of the deceased had a sister called May born in 1894
0:13:29 > 0:13:32in the same place that she was born.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35If May had any children, they would be cousins
0:13:35 > 0:13:37and heirs to Glenys's estate.
0:13:37 > 0:13:42Researcher Alan's detective work has already started to pay off.
0:13:42 > 0:13:49I've found a marriage in Newport, Monmouthshire from the Williams/Dunn marriage,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53and I'm hoping that Donald B Williams might be their child.
0:13:53 > 0:13:56The good thing is although it's a Donald Williams, that B
0:13:56 > 0:13:59is going to make it a better name to search,
0:13:59 > 0:14:02so punch a few keys and see what happens.
0:14:02 > 0:14:04It's exciting news.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07If Donald IS the son of Glenys's Aunty May,
0:14:07 > 0:14:12then he could be the first heir to her estimated £180,000 estate.
0:14:12 > 0:14:17In Newport, Ewart's come up against a problem.
0:14:17 > 0:14:19Unfortunately not good news.
0:14:19 > 0:14:23The Register Office has done an extensive search
0:14:23 > 0:14:26to try and find this marriage of the parents,
0:14:26 > 0:14:28and there's no trace.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34Back in the office, Frances has found a number for Donald Williams.
0:14:35 > 0:14:39What a shame he's not home, so...
0:14:39 > 0:14:44hopefully he'll be in a bit later on and I'll find out whether or not he is part of our family.
0:14:44 > 0:14:51Until they speak to Donald, a big question mark is hanging over the maternal side of the family.
0:14:51 > 0:14:55Is he a rightful heir, and can he tell the team what has happened to Uncle Walter?
0:14:56 > 0:14:57Still to come:
0:14:57 > 0:15:01the full story of Glenys's family emerges.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05So really it was three of you,
0:15:05 > 0:15:08went down to two, and then there was just yourself and Glenys.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13And the Treasury has billions of pounds of unclaimed cash,
0:15:13 > 0:15:15could some of it belong to you?
0:15:20 > 0:15:26Not many of us are going to inherit £180,000 from a long lost relative,
0:15:26 > 0:15:30but what's much more common is to benefit from a long forgotten insurance policy.
0:15:30 > 0:15:35Even if someone does leave a will, it doesn't mean all their assets
0:15:35 > 0:15:38have been traced and included in that will.
0:15:38 > 0:15:43There are currently £15 billion worth of unclaimed assets in the UK,
0:15:43 > 0:15:49and that includes old insurance policies, dormant bank accounts, and unclaimed shares.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Today we are looking at two stories of families
0:15:51 > 0:15:55that have benefitted from a special kind of insurance policy.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59The sums that we've received are very, very welcome.
0:15:59 > 0:16:03It's going to go to no end of helping with home improvements.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07Joyce was very prudent and I think it's typical of her era
0:16:07 > 0:16:10that being frugal and careful with money.
0:16:11 > 0:16:15Penny policies were set up in the mid-19th century
0:16:15 > 0:16:19as affordable life insurance for workers and low-income families.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22These policies were very large round about the turn of the century.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25Back in 1880 we had over a million customers
0:16:25 > 0:16:29paying in to these policies and about a thousand collection agents
0:16:29 > 0:16:34who would go door to door every few weeks, collecting a penny from the people paying in to the policies.
0:16:35 > 0:16:39In the 19th century, infant mortality was very high.
0:16:39 > 0:16:45Already stretched families were worried about having to pay for a funeral which they couldn't afford.
0:16:45 > 0:16:48People paid a penny a week in to penny policies.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53In the case of death or after a certain time period had passed, they would pay out.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56The parents would have received a payout of £5 5s,
0:16:56 > 0:16:59which would have covered a burial in those days.
0:17:01 > 0:17:05Here is one of the original ledgers from the 1890s.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10If we open it up we can see the original accounts,
0:17:10 > 0:17:14which show the monies held and also invested.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20Interestingly, we can also see the large amount set aside for death benefits.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25We're looking at sums of about £800,000, that's for 1894.
0:17:25 > 0:17:28So the people paying in their pennies every few weeks
0:17:28 > 0:17:33get accumulated into a main fund, which is there to pay out to people on their death.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37But if the policies weren't called on, they were often forgotten.
0:17:37 > 0:17:40The parents who had set the insurance up would die
0:17:40 > 0:17:43and their children wouldn't know anything about the policies.
0:17:43 > 0:17:49Now, years later, the insurance has matured and no records exist of who to pay it out to
0:17:49 > 0:17:53so the insurance companies have called the heir hunters in.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57If the original policyholders had left a will, the money would go to their named beneficiaries,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01and if they didn't, it would go to blood relatives.
0:18:01 > 0:18:04The type of work that we do is different to that of other
0:18:04 > 0:18:05heir hunting companies
0:18:05 > 0:18:08as we work directly for the financial institutions,
0:18:08 > 0:18:11whilst our ultimate goal would be the same,
0:18:11 > 0:18:14in that we're looking to find the correct heir.
0:18:14 > 0:18:20In March 2009, Heirtrace began looking into the case of Joyce Ashley.
0:18:20 > 0:18:25Her parents had taken out two policies on her in the 1920s
0:18:25 > 0:18:28and when they died, she had continued to pay them off herself.
0:18:28 > 0:18:31This kind-hearted woman had been in the Army.
0:18:31 > 0:18:35In World War II she had risen to the rank of Sergeant Major,
0:18:35 > 0:18:38an unusually high position for a woman.
0:18:38 > 0:18:42And after that she went on to work for the Ministry of Defence.
0:18:43 > 0:18:50But when Joyce died in 2001, the £1,200 in her two policies was never claimed.
0:18:50 > 0:18:52As part of their drive to find the rightful owners,
0:18:52 > 0:18:58insurers Liverpool Victoria have called in the heir hunters,
0:18:58 > 0:19:02and their work would lead to an unexpected second inheritance for one man.
0:19:10 > 0:19:16But before we hear more, could you be in line for some of the unclaimed millions sitting at the Treasury?
0:19:18 > 0:19:23Today, we've got two unclaimed estates heir hunters have so far failed to solve.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27Could your information hold the key to crack the case?
0:19:32 > 0:19:38Robert Pullen died in Putney, South London, on 15th January 2008.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Was Robert a friend or neighbour of yours?
0:19:41 > 0:19:44Could you even be entitled to his legacy?
0:19:44 > 0:19:50Betty Roberts passed away on 23rd May 2008 in Worthing, West Sussex.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55So far, every attempt to find her rightful heir has failed.
0:19:55 > 0:20:00If no relatives can be found, her money will go to the Government, but could it be meant for you?
0:20:00 > 0:20:04If you know the names Robert Pullen or Betty Roberts,
0:20:04 > 0:20:09you or someone you know could have a fortune coming your way.
0:20:14 > 0:20:22In 2009, heir hunters Heirtrace were trying to find the heirs to Joyce Ashley's lost insurance policies.
0:20:22 > 0:20:27The first step in searching for the case of Joyce Ashley was to locate her death record.
0:20:27 > 0:20:31Out of the three possible death records that we found,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34we decided to go with the one that was closest to the date we were given.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40We received her death certificate. On this it actually confirms her date of birth,
0:20:40 > 0:20:43which matches the date of birth that we were given.
0:20:43 > 0:20:47Although it doesn't give us confirmation of her last known address,
0:20:47 > 0:20:50it does confirm that she was born in the Surrey area,
0:20:50 > 0:20:52which is where she was last known to be living.
0:20:52 > 0:20:58It also confirms the name of Kenneth Charles Ashley as the stepson of the deceased.
0:20:58 > 0:21:04Joyce had no children of her own but the informant on the death certificate was her stepson Kenneth.
0:21:04 > 0:21:06Joyce had already left him money in her will
0:21:06 > 0:21:11but it had been eight years since she died so the call came out of the blue.
0:21:11 > 0:21:17I was very surprised when the man from Liverpool Victoria telephoned me to say that...
0:21:17 > 0:21:20that my sister and I had inherited the money.
0:21:20 > 0:21:28It was on the same day that the European Lottery winners were announced at £46 million each,
0:21:28 > 0:21:32so my first question to him is was it a similar amount to that
0:21:32 > 0:21:34and would I be able to retire.
0:21:34 > 0:21:41But joking aside, he was really surprised at the £1,200 windfall and that he and his sister are entitled.
0:21:41 > 0:21:47I was very surprised that they found me at all because not being a blood relative of Joyce,
0:21:47 > 0:21:52it would seem very hard for them to even trace me.
0:21:52 > 0:21:56My name is relatively common and...
0:21:56 > 0:21:59I'd be very interested to know how they did it.
0:21:59 > 0:22:01I can't even imagine how they could possibly get to me.
0:22:01 > 0:22:05In fact it was quite simple to track him down,
0:22:05 > 0:22:09it all came down to his relationship with his stepmother Joyce.
0:22:09 > 0:22:13Joyce was a very kind person, gentle person,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and it's nice to think about her again after all these years.
0:22:19 > 0:22:25I think my father was 65 and Joyce, I think, was 57 when they married,
0:22:25 > 0:22:30about that sort of age, and sadly my father died shortly after they got married anyway.
0:22:30 > 0:22:34And after that we became close because my father died and obviously
0:22:34 > 0:22:38it was a very difficult time when you lose your father.
0:22:38 > 0:22:44And after that I always felt sort of responsible for her.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48Thinking about her makes it quite sad really because I always used to say...
0:22:48 > 0:22:50She'd say, "I don't know why you look after me,"
0:22:50 > 0:22:55and I'd say, "Well, you know, you were Father's choice, and if I had to choose someone
0:22:55 > 0:22:57"for my father, you would have been that person,"
0:22:57 > 0:22:59because we just grew to love her so much.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05Kenneth and his sister cared for Joyce in her final days
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and she named them both as beneficiaries in her will.
0:23:08 > 0:23:14Because of this, her penny policies will be paid out in equal shares to Kenneth and his sister.
0:23:14 > 0:23:18She was born in Camberley, in Surrey and lived with her parents there,
0:23:18 > 0:23:25and didn't marry until she married my father, and looked after her parents
0:23:25 > 0:23:28until quite late in life. I think that's why she never married.
0:23:28 > 0:23:32Joyce's parents had taken out the policies when she was a child,
0:23:32 > 0:23:35and after their death she kept paying it.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39They were taken out, the two policies, one in 1922,
0:23:39 > 0:23:45the other one in 1924, and each of those were a penny-ha'penny a week
0:23:45 > 0:23:46until she was 70,
0:23:46 > 0:23:53and that amounted to, in new money, of course, at 20p a year.
0:23:53 > 0:23:58They thought that she'd probably paid the whole lot off in one go
0:23:58 > 0:24:01rather than pay a penny-ha'penny a week till...
0:24:01 > 0:24:05I suppose 1990 it would have been when she was 70.
0:24:05 > 0:24:10So it's quite interesting in that respect and the sort of thing exactly Joyce would do,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14all these traditional values she had, and
0:24:14 > 0:24:19once a policy was started, she would want to make sure she paid it off.
0:24:19 > 0:24:26It's eight years since Joyce passed away, and for Kenneth she'll always have a special place in his heart.
0:24:26 > 0:24:29The most important thing was thinking about Joyce again
0:24:29 > 0:24:34and remembering her because my wife and I were very fond of her, to say the least,
0:24:34 > 0:24:41and it was perhaps the interest of how it all happened that was more interesting than receiving £600.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49This is a great result. What started out as a penny policy back in the 1920s
0:24:49 > 0:24:53has now been matched to the ultimate beneficiary, Kenneth and his sister,
0:24:53 > 0:24:55and we've been able to pass that benefit on to them.
0:24:57 > 0:25:01The penny policies were designed to be affordable life insurance for children
0:25:01 > 0:25:06but by mid-20th century, times had changed.
0:25:06 > 0:25:08Fast forward through to the 1960s-70s,
0:25:08 > 0:25:11what was the old penny policy became the £1 or £2 policy.
0:25:11 > 0:25:17One person attracted to this clever life insurance scheme was Thomas Gatward.
0:25:17 > 0:25:21He had two policies, one taken out in the 1960s, which was a £1 policy,
0:25:21 > 0:25:26paid every four weeks, and one taken out in the 1980s which was a £2 policy, paid every four weeks.
0:25:26 > 0:25:32By the time Thomas died in 1997 the funds amounted to £3,000
0:25:32 > 0:25:35but the money was never claimed,
0:25:35 > 0:25:37so the heir hunters were called in again.
0:25:37 > 0:25:43For Thomas we were given slightly more information than we would normally receive.
0:25:43 > 0:25:47As we'd established that Thomas's wife had also passed away,
0:25:47 > 0:25:53we then began to search for children and we found that they had a daughter, Melanie,
0:25:53 > 0:25:55and also a son, Bruce.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Through our searching, we then established that their son Bruce
0:25:59 > 0:26:04had actually passed away in 1959 aged 20.
0:26:04 > 0:26:09Thomas's son Bruce had been a celebrated boxer with a promising career.
0:26:09 > 0:26:15Tragically he was killed during a fight not long after his 20th birthday.
0:26:17 > 0:26:22So the spotlight was then turned to Thomas's daughter Melanie.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27We carried out our usual checks to try and locate Melanie's current address
0:26:27 > 0:26:33but we were finding that we couldn't actually find her listed anywhere beyond 2005.
0:26:33 > 0:26:39So the last resort for us was to actually check to see if there was a death record for Melanie as well.
0:26:39 > 0:26:44We actually searched for that and had found that she did actually die in 2005.
0:26:44 > 0:26:51When we received Melanie's death certificate, that actually then gave us details of her son Luke.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Luke was the sole heir to his granddad Thomas's estate
0:26:56 > 0:27:03when he died in 1997. And now, 13 years later, he was receiving a second inheritance.
0:27:03 > 0:27:08I knew absolutely nothing about the insurance policy, absolutely nothing.
0:27:08 > 0:27:14I'm very surprised, obviously, that I had a letter come through saying there were assets owing.
0:27:14 > 0:27:18He may have been surprised by the windfall but Luke wasn't surprised to hear
0:27:18 > 0:27:21that his granddad had saved for a rainy day.
0:27:21 > 0:27:26Granddad was very upstanding man of the community, well respected.
0:27:26 > 0:27:34Most of his life, he was a builder, general tradesman, worked very hard to keep things going,
0:27:34 > 0:27:37generally a very loving, generous person.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42Granddad never took a penny from the Government.
0:27:42 > 0:27:46Obviously, whenever he went sick, that was down to him, it came out of his own pocket,
0:27:46 > 0:27:48He was self-employed anyway.
0:27:48 > 0:27:53But he basically tried to save as hard as he could for his retirement,
0:27:53 > 0:27:56obviously knowing that he'd only get his state pension as well.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59But it was when my grandmother fell ill
0:27:59 > 0:28:05that we had a social worker who came round and basically said to them, look you know you are
0:28:05 > 0:28:12entitled to certain benefits, and they managed to backdate the benefits all the way...
0:28:12 > 0:28:18I think it was about three or four years, which obviously helped them no end.
0:28:19 > 0:28:26He was born in 1914 but the policies weren't taken out until the 1960s and 1980s.
0:28:26 > 0:28:33Interestingly, what used to be a penny policy in the early 1920s-30s had become £1 policy
0:28:33 > 0:28:37but what goes to show is that it's never too late to save,
0:28:37 > 0:28:41and that saving can lead to a significant amount.
0:28:41 > 0:28:45The money's very welcome, it's going to be going towards home improvements.
0:28:45 > 0:28:49This experience certainly taught me that it's worthwhile saving
0:28:49 > 0:28:51for the future, you never know what's around the corner.
0:28:51 > 0:28:57Obviously I need to support my family, as you never know what's coming round in the years ahead.
0:28:57 > 0:29:01It's testament to the hardworking and forward-thinking generations of people
0:29:01 > 0:29:06who invested in penny policies, people like Joyce Ashley.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11Joyce was very prudent and I think it's typical of her era,
0:29:11 > 0:29:14that being frugal and careful with money,
0:29:14 > 0:29:18despite having been pretty well off, was quite common
0:29:18 > 0:29:23and very typical of the way she would live her life.
0:29:28 > 0:29:32Most cases the heir hunters tackle are from the Treasury's list,
0:29:32 > 0:29:37but sometimes they're brought-in projects by friends and neighbours of the deceased.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42In late 2009, heir hunting firm Frasers
0:29:42 > 0:29:46were told about Glenys Murdoch, who died a month before in Canterbury.
0:29:46 > 0:29:51Case managers Frances Brett and Dave Slee are looking after this case.
0:29:51 > 0:29:56We received the phone call late yesterday evening from the neighbour of the deceased
0:29:56 > 0:30:01to inform us that her very good friend has died and that her estate,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04it would appear, has now been passed to the Treasury.
0:30:04 > 0:30:08Glenys lived in this semi-detached house and the heir hunters have
0:30:08 > 0:30:14estimated her estate to be in the region of £180,000.
0:30:14 > 0:30:18Her friend and neighbour of 20 years, Paulina Manfredini,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21remembers her as being a glamorous, well-travelled woman.
0:30:21 > 0:30:25I know that Glenys lived in Northern Cyprus and she had to leave quickly
0:30:25 > 0:30:28when the Turks invaded.
0:30:28 > 0:30:30It was like something out of a film, you know.
0:30:30 > 0:30:34She had to run and get into the plane just with her hand luggage.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38She left everything - jewels, house, everything, to get out.
0:30:38 > 0:30:44It was a real shock when Glenys passed away because she always looked so young.
0:30:44 > 0:30:49She had this wonderful hair, wonderful skin, no lines.
0:30:49 > 0:30:57She was naturally a beautiful woman and it seemed wrong that she was gone.
0:30:57 > 0:31:00She was a picture of life, really.
0:31:00 > 0:31:04But before she died, Glenys was haunted by the past.
0:31:04 > 0:31:11Glenys talked about her sister, who was murdered, I think, in the early 1950s.
0:31:11 > 0:31:15In fact, the heir hunters have found out that Glenys's sister Evelyn
0:31:15 > 0:31:18had died in 1945 in a hit-and-run accident.
0:31:18 > 0:31:22As it was never solved, the family believed it was murder.
0:31:22 > 0:31:28The team have traced a cousin and heir on the maternal side of the family, Donald Williams,
0:31:28 > 0:31:31but so far they haven't been able to contact him.
0:31:31 > 0:31:36However, Frances is making progress on Glenys's father's side of the family.
0:31:36 > 0:31:42Living at the address where the deceased was born in 1911
0:31:42 > 0:31:46is the household of a Richard Griffiths,
0:31:46 > 0:31:51who is a coalminer, hewer, just as the father of our deceased was.
0:31:53 > 0:31:59Her grandparents, Richard Griffiths and Jane Jones, had at least five children -
0:31:59 > 0:32:05Glenys's father Thomas, Mary, William, Collwyn, and Bronwyn.
0:32:05 > 0:32:10Four potential aunts and uncles of the deceased, who could have children
0:32:10 > 0:32:12and descendents and heirs.
0:32:14 > 0:32:18It's the end of day one on the case of Glenys Murdoch.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20The team have mapped out two family trees
0:32:20 > 0:32:24but they still need the certificates to back up the research.
0:32:24 > 0:32:25- 'Hi, it's David.'- Hello, Dave.
0:32:25 > 0:32:28Have you got anything for us?
0:32:28 > 0:32:30Newport, there's no trace at Newport.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32- I've tried all the churches... - 'Yeah.'
0:32:32 > 0:32:34..and I've come up with nothing.
0:32:34 > 0:32:38And most importantly, they've yet to speak to Donald,
0:32:38 > 0:32:44who might be Glenys's cousin on her mother's side, and an heir to her estimated £180,000.
0:32:44 > 0:32:48Luckily, Ewart packed his toothbrush.
0:32:48 > 0:32:53I understand that you'll be camping down there tonight. Lovely.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56All right, Dave, you're a star. Thank you very much.
0:32:57 > 0:33:02While Ewart's down in Wales, we'll have as much information for him first thing in the morning.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07So he's looking at deaths related to the maternal grandparents,
0:33:07 > 0:33:09we found them in Cardiff.
0:33:09 > 0:33:15We've also been able to establish, we think, that a maternal uncle died in Paddington,
0:33:15 > 0:33:19so first thing in the morning we'll get someone, it's a bit late in the day now,
0:33:19 > 0:33:22so we'll get someone to pick up that death in the morning.
0:33:29 > 0:33:36It's 9:00am on day two and Frances has made contact with Glenys's cousin Donald.
0:33:36 > 0:33:38I finally managed to speak with Donald Williams,
0:33:38 > 0:33:46and he was able to confirm that his mother was indeed an aunt of the deceased
0:33:46 > 0:33:53and from a family Bible in his possession, was able to account for all the other members of the family.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56It's a real breakthrough.
0:33:56 > 0:33:58With one conversation, Frances has been able
0:33:58 > 0:34:02to confirm the entire family tree on Glenys's mother's side.
0:34:02 > 0:34:05According to him there are only two of them left,
0:34:05 > 0:34:09himself and Glenys, the deceased.
0:34:09 > 0:34:14So he's the only one left on that side of the family.
0:34:14 > 0:34:19Ewart spent his time well, confirming brothers and sisters on the paternal side.
0:34:19 > 0:34:23I've just finished the search at Pontypridd Registry Office.
0:34:23 > 0:34:25Now we've actually got,
0:34:25 > 0:34:28by me picking up birth certificates,
0:34:28 > 0:34:30four aunts and uncles of the deceased.
0:34:30 > 0:34:33We've now got dates of birth
0:34:33 > 0:34:40and all their marriages - dates when they got married and who they actually got married to.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44It's looking like Glenys's father's side will have many heirs
0:34:44 > 0:34:47but on her mother's side there is just one.
0:34:47 > 0:34:50I'm rushing to an appointment
0:34:50 > 0:34:54to see a cousin on the maternal side.
0:34:54 > 0:35:01With Ewart on his way to see Donald, Frances is getting Dave Slee up to speed.
0:35:01 > 0:35:08The first husband was... Bernard Derek, he was in the RAF and was killed in a flying accident.
0:35:08 > 0:35:12Then she married Ewen, Ewen Murdoch.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Was he related to Rupert Murdoch?
0:35:14 > 0:35:17I didn't ask, I didn't ask.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19I have to leave Ewart something to do, don't I?
0:35:19 > 0:35:22There's more chance of me being related than Rupert Murdoch.
0:35:22 > 0:35:23And that ended in divorce.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25They were divorced, no issue again.
0:35:25 > 0:35:30No issue, but he had a daughter but she never adopted the girl.
0:35:30 > 0:35:35So we've basically accounted for everyone on the maternal side.
0:35:37 > 0:35:43He's also got a family Bible so some of the exact dates are not from his...
0:35:43 > 0:35:45- Is Ewart going to see him?- Yes.
0:35:45 > 0:35:48WOMAN SPEAKS ON TELEPHONE SYSTEM
0:35:48 > 0:35:51The Welsh know it all. They all know all their family.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57Good morning, sir. How are you doing, all right?
0:35:57 > 0:36:02Donald Williams was only a few years younger than his two cousins Glenys and Evelyn,
0:36:02 > 0:36:04and as children they were very close.
0:36:04 > 0:36:09- Any more information about any more aunts and uncles? - Yeah, I can tell you who they were.
0:36:09 > 0:36:11There was...
0:36:11 > 0:36:14Walter, Alfred Dunn...
0:36:14 > 0:36:21Donald's got a family Bible and everyone's recorded in it, but the Dunn family is quite small.
0:36:21 > 0:36:23It was three of you,
0:36:23 > 0:36:30went down to two when Evelyn was killed, and then it was just yourself and Glenys.
0:36:30 > 0:36:34And she spent a lot of time with us because when she was in university in Cardiff,
0:36:34 > 0:36:36she lived with us, you see.
0:36:36 > 0:36:40And it seems times were hard for Glenys's family.
0:36:40 > 0:36:45Well, Uncle Tom he was a miner... I think it was Uncle Tom...
0:36:45 > 0:36:52apparently he got injured in a fall underground and then had to come out.
0:36:52 > 0:36:58He couldn't go underground and he was what was called a lamplighter.
0:36:58 > 0:37:01OK. He had a job, that's the main thing, he had a job.
0:37:01 > 0:37:07Well, that was it, I mean they must have made sacrifices to put Glenys through university, you see.
0:37:07 > 0:37:10Donald hasn't seen Glenys in years.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13'78 or '79, I can't be absolutely sure.
0:37:13 > 0:37:14That's the last time you saw Glenys?
0:37:14 > 0:37:20The last time I saw her, I mean I've spoken to her since and we write to each other each Christmas.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23- When was the last time you had a Christmas card from her?- Last year.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25Oh, last year, right.
0:37:25 > 0:37:27Oh, yeah,
0:37:27 > 0:37:31a Christmas card and a letter, which is what we do.
0:37:31 > 0:37:34Glenys and Donald were once very close
0:37:34 > 0:37:37but time and distance must have taken its toll.
0:37:37 > 0:37:39- Thank you, Mr Williams. - Right, thank you.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42Take care, sir. Nice meeting you and I hope you get a nice lump sum.
0:37:42 > 0:37:46- Thank you.- All the best.
0:37:46 > 0:37:50Ewart's visit has brought back lots of memories for Donald.
0:37:50 > 0:37:56When she lived with us in Cardiff we were virtually like brother and sister.
0:37:56 > 0:37:59She was more or less the older sister, I suppose.
0:37:59 > 0:38:07But then she got married, we got married, she moved away, and things drifted apart.
0:38:09 > 0:38:13Donald was also deeply affected by the loss of Evelyn.
0:38:14 > 0:38:17That age, in those times,
0:38:17 > 0:38:20it was difficult to take in.
0:38:20 > 0:38:23They came and stayed with us and I remember
0:38:23 > 0:38:31Glenys and I going for a long walk because naturally she was upset because it was her only sister.
0:38:31 > 0:38:37I can remember I wasn't allowed to go to the funeral because I wasn't old enough,
0:38:37 > 0:38:44and she was buried with her grandmother and grandfather in Rumney in Cardiff.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55Donald has asked Frasers to help him submit his claim to the Treasury,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59and in the office Fran has made great progress.
0:38:59 > 0:39:04All our research over the past two days has paid off, and the family tree is coming together nicely.
0:39:05 > 0:39:09Frances's research has revealed there are 16 living heirs
0:39:09 > 0:39:12on the paternal side to Glenys's estate.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Ann Davey was a first cousin.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20When she was contacted by Frasers, she didn't know what to think.
0:39:20 > 0:39:24Well, when Fraser & Fraser first got in touch
0:39:24 > 0:39:30I felt a bit disbelieving, and then I was excited and then intrigued
0:39:30 > 0:39:34then, wait and see where the source of it and where it come from.
0:39:34 > 0:39:38We thought it could have been Glenys because she was the only member of the family
0:39:38 > 0:39:41that was unaccounted for really out of the cousins.
0:39:41 > 0:39:44So we thought it was quite possibly her.
0:39:44 > 0:39:50We were sad to hear that she had passed away without knowing her.
0:39:50 > 0:39:54We're wondering who she had as family or anything, you know,
0:39:54 > 0:39:56if she had anyone with her.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59We knew very little about her.
0:39:59 > 0:40:03The family lived in a small coalmining town of Tonypandy.
0:40:03 > 0:40:09The town was dragged into the history books in 1910 when the miners initiated a strike.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13They were paid for the coal they produced, not for the time they worked.
0:40:13 > 0:40:17The dispute was over work in hard places,
0:40:17 > 0:40:22work where pieceworkers were digging out for days upon days
0:40:22 > 0:40:26through stone and rubble to get to the next bit of coal,
0:40:26 > 0:40:29which would then pay their wages and get them their food.
0:40:29 > 0:40:34Negotiations failed and there were large demonstrations in the town.
0:40:34 > 0:40:39Winston Churchill, the then Home Secretary, sent in the National Army.
0:40:39 > 0:40:43One miner was killed in the conflict and this caused an outcry.
0:40:43 > 0:40:45It became a national issue
0:40:45 > 0:40:51and the Miners Federation of Great Britain, they had determined upon a national strike
0:40:51 > 0:40:58and I think we can say that it was from those Tonypandy riots that the
0:40:58 > 0:41:04minimum wage first became introduced into the law of this country.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09And Glenys's father's family were part of that rich history.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13My father, he was about 16 at the time of the riots and he used to go
0:41:13 > 0:41:20up by the Naval Colliery and gather up stones to give to the miners to throw at the troops or the police.
0:41:20 > 0:41:26Glenys's life began in the Welsh Valleys and took her around Europe.
0:41:26 > 0:41:30In the end, she died alone far from home.
0:41:30 > 0:41:32Why did she never return?
0:41:32 > 0:41:36Perhaps after her sister Evelyn's tragic death, there weren't the same ties.
0:41:36 > 0:41:41The death did have a great effect on Glenys
0:41:41 > 0:41:42and...
0:41:42 > 0:41:46my mother reckoned it changed her personality a bit.
0:41:47 > 0:41:55But as more details of Glenys's life emerge, Dave Slee uncovers another sad secret.
0:41:55 > 0:42:00The deceased had an illegitimate child between her marriage to Mr Derek and Mr Murdoch,
0:42:00 > 0:42:03and the child, born in 1954, was given up for adoption.
0:42:03 > 0:42:08Had the child not been given up for adoption, of course she would have been the sole heir
0:42:08 > 0:42:09to her mother's estate.
0:42:09 > 0:42:12By virtue of the fact that she's been adopted away from the family
0:42:12 > 0:42:18means that she's not entitled, and therefore the rightful heirs are the parties that we have found,
0:42:18 > 0:42:22ie the paternal and maternal cousins to the deceased.
0:42:24 > 0:42:29This cultured and fascinating woman had experienced many twists and turns
0:42:29 > 0:42:34in her life, and Dave will remember this case for some time to come.
0:42:34 > 0:42:39This is not a typical case for us in that having been granted access to the deceased's papers,
0:42:39 > 0:42:43we've been able to look back into the past of a woman
0:42:43 > 0:42:48who had a really colourful and interesting life, though tinged with sadness.
0:42:52 > 0:42:57If you would like to find out more about how to build a family tree or write a will,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00go to...
0:43:21 > 0:43:24Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:24 > 0:43:27Email: subtitling@bbc.co.uk