0:00:05 > 0:00:08In London, the Heir Hunters have found an unclaimed estate
0:00:08 > 0:00:12on the Treasury's list that could be worth up to £100,000.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15Their job is to find the long-lost relatives
0:00:15 > 0:00:18who have no idea they could be in for a windfall.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Could they be knocking at your door?
0:00:37 > 0:00:42On today's programme, a lack of new names on the Treasury's list
0:00:42 > 0:00:45means the Heir Hunters face their stiffest competition.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49You mean you've had three already, or with the third?
0:00:50 > 0:00:53And a search for the heirs to a £70,000 case
0:00:53 > 0:00:56reveals a seafaring family's tragic past.
0:00:57 > 0:00:59She sank very quickly.
0:00:59 > 0:01:03In the case of the Whitgift, all her crew were lost. 33 men.
0:01:04 > 0:01:07And how you could be entitled to unclaimed estates
0:01:07 > 0:01:10where beneficiaries need to be found.
0:01:10 > 0:01:12Could you be in line for a cash payout?
0:01:19 > 0:01:22Every year in the UK,
0:01:22 > 0:01:26an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28If no relatives are found,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31then any money that's left behind will go to the government.
0:01:34 > 0:01:38Last year, they made £12 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:40 > 0:01:46But there are over 30 firms competing to stop this happening. They're called heir hunters.
0:01:46 > 0:01:52It's their business to track down missing relatives and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:52 > 0:01:56I love the fact that I can put families back together.
0:01:56 > 0:02:00I can reunite people. I can tell them secret histories about their own family
0:02:00 > 0:02:02which they don't know themselves.
0:02:07 > 0:02:13It's a Thursday morning in London. Overnight, the Treasury has advertised a new list of people
0:02:13 > 0:02:15who have died without leaving a will.
0:02:15 > 0:02:17Pointless.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22But it's not the best start for heir hunting company Fraser & Fraser.
0:02:22 > 0:02:27The list published by the Bona Vacantia has been very, very small.
0:02:27 > 0:02:29There are only five cases on that.
0:02:29 > 0:02:34This doesn't give partner Neil much choice in the estates they can chase.
0:02:37 > 0:02:40And it also has the added annoyance of greater competition
0:02:40 > 0:02:43from the other 30 heir-hunting companies around the UK,
0:02:43 > 0:02:47as inevitably they will all be working the same five estates as well.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52The clock is ticking, so Neil picks a case to work.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58We're going to start by looking at the case of Beryl Simpson.
0:02:58 > 0:03:02Her maiden name is Richardson, which is quite a common name
0:03:02 > 0:03:04so the research will be tricky.
0:03:04 > 0:03:06Quite a few different families around.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10Both Simpson and Richardson are fairly common names
0:03:10 > 0:03:14which can make it harder for the heir hunters trying to trace relatives.
0:03:17 > 0:03:22But the team's initial research suggests it could be worth the risk.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28She died in Slough and we've got an address for her, but more interestingly,
0:03:28 > 0:03:31it looks as though she's moved down the street.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34I've got an address, number 60, then she moves to number four.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Number four is a housing trust but number 60 was bought in about '96
0:03:39 > 0:03:42which was around when she moved out of it.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45So it was sold and bought there for about £100,000.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48What I don't know is if it's Beryl who sold the house
0:03:48 > 0:03:50or if it's someone else as she's moved out.
0:03:50 > 0:03:54There's a possibility there may be a bit of money in this.
0:03:54 > 0:03:57Unsure until we get some enquiries done.
0:03:57 > 0:04:00Neil and the team have a lot of work ahead of them
0:04:00 > 0:04:02if they're to be the first to contact Beryl's heirs.
0:04:09 > 0:04:14Beryl Simpson died in January 2009 from a heart attack, aged 74.
0:04:15 > 0:04:18She lived in the large village of Colnbrook, near Slough.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23OK, then. Take care. Bye-bye!
0:04:23 > 0:04:28Nancy Thorne of Age Concern helped Beryl in her later years.
0:04:28 > 0:04:33Beryl was referred to myself from Social Services
0:04:33 > 0:04:35in February 05.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41She was having difficulty living in her flat on the third floor.
0:04:41 > 0:04:44And a lot of problems with the running of her life.
0:04:44 > 0:04:48So they asked me to help as an advocate.
0:04:50 > 0:04:52Although never officially diagnosed,
0:04:52 > 0:04:56it's suspected Beryl had some form of learning difficulties.
0:04:56 > 0:05:00But she still had a vibrant personality and was great company.
0:05:00 > 0:05:06She had a great sense of humour, and a memory like you wouldn't believe.
0:05:06 > 0:05:12She'd get two newspapers every day and read them from back to back.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15So I never had to get a paper myself when I visited Beryl!
0:05:17 > 0:05:22Beryl's slightly eccentric ways meant she was well-known locally.
0:05:22 > 0:05:27Jan Gatehouse, who ran the neighbourhood hairdresser's, knew her for years.
0:05:27 > 0:05:30Beryl was quite a character, a character of the village.
0:05:30 > 0:05:35When I opened up this hairdresser's, Beryl started to come in.
0:05:35 > 0:05:40A creature of habit, Beryl had a routine she stuck to rigidly.
0:05:40 > 0:05:44The ladies at the hairdresser's could set their watches by her!
0:05:44 > 0:05:47She used to come every Friday at about quarter to one.
0:05:47 > 0:05:52She'd have her hair washed and set, or sometimes cut,
0:05:52 > 0:05:56whichever Jan decided she needed having done!
0:05:57 > 0:05:59Quite sad.
0:06:00 > 0:06:04Because Beryl was well-known in her local community,
0:06:04 > 0:06:08this is the obvious place for the heir hunters to start making enquiries.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13Neil gives Beryl's estate to senior case manager Tony Pledger.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17He has decades of experience tracking down heirs.
0:06:17 > 0:06:21But the shortage of names on the Treasury's list is frustrating him.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25He's now under pressure to bring home the bacon for the company
0:06:25 > 0:06:28on a day when the competition will be at its most fierce.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33'You have dialled an incorrect number.
0:06:33 > 0:06:37- 'Please check the number and redial.'- It's one of those days!
0:06:37 > 0:06:44The team have no guarantee Beryl's case could be worth anything like the £100,000 Neil has speculated.
0:06:44 > 0:06:46But it's up to Tony to try and find out.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50'You have dialled an incorrect number.'
0:06:51 > 0:06:55It may not be the start to the day Tony was hoping for,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58but knowing the deceased's address is a great start.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03It allows the heir hunters to call Beryl's former neighbours for information.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08But every other company across the UK will also be doing the same thing.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11And luck is not on Tony's side.
0:07:11 > 0:07:16They're all too far up the road or too far down the road.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21But with a little perseverance, Tony makes a call to a potential neighbour of Beryl's.
0:07:21 > 0:07:28Hello, sir. I don't know if you can help. I'm enquiring about somebody I think used to be your neighbour.
0:07:28 > 0:07:34The neighbour helps Tony confirm what they already suspected about Beryl's former address.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39Ah. I see. Number 60 is a block of flats.
0:07:39 > 0:07:41That explains it. Right, OK.
0:07:42 > 0:07:45This rings true with Neil's initial research.
0:07:46 > 0:07:49The flat at number 60 was sold around the mid-'90s
0:07:49 > 0:07:53and Beryl moved to a housing trust property down the street.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57It's the money from the sale of the flat that could make up the value of her estate.
0:07:57 > 0:08:00But Neil isn't the only one to suspect this.
0:08:00 > 0:08:05The neighbour tells Tony he's the second company to have called that morning.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08Did they say who they were? Probably they didn't.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11And it's only 7.30am!
0:08:11 > 0:08:13You'll probably get a few more!
0:08:13 > 0:08:17This is the team's first confirmation that they face competition on this case.
0:08:17 > 0:08:20Now the pressure is really on.
0:08:20 > 0:08:22Thankfully, Tony gets a lead.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25The phone number of someone else who knew Beryl.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31I'm ringing about - it might be a friend of yours - Beryl Simpson.
0:08:31 > 0:08:33Tony has hit the jackpot.
0:08:33 > 0:08:37Crucial information about Beryl is starting to come to light.
0:08:38 > 0:08:41She had a couple of brothers that died before her.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44They seem to have been married and may have had children.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47The information gleaned from Beryl's friend
0:08:47 > 0:08:51allows the heir hunters to start building the basics of Beryl's family tree.
0:08:51 > 0:08:56She was married to a Douglas Simpson who passed away in 1998.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58The couple had no children,
0:08:58 > 0:09:01but there's been mention of her having two brothers.
0:09:03 > 0:09:05From his initial enquiries,
0:09:05 > 0:09:08Tony now knows Beryl was a very private person.
0:09:08 > 0:09:13A fact that doesn't help the heir hunters when trying to trace any family Beryl may have had.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Despite this, the team make a crucial breakthrough.
0:09:21 > 0:09:26Using her maiden name of Richardson, Gareth has traced a potential brother of Beryl's.
0:09:26 > 0:09:30I've found a potential brother of the deceased, Peter Richardson.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33I've found his death back in 1998, when he died.
0:09:33 > 0:09:39I was hoping to get his wife living with him, or any kids living with him, but...
0:09:41 > 0:09:44..it looks like he was by himself.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48This could mean there are potentially no nieces or nephews
0:09:48 > 0:09:51of Beryl's on this stem of her family tree.
0:09:51 > 0:09:54At this stage of the hunt, information is still scant.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57But needing to stay ahead of the competition,
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Tony decides to mobilise one of their travelling heir hunters.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03It's Crown Meadow.
0:10:06 > 0:10:11Ewart Lindsay is one of Fraser & Fraser's squad of senior researchers
0:10:11 > 0:10:14who are willing to go wherever a case takes them.
0:10:14 > 0:10:16Based all over the UK and abroad,
0:10:16 > 0:10:19their job is to follow the clues and sniff out potential heirs
0:10:19 > 0:10:22who may be about to inherit an unexpected windfall.
0:10:22 > 0:10:26But Ewart can only talk to heirs if he has the facts he needs.
0:10:27 > 0:10:30I haven't got much information so far.
0:10:30 > 0:10:33I've just been told by the office...
0:10:35 > 0:10:38..her name, when she died - she died in 2009 -
0:10:38 > 0:10:41and her address
0:10:41 > 0:10:43where she last lived.
0:10:45 > 0:10:48And that's exactly where Ewart is heading now.
0:10:48 > 0:10:52Maybe meeting the people who knew Beryl will give the team
0:10:52 > 0:10:55an exclusive lead that could put them ahead.
0:10:58 > 0:11:00In the office, the family tree is growing.
0:11:00 > 0:11:04They now think Beryl's parents were Frederick and Lily Richardson
0:11:04 > 0:11:08and using information from their marriage records in 1930,
0:11:08 > 0:11:10they think they've now confirmed a sibling.
0:11:13 > 0:11:17We've found Beryl's brother, Roy.
0:11:18 > 0:11:21Even though Beryl's parents married in Eton,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23it seems at least one of their three children
0:11:23 > 0:11:28was born hundreds of miles away, a fact that originally threw the heir hunters.
0:11:29 > 0:11:35We looked at the births again. Roy is born in Sunderland, which is why we excluded it at first.
0:11:35 > 0:11:39We didn't expect the birth to be in Sunderland.
0:11:39 > 0:11:45But he's died in Purton, and he's had two children and we're pretty confident it's right.
0:11:45 > 0:11:48The team may have found their first heirs,
0:11:48 > 0:11:50two of Beryl's nephews, and all this
0:11:50 > 0:11:54whilst case manager Tony is off getting liquid refreshment.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56We've got an address for you, Tony.
0:11:56 > 0:12:01See what I mean? I go off for a cup of tea, come back and there's been a breakthrough.
0:12:02 > 0:12:06And this breakthrough is passed straight on to Ewart.
0:12:06 > 0:12:08I've got a potential nephew of the deceased.
0:12:08 > 0:12:10Right.
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I'm going to have to call you back in a few minutes
0:12:13 > 0:12:17cos I've got the address and phone number for the lady concerned somewhere else.
0:12:17 > 0:12:20- I'll call you back in a minute.- Bye.
0:12:23 > 0:12:29Looks like the deceased had two brothers who had children.
0:12:29 > 0:12:31They're looking into it at the moment.
0:12:31 > 0:12:34But there is a friend, June, who lives close by
0:12:34 > 0:12:39and Tony's calling me back with her details so I can go and see her.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Just to confirm a few things.
0:12:43 > 0:12:48Frustratingly, in the office, the team has yet to make contact with any of the potential heirs.
0:12:48 > 0:12:52So in the meantime, Ewart goes to see Beryl's friend
0:12:52 > 0:12:55who may be able to help confirm who her family were.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59Hi, my name's Ewart, from Fraser & Fraser.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04In the office, Tony's keen to try and make contact with the nephews they've found,
0:13:04 > 0:13:06ahead of any competition that may be out there.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09I'll phone this bloke. Where's the phone?
0:13:12 > 0:13:14Thank you very much.
0:13:15 > 0:13:18But before Tony can even make a call to the nephew,
0:13:18 > 0:13:21Ewart's rung in about his meeting.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24He's found out more about Beryl's other brother, Frederick.
0:13:24 > 0:13:28Frederick had a... His wife was called Dolores.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34This is fantastic news, but the team has to act quickly.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37Knowing who Beryl's brother Frederick married
0:13:37 > 0:13:40will help the heir hunters narrow down their search
0:13:40 > 0:13:42and hopefully get ahead of the competition.
0:13:42 > 0:13:49Because we need Dolores, which is a very good name, we'll be able to find his marriage.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53Gareth uses this information combined with the details about the marriage
0:13:53 > 0:13:56to look for potential children of the couple.
0:13:56 > 0:13:58He's in luck.
0:13:58 > 0:14:00Got it. I'll bring the tree out.
0:14:00 > 0:14:03Three? Good. Let's have a look.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07There's a boy and a girl and maybe two others who they didn't know.
0:14:10 > 0:14:12Gareth thinks he's found recent addresses
0:14:12 > 0:14:15for two of Beryl's nieces and nephews.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17This is relayed straight to Tony.
0:14:18 > 0:14:22John, Dolores. He dies '92. She dies 2005.
0:14:22 > 0:14:24Go for that one first.
0:14:25 > 0:14:31Tony immediately starts trying to call the nephews and nieces Gareth has found.
0:14:31 > 0:14:37He's hoping to set up crucial meetings so that the team would be the first to meet Beryl's heirs.
0:14:38 > 0:14:42Later in the show, it's one thing to speak to an heir on the phone,
0:14:42 > 0:14:45but if you can't visit them, all your efforts could be in vain.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50Where is Ewart? Where is Ewart?
0:14:57 > 0:15:02Every Thursday when the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates is advertised,
0:15:02 > 0:15:07heir hunting companies scramble to be the first to find the beneficiaries to an estate.
0:15:07 > 0:15:10But when taking on a case, there are no guarantees
0:15:10 > 0:15:14that a family's history will be based solely in the UK.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18During the research, heir hunters can find themselves looking all over the world
0:15:18 > 0:15:22for the clues they need to find the rightful heirs.
0:15:25 > 0:15:30Josiah Arthur Webbe died on January 19, 1987
0:15:30 > 0:15:33in a small village by the sea in Gwynedd, North Wales.
0:15:33 > 0:15:38He died leaving an estate worth £70,000.
0:15:38 > 0:15:41Despite having passed away over 20 years ago,
0:15:41 > 0:15:46he is still remembered by family friend Gwyn Jones and his sister, Haf.
0:15:48 > 0:15:53Arthur was married to my father's aunt, Maire,
0:15:53 > 0:15:58so she was the familial link.
0:15:59 > 0:16:05I'd say Maire was a much more bubbly person than Arthur.
0:16:05 > 0:16:11And from what I recall, she was quite a bit taller than Arthur.
0:16:13 > 0:16:19Gwyn and Haf remember Arthur as a quiet, gentle man devoted to his wife
0:16:19 > 0:16:22but also to his career.
0:16:24 > 0:16:29Arthur had a typical seafarer's complexion
0:16:29 > 0:16:34which was fitting with his background on the seas.
0:16:34 > 0:16:40It seems that Arthur's life had always been associated with ships and the ocean.
0:16:41 > 0:16:45From what I can remember of his working life,
0:16:45 > 0:16:49I believe he was a commander either with the Royal Navy
0:16:49 > 0:16:52or the Merchant Navy.
0:16:52 > 0:16:55And he was very popular in the village.
0:16:55 > 0:17:00Lots of people thought the world of Arthur.
0:17:00 > 0:17:04Arthur may have had plenty of friends in his village,
0:17:04 > 0:17:08but sadly there are no known existing photographs of the man himself.
0:17:08 > 0:17:14He died leaving a £70,000 estate, and heir hunting company Celtic Research
0:17:14 > 0:17:17started to look for his relatives.
0:17:24 > 0:17:26Good afternoon. Celtic Research.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Celtic Research consists of father and son team Peter and Hector Birchwood
0:17:33 > 0:17:35and regional case managers Saul and Phil.
0:17:35 > 0:17:41They are based all over the UK and spring into action every Thursday morning
0:17:41 > 0:17:46when the Treasury releases its list. But the Webbe case was out of the ordinary
0:17:46 > 0:17:50as Arthur had left a will, but it ended up proving useless.
0:17:54 > 0:17:57He'd left everything to his wife.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02Unfortunately, she pre-deceased him.
0:18:04 > 0:18:09With Arthur's will not specifying any other family or friends his money should go to,
0:18:09 > 0:18:13Peter would now have to try and find any long-lost relatives Arthur may have had.
0:18:13 > 0:18:16His search was helped by Arthur's distinctive name.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22It had its interest mainly in the paternal family
0:18:22 > 0:18:27because Webbe, with an E on the end, is not that common a name.
0:18:29 > 0:18:32This can give the heir hunters a significant advantage
0:18:32 > 0:18:34when tracking someone's descendants.
0:18:34 > 0:18:37In their game, a surname is everything!
0:18:37 > 0:18:42Webbe spelt with an E is an extremely rare name of Anglo-Saxon origin.
0:18:42 > 0:18:47But take the E away, and Webb becomes one of the commonest surnames in the UK.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49Peter got to work.
0:18:52 > 0:18:57Initially, there was only a date of death for the man.
0:18:57 > 0:19:01From the date of death, we managed to find his birth certificate
0:19:01 > 0:19:06and that gave us details about his father and his mother.
0:19:10 > 0:19:13Arthur's father was also called Josiah Arthur Webbe
0:19:13 > 0:19:16and using the details on his son's birth records,
0:19:16 > 0:19:20Peter discovered he'd married an Elizabeth Evans in Liverpool
0:19:20 > 0:19:21in 1897.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Through this initial research,
0:19:24 > 0:19:27Peter found out that the sea was a theme in the Webbe family,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30starting with Josiah senior.
0:19:32 > 0:19:38He was a second mate in the merchant service.
0:19:38 > 0:19:42His son, the deceased, followed in that service.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45He was also in the merchant marine.
0:19:45 > 0:19:49And his father,
0:19:49 > 0:19:51Josiah Arthur senior,
0:19:51 > 0:19:56died during the First War.
0:19:56 > 0:20:01His ship sank and he was on it when it went down.
0:20:07 > 0:20:11Josiah Arthur senior was a second mate for the merchant navy,
0:20:11 > 0:20:14not to be confused with the Royal Navy.
0:20:14 > 0:20:18In peacetime, the two were very different entities.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20The Merchant Navies consisted of
0:20:20 > 0:20:23hundreds of private companies
0:20:23 > 0:20:25running merchant ships
0:20:25 > 0:20:29from huge passenger liners to undistinguished tramp ships
0:20:29 > 0:20:34of 3,500 to 4,000 tonnes, down to small coasters running along the coast.
0:20:34 > 0:20:38But in World War I, the merchant navy became part of the war effort.
0:20:38 > 0:20:43Commerce abroad, trade and exports still had to continue
0:20:43 > 0:20:46despite Britain being at war with Germany.
0:20:47 > 0:20:52Josiah Arthur senior was sailing the seas at an extremely dangerous time.
0:20:52 > 0:20:56During the start of the war, he sailed for three years
0:20:56 > 0:20:59with no protection from the Royal Navy against German attack.
0:20:59 > 0:21:04In consequence of that, the losses of merchant ships,
0:21:04 > 0:21:08particularly to German submarines, was horrific. So much so,
0:21:08 > 0:21:14that the Admiralty had to go to the government and say they were losing the war at sea.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18We had six weeks' supplies of grain in the country,
0:21:18 > 0:21:23and the surrender date was going to be November 1917.
0:21:25 > 0:21:28It was during this dire period of the war
0:21:28 > 0:21:34that the SS Whitgift, that Josiah senior sailed on, fell victim to German attack.
0:21:34 > 0:21:37She was on a voyage from Spain to Britain
0:21:37 > 0:21:39with a cargo of iron ore.
0:21:39 > 0:21:43An immensely heavy cargo, so the ship was loaded down to her marks
0:21:43 > 0:21:47and there was still an enormous amount of space in her holds.
0:21:47 > 0:21:51So when she was struck by a torpedo from U-67,
0:21:51 > 0:21:55somewhere in the outer reaches of the English Channel,
0:21:55 > 0:21:59she sank very quickly. In the case of the Whitgift, all crew were lost.
0:21:59 > 0:22:0133 men.
0:22:05 > 0:22:11Josiah Arthur junior would have been 16 or 17 when he lost his father.
0:22:11 > 0:22:15He would probably have heard the news aboard a ship he was working on.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26The Webbes appear to have been an adventurous family,
0:22:26 > 0:22:30a family heir hunter Peter Birchwood was trying his hardest to trace.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36The case was going reasonably well in that we'd found that the deceased
0:22:36 > 0:22:41had a brother who unfortunately had died without any children.
0:22:42 > 0:22:47If Peter's research was correct, it meant every stem of the Webbes' close kin
0:22:47 > 0:22:50had been accounted for with no apparent heirs.
0:22:50 > 0:22:54He would have to look further afield into Arthur's aunts and uncles.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57In the absence of any close relatives,
0:22:57 > 0:23:01then we go up to cousins.
0:23:02 > 0:23:08Later in the show, the search for Arthur's wider family doesn't go according to plan.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10We struck a major problem.
0:23:10 > 0:23:16And Peter's research reveals the darker side of Arthur's colonial family's past.
0:23:16 > 0:23:22They are part of families that did own slaves.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:23:30 > 0:23:35In the UK, the Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:23:35 > 0:23:40that over the years have baffled the heir hunters and still remain unclaimed.
0:23:40 > 0:23:42This is money that could have your name on it.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47These estates can stay on the list for up to 30 years
0:23:47 > 0:23:52and each one could be worth anything from 5,000 to many millions of pounds.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57Today, we're focusing on three names from the list.
0:23:57 > 0:23:59Could they be relatives of yours?
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Subhas Chandra Ghosh died in 2000, aged 76.
0:24:04 > 0:24:08He'd lived in Watford, Hertfordshire.
0:24:08 > 0:24:10His name is of Hindi origin
0:24:10 > 0:24:12and very distinctive.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15But despite this, all efforts to trace his heirs have failed.
0:24:17 > 0:24:20Or did you know Doris Maud Bennett?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23She died in 1999 in Muswell Hill, London.
0:24:23 > 0:24:26If no heirs are found to her estate,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28the money will go to the government.
0:24:32 > 0:24:37Or finally, Denis Eads. He also died in 1999, in Redbridge, Essex.
0:24:37 > 0:24:40His surname is extremely rare
0:24:40 > 0:24:44and the last census shows just 18 people in the UK sharing it.
0:24:44 > 0:24:52If the names Subhas Chandra Ghosh, Doris Maud Bennett or Denis Eads mean anything to you,
0:24:52 > 0:24:55there could be a windfall on its way.
0:25:03 > 0:25:08Heir hunter Peter Birchwood picked up the case of Josiah Arthur Webbe.
0:25:09 > 0:25:15He died aged 86, leaving an estate worth £70,000.
0:25:16 > 0:25:19After his death, his will was no longer valid
0:25:19 > 0:25:23as he'd left all his money to his wife who had sadly died just weeks before him.
0:25:23 > 0:25:27There was no-one else mentioned for the estate to go to.
0:25:29 > 0:25:33I believe Arthur did try to change his will
0:25:33 > 0:25:38after his wife died in the Christmas of 1986.
0:25:39 > 0:25:43Unfortunately, his health didn't allow him to make one.
0:25:43 > 0:25:48With no known family, Peter got to work looking for lost heirs.
0:25:48 > 0:25:52His search revealed a family that fought in both world wars.
0:25:54 > 0:25:56His father, Josiah Arthur senior,
0:25:56 > 0:26:01died during the First War.
0:26:01 > 0:26:03His ship sank
0:26:03 > 0:26:06and he was on it when it went down.
0:26:07 > 0:26:10Despite this family tragedy,
0:26:10 > 0:26:14Josiah Arthur junior followed exactly in his father's seafaring footsteps.
0:26:16 > 0:26:18Well, he was a commander,
0:26:18 > 0:26:24and I believe he was involved in the evacuation of Dunkirk.
0:26:24 > 0:26:28In what capacity, I couldn't tell you.
0:26:28 > 0:26:31Arthur was actually at the top of his game.
0:26:31 > 0:26:37Over the years, he'd worked his way up the ranks to what was known as a master mariner.
0:26:37 > 0:26:42A master mariner is an officer in the mercantile marine,
0:26:42 > 0:26:45who's qualified to command a ship.
0:26:45 > 0:26:47And able to go anywhere in the world.
0:26:47 > 0:26:50At this stage of his hunt,
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Peter had ruled out any close kin Arthur may have had.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59He now followed the paternal line, to see whether Arthur's grandparents had any other children.
0:26:59 > 0:27:02If they had, this could lead Peter to the cousins
0:27:02 > 0:27:05he desperately wanted to find.
0:27:06 > 0:27:13Josiah Arthur Webbe senior was born on Nevis, in the West Indies.
0:27:14 > 0:27:19And his father was a planter,
0:27:19 > 0:27:21a sugar planter.
0:27:24 > 0:27:27Between 1675 and the 1730s,
0:27:27 > 0:27:33the Caribbean island of Nevis was one of the headquarters to the British slave trade.
0:27:33 > 0:27:37With high quality sugar cane produced on the island,
0:27:37 > 0:27:39and using African slaves for the labour,
0:27:39 > 0:27:42Nevis became a great source of wealth to Great Britain
0:27:42 > 0:27:44and possibly the Webbe family.
0:27:47 > 0:27:51We do know that they were sugar planters
0:27:51 > 0:27:59and that they are part of families that did own slaves.
0:28:01 > 0:28:07So that puts them as pretty much the English colonial gentry.
0:28:07 > 0:28:12It was a society that kept meticulous records. But for Peter,
0:28:12 > 0:28:17heir hunting the Webbe family was now no longer financially viable.
0:28:17 > 0:28:20In this instance, we don't have a researcher there
0:28:20 > 0:28:25and we can't really justify the expense of going there.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30The Webbe name was effectively as good as dead to Peter.
0:28:30 > 0:28:33Virtually stuck on the Webbe side.
0:28:35 > 0:28:38Peter had to change tack if he was to stand any chance
0:28:38 > 0:28:41of finding heirs to Arthur's £70,000 estate.
0:28:41 > 0:28:44His only hope was the maternal line of the family.
0:28:44 > 0:28:47It wasn't a pleasant prospect.
0:28:47 > 0:28:51Evans is a pretty common name, especially in Wales.
0:28:51 > 0:28:56It can be researched and you can find heirs,
0:28:56 > 0:29:03and I am working on that. We might see a good result from this one of these days.
0:29:04 > 0:29:10So for the time being, Arthur's £70,000 estate remains in the Treasury's hands.
0:29:10 > 0:29:14But hopefully, Peter's hard work will one day pay off
0:29:14 > 0:29:17and his money will navigate its way to Arthur's wider family
0:29:17 > 0:29:24who will hopefully celebrate their adventurous, determined and highly successful relation.
0:29:24 > 0:29:26Had a super life, I'm sure,
0:29:26 > 0:29:29having been at sea for most of his life.
0:29:29 > 0:29:34And just a very, very kind person.
0:29:35 > 0:29:40Despite the Webbe family's history of slavery and plantation ownership in the West Indies,
0:29:40 > 0:29:43their descendants in the form of Arthur and his father
0:29:43 > 0:29:46went on to choose more noble careers.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50What people don't realise is the enormous debt
0:29:50 > 0:29:56that's owed to master mariners and merchant seamen of the Merchant Navy in both world wars
0:29:56 > 0:30:02who bought time until technology and expertise in the Royal Navy
0:30:02 > 0:30:08were able to combat the threat posed by the German U-boat offensives.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12Did you know the Webbe family?
0:30:12 > 0:30:16Or do you have this distinctive surname spelt with an E?
0:30:16 > 0:30:21If you do, there could possibly be a windfall on its way.
0:30:26 > 0:30:31Heir-hunting company Fraser & Fraser have picked up the case of Beryl Simpson.
0:30:31 > 0:30:34She died in 2009 aged 74
0:30:34 > 0:30:36without ever making a will.
0:30:36 > 0:30:41Her estate could speculatively be worth up to £100,000.
0:30:41 > 0:30:45But with a distinct lack of new names on the Treasury's list,
0:30:45 > 0:30:49they are facing stiff competition from other companies.
0:30:50 > 0:30:53If a Mrs Abbott rings, we definitely want to talk to her.
0:30:53 > 0:30:57Discovering who Beryl's family are is proving hard work.
0:31:03 > 0:31:06By all accounts, Beryl led an extremely private life.
0:31:06 > 0:31:10So even though she was known locally in Colnbrook, Slough,
0:31:10 > 0:31:14people only knew her as a slightly eccentric and lonely character.
0:31:17 > 0:31:22She appeared to be a person that you sort of felt sorry for
0:31:22 > 0:31:26because she seemed to be a bit of a loner, really.
0:31:28 > 0:31:32A fact that doesn't help case manager Tony Pledger.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35He has lists of names and phone numbers of potential heirs,
0:31:35 > 0:31:38but hasn't yet managed to speak to any of them.
0:31:39 > 0:31:41This is getting complicated.
0:31:41 > 0:31:45Tony and his team have discovered that Beryl had two brothers
0:31:45 > 0:31:48that potentially could lead to six nephews and nieces
0:31:48 > 0:31:49and two great-nieces.
0:31:49 > 0:31:54But this information means nothing if Tony can't contact them
0:31:54 > 0:31:57and set up the all-important meetings.
0:31:57 > 0:32:01Travelling heir hunter Ewart is as frustrated as Tony.
0:32:01 > 0:32:04I'm waiting for a call from the office
0:32:04 > 0:32:08to hopefully confirm where they live.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13It's a waiting game, really.
0:32:13 > 0:32:15I may give the office a call, actually.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Hello, Ewart, darling.
0:32:17 > 0:32:21Wanting to make the most of Ewart's time before they have any heirs to visit,
0:32:21 > 0:32:24Tony sends him to the register office instead.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Talk to you later.
0:32:28 > 0:32:32Getting hold of Beryl and her late husband's death certificate
0:32:32 > 0:32:36could give Tony crucial information ahead of their competition.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38But with other companies hot on his heels,
0:32:38 > 0:32:42the distinct lack of heirs to meet is beginning to get to him.
0:32:44 > 0:32:46Don't ask me what's happening.
0:32:46 > 0:32:51Back on the road, Ewart's managed to get hold of the death certificates Tony's asked for.
0:32:53 > 0:32:54Go on, mate.
0:32:54 > 0:32:57She was a factory worker, retired.
0:32:57 > 0:33:01"Widow of Douglas George Simpson, warehouseman, retired."
0:33:01 > 0:33:03Thanks. Bye.
0:33:07 > 0:33:12Unfortunately, this information only confirms what Tony already knew.
0:33:12 > 0:33:15But across the office, Gareth has made a breakthrough.
0:33:15 > 0:33:20He's just found a new contact number for one of Beryl's nieces.
0:33:20 > 0:33:24Tony must act fast and try and secure a meeting for Ewart asap.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30You've had three already or are with the third?
0:33:30 > 0:33:33But this is the last thing Tony wanted to hear.
0:33:33 > 0:33:38The competition has beaten him to it, not once, but twice.
0:33:38 > 0:33:43On top of this, Gareth also isn't having any luck with his other contacts.
0:33:44 > 0:33:48We've got three addresses so far, and a phone number for each one
0:33:48 > 0:33:50but they're not answering.
0:33:50 > 0:33:53Relying on one of them answering the phone, really.
0:33:53 > 0:33:56At least Tony's on the phone to one of the nieces,
0:33:56 > 0:34:00and he's trying to set up the all-important meeting.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02But even this is proving hard work.
0:34:05 > 0:34:10Travelling heir hunters Ewart and Bob Barrett have bumped into each other at the register office.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15They're now debating whether to swap the cases they're working on.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18OK. I will speak to you later. Thanks, Bob.
0:34:18 > 0:34:19Bye.
0:34:21 > 0:34:22Right.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Where's Tony?
0:34:24 > 0:34:25Where's Tony?
0:34:25 > 0:34:31A last-minute change of plan is the last thing Tony needs at this crucial moment.
0:34:31 > 0:34:34It will either be, um...
0:34:36 > 0:34:39Bob Barrett, or it'll be Ewart Lindsay
0:34:39 > 0:34:41that will ring you.
0:34:41 > 0:34:43I'm not sure which one it's going to be now.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48I've just been given a note to confuse me. Anyway, thanks ever so much indeed.
0:34:48 > 0:34:50Thank you. Bye.
0:34:52 > 0:34:54Where is Ewart?
0:34:55 > 0:34:57Where is he? Where is Ewart?
0:34:57 > 0:35:00Away from his phone and shooting the breeze with Bob.
0:35:00 > 0:35:03Between them, they still can't decide who will drive north
0:35:03 > 0:35:06and who will stay south, working on Tony's case.
0:35:06 > 0:35:08- Cheers, Bob.- Thanks a lot.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10Will you give Tony a ring?
0:35:10 > 0:35:12Cheers. See you later.
0:35:12 > 0:35:14Tony doesn't care who it is
0:35:14 > 0:35:17as long as someone races to meet Beryl's niece.
0:35:17 > 0:35:19Ewart?
0:35:19 > 0:35:24What the friggin' heck is happening? I need you to ring this Christine Bailey.
0:35:24 > 0:35:28We're the third... I think we're the fourth company to phone her.
0:35:28 > 0:35:32Time is now crucial. The sooner they can meet the niece,
0:35:32 > 0:35:36the greater the likelihood she will sign with the company.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Ewart gets on his way.
0:35:40 > 0:35:43From speaking to their first heir, Tony can relax a little
0:35:43 > 0:35:47and reflect on the history of Beryl's parents he discovered from the niece.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52The father of the deceased was born in Sunderland.
0:35:52 > 0:35:54He walked down here in the Jarrow march
0:35:54 > 0:35:59which was, as you know, when all the people in Jarrow walked to London because they didn't have jobs.
0:36:03 > 0:36:07The Jarrow March took place in 1936
0:36:07 > 0:36:10and was a protest by the men of the town of Jarrow in Tyne and Wear
0:36:10 > 0:36:14against the unemployment and extreme poverty they faced.
0:36:16 > 0:36:21The marchers decided to go because of the closure of the main employer, Palmer's,
0:36:21 > 0:36:23and the main steelworks.
0:36:23 > 0:36:26With that, you're talking about nearly 8,000 jobs.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31With the steelworks closed down, followed by the shipyard,
0:36:31 > 0:36:36Beryl's father Frederick and the men of Jarrow weren't left with many other options for work.
0:36:38 > 0:36:41Con Shills is 94 years old
0:36:41 > 0:36:44and a son of one of the original marchers.
0:36:46 > 0:36:52The shipyard was really the only place, so when that closed,
0:36:52 > 0:36:54Jarrow was finished.
0:36:54 > 0:36:59And the local men had no option but to go on to the meagre dole.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05It was pathetic, it really was! Now, I can talk about this
0:37:05 > 0:37:09because I'm 94 years old and I can really talk about this.
0:37:09 > 0:37:13They were actually on the dole for years.
0:37:13 > 0:37:15Literally years!
0:37:16 > 0:37:20Up and down the Tyne there were all these shipyards. Fair enough.
0:37:20 > 0:37:23But there was already men in those places. In the jobs.
0:37:25 > 0:37:29And it was the poverty-stricken conditions these men and their families,
0:37:29 > 0:37:33families like Beryl's, were forced to endure on the dole
0:37:33 > 0:37:36that drove them to take action against the government.
0:37:37 > 0:37:43The marchers' goal was to march from Jarrow to London
0:37:43 > 0:37:47and put before Parliament via a petition of 11,000 signatures,
0:37:47 > 0:37:51the sheer poverty and unemployment in Jarrow
0:37:51 > 0:37:53which was really high and dire.
0:37:53 > 0:37:58The men had wanted, and demanded, a right to work.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02That's what they were pleading for, basically, help for the town.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05The 200 men, including Beryl's father, Frederick,
0:38:05 > 0:38:10marched over 280 miles to the Palace of Westminster in London.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13But their request fell on deaf ears.
0:38:13 > 0:38:15They didn't want to know.
0:38:15 > 0:38:19All they done was they carried that blinking box with the petition in
0:38:19 > 0:38:24all the way down from blinking Jarrow to blinking London.
0:38:24 > 0:38:26What happened? They received it.
0:38:26 > 0:38:28That's it. Received it.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33In political language,
0:38:33 > 0:38:35it was a waste of time.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37"Put it down there."
0:38:37 > 0:38:40It was terrible.
0:38:40 > 0:38:44The government of the day completely ignored the Jarrow men's requests
0:38:44 > 0:38:46and the shipyards stayed closed.
0:38:46 > 0:38:51The only thing they got was one pound each to catch the train home.
0:38:55 > 0:38:56Over 70 years later,
0:38:56 > 0:39:00Ewart is fortunately having more luck with his journey.
0:39:00 > 0:39:02It's going to be in here, isn't it?
0:39:02 > 0:39:07He's the first of the heir hunters to arrive at the home of Christine Bailey, Beryl's niece.
0:39:08 > 0:39:10Rock'n'roll!
0:39:11 > 0:39:14Also there is Stacey, a great niece.
0:39:14 > 0:39:17They've already been contacted by four other companies
0:39:17 > 0:39:20so will being first in a face-to-face meeting
0:39:20 > 0:39:22pay off for Ewart and the team?
0:39:22 > 0:39:26- Hello, Mrs Bailey.- Hello.- Nice to meet you. This is lovely, isn't it?
0:39:27 > 0:39:34Ewart gets straight down to business, trying to cross-check facts and expand the family tree.
0:39:34 > 0:39:37- Do you know anything about your cousins?- No.- Where they live?
0:39:37 > 0:39:42- As far as I know, they're still in the Burton-on-Trent area.- OK.
0:39:42 > 0:39:45Then it's down to talking about the business at hand
0:39:45 > 0:39:48and seeing if Christine and Stacey will sign to the company.
0:39:48 > 0:39:51But Ewart's in for a shock.
0:39:52 > 0:39:57I have somebody else coming. He's made an appointment for two o'clock.
0:39:57 > 0:40:02With the competition already on their way, Ewart catches a break.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04- So as you got in first...- Yeah.
0:40:04 > 0:40:09It seems being first on the doorstep has paid off.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Beryl's heirs agree to the company helping them make their claim to the Treasury
0:40:13 > 0:40:17in exchange for a fixed percentage of the estate.
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Stacey never met her great aunt.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23One of the last times niece Christine saw Beryl
0:40:23 > 0:40:25was nearly 30 years ago.
0:40:28 > 0:40:32Our last meeting, all being together, was my younger brother's wedding
0:40:32 > 0:40:36in about 1981, '82, I think.
0:40:36 > 0:40:40I remember her there with Douglas
0:40:40 > 0:40:42who later became her husband.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Really, I don't know much else from then.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51The fact Beryl passed away, estranged from her own family,
0:40:51 > 0:40:54will be a lot for her relatives to take in.
0:40:54 > 0:40:59That's sad to come to the end of your life and not have people to give you a goodbye.
0:41:01 > 0:41:06It will be a shock to all the rest of my family when they hear the news.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10We're quite far afield. One in Spain, one in Wales.
0:41:10 > 0:41:13One on holiday who doesn't even know yet.
0:41:13 > 0:41:16So, yes, it was a surprise, indeed.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19Take care of yourselves. We'll be in touch. Bye.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23Ewart bids farewell after a meeting that couldn't have gone any better
0:41:23 > 0:41:26in the face of such stiff competition.
0:41:26 > 0:41:29Up north, travelling heir hunter Bob
0:41:29 > 0:41:33has also met and signed up other nieces and nephews of Beryl's.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36But with the family spread all over the UK and abroad,
0:41:36 > 0:41:40it will be some time before partner Neil knows the final outcome.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48So we've just about finished up with Simpson now.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51We've got a couple of signatures from beneficiaries.
0:41:51 > 0:41:55An awful lot of competition and I don't think we got much value.
0:41:55 > 0:41:59We had hoped that the deceased, Beryl,
0:41:59 > 0:42:04may have owned a previous property to the one she passed away in.
0:42:04 > 0:42:07It doesn't appear that that is going to be the case.
0:42:07 > 0:42:11So the possible £100,000 value is down considerably,
0:42:11 > 0:42:14maybe as low as £10,000.
0:42:16 > 0:42:22The team now have confirmation that Beryl's estate is actually worth around the £10,000 mark.
0:42:22 > 0:42:25When the Treasury approves the heirs' claim,
0:42:25 > 0:42:29her estate will then go to the nine relatives she'd sadly lost contact with.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Despite this, her carer Nancy
0:42:32 > 0:42:35remembers that Beryl's final years were happy ones.
0:42:36 > 0:42:42With the support of the advocacy service and her friends and her carers,
0:42:42 > 0:42:46she just blossomed and she was happy.
0:42:50 > 0:42:54If you would like advice about building your family tree or making a will, go to:
0:43:17 > 0:43:20Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd