0:00:02 > 0:00:05Today, the heir hunters are looking into an estate
0:00:05 > 0:00:08worth a life-changing £90,000.
0:00:10 > 0:00:14Somewhere out there are some long-lost relatives who have
0:00:14 > 0:00:18no idea they're in line for a windfall.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Could the heir hunters be knocking at your door?
0:00:37 > 0:00:41On today's show, the team are on the hunt for a long-lost brother -
0:00:41 > 0:00:42but where is he?
0:00:42 > 0:00:43HE KNOCKS
0:00:46 > 0:00:51We ain't got nowhere, OK? That's it. That's where we're at.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54And a hunt for heirs to a possible £800,000 estate
0:00:54 > 0:00:59begins in the English countryside and ends 6,000 miles away.
0:00:59 > 0:01:04I was phoning South Africa constantly for the next two days.
0:01:05 > 0:01:09Plus, how you may be entitled to inherit an unclaimed estate
0:01:09 > 0:01:11held by the Treasury.
0:01:11 > 0:01:14Could thousands of pounds be heading your way?
0:01:24 > 0:01:25Every year in the UK,
0:01:25 > 0:01:29an estimated 300,000 people die without leaving a will.
0:01:31 > 0:01:33If no relatives are found,
0:01:33 > 0:01:37then any money left behind goes to the Government.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Last year, they made £14 million from unclaimed estates.
0:01:42 > 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 > 0:01:51and help them claim their inheritance.
0:01:53 > 0:01:57Heir hunting is about reuniting people with what's rightfully theirs.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09It's 7.00am at the offices of heir-hunting company
0:02:09 > 0:02:13Fraser & Fraser and the work's already started.
0:02:13 > 0:02:17The Treasury list of people who've died without a will has just
0:02:17 > 0:02:23been released and partner Neil and the team are checking through it.
0:02:23 > 0:02:24Really I know very little about it.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27The surname Tunstall doesn't sound too common a name,
0:02:27 > 0:02:31so we may be able to break onto it quite quickly.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35If someone dies without leaving a will, with no known next of kin,
0:02:35 > 0:02:38and their estate is worth £5,000 or more,
0:02:38 > 0:02:40then it will appear on this list.
0:02:40 > 0:02:43Couple of things for you.
0:02:43 > 0:02:47The company earn their money by taking a percentage of the estate's value.
0:02:48 > 0:02:52The team need to establish where the deceased lived.
0:02:52 > 0:02:56If he owned his own property, they know the estate will be worth money.
0:03:00 > 0:03:04John Barry Tunstall was 78 when he died in Birmingham
0:03:04 > 0:03:08on December 7, 2010, without leaving a will.
0:03:12 > 0:03:15He lived in these flats, where he became friends with Pearl
0:03:15 > 0:03:17and Louis Sega.
0:03:20 > 0:03:25- He lived upstairs. Top floor. - He lived in flat number six.
0:03:25 > 0:03:31And it was just sort of gradually we got talking.
0:03:31 > 0:03:36We knew the same sort of big bands that he used to like
0:03:36 > 0:03:37and I liked them.
0:03:37 > 0:03:44From the early '40s - that sort of era. Woody Herman and...
0:03:44 > 0:03:48- Louis Armstrong. - Louis Armstrong and Harry James.
0:03:50 > 0:03:53All those sort of bands, really. All the big bands.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04But I thought it a very touching sort of gesture really,
0:04:04 > 0:04:08he gave me this book.
0:04:08 > 0:04:13It's almost like an encyclopaedia of all the jazz greats of the past
0:04:13 > 0:04:16and he signed his name in it.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24Although they were never introduced, John told them about
0:04:24 > 0:04:27his long-term female companion
0:04:27 > 0:04:31and when she died, it hit him hard.
0:04:31 > 0:04:33Once his lady friend died,
0:04:33 > 0:04:36he didn't seem to have anything to live for, really.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40- There was no incentive for him. - There was nothing.
0:04:40 > 0:04:42I think they used to go out, maybe -
0:04:42 > 0:04:45trips together or something like that.
0:04:45 > 0:04:49Or they'd go out to have a meal and things and obviously
0:04:49 > 0:04:53when that sort of thing happens, when that person who you're
0:04:53 > 0:04:58so close to passes away, it's going to have an effect on you, really.
0:04:58 > 0:05:01Yes, really. It was quite sad. Quite sad.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09Who's best bet to get to Birmingham, Tone?
0:05:09 > 0:05:12Paul Matthews, isn't it?
0:05:12 > 0:05:15The heir hunters have already found a date of birth and address
0:05:15 > 0:05:17for John Tunstall in Birmingham.
0:05:17 > 0:05:20It's a good start.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Tony Pledger is the case manager.
0:05:23 > 0:05:27We know the deceased owned the flat that he was of when he died.
0:05:27 > 0:05:31So, it does have a definite value to it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:36I don't know how much, but it's obviously worthwhile looking at.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42With property involved, this could be a lucrative case,
0:05:42 > 0:05:45so they need to find the heirs fast, before the competition.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48The team makes a start on John's family tree.
0:05:49 > 0:05:53From John's birth certificate, they've discovered that his parents
0:05:53 > 0:05:58were Alfred Tunstall and Elizabeth Reece, who married in 1930.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02Next, they need to establish if the deceased had any children
0:06:02 > 0:06:04and if he had any siblings.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08- There's no way of knowing, I think.- There's no way.
0:06:08 > 0:06:12They quickly find out that John never married or had children.
0:06:12 > 0:06:16But he had a brother Keith, born in 1936.
0:06:16 > 0:06:20If he's still alive, he will be the sole heir to his estate.
0:06:22 > 0:06:25But it's unusual to find close kin on a case who don't know
0:06:25 > 0:06:27their relative has passed away.
0:06:27 > 0:06:30There's something a little strange - we shouldn't really be finding
0:06:30 > 0:06:35a brother of the deceased as quickly as we have - less than 20 minutes.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37There may be something wrong with it.
0:06:37 > 0:06:40It may be the brother has passed away.
0:06:40 > 0:06:42It may be that it's not actually a brother,
0:06:42 > 0:06:46but just a coincidence of surname and mother's maiden name.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50But it won't take them long to find out.
0:06:50 > 0:06:54- The research team have come up trumps.- Yes, that's him.
0:06:54 > 0:06:59That brother, because he's the only Keith Tunstall born in 1936.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02This chap is born...'36.
0:07:03 > 0:07:08Ergo, assuming these two are brothers, then that is him.
0:07:08 > 0:07:14- That address goes with that. - It's a real breakthrough.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17They think they have the number for the deceased's brother.
0:07:17 > 0:07:18If they can get hold of him,
0:07:18 > 0:07:21they'll have wrapped the case up in record time.
0:07:21 > 0:07:23And it's only eight o'clock!
0:07:23 > 0:07:28My name is Tony Pledger of a company in London called Fraser & Fraser.
0:07:28 > 0:07:31If you could possibly give me a call back.
0:07:32 > 0:07:35It sounds like it's an answerphone that's clicking on
0:07:35 > 0:07:39and it sounds like the tape is filled up,
0:07:39 > 0:07:43so I've left a message that might come out the other end.
0:07:43 > 0:07:44I don't know.
0:07:45 > 0:07:50It's frustrating, but researcher Dominic has another lead.
0:07:50 > 0:07:53- There's the neighbours for the brother.- Brilliant.
0:07:53 > 0:07:57- How do we know it's the brother? - We don't.- Ah!
0:07:57 > 0:08:01- Here's the neighbours for the POSSIBLE brother.- Just checking!
0:08:01 > 0:08:04It's time to see if a neighbour's in.
0:08:04 > 0:08:07I'm trying to contact a neighbour of yours,
0:08:07 > 0:08:10I don't know if you know them - it's the people at number 49.
0:08:10 > 0:08:14I assume you do. I think it's Keith Tunstall.
0:08:14 > 0:08:17Could you tell me if they're at home or are they on holiday or anything? Oh.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22The neighbour is reluctant to give out any information.
0:08:22 > 0:08:23I understand.
0:08:23 > 0:08:26She's not going to tell a complete stranger that the neighbour
0:08:26 > 0:08:28has gone off on holiday, is she?
0:08:29 > 0:08:33With no joy on the phone, it's time for a new plan.
0:08:33 > 0:08:35I'm going to send someone there now, to have a knock
0:08:35 > 0:08:39on the door and see what the actual situation is with that.
0:08:40 > 0:08:44While most of the research is done by the office staff,
0:08:44 > 0:08:47they rely on frontline investigators like Paul Matthews
0:08:47 > 0:08:50to follow their leads, find the heirs and sign them up
0:08:50 > 0:08:52before the competition.
0:08:54 > 0:08:57If the team's research is right, Paul is on his way to try
0:08:57 > 0:09:03and make contact with the brother of the deceased - the sole heir to his £90,000 fortune.
0:09:03 > 0:09:08In effect, it's a death message, so I've no idea how close he was
0:09:08 > 0:09:11to his brother, so it's not a very pleasant side of the job,
0:09:11 > 0:09:15but obviously they didn't keep in touch very much.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17So we're going to be breaking bad news, I'm afraid.
0:09:17 > 0:09:21Back in the office, they're still getting no answer at Keith's house.
0:09:21 > 0:09:22Is he still alive,
0:09:22 > 0:09:26or do the competition know something they don't?
0:09:26 > 0:09:29It's time to look for other relatives, fast.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33What we're doing by doing this is taking away some of the risks and dangers.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37We're actually double, triple checking.
0:09:37 > 0:09:40We think we've found the beneficiary, but we're actually going to go back
0:09:40 > 0:09:45and look for further-removed beneficiaries, in case they end up being entitled.
0:09:47 > 0:09:52The team are using the Census to try and find other potential heirs.
0:09:52 > 0:09:55The first modern Census was carried out in 1801.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58Since then, it has been taken every ten years.
0:09:58 > 0:10:03It gives a record of all people and households across the country.
0:10:03 > 0:10:07But these records are confidential for 100 years,
0:10:07 > 0:10:09so they're relying on information from 1911.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14If John's brother is no longer alive, but he had children,
0:10:14 > 0:10:16they would be the beneficiaries.
0:10:16 > 0:10:19If not, and his parents had siblings,
0:10:19 > 0:10:23they, or their children - John's cousins - would be next in line.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29The researchers start with the deceased's mother - Elizabeth Reece.
0:10:29 > 0:10:32But the Census information is far from clear.
0:10:35 > 0:10:38We found her on the 1911 Census, with four siblings.
0:10:38 > 0:10:41She is living with her mum and her mum's brother.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44Now, her mother's brother is called Frank Reece,
0:10:44 > 0:10:47her mother is Mary Ann Reece and they're all called Reece.
0:10:47 > 0:10:50This implies they're all illegitimate births,
0:10:50 > 0:10:53which is going to make it all a little bit more complicated.
0:10:53 > 0:10:56With no father's name listed,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59it is impossible to prove that any of the children
0:10:59 > 0:11:02living in the house are full blood relatives of the deceased.
0:11:02 > 0:11:05Without the facts, the team are wasting valuable time.
0:11:09 > 0:11:12Another researcher, Alan,
0:11:12 > 0:11:14is looking into the paternal side of John's family tree.
0:11:14 > 0:11:19- He's also puzzled.- It's a Census like I've never seen before.
0:11:19 > 0:11:23On the 1911 Census, the head of the household is aged 26,
0:11:23 > 0:11:27his wife is 31 and on the Census, everyone who lives in the household
0:11:27 > 0:11:30is described in relation to the head of the household.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34So this 26-year-old is claiming he has a daughter aged 22,
0:11:34 > 0:11:41a brother aged 20 and another sister aged 17 and a daughter aged 11.
0:11:42 > 0:11:47They're going round in circles. It's a frustrating search.
0:11:47 > 0:11:49Really looking at this, I'd have to say
0:11:49 > 0:11:53we'd be hoping that the brother of the deceased is alive and well
0:11:53 > 0:11:58and we can contact him, thus making these cousins irrelevant.
0:12:04 > 0:12:07Out on the road, Paul is about to find out.
0:12:07 > 0:12:12He's arrived in Birmingham, hoping to meet the brother of the deceased.
0:12:14 > 0:12:15HE KNOCKS
0:12:21 > 0:12:25That's a good start to the day - there's no reply.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28So there's no answer on the phone or at the door.
0:12:28 > 0:12:30Do the neighbours know where he is?
0:12:30 > 0:12:31HE KNOCKS
0:12:37 > 0:12:40But Paul is not giving up that easily.
0:12:43 > 0:12:44HE KNOCKS
0:12:51 > 0:12:54Will it be fourth time lucky for Paul?
0:12:54 > 0:12:56HE KNOCKS ON THE DOOR
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Back at the office, they've put together an enormous family tree.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09But with commission on £90,000 at stake,
0:13:09 > 0:13:11they need to be sure the information is correct.
0:13:11 > 0:13:13Jesus Christ.
0:13:13 > 0:13:16So obviously, judging by the size of this,
0:13:16 > 0:13:19we really do hope that the brother turns out to be...
0:13:19 > 0:13:24There it is. Anywhere between four and ten siblings on the paternal side.
0:13:25 > 0:13:28Because the Census is again really wobbly,
0:13:28 > 0:13:32because they're living with the grandparents and nieces and nephews,
0:13:32 > 0:13:36rather than sons and daughters and it's all a bit muddled.
0:13:36 > 0:13:39Tony is not a happy man.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42We ain't got nowhere, OK? That's it.
0:13:42 > 0:13:44That's where we're at.
0:13:46 > 0:13:51Coming up, will the heir hunters track down the elusive Keith Tunstall?
0:13:51 > 0:13:54We'll only know he's alive when we've seen him.
0:13:54 > 0:13:59And will he turn out to be the true heir to John's £90,000 estate?
0:14:07 > 0:14:11In 2009, the heir hunters began looking into the case
0:14:11 > 0:14:14of a retired accountant from Oxfordshire.
0:14:14 > 0:14:18Little did they know, their hunt for beneficiaries would take them
0:14:18 > 0:14:23on an exciting journey from the sleepy English countryside
0:14:23 > 0:14:27all the way to 19th-century South Africa.
0:14:28 > 0:14:34Philip Konigk died in a small Oxfordshire village in February 2009, without leaving a will.
0:14:34 > 0:14:39He left an estate worth a whopping £800,000.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46Charlie Hall first met Philip when they were both in their 20s,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49working at the Inland Revenue in Oxfordshire.
0:14:49 > 0:14:52Phil would breeze into our management meetings
0:14:52 > 0:14:56with his collar loosened and his shirt sleeves rolled up,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00totally unprepared, yet he'd always get away with it - people liked him.
0:15:00 > 0:15:04He seemed to have a new, flashy sports car every week.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08And a new, very beautiful girlfriend every other week.
0:15:08 > 0:15:12As his career took off, Philip chose to stay
0:15:12 > 0:15:14and make his home in the Oxfordshire countryside.
0:15:14 > 0:15:18He joined a local firm of accountants.
0:15:18 > 0:15:22I knew that firm very well, so I met up with him a few times -
0:15:22 > 0:15:26he was a partner in that firm - and I met up with him a few times after that.
0:15:26 > 0:15:30He had the same old style, same breezy confidence.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32Nothing seemed to trouble him.
0:15:33 > 0:15:37Philip Konigk was born in South Africa in 1949.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41Phil, from Celtic Research, was also South African,
0:15:41 > 0:15:44so he was the perfect heir hunter to take on the case.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48The first step was to check for immediate family.
0:15:48 > 0:15:51He did marry, but had no children from his first marriage.
0:15:51 > 0:15:55He then never married again.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Philip did however have a common-law partner,
0:15:59 > 0:16:01who shared a home with him for many years.
0:16:01 > 0:16:05But the inheritance laws are very different for married
0:16:05 > 0:16:09and unmarried couples, so she is not immediately entitled.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Lots of people talk about a common-law partner -
0:16:11 > 0:16:15a common-law wife or husband -
0:16:15 > 0:16:19and it's worth saying very clearly that that term has no legal meaning.
0:16:19 > 0:16:24Now, in terms of a partner leaving no will,
0:16:24 > 0:16:26dies intestate, as we say,
0:16:26 > 0:16:31a cohabitant doesn't haven't any automatic inheritance rights at all.
0:16:31 > 0:16:34The intestacy rules don't provide for that partner.
0:16:34 > 0:16:36Without a will,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40married couples still automatically inherit from their husband or wife,
0:16:40 > 0:16:44but cohabiting couples have to argue their case.
0:16:44 > 0:16:46He or she can apply to the court
0:16:46 > 0:16:49for what's known as family provision,
0:16:49 > 0:16:51under the Inheritance Act, 1975,
0:16:51 > 0:16:56if someone is willing to go to court, if they have the resources
0:16:56 > 0:17:00to do so and if they can stand the emotional pain of doing so -
0:17:00 > 0:17:02an awful lot of people can't.
0:17:05 > 0:17:09My advice to everyone is make a will.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13Philip Konigk's partner co-owned their property
0:17:13 > 0:17:18and is pursuing her own claim to the enormous £800,000 estate.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21But it's likely that it will be shared with his surviving heirs.
0:17:24 > 0:17:29To find them, Phil began trying to piece together Philip's family tree.
0:17:29 > 0:17:32He discovered that Philip's mother, Doris Bint,
0:17:32 > 0:17:35had travelled from her home in England to South Africa
0:17:35 > 0:17:39in the late 1930s and married his father, Philip Konigk -
0:17:39 > 0:17:41a South African.
0:17:41 > 0:17:43They only had one child.
0:17:43 > 0:17:48She had returned to the UK in 1950, we believe on holiday.
0:17:49 > 0:17:55Most probably to show her new child off to the family over in the UK.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00But the father died in 1953.
0:18:00 > 0:18:04After his death, she decided to stay in the UK.
0:18:07 > 0:18:09As Philip had no siblings,
0:18:09 > 0:18:14Phil needed to search back through previous generations for heirs.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17From his office in Wales, he began his research.
0:18:17 > 0:18:21The deceased's rare surname was a great help.
0:18:21 > 0:18:25Kooer-neck is the way it's pronounced.
0:18:25 > 0:18:30It's K-O-N-I-G-K. It isn't necessarily a South African name.
0:18:30 > 0:18:36But if it was, it would be unusual, even in South Africa,
0:18:36 > 0:18:38on that spelling.
0:18:38 > 0:18:46On the initial research that I did, using my own resources, I found
0:18:46 > 0:18:53possible brothers and sisters of his father, which I couldn't prove.
0:18:54 > 0:18:57Phil called one of his own family in South Africa
0:18:57 > 0:18:59and he had a lucky break.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03I got hold of a cousin in Johannesburg who checked some
0:19:03 > 0:19:09details out for me there and we found a name of a person who had put in
0:19:09 > 0:19:15a paper while doing his university studies and had the name Konigk.
0:19:15 > 0:19:19He had an e-mail address and telephone number, so I contacted him.
0:19:21 > 0:19:24Amazingly, he turned out to be a relative
0:19:24 > 0:19:27and he had some very useful information.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30He told me that the Pretoria University had done
0:19:30 > 0:19:35the history of the Konigk family, so he gave me the link to
0:19:35 > 0:19:39the University website where it was published and I downloaded that.
0:19:39 > 0:19:45It was in Afrikaans, but I managed to translate it and work out the tree.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48It was a major breakthrough.
0:19:48 > 0:19:53The normal way would have been to find the birth, the deaths,
0:19:53 > 0:19:57the marriages, if it was in the UK, get a certificate, find out
0:19:57 > 0:19:58whether you've got the right people.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01In South Africa, you can't do that.
0:20:01 > 0:20:05To order a birth certificate or marriage certificate
0:20:05 > 0:20:07will literally take you four to six months.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13The University study revealed that the Konigks had been
0:20:13 > 0:20:17a prominent family in South Africa, with a fascinating story.
0:20:18 > 0:20:20Philip's great-grandfather,
0:20:20 > 0:20:25Johann Ernst Konigk, was born in Breslau, Prussia, in 1859.
0:20:25 > 0:20:28He became a minister in the Lutheran Church
0:20:28 > 0:20:32and a member of the Berlin Missionary Society.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36The Berlin Missionary Society that Johann Ernst Konigk was from
0:20:36 > 0:20:39was really the largest
0:20:39 > 0:20:42and most prestigious in a way in the late 19th century.
0:20:42 > 0:20:47Johann travelled to South Africa as a missionary in the 1880s.
0:20:47 > 0:20:51What they were eager to do was to spread the Christian Gospel
0:20:51 > 0:20:55and to convert the heathen.
0:20:55 > 0:21:00Konigk arrives at a time when the Berlin Mission is really expanding,
0:21:00 > 0:21:04setting up a number of stations and Lutherans as a whole are
0:21:04 > 0:21:08providing something like half the missionaries across South Africa.
0:21:08 > 0:21:12As well as converting Africans to Christianity,
0:21:12 > 0:21:16the missionaries also provided pastoral care for German settlers.
0:21:16 > 0:21:22There were in fact 40,000 Germans who immigrated to South Africa
0:21:22 > 0:21:28in the 19th century, particularly to this area that Konigk ended up in.
0:21:28 > 0:21:32Johann Konigk, Philip's great-grandfather, decided to make
0:21:32 > 0:21:37South Africa his home and worked as a minister for many years.
0:21:37 > 0:21:44He married a local German girl who had been born in the Eastern Cape
0:21:44 > 0:21:51and then moved later to work with a German-speaking congregation in Johannesburg.
0:21:51 > 0:21:58So he certainly became one of the lifelong figures in the German community.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02Phil discovered that the deceased's great-grandparents had a son -
0:22:02 > 0:22:05Johann Ernst Herman Konigk.
0:22:05 > 0:22:10He and his wife had four children - Yvonne, Raymond, Reinhold
0:22:10 > 0:22:13and Philip - the father of the deceased.
0:22:13 > 0:22:17The aunts and uncles would no longer be alive, but if they had children,
0:22:17 > 0:22:21they would be Philip's cousins and beneficiaries of his estate.
0:22:21 > 0:22:23Phil got a number for one of them.
0:22:23 > 0:22:29At first, they thought it was some sort of scam.
0:22:29 > 0:22:35I then explained to him what we do etc,
0:22:35 > 0:22:38and he said all right,
0:22:38 > 0:22:41he'll make some enquiries and he'll come back to me.
0:22:41 > 0:22:43Within about an hour, he phoned me back. He was Afrikaans,
0:22:43 > 0:22:47so I was speaking to him in Afrikaans, at the time.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50He then came to like what I was saying and respected what
0:22:50 > 0:22:53I was saying and put me in touch with these brothers and sisters.
0:22:53 > 0:22:56There were ten cousins in total.
0:22:56 > 0:22:59Phil was going to have his work cut out.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03I was phoning South Africa constantly for the next two days,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07into the evening, late into the evening as well as early mornings.
0:23:09 > 0:23:12Despite relying on the phone rather than face-to-face chats,
0:23:12 > 0:23:15Phil was fairly sure the cousins would sign with him.
0:23:16 > 0:23:20A couple of them had actually gone to school in the same area where
0:23:20 > 0:23:25I'd gone to school, they had grown up in the same area that I grew up in
0:23:25 > 0:23:29and so we had commonality and a link
0:23:29 > 0:23:32and they felt comfortable with me.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34But then there was a snag.
0:23:34 > 0:23:36By the second day, I'd say,
0:23:36 > 0:23:41we realised we were in competition with another heir-hunting firm.
0:23:43 > 0:23:46Coming up, would Phil seal the deal?
0:23:46 > 0:23:50They'd had a phone call from this other firm
0:23:50 > 0:23:52and a chap was on his way to see them.
0:23:52 > 0:23:57Or was a rival researcher in South Africa going to beat him to it?
0:24:04 > 0:24:08Heir hunters solve thousands of cases a year and millions of pounds
0:24:08 > 0:24:13are paid out to rightful heirs, but not every case can be cracked.
0:24:13 > 0:24:17The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates that have baffled
0:24:17 > 0:24:19heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:24:19 > 0:24:22Could you be the heir they've been searching for?
0:24:22 > 0:24:26Could you be in line for a windfall worth hundreds, thousands,
0:24:26 > 0:24:28or even millions of pounds?
0:24:29 > 0:24:32Estates stay on the list for up to 30 years and today,
0:24:32 > 0:24:35we're focusing on three names.
0:24:35 > 0:24:37Are they relatives of yours?
0:24:37 > 0:24:42George Batho died in Macclesfield, Cheshire in July 2004.
0:24:42 > 0:24:45The name Batho originates in Wales,
0:24:45 > 0:24:48but the highest concentration is in Shrewsbury.
0:24:48 > 0:24:51Do you remember him? Did he live on your street?
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Graham Sansom-Piggins died in Bournemouth, Dorset in July 2009.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02This is a distinctive double-barrelled name.
0:25:02 > 0:25:06Does that name mean anything to you? Could you be related?
0:25:09 > 0:25:13Florence Esther Keir died in Epsom, Surrey in March 1991.
0:25:16 > 0:25:20This name derives from the village of Keir in Stirlingshire, Scotland.
0:25:21 > 0:25:25If no heirs are found, her money will go to the Government.
0:25:27 > 0:25:30If the names George Batho, Graham Sansom-Piggins
0:25:30 > 0:25:34or Florence Keir mean anything to you or someone you know,
0:25:34 > 0:25:36you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:25:47 > 0:25:49In 2010, Phil from Celtic Research
0:25:49 > 0:25:53was looking into the case of Oxfordshire accountant Philip Konigk,
0:25:53 > 0:25:54who had died without leaving a will.
0:25:54 > 0:25:58From his office in the UK, he had traced Philip's South African family
0:25:58 > 0:26:04and found ten cousins who all had claim to his estate.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06He had spoken to them on the phone
0:26:06 > 0:26:08and was hopeful they would sign his agreement.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11But then, a rival firm in South Africa threatened to steal
0:26:11 > 0:26:12the job from him.
0:26:12 > 0:26:17- All Phil could do was cross his fingers.- It was a tense wait.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21I have had assurances in the past on other cases, by people
0:26:21 > 0:26:25when I've spoken to them on the phone and they've totally done a U-turn.
0:26:29 > 0:26:33Finally, Phil's main contact, a cousin of the deceased,
0:26:33 > 0:26:35got in touch.
0:26:35 > 0:26:40By the third day, I think it was, I had a call from the eldest of
0:26:40 > 0:26:45the cousins and said that the family has decided they're going with me
0:26:45 > 0:26:48and when this guy arrives,
0:26:48 > 0:26:54they'll let him know that his services aren't needed.
0:26:54 > 0:26:59Phil's hard work had paid off and ten heirs on the father's side
0:26:59 > 0:27:01had been found in South Africa.
0:27:01 > 0:27:05But one cousin wanted to find out more about his English relatives.
0:27:05 > 0:27:10Quentin phoned me up out of the blue and introduced himself.
0:27:10 > 0:27:11We had a long chat.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14He then said he's coming over to see his grandson,
0:27:14 > 0:27:19who recently arrived, and he would like to meet up.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29After meeting his new grandson in London, Quentin is looking forward
0:27:29 > 0:27:32to finding out more about his cousin's past.
0:27:32 > 0:27:38I never over the years - as a child growing up, or in my adult life -
0:27:38 > 0:27:41did I know that there were any family members living in the UK.
0:27:41 > 0:27:45I would really like to find out more about him.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49It would give us an insight into other family members,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52how he lived and where he lived and what he did.
0:27:53 > 0:27:57Quentin is hoping that heir hunter Phil can give him some answers.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01- I take it you must be Quentin.- Yes. - Nice to see you at last.
0:28:01 > 0:28:06- Nice to meet you.- Find it all right? - No problem.- Shall we go in?
0:28:06 > 0:28:08Wonderful, thank you. I'll follow you.
0:28:09 > 0:28:12Quentin stands to inherit part of his cousin's estate,
0:28:12 > 0:28:15which he'll share with nine other heirs.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19He's keen to find out as much as possible about his life.
0:28:19 > 0:28:23I found that Philip, his father, Doris, his mother and him as a child
0:28:23 > 0:28:29- of one year old, were travelling from Durban...- South Africa.
0:28:29 > 0:28:34..on the... Part of the Union-Castle Line,
0:28:34 > 0:28:38- actually travelling on the Stirling Castle.- OK.
0:28:38 > 0:28:43There she is, departing Durban, South Africa,
0:28:43 > 0:28:48and she arrives in Southampton on 3 March, 1950.
0:28:48 > 0:28:54That shows Philip, the husband, as well as Philip the son.
0:28:54 > 0:28:58Three years later, the father died and I believe from other
0:28:58 > 0:29:03family members that I spoke to, he died of some sort of cancer.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06Doris didn't settle in South Africa,
0:29:06 > 0:29:12so she came back to England with her son, Philip.
0:29:12 > 0:29:17There were uncles that kept in touch with her. Once they died off
0:29:17 > 0:29:20and she died, then the link sort of faded away.
0:29:20 > 0:29:24Do you have any information on what Philip actually did?
0:29:24 > 0:29:26I actually have his death certificate here.
0:29:28 > 0:29:33- We can see he was born 10 July, 1949. He was an accountant.- Oh, OK.
0:29:35 > 0:29:37Having learned more about his English cousin, Quentin
0:29:37 > 0:29:42and his wife Shannon are doing some research of their own.
0:29:42 > 0:29:45They're exploring the Oxfordshire community where Philip Konigk
0:29:45 > 0:29:47lived and worked.
0:29:47 > 0:29:51- Everything is laid out so well. - Yes. It's very nice.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54Around every corner is a new surprise.
0:29:54 > 0:29:57Just driving through the little winding roads, you just see
0:29:57 > 0:30:01the beautiful green trees and the fields and the sheep grazing -
0:30:01 > 0:30:06it's the kind of place you would move into and never want to leave.
0:30:06 > 0:30:07He must have been blessed.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Who wants to move from a little piece of heaven?
0:30:12 > 0:30:16They have discovered that Philip's maternal grandfather
0:30:16 > 0:30:19- ran a pub in the village of Standlake.- It's incredible to...
0:30:19 > 0:30:24The history involved here, to think back through the generations
0:30:24 > 0:30:29that somebody that Quentin didn't know has actually been
0:30:29 > 0:30:33involved in this whole community and owned this pub.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36- Totally.- Quite interesting. Quite fascinating.
0:30:37 > 0:30:40And for Quentin, his trip has made him feel
0:30:40 > 0:30:43a little closer to the cousin he never knew.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46If I'd known about this in previous years,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50we'd have tried to visit sooner than we did.
0:30:50 > 0:30:55It would have been nice to meet the man, get to know him.
0:30:55 > 0:30:57But there is a bond, I think.
0:30:57 > 0:31:01There is a feeling of knowing somebody that was family.
0:31:04 > 0:31:08In the end, nine of Philip's ten cousins from South Africa
0:31:08 > 0:31:11signed with Phil.
0:31:11 > 0:31:13English beneficiaries on the mother's side
0:31:13 > 0:31:16signed with another company in this complicated case.
0:31:16 > 0:31:20A settlement on the estimated £800,000 estate
0:31:20 > 0:31:23isn't expected until 2015.
0:31:29 > 0:31:32Heir hunters Fraser & Fraser
0:31:32 > 0:31:35are investigating the case of John Barry Tunstall.
0:31:35 > 0:31:39He died in Birmingham in 2010, without a will,
0:31:39 > 0:31:43leaving an estate thought to be worth around £90,000.
0:31:43 > 0:31:48Amazingly, in less than 20 minutes, the team made an unusual discovery.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50There's something a little strange -
0:31:50 > 0:31:53we shouldn't really be finding a brother of the deceased
0:31:53 > 0:31:54as quickly as we have.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58Was he really John's brother? And was he still alive?
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Tracking him down was proving difficult.
0:32:01 > 0:32:03KNOCKING
0:32:12 > 0:32:15John Tunstall left school at 15.
0:32:15 > 0:32:19In the early 1950s, he went to work at Gaskell & Chambers,
0:32:19 > 0:32:22one of Birmingham's oldest manufacturing companies.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25It made fixtures and fittings for pubs and bars.
0:32:25 > 0:32:31In the '50s, Gaskell & Chambers would have been a hive of activity.
0:32:31 > 0:32:34They were not only busy manufacturing products for the UK,
0:32:34 > 0:32:37they had a lot of overseas business.
0:32:39 > 0:32:44The company's archives reveal that it prided itself on entertaining its workforce.
0:32:44 > 0:32:47The social side of the business was just as important as the work side.
0:32:47 > 0:32:53They took their employees to seaside breaks for the day.
0:32:57 > 0:33:00They held sort of major annual sports days
0:33:00 > 0:33:05and those events would actually draw celebrities of the day.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11Still in his teens, John enjoyed the social side of work,
0:33:11 > 0:33:14particularly the sport.
0:33:14 > 0:33:17I found reference to a Johnnie Tunstall
0:33:17 > 0:33:19in a social magazine from 1951.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24It would appear that he was quite a demon bowler.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28There is mention of him actually taking five wickets in one innings.
0:33:30 > 0:33:32Back on the hunt for John's brother Keith,
0:33:32 > 0:33:35researcher Paul has had a breakthrough.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38We eventually got a neighbour who has answered the door,
0:33:38 > 0:33:41about six doors away.
0:33:41 > 0:33:43Yes, he does know Mr Tunstall.
0:33:43 > 0:33:44He knows he's retired,
0:33:44 > 0:33:47no idea whether he's home or not, or gone away.
0:33:48 > 0:33:51He does know Keith's son, Neil.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54He told me where he works, so that might be the next port of call.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00So he is alive. The office will be very pleased with this news.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04I know he's got a son, I know where Neil works.
0:34:04 > 0:34:07- 'See him at work then, can you?' - I'll tell you if I get to see him,
0:34:07 > 0:34:10cos he works for a roofing company, but I'll give it a try.
0:34:10 > 0:34:15- 'You never know.'- You never know. I'm on my bike.- 'OK, bye.'
0:34:15 > 0:34:18At least we've got somewhere to go to try and track down, if nothing else,
0:34:18 > 0:34:23find out if his dad is going to be available later on
0:34:23 > 0:34:26and he'll hopefully have a mobile for his dad where we can chase him up.
0:34:26 > 0:34:29Obviously, we don't want to be hanging around all day
0:34:29 > 0:34:33and the longer it takes to get him, there's more opportunity for our competition.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37The chase is on. Paul hotfoots it over to the son's place of work.
0:34:39 > 0:34:41Been to where Mr Tunstall's son works.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45His son is out and about at the moment, no surprise there.
0:34:45 > 0:34:49I've now got his business card and his mobile number, so I'll go
0:34:49 > 0:34:52back to the car and give him a call and hopefully track down his dad.
0:34:52 > 0:34:56He wastes no time and gets straight on the phone to son Neil.
0:34:56 > 0:34:59I'm trying to get hold of your dad.
0:34:59 > 0:35:02I've been round to his house, but they're out at the moment.
0:35:09 > 0:35:11Oh, right, I'll go there!
0:35:15 > 0:35:18Basically, I need to speak to your dad.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21It's a family member somewhere who's passed away,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24but have you got a contact phone number for your dad?
0:35:26 > 0:35:30So it's another setback. Keith is out of the country.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33His son Neil will ask him to call the office.
0:35:34 > 0:35:38- OK, that's great. Thank you very much, Neil.- 'Thank you, Paul.'
0:35:38 > 0:35:41- OK, cheers - thank you. - 'Bye-bye.'- Bye.
0:35:42 > 0:35:44Only when the office speak to him will they know
0:35:44 > 0:35:47if they've been hunting the right man.
0:35:52 > 0:35:53They didn't have to wait long.
0:35:53 > 0:35:57I've had a telephone conversation with the brother.
0:35:57 > 0:36:00I told him who it is, I've told him it's his brother
0:36:00 > 0:36:03that's passed away, which obviously saddened him quite a bit.
0:36:04 > 0:36:07Tony calls Paul to tell him the news.
0:36:07 > 0:36:10'Had a nice little chat with him.'
0:36:10 > 0:36:15And he explained that he'll be back in England I think next week.
0:36:15 > 0:36:19He confirmed that as far as he is aware, the deceased hadn't married or anything.
0:36:19 > 0:36:20Yes.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23So hopefully, it will all come together
0:36:23 > 0:36:27and he will be the only person entitled.
0:36:27 > 0:36:31One week later, Keith Tunstall, younger brother
0:36:31 > 0:36:37and sole living heir to John's £90,000 estate, returned to the UK.
0:36:37 > 0:36:42I had a phone call saying that we believe you could be
0:36:42 > 0:36:44the brother of John Barry Tunstall.
0:36:44 > 0:36:49Sorry to have to tell you that your brother passed away in November.
0:36:50 > 0:36:53Keith and his brother were virtual strangers.
0:36:53 > 0:36:56Following their parents' divorce, they were separated
0:36:56 > 0:37:00as young children and only saw each other rarely.
0:37:00 > 0:37:04I was three, four, at the time.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08My recollection is that my mother went to Worcester with John.
0:37:10 > 0:37:12I stayed with my father.
0:37:12 > 0:37:16There is no recollection of me playing with my brother when we were children.
0:37:16 > 0:37:19In the late 1940s, when John was a teenager,
0:37:19 > 0:37:23he did come and live with Keith and their father for a few years.
0:37:23 > 0:37:26My father came back with John and it was almost a case
0:37:26 > 0:37:32of introducing one another - "this is your brother" type of thing.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Um, and we got on quite well, John and I.
0:37:36 > 0:37:40We never argued or as brothers do, fight.
0:37:40 > 0:37:44Um, we got on quite well.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48But... A lot of years had elapsed.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52After a short time together as brothers,
0:37:52 > 0:37:58John left home at 18 to join the RAF and he and Keith lost touch again.
0:37:58 > 0:38:02In the years that followed, despite living close to one another
0:38:02 > 0:38:06in the Birmingham area, they met occasionally, but only by chance.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10Got married in 1958, January '58.
0:38:11 > 0:38:18Pat and I acquired a flat and lo and behold, my brother John,
0:38:18 > 0:38:22who I hadn't really had much contact with, had got a shop
0:38:22 > 0:38:26which was about half a mile from where my wife and I lived.
0:38:26 > 0:38:31Periodically I'd see him in the shop - I'd go in and say hello, how're things.
0:38:31 > 0:38:34Then I really didn't have much to do with my brother John
0:38:34 > 0:38:38in the sense that we had a drink together or whatever,
0:38:38 > 0:38:45until 1993, at my father's funeral.
0:38:45 > 0:38:48Unfortunately, I didn't see him again after that.
0:38:49 > 0:38:54Keith admits he now has some regrets that he and his brother weren't closer.
0:38:54 > 0:38:56It was just circumstances, you know.
0:38:56 > 0:39:00You're busy building your own life and...
0:39:01 > 0:39:06..battling to buy a house, pay the bills, raise children.
0:39:07 > 0:39:10It's sad and it shouldn't happen.
0:39:14 > 0:39:18To try and find more about John's recent past,
0:39:18 > 0:39:21Keith is meeting up with his friends Louis and Pearl.
0:39:21 > 0:39:24I'm looking forward to meeting them,
0:39:24 > 0:39:28because it will help to fill in many years, actually.
0:39:28 > 0:39:321993 was the last time I seen John.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Of course, apparently these people have been friends of John's
0:39:35 > 0:39:41and so there will be many things that will fill in some gaps, I hope.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45- You must be Lou.- Yes. And you must be Keith.- I'm Keith, John's brother.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48- And this must be Pearl, my wife! - Very nice to meet you.
0:39:48 > 0:39:52- I've been looking forward to meeting you.- I've heard so much about you.
0:39:52 > 0:39:56- You're nothing like him though, to look at.- I know.
0:39:56 > 0:39:59- I'm very much like my father. - John was very tall and slim.
0:39:59 > 0:40:04- John was over six foot, yes. I'm five foot nine and chunky.- Yeah.
0:40:05 > 0:40:09We were brothers, but we were brothers separated by mothers
0:40:09 > 0:40:11and fathers going different ways, the war.
0:40:11 > 0:40:15- If I get a little bit emotional... - No, of course. I would expect that.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19- It's natural, yes. - It's because, um...
0:40:19 > 0:40:22It's such a waste... Of years and years.
0:40:22 > 0:40:25There wasn't any particular reason why you stopped seeing,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29- just life, really.- You just drifted.
0:40:29 > 0:40:33- I mean, I've got a family now. I've got grandchildren.- Yes.
0:40:33 > 0:40:37- I've had a lovely life, you know. I'm going to get upset here, now. - Yes.- Because...
0:40:39 > 0:40:44- I just...hoped he was happy, you know.- I think he was. - Oh, I think he was.
0:40:46 > 0:40:49When Keith received the news about his brother's death, he decided
0:40:49 > 0:40:54not to sign with the heir hunters, but to deal with the estate himself.
0:40:54 > 0:40:57He began by finding out how John had died.
0:40:57 > 0:41:01He phoned the doctor on the morning, feeling not very well.
0:41:01 > 0:41:03Said to the doctor, I'll leave the door on the latch
0:41:03 > 0:41:07so you can gain access, then when the doctor got there,
0:41:07 > 0:41:11at midday-ish, one o'clock, John had died.
0:41:11 > 0:41:15So that was a comfort to me, to think that he hadn't died,
0:41:15 > 0:41:18or been left, if you like, for any period of time.
0:41:22 > 0:41:28So the actual funeral itself, were there many people there?
0:41:28 > 0:41:34- About 12, 14 neighbours, wasn't there?- From the flats, yes.
0:41:34 > 0:41:37- And was the service a nice service? - It was lovely.- Beautiful service.
0:41:37 > 0:41:40- The guy spoke of John? - Very well.- He did.
0:41:40 > 0:41:43- He gave a beautiful sermon about him.- Oh, good.
0:41:49 > 0:41:52Having missed his brother's send-off, Keith plans to go
0:41:52 > 0:41:55and pay his last respects to John privately.
0:41:55 > 0:42:01I've found out now where he was cremated, I've established that.
0:42:01 > 0:42:04We found out where his ashes were scattered.
0:42:04 > 0:42:05I shall go up...
0:42:07 > 0:42:08..and leave him some flowers,
0:42:08 > 0:42:13wish him all the best and...see you soon, mate.
0:42:13 > 0:42:15You know...
0:42:15 > 0:42:17That's it.
0:42:18 > 0:42:24But Keith hopes his brother would approve of how his money will be spent.
0:42:24 > 0:42:27I'm going to give it to the children. I've told them that.
0:42:27 > 0:42:31My son runs his own business - a roofing business.
0:42:31 > 0:42:35Like all businesses at the moment, they're having a lean, lean time.
0:42:35 > 0:42:38My daughter has just finished putting her daughter through university.
0:42:38 > 0:42:41Anyone who's done that knows it's not cheap.
0:42:41 > 0:42:46So whatever money accrues from this, Pat and I will treat ourselves,
0:42:46 > 0:42:50I don't know to what, but I'll give them a sizeable piece
0:42:50 > 0:42:53and say, you do what you like with it.
0:42:53 > 0:42:55I think John would be delighted if he felt
0:42:55 > 0:43:01I was giving any benefits that accrue from this to my children.
0:43:23 > 0:43:26Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd