0:00:02 > 0:00:08Today the heir hunters are tested to the max on a case worth an estimated £100,000.
0:00:08 > 0:00:14The search may take them to relatives who have no idea they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:14 > 0:00:16Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:32 > 0:00:34On today's show -
0:00:34 > 0:00:36It's not hers.
0:00:36 > 0:00:38The team takes a huge risk.
0:00:38 > 0:00:41Still unsure there's any value in this.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44Is there a way their gamble will pay off?
0:00:44 > 0:00:46The whole of this work may go in the bin.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50The heir hunters join forces with a friend of the deceased
0:00:50 > 0:00:53to try to contact the rightful heirs.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I don't see why it should go to the government.
0:00:56 > 0:01:00It's a hunt which will retrace a journey from 1950s Jamaica.
0:01:00 > 0:01:03Plus, how you could be entitled to unclaimed estates
0:01:03 > 0:01:06where beneficiaries still need to be found.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:01:14 > 0:01:20Every year in the UK, an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:20 > 0:01:25If no relatives are found, then any money that's left behind will go to the government.
0:01:25 > 0:01:29Last year, they made £12 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:33 > 0:01:38But there are over 30 specialist firms competing to stop this happening.
0:01:38 > 0:01:39They're called heir hunters.
0:01:39 > 0:01:42It's their business to track down missing relatives
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:47 > 0:01:54I bring about a change, so that the rightful assets go to the rightful family members.
0:02:06 > 0:02:11The Treasury's list of unclaimed estates is released at midnight every Thursday.
0:02:13 > 0:02:16It's now 7am on Thursday morning, in London.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20There are a lot of names on the list.
0:02:22 > 0:02:25Staff at heir-hunting company Fraser and Fraser
0:02:25 > 0:02:28have come in early to beat the competition.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34Got this case of Glanfield coming out in Ipswich.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37Turned out to be quite a big family.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41So we're just sorting them out.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45They've got the beginnings of a family tree,
0:02:45 > 0:02:48and even some names of potential heirs,
0:02:48 > 0:02:50for a case called Mary Glanfield.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55The team's made fast progress researching the deceased.
0:02:55 > 0:03:00They've worked out that Mary died in Ipswich in 2007, aged 69.
0:03:00 > 0:03:02She may have owned her own property,
0:03:02 > 0:03:06something that could make this estate worth working.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Somehow, they need to confirm that Mary was a home owner.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Trying to find phone numbers for any neighbours of the deceased.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18Neighbour enquiries can be really invaluable for us.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21The Treasury's list doesn't reveal what estates are worth,
0:03:21 > 0:03:25so it's up to heir hunters to estimate their value.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27As they normally work on commission,
0:03:27 > 0:03:31picking the right case can be a real gamble.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35The next step is to confirm whether there's any value in this,
0:03:35 > 0:03:39and if we should be continuing or stopping our costs now.
0:03:41 > 0:03:47Mary Glanfield was born in Ipswich just before the war, in 1938.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51She was something of an enigma, and no photos of her can be traced.
0:03:51 > 0:03:54But former neighbours do recall
0:03:54 > 0:03:57a warm, friendly lady, and her partner, Fred.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02She was a very nice person, very bubbly.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Very happy together.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07I was invited round for a cup of tea.
0:04:07 > 0:04:12Fred and Mary showed me round the place they shared together.
0:04:12 > 0:04:14She was a lovely person.
0:04:15 > 0:04:19For eight years, the couple lived beside another neighbour, Mr Parsons.
0:04:19 > 0:04:24We didn't see them as much as hear them, they were always laughing.
0:04:24 > 0:04:31On a Sunday they'd be in the kitchen together, singing hymns, very happily.
0:04:31 > 0:04:35Until Fred unfortunately passed away, in his hundreds.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39Shortly after that, we believe she moved into a home.
0:04:40 > 0:04:44Mary lived in a care home in Ipswich until she was nearly 70,
0:04:44 > 0:04:47and sadly passed away in November 2007.
0:04:51 > 0:04:53Back at the office,
0:04:53 > 0:04:57the team's trying to find out if Mary definitely owned her own property.
0:04:57 > 0:05:00Who did you buy your house off? Was it...
0:05:00 > 0:05:02You're renting.
0:05:02 > 0:05:06Partner Andrew Fraser has contacted the new occupant of Mary's old house.
0:05:06 > 0:05:09Will they know if Mary was a home owner?
0:05:09 > 0:05:13But he bought it from the Glanfields. Yeah.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18OK. Sorry for disturbing you, but thank you very much for the help.
0:05:19 > 0:05:23Possible. We're still on a possible.
0:05:23 > 0:05:25Her husband died aged 104?
0:05:26 > 0:05:27Her husband?
0:05:27 > 0:05:31But the only record of a Mary Glanfield they found wasn't married.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33She's a spinster.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36It looks like the research isn't matching up.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40The current resident believes Mary was married.
0:05:40 > 0:05:43The Mary Glanfield we've been working
0:05:43 > 0:05:47was a spinster birth, ie, she was born as Mary Glanfield.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51If this person's right, and she was married,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55everything we've done so far is the wrong family.
0:05:56 > 0:06:00It's back to the records to double-check their research.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Another database soon throws up a new result.
0:06:04 > 0:06:11We've now found out that she lived with a gentleman who did indeed die aged 101.
0:06:11 > 0:06:15They're different surnames, so they possibly weren't married.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Some women do keep their own name, so
0:06:18 > 0:06:22we need to double-check there is no marriage for them.
0:06:22 > 0:06:26They've confirmed that Mary lived with Fred Potter.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29If the couple weren't married, did Mary inherit the property?
0:06:29 > 0:06:33This was the very reason they decided to work the case.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36It's got partner Andrew Fraser worried.
0:06:39 > 0:06:44I'm working on the basis that the property, potentially, was owned by Mr Potter.
0:06:44 > 0:06:50He leaves a will and leaves it all to this Mary Glanfield.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53And it's her estate to which we're working.
0:06:55 > 0:06:57There are the assumptions we're making.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00If we're wrong on any point of that assumption,
0:07:00 > 0:07:05then we could be on a dead-end road.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10After such a head start, the uncertainty is a big setback.
0:07:10 > 0:07:16At the moment, ten past eight, we're still unsure if there's any value in this.
0:07:17 > 0:07:21It's a gamble, but Andrew decides to invest in the case.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23He's asked a researcher to go to Ipswich
0:07:23 > 0:07:25to make some enquiries at the property.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31The company employs a network of regional heir hunters
0:07:31 > 0:07:34who are on standby every Thursday.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39They provide a vital role making door-to-door enquiries
0:07:39 > 0:07:43across the country in the race to find and sign up heirs.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49This morning, traveller Ewart Lindsey is being sent from Watford
0:07:49 > 0:07:52to travel 94 miles to Ipswich.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57Can he find out if the couple were married?
0:07:57 > 0:08:01First step is to make an enquiry where the deceased used to live.
0:08:03 > 0:08:07You just never know, you see. She may well be a spinster.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10But you just never know.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14While Ewart tries to get some answers,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18the team continue their research into Mary's former property.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21They've just heard the house was sold.
0:08:22 > 0:08:26Frederick Potter was in on his own, then Mary,
0:08:26 > 0:08:28the deceased, moves in.
0:08:29 > 0:08:33Just before she dies, she moves into a nursing home.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Her property is sold just before she dies.
0:08:38 > 0:08:42Public records don't show whether the property was in Mary's name.
0:08:42 > 0:08:44But if it was hers,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47the estate could be very valuable.
0:08:47 > 0:08:50A house in this location would have sold
0:08:50 > 0:08:53for an estimated £150,000.
0:08:53 > 0:08:57If it all went to Mary, it makes this case worth working.
0:08:58 > 0:09:04So the team goes ahead with the search for heirs to Mary Glanfield's mystery estate.
0:09:04 > 0:09:11Mary Glanfield's brother, Roger F Glanfield, died only aged 20, in 1960, in Reading.
0:09:11 > 0:09:16There's no marriages before he died, obviously at that age you wouldn't expect it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18So, he's died, probably with no issue.
0:09:19 > 0:09:23Researcher Dominic has been building Mary's family tree.
0:09:23 > 0:09:27All the stems have revealed themselves very easily.
0:09:28 > 0:09:35He's worked out that Mary was born to Frank Glanfield and Ella Hardingham in Ipswich in 1938.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39She had a younger brother, Roger, who had no issue,
0:09:39 > 0:09:42which in heir-hunting terms, means he had no children.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Her father, Frank, did have five siblings.
0:09:45 > 0:09:49But none of them had any children either.
0:09:49 > 0:09:51That side looks like it's dead.
0:09:51 > 0:09:55One minor, one bachelor and three marriages with no issue.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Which is strange, but I've double-checked.
0:10:00 > 0:10:02With no cousins on her father's side,
0:10:02 > 0:10:07any heirs to Mary Glanfield's estate are going to come from her mother's side.
0:10:07 > 0:10:10Ella Hardingham had seven siblings,
0:10:10 > 0:10:13and it looks like they do have descendants.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17If it's been this easy for the team to discover the family tree,
0:10:17 > 0:10:19the competition may have the same information.
0:10:19 > 0:10:24The team rushes to find a contact number for one of Mary's cousins.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26This could be their first heir.
0:10:29 > 0:10:33Right, this woman here, if she's alive, would be the heir.
0:10:33 > 0:10:39Her husband had them in 1999. Daughter and son-in-law.
0:10:41 > 0:10:45Case manager David Pacifico calls the possible heir
0:10:45 > 0:10:48to try to sign her ahead of the competition.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52The opposition are on the phones.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56But it's a frustrating situation. Both lines are engaged.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00Great! Might as well wait until the opposition speak to them.
0:11:00 > 0:11:06If the competition's on the other line, the company may lose the case.
0:11:06 > 0:11:08David has to make a quick-fire decision.
0:11:08 > 0:11:09PHONE RINGS
0:11:09 > 0:11:13- Hello?- Hello, Ewart. Morning. - Morning, David.
0:11:13 > 0:11:15- Are you on your way to Ipswich? - I am, yes.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19I've got a phone number for somebody in Ipswich.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23- Sounds like the opposition are on the phone to her.- Right.
0:11:23 > 0:11:28We've got an address in Ipswich of a daughter... well, a cousin once removed.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31What do you want me to do? Go straight there?
0:11:31 > 0:11:34At the moment, I'd rather you go there.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Although they haven't established the value of the estate,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Ewart is taken off enquiries at Mary's former property
0:11:41 > 0:11:45to approach an heir who also lives in Ipswich.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49He's hoping to get there before a rival company signs her up.
0:11:51 > 0:11:52Trying to work it out.
0:11:52 > 0:11:56If she's speaking to the opposition at this present moment,
0:11:59 > 0:12:03I should be there by 9:30-ish.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07I hope to pip them to the post.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Charm my way in.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13And... get a signature.
0:12:15 > 0:12:18Losing the case to a rival company is a real possibility.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24Meanwhile, David keeps dialling the number for the heir.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27And his persistence soon pays off.
0:12:27 > 0:12:28Oh, it's ringing!
0:12:31 > 0:12:35Hello, we're trying to trace members of the Hardingham family.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39I don't know if anyone else has contacted you, at all?
0:12:40 > 0:12:43Right, I thought as much.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47We are a different company, that are looking into the same matter.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50It's bad news.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53It seems the heir has already been spoken to by the competition.
0:12:53 > 0:12:57One of my colleagues is actually close to Ipswich.
0:12:57 > 0:13:00Would it be possible for him to meet with you?
0:13:02 > 0:13:05I was hoping, if it's convenient, this morning.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09Not at all, today?
0:13:09 > 0:13:12Things aren't going the team's way.
0:13:12 > 0:13:15The heir doesn't want to meet anyone from the company.
0:13:15 > 0:13:16We can't see her today.
0:13:16 > 0:13:21Do we want him in Ipswich? The only other thing would be an enquiry.
0:13:22 > 0:13:25The team want to send Ewart back to do the enquiry
0:13:25 > 0:13:28at Mary's address, to confirm their research.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35But across the office, staff have found another case which has a definite value.
0:13:36 > 0:13:40- Ewart can't see the woman. - I've spoken to the heir.
0:13:40 > 0:13:44- Can you send Ewart to Croydon, please?- Croydon?
0:13:45 > 0:13:48As heir hunting is such a gamble,
0:13:48 > 0:13:51partner Neil Fraser makes the decision to cut their losses
0:13:51 > 0:13:55and send Ewart to the valuable Croydon case instead.
0:13:55 > 0:14:00- Hello?- Ewart, that woman can't be seen today and there's nobody else
0:14:00 > 0:14:05- in Ipswich. Can you go to Croydon? - Croydon. Okey-dokey.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08It's a disappointment for the team.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12The hunt for Mary Glanfield's heirs
0:14:12 > 0:14:15is falling apart at the seams.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18They have no idea of the estate's value,
0:14:18 > 0:14:23and if they contact relatives, it could be a waste of time.
0:14:23 > 0:14:26But Andrew Fraser doesn't give up that easily.
0:14:26 > 0:14:30He has a new plan which might put the case back on track.
0:14:30 > 0:14:32We're still working blind, in terms of value.
0:14:32 > 0:14:36We have to wait until the Probate Office opens at 10 o'clock
0:14:36 > 0:14:42before we can have any indication whether she actually owned a property or not.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44It's now approaching 9:30.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47A researcher is being sent to the Probate Registry
0:14:47 > 0:14:53to apply for Fred Potter's will, when the doors open at 10 o'clock.
0:14:53 > 0:14:55If they can get it, it will reveal
0:14:55 > 0:14:59if Fred left his property to Mary, then it will be all systems go.
0:14:59 > 0:15:05But if Mary didn't inherit, this heir hunt could have been a complete waste of time.
0:15:06 > 0:15:09Coming up - can this investigation be saved?
0:15:09 > 0:15:14I hope there's value there. If not, we'll come a real cropper on this.
0:15:22 > 0:15:26While some unclaimed estates lead to relatives a few streets away,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28others can cross the globe.
0:15:29 > 0:15:34Keith Alexander Saunders died in 2008 without leaving a will.
0:15:34 > 0:15:37His unclaimed estate was advertised by the Treasury Solicitor.
0:15:39 > 0:15:42When staff at Fraser and Fraser made initial enquiries,
0:15:42 > 0:15:44their leads went nowhere.
0:15:44 > 0:15:47The case was put on the back burner.
0:15:47 > 0:15:50And that's where it would have stayed, unless case manager
0:15:50 > 0:15:56Tony Pledger hadn't got a phone call from one of Keith's close friends.
0:15:56 > 0:15:59The case of Keith Saunders, otherwise Keith Sanders,
0:15:59 > 0:16:06really didn't get going until we received a telephone call from Minette Smith,
0:16:06 > 0:16:10with additional information that she had about her good friend.
0:16:11 > 0:16:17Seven miles away in south London, Minette Smith had been doing her own amateur heir hunt
0:16:17 > 0:16:21to make sure Keith's relatives received his inheritance.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24I don't see why it should go to the government.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29I just feel that if he's got family, then it should go to them.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34Keith became a life-long friend of Minette's family
0:16:34 > 0:16:36when he moved from Jamaica in the 1950s.
0:16:38 > 0:16:43I met Keith in 1956, when I was 12 years old.
0:16:43 > 0:16:48He would come around at whenever, the weekends,
0:16:48 > 0:16:51Saturdays, Sundays, and
0:16:51 > 0:16:54just be part of the family.
0:16:54 > 0:16:56He was a jolly person.
0:16:56 > 0:16:57He'd always give me,
0:16:57 > 0:17:04when I was a child, and my children, two shillings. Half a crown.
0:17:05 > 0:17:10But as he got older, he got a bit tighter. But that was Keith.
0:17:11 > 0:17:14Keith spent his life working for British Rail.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16When he reached his 80s,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20Minette moved him into sheltered housing and took care of his affairs.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25Eventually, Keith died in Enfield, at the age of 83.
0:17:25 > 0:17:31Minette found out he hadn't left a will and was worried what would happen to his money.
0:17:31 > 0:17:37I thought maybe he had made it, even if he had left it to charity or whatever.
0:17:37 > 0:17:43I didn't push because I didn't want him to think that I was after what he had.
0:17:43 > 0:17:47And of course, as I said, I did not believe that he had,
0:17:49 > 0:17:53you know, as much money as it happens he's left.
0:17:53 > 0:17:58To Minette's surprise, it seemed Keith had left £90,000.
0:17:58 > 0:18:02She was determined to find Keith's long-lost relatives,
0:18:02 > 0:18:06and started her own search for heirs back in 2009.
0:18:06 > 0:18:10Apparently his mother had just him and his sister, Elaine.
0:18:10 > 0:18:13Elaine apparently had children.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16Minette didn't have a contact for his sister,
0:18:16 > 0:18:20as Keith had lost touch with his sibling.
0:18:20 > 0:18:22He did keep in touch with his sister
0:18:22 > 0:18:26until about 30 years ago, when he lost trace of her,
0:18:26 > 0:18:31sending her a card at Christmas, with a postal order in it,
0:18:31 > 0:18:33and it actually came back
0:18:33 > 0:18:36and that was the end of their connection.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41So Minette placed an advert in a Jamaican newspaper,
0:18:41 > 0:18:45looking for information about Keith's sister.
0:18:45 > 0:18:49I did it very discreetly, just looking for Elaine,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52rather than letting people know that he had died.
0:18:54 > 0:18:56The advert didn't produce any results.
0:18:56 > 0:19:01Minette had drawn a blank with her research into Keith's missing relatives.
0:19:01 > 0:19:05But then she heard about the professional heir hunters,
0:19:05 > 0:19:07and decided to contact one of the companies.
0:19:09 > 0:19:12The person who took the call was Tony Pledger.
0:19:12 > 0:19:17He hoped fresh information about Keith from a friend who'd known him 52 years
0:19:17 > 0:19:20could move the investigation forward.
0:19:21 > 0:19:26She was able to give us a potential place of birth for the deceased.
0:19:26 > 0:19:31She also had some knowledge of the assets of the estate.
0:19:31 > 0:19:37And as a friend of the deceased, she had some family information.
0:19:38 > 0:19:41Personal knowledge is invaluable to an heir hunt.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44The team now knew where Keith was from,
0:19:44 > 0:19:48and could hone the research to an island in the Caribbean.
0:19:50 > 0:19:55Like so many others, Keith had emigrated from Jamaica to the UK in 1950,
0:19:55 > 0:19:59seen to be a home from home for British Caribbean people.
0:19:59 > 0:20:04Immigrants from Jamaica would have viewed Britain as the mother country.
0:20:04 > 0:20:06They felt an affinity to it.
0:20:06 > 0:20:08That they belonged there.
0:20:08 > 0:20:11Their education had been essentially a British education.
0:20:11 > 0:20:13They felt at one with it,
0:20:13 > 0:20:19so theirs would have been, if you like, an idealised view of what they would find.
0:20:20 > 0:20:27So 26-year-old Keith would have paid a fare of £28 to board a ship bound for England.
0:20:27 > 0:20:29After the Second World War,
0:20:29 > 0:20:32Britain was keen to attract migrant workers to its shores.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Britain needed labour after the Second World War.
0:20:36 > 0:20:40They needed to replenish, revitalise the economy.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44There was obviously loss of male workforce as a result of the war,
0:20:44 > 0:20:47and a need to build the economy and get people working,
0:20:47 > 0:20:52not necessarily in highly skilled areas, but in more unskilled areas.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55So the government passed a law to help people
0:20:55 > 0:21:00from its former overseas territories settle in Britain.
0:21:00 > 0:21:02In 1948,
0:21:02 > 0:21:07Britain passed the Citizen Act.
0:21:08 > 0:21:11It went under the Latin title of
0:21:11 > 0:21:14Civis Britannicus Sum -
0:21:15 > 0:21:17"I am British".
0:21:18 > 0:21:23So that, in fact, I think, opened the gate
0:21:23 > 0:21:27for the people coming to Britain.
0:21:29 > 0:21:32Like many other Jamaicans, Keith settled in the UK,
0:21:32 > 0:21:36and began a new career working with British Rail.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40The nationalised industries,
0:21:40 > 0:21:45like, for instance, British Rail,
0:21:45 > 0:21:48London Transport,
0:21:48 > 0:21:52did not have a colour bar,
0:21:52 > 0:21:55and the union seems to support that.
0:21:55 > 0:22:01So that's the reason why most Jamaicans
0:22:01 > 0:22:05tried to find a job in one of the nationalised industries.
0:22:05 > 0:22:11Keith had arrived in a country which seemed to offer more opportunities than his homeland.
0:22:11 > 0:22:16But growing resentment towards immigrants in the UK didn't make life easy.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20It was very difficult for the immigrants to find,
0:22:20 > 0:22:23one would argue, decent accommodation.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29They were forced by landlords to pay excessive rents for very poor-quality housing
0:22:29 > 0:22:32and live in very overcrowded conditions.
0:22:34 > 0:22:39The new immigrant population began to find solutions to their housing problems,
0:22:39 > 0:22:45like at the boarding house in north London, where both Minette's family and Keith had lived.
0:22:45 > 0:22:50Early pioneer immigrants bought up properties and re-let them
0:22:50 > 0:22:51to more recent arrivals,
0:22:51 > 0:22:55sometimes charging excessive rents and sometimes not.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00And that created communities as well, a nexus of community,
0:23:00 > 0:23:03as the landlords developed their holding on properties.
0:23:03 > 0:23:08So that was one way of fighting back or accommodating the needs
0:23:08 > 0:23:12of immigrants who were suffering at the hands of local racists.
0:23:13 > 0:23:19Keith settled in Britain, and stayed for the rest of his life like many of his countrymen.
0:23:19 > 0:23:24But surprisingly, he never once returned to his birthplace of Jamaica.
0:23:24 > 0:23:28It could be that he came here and he... the life...
0:23:28 > 0:23:34he had made for himself was so different from the one he left,
0:23:35 > 0:23:38that he just didn't want to spoil it.
0:23:38 > 0:23:44I don't think we seriously thought we'd be back in five years,
0:23:44 > 0:23:47but we certainly didn't intend to stay.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51Now the search for heirs to Keith's £90,000 estate
0:23:51 > 0:23:55was focused on the country he left behind.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57Did he have living relatives in Jamaica,
0:23:57 > 0:24:00and would the heir hunters be able to find them?
0:24:06 > 0:24:09Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year,
0:24:09 > 0:24:12and millions of pounds are paid out to rightful heirs.
0:24:12 > 0:24:14But not every case can be cracked.
0:24:15 > 0:24:18The Treasury has a list of over 2000 estates
0:24:18 > 0:24:21which have baffled the heir hunters and are unsolved.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Could you be the heir they've been searching for?
0:24:24 > 0:24:30Are you in line for a windfall worth hundreds, thousands or even millions of pounds?
0:24:30 > 0:24:33Estates stay on the list for up to 30 years,
0:24:33 > 0:24:35and today we're focusing on three names -
0:24:35 > 0:24:38are they relatives of yours?
0:24:40 > 0:24:42Victor Albert Haber from Edmonton in London
0:24:42 > 0:24:45died in August 1992.
0:24:45 > 0:24:50If heirs aren't found, his money will go to the government.
0:24:50 > 0:24:52Did you know Florence Patricia De Groot,
0:24:52 > 0:24:56who died in Brighton on January the 2nd, 1999?
0:24:56 > 0:25:00De Groot is a rare surname, originating from Holland.
0:25:00 > 0:25:05The last census showed that only one in a million people had this name in England and Wales.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Also on our list is John Richard Kendrick,
0:25:10 > 0:25:12who died in July, 2006.
0:25:12 > 0:25:15He was from Stratford-Upon-Avon.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19All efforts to trace his relatives have drawn a blank.
0:25:19 > 0:25:25If the names Victor Haber, Florence De Groot or John Kendrick mean anything to you
0:25:25 > 0:25:30or someone you know, you could have an unexpected windfall coming your way.
0:25:38 > 0:25:42Sometimes, an heir hunt begins when people are desperate
0:25:42 > 0:25:45to find family members of their departed friends.
0:25:47 > 0:25:52In 2010, Minette Smith called the heir hunters
0:25:52 > 0:25:58and asked them to find the family of her friend Keith Saunders, who'd died without leaving a will.
0:25:58 > 0:26:03He had a beautiful smile and he was a jolly person, you'd just have a good laugh.
0:26:03 > 0:26:07It seemed Keith had left an estate worth around £90,000,
0:26:07 > 0:26:11and Minette was determined it should go to his rightful heirs.
0:26:11 > 0:26:16And crucially, she was convinced Keith had a sister called Elaine.
0:26:16 > 0:26:21I just feel that if he's got family, it should go to them.
0:26:22 > 0:26:27Now the heir hunters had leads on Keith Saunders,
0:26:27 > 0:26:28they could make a start.
0:26:30 > 0:26:33The first thing that we need to do in any case
0:26:33 > 0:26:36is to obtain a copy of the death record of the deceased.
0:26:36 > 0:26:41Having got a copy of that, it indicated a date of birth,
0:26:41 > 0:26:42and just Jamaica.
0:26:42 > 0:26:45The death certificate gave them little to go on.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49They needed to know the exact town where Keith was born.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52And there was some confusion about Keith's name.
0:26:52 > 0:26:53The death cert'
0:26:53 > 0:26:59hindered more than helped in as much as all it did was give a potential extra surname.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04His surname on the death record is given as Sanders, S-A-N-D-E-R-S.
0:27:04 > 0:27:09It's our understanding that it is Saunders, S-A-U-N-D-E-R-S,
0:27:09 > 0:27:14which makes a lot of difference when you're searching for a name filed alphabetically.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17The team turn to Minette.
0:27:17 > 0:27:19Having known Keith for 52 years,
0:27:19 > 0:27:23could she shed some light on his name or birthplace?
0:27:23 > 0:27:28People that actually knew the decedent quite well are convinced it's Saunders,
0:27:28 > 0:27:32so I'd rather go with somebody who actually knew the deceased
0:27:32 > 0:27:37rather than somebody who might have only been involved with them after they're deceased
0:27:37 > 0:27:40through their own employment.
0:27:40 > 0:27:43On Minette's advice that Keith was called Saunders
0:27:43 > 0:27:45and born in St Anne parish, Jamaica,
0:27:45 > 0:27:48the team began to search for his birth certificate.
0:27:48 > 0:27:52But an overseas heir hunt is never easy.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57The registration in Jamaica is, I understand, a bit haphazard,
0:27:57 > 0:28:00which is why we put it out to a Jamaican agent.
0:28:00 > 0:28:07The fact that that agent has been unable to find anything positive and report back to us
0:28:07 > 0:28:09doesn't in any way reflect on the agent.
0:28:09 > 0:28:13It might be just the poor quality of the records.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17A birth record would have given them Keith's parents' name,
0:28:17 > 0:28:20but the local heir hunter couldn't find the certificate.
0:28:20 > 0:28:23So the team turned to Minette again.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27Minette was able to give us the name of a sister,
0:28:27 > 0:28:31and she recollected who she thought his mum was.
0:28:33 > 0:28:38But to try and find the death of a Ruby Saunders or Sanders...
0:28:39 > 0:28:43If you find two or three, which one is the right one, if any?
0:28:43 > 0:28:47Minette told them Keith's mother was called Ruby Saunders,
0:28:47 > 0:28:49and he had a sister, Elaine.
0:28:49 > 0:28:52But nothing in this heir hunt was going to plan.
0:28:52 > 0:28:56With regard to the potential sister as Elaine,
0:28:58 > 0:29:00Minette thought she was Elaine Stanley.
0:29:00 > 0:29:05Whether she was born as Stanley or she married a Mr Stanley,
0:29:05 > 0:29:09or she just lived with a Mr Stanley and took on his name,
0:29:09 > 0:29:15is something that Minette didn't know and we couldn't establish.
0:29:16 > 0:29:21It wasn't clear if Elaine was known by her maiden name or her married name.
0:29:21 > 0:29:24But the team urgently needed to find her.
0:29:24 > 0:29:27Keith's sister's children would be heirs to his estate.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33She would, I think, have been born probably after him, a couple of years,
0:29:33 > 0:29:36perhaps about, say, 1926 or so.
0:29:36 > 0:29:42That she was a nurse, probably in Allman Town in Kingston,
0:29:42 > 0:29:46and that she had, I think, three or four children
0:29:46 > 0:29:50who would, of course, be nephews and nieces of the decedent.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Tony got on the phone to call hospitals in Jamaica
0:29:54 > 0:29:58to check their former employees for an Elaine Stanley.
0:29:58 > 0:29:59Their records
0:29:59 > 0:30:02didn't really cover nurses
0:30:02 > 0:30:08who would probably have been a nurse in the hospital best part of 30 years ago, perhaps.
0:30:09 > 0:30:13The conversations with hospital staff didn't give them any leads,
0:30:13 > 0:30:18so they used the Jamaican phonebook to call families named Stanley.
0:30:18 > 0:30:23You could easily ring somebody and say, "I'm trying to reach Elaine Stanley."
0:30:23 > 0:30:25"Was that somebody in your family?"
0:30:27 > 0:30:31They might have had an Elaine Stanley, but is it the right family?
0:30:32 > 0:30:35Without concrete details like birth records,
0:30:35 > 0:30:39the team had to accept they couldn't find Keith's sister in Jamaica.
0:30:39 > 0:30:41There was one last lead to follow.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45Minette knew of another possible relative who'd lived in England.
0:30:45 > 0:30:51It's our understanding that the decedent came to England in about 1950
0:30:51 > 0:30:55to potentially live with an uncle.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59That would mean he came over here at about 26,
0:30:59 > 0:31:04because he'd be about 86 if he was alive today.
0:31:05 > 0:31:07If that uncle had had children,
0:31:07 > 0:31:10they would be cousins of the deceased
0:31:10 > 0:31:13and as such would have a potential entitlement.
0:31:14 > 0:31:17It's thought Keith's uncle had lived in London.
0:31:17 > 0:31:19But the team had no name,
0:31:19 > 0:31:23so they had no way of finding him or connecting him to Keith.
0:31:23 > 0:31:29Short of travelling to Jamaica and visiting every parish, the team was running out of options.
0:31:29 > 0:31:34And they had no guarantees the case was worth £90,000.
0:31:34 > 0:31:38One doesn't know what's happened to that since he's died.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41We can't confirm that that figure is accurate.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45We're in a Catch-22 situation. We don't want to invest too much effort
0:31:45 > 0:31:49only to find that if we succeed, we don't cover our costs.
0:31:50 > 0:31:51Without knowing the exact value,
0:31:51 > 0:31:56the team couldn't invest much more time or money researching the estate.
0:31:56 > 0:32:00But that doesn't mean the search is over.
0:32:00 > 0:32:03What could progress this case is somebody
0:32:04 > 0:32:09realising that they either knew Keith or were related to Keith.
0:32:09 > 0:32:12If Keith came over in 1950, he could have married.
0:32:12 > 0:32:19He could have had children who could be anywhere in the world, but hopefully they're in the UK.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23For Minette Smith, Keith's lifelong friend,
0:32:23 > 0:32:26it will be a great comfort when heirs are finally found.
0:32:28 > 0:32:29I'm just hoping that we
0:32:29 > 0:32:33get some answers and find some relatives
0:32:33 > 0:32:39and that they can enjoy what he's worked very hard for.
0:32:41 > 0:32:47So could you or someone you know be related to Keith Alexander Saunders from Jamaica?
0:32:48 > 0:32:51If so, you could be entitled to his unclaimed estate,
0:32:51 > 0:32:54estimated at £90,000.
0:33:04 > 0:33:09In central London, the heir hunters have been looking into the case of Mary Glanfield.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13In no time at all, they've built a large family tree.
0:33:15 > 0:33:19It looks like we've got more possible stems out of Ipswich.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23Trouble is, they still don't know how much the case is worth
0:33:23 > 0:33:26so everything they're doing is a gamble.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31If it's a low-value case, the commission will barely pay for the work they've done,
0:33:31 > 0:33:34let alone the months of paperwork ahead.
0:33:34 > 0:33:36I don't like the look of this, I really don't.
0:33:36 > 0:33:41It'll be a low-value case. We're getting into large families here.
0:33:43 > 0:33:47Mary Glanfield lived with Fred Potter, a man 30 years her senior,
0:33:47 > 0:33:49as neighbours recall.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52She was a very nice person. Very bubbly.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54And very happy together.
0:33:54 > 0:33:58It's been hard to establish if Mary and Fred were married,
0:33:58 > 0:34:02and that affects whether she owned the property they lived in.
0:34:03 > 0:34:09With all the confusion, partner Neil Fraser has stepped in to nail down some hard facts.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13For us it's vital to work out if the estate has some value,
0:34:13 > 0:34:15especially when the tree gets this big.
0:34:15 > 0:34:17Quite a few staff working on it.
0:34:17 > 0:34:23My brother's been looking at some of it this morning trying to work out values.
0:34:23 > 0:34:28I've now moved in to give a hand on that and see what else is happening.
0:34:28 > 0:34:33What we do know is that Mary had a partner, 101 years old when he died.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35This is Frederick Potter.
0:34:36 > 0:34:40Neil urgently wants to know what Fred's relationship was to Mary,
0:34:40 > 0:34:45and if she was the sole beneficiary to his estate when he died in 2005.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49He left a will, that's been registered at First Avenue House.
0:34:49 > 0:34:51We've applied for a copy of that.
0:34:51 > 0:34:55It will take at least an hour to get that copy.
0:34:55 > 0:34:59In the meantime, we know the value of that probate was £109,000.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03What we're hoping to find from this probate
0:35:03 > 0:35:07is that he left it all to Mary. If he left it to someone else,
0:35:07 > 0:35:11then we may be dealing with a very, very small estate
0:35:11 > 0:35:14and the whole of this work may go in the bin.
0:35:15 > 0:35:19The team has already spent valuable time and effort investigating this case.
0:35:19 > 0:35:21...had a brief look at marriages.
0:35:21 > 0:35:28Now researcher Noel has discovered some information that could change the picture completely.
0:35:28 > 0:35:31- You know this Frederick Potter guy?- Yeah.
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Still haven't got the details of the will back?
0:35:34 > 0:35:36He was married.
0:35:36 > 0:35:39He's probably got three kids.
0:35:41 > 0:35:44And the question is, do they benefit?
0:35:44 > 0:35:49Fred and Mary weren't married, and he had three children from a previous marriage
0:35:49 > 0:35:51who he might have left his estate to.
0:35:51 > 0:35:56This means Mary might not have got much of an inheritance at all.
0:35:56 > 0:35:57I'm worried about...
0:35:58 > 0:36:04I leave my children the bulk of the estate and leave £5,000 to Mary.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Things are looking bleak for the team.
0:36:08 > 0:36:12It's now more important than ever they get Fred's will.
0:36:12 > 0:36:17David calls the researcher who's gone to the Probate Office for an update.
0:36:17 > 0:36:20Can you really keep an eye on that one?
0:36:20 > 0:36:25It's highly important to get that one and phone it through down here.
0:36:25 > 0:36:29After an anxious 45-minute wait,
0:36:29 > 0:36:33David gets a call back about the details of the will.
0:36:33 > 0:36:38It's the moment they've been waiting for. Did Mary inherit the house?
0:36:38 > 0:36:40What does he give to Mary?
0:36:45 > 0:36:49Sorry, he left his property to Mary, or is it a life...
0:36:50 > 0:36:52Until when? Until she dies?
0:36:58 > 0:37:00And then what happens if she dies?
0:37:00 > 0:37:02It's not looking good.
0:37:02 > 0:37:06So it's upon trust for her while she's still using it?
0:37:06 > 0:37:08He's not actually given it to her?
0:37:11 > 0:37:12Right.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18The will contains the exact news they didn't want to hear,
0:37:18 > 0:37:20and David rushes to tell Neil.
0:37:20 > 0:37:22It's not hers.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24It's for use for her.
0:37:25 > 0:37:28Free of mortgage for her
0:37:28 > 0:37:30until she leaves or dies.
0:37:31 > 0:37:33It can't be sold without her consent.
0:37:33 > 0:37:37- He's bringing the will back at one o'clock.- No money in it.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42Fred's property was given to Mary until she died.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Then the ownership reverted to his children.
0:37:45 > 0:37:49Mary's estate doesn't include the detached bungalow she lived in,
0:37:49 > 0:37:52the asset which made this heir hunt worthwhile.
0:37:52 > 0:37:56My thought's we got this far, we do it by post,
0:37:56 > 0:37:58and we say, "What now?"
0:37:58 > 0:38:02The team knows that pressing ahead could be pointless.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05Neil's on the verge of pulling the plug on this case.
0:38:05 > 0:38:09But could there be one line of enquiry they haven't yet tried?
0:38:10 > 0:38:14What if Mary had previously owned any of the houses she had lived in?
0:38:14 > 0:38:18See if we've got a previous address for her.
0:38:18 > 0:38:24If it's of an age where we can work out if she sold it to move in with him.
0:38:24 > 0:38:28If Neil's right, his hunch might just redeem the heir hunt.
0:38:28 > 0:38:31If she owned the property, we know there's value.
0:38:33 > 0:38:36Shall we continue working until...
0:38:36 > 0:38:38Oh, yeah. Keep working.
0:38:38 > 0:38:42Even if it's low value, as I said to Neil, we got this far.
0:38:43 > 0:38:46Research focuses on Mary's former addresses -
0:38:46 > 0:38:49had she owned any of the houses?
0:38:49 > 0:38:52Where was she before that, '04?
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Can we check previous addresses?
0:38:58 > 0:38:59Approve these ones.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02Did she own number 1, do you know?
0:39:05 > 0:39:08These are not rented properties?
0:39:08 > 0:39:11One address starts to look promising.
0:39:12 > 0:39:15You've been most helpful, thank you very much.
0:39:15 > 0:39:18The results of David's phone call
0:39:18 > 0:39:20could be a breakthrough. It looks likely
0:39:20 > 0:39:24that Mary owned and sold a house in 1999.
0:39:25 > 0:39:26We've found out where
0:39:26 > 0:39:31she used to live, and I think she may have owned that property, so
0:39:31 > 0:39:35at the end of the day, I think there is value to this estate.
0:39:35 > 0:39:39So, if that's the case, then all the people we've chased,
0:39:39 > 0:39:41it's certainly been worthwhile to do so.
0:39:41 > 0:39:43The heir hunt is back on.
0:39:45 > 0:39:47Finally, the team can work
0:39:47 > 0:39:52on the basis that there is a sizeable inheritance in the Glanfield estate.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56Neil works fast to produce an estimate.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59I've got an old address now. David's done a phone enquiry.
0:39:59 > 0:40:02We know that property's been sold.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05It's been sold twice. I can't tell if she sold it,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08but I know it was sold round about when she moved out.
0:40:08 > 0:40:11It was sold for £165,000.
0:40:11 > 0:40:16Give or take a bit, we're probably still dealing with a £100,000 estate,
0:40:16 > 0:40:18but it's from a different asset.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20It's a topsy-turvy heir hunt.
0:40:21 > 0:40:25It's now one o'clock and they've just established the estate's worth working.
0:40:25 > 0:40:30This is what the team would normally make certain of at the start of the day.
0:40:30 > 0:40:31And while they've been busy,
0:40:31 > 0:40:35a rival firm has spoken to an heir.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40They know that five of Mary's seven aunts and uncles had children,
0:40:40 > 0:40:44leading to a wide family on her mother's side.
0:40:44 > 0:40:48Now they urgently need to contact and sign up the other heirs.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Is there a Mr Hardingham there?
0:40:54 > 0:40:57It would have been your mother's cousin.
0:40:58 > 0:41:00Does the name Glanfield mean anything to you?
0:41:01 > 0:41:04I will be writing to you both today.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13So that stem is complete, right? The Derek stem is complete.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16Neil's brainwave has saved the heir hunt,
0:41:16 > 0:41:18much to his relief.
0:41:18 > 0:41:22What looked like a fairly good day turned into a very bad day,
0:41:22 > 0:41:27and has now had a ray of sunshine, so it's a good day after all.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31Over the coming weeks, the company signs
0:41:31 > 0:41:34several heirs from the 28 relatives who are entitled
0:41:34 > 0:41:37to Mary Glanfield's estate,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41which Neil estimates is worth £100,000.
0:41:42 > 0:41:44One of the heirs is Royce Derek,
0:41:44 > 0:41:47who's Mary's first cousin, once removed.
0:41:47 > 0:41:52He couldn't contain his surprise when he heard he was in line for a small windfall.
0:41:52 > 0:41:57In a word, shocked, well, sad.
0:41:57 > 0:42:02My sister, out of the blue, rang me and said,
0:42:02 > 0:42:06"This chap has knocked at the door."
0:42:06 > 0:42:10And he said we're related...
0:42:10 > 0:42:14hopefully related to this Mary,
0:42:15 > 0:42:17who we knew nothing about.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22Royce didn't know his father's relatives,
0:42:22 > 0:42:26but he's grateful to inherit from a mystery cousin.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29I shall spend it, and enjoy it.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35In recognition of thanks to her.
0:42:41 > 0:42:47If you would like advice about building a family tree or making a will, go to bbc.co.uk.
0:43:09 > 0:43:11Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:43:11 > 0:43:12E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk