0:00:02 > 0:00:04Today, we're searching for the heirs of a skilled craftsman
0:00:04 > 0:00:08who's rumoured to have left an estate of £40,000 in cash.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Somewhere out there are some long-lost relatives
0:00:14 > 0:00:17who have no idea they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:17 > 0:00:20- Could the heir hunters be knocking at your door?- Hello?
0:00:35 > 0:00:40On today's programme, it's all in the name.
0:00:40 > 0:00:41The name Clarke is awful.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45You only need to drop the E and you're really in queer street.
0:00:45 > 0:00:49It's tough times for the heir hunters, as they tackle
0:00:49 > 0:00:52- one of their most demanding cases yet.- No luck?
0:00:52 > 0:00:56And the death of a bricklayer from Bradford
0:00:56 > 0:00:59leads all the way to a legendary Derby winner.
0:00:59 > 0:01:02I've spent the inheritance!
0:01:02 > 0:01:06Plus, how you may be entitled to inherit an unclaimed estate
0:01:06 > 0:01:08held by the Treasury.
0:01:08 > 0:01:10Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:19 > 0:01:20Every year in the UK,
0:01:20 > 0:01:24an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:26 > 0:01:32If no relatives are found, then any money that's left behind will go to the Government.
0:01:32 > 0:01:37Last year, they made £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:38 > 0:01:40That's where the heir hunters come in.
0:01:40 > 0:01:43They make it their business to track down missing relatives
0:01:43 > 0:01:46and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:01:47 > 0:01:53We reunite family members, even decades after they've lost contact with each other.
0:02:03 > 0:02:07It's seven in the morning at the offices of heir hunters Fraser & Fraser.
0:02:07 > 0:02:11The Treasury has just released its weekly list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14In the UK, if someone dies without leaving a will,
0:02:14 > 0:02:19has no known relatives, and their estate is worth £5,000 or more
0:02:19 > 0:02:21then it will appear on this list.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24- Debbie?- Yeah?- Can you take this?
0:02:24 > 0:02:30The team's first job is to try and identify the high-value cases.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34The death of Gordon Clarke. Died in Birmingham in Ladywood.
0:02:34 > 0:02:39With only a name and place of death to go on, it's not easy.
0:02:41 > 0:02:44Boss Neil Fraser has singled out one case that may not immediately
0:02:44 > 0:02:48look like it's worth a lot, but he's got a good feeling about it.
0:02:49 > 0:02:52We're going to work on the case of Gordon Clarke.
0:02:52 > 0:02:55He died in 2009, in Birmingham. We don't know a huge amount about it.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59It doesn't look like there's any value, but who knows?
0:02:59 > 0:03:02We may find a little bit of cash hidden in a drawer or something.
0:03:02 > 0:03:05The value of estates is really important to the heir hunters
0:03:05 > 0:03:08because they work on commission, earning a percentage
0:03:08 > 0:03:10of the amount that's claimed by each heir they sign.
0:03:10 > 0:03:14So Neil is hoping that his hunch is going to pay off.
0:03:22 > 0:03:26Gordon Clarke died, aged 65, on the 24th January 2009.
0:03:26 > 0:03:31He lived in this block of flats in the Ladywood area of Birmingham.
0:03:33 > 0:03:36His friend, Nilesh Patel, lives nearby.
0:03:36 > 0:03:38He'd always be there to help everybody.
0:03:38 > 0:03:42He'd always put other people first, before himself.
0:03:42 > 0:03:44He'd always be up for a good conversation,
0:03:44 > 0:03:47he'd always be there as a good listener.
0:03:47 > 0:03:51He'd be like a breath of fresh air. You know?
0:03:51 > 0:03:54Although Gordon was quite a bit older than his friend,
0:03:54 > 0:03:56he was definitely young at heart.
0:03:56 > 0:03:59Not many 60-year-olds are keen followers of rave music.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02I mean, I was surprised when I first met him,
0:04:02 > 0:04:06that, "Hold on, you're this age and you listen to this type of music?
0:04:06 > 0:04:10"You should be down there on Broad Street, clubbing every night."
0:04:11 > 0:04:14He was a fantastic person, one in a million.
0:04:14 > 0:04:17I really lost a good friend that day.
0:04:17 > 0:04:22I'd say he was more than a friend - I'd say he was a family member.
0:04:30 > 0:04:34Back in the office, and the question the heir hunters need to answer is,
0:04:34 > 0:04:40does Gordon have any family members who would be eligible to inherit?
0:04:40 > 0:04:42And if this case is going to be worth enough
0:04:42 > 0:04:45to merit a full investigation.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49The best place to start looking for answers is at Gordon's home.
0:04:49 > 0:04:54Case manager David Milchard, known around the office as Grimble,
0:04:54 > 0:04:57has been given responsibility for this case
0:04:57 > 0:04:59and he gets straight on the phone to Bob Barratt,
0:04:59 > 0:05:02one of the company's senior researchers on the road.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05'It's on a case called Gordon Clarke.
0:05:05 > 0:05:07- 'We think it's a low-value estate.' - Right.
0:05:07 > 0:05:12'We need an enquiry to see if we can get any value on it.'
0:05:12 > 0:05:14Yeah, sure.
0:05:16 > 0:05:19Heir hunting relies heavily on research done in the office,
0:05:19 > 0:05:22but it's senior researchers on the road, like Bob Barratt,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25who are the public face of the company.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29They're based all over the country and it's their job to follow up
0:05:29 > 0:05:34any lead and make sure they get to the heirs ahead of the competition.
0:05:43 > 0:05:44Hello?
0:05:44 > 0:05:47- Do you want me to let you in, love?- Yeah, thanks.
0:05:47 > 0:05:51Bob arrives at the block of flats where Gordon lived.
0:05:51 > 0:05:54He wants to talk to the neighbours
0:05:54 > 0:05:57to see what he can find out about the deceased.
0:05:57 > 0:05:59'He's always lived on his own there, has he?
0:05:59 > 0:06:04'Did he own the premises or property or are they all council owned?'
0:06:06 > 0:06:09Bob's first findings aren't encouraging.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12The neighbours never saw any of Gordon's family,
0:06:12 > 0:06:15who might be able to help with the investigation.
0:06:15 > 0:06:18Crucially, it appears he didn't own his flat,
0:06:18 > 0:06:21which would mean the estate could be worth much less
0:06:21 > 0:06:23than the heir hunters had hoped.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27But Bob is a pro and doesn't take just one person's word for it.
0:06:27 > 0:06:31So he heads off in search of more people to talk to,
0:06:31 > 0:06:33and his persistence pays off.
0:06:34 > 0:06:36It could be there's some value here.
0:06:36 > 0:06:40- I spoke to a neighbour who knew him quite well... - HE COUGHS
0:06:40 > 0:06:43Excuse me. ..and he had several pensions
0:06:43 > 0:06:46and just one cash sum that came out.
0:06:46 > 0:06:50She reckons his estate might be about 40,000.
0:06:50 > 0:06:52- 'Right then, Bob. Thank you.'- OK.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59This is the news the heir hunters have been waiting for.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02£40,000 is a decent-sized estate,
0:07:02 > 0:07:06and worthy of an investigation, so it's all systems go.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09- How many children are there? - Five alive, one dead.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Grimble assigns senior researcher Alan
0:07:12 > 0:07:14and researcher Eesha to the case.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17They get hold of Gordon's death certificate,
0:07:17 > 0:07:20which shows that he was born in Birmingham.
0:07:21 > 0:07:24They can then access his birth certificate,
0:07:24 > 0:07:28which reveals that his parents were Frederick Clarke and Lily Bowen,
0:07:28 > 0:07:33and that he was an only child. They now know there is no near kin
0:07:33 > 0:07:35or brothers and sisters on this case.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39They need to go further back in the family tree and look for aunts,
0:07:39 > 0:07:41uncles, and eventually cousins.
0:07:43 > 0:07:45The team decide to tackle the paternal side first,
0:07:45 > 0:07:49and try to find any siblings for Gordon's father, Frederick Clarke.
0:07:51 > 0:07:55Elizabeth May, born June 1907, Birmingham.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57Eesha gives Alan a list of five names that she found
0:07:57 > 0:08:00on the 1911 census.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04It seems he had four brothers, Frank, William, George and Albert.
0:08:04 > 0:08:09And a sister, Elizabeth. All very common names for the period.
0:08:09 > 0:08:13Combined with the surname, Clarke, they spell bad news for Alan.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15Unfortunately, because the name is Clarke,
0:08:15 > 0:08:18and they're not good combinations of names,
0:08:18 > 0:08:21we'll have to trawl through some very common name searches
0:08:21 > 0:08:23to try and identify what we want.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26Eesha gets straight onto it, and it's not long
0:08:26 > 0:08:29before she's homed in on the correct birth record
0:08:29 > 0:08:31for each member of the Clarke family.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Somehow she's managed to make a hard task look very easy,
0:08:34 > 0:08:37and Alan can't quite believe it.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41How do you know these ones are correct?
0:08:41 > 0:08:42They're quite common names.
0:08:42 > 0:08:46Yeah, they were like a year apart or something.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51Sure enough, Eesha's research is spot on,
0:08:51 > 0:08:53and gives them the information they need
0:08:53 > 0:08:56to proceed with their investigation.
0:08:57 > 0:09:01The youngest of Gordon's uncles and aunts was born in 1907.
0:09:01 > 0:09:02They are all now deceased,
0:09:02 > 0:09:05so the next step is to look for their marriages
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and any children who would be Gordon's first cousins.
0:09:08 > 0:09:11Do you want to have a look at Elizabeth, then?
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Elizabeth or May Elizabeth?
0:09:15 > 0:09:18Eesha now turns her attention to Gordon's aunt Elizabeth,
0:09:18 > 0:09:20who married Frank Davis.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24It looks like, unfortunately, she's married a Davis,
0:09:24 > 0:09:26which doesn't help me at all.
0:09:26 > 0:09:31It seems even super-researcher Eesha has met her match.
0:09:31 > 0:09:35Davis, as a surname, is about as common as Clarke.
0:09:35 > 0:09:39So the chances are there will be thousands of Davis-Clarke births
0:09:39 > 0:09:41in Birmingham.
0:09:41 > 0:09:45This case is going to test the heir hunters' skills to the limit.
0:09:45 > 0:09:48- No luck, Eesha?- At times like this,
0:09:48 > 0:09:52the best thing to do is to consolidate what they already know.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56- So Grimble gets on the phone to Paul Matthews.- I'm all ears.
0:09:56 > 0:09:59Paul is another of the company's senior researchers on the road
0:09:59 > 0:10:01and is based in the Midlands.
0:10:01 > 0:10:07Now, what we want initially are some births, from the same father, definitely.
0:10:07 > 0:10:08He's Frederick Theodore.
0:10:08 > 0:10:14- Clarke with...? - The 6th of June 1905.- Yeah.
0:10:14 > 0:10:17So, initially, that's what we need you to sort out, first of all.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21Paul heads off to Birmingham Register Office,
0:10:21 > 0:10:25to get the birth certificates of all the Clarke brothers and sisters.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28That way, at least they can be 100% sure
0:10:28 > 0:10:30they have the right family.
0:10:30 > 0:10:34This case is beginning to feel like an uphill struggle.
0:10:34 > 0:10:38The name Clarke is awful.
0:10:38 > 0:10:44Not only is it a common name, you only need to drop the E,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47and you're really in queer street.
0:10:47 > 0:10:51It's almost as bad as the name Smith.
0:10:56 > 0:10:59Paul knows the staff at the register office very well,
0:10:59 > 0:11:01and it's not long before John, the registrar,
0:11:01 > 0:11:04has found those all-important certificates.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07The first one, Frederick Theodore.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10He's the man we want!
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Frederick Theodore.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16OK. The next two are...Frank,
0:11:16 > 0:11:21then you've got George, born the 25th of April 1901.
0:11:21 > 0:11:24One by one, he reels off the whole family.
0:11:24 > 0:11:30Your final one is Elizabeth May. That's who I've got for you.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34- OK. That's great, right. Cheers, John.- OK.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36Job done.
0:11:36 > 0:11:37'Good afternoon, Fraser & Fraser.'
0:11:37 > 0:11:39Yeah, Paul Matthews, after Grimble, please.
0:11:39 > 0:11:43Paul reports back to base to get his next instructions.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46- Can you try for a marriage of Elizabeth May Clarke...- Yep.
0:11:46 > 0:11:48..to Frank Davis?
0:11:48 > 0:11:51September 1913.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54Okey-cokie. OK, Dave. Cheers.
0:11:54 > 0:11:56They need the marriage certificate
0:11:56 > 0:12:00to prove that Elizabeth did indeed marry Frank Davis.
0:12:00 > 0:12:03Then they can go on to look for any children.
0:12:03 > 0:12:07But Paul's also going to try another angle.
0:12:07 > 0:12:10I'm trying to basically find the death of Elizabeth May Davis -
0:12:10 > 0:12:13I hope that she never remarried.
0:12:13 > 0:12:21Born 1907, so I'm working back from 1990, hoping we get lucky.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25Paul's working on the theory that if Elizabeth had any children,
0:12:25 > 0:12:29then they are likely to be listed on her death certificate
0:12:29 > 0:12:30as the informant.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33The team are relying on him to make a breakthrough
0:12:33 > 0:12:36on this most complicated and demanding of cases.
0:12:36 > 0:12:38But with so many Clarke-Davises in Birmingham,
0:12:38 > 0:12:40he's got a mountain to climb.
0:12:40 > 0:12:46It's just trial and error, a matter of trawling through it and hoping you'll find it.
0:12:46 > 0:12:47The truth is out there.
0:12:55 > 0:12:58Coming up, at last David's got something to get excited about...
0:12:58 > 0:13:02Oh, terrific. We've definitely got the right family.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05..as the hunt for Gordon Clarke's heirs hots up.
0:13:15 > 0:13:17Sometimes families lose contact
0:13:17 > 0:13:20because one member moves away from their hometown.
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Even if it's only a short distance.
0:13:23 > 0:13:24Years can go by
0:13:24 > 0:13:28and relationships that were once very close can be lost forever.
0:13:28 > 0:13:32This was exactly what happened with Jack Thornton.
0:13:32 > 0:13:39Jack died, aged 61, on July the 19th 2005 in Bradford, West Yorkshire.
0:13:39 > 0:13:43He left no will and only a couple of childhood photos survive of him.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47Before he died,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51Jack lived in this house in the Laisterdyke area of the city.
0:13:51 > 0:13:55His landlord, Graham Swain, a builder, knew him for over ten years.
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Jack were a good tenant,
0:13:59 > 0:14:03he always understood that one month were four weeks -
0:14:03 > 0:14:05that's how much rent we got.
0:14:06 > 0:14:09Jack were a builder, a bricklayer,
0:14:09 > 0:14:12and he always used to carry a bag of tools around with him.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16We used to talk about times on building sites.
0:14:17 > 0:14:20Jack originally moved into the house with his elderly father.
0:14:20 > 0:14:26But when he died in 2000, Jack carried on living there on his own.
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Jack were quite a lonely guy. He kept himself to himself.
0:14:31 > 0:14:34He didn't seem to have any family about.
0:14:34 > 0:14:36He didn't get out much,
0:14:36 > 0:14:39but Jack did have one unusual passion in life.
0:14:39 > 0:14:42He loved old Western films.
0:14:42 > 0:14:47Jack always used to get himself spruced up in his leather jacket
0:14:47 > 0:14:50and his cowboy hat, and would always say,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52"Oh, I'm going to see my girlfriend in Leeds."
0:14:52 > 0:14:55I don't really think he had one, but he used to say that.
0:14:58 > 0:14:59When Jack passed away,
0:14:59 > 0:15:02me and my wife were very sad about the situation.
0:15:02 > 0:15:05He'd lived in the house for seven, eight years,
0:15:05 > 0:15:07and you really get to know people like that.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09It were very upsetting.
0:15:09 > 0:15:13If you knew he was going to die, you would ask him hundreds of questions.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16But you think they're going to live forever, don't you?
0:15:21 > 0:15:27When Jack died, he left an estate worth £15,000, but no will.
0:15:27 > 0:15:30His case was picked up by heir hunter Anna Dunn
0:15:30 > 0:15:32at DS Researchers in Hull.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35I forwarded a marriage for that name in '85.
0:15:35 > 0:15:40Anna and her team have been in the genealogy business for ten years...
0:15:40 > 0:15:42Hi, I'm Peter from DS Researchers.
0:15:42 > 0:15:45..and are one of only a handful of heir hunting companies
0:15:45 > 0:15:47based in the North of England.
0:15:47 > 0:15:48Being based in Hull,
0:15:48 > 0:15:53we're pretty well-placed to deal with the Northern areas of England.
0:15:53 > 0:15:55We also cover Scotland.
0:15:55 > 0:16:01When Jack's name appeared on the Treasury's list of unclaimed estates,
0:16:01 > 0:16:03it showed that he had died in Bradford.
0:16:03 > 0:16:06Anna picked up on it straightaway and started to investigate.
0:16:07 > 0:16:13On checking the case, we found the deceased had been married,
0:16:13 > 0:16:14and he'd had two children.
0:16:14 > 0:16:21Jack had married in 1962, but the marriage lasted less than ten years.
0:16:21 > 0:16:23In that time, he had two children
0:16:23 > 0:16:27who, under normal inheritance laws, would have been his sole heirs.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30But then, Anna made a surprising discovery.
0:16:30 > 0:16:37I found that his wife had remarried, and I couldn't find the children.
0:16:37 > 0:16:39So then I checked the names,
0:16:39 > 0:16:42and she had actually changed the children's names
0:16:42 > 0:16:44to her next husband's surname.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47And on checking, we found that they'd been adopted,
0:16:47 > 0:16:49which threw the case out for them.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53So even though Anna had found Jack's biological children,
0:16:53 > 0:16:57because they had been adopted by their mother's new husband,
0:16:57 > 0:17:00they were not eligible to inherit Jack's estate.
0:17:01 > 0:17:02Adoption laws are clear.
0:17:02 > 0:17:04They go through court.
0:17:04 > 0:17:09Once a child has been adopted out, they belong to another family.
0:17:10 > 0:17:13Now that his own children had been ruled out,
0:17:13 > 0:17:16Anna needed to go further back in Jack's family tree
0:17:16 > 0:17:18to look for his heirs.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Jack's birth certificate revealed that his parents were
0:17:22 > 0:17:25Arthur Thornton and Sylvena Banks,
0:17:25 > 0:17:28and that he had been born in the village of Saltaire, near Bradford.
0:17:33 > 0:17:37In the late 19th and early 20th century,
0:17:37 > 0:17:40Saltaire was a centre of the Yorkshire wool industry.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43It was named after Sir Titus Salt,
0:17:43 > 0:17:46a wealthy industrialist who'd been horrified by the appalling conditions
0:17:46 > 0:17:49he'd seen in the mills of nearby Bradford,
0:17:49 > 0:17:51where workers were exploited
0:17:51 > 0:17:54for pitiful wages and crammed into slum accommodation.
0:17:56 > 0:17:58In 1853, Sir Titus transplanted
0:17:58 > 0:18:03his entire textile manufacturing business from Bradford
0:18:03 > 0:18:08to his newly-constructed salt mills on the banks of the River Aire.
0:18:08 > 0:18:12His workforce were installed in a new model village, Saltaire,
0:18:12 > 0:18:15built to the highest standards and designed to promote
0:18:15 > 0:18:18their general health and well-being.
0:18:18 > 0:18:22Titus Salt, I class as a paternalistic employer.
0:18:22 > 0:18:27He was aiming to better the lives of the workers.
0:18:27 > 0:18:31You'll find street upon street of terraced housing.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34There was a dining room within the complex.
0:18:34 > 0:18:39There was the institute where they could go and exercise their minds.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43So all this was far removed from the smoky atmosphere
0:18:43 > 0:18:46that you would find in Bradford and in the mills in Bradford.
0:18:46 > 0:18:48By the end of the century,
0:18:48 > 0:18:51Saltaire was home to 4,500 mill workers.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55Amongst them were Jack's paternal grandparents,
0:18:55 > 0:18:57Edward Thornton and Ada Houlden.
0:18:57 > 0:19:00Over the years, they lived in several houses in the village,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04but ended up at number 27 Titus Street,
0:19:04 > 0:19:08just a couple of doors down from the house where, many years later,
0:19:08 > 0:19:10in 1943, Jack was born.
0:19:12 > 0:19:15Having established Jack's immediate family,
0:19:15 > 0:19:20Anna now needed to cast her net wider in her search for his heirs.
0:19:20 > 0:19:23She began by looking to see if his father, Arthur,
0:19:23 > 0:19:25had any brothers or sisters.
0:19:25 > 0:19:31We found the grandparents' marriage in 1903,
0:19:31 > 0:19:37and that was Edward Thornton, who married Ada Houlden, so from there
0:19:37 > 0:19:45we were able to identify one, two, three, four, five, six children.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50It turned out that Jack had four paternal uncles and two aunts,
0:19:50 > 0:19:53most of whom were born in Saltaire.
0:19:53 > 0:19:56It seems that Jack's grandparents, Edward and Ada,
0:19:56 > 0:19:58worked at Salts Mill all their lives,
0:19:58 > 0:20:01as did at least three of their children,
0:20:01 > 0:20:04including Jack's uncle Joseph,
0:20:04 > 0:20:07who eventually held the prestigious post of wool sorter.
0:20:07 > 0:20:13Wool sorters were considered to be the aristocrats of the industry.
0:20:13 > 0:20:18Seven years apprenticeship, very skilled.
0:20:18 > 0:20:21The whole production depends on their skill
0:20:21 > 0:20:23at finding the different qualities of wool.
0:20:23 > 0:20:28Gerald Smith has been a wool sorter since he left school at 15.
0:20:28 > 0:20:33He's now one of only two still working in Bradford.
0:20:33 > 0:20:38It entails getting a fleece of raw wool from the sheep
0:20:38 > 0:20:40and sorting it into different grades.
0:20:40 > 0:20:44I suppose you could have five or six different sorts on one fleece.
0:20:45 > 0:20:47The rougher it is, it goes for carpets,
0:20:47 > 0:20:53the finer it is, it goes for making suiting and clothes.
0:20:53 > 0:20:5775% of Bradford was reliant on the wool trade,
0:20:57 > 0:21:02and it all started off with wool sorters and went down the line,
0:21:02 > 0:21:05right through the mill, until it came out as cloth.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10Salts Mill, where so many of Jack's relatives
0:21:10 > 0:21:14spent their entire working lives, closed down in 1986.
0:21:14 > 0:21:19And Saltaire has since been preserved as a World Heritage Site.
0:21:19 > 0:21:24Jack's father, Arthur, didn't follow the family into the wool trade -
0:21:24 > 0:21:26he was a gunner in the Royal Artillery
0:21:26 > 0:21:30and then, like his son after him, went to work as a bricklayer.
0:21:30 > 0:21:35When Jack was ten, they moved away from Saltaire.
0:21:35 > 0:21:37It seems they slowly fell out of touch
0:21:37 > 0:21:39with the rest of the Thornton family.
0:21:41 > 0:21:45Anna had found every single one of Jack's father's siblings,
0:21:45 > 0:21:47but it was very unlikely that any of them
0:21:47 > 0:21:49would still be around to inherit.
0:21:50 > 0:21:54I checked to see whether any of those were still alive,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56and having found deaths for all of them,
0:21:56 > 0:21:59we knew there were no uncles and aunts.
0:22:00 > 0:22:03The search was now on to find their children.
0:22:03 > 0:22:06After some painstaking research,
0:22:06 > 0:22:08Anna eventually came up with the goods.
0:22:08 > 0:22:13Jack's father's sister, Annie, we found the marriage on that one.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16She was married to Mr Watson.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18We found three births to that marriage.
0:22:18 > 0:22:23It looks like Anna had finally made a crucial breakthrough.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26But little did she know the investigation would go on to reveal
0:22:26 > 0:22:28some names with a very different sound to them.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32Was she onto the right family after all?
0:22:32 > 0:22:36We had names like Cicero, Sylvena,
0:22:36 > 0:22:38and I thought, "Could they be Italian?"
0:22:38 > 0:22:41The search for Jack Thornton's heirs
0:22:41 > 0:22:45was about to lead to some very unexpected places.
0:22:53 > 0:22:57Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and millions of pounds are paid out to the rightful heirs.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02But not every case can be cracked.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:23:05 > 0:23:08that have baffled heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:23:08 > 0:23:11Could you be the heir they've been searching for?
0:23:11 > 0:23:15Could you be in line for a windfall worth hundreds, thousands,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18or even millions of pounds?
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Estates stay on the list for up to 30 years,
0:23:20 > 0:23:23and today we're focusing on three names.
0:23:23 > 0:23:26Are they relatives of yours?
0:23:26 > 0:23:30Marjorie Ettlinger died in Hammersmith, London, in 1997.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36Ettlinger is a very rare name in the UK and may indicate German ancestry.
0:23:36 > 0:23:40Did you know her? Are you related?
0:23:40 > 0:23:44William Ronald Victor Tod died in Plymouth in 2008.
0:23:44 > 0:23:47Although Todd is a common name, this spelling, with one D,
0:23:47 > 0:23:49is quite unusual.
0:23:49 > 0:23:54Does his name ring a bell with anyone? Did you work alongside him?
0:23:55 > 0:23:59Vera Stingmore died in Molesey in 1997.
0:23:59 > 0:24:01Stingmore is a very rare name, indeed.
0:24:01 > 0:24:05There are only a handful in the whole of the UK.
0:24:05 > 0:24:07Were you a friend or neighbour of Vera's?
0:24:07 > 0:24:10Can you help solve her case?
0:24:10 > 0:24:13If no heirs of hers are found, her money will go to the Government.
0:24:15 > 0:24:21If the names Marjorie Ettlinger, William Tod or Vera Stingmore mean anything to you,
0:24:21 > 0:24:24or someone you know, you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:24:31 > 0:24:36Back on the case of Jack Thornton, the reclusive bricklayer
0:24:36 > 0:24:40who had died, aged 61, in Bradford, Yorkshire.
0:24:40 > 0:24:45Anna Dunn at DS Researchers had established all Jack's paternal uncles and aunts were dead.
0:24:45 > 0:24:48So the search for his cousins was well and truly on.
0:24:51 > 0:24:56Anna began her investigation with Annie Thornton, one of Jack's paternal aunts.
0:24:56 > 0:25:00She discovered she had married a Heba Watson in 1938
0:25:00 > 0:25:04and that Jack's mother, Sylvena, had been a bridesmaid at their wedding.
0:25:06 > 0:25:12Annie and Heba had gone on to have three children, two daughters and a son, Ian.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16If Anna could only find these children, then she would have her first heirs.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25It didn't take long for Anna to find a phone number for Ian Watson,
0:25:25 > 0:25:27who was still living in the Saltaire area.
0:25:27 > 0:25:31The news of his cousin's death was quite a shock to him.
0:25:31 > 0:25:38It came as a surprise, because we hadn't heard from him for over 20 years.
0:25:39 > 0:25:45Ian remembered back all those years to when he and Jack were both growing up in Saltaire.
0:25:45 > 0:25:49Jack was an only child and I think he was a bit of a loner.
0:25:49 > 0:25:55One of his main interests was horse riding. He used to go to a local stables.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59On one occasion, he brought the horse to our house to show us.
0:25:59 > 0:26:04And he rode the horse all the way through the town and then all the way back to the stables again.
0:26:06 > 0:26:11When Jack's family moved away from Saltaire, the two boys kept in touch for a little while,
0:26:11 > 0:26:15meeting up in Bradford to go and watch Jack's favourite cowboy films.
0:26:15 > 0:26:17But in the end, they lost contact.
0:26:18 > 0:26:26The fact Jack died alone and without anybody else in the family knowing about him is quite sad.
0:26:26 > 0:26:28We had no contact addresses.
0:26:28 > 0:26:33So without the chance meeting, there was no way we'd have been able to get in touch with him.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40It wasn't long before Anna had traced all the paternal heirs to Jack's estate.
0:26:40 > 0:26:42But her work was only half done.
0:26:42 > 0:26:46There was still the whole maternal side yet to investigate.
0:26:46 > 0:26:51Anna managed to track Jack's mother Sylvena Bank's birth certificate.
0:26:51 > 0:26:55This showed her parents were a Tom Banks and a Lavinia Campbell.
0:26:57 > 0:27:01By referring to the 1911 census, Anna discovered they had nine children,
0:27:01 > 0:27:05including Sylvena, but that wasn't all she noticed.
0:27:08 > 0:27:14We had names like Cicero, Sylvena, Mona May,
0:27:14 > 0:27:20and various sort of unusual names.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22And I thought, "Could they be Italian?"
0:27:22 > 0:27:27But then again, being a little bit different, I thought this might help with the search.
0:27:29 > 0:27:35As Anna predicted, there weren't many Cicero Banks born in Bradford at the turn of the last century.
0:27:35 > 0:27:38So it didn't take long to track him down.
0:27:40 > 0:27:47We looked first for the marriage of Cicero Senior and found his wife,
0:27:47 > 0:27:51and then looked for the children for that marriage and found yet another Cicero.
0:27:53 > 0:27:59Cicero Junior had married Olive in 1932 and they'd had five children,
0:27:59 > 0:28:02all of whom would be beneficiaries of Gordon's estate.
0:28:02 > 0:28:05The youngest of these children was Julie Banks,
0:28:05 > 0:28:08who was amazed to hear she was in line to inherit
0:28:08 > 0:28:10from a first cousin once removed that she'd never heard of.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17I didn't know anything about Jack Thornton.
0:28:17 > 0:28:19I didn't know he existed.
0:28:19 > 0:28:24And I felt a little bit disappointed by that.
0:28:27 > 0:28:30But Julie was able to shed some light on how her father
0:28:30 > 0:28:33and grandfather came by their exotic name.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35Cicero Senior was born in 1905,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38and the winner of the Derby that year
0:28:38 > 0:28:41was a magnificent chestnut thoroughbred called Cicero.
0:28:44 > 0:28:50When you're a young teenager, having a dad who's named after a horse is slightly embarrassing.
0:28:50 > 0:28:56If anybody asked, I'd say, "Oh, my dad, he's from Italian stock - that's why his name's Cicero!"
0:28:57 > 0:29:02In the end, Julie embraced the story behind her father's unusual name,
0:29:02 > 0:29:05especially when she heard how he had come by it.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09It seems that was all down to her great grandmother, Lavinia Banks.
0:29:09 > 0:29:13Great Grandma - definitely a gambler.
0:29:13 > 0:29:18Loved the horses and liked to put the odd penny or two on a race,
0:29:18 > 0:29:21which I think is brilliant and I hope she won lots of money.
0:29:23 > 0:29:27But Julie certainly didn't inherit a fortune from her long-lost cousin.
0:29:27 > 0:29:33Jack's £15,000 estate was divided equally between all his aunts and uncles
0:29:33 > 0:29:37and then divided again as it passed down each branch of the family.
0:29:37 > 0:29:42So by the time it got to Julie, she only received £25.
0:29:42 > 0:29:44But for Julie, it wasn't really about the money.
0:29:46 > 0:29:50The whole process has been about finding out more about my family.
0:29:50 > 0:29:53So I've learned who he was through this process.
0:29:53 > 0:29:57Which you can be thankful for - you can thank the process for that.
0:30:01 > 0:30:04Jack may never have met his cousin Julie,
0:30:04 > 0:30:09but the shy boy who loved cowboy films and had a passion for horses would have been pleased
0:30:09 > 0:30:12to know how she was planning on spending her inheritance.
0:30:15 > 0:30:21- Hi, can I have £10 each-way on that one, please?- Ten each-way, number 11, thank you.
0:30:23 > 0:30:25- Thank you, my love.- Thank you. - Cheers.
0:30:25 > 0:30:29Julie and her mother, Olive, have come on a trip to Epsom racecourse...
0:30:29 > 0:30:33- If this wins, I'll get £75. - Will you?
0:30:33 > 0:30:36..the same racetrack where Cicero the Derby winner,
0:30:36 > 0:30:41who her father was named after, had his famous victory in 1905.
0:30:44 > 0:30:47On that day, he raced his way into the history books
0:30:47 > 0:30:49and became a part of the Banks' family history as well.
0:30:53 > 0:30:56If only the great champion had been running today!
0:30:57 > 0:30:59I think we lost.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01I've spent the inheritance!
0:31:02 > 0:31:04That was brilliant!
0:31:13 > 0:31:17Heir hunters Fraser & Fraser have been investigating the case of Gordon Clarke,
0:31:17 > 0:31:25who died, aged 65, in Birmingham, leaving an estimated £40,000 estate, but no will.
0:31:28 > 0:31:31Gordon was a Brummie born and bred and worked his entire life in a pen factory
0:31:31 > 0:31:35in Birmingham's famous jewellery quarter.
0:31:35 > 0:31:38The pen-making trade was established here in the 19th century
0:31:38 > 0:31:46and at one point, 75% of all pens in the world were produced in this one square kilometre district.
0:31:47 > 0:31:54Gordon came to the factory in 1960, aged 16, and worked his way up to become a pen designer.
0:31:54 > 0:31:59Dennis Freeman was a friend of Gordon's since they were young apprentices together.
0:31:59 > 0:32:03Due to a congenital condition, Dennis has been deaf since he was a teenager.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08He wouldn't make friends easily.
0:32:09 > 0:32:13But gradually he started to come out of himself
0:32:13 > 0:32:17and the more I got to know him, the more I got used to him
0:32:17 > 0:32:20and he got used to me and we started to socialise.
0:32:24 > 0:32:29He will always be remembered for the work he did here.
0:32:32 > 0:32:34We find it very difficult to cope without him.
0:32:36 > 0:32:39He didn't really have a family as such.
0:32:39 > 0:32:41The factory was his family, really.
0:32:46 > 0:32:50Back in the office, and the case of Gordon Clarke is proving so complicated
0:32:50 > 0:32:53that it's pushing case manager Grimble to the limit.
0:32:53 > 0:32:56HE SIGHS
0:32:56 > 0:33:01The two surnames involved, Clarke and Davis, are amongst the most common in the UK.
0:33:01 > 0:33:05So they've had to use all their ingenuity in the search for heirs.
0:33:06 > 0:33:11Their main hope is to find Gordon's aunt, Elizabeth Clarke's death certificate.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15If she had children, then one of them should appear on it as the informant.
0:33:17 > 0:33:23Paul is scanning the records in Birmingham Register Office, but so far, he's drawn a blank.
0:33:25 > 0:33:29In the office, the team are trying a different tack.
0:33:29 > 0:33:34They're searching the online databases for Elizabeth's children and they strike gold.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39Anthony Davis was born in 1941 in Birmingham.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42If they can find him, then he will be their first heir.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46But like everything on this case, it's not that simple.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49We haven't picked him up alive, we haven't picked him up dead.
0:33:49 > 0:33:54He probably is alive somewhere, but we just can't figure him out yet.
0:33:56 > 0:34:02Now the team in the office have found a possible son for Elizabeth,
0:34:02 > 0:34:08Paul turns his attention to Gordon's uncles, looking for any trace of marriages or children.
0:34:08 > 0:34:11Oh, hang on, hang on. Hot off the press, hang on a second.
0:34:11 > 0:34:13Paul is on the phone to Grimble
0:34:13 > 0:34:16when registrar John comes in with some good news.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20We've got a marriage in 1923.
0:34:20 > 0:34:22- This is...?- Frank Clarke.
0:34:22 > 0:34:24Oh, right, spot on.
0:34:24 > 0:34:27They've found a record for Frank Clarke's marriage
0:34:27 > 0:34:30to an Elizabeth Stella Raven.
0:34:30 > 0:34:34Finally, it looks like the heir hunters will have a relatively unusual surname to work with.
0:34:36 > 0:34:39OK, Clarke to Raven - that's not that bad, is it?
0:34:41 > 0:34:43And there's more good news.
0:34:43 > 0:34:47Grimble has finally managed to track down the elusive death certificate
0:34:47 > 0:34:49for Gordon's aunt, Elizabeth Clarke,
0:34:49 > 0:34:55which they hope will list her son Anthony Davis as the informant.
0:34:55 > 0:34:58The only problem is, it's in Lichfield,
0:34:58 > 0:35:00half an hour north of Birmingham,
0:35:00 > 0:35:01and it's already late in the day.
0:35:01 > 0:35:06You haven't got time to get over to Lichfield now, have you?
0:35:06 > 0:35:10No, we might need you to do that first thing in the morning.
0:35:11 > 0:35:14Paul heads home for the night but in the office,
0:35:14 > 0:35:15they're still making headway.
0:35:15 > 0:35:18The team have found two children
0:35:18 > 0:35:20from the marriage of Gordon's uncle, Frank Clarke,
0:35:20 > 0:35:22and his wife, Elizabeth Raven.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27A girl, Elizabeth May, and a boy, Frank Thomas.
0:35:27 > 0:35:31- Oh, right! - But before they can celebrate,
0:35:31 > 0:35:34Grimble uncovers another incredible twist
0:35:34 > 0:35:36in this most torturous of heir hunts.
0:35:36 > 0:35:40It seems that Frank was adopted out of the family
0:35:40 > 0:35:43and so is no longer eligible to inherit.
0:35:43 > 0:35:46Worse still, there's absolutely no sign of Elizabeth.
0:35:48 > 0:35:51I don't know, perhaps Mum remarried
0:35:51 > 0:35:54and took the son with her, so what's happened to Elizabeth?
0:35:54 > 0:35:58I don't know, so it looks as though it's going to be a bit of a problem.
0:35:59 > 0:36:02Poor Grimble. Nothing is going his way
0:36:02 > 0:36:05and as the sun sets on the first day of this investigation,
0:36:05 > 0:36:10it's safe to say that the case of Gordon Clarke is still wide open.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21It's early the next morning and Paul Matthews is on the road
0:36:21 > 0:36:25to Lichfield to pick up Elizabeth Davis' death certificate.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28Paul's confident that it will lead them to her son, Anthony.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32We're picking up the death from Lichfield
0:36:32 > 0:36:35and hopefully the informant will be the son
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and will give us an indication as to where he might be.
0:36:38 > 0:36:44At the very least, we will know where he was in 1995.
0:36:44 > 0:36:47Morning, Paul Matthews from Fraser & Fraser.
0:36:47 > 0:36:49Nice to see you.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53- Nice to see you. Any chance of that death, please?- Yes, certainly.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56It's been a dodgy case where we can't find anything at the moment.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59- Yes, we'll have a look for that for you.- Cheers, thank you.
0:37:01 > 0:37:03It's not long before the registrar comes back
0:37:03 > 0:37:06with a copy of the certificate.
0:37:06 > 0:37:08- Here's your certificate. - Oh, fantastic.
0:37:08 > 0:37:11Do you want to check and make sure it's the right one?
0:37:11 > 0:37:13That's great, thank you very much.
0:37:13 > 0:37:16Yeah, that's a bit of a surprise, but there you go.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19A surprise might be a bit of an understatement.
0:37:19 > 0:37:22It turns out the informant isn't Anthony Davis
0:37:22 > 0:37:27but someone listed as a stepson, Frank Thomas Davis -
0:37:27 > 0:37:31the same first names as the child adopted out of brother Frank's family.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35I wonder if this Frank Thomas
0:37:35 > 0:37:39somehow ends up as part of Elizabeth May's family.
0:37:39 > 0:37:42The simple way to find that out is to go and knock on his door.
0:37:42 > 0:37:47- We'll see if we can unravel the mystery.- Paul gets straight on the phone to Grimble
0:37:47 > 0:37:51to report this extraordinary new development.
0:37:51 > 0:37:55Frank Clarke had a son called Frank Thomas, didn't he, who was adopted out?
0:37:55 > 0:37:59You're bloody right there, you're bloody right there.
0:37:59 > 0:38:01I'm right there.
0:38:01 > 0:38:05Grimble is justifiably excited.
0:38:05 > 0:38:08Frank Thomas may have lost his claim on his cousin's estate
0:38:08 > 0:38:10when his parents gave him up for adoption,
0:38:10 > 0:38:14but he's turned up again as a fully entitled heir
0:38:14 > 0:38:19because he was adopted back into the family by his aunt Elizabeth.
0:38:19 > 0:38:21Finally, this case is opening up
0:38:21 > 0:38:26and it seems the key to it all is Frank Thomas Davis.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29Things can change so quickly.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33We come up with one little bit of information
0:38:33 > 0:38:36and the potential of it is that this guy may know quite a bit about the family.
0:38:36 > 0:38:41It doesn't take them long to find a phone number for Frank
0:38:41 > 0:38:45but it's Grimble's job to make the call and he gets straight through.
0:38:46 > 0:38:50Was Frank Raymond Davis your father?
0:38:50 > 0:38:54He was a stepfather as well? So they were step-parents.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56All right.
0:38:56 > 0:38:57It's sounding good.
0:38:57 > 0:39:00But after a day of disappointments and near misses,
0:39:00 > 0:39:03Grimble wants to be 100% sure he's got his man.
0:39:03 > 0:39:08Do you know who your natural parents were?
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Yeah?
0:39:14 > 0:39:17Stella Raven, that's it.
0:39:17 > 0:39:21Oh, terrific. We've definitely got the right family. OK, fine.
0:39:21 > 0:39:25Bingo - Grimble has got his first heir,
0:39:25 > 0:39:26but he's not going to stop there.
0:39:26 > 0:39:29There's plenty more that Frank can help him with.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33Did your adoptive parents have a son called Anthony?
0:39:33 > 0:39:37Yeah, OK, so the baby died shortly after birth?
0:39:37 > 0:39:40Did you have a sister, Elizabeth?
0:39:40 > 0:39:43It seems that Elizabeth's son, Anthony Davis,
0:39:43 > 0:39:46died as a baby, before Frank was adopted.
0:39:46 > 0:39:50One by one, Grimble sorts out every branch of the Clarke family tree.
0:39:50 > 0:39:55Thank you very much, thank you, bye-bye.
0:39:55 > 0:39:57Success!
0:39:57 > 0:40:02One minute, despondent and you think it'll take us years and years.
0:40:02 > 0:40:07Then we get one little break and it's opened the whole lot.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10He may have solved the case but nothing is over
0:40:10 > 0:40:12until the heirs have signed an agreement with Frasers,
0:40:12 > 0:40:15allowing the company to help them make their claim
0:40:15 > 0:40:19on Gordon's estate to the Treasury.
0:40:19 > 0:40:21Unless they get that all-important signature,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24this whole investigation could still turn out
0:40:24 > 0:40:26to be a huge waste of time and resources.
0:40:26 > 0:40:29Luckily, Paul Matthews is close by,
0:40:29 > 0:40:32so he heads straight round to meet Frank.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35Hi, Paul Matthews from Fraser & Fraser. Pleased to meet you.
0:40:35 > 0:40:38Frank tells Paul that his birth parents separated when he was young.
0:40:38 > 0:40:40His sister stayed with their grandmother
0:40:40 > 0:40:45but he was adopted by his aunt Elizabeth when he was 11 years old.
0:40:45 > 0:40:47I still kept in touch with my real mother.
0:40:47 > 0:40:50She never got married again and she lived alone
0:40:50 > 0:40:52and I always kept in touch with her.
0:40:52 > 0:40:54Why were you adopted out?
0:40:54 > 0:40:58Well, at that time, there were no handouts like today,
0:40:58 > 0:41:04no welfare. It was just a bit of maintenance from the husband.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06He disappeared, Frank.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09She got no maintenance so she couldn't really keep us.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13Frank remembers his cousin, Gordon, from when they were both young boys.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17He would probably be about seven or eight then, I should think,
0:41:17 > 0:41:19when I last saw him.
0:41:19 > 0:41:23Oh, and he's gone?
0:41:23 > 0:41:25They're all passing me by.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27You hang on, there's some money coming!
0:41:27 > 0:41:29After listening to what Paul has to say,
0:41:29 > 0:41:34Frank decides he's happy for the company to help him with his claim
0:41:34 > 0:41:37and duly signs on the dotted line.
0:41:38 > 0:41:42Thanks for your time. Nice meeting you, all the very best.
0:41:42 > 0:41:46I hope you get a nice few bob anyway. Thank you, bye-bye.
0:41:47 > 0:41:50It's time for Paul to get going but there's no doubt,
0:41:50 > 0:41:52he's delighted with how things have turned out.
0:41:52 > 0:41:54An absolutely lovely couple.
0:41:54 > 0:41:57He's an entitled relative. He's signed up with ourselves
0:41:57 > 0:41:59so that's a very good end result
0:41:59 > 0:42:02so now we've got to try and trace more members of the family.
0:42:06 > 0:42:10In the end, the heir hunters found three heirs to Gordon Clarke's estate,
0:42:10 > 0:42:13but when the case was submitted to the Treasury,
0:42:13 > 0:42:17they discovered that the rumours about its value were unfounded.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19There was no £40,000 in cash.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23It turned out to be worth just £5,000
0:42:23 > 0:42:26which was split between the three of them.
0:42:26 > 0:42:29Sadly, Gordon wasn't close to his blood family when he died
0:42:29 > 0:42:32but he certainly wasn't alone.
0:42:32 > 0:42:35His close circle of neighbours and colleagues
0:42:35 > 0:42:38were a testament to his loyalty and youthful spirit.
0:42:38 > 0:42:40He will be sorely missed.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43He was just an amazing person.
0:42:43 > 0:42:48I do think he's gone straight up there and he's looking down on us.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51In my mind and heart, he will always live on, he will.
0:43:16 > 0:43:18Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd