0:00:02 > 0:00:06Today the Heir Hunters are in York, desperately trying to contact
0:00:06 > 0:00:09the beneficiaries to an unclaimed estate.
0:00:11 > 0:00:14Somewhere out there, there are some long lost relatives
0:00:14 > 0:00:17who have no idea they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:18 > 0:00:20Could the Heir Hunters be knocking at your door?
0:00:39 > 0:00:40On today's programme...
0:00:40 > 0:00:44- Come on, Michael.- ..the team's under pressure to come up with the goods.
0:00:44 > 0:00:47No reply, no answer phone either.
0:00:48 > 0:00:53As they struggle to find heirs to the estate of a mysterious recluse.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55He would walk past you, down the drive,
0:00:55 > 0:00:58without even acknowledging the fact that you were there.
0:00:58 > 0:01:01And the death of a talented artist in Scotland
0:01:01 > 0:01:05brings back some long lost childhood memories.
0:01:05 > 0:01:08I was born on the 7th November and he was born on the 15th,
0:01:08 > 0:01:10so we always said we were twins.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Plus, how you may be entitled to inherit an unclaimed estate
0:01:14 > 0:01:16held by the Treasury.
0:01:16 > 0:01:19Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:25 > 0:01:27Every year in the UK,
0:01:27 > 0:01:31an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:31 > 0:01:32If no relatives are found,
0:01:32 > 0:01:37then any money that's left behind will go to the government.
0:01:37 > 0:01:41Last year, they made £12 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:43 > 0:01:45That's where the Heir Hunters come in.
0:01:45 > 0:01:48They make it their business to track down missing relatives
0:01:48 > 0:01:52and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:53 > 0:01:58I bring about a change so that the rightful assets
0:01:58 > 0:02:02go to the rightful family members and not to the state.
0:02:09 > 0:02:10It's seven in the morning
0:02:10 > 0:02:13at the offices of heir hunters Fraser & Fraser.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17And boss Neil Fraser has been scanning
0:02:17 > 0:02:20the Treasury's weekly list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:20 > 0:02:22One case has caught his eye.
0:02:22 > 0:02:24I'm going to have a look at this Fawcett case,
0:02:24 > 0:02:25just really got the address.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28It looks like it's a possible one
0:02:28 > 0:02:32and we may be dealing with an estate of £100-150,000.
0:02:34 > 0:02:38Case manager Dave Slee is kick-starting the investigation
0:02:38 > 0:02:41and has got hold of one of Ronald Fawcett's neighbours,
0:02:41 > 0:02:42Robert Shipley.
0:02:42 > 0:02:47We think Mr Fawcett might have been born in Stoke-on-Trent in about 1931.
0:02:47 > 0:02:53Would that be about right? That would've made him about 79, 78.
0:02:57 > 0:03:03Ronald Fawcett died on the 15th April 2009 in Stoke-on-Trent.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06He left no will and not even a photograph survives of him.
0:03:08 > 0:03:10Before his parents passed away in the early '90s,
0:03:10 > 0:03:14Ronald lived with them in this semi-detached house.
0:03:14 > 0:03:18His neighbour Robert Shipley remembers him as a solitary man.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21I didn't see anything of him at all while his parents were alive.
0:03:21 > 0:03:24He was like a ghostly figure who just...
0:03:24 > 0:03:25You very rarely saw anything of him.
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I should say he was about...
0:03:30 > 0:03:33about six foot two.
0:03:34 > 0:03:39Very, very, very gaunt, very bony.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41A stooped figure.
0:03:41 > 0:03:43He would walk past you, down the drive,
0:03:43 > 0:03:46without even acknowledging the fact that you were there.
0:03:46 > 0:03:48He was in a world of his own.
0:03:48 > 0:03:54Unlike Ronald, his father Albert Fawcett was a colourful character
0:03:54 > 0:03:57and well-known in the community as a retired chief inspector
0:03:57 > 0:03:59in the Staffordshire police force.
0:04:00 > 0:04:03Well, his father, being a police office, was obviously
0:04:03 > 0:04:06more used to dealing with the public than his son was.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10And he was very open and a nice chap.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14His wife, Ron's mother, she was a little, old lady.
0:04:14 > 0:04:16You never hardly ever saw anything of her at all.
0:04:16 > 0:04:22When his parents passed away and, obviously, he was on his own,
0:04:22 > 0:04:26then he became more friendly.
0:04:26 > 0:04:29He'd bring us a bottle of wine round at Christmas and things like this.
0:04:29 > 0:04:32And we exchanged Christmas cards.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35He was a man of few words, he would hardly ever speak.
0:04:35 > 0:04:41But that's just how he was, he just wanted to be alone
0:04:41 > 0:04:43and spoke very little to anybody.
0:04:44 > 0:04:47In the office, the investigation is well under way.
0:04:47 > 0:04:50How many years would you have known the family?
0:04:50 > 0:04:53Obviously more than the ten because, of course, you knew the father.
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Dave has managed to establish the bare bones of Ronald's family tree.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01His parents were Albert Fawcett and Mary Edwards.
0:05:03 > 0:05:04Ronald was an only child.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08This means there will be no brothers or sisters to inherit.
0:05:08 > 0:05:12So they will have to start the search for cousins.
0:05:14 > 0:05:15Only child, they think.
0:05:15 > 0:05:19Father's definitely from Yorkshire, came down to Stoke from Yorkshire.
0:05:19 > 0:05:20OK.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26They've also found out that Ronald owned the house that he lived in,
0:05:26 > 0:05:30which they think is worth about £120,000.
0:05:30 > 0:05:32The heir hunters work on commission,
0:05:32 > 0:05:35taking a percentage of the amount that's claimed by each heir.
0:05:35 > 0:05:39So it's important for them to uncover the high-value cases.
0:05:42 > 0:05:44Unfortunately, Neil's discovered that, a few years earlier,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48Ronald had done an equity release deal on the property.
0:05:48 > 0:05:51Equity release is something I hate to see on houses,
0:05:51 > 0:05:55I hate to see on estates because, more often that not,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58the actual price that someone's achieved for their property
0:05:58 > 0:06:00isn't very good.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03So, let's say he got £60,000,
0:06:03 > 0:06:06he's then lived for a few years afterwards,
0:06:06 > 0:06:09we know he spent a couple of thousand pounds, at least, on a brand new car.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13We're looking at an estate which may not be any more than £30,000,
0:06:13 > 0:06:14£20-30,000.
0:06:14 > 0:06:17Which, when you think he lived in the property which he owned,
0:06:17 > 0:06:22which could be worth £120,000 and we're looking at a £30,000 estate,
0:06:22 > 0:06:24you can see why I don't like equity release.
0:06:24 > 0:06:29Neil's worried that if the estate is less valuable than he thought,
0:06:29 > 0:06:32then it will be harder for the company to turn a profit
0:06:32 > 0:06:33on this job.
0:06:33 > 0:06:36And with 30 rival heir hunting companies
0:06:36 > 0:06:39all chasing the same cases, speed is of the essence.
0:06:42 > 0:06:46The pressure's on case manager David Pacifico to deliver.
0:06:47 > 0:06:49It all seems to be coming out in York,
0:06:49 > 0:06:52both sides, both parents were born in York.
0:06:52 > 0:06:54Paul Matthews is doing an inquiry around Stoke.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57I think I'm going to send him from there to York.
0:06:57 > 0:07:01Heir hunting relies heavily on research done in the office.
0:07:01 > 0:07:05But it's the senior researchers on the road, like Paul Matthews,
0:07:05 > 0:07:08who are the public face of the company.
0:07:08 > 0:07:12They're based all over the country and its their job to follow up
0:07:12 > 0:07:14any lead and make sure that they get to the heirs
0:07:14 > 0:07:16ahead of the competition.
0:07:16 > 0:07:21Paul's already been on the road for an hour when he gets a call from HQ.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25- Hi, it's me running this job of Fawcett.- Oh, right, OK, Dave.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Whereabouts are you at the moment?
0:07:28 > 0:07:32I am 30 miles from Stoke Registry Office.
0:07:32 > 0:07:33Right, well, the bad news for you
0:07:33 > 0:07:36is that it all seems to be coming out in York.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40- York!- Yeah, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to go to York.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43Right, OK-cokey.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46'OK, Dave. I'll send you a Christmas card when I get there.'
0:07:46 > 0:07:47DAVID LAUGHS
0:07:47 > 0:07:50While Paul heads towards York,
0:07:50 > 0:07:54David and researcher Michael start pounding the keyboards.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56They're searching through records for births,
0:07:56 > 0:07:58marriages and deaths within the UK.
0:07:58 > 0:08:01One birth...John.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04- John Fawcett.- John Fawcett.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07They're looking for cousins of the deceased,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10so they need to come up with family trees for Ronald's father
0:08:10 > 0:08:14and mother, Albert Fawcett and Mary Edwards.
0:08:14 > 0:08:16The father had at least two siblings.
0:08:16 > 0:08:19It may only be two siblings, one of whom we don't know the name,
0:08:19 > 0:08:25it's just shown as an unnamed child on the 1911 Census.
0:08:26 > 0:08:31Ronald's paternal grandparents were Ernest Fawcett and Lily Dearsley.
0:08:31 > 0:08:35They had three children, Ronald's father Albert, a brother John
0:08:35 > 0:08:38and another child who the team can't yet identify.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43So, on the father's side, there are only two potential stems
0:08:43 > 0:08:46which could produce cousins and beneficiaries.
0:08:47 > 0:08:52On the maternal side, it looks like the family's even smaller.
0:08:52 > 0:08:57Mother had one brother, who we've now identified died in 1990,
0:08:57 > 0:08:59who was married and we're checking for the marriage
0:08:59 > 0:09:01and to see if there's any children.
0:09:01 > 0:09:06Ronald's maternal grandparents were Arthur Edwards and Emily Morris.
0:09:06 > 0:09:09His mother Mary was born in 1906
0:09:09 > 0:09:14and she had one brother Ernest Jesse, born in 1909.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18With the basic family trees in place, the race is now on
0:09:18 > 0:09:20to find some living heirs to Ronald's estate
0:09:20 > 0:09:22that is now estimated at £30,000.
0:09:24 > 0:09:27David hands over the maternal side of the investigation
0:09:27 > 0:09:28to researcher Noel.
0:09:30 > 0:09:32While Michael will take charge of the paternal side.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Michael should have the easier job
0:09:34 > 0:09:37as Fawcett is a more unusual name than Edwards,
0:09:37 > 0:09:40so there will be less records to check.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42David.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45- Where's that?- York.- You've got him.
0:09:45 > 0:09:47But today, Noel's on fire.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52Within minutes, he's come up with a possible Edwards cousin.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55- You know something. - Shall we go for it? I'll get the...
0:09:55 > 0:09:58You know, you could make a genealogy chart.
0:09:58 > 0:10:00Here you go. Do you want it?
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Noel's given me the address of a cousin on the maternal side.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- What have you given me, Michael? - Come on, Michael.- Come on, Michael.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08Michael's got some catching up to do,
0:10:08 > 0:10:10as David heads off to chase up Noel's lead.
0:10:10 > 0:10:15It's only 9am and he could already be on his way to his first heir.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18No reply and no answer phone either.
0:10:20 > 0:10:25Hopefully, he will be home later, unless they're away on holiday.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I will have my guy there later on today.
0:10:28 > 0:10:32It's disappointing for David, but straight away, Noel hands him
0:10:32 > 0:10:34another chance to make that important early break through.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38He's found the number for another maternal cousin.
0:10:39 > 0:10:41In that case, let's go and phone them.
0:10:42 > 0:10:46Good morning, I'm trying to contact a Mary Lazenby whose maiden name
0:10:46 > 0:10:50would be Edwards and I'm hoping the daughter of an Ernest Jesse Edwards.
0:10:50 > 0:10:54My name is David Pacifico, thank you very much.
0:10:54 > 0:10:57Another phone call and another brick wall.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00David desperately needs to speak to an heir,
0:11:00 > 0:11:03but, right now, all he's getting is answering machines.
0:11:03 > 0:11:06But at least Michael's making some progress
0:11:06 > 0:11:08on the paternal side of the case.
0:11:09 > 0:11:11Yes, I think you might have something there.
0:11:11 > 0:11:16Michael's found a potential first cousin on Ronald's father's side.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18Could this be third time lucky for David?
0:11:20 > 0:11:21I'm sorry to trouble you,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23I'm speaking from Central London,
0:11:23 > 0:11:26I represent a company of probate researchers called Fraser & Fraser.
0:11:26 > 0:11:30Finally, someone's in to take his call.
0:11:30 > 0:11:32Do you much about your father's side of the family?
0:11:32 > 0:11:35You don't know whether your father had any brothers at all?
0:11:35 > 0:11:39All right, because, unfortunately,
0:11:39 > 0:11:41you may not be the correct family after all.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44Poor David, he's under so much pressure to deliver,
0:11:44 > 0:11:48but he just can't seem to crack this case open.
0:11:48 > 0:11:52Back to square one, on the father's side anyway.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54Better go and tell the boys.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56Coming up...
0:11:56 > 0:11:59at last there's a light at the end of the tunnel for David.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03One of my colleagues is actually in York as we speak,
0:12:03 > 0:12:05would it be possible for you to meet with him?
0:12:05 > 0:12:08But he's not out of the woods yet.
0:12:08 > 0:12:13- Er, Mr Edwards went away this morning for a weekend break.- Oh.
0:12:18 > 0:12:21Often, when someone dies without leaving a will,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24their death will be registered many miles from where they were born.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27This can put great distance between heirs
0:12:27 > 0:12:29and makes the search for beneficiaries that much harder.
0:12:32 > 0:12:34Like the case of Anthony Whelan.
0:12:34 > 0:12:38In September 2008, his £18,000 estate
0:12:38 > 0:12:41appeared on the Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer,
0:12:41 > 0:12:44Scotland's register for unclaimed estates.
0:12:46 > 0:12:48The case was picked up by Saul Marks
0:12:48 > 0:12:51of heir hunting company Celtic Research.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55The Whelan case came to me via our Scottish researcher
0:12:55 > 0:12:58and, although the deceased had died in Scotland,
0:12:58 > 0:12:59he was actually born in Liverpool.
0:12:59 > 0:13:04So, being the head of the North-West office, I was given the case.
0:13:05 > 0:13:08Anthony Whelan, known as Tony to his friends,
0:13:08 > 0:13:11died on the 19th July 2008
0:13:11 > 0:13:13on Rothesay on the west coast of Scotland.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Before he moved up there,
0:13:17 > 0:13:20Tony worked as a lecturer in theatre design and stage craft
0:13:20 > 0:13:24at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30At the time, Alison Clark was a drama student there
0:13:30 > 0:13:33and she remembers her former tutor with great affection.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39He was very warm, witty and wise.
0:13:39 > 0:13:46Er, he liked you to work hard, erm, but he imparted information
0:13:46 > 0:13:50with such, he had such a sense of fun about him.
0:13:50 > 0:13:52He was a very talented man.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57As well as the arts, Alison and Tony shared another great passion -
0:13:57 > 0:13:58the sea.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02He was a great sailor which I didn't know until, I think,
0:14:02 > 0:14:08he'd overheard me saying to one of my pals that I was learning to sail.
0:14:08 > 0:14:11And it turned out that he had a little,
0:14:11 > 0:14:14a lovely, little boat called Luisa.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18And he said, "Well, when you get your ticket,
0:14:18 > 0:14:20"you can come and sail on my boat."
0:14:20 > 0:14:25And I did. And it was...that was where our friendship really started.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29It was a friendship that was to last for the next 30 years.
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Tony eventually retired to the Isle of Bute
0:14:32 > 0:14:34where he lived aboard his beloved Luisa.
0:14:36 > 0:14:39Alison and her husband kept in touch with Tony,
0:14:39 > 0:14:41but, even after all those years,
0:14:41 > 0:14:43he still remained something of an enigma.
0:14:44 > 0:14:47He was a very private man.
0:14:47 > 0:14:50It took me years to learn some things about him.
0:14:50 > 0:14:54He hated birthdays, he hated celebration of any kind,
0:14:54 > 0:14:57he loathed Christmas, he called it humbuggery.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02Tony eventually contracted Parkinson's disease
0:15:02 > 0:15:05and had to move into a home on Rothesay.
0:15:05 > 0:15:09Towards the end, he withdrew into himself.
0:15:09 > 0:15:11But death, it seemed, held no fear.
0:15:11 > 0:15:18On the mantelpiece were stacked a whole bundle of letters.
0:15:18 > 0:15:21With the note, "These are to be posted when I die."
0:15:21 > 0:15:27When he did die, I got this letter and it said, "Tony Whelan has died!"
0:15:27 > 0:15:28Exclamation mark.
0:15:28 > 0:15:33For Alison, it was the end of a remarkable friendship.
0:15:33 > 0:15:36He was almost like a mentor.
0:15:36 > 0:15:43He would recommend plays, recommend music.
0:15:43 > 0:15:48And he had so much knowledge and love of life.
0:15:52 > 0:15:56When Saul started investigating Anthony Whelan's £18,000 estate
0:15:56 > 0:15:58in September 2008,
0:15:58 > 0:16:02he already knew that the deceased had not married and had no children.
0:16:02 > 0:16:04So, any heirs would have to be cousins.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08But he also knew that the deceased's surname
0:16:08 > 0:16:10was not going to make this an easy search.
0:16:12 > 0:16:16Obviously, the surname Whelan is very Irish in origin
0:16:16 > 0:16:21and Merseyside region has hundreds of thousands of Irish families.
0:16:24 > 0:16:27Saul first went to the online birth and marriage indexes
0:16:27 > 0:16:30where he established that Tony's parents were Joseph Whelan
0:16:30 > 0:16:34and Annie O'Hara, another extremely common name in the Irish community.
0:16:36 > 0:16:38There was going to be no way to find out which Joseph Whelan and
0:16:38 > 0:16:42which Annie O'Hara they were without getting the marriage certificate.
0:16:42 > 0:16:44So I went off to Liverpool Registry Office
0:16:44 > 0:16:46to get the marriage certificate of the parents.
0:16:46 > 0:16:48But he arrived too late
0:16:48 > 0:16:51and the office had closed for the bank holiday weekend.
0:16:51 > 0:16:53When we get cases that have just been released,
0:16:53 > 0:16:55we need to get on top of them quickly.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57It's a very competitive business these days
0:16:57 > 0:17:00and there are always competitor companies
0:17:00 > 0:17:02who are working the same case.
0:17:02 > 0:17:07Four days later, when Saul did get hold of the marriage certificate,
0:17:07 > 0:17:10it gave him Joseph and Annie's father's names,
0:17:10 > 0:17:12which meant he could start work on their family trees.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16We were desperate to get it done as quickly as we could,
0:17:16 > 0:17:20in case any other companies had been doing it in the meantime.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Tony's father Joseph was one of five brothers born to John Whelan
0:17:25 > 0:17:27and his wife Catherine.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31While his mother Annie was one of seven, born to Francis O'Hara
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and his wife Catherine.
0:17:35 > 0:17:36On the face of it,
0:17:36 > 0:17:40two large families like this would normally lead to many heirs.
0:17:41 > 0:17:45As it turned out, only two of Tony's paternal uncles had children
0:17:45 > 0:17:47and it was the same story in his mother's family.
0:17:49 > 0:17:54Six of the seven only produced seven children, I think, between them.
0:17:54 > 0:17:58So they were... They didn't have very many children,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00it was a much smaller family in the end
0:18:00 > 0:18:02than we were originally expecting.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05And the number of heirs was, consequently, much, much less.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09The smaller the number of heirs, the more difficult life is for Saul.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11If there are lots of heirs,
0:18:11 > 0:18:15then the chances are, all the companies will get a few each,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18but when there are fewer heirs, then the pressure's on.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Coming up...
0:18:20 > 0:18:22is it all over for Saul
0:18:22 > 0:18:26when he discovers the competition has pipped him to the post?
0:18:26 > 0:18:30It's not the done thing in our profession to persuade anyone
0:18:30 > 0:18:34to break a contract that they've already signed with someone else.
0:18:40 > 0:18:44Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year
0:18:44 > 0:18:47and millions of pounds are paid out to rightful heirs.
0:18:47 > 0:18:49But not every case can be cracked.
0:18:49 > 0:18:53The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:18:53 > 0:18:56that have baffled heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Could you be the heir they're searching for?
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Could you be in line for a windfall worth hundreds,
0:19:03 > 0:19:06thousands or even millions of pounds?
0:19:08 > 0:19:10Estates stay on the list for up to 30 years
0:19:10 > 0:19:12and, today, we're focusing on three names.
0:19:12 > 0:19:14Are they relatives of yours?
0:19:17 > 0:19:22John Mark Frith Blezard died on the 20th April 2009,
0:19:22 > 0:19:25aged 56 in Workington, Cumbria.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30Mr Blezard was a registrar of births, marriages and deaths
0:19:30 > 0:19:33in Workington for over 30 years.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35But he left no will and, so far,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38no-one has come forward to claim his estate.
0:19:41 > 0:19:47Norah Ellen Elleman died on the 12th December 2002, aged 81 in Welland.
0:19:49 > 0:19:54Elleman was once a very popular name in Hereford and Worcestershire.
0:19:54 > 0:19:58But there are now less than 100 of them in the whole of the UK.
0:19:58 > 0:19:59Does anyone remember this one?
0:20:01 > 0:20:05If no heirs of hers are found, her money will go to the government.
0:20:08 > 0:20:13Vivian Michael Brownray died on the 27th August 2005,
0:20:13 > 0:20:15aged 85 in Bangor, Conway.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21Vivian is a rare but traditional man's name and,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24combined with the unusual surname Brownray,
0:20:24 > 0:20:26someone must remember this unique combination.
0:20:31 > 0:20:34If the names John Blezard, Norah Elleman or Vivian Brownray
0:20:34 > 0:20:37mean anything to you or someone you know,
0:20:37 > 0:20:40you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49At Celtic Research's Liverpool office,
0:20:49 > 0:20:52heir hunter Saul Marks was still working the case
0:20:52 > 0:20:55of talented artist and old seadog Tony Whelan.
0:20:56 > 0:21:00Tony died aged 69 in Rothesay on the west coast of Scotland.
0:21:02 > 0:21:03His legacy to me
0:21:03 > 0:21:06is that...
0:21:08 > 0:21:14..I have continued to be interested in things, new things.
0:21:14 > 0:21:20Erm, I listen to music that is sometimes challenging.
0:21:20 > 0:21:25Erm, but he always stretched your imagination
0:21:25 > 0:21:27and stretched the boundaries.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31Tony's artistic tastes were formed in his 30s
0:21:31 > 0:21:34when he left Liverpool to go to art school in London.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38When he first arrived at the end of the '50s,
0:21:38 > 0:21:44rationing had just ended and the War was still a recent memory.
0:21:44 > 0:21:47The style of painting being taught reflected this feeling
0:21:47 > 0:21:48of sober realism.
0:21:50 > 0:21:53Art in this country was really dominated by kitchen sink.
0:21:53 > 0:21:57It was people like John Bratby and Derrick Greaves and Ed Middleditch
0:21:57 > 0:22:00and others. And they were painting toilets,
0:22:00 > 0:22:03they were painting, literally, kitchen sinks.
0:22:03 > 0:22:07But, at the same time, on the other side of the Atlantic,
0:22:07 > 0:22:10a revolution was taking place in the art world.
0:22:10 > 0:22:13Avant-garde art had burst onto the scene
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and the American public couldn't get enough of it,
0:22:16 > 0:22:18queuing up to get into the first exhibitions.
0:22:20 > 0:22:22It wasn't long before this exciting
0:22:22 > 0:22:24and experimental new movement came to London.
0:22:26 > 0:22:29And, as a student, Tony would have been at the heart of it.
0:22:31 > 0:22:36I think the dominant theme of this period,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39being an art student around the '50s and '60s,
0:22:39 > 0:22:43is a progressive openness to what's going on around you,
0:22:43 > 0:22:44the consumer boom.
0:22:44 > 0:22:48And the mass media really begun to influence artists.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51I think there was a social revolution at this time
0:22:51 > 0:22:55and I think there was a corresponding artistic revolution.
0:22:55 > 0:22:57There was a thirst for change.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01Erm, with greater wealth, with greater financial means,
0:23:01 > 0:23:05people wanted to put the past behind them
0:23:05 > 0:23:08and they wanted to strike out in new directions.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12You want to reflect these things, you want to plug into them
0:23:12 > 0:23:15and you want to make an art that is of its time,
0:23:15 > 0:23:21a new art engaged with a very dynamic, new, engaging world.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24After a slow start,
0:23:24 > 0:23:27heir hunter Saul Marks had finally got the information he needed
0:23:27 > 0:23:29to crack this case.
0:23:29 > 0:23:34On Tony's father Joseph's side, he found three heirs.
0:23:34 > 0:23:38While his mother Annie had six brothers and sisters.
0:23:38 > 0:23:40Between them, they had eight children.
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Sure enough, once we'd established that there were eight heirs
0:23:45 > 0:23:49on the maternal side, many of them were here in the Merseyside area,
0:23:49 > 0:23:51it was a case of dashing round at high speed
0:23:51 > 0:23:53to see as many of them as possible.
0:23:53 > 0:23:56So, it was jumping in the car and going from one to the next,
0:23:56 > 0:23:59to the next and hoping that none of them had been contacted before.
0:24:00 > 0:24:01Saul had known from the beginning
0:24:01 > 0:24:04that there would be a lot of interest in this case
0:24:04 > 0:24:07from other heir hunting companies.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09When he discovered that there were relatively few heirs,
0:24:09 > 0:24:11he knew that he would have to act quickly
0:24:11 > 0:24:15if he was going to get to them before the competition.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21The first heir that he approached was Julie Evans,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24Tony's first cousin on his mother's side.
0:24:24 > 0:24:27What Saul didn't know was that Julie had already been contacted
0:24:27 > 0:24:30the day before by a rival company
0:24:30 > 0:24:32who broke the news to her that Tony had died.
0:24:34 > 0:24:38A gentleman who rang me to tell me
0:24:38 > 0:24:43that my cousin... Did I have a cousin, Anthony Whelan?
0:24:43 > 0:24:44So, I said, yes, I did.
0:24:44 > 0:24:47But I was very cautious because I don't divulge details easily.
0:24:49 > 0:24:51After talking to the other company, Julie agreed
0:24:51 > 0:24:55that they should send her a contract by post, which arrived the next day.
0:24:55 > 0:24:58She signed it and put it out for posting.
0:24:58 > 0:25:03But later that morning, she noticed a car pull into her driveway.
0:25:03 > 0:25:07A gentleman gets out, very smartly dressed with a briefcase,
0:25:07 > 0:25:11walks up the drive and I think, this looks like a doctor, but I'm not ill.
0:25:12 > 0:25:14Came to the door and it turned out to be Saul.
0:25:14 > 0:25:18I stated who I was and the situation
0:25:18 > 0:25:20and she and her husband, actually, invited me in
0:25:20 > 0:25:21and we had a lovely chat.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25Saul was able to show Julie and her husband the family tree
0:25:25 > 0:25:29that he'd drawn up, showing all Tony's relatives
0:25:29 > 0:25:32and explained to her how he had gathered some of his information.
0:25:34 > 0:25:38In return, Julie was able to tell Saul about her cousin Tony.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40As children, they had been very close.
0:25:42 > 0:25:44We used to call each other the twins
0:25:44 > 0:25:48because I was born on the 7th November and he was born on the 15th.
0:25:48 > 0:25:49So we always said we were twins.
0:25:51 > 0:25:56She also had fond memories of Tony's father, Joseph Whelan.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00Uncle Joe was so reserved, very gentlemanly,
0:26:00 > 0:26:03didn't display his feelings easily.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07I think, probably, Tony inherited some of that from his father.
0:26:08 > 0:26:12Julie was also able to shed some light on Tony's romantic life.
0:26:13 > 0:26:19He was engaged to be married and his fiancee died quite tragically.
0:26:21 > 0:26:27And whether that affected him, I think it did, actually,
0:26:27 > 0:26:31because I think, maybe, he went more into himself then.
0:26:31 > 0:26:36Sadly, the two cousins lost touch when they were in their early 20s.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38I went over to Canada to work.
0:26:39 > 0:26:45And we just...I'm not sure when his mother died and his father died.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49And once that connection was gone, it was gone then.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51Because, by that time, he'd gone down to London.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55But Julie did have one thing to remind her of her long lost cousin.
0:26:56 > 0:27:00He had given her one of his paintings for her 21st birthday.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04She was able to go and get this framed painting
0:27:04 > 0:27:07and show it to me and it actually had, on the back of it,
0:27:07 > 0:27:09his signature and the date when he did it.
0:27:09 > 0:27:14Which was great to be able to look at something which he'd done.
0:27:14 > 0:27:17It really brought him to life, from my point of view.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20But while all this was going on,
0:27:20 > 0:27:23there was still the small matter of a signed contract in the hall
0:27:23 > 0:27:26that was waiting to be posted to a rival heir hunting company.
0:27:29 > 0:27:33It's not the done thing in our profession to persuade anyone
0:27:33 > 0:27:38to break a contract that they've already signed with someone else.
0:27:38 > 0:27:43So I simply left my contract with them, for them to decide.
0:27:43 > 0:27:46It didn't take Julie long to make up her mind.
0:27:46 > 0:27:49She came to the conclusion, in the end, that she would,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52actually, prefer to sign with us than with the other company.
0:27:52 > 0:27:54So she never actually broke that contract,
0:27:54 > 0:27:56she just chose to post ours and not theirs.
0:27:56 > 0:28:02For Saul, it was a great conclusion to a fascinating investigation.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05In the end, he managed to sign up five out of eleven heirs
0:28:05 > 0:28:08to Tony Whelan's £18,000 estate.
0:28:12 > 0:28:15But, for Julie, it wasn't about the money.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19Through Saul, she got in touch with Tony's old friend Alison,
0:28:19 > 0:28:22who sent her some more recent photographs of her cousin.
0:28:22 > 0:28:26Julie hadn't seen Tony since they were in their 20s,
0:28:26 > 0:28:28so the photos took her by surprise.
0:28:29 > 0:28:32I would never, ever have associated him with having a beard.
0:28:32 > 0:28:36But it does tie in with the mariner aspect, doesn't it?
0:28:36 > 0:28:40Absolutely. It makes me feel as though I know him now.
0:28:40 > 0:28:43Again. Ha-ha. How strange.
0:28:43 > 0:28:46But chatting with Alison brought the old memories flooding back.
0:28:47 > 0:28:49What she told me that she knew of him,
0:28:49 > 0:28:52it bore out exactly what I knew of him as a child.
0:28:52 > 0:28:55That he was quiet and reserved and gentlemanly.
0:28:56 > 0:29:01It is nice to find out that he had good friends elsewhere
0:29:01 > 0:29:03and that they looked after him.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06And Julie knows exactly what she's going to do
0:29:06 > 0:29:08with her share of the inheritance.
0:29:09 > 0:29:15I love paintings. I'm going to buy a painting in memory.
0:29:15 > 0:29:19Because all of the paintings that I have are all memories of people
0:29:19 > 0:29:22or places and that will be one of them.
0:29:35 > 0:29:39Heir hunters Fraser & Fraser have been investigating the case
0:29:39 > 0:29:40of reclusive Ronald Fawcett.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43Ronald died aged 79 in Stoke-on-Trent,
0:29:43 > 0:29:47leaving an estimated £30,000 estate.
0:29:48 > 0:29:50I wouldn't say he was unfriendly,
0:29:50 > 0:29:53I would say he was a reserved man, for whatever reason.
0:29:53 > 0:29:58I think his dad, erm, dominated proceedings.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01For many years, Ronald lived with his parents.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05His father Albert was a larger-than-life character,
0:30:05 > 0:30:09who had been chief superintendent of Staffordshire police force.
0:30:09 > 0:30:11He was an old-fashioned copper.
0:30:11 > 0:30:16And he was an enormous man, built like a giant.
0:30:16 > 0:30:20Absolutely huge. Police officers used to visit him quite frequently.
0:30:22 > 0:30:23They would call him "sir"
0:30:23 > 0:30:28and he was obviously well-thought-of in the police force in his day.
0:30:29 > 0:30:32Tom Parton served under Albert as a police inspector
0:30:32 > 0:30:36and remembers him as an inspirational but imposing figure.
0:30:36 > 0:30:38I respected him very much and he had
0:30:38 > 0:30:44a terrific sense of fairness and honesty, but he took short shrift
0:30:44 > 0:30:46with the criminal fraternity.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Tom recalls one particular incident
0:30:49 > 0:30:51when a violent criminal was holed up in a house,
0:30:51 > 0:30:55threatening to beat anyone who came near him with an iron crowbar.
0:30:56 > 0:30:59Bert arrives on the scene, "What's going on here?"
0:30:59 > 0:31:00And they told him.
0:31:00 > 0:31:03So he kicked the door down, went up the stairs three at a time,
0:31:03 > 0:31:06hit this bloke so hard he nearly went through the wall
0:31:06 > 0:31:07into the house next door,
0:31:07 > 0:31:12and brought him down by his trouser backside and his collar
0:31:12 > 0:31:13and put him in the police van.
0:31:13 > 0:31:17And that's what he did, that's the way he worked.
0:31:17 > 0:31:21But he solved that problem without any further trouble.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27For Ronald, his father must have been a hard act to follow.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29It seems that he chose a very different path
0:31:29 > 0:31:32by cutting himself off from the outside world.
0:31:33 > 0:31:38He'd had no contact with any family of note for a long, long time.
0:31:38 > 0:31:41Maybe he didn't even know they existed, I don't know.
0:31:41 > 0:31:47It'd be a real good outcome if his family do benefit from this.
0:31:47 > 0:31:50I would really be dead chuffed for them.
0:31:50 > 0:31:54It's been a difficult start for heir hunter David Pacifico.
0:31:54 > 0:31:57Erm, unfortunately, it may not be the correct family after all.
0:31:57 > 0:32:00The team have been feeding names of potential heirs.
0:32:00 > 0:32:02David.
0:32:04 > 0:32:05- Where's that?- York.
0:32:05 > 0:32:08But he just can't get the break through he needs.
0:32:08 > 0:32:11No reply and no answer phone either.
0:32:13 > 0:32:17On the paternal side of the family, David has been trying to trace
0:32:17 > 0:32:20an unnamed sibling of Ronald's father Albert.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22He called York Register Office
0:32:22 > 0:32:25who have a record of a Henry Fawcett born in 1911,
0:32:25 > 0:32:29who sounds like the missing Fawcett brother.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Then, out of the blue,
0:32:31 > 0:32:34one of David's answer phone messages pays off.
0:32:36 > 0:32:38Many thanks. Thank you. Bye, bye.
0:32:38 > 0:32:42Right, I've spoken to a widow of an uncle.
0:32:43 > 0:32:46David has just got off the phone with Dorothy Fawcett,
0:32:46 > 0:32:50the widow of Henry Fawcett, the missing brother of John and Albert.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54She told David that her husband's first wife was Barbara
0:32:54 > 0:32:58and that they'd had six children, four girls and two boys.
0:33:00 > 0:33:02All of these children stand to inherit
0:33:02 > 0:33:05from their cousin Ronald's estimated £30,000 estate.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09David's delighted.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11He's sorted out the paternal side of the case
0:33:11 > 0:33:16and Dorothy had information about Ronald's mother's family as well.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19She also knew that the deceased's mother was,
0:33:19 > 0:33:23her maiden name was Edwards, and she thought there was a brother
0:33:23 > 0:33:26which ties in perfectly with what we've got.
0:33:26 > 0:33:29So I think, on the face of it, it looks like we've got one branch
0:33:29 > 0:33:33on the mother's side of the family and two on the father's side.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39Erm, six, seven, eight. Making in total about ten beneficiaries.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43At last, this investigation is up and running.
0:33:43 > 0:33:45David knows how many heirs there are.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47Now he needs to get on and contact them.
0:33:47 > 0:33:49Put that marriage update.
0:33:49 > 0:33:52- What was the other child's name? Ruth and...?- Andrew.- Andrew.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57Two of Ronald's ten heirs are Ruth and Andrew Fawcett,
0:33:57 > 0:34:02the adopted children of John Fawcett, Ronald's paternal uncle.
0:34:02 > 0:34:04Ruth and Andrew were officially adopted,
0:34:04 > 0:34:08so they are as entitled as any biological cousins.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13The uncle adopted two children, one of whom we've got an address for,
0:34:13 > 0:34:16but no phone number, and the other one, we're still trying to trace her.
0:34:18 > 0:34:20David can't afford to wait around
0:34:20 > 0:34:23while the team tracks down phone numbers for Ruth and Andrew.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27He's got a number for Andrew's neighbour in Devon, so he dives in.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30I'm sorry to trouble you,
0:34:30 > 0:34:33I'm speaking from London, I'm trying to trace a Mr Fawcett.
0:34:33 > 0:34:35I'm hoping he might be a neighbour of yours.
0:34:35 > 0:34:38I wondered if I could pass my name and details...
0:34:38 > 0:34:39Would you mind doing so, sir?
0:34:39 > 0:34:40Thank you very much.
0:34:40 > 0:34:44Time for David to check in with Paul Matthews,
0:34:44 > 0:34:46who's been on the road now for four hours.
0:34:46 > 0:34:48He's just arriving in York,
0:34:48 > 0:34:52where he's hoping to meet up with Ronald's two maternal cousins.
0:34:53 > 0:34:55If you print off the tree,
0:34:55 > 0:35:00you'll see the addresses of the two cousins on the mother's side in York.
0:35:00 > 0:35:02Perhaps you could make inquiries there.
0:35:02 > 0:35:04Yeah, well, I can at least dash neighbours
0:35:04 > 0:35:05or try and track them down.
0:35:05 > 0:35:08- Yeah.- Perhaps the son or daughters are at work or something.
0:35:08 > 0:35:10And the other stem where there's six children
0:35:10 > 0:35:12and they're dotted all over place.
0:35:12 > 0:35:15Because I'm going, obviously, to have to write to one or two people here.
0:35:15 > 0:35:17David's also found addresses in Sheffield
0:35:17 > 0:35:20for some heirs from Ronald's father's side.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24So he wants Paul to go on there after York.
0:35:24 > 0:35:25It would mean a long day,
0:35:25 > 0:35:29but the pressure's on and they can't afford to wait till tomorrow.
0:35:30 > 0:35:31Any sign of competition?
0:35:32 > 0:35:34Not as yet, but, you know.
0:35:34 > 0:35:36While David's on the phone,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39he gets a call-back from Andrew Fawcett in Devon.
0:35:39 > 0:35:43Case manager Frances Brett jumps straight on it.
0:35:43 > 0:35:48I can see that David is going to be on the phone for quite some time.
0:35:49 > 0:35:53I am taking it you are Andrew Fawcett of Ottery St Mary?
0:35:53 > 0:35:57They've finally managed to speak to their first heir.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00The company's representative in Devon is not available today,
0:36:00 > 0:36:04so Frances explains to Andrew that he will be one of the beneficiaries
0:36:04 > 0:36:08of his cousin Ronald's £30,000 estate.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11Well, thank you very much, Mr Fawcett.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14- How have you left it with him? - I'll write to him.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19At last, they're making some headway on this case.
0:36:19 > 0:36:22An agreement will be in the post to Mr Fawcett tonight,
0:36:22 > 0:36:23but there's still no guarantee
0:36:23 > 0:36:27that another heir hunting company won't get to him before it arrives.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31What they really need is to get their foot in the door
0:36:31 > 0:36:33and meet with some heirs face-to-face.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37Which is what Paul Matthews is trying to do in York.
0:36:37 > 0:36:40He's just arrived at the address of one of the children
0:36:40 > 0:36:43of Ronald's maternal uncle, Ernest Jesse Edwards.
0:36:45 > 0:36:49There's plenty of activity going on at the house,
0:36:49 > 0:36:51but no sign of the homeowner.
0:36:52 > 0:36:56He even tries the neighbours before calling back to the office.
0:36:56 > 0:37:00Er, Mr Edwards went away this morning for a weekend break.
0:37:00 > 0:37:01Oh.
0:37:01 > 0:37:05No joy with the neighbours, all I know is he's back on Tuesday.
0:37:05 > 0:37:08OK, what about his sister?
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Well, I'm just about to go there now cos it's about ten miles out of York
0:37:11 > 0:37:14- and I've got to go back the opposite way to get to the sister.- OK.
0:37:14 > 0:37:15I'll leave a note, Dave,
0:37:15 > 0:37:18so he knows at least we've taken the trouble to pay him first a call.
0:37:18 > 0:37:20'No, fair enough.'
0:37:20 > 0:37:23Paul heads straight round to the other cousin's house.
0:37:23 > 0:37:25If she's not at home,
0:37:25 > 0:37:28then his whole trip to York will have been a complete waste of time.
0:37:31 > 0:37:36- But then, their luck changes. - Thank you for calling back.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38David's speaking to that other heir in York,
0:37:38 > 0:37:42Ronald's maternal cousin Mary Lazenby.
0:37:42 > 0:37:44She couldn't have called at a better time.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48One of my colleagues is actually in York as we speak.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50Would it be possible for you to meet with him?
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Thank you very much, Mrs Lazenby. Bye, bye.
0:37:53 > 0:37:56Dave calls Paul with the good news.
0:37:56 > 0:38:00- Paul, hi, listen, Mrs Lazenby's just phoned me.- Oh, right, nice one.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02She's happy to meet with you this afternoon.
0:38:02 > 0:38:04I said it could be about 20 minutes.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Yeah, I shall be there in... oh, about five minutes.
0:38:08 > 0:38:10So it's not a wasted journey, thank goodness.
0:38:10 > 0:38:13While Paul heads off to Mary's address,
0:38:13 > 0:38:15David gets busy on the phone.
0:38:15 > 0:38:18Yes, this is Fraser & Fraser here.
0:38:18 > 0:38:22Henry Fawcett's six children have spread out all over the country.
0:38:22 > 0:38:26The fact is, we're trying to contact all members of the Fawcett family
0:38:26 > 0:38:30regarding an estate of a cousin of yours that has since passed away.
0:38:30 > 0:38:34There's no sign of any competition so far on this case,
0:38:34 > 0:38:38but David knows that they can appear at any time.
0:38:38 > 0:38:41So he's making every effort to get all these heirs signed up.
0:38:41 > 0:38:43I'll be getting a letter in the post to you today
0:38:43 > 0:38:47and, no doubt, we'll speak further about this in the near future.
0:38:47 > 0:38:52In York, Paul Matthews arrives at Mary Lazenby's address.
0:38:53 > 0:38:55Mary is Ronald's first cousin,
0:38:55 > 0:38:57the daughter of his mother's brother, Ernest Jesse Edwards.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03Paul talks Mary through the details of her cousin Ronald's estate
0:39:03 > 0:39:06and how she came to be contacted.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09What happens in these cases, invariably, is he's passed away,
0:39:09 > 0:39:13- he's kept himself to himself, the neighbours haven't got a clue.- No.
0:39:13 > 0:39:15- The social services get involved. - Yeah.
0:39:15 > 0:39:17- They'll arrange a funeral.- Yeah.
0:39:17 > 0:39:20And then, sooner or later, they look for relatives
0:39:20 > 0:39:24and then we get involved and we come and tell people about it.
0:39:24 > 0:39:26Yeah. It's quite sad, really.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29After hearing what Paul has to say,
0:39:29 > 0:39:32Mary decides to sign an agreement there and then.
0:39:32 > 0:39:36It's a fantastic result for Paul and the whole company.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Their first signed-up heir on this case.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42- OK, thanks very much indeed. - Bye, bye.- Bye, bye.
0:39:42 > 0:39:47- 'Hello?'- Hello, Dave, Paul. I've seen Mrs Lazenby, very nice lady.
0:39:47 > 0:39:49- She's signed up with us. - She did? Well done.
0:39:49 > 0:39:54Her brother gets back on Tuesday. She will tell him about our visit.
0:39:54 > 0:39:56But by then, he'll have a letter waiting when he gets back.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59Yeah, I'm sending a letter to him today.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03Mary and her brother Ernest are the only two heirs
0:40:03 > 0:40:06on the maternal side of Ronald's family tree.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09But despite being such a small family,
0:40:09 > 0:40:11Mary only had very vague contact with her cousin.
0:40:14 > 0:40:18Ron was very different. He would never, erm...
0:40:18 > 0:40:20Although he was, sort of, family-aware,
0:40:20 > 0:40:22he didn't want any more contact.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25I think he was just one of these very lone people.
0:40:27 > 0:40:30I do think it's really important to keep in contact with family
0:40:30 > 0:40:33and, I must admit, I do keep in touch with quite a few other cousins,
0:40:33 > 0:40:36but Ron, as I say, was a little bit different.
0:40:38 > 0:40:43Meanwhile, Paul is back on the road. His day is far from over.
0:40:43 > 0:40:46He's now driving 60 miles south to Sheffield,
0:40:46 > 0:40:49where he's booked in to visit at least one more heir.
0:40:50 > 0:40:54It's going to be a late finish, I'm afraid.
0:40:56 > 0:40:58He's got an appointment to visit Frances,
0:40:58 > 0:41:01one of Henry Fawcett's six children
0:41:01 > 0:41:04and another of Ronald's first cousins on the paternal side.
0:41:06 > 0:41:12When Paul does arrive in Sheffield, he gets an enthusiastic welcome.
0:41:12 > 0:41:13DOG WHINES
0:41:13 > 0:41:16- Hello.- Hello. - Mrs Crabtree?- It is, yes.
0:41:16 > 0:41:19- Hello, Paul Matthews, Fraser & Fraser.- Oh, hello.- We were expected?
0:41:19 > 0:41:21- Yeah, come in.- Nice to meet you.
0:41:21 > 0:41:23Frances is interested to hear
0:41:23 > 0:41:25how Paul has got on with contacting other members of the family.
0:41:27 > 0:41:33So, have you had to go to York to find out Auntie Mary's, erm...?
0:41:34 > 0:41:39- Yeah.- ..family.- Yeah. Mary had a brother called Ernest, Ernest Jesse.
0:41:39 > 0:41:40Well, I never knew that.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43It's been another successful interview for Paul
0:41:43 > 0:41:47and another signed agreement for the company.
0:41:47 > 0:41:48Nice meeting you.
0:41:48 > 0:41:50I hope you get a nice sum of money and all the best for the future.
0:41:50 > 0:41:52- Thank you.- Cheers, bye.
0:41:52 > 0:41:55For Frances, this sad news was the first she'd heard
0:41:55 > 0:41:57of her cousin for years.
0:41:57 > 0:42:00We didn't really know him very well because he was very shy
0:42:00 > 0:42:02and quiet and...
0:42:02 > 0:42:06We didn't really see a lot of him because they lived in Stoke-on-Trent
0:42:06 > 0:42:09and we lived in Sheffield, obviously.
0:42:09 > 0:42:14It seems that the shy, young boy grew up to be a reclusive man.
0:42:17 > 0:42:18But Ronald Fawcett had a large family
0:42:18 > 0:42:21who all benefited from his estate.
0:42:21 > 0:42:23So, in death, he won't be forgotten.
0:42:25 > 0:42:30In the end, Frasers managed to sign up nine out of the ten heirs
0:42:30 > 0:42:34to Ronald Fawcett's estate, which was eventually valued at £13,000,
0:42:34 > 0:42:36less than the company had hoped for.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39But still an unexpected windfall for the heirs.
0:42:39 > 0:42:41Very happy the way this worked together.
0:42:41 > 0:42:43The team did very well and worked hard.
0:42:43 > 0:42:47We identified about ten people, erm,
0:42:47 > 0:42:50and are representing much of the family in this matter.
0:42:51 > 0:42:54If you would like advice about building your family tree
0:42:54 > 0:42:56or making a will, go to:
0:43:07 > 0:43:10Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd