0:00:02 > 0:00:05The heir hunters have taken on a case in Stevenage
0:00:05 > 0:00:09that could be worth as much as £250,000.
0:00:09 > 0:00:11'Is it Slee or Smee?'
0:00:11 > 0:00:12'Smee, with an M.'
0:00:12 > 0:00:15- Yep, as in...- '"Me!"'- "Me! Me!"
0:00:15 > 0:00:16Yes.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19They're looking for long-lost relatives who have no idea
0:00:19 > 0:00:21they could be in line for a windfall.
0:00:21 > 0:00:24Could they be ringing your bell?
0:00:41 > 0:00:42Today on Heir Hunters,
0:00:42 > 0:00:47the tragic tale of a man who retreated from the world.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51One time, that back garden was full of really high brambles.
0:00:51 > 0:00:54It was horrendous, it was like from a fairy story-type thing.
0:00:54 > 0:00:58He left a fortune of £250,000.
0:00:58 > 0:01:00But can the team find an heir?
0:01:02 > 0:01:05It's actual knowledge of the family that we don't have at the moment.
0:01:05 > 0:01:07And, the missing children
0:01:07 > 0:01:10that lead one heir hunter from the chilly streets of Dundee...
0:01:12 > 0:01:14..to the sultry heat of Calcutta.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17My life in India was a bit like living a life in colour,
0:01:17 > 0:01:18and coming back to Britain,
0:01:18 > 0:01:20it was like living a life in black and white.
0:01:20 > 0:01:24Plus, how you could be entitled to unclaimed estates
0:01:24 > 0:01:26where heirs still need to be found.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Could you be in line for a cash payout?
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Every year in the UK,
0:01:38 > 0:01:42it's estimated over 300,000 die without leaving a will.
0:01:42 > 0:01:44If no relatives are found,
0:01:44 > 0:01:48then any money they've left behind will go to the Government.
0:01:48 > 0:01:53And last year, that was a staggering £14 million.
0:01:53 > 0:01:56But there are over 30 specialist firms competing
0:01:56 > 0:01:59to stop this happening. They're the heir hunters,
0:01:59 > 0:02:03and they make it their business to track down missing relatives
0:02:03 > 0:02:06and help them claim their rightful inheritance.
0:02:06 > 0:02:10People are entitled to this money. We make sure they get it.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20It's Thursday in London,
0:02:20 > 0:02:24and overnight, the Treasury has put out the list of unclaimed estates.
0:02:26 > 0:02:29The offices of heir hunters Fraser and Fraser
0:02:29 > 0:02:30have been open since 7am.
0:02:32 > 0:02:35Partner Neil Fraser is going through the Treasury list,
0:02:35 > 0:02:40and one name, George David Smee, is already looking promising.
0:02:40 > 0:02:46We know there's a property. That property's in Stevenage,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48which is a commuter town for London.
0:02:48 > 0:02:53We're looking at a reasonable value. 250,000 as a wild guess,
0:02:53 > 0:02:56but I haven't even had a chance to look at the property, really.
0:02:56 > 0:02:57It's a large sum of money,
0:02:57 > 0:03:01and there is likely to be a lot of competition on this case.
0:03:09 > 0:03:12The diseased, George Smee, owned this terrace house in Stevenage.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17He had lived here for nearly 30 years,
0:03:17 > 0:03:20and in the last two decades developed agoraphobia,
0:03:20 > 0:03:23and had support from the local council.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27He was 57 when he passed away, dying alone at home from a heart attack.
0:03:29 > 0:03:33His former neighbour, Sue Usher, recalls when he first moved in.
0:03:35 > 0:03:39He wasn't a noisy, outgoing man. Fairly shy, if I recall.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42I don't remember specifically what he did for work,
0:03:42 > 0:03:46but I think he was either something to do with computers,
0:03:46 > 0:03:49I'm sure he was something to do with computers, a bit of an analyst
0:03:49 > 0:03:53or something like that, or an accountant-y type of person.
0:03:54 > 0:03:58For the first ten years, David left for work at 8am every day.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01But then, his circumstances changed.
0:04:01 > 0:04:05He told my husband once he'd earned too much money,
0:04:05 > 0:04:08so he was going to take six months off.
0:04:10 > 0:04:12But that six months became a year.
0:04:12 > 0:04:16And soon, it became clear that David was avoiding people altogether.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18We didn't used to see him for days sometimes.
0:04:18 > 0:04:20If you did a bit of gardening,
0:04:20 > 0:04:23you could hear him out there at two and three in the morning,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27cos he didn't like the sun. You could hear his breathing.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31David spent nearly 20 years as a recluse.
0:04:32 > 0:04:35Sue moved away from the area a year ago,
0:04:35 > 0:04:38and she was sorry to hear that he had passed away alone.
0:04:40 > 0:04:45I think it's a tragedy that when people get mental-health issues,
0:04:45 > 0:04:48it's not something that can always be rectified.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52And certainly, his lifestyle was not conducive
0:04:52 > 0:04:55to him overcoming that, cos he didn't have family
0:04:55 > 0:04:57to sort of snap him out of it, if you like.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02In all the time Sue lived next door to David,
0:05:02 > 0:05:06he had only one visitor, and she believes he has no family.
0:05:11 > 0:05:15The heir hunters think his terraced property could be worth
0:05:15 > 0:05:17as much as £250,000.
0:05:17 > 0:05:23In the London offices, a high-value case like this takes top priority.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26We need an inquiry being done in Stevenage, mate.
0:05:26 > 0:05:29If we can do it on the phone, then it's OK.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32But I haven't got any neighbours or anything at the moment.
0:05:32 > 0:05:34Heir hunters work on commission,
0:05:34 > 0:05:38earning a percentage of the money received by each heir they sign.
0:05:39 > 0:05:43And a large estate could attract a lot of interest.
0:05:43 > 0:05:46The team need to find the heirs to David's estate fast,
0:05:46 > 0:05:49or they might lose out to competing heir hunters.
0:05:49 > 0:05:52Thank you very much. Bye-bye.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55Case manager Frances Brett will lead the search.
0:05:55 > 0:05:57Hello.
0:05:57 > 0:06:00She's hoping her 23 years' experience in heir hunting
0:06:00 > 0:06:02will give them the edge.
0:06:02 > 0:06:04Smee, S-M-E-E.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07And they've got something on their side.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Smee is an unusual name.
0:06:11 > 0:06:12Take care, bye-bye.
0:06:12 > 0:06:15All's going well, but there's some confusion.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20For some reason, the advert says he's meant to be called George David.
0:06:20 > 0:06:23So far, I've found everything is David George,
0:06:23 > 0:06:25including the address, including the birth,
0:06:25 > 0:06:29and...I haven't got a marriage at the moment, so...
0:06:29 > 0:06:33I'm not sure why it's done differently.
0:06:33 > 0:06:38A misprinted name can result in many hours of wasted research,
0:06:38 > 0:06:42so it's lucky that Neil's spotted the mistake early in the process.
0:06:42 > 0:06:47Working with David Smee's name the right way round,
0:06:47 > 0:06:49the team set to work, building a family tree.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51Take one, Jo. Mike'll take one, I'll take the other.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55- You get the good one?- Er, no.
0:06:55 > 0:06:58Heir hunters use family trees like treasure maps,
0:06:58 > 0:07:01guiding them step by step through each generation
0:07:01 > 0:07:05until they strike gold and find someone entitled to inherit.
0:07:05 > 0:07:10Right, mum and dad. Arthur G. Lily. L-I-L-Y.
0:07:14 > 0:07:18- Frances already has possible parents for David Smee.- Isha.- Yeah?
0:07:18 > 0:07:22- What are you doing?- And researcher Isha Mae have discovered a brother.
0:07:22 > 0:07:26I'm looking for a Charles J Smee.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30I've done an infant death and there's no trace.
0:07:30 > 0:07:31I'm trying to see if he's alive.
0:07:31 > 0:07:33So, very quickly,
0:07:33 > 0:07:37the team think they've found people who are David Smee's family.
0:07:37 > 0:07:41His father was Arthur. His mother was Lily Sherry.
0:07:41 > 0:07:46And he had a brother, Charles, who died in 2002 with no children.
0:07:47 > 0:07:52As all of these people have passed away, the team now know
0:07:52 > 0:07:56that they need to look for cousins if they're going to find an heir.
0:07:56 > 0:07:59Frances is trying to find records for the person they believe
0:07:59 > 0:08:01is David's mother, Lily Sherry.
0:08:01 > 0:08:06You have looked for a birth for a Lily Sherry? L-I-L-Y.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08And Sherry as in what you drink.
0:08:10 > 0:08:12But she's struggling to find a birth record.
0:08:17 > 0:08:22Without Lily's birth record, they won't be able to trace heirs,
0:08:22 > 0:08:26and it seems every avenue they take throws up a blank.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29Frances thinks they need to get
0:08:29 > 0:08:31a travelling heir hunter up to Stevenage
0:08:31 > 0:08:33to knock on doors to check if neighbours know
0:08:33 > 0:08:35about David's mother, Lily.
0:08:35 > 0:08:38That's why I think he needs to do an inquiry
0:08:38 > 0:08:41that he hasn't had his mum in some home somewhere.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Isha's trying to pick him up as we speak.
0:08:48 > 0:08:51In Tunbridge Wells, travelling heir hunter Bob Barrett
0:08:51 > 0:08:55is collecting a certificate on another case.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59A retired detective, Bob is one of a group of highly experienced
0:08:59 > 0:09:03probate researchers who spend Thursdays hunting for clues.
0:09:06 > 0:09:08- They talk to neighbours... - Did he live on his own?
0:09:08 > 0:09:11..chase certificates and visit the heirs.
0:09:11 > 0:09:14Often, it's their dogged determination
0:09:14 > 0:09:16that gives them the edge when it comes to reaching
0:09:16 > 0:09:19the heirs before the competition.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21Is it Slee or Smee?
0:09:21 > 0:09:23- 'Smee.'- S-M?
0:09:23 > 0:09:25Yep, as in...
0:09:25 > 0:09:26- '"Me!"'- "Me! Me!"
0:09:29 > 0:09:32Bob will stand by to wait for developments.
0:09:32 > 0:09:35Meanwhile, in the office,
0:09:35 > 0:09:39Neil's made progress on David's father Arthur's side of the tree.
0:09:40 > 0:09:45What we're working on is a possible birth of the father,
0:09:45 > 0:09:48Arthur George Smee.
0:09:48 > 0:09:53And if that's right, he's got a sister and two brothers.
0:09:53 > 0:09:55And once I've written them on the tree,
0:09:55 > 0:09:59Noel's writing them over my shoulder, and he's...
0:09:59 > 0:10:01- hopefully getting ready to write them up.- Yeah.
0:10:01 > 0:10:04From the research, they found that David's father Arthur
0:10:04 > 0:10:07had a brother called Alfred.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Alfred had a son, William.
0:10:09 > 0:10:12If they have the right family, he would be David's cousin
0:10:12 > 0:10:15and an heir to his estate.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20And perhaps he can solve the mystery of where Lily,
0:10:20 > 0:10:23David's mother, was born.
0:10:23 > 0:10:26Frances has a number for him, and she's about to make the call.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34Hello, I'm terribly sorry to trouble you.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39I'm phoning from a firm of probate researchers in London.
0:10:39 > 0:10:44I was hoping to get in contact with a William Smee.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48With a large estate of £250,000 in the balance,
0:10:48 > 0:10:50the pressure is on Frances.
0:10:50 > 0:10:52Thank you very much.
0:10:52 > 0:10:55Is this man David's cousin and heir?
0:10:55 > 0:10:59A potential cousin of yours has passed away.
0:10:59 > 0:11:04Now, I don't know whether you know very much about the Smee family
0:11:04 > 0:11:07that can help us in this regard to make sure
0:11:07 > 0:11:11we are talking the right family?
0:11:15 > 0:11:17Coming up,
0:11:17 > 0:11:21the chase is on to find an heir ahead of the competition,
0:11:21 > 0:11:23but is Frances heading for a brick wall?
0:11:25 > 0:11:26He really didn't know anything.
0:11:34 > 0:11:36In the hunt to find heirs,
0:11:36 > 0:11:39probate researchers sometimes uncover secrets
0:11:39 > 0:11:42and long-lost stories that amaze
0:11:42 > 0:11:45and surprise younger generations.
0:11:45 > 0:11:49One of the things that people love about my company is that
0:11:49 > 0:11:50it opens up a window into their past.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54They're often able to find a lot about their ancestors.
0:11:59 > 0:12:03Dundee, on the mouth of the River Tay in Scotland,
0:12:03 > 0:12:06was home to Mae Valentine.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10She passed away in 2009 at the age of 82,
0:12:10 > 0:12:13leaving an estate of £13,000.
0:12:17 > 0:12:19Mae had learning difficulties,
0:12:19 > 0:12:21and had spent most of her life in care homes.
0:12:23 > 0:12:26For the last year of her life, Mae was happily settled
0:12:26 > 0:12:29in Bearehill Care Home, Brechin,
0:12:29 > 0:12:31where she was known as a bit of a character.
0:12:31 > 0:12:35She was a very affectionate lady.
0:12:35 > 0:12:37She loved to sing,
0:12:37 > 0:12:42and she always had a smile for you.
0:12:42 > 0:12:46Sometime she was not in a good mood,
0:12:46 > 0:12:50but if you went along and give her some attention,
0:12:50 > 0:12:53then she would be better with you.
0:12:56 > 0:13:00Another staff member remembers Mae adored music,
0:13:00 > 0:13:02and was happy to share her love of it with everyone.
0:13:02 > 0:13:04Mae liked concerts.
0:13:04 > 0:13:09She liked singing Daisy, Daisy. That was her most favourite song.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11She used to sing at the top of her voice, Daisy, Daisy.
0:13:11 > 0:13:14It was so nice.
0:13:14 > 0:13:16She was so happy.
0:13:17 > 0:13:20When Mae took ill before she passed away,
0:13:20 > 0:13:23Lynn regularly took the bus to see her in hospital,
0:13:23 > 0:13:26a one-and-a-half-hour journey.
0:13:26 > 0:13:29When I used to get to hospital to visit Mae,
0:13:29 > 0:13:30she always had a big smile.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34She did recognise me, she had a big smile on her face.
0:13:34 > 0:13:37It was nice to spend time with her.
0:13:37 > 0:13:41After Mae's death, staff at the care home
0:13:41 > 0:13:43passed Mae's personal belongings
0:13:43 > 0:13:46and money over to the authorities, believing that
0:13:46 > 0:13:50she had no family. Her name went onto a Scottish list
0:13:50 > 0:13:52of unclaimed estates,
0:13:52 > 0:13:58which is called the QLTR, or Queen's and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.
0:13:58 > 0:14:02This office manages unclaimed funds north of the border.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05Hector Birchwood of heir hunting firm Celtic Research
0:14:05 > 0:14:07decided to take up the case.
0:14:09 > 0:14:11The deceased was Mae Geoffrey Valentine.
0:14:11 > 0:14:13She died a spinster in 2009.
0:14:15 > 0:14:17In the hunt for heirs,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21Hector knew the first stage was to map out Mae's immediate family.
0:14:22 > 0:14:25We had to find out when she was born and where she was born.
0:14:25 > 0:14:29As it happened, she was born in Scotland.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33The next stage was to see who her parents were
0:14:33 > 0:14:35and if she had any siblings.
0:14:36 > 0:14:38We located a couple of siblings.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Mae's parents were Charles and Mary.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44She had a sister, Jeannie, who had died in infancy
0:14:44 > 0:14:48and a brother, Charles, who passed away with no children.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50Mae and her brother Charles were in their early 20s
0:14:50 > 0:14:53when their mother Mary died.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56As they both had special needs and it was the 1950s,
0:14:56 > 0:15:00they were put into care, a common practice at that time.
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Heir hunter Hector knew that if he was going to find an heir
0:15:05 > 0:15:07to Mae's £13,000 estate,
0:15:07 > 0:15:09he would need to go further back in the family.
0:15:11 > 0:15:13Mae Valentine's grandparents
0:15:13 > 0:15:16were John and Elizabeth Valentine, nee Watson.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18They appear to have had five children.
0:15:18 > 0:15:23At first, Hector was pleased, because so many descendants
0:15:23 > 0:15:27improves the odds of finding cousins who might be heirs to Mae's estate.
0:15:27 > 0:15:29But as he started to look at her uncles and aunts,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31his optimism faded.
0:15:31 > 0:15:35As we were doing research on this particular case, we were finding
0:15:35 > 0:15:38that some of the lines were dying
0:15:38 > 0:15:41relatively young and not marrying,
0:15:41 > 0:15:43not having children,
0:15:43 > 0:15:47so, basically, our options were getting funnelled down.
0:15:49 > 0:15:52Of Mae's four uncles and aunts, three of them
0:15:52 > 0:15:54had passed away with no heirs.
0:15:57 > 0:15:59Hector was down to the last aunt -
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Jane, also known as Jeannie Valentine -
0:16:02 > 0:16:05who had just one child, a daughter, Betty, in 1920,
0:16:05 > 0:16:10who passed away in 2008.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13But did Mae Valentine's cousin Betty have children
0:16:13 > 0:16:16who could inherit her £13,000 estate?
0:16:20 > 0:16:23Betty had a colourful history.
0:16:23 > 0:16:26She was 19 when World War II broke out,
0:16:26 > 0:16:28and had spent the entire war as a WAAF
0:16:28 > 0:16:31in the Women's Auxiliary Air Force.
0:16:31 > 0:16:35The WAAFs played a key role supporting the forces,
0:16:35 > 0:16:37doing everything from deciphering codes to intelligence.
0:16:39 > 0:16:43After being stationed all around Britain, Mae's cousin Betty
0:16:43 > 0:16:48returned to Dundee, where she met her husband Donald,
0:16:48 > 0:16:50and they were married three months later.
0:16:52 > 0:16:53When they got married,
0:16:53 > 0:16:58you might say that Betty was in her prime to be able to have children.
0:16:59 > 0:17:03Hector was hoping their marriage Mae have produced an heir.
0:17:03 > 0:17:06But despite trawling through every birth record
0:17:06 > 0:17:09in the British Isles, there were no signs of children at all.
0:17:09 > 0:17:13The fact they didn't have any children posed a problem.
0:17:14 > 0:17:16If no children could be found,
0:17:16 > 0:17:21all of Mae's £13,000 estate would go to the Scottish Treasury.
0:17:21 > 0:17:25But Hector wasn't about to give up, and his search
0:17:25 > 0:17:28was to take him across continents.
0:17:28 > 0:17:33Every case is in itself an enigma, and I have to go and resolve that.
0:17:40 > 0:17:44Heir hunters work hard to solve thousands of cases a year,
0:17:44 > 0:17:46ensuring millions of pounds are paid out to rightful heirs.
0:17:46 > 0:17:49But not every case can be cracked.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52The Treasury has a list of over 2,000 estates
0:17:52 > 0:17:56that have baffled the heir hunters and remain unclaimed.
0:17:56 > 0:18:00These estates stay on the list for up to 30 years,
0:18:00 > 0:18:05and each one could be worth anything from £5,000 to many millions.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09Today, we're focusing on three names from the list.
0:18:09 > 0:18:11Are they relatives of yours?
0:18:11 > 0:18:14Could you be in line for an unexpected windfall?
0:18:16 > 0:18:19Kathleen Nappin died in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21on 17th September, 2002.
0:18:23 > 0:18:26The surname Nappin is Anglo Saxon.
0:18:26 > 0:18:28Are you related to the Nappin family?
0:18:28 > 0:18:30Does Kathleen's cash belong to you?
0:18:30 > 0:18:35Does the name Jean Prosho have a familiar ring?
0:18:35 > 0:18:39Jean died in April 2005 in Plaistow, London.
0:18:39 > 0:18:43Her surname, Prosho, certainly stands out from the crowd.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Perhaps you have someone with that name in your family?
0:18:46 > 0:18:49Could you be entitled to Jean's cash?
0:18:50 > 0:18:53Michael Jackson died in Nottinghamshire
0:18:53 > 0:18:56on 10th December, 1993.
0:18:56 > 0:19:00It's a high-profile name, but does it ring any bells for you?
0:19:00 > 0:19:03Could you be an heir to his estate?
0:19:05 > 0:19:08If the names Kathleen Nappin, Jean Prosho or Michael Jackson
0:19:08 > 0:19:12mean anything to you, then you could have a fortune coming your way.
0:19:23 > 0:19:26Heir hunters Fraser And Fraser are searching for heirs
0:19:26 > 0:19:28on the estate of David Smee.
0:19:28 > 0:19:31He died in Stevenage in January 2011.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37Because he owned the terraced house he lived in,
0:19:37 > 0:19:40they believe his estate could be worth as much as £250,000.
0:19:42 > 0:19:45We've discovered that the deceased did own his own home.
0:19:48 > 0:19:49So, depending on how much
0:19:49 > 0:19:52of a mortgage or so he's got on the property,
0:19:52 > 0:19:54that should make it a sizeable estate.
0:20:01 > 0:20:04Neighbour Sue Usher remembers
0:20:04 > 0:20:08when David first moved in, 30 years ago.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10We used to have a big dartboard set up in our lounge,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14and a couple of times, he came in and played darts,
0:20:14 > 0:20:18and obviously got to know the family, got to know the kids,
0:20:18 > 0:20:20and he gave my son his very first...
0:20:20 > 0:20:22Well, not computer, but I think it was an Atari.
0:20:25 > 0:20:27But when he gave up his work in computing,
0:20:27 > 0:20:30David had begun to withdraw from the neighbours.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32As the '90s came on,
0:20:32 > 0:20:36he was having no contact, really, at all.
0:20:37 > 0:20:41If I was out there, he didn't used to come out, or if we went out,
0:20:41 > 0:20:42you know, he used to come in.
0:20:42 > 0:20:45I've seen that scenario a couple of times.
0:20:46 > 0:20:50Sue doesn't believe that David had any family, and as he didn't leave
0:20:50 > 0:20:56a will, his substantial £250,000 estate could go to the Government.
0:21:01 > 0:21:03In the London offices, the heir hunters
0:21:03 > 0:21:05are trying to stop this happening.
0:21:05 > 0:21:10They're hunting for relatives that could be entitled to his cash.
0:21:10 > 0:21:15Case manager Frances Brett is on the phone to a William Smee.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18The team have drawn up a family tree,
0:21:18 > 0:21:22and they think William is David's cousin and an heir to his estate.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25But they need him to confirm the research.
0:21:25 > 0:21:30Now I don't know whether you know very much about the Smee family
0:21:30 > 0:21:33that can help us in this regard?
0:21:34 > 0:21:38Is this man David's cousin and an heir to his estate?
0:21:41 > 0:21:42Oh, wonderful.
0:21:44 > 0:21:46Brilliant.
0:21:46 > 0:21:49They've got their first heir on the father's side of the family.
0:21:49 > 0:21:51Haven't I just!
0:21:51 > 0:21:53But this is only half the story.
0:21:55 > 0:21:58Have you been in touch with that part of the family?
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Not for years?
0:22:03 > 0:22:06The team haven't been able to find a birth record
0:22:06 > 0:22:08for Lily Sherry, David's mother.
0:22:08 > 0:22:10Without her birth certificate,
0:22:10 > 0:22:14they can't extend the search to find heirs on the maternal side.
0:22:16 > 0:22:20At the moment, I'm not too sure about your Auntie Lily.
0:22:20 > 0:22:24Neil's just done some research and believes Lily
0:22:24 > 0:22:27Mae be from Northern Ireland, but needs the family to confirm this.
0:22:27 > 0:22:29Has she now?
0:22:30 > 0:22:32And they're in luck.
0:22:32 > 0:22:37It looks like the heir's wife is a keen family historian.
0:22:37 > 0:22:39Would you please say thank you very much to your wife
0:22:39 > 0:22:41for having dug the tree out?
0:22:41 > 0:22:45It's a real coup. Not only have they found their first heir,
0:22:45 > 0:22:49but they've also been able to confirm the other side
0:22:49 > 0:22:51of the family, saving hours of research.
0:22:51 > 0:22:53It was really fortunate
0:22:53 > 0:22:57that Mrs Smee had done some of the family history,
0:22:57 > 0:23:00and that they knew that the deceased's mum
0:23:00 > 0:23:04was older than her husband and came from Ireland.
0:23:04 > 0:23:08Now they know where to look to find Lily's birth record,
0:23:08 > 0:23:11and they'll be able to map out her side of the family.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15But this case isn't wrapped up yet.
0:23:15 > 0:23:18They still need the cousin to sign up with the company,
0:23:18 > 0:23:22so Frances calls travelling heir hunter Bob Barrett.
0:23:22 > 0:23:24- Hello, Bob.- Hello.
0:23:24 > 0:23:27You're going to Bognor Regis.
0:23:29 > 0:23:33So, Bob will make his way to see the heir, William.
0:23:33 > 0:23:37In the meantime, using Irish census records,
0:23:37 > 0:23:41the researchers have found out more about David's mother Lily's origins.
0:23:44 > 0:23:46She was one of many young Irish women
0:23:46 > 0:23:49who came to London in the 1940s.
0:23:51 > 0:23:56Lily was born in Lisnaskea in 1914 in rural Ireland.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00It was tough times for this farming family.
0:24:00 > 0:24:02From what we can glean from the 1911 census,
0:24:02 > 0:24:05it seems the three generations of the family
0:24:05 > 0:24:08lived in a very small farm holding.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11Seven people living in a three-roomed dwelling,
0:24:11 > 0:24:13so it sounds as if they were a fairly poor family.
0:24:16 > 0:24:20It was difficult for young women like Lily to find employment
0:24:20 > 0:24:22in the small rural communities of Ireland.
0:24:22 > 0:24:26There was an expectation within Ireland at that time,
0:24:26 > 0:24:29both the north and south, that the sons would stay and work the land.
0:24:29 > 0:24:33The daughters were free to leave the land.
0:24:33 > 0:24:36It couldn't support them.
0:24:36 > 0:24:38So, there was almost an expectation
0:24:38 > 0:24:42that the daughters would move out and find work elsewhere.
0:24:44 > 0:24:49Lily in many ways typifies Irish female migration of the period.
0:24:49 > 0:24:54She migrated as a single young woman looking for work in Britain.
0:24:54 > 0:24:59For all young migrants to Britain, there would've been a culture shock.
0:24:59 > 0:25:03But Lily's experience would have been extreme.
0:25:04 > 0:25:07Of course, we must remember that she was arriving during the war years,
0:25:07 > 0:25:09so she would have been coming into the Blitz.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14From Ireland, from a small rural village like Lisnaskea,
0:25:14 > 0:25:18to arrive in the middle of the Blitz must have been a terrifying experience.
0:25:18 > 0:25:22She had no preparation for this. It was right in at the deep end.
0:25:22 > 0:25:25So, I'm sure she probably would have been quite frightened
0:25:25 > 0:25:26by what she encountered.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Despite the terror of London at war,
0:25:30 > 0:25:33the city was to be Lily's home for the rest of her life.
0:25:35 > 0:25:40In 1949, she went on to marry Arthur and have David and Charles.
0:25:45 > 0:25:47Meanwhile, in the race to sign
0:25:47 > 0:25:50the heir on David's father's side of the family,
0:25:50 > 0:25:53Bob Barratt has made it to William Smee's house.
0:25:53 > 0:25:58William is the son of David's Uncle Alfred, and he's David's cousin.
0:25:58 > 0:26:01But they weren't in contact.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04- Yeah, he died in January.- Oh, right.
0:26:04 > 0:26:06So, yeah, fairly recent.
0:26:06 > 0:26:08Now, I don't know how much the estate's worth,
0:26:08 > 0:26:10but we think there might be a property involved.
0:26:10 > 0:26:12But of course, what we don't know is how much.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17Obviously, being cousins, they shared the same grandfather.
0:26:17 > 0:26:21But William's Uncle Arthur fell out with the family in the '40s,
0:26:21 > 0:26:23for a surprising reason.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26What happened was...
0:26:26 > 0:26:30after the war, my Uncle Arthur came home
0:26:30 > 0:26:33and he got the DER to put the radio rentals in
0:26:33 > 0:26:36so that his mum could listen to the radio.
0:26:36 > 0:26:38And the old man apparently threw a fit,
0:26:38 > 0:26:40although Arthur was paying for it.
0:26:40 > 0:26:43and they had a real big row, and they never spoke for 20-odd years.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45And nor did my dad,
0:26:45 > 0:26:48my dad took Arthur's side and Tommy took his side.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50- It's normally over money.- Yeah.
0:26:50 > 0:26:54This wasn't, it was just over...
0:26:54 > 0:26:55- Technology.- Yeah.
0:26:55 > 0:26:59And it's about who's head of the family
0:26:59 > 0:27:01and who said you could do it, that sort of thing,
0:27:01 > 0:27:04and the old power struggle sort of starts.
0:27:05 > 0:27:07But it's a shame, isn't it?
0:27:07 > 0:27:10It makes you feel quite sad now, because you think,
0:27:10 > 0:27:13"Oh, now they've died and I didn't get to know them,"
0:27:13 > 0:27:16but at the other end of the day...
0:27:16 > 0:27:18I didn't really have an option.
0:27:18 > 0:27:21No, quite. And I think all you can do in life
0:27:21 > 0:27:26is look after and deal with your own life and your own close family.
0:27:28 > 0:27:30Bob leaves the paperwork with William.
0:27:36 > 0:27:38A very pleasant gentleman,
0:27:38 > 0:27:41and I'm sure he'll end up signing an agreement with us.
0:27:44 > 0:27:46Over the next few weeks,
0:27:46 > 0:27:49the team make progress on David's mother's side,
0:27:49 > 0:27:52tracking down cousins living in Northern Ireland.
0:27:52 > 0:27:57In the end, David Smee's estate was worth around £100,000.
0:27:57 > 0:28:01But with the research leading to more than 15 heirs,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03partner Neil Fraser is still pleased.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06I'm fairly happy we worked on that, we got the letters out
0:28:06 > 0:28:10on the ones we haven't been able to see, but everything else is done.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12But it's looking like quite a good case.
0:28:14 > 0:28:18It's a sad fact of life that, despite having many first cousins,
0:28:18 > 0:28:21David Smee died alone.
0:28:23 > 0:28:27His former neighbour, Sue Usher, and her family will remember him.
0:28:27 > 0:28:31I was informed by someone else that he'd passed away.
0:28:31 > 0:28:33It was a surprise, how sad it made me.
0:28:33 > 0:28:36You know, if someone's recluse in an area,
0:28:36 > 0:28:40they become known as a recluse, don't they? Dave The Recluse.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43Bit of a sad story.
0:29:00 > 0:29:03Hector Birchwood of heir-hunting firm Celtic Research
0:29:03 > 0:29:07was scouring birth records across the British Isles,
0:29:07 > 0:29:10searching for heirs to the estate of Mae Valentine.
0:29:11 > 0:29:16Mae passed away in 2009, at the age of 82.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19She'd been a popular resident at the Bearehill Care Home
0:29:19 > 0:29:22in Brechin, where she spent the last years of her life.
0:29:22 > 0:29:25She had been in other institutions before.
0:29:25 > 0:29:27Mae had a few friends within the home,
0:29:27 > 0:29:31one of which was her best friend
0:29:31 > 0:29:33that she came from Leaning House with.
0:29:33 > 0:29:38They used to paint together, listen to music,
0:29:38 > 0:29:43and she was always very keen on soft toys.
0:29:46 > 0:29:49No relatives ever visited Mae in the care home,
0:29:49 > 0:29:52and the staff knew that Mae's brother, Charles,
0:29:52 > 0:29:55who also had special needs, died 19 years before.
0:29:56 > 0:29:58When Mae passed away,
0:29:58 > 0:30:01they decided to try and bury her next to her brother.
0:30:01 > 0:30:06I phoned the Parks Department and asked
0:30:06 > 0:30:09if there was any space for me,
0:30:09 > 0:30:13and he got back to me and said, yes, there was.
0:30:13 > 0:30:16I just thought it was a really nice end, then,
0:30:16 > 0:30:20that both brother and sister were back reunited.
0:30:23 > 0:30:26Mae had left £13,000 when she died.
0:30:30 > 0:30:32Hector had been searching for Mae's family.
0:30:32 > 0:30:36His last hope was Betty, Mae's cousin.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39She had married in her 20s, to Donald.
0:30:39 > 0:30:42If they had children, they would be heirs.
0:30:43 > 0:30:46When we found Betty and Donald marrying,
0:30:46 > 0:30:50we thought that Betty was in her prime to be able to have children,
0:30:50 > 0:30:51and we couldn't find any children.
0:30:51 > 0:30:57Cleverly, Hector decided to turn his research on its head.
0:30:57 > 0:30:59Betty had died in 2008.
0:30:59 > 0:31:04He took a look at Betty's death record to see who the informant was.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07We found her death and we saw that there was an informant,
0:31:07 > 0:31:09a son called Donald.
0:31:09 > 0:31:12It was a major breakthrough, but Hector still couldn't find
0:31:12 > 0:31:15a birth certificate to confirm his findings.
0:31:15 > 0:31:19We thought maybe he was adopted or maybe he was born abroad.
0:31:24 > 0:31:29In the 20th century, many families moved about the British Empire
0:31:29 > 0:31:31on postings abroad.
0:31:31 > 0:31:34Newlyweds Donald and Betty were from Dundee,
0:31:34 > 0:31:39and this town had many historical connections with the jute industry.
0:31:40 > 0:31:42Donald was employed as a mill manager
0:31:42 > 0:31:44in the jute mills of Calcutta.
0:31:46 > 0:31:50Jute, a rough fibre, was used to produce sacking.
0:31:51 > 0:31:54It was the world's plastic packing material.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58And for a long period of time, probably from the 1830s
0:31:58 > 0:32:02right until the 20th century, there was an enormous worldwide demand
0:32:02 > 0:32:04for jute.
0:32:05 > 0:32:09Part of this demand was also fuelled by the cataclysmic conflicts
0:32:09 > 0:32:11of the last century.
0:32:12 > 0:32:19Jute was the great material during wartime, primarily for sandbags.
0:32:20 > 0:32:24And so, the periods of boom in the Dundee jute industry
0:32:24 > 0:32:26were the First World War and the Second World War.
0:32:30 > 0:32:33For centuries, Dundee had a major centre for linen.
0:32:33 > 0:32:35Linen was made with flax,
0:32:35 > 0:32:39but this material wasn't tough enough for sacking and heavy use.
0:32:42 > 0:32:44Jute was strong enough, but difficult to weave.
0:32:46 > 0:32:49Until a neat solution presented itself.
0:32:52 > 0:32:58The secret of Dundee's transition from flax to jute
0:32:58 > 0:33:02was that Dundee was also a significant whaling centre.
0:33:02 > 0:33:07The whale oil was just perfect as a material for softening the jute.
0:33:10 > 0:33:14It made it possible to batch it and process it and spin it
0:33:14 > 0:33:16and, ultimately, weave it.
0:33:18 > 0:33:20Production was moved to the Indian subcontinent,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22where the jute was grown,
0:33:22 > 0:33:26and the mills needed experienced hands to run them.
0:33:26 > 0:33:30The Dundonians who were drawn to the Calcutta jute industry
0:33:30 > 0:33:34tended to be mill managers, they tended to be overseers, technicians,
0:33:34 > 0:33:39and, indeed, these individuals were hugely, highly valued in Calcutta.
0:33:39 > 0:33:44Betty and her mill manager husband Donald were residents in Calcutta
0:33:44 > 0:33:48for at least 15 years of their married life.
0:33:48 > 0:33:52And it's possible they had Donald and one other child there.
0:33:52 > 0:33:54But how to know for sure?
0:33:56 > 0:34:00Hector had a hunch where to look.
0:34:00 > 0:34:05We looked for any migrations or immigrations
0:34:05 > 0:34:08to and from the colonies, and we found a shipping-list record.
0:34:08 > 0:34:12Shipping records are a vital source of information
0:34:12 > 0:34:15about people's movements, and heir hunters often use them
0:34:15 > 0:34:17to track missing heirs.
0:34:17 > 0:34:21Sure enough, Hector struck gold.
0:34:21 > 0:34:24We found a family travelling on this ship,
0:34:24 > 0:34:28and we found that they had a daughter called Joanna,
0:34:28 > 0:34:31and the ship list stated that she was born in India.
0:34:33 > 0:34:37Hector was now able to map out Betty's branch of the family tree.
0:34:37 > 0:34:42She had two children, Donald and Joanna, both born in India.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48Joanna and Donald are first cousins once removed to the deceased,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51and they are the only heirs that we've been able to locate
0:34:51 > 0:34:52on this estate thus far.
0:34:54 > 0:34:58Between them, they'll inherit Mae's £13,000 fortune.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07In her home in Manchester, Joanna, known as Joey,
0:35:07 > 0:35:10received the letter from Hector,
0:35:10 > 0:35:13and at first she didn't know what to think.
0:35:13 > 0:35:16My first impression was that it was just a scam
0:35:16 > 0:35:18and I was just waiting for the bit at the bottom which said,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21"Send your bank-account details and we will make sure
0:35:21 > 0:35:23"the money is transferred into your account."
0:35:23 > 0:35:25And I think, "Yeah, yeah - that'll be right."
0:35:25 > 0:35:28And then I spoke to my brother about it and he said,
0:35:28 > 0:35:29"No, no - this is a genuine company."
0:35:29 > 0:35:33Joey had never heard of her mother's cousin Mae.
0:35:33 > 0:35:36The name wasn't familiar at all,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39because I'd heard nothing about her at all.
0:35:39 > 0:35:44So it was a complete mystery, and a complete surprise, really.
0:35:45 > 0:35:47Perhaps one of the reasons
0:35:47 > 0:35:50was because Joey grew up in India, where her father worked.
0:35:51 > 0:35:54One of the things I absolutely loved was, on a Sunday,
0:35:54 > 0:35:57he used to take me over to the mill when the mill was all shut down,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59and let me have a play with the dangerous machinery.
0:35:59 > 0:36:04I absolutely loved that. The smell of jute was fantastic.
0:36:04 > 0:36:05I still love the smell of jute.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09And the mills were these massive, old Victorian buildings
0:36:09 > 0:36:14with huge flywheels and cranky things and oil,
0:36:14 > 0:36:16and they were just so exciting to go to.
0:36:16 > 0:36:18I used to love going to the mill.
0:36:20 > 0:36:23The family were housed in a luxurious compound
0:36:23 > 0:36:26and lived a glamorous expat lifestyle.
0:36:26 > 0:36:28It was a vivid and exciting time in Joey's life.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33There was a swimming pool on the compound, and we used to come back
0:36:33 > 0:36:36from school every day and go and have a swim for a bit.
0:36:39 > 0:36:43But her idyllic life in India wasn't to last.
0:36:43 > 0:36:44When she was eight or nine,
0:36:44 > 0:36:48her mum, Betty, decided the children needed a British education.
0:36:51 > 0:36:55We came back to Britain, and it was the early '60s, and it was freezing.
0:36:55 > 0:36:57You know, central heating wasn't common,
0:36:57 > 0:37:01and from going around in T-shirts and shorts and flip-flops all day,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05you were suddenly in itchy, jaggy jumpers,
0:37:05 > 0:37:07and big, thick leather shoes,
0:37:07 > 0:37:10and everything was itchy and cold and horrid.
0:37:11 > 0:37:13For Joey, it was the end of an era,
0:37:13 > 0:37:17and the start of a very different life.
0:37:17 > 0:37:19I certainly feel as if my life in India was
0:37:19 > 0:37:20a bit like living a life in colour,
0:37:20 > 0:37:23and then coming back to Britain
0:37:23 > 0:37:26was like living a life in black and white.
0:37:29 > 0:37:33Joey has mixed feelings to hear that she's inherited money
0:37:33 > 0:37:36from a relative who lived out her life in care.
0:37:37 > 0:37:41It's not been wholly happy, and I sort of want to do something
0:37:41 > 0:37:46nice with it, with my family, to raise a glass to Mae.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48To raise a glass to her memory,
0:37:48 > 0:37:54to talk about people who perhaps don't have families.
0:37:54 > 0:38:00Just, you know, the pleasure of family, that I don't think she had.
0:38:02 > 0:38:05In Dundee, Joey's brother, Donald,
0:38:05 > 0:38:08was also unsettled to find out that he had a family member
0:38:08 > 0:38:11that lived so close but that he knew nothing about.
0:38:13 > 0:38:19How did it happen that somebody relatively close just disappeared
0:38:19 > 0:38:21off the family trail?
0:38:21 > 0:38:25Donald would now like to find out a little more about Mae,
0:38:25 > 0:38:27and he's going to pay a visit to the care home
0:38:27 > 0:38:30where she spent her last days.
0:38:30 > 0:38:35The people that we're going to meet are the professional carers...
0:38:37 > 0:38:40..and if you didn't have people like that,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42it would be a very sorry world indeed,
0:38:42 > 0:38:45because they job they do is absolutely fantastic.
0:38:48 > 0:38:51It would be nice to meet them, just to get the chance to say hello
0:38:51 > 0:38:53and to say thank you.
0:39:04 > 0:39:06Donald's travelled an hour north of Dundee
0:39:06 > 0:39:10to meet with carers Eleanor and Lynne.
0:39:10 > 0:39:11It's an emotional moment.
0:39:12 > 0:39:14Since we found out about Mae,
0:39:14 > 0:39:19a whole number of thoughts have come into my mind, certainly.
0:39:19 > 0:39:22The need to find out more about a close relation,
0:39:22 > 0:39:26and there's somehow a feeling that we've missed something,
0:39:26 > 0:39:29because we didn't know about her.
0:39:31 > 0:39:33Hello, ladies. You're Eleanor?
0:39:33 > 0:39:36- I'm Eleanor.- Hello, Eleanor. And...?
0:39:36 > 0:39:39- I'm Lynne.- Hello, Lynne. Nice to meet you. I am Donald Hutchinson.
0:39:39 > 0:39:41- Have a seat.- Thank you.
0:39:41 > 0:39:45Mae was a popular resident in the care home.
0:39:45 > 0:39:48She was a very big part of Bearehill.
0:39:48 > 0:39:53She was quite a character. So, everybody knew her.
0:39:53 > 0:39:56Everybody that came into Bearehill on a regular basis
0:39:56 > 0:40:00would speak to her and say, "Hello, Mae," and, "How are you today?"
0:40:00 > 0:40:02And she just loved it.
0:40:02 > 0:40:06She just loved attention, and she was just such a nice lady.
0:40:07 > 0:40:10Mae was obviously well loved,
0:40:10 > 0:40:15and Donald is amazed at just how far the staff went for Mae.
0:40:15 > 0:40:19Mae went into Ninewells, and I went in to visit her twice a week,
0:40:19 > 0:40:26travelled 30 miles to go and visit her, because I was very fond of Mae.
0:40:28 > 0:40:31Although Mae passed away in 2009,
0:40:31 > 0:40:34her personality left its mark at the care home.
0:40:35 > 0:40:39She would on occasion sit in the chairs in the entrance hall,
0:40:39 > 0:40:43which is quite grand, because it is an old building, at the front,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47and for a good while after she died,
0:40:47 > 0:40:50you'd go to through to that part and you'd look in the chair
0:40:50 > 0:40:56- and Mae wasn't there. So she did leave a big hole, if you like.- Yes.
0:40:59 > 0:41:03It's a comfort for Donald that Eleanor took charge of Mae's burial.
0:41:04 > 0:41:09As soon as I saw it, I knew that that was the stone
0:41:09 > 0:41:11that we wanted for her.
0:41:11 > 0:41:17We wanted something that celebrated Charlie's life as well as Mae,
0:41:17 > 0:41:21because there was no stone on the grave before,
0:41:21 > 0:41:23so it brought the two of them together.
0:41:25 > 0:41:29I think it was lovely, and thank you for doing that.
0:41:29 > 0:41:32It was the least I could do. She was a lovely lady.
0:41:33 > 0:41:37We were under the impression that Mae never had any family,
0:41:37 > 0:41:41and I know Lynne would back me up here
0:41:41 > 0:41:46that she would have loved to have family of her very own.
0:41:46 > 0:41:49- And oddly, not too far away. - That's right.
0:41:49 > 0:41:54Only 30 miles away, and neither of us knew the other existed.
0:41:54 > 0:41:55- Which is very sad.- It is sad.
0:41:59 > 0:42:03Mae might have lived her life without family contact,
0:42:03 > 0:42:05but she wasn't alone,
0:42:05 > 0:42:08and her cousin Donald is profoundly grateful.
0:42:08 > 0:42:15Despite any disability she might have had, she really had a good life,
0:42:15 > 0:42:18and particularly, I would have thought, at the end of her life.
0:42:18 > 0:42:22The conditions that you had created to look after her
0:42:22 > 0:42:25were absolutely ideal, and she's no longer with us,
0:42:25 > 0:42:29but she was happy when she was, and was very well looked after,
0:42:29 > 0:42:30from what I can understand.
0:42:30 > 0:42:34I and the family are delighted, and I'm personally delighted
0:42:34 > 0:42:38to have met you both, to get the chance to say thank you to you both.
0:42:42 > 0:42:45'It's been great. It's been lovely to meet the carers.'
0:42:45 > 0:42:48These are dedicated and wonderful professionals,
0:42:48 > 0:42:51and we can't thank them enough for what they did for Mae
0:42:51 > 0:42:53during her time with them.
0:43:14 > 0:43:17Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd