0:00:02 > 0:00:06Heir hunters are trained to track down the relatives of those who've died without leaving a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:09Their work involves expert research.
0:00:09 > 0:00:15Two spinsters and one infant death, so we're going to have to go back to the start.
0:00:15 > 0:00:17They can hand over thousands of pounds
0:00:17 > 0:00:21to long-lost family members who had no idea they were in line to inherit.
0:00:23 > 0:00:27You just think, "Ooh, is there any money and how much would we get?"
0:00:27 > 0:00:28And sometimes,
0:00:28 > 0:00:32they give people a whole new perspective on their past.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36She sounds, er, a lady that I'd very much like to meet.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40But most of all, they tell people of an unexpected windfall.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43Could the Heir Hunters be knocking at your door?
0:00:47 > 0:00:49Coming up...
0:00:49 > 0:00:52A search for heirs that goes to all corners of the globe.
0:00:52 > 0:00:55- Comes from Jamaica in 1930. - Comes from Jamaica?
0:00:56 > 0:01:00Heir hunters try to unravel the mystery of a case that lay unsolved for 20 years...
0:01:01 > 0:01:04She sounds like an incredible woman, does Nellie.
0:01:04 > 0:01:08Plus, how you could be entitled to inherit unclaimed estates
0:01:08 > 0:01:11held by the Treasury. Could a fortune be heading your way?
0:01:19 > 0:01:22It's Thursday morning and at the offices of the UK's largest firm
0:01:22 > 0:01:25of heir hunters, Fraser & Fraser, it's all go.
0:01:27 > 0:01:30Today is the busiest day of their week
0:01:30 > 0:01:31because at midnight every Thursday,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35the Treasury Solicitor releases a new list of unclaimed estates.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40We've got a marriage for the parents and also two possible siblings.
0:01:40 > 0:01:44The team are competing with rival heir hunting firms across the UK
0:01:44 > 0:01:48to be the first to find and sign up heirs to these estates.
0:01:49 > 0:01:53In theory, this might be another sister of the deceased.
0:01:53 > 0:01:54But it might not.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57And today is especially busy.
0:01:58 > 0:02:02The team are looking at 12 separate estates and by early afternoon,
0:02:02 > 0:02:06they've found heirs on at least six of them.
0:02:06 > 0:02:09So at the moment, Bob's on his way to go and see the niece,
0:02:09 > 0:02:10who lives in Orpington.
0:02:11 > 0:02:15But the team don't just get their work from the unclaimed list.
0:02:15 > 0:02:18Sometimes they're given a tip-off about a person who's died
0:02:18 > 0:02:20without leaving a will.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23And just as the team are beginning to wind down for the day,
0:02:23 > 0:02:26a tip-off comes in that boss Neil wants them to work.
0:02:27 > 0:02:30I'm just starting to look at a new case.
0:02:30 > 0:02:32It's not from a Treasury Solicitor source,
0:02:32 > 0:02:37which is why we're starting it just after lunch, really. Rosemary Wall.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41We know she owns her own property and that property's probably worth
0:02:41 > 0:02:45in the region of £200,000 so it's a very worthwhile case.
0:02:46 > 0:02:48Having started at dawn,
0:02:48 > 0:02:51some of the team might have been thinking about an early finish.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53But the prospect of a lucrative new case
0:02:53 > 0:02:56is too good an opportunity to let go.
0:02:57 > 0:03:02The problem for us is, we've got our researchers all over the country
0:03:02 > 0:03:04all doing different things so to try and bring them together
0:03:04 > 0:03:07and get onto this case may be a little tricky.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10So, fingers crossed, we'll strike it lucky
0:03:10 > 0:03:14and be in the right area with the right guy and it'll all go to plan.
0:03:15 > 0:03:21Rosemary Wall died on 23 November 2010 in Kent.
0:03:21 > 0:03:23She was 83 years old.
0:03:24 > 0:03:28Bernard and Sylvia Lee first met Rosemary in the mid-1980s
0:03:28 > 0:03:30when they moved in next door.
0:03:32 > 0:03:37She had a dog at the time, called Smokey, and she used to walk
0:03:37 > 0:03:42her little dog and that's how we got to talk, over the dogs.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Over the years, the couple became firm friends with Rosemary
0:03:45 > 0:03:48and remember her with great affection.
0:03:49 > 0:03:55She was very well spoken and she had a lovely laugh.
0:03:57 > 0:03:59You could hear her, even in the garden.
0:03:59 > 0:04:02When she was out in the garden talking or laughing,
0:04:02 > 0:04:07you could hear her laughing. That is what I remember - her laughing.
0:04:07 > 0:04:10- Yeah, it was.- Wasn't it? She had a lovely laugh.- Strong laugh.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14In fact, to Bernard and Sylvia Rosemary always seemed very content.
0:04:14 > 0:04:20She was really fulfilled with her life as she was, wasn't she?
0:04:20 > 0:04:24Yeah, she seemed quite happy as she was. You know, on her own and that.
0:04:24 > 0:04:26She got on with everyone.
0:04:28 > 0:04:29In the office,
0:04:29 > 0:04:33it's all hands on deck as Neil and the team begin the search
0:04:33 > 0:04:35for heirs to Rosemary's estate,
0:04:35 > 0:04:37which has an estimated value of £200,000.
0:04:37 > 0:04:41As the team have been tipped off about this estate,
0:04:41 > 0:04:43they hope they're the only firm working it
0:04:43 > 0:04:47but they'll need to move fast in case rival companies have had
0:04:47 > 0:04:51the same tip-off and are trying to beat them to the prize.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54- How you doing, Dan, with your bit? - Er...
0:04:54 > 0:04:56- Can't find anything?- No.
0:04:57 > 0:05:01The team have already learned that Rosemary wasn't married
0:05:01 > 0:05:03and didn't have any children,
0:05:03 > 0:05:06so their next task is to look for immediate family.
0:05:06 > 0:05:08Although Rosemary's parents, Frederick and Rose,
0:05:08 > 0:05:11died many years ago, it seems she may have had siblings.
0:05:13 > 0:05:18She was living with her sister, who was also a spinster. She dies in...
0:05:21 > 0:05:24..1993, er, so I'm just going to try and see
0:05:24 > 0:05:26if I've got some other siblings
0:05:26 > 0:05:30but I don't think it'll take too long to get up to date, fingers crossed.
0:05:30 > 0:05:34And sure enough, Isha makes quick progress.
0:05:34 > 0:05:35I found a couple of sisters
0:05:35 > 0:05:39so if I can find the other one getting married...
0:05:39 > 0:05:42But they seem to move about a bit.
0:05:43 > 0:05:48Like, Rosemary's born in Blean and her sister is born in Maldon.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53If these sisters are alive, they'll be the sole heirs to
0:05:53 > 0:05:57Rosemary's estate - and the team are hoping this is the case.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01Finding close kin makes both the research on the administration
0:06:01 > 0:06:05of an estate much simpler and keeps costs down -
0:06:05 > 0:06:07all of which means more profit for the company.
0:06:08 > 0:06:13But after a bit of digging, Isha discovers they're out of luck.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16Daphne dies infant, so that's...
0:06:17 > 0:06:19..two spinsters and one infant death
0:06:19 > 0:06:22so we're going to have to go back to the start.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24So it's not as easy as I initially thought.
0:06:26 > 0:06:29With Rosemary's sisters Maureen and Daphne ruled out,
0:06:29 > 0:06:31the team must now broaden their search
0:06:31 > 0:06:35and start looking to her aunts, uncles and cousins.
0:06:35 > 0:06:38The first stage is to find a marriage record for her parents
0:06:38 > 0:06:39Frederick and Rose.
0:06:41 > 0:06:46We've come across a Rose M Davison marrying a Frederick E Wall
0:06:46 > 0:06:48in Hendon.
0:06:48 > 0:06:54But we've found a death of a Rose May Wall in Bexley.
0:06:54 > 0:06:57Now, Bexley is perfect for our family
0:06:57 > 0:07:00so they could have gone back to Bexley way.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02So we've got the date of birth and the death
0:07:02 > 0:07:05so Alan's going to look up her birth and see what she's born as.
0:07:06 > 0:07:10They turn to Census records to try and confirm they have the right Rose
0:07:10 > 0:07:13but they soon hit trouble.
0:07:13 > 0:07:15We're struggling with the mum
0:07:15 > 0:07:18because there's no Rose May Davison born at that time.
0:07:21 > 0:07:25Until they can confirm they have the correct Rose Davison,
0:07:25 > 0:07:29it will be tricky to find any aunts or uncles on the maternal side.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31I've put the two births in.
0:07:31 > 0:07:34What else do you want putting in while we're doing it?
0:07:34 > 0:07:38Fortunately, things are looking much more promising on the father's side.
0:07:38 > 0:07:41The team have established that Rosemary's paternal grandparents
0:07:41 > 0:07:43were Michael and Catherine,
0:07:43 > 0:07:47and that her father Frederick was one of nine.
0:07:47 > 0:07:49What name do you want me to do?
0:07:49 > 0:07:52Albert Michael, James John,
0:07:52 > 0:07:55Francis Vincent or Robert J.
0:07:55 > 0:07:57With eight paternal uncles to research,
0:07:57 > 0:08:00the team now have a huge amount of work to do.
0:08:01 > 0:08:04The fastest way to tackle such a big family
0:08:04 > 0:08:05is to divide and conquer,
0:08:05 > 0:08:08so different branches are shared out amongst the team.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13- OK, which one are you taking? - I'll take Charles Percival.
0:08:13 > 0:08:14I've got DW.
0:08:16 > 0:08:22- Who are you taking?- William Hainful, yeah. Dan's got Charles Percival.
0:08:22 > 0:08:24Looking at Rosemary's Uncle Charles,
0:08:24 > 0:08:27researcher Dan is able to make quick progress.
0:08:27 > 0:08:29I've got him marrying.
0:08:29 > 0:08:31It looks like he's married twice,
0:08:31 > 0:08:34to a Dorothy Risby and a Theodora Willey.
0:08:35 > 0:08:39But Neil's spotted something which could be a big stumbling block.
0:08:39 > 0:08:41Why we've got some problems is,
0:08:41 > 0:08:44Michael the grandfather was born in County Dublin in Ireland.
0:08:44 > 0:08:47His second wife, Ida, is born in Hounslow.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51His oldest son, the father of the deceased, is born in Hounslow,
0:08:51 > 0:08:54which we've got registration in Brentford.
0:08:55 > 0:09:00And then we've got a full-blood brother,
0:09:00 > 0:09:02who's born in London.
0:09:02 > 0:09:04Doesn't quite say where in London.
0:09:04 > 0:09:07We already think that one of the uncles of the deceased
0:09:07 > 0:09:10is born in Alderney, one of the Channel Islands.
0:09:12 > 0:09:15They've also found brothers born in Colchester in Essex
0:09:15 > 0:09:20and Pembroke in Wales. And it's not good news for the heir hunt.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Carrying out research in all corners of the UK
0:09:23 > 0:09:27and the Channel Islands will mean extra costs for the team.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30And there are no guarantees of finding heirs.
0:09:32 > 0:09:34I can't find a good marriage, so...
0:09:38 > 0:09:41It's highly unusual to have siblings born so far and wide,
0:09:41 > 0:09:43but Neil has a theory.
0:09:44 > 0:09:46The occupation of the, er...
0:09:48 > 0:09:55..grandfather of the deceased is a recruiting officer in the Army.
0:09:55 > 0:10:00So it looks as though they're moving round because of that.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04The Army connection may explain why the family were always on the move.
0:10:04 > 0:10:07But tracing them is proving a nightmare.
0:10:07 > 0:10:09Not only do they have no idea where to look
0:10:09 > 0:10:11but Wall is a fairly common name.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17There's too many William H Walls around about that time,
0:10:17 > 0:10:18when he's born.
0:10:18 > 0:10:23And I can't identify any deaths with any certainty, that could be correct.
0:10:25 > 0:10:28I really don't know about him at all. He's dropped off the radar.
0:10:28 > 0:10:30This is testing research for the team
0:10:30 > 0:10:34and things could get even harder as they move down the tree.
0:10:34 > 0:10:39The next generation are...likely that at least some of them
0:10:39 > 0:10:41are going to have joined the Army as well,
0:10:41 > 0:10:43so they're going to be soldiers.
0:10:43 > 0:10:47It means that we have to make sure we're checking the Commonwealth War Graves
0:10:47 > 0:10:51to see if they've died in the First or Second World War because they may be of age.
0:10:51 > 0:10:53If they're not, maybe their children are.
0:10:53 > 0:10:54Once we get one bit in the Army,
0:10:54 > 0:10:56we generally find quite a bit of it there.
0:10:56 > 0:11:00So something for us to pay attention to when we're doing the research.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03Neil's hunch proves to be spot on.
0:11:03 > 0:11:07The team soon start discovering paternal uncles who were in the Army
0:11:07 > 0:11:10and stationed all over the world.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12Coming from Jamaica to Bristol.
0:11:12 > 0:11:18Oh, mine does that. Mine goes to Ceylon but dies in Watford.
0:11:18 > 0:11:20The only researcher having any luck is Alan,
0:11:20 > 0:11:24who thinks he's traced one of Rosemary's cousins.
0:11:24 > 0:11:30I found a possible son of a marriage of Henry ES Wall.
0:11:30 > 0:11:34It might be correct, cos it's the same name as the grandfather.
0:11:34 > 0:11:38While it sounds promising, there's just one hitch.
0:11:38 > 0:11:41Last known to be in Fremantle, Western Australia.
0:11:41 > 0:11:44What started out as a seemingly simple case has suddenly snowballed
0:11:44 > 0:11:47into an international heir hunt.
0:11:47 > 0:11:51Tracing relatives across the globe requires a lot of work -
0:11:51 > 0:11:55and at this stage, they're nowhere near finding heirs to Rosemary's estate.
0:11:55 > 0:11:58- Was he born in Jamaica or something? - Oh, yeah, yeah.
0:11:58 > 0:11:59But as the hunt continues,
0:11:59 > 0:12:02there may be more positive news closer to home.
0:12:02 > 0:12:08Jo's found the maternal side. She's born as Rosie.
0:12:08 > 0:12:11But will it lead them to their first heir?
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Hopefully it's a smaller family than the paternal side.
0:12:22 > 0:12:25While the Treasury Solicitor publishes a new list
0:12:25 > 0:12:30of unclaimed estates each week, not all of them are sold straightaway.
0:12:30 > 0:12:33Some can stay on the bona vacantia list for many years,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36until a new piece of information suddenly comes to light
0:12:36 > 0:12:38that helps solve the puzzle.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41For firms like Celtic Research,
0:12:41 > 0:12:45which is run by father-and-son team Peter and Hector Birchwood,
0:12:45 > 0:12:48these unsolved cases offer a tantalising challenge.
0:12:51 > 0:12:56We often look back at cases that we have not been able to solve,
0:12:56 > 0:12:58whenever new information becomes available.
0:13:00 > 0:13:04And that's how, in early 2012, case manager Saul Marks
0:13:04 > 0:13:06discovered the case of Kathleen Sharman.
0:13:09 > 0:13:11Kathleen died almost 20 years ago
0:13:11 > 0:13:14and no heir-hunting firm had managed to solve her case -
0:13:14 > 0:13:18so for Saul and the team, it looked like it could be a real challenge.
0:13:19 > 0:13:26Kathleen Sharman died on 23 October 1993, in Barking in east London.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28She was 56 years old.
0:13:28 > 0:13:29Kathleen had Down's syndrome
0:13:29 > 0:13:33and had lived in Kingsbridge Residential Care Home for many years.
0:13:35 > 0:13:39Sadly, no photos of Kathleen survive
0:13:39 > 0:13:42but Jean Pettican knew her for many years.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45Kathleen used to like music.
0:13:45 > 0:13:47She was a happy-go-lucky girl.
0:13:47 > 0:13:52She used to like her food, her sweets, make-up and dancing.
0:13:52 > 0:13:57And she used to like her music. Everything a young girl would like.
0:13:57 > 0:14:00Jean always looked forward to meeting up with Kathleen
0:14:00 > 0:14:02when they were young girls.
0:14:02 > 0:14:05I used to get excited when I'd see her because it was
0:14:05 > 0:14:09someone my own age coming home with me, someone I could talk to.
0:14:09 > 0:14:13We used to sit and have a chat. It wasn't, sort of, serious talk.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16It was like childish talk.
0:14:16 > 0:14:19Although Kathleen lived in residential care,
0:14:19 > 0:14:22she was often out and about in the town centre.
0:14:22 > 0:14:27Kathleen used to walk round Barking shopping with another little lady from the home.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30And they was always together, the pair of them, always.
0:14:30 > 0:14:33And she was right... She looked very old, this woman,
0:14:33 > 0:14:35this little friend.
0:14:35 > 0:14:38Jean will always remember Kathleen fondly.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41She was happy.
0:14:41 > 0:14:43Always smiling, never miserable.
0:14:43 > 0:14:45Never miserable.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50In Liverpool, Saul and the team
0:14:50 > 0:14:53were beginning the search for Kathleen's heirs.
0:14:53 > 0:14:56On a case like this, the firm work for a percentage of an estate
0:14:56 > 0:15:00and they only get paid if and when they sign up heirs.
0:15:01 > 0:15:04But Kathleen's case was to be even more of a gamble
0:15:04 > 0:15:08because it was estimated to be worth no more than £5,000.
0:15:08 > 0:15:13If they found close relatives, their research costs would be low
0:15:13 > 0:15:15and they would stand to make a reasonable profit.
0:15:15 > 0:15:19But if their investigation spread to the wider family,
0:15:19 > 0:15:20research costs would start mounting up
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and they could soon end up out of pocket.
0:15:23 > 0:15:26Saul knew that Kathleen hadn't married or had children,
0:15:26 > 0:15:28so the first stage in the hunt
0:15:28 > 0:15:30was to find out who her parents were.
0:15:30 > 0:15:32The death certificate gave us the date of birth
0:15:32 > 0:15:35of the deceased and I was then able to look her up
0:15:35 > 0:15:36on the birth index.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39That showed us that she was born to a mother
0:15:39 > 0:15:42whose maiden name was Hawkins.
0:15:42 > 0:15:46Taking Kathleen's mother's maiden name of Hawkins,
0:15:46 > 0:15:48Saul was able to check marriage records
0:15:48 > 0:15:52for someone called Hawkins marrying someone called Sharman.
0:15:52 > 0:15:57I found there was a George Sharman who married Nellie Hawkins
0:15:57 > 0:16:00in Romford registration district, which was the right area,
0:16:00 > 0:16:02in the fourth quarter of 1936.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06So I was then very confident that this was the deceased's parents.
0:16:06 > 0:16:09George and Nellie Sharman lived in the East London town of Barking
0:16:09 > 0:16:12and between the First and Second World Wars,
0:16:12 > 0:16:16it was an area undergoing enormous social change.
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Barking in the 1930s
0:16:18 > 0:16:21was a town that was probably quite pleased with itself.
0:16:21 > 0:16:25In the Victorian period it had been a place that was quite wild.
0:16:25 > 0:16:28It was sort of like a Wild West town.
0:16:28 > 0:16:32You had factories and slums and problems with sewage.
0:16:32 > 0:16:34A fair amount of violence on the streets.
0:16:34 > 0:16:37But by the end of the 1890s,
0:16:37 > 0:16:39they were trying to pull their socks up.
0:16:39 > 0:16:42And they were moving forward, because there was big competition
0:16:42 > 0:16:44with all the local areas.
0:16:44 > 0:16:47Which one was the first town that was going to become
0:16:47 > 0:16:50a proper modern borough and have a mayor?
0:16:50 > 0:16:52Barking was striving for that
0:16:52 > 0:16:54and when they got to 1931,
0:16:54 > 0:16:58they actually managed to become a borough.
0:16:58 > 0:17:01Parts of Barking might have been moving with the times
0:17:01 > 0:17:05but elsewhere the town remained true to its Victorian roots.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08Everything that lay to the west of the railway line -
0:17:08 > 0:17:10in Barking, that's the old town -
0:17:10 > 0:17:11was called Old Barking.
0:17:11 > 0:17:13That's where you had the factories,
0:17:13 > 0:17:15that's where the River Roding was,
0:17:15 > 0:17:17where all the slums were,
0:17:17 > 0:17:19which the council were very eager to tidy away.
0:17:19 > 0:17:22Children were told, "Don't cross the railway line,
0:17:22 > 0:17:25"don't go into Old Barking," if they were living in New Barking.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27It was a very separate place.
0:17:27 > 0:17:29But the slums of Old Barking
0:17:29 > 0:17:31were where George and Nellie had grown up
0:17:31 > 0:17:33and life was very tough indeed.
0:17:33 > 0:17:35They lived in places such as Bridge Street,
0:17:35 > 0:17:38not the nicest of places to live.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41There was a river on either side of this street.
0:17:41 > 0:17:44Sewage would regularly flood into the streets.
0:17:44 > 0:17:47Another place they lived in was Back Lane.
0:17:47 > 0:17:49It was one of the wildest of the places, where women
0:17:49 > 0:17:52fought with hatpins in the streets.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56People often had to resort to extreme measures just to survive,
0:17:56 > 0:17:58and in 1931,
0:17:58 > 0:18:00George and his brother Sidney found themselves on the wrong
0:18:00 > 0:18:02side of the law.
0:18:02 > 0:18:05"On Stratford, on Wednesday, George Sharman
0:18:05 > 0:18:09"and Sidney Sharman, seamen of Trafalgar Square, Barking,
0:18:09 > 0:18:10"were charged with being
0:18:10 > 0:18:14"concerned in stealing from Mr James Steele of Westwood Road, Goodmayes,
0:18:14 > 0:18:17"a leather satchel containing £2.
0:18:17 > 0:18:19"The accused pleaded guilty.
0:18:19 > 0:18:20"When taken into custody,
0:18:20 > 0:18:23"George Sharman replied, 'I admit it.'
0:18:23 > 0:18:25"Sidney said, 'Me, too.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27" 'We had to get some grub from somewhere.' "
0:18:27 > 0:18:30By the time George married Nellie five years later,
0:18:30 > 0:18:33he was working as a general labourer.
0:18:33 > 0:18:37But the couple were still stuck in the slums of Barking in 1937
0:18:37 > 0:18:40when their daughter Kathleen was born with Down's syndrome.
0:18:40 > 0:18:43Things were now even tougher for the family.
0:18:43 > 0:18:46Way back in the '30s,
0:18:46 > 0:18:48well-meaning professionals would advise families
0:18:48 > 0:18:51to put their children and young people away
0:18:51 > 0:18:53into institutions where they could be cared for and be safe.
0:18:53 > 0:18:57So I guess we wouldn't see many people with disability
0:18:57 > 0:18:59in our social communities.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02We had no Health Service in those eras,
0:19:02 > 0:19:04so support and care,
0:19:04 > 0:19:06physical care and social support
0:19:06 > 0:19:08were sadly lacking, so you relied on families
0:19:08 > 0:19:10and close relatives, really.
0:19:10 > 0:19:12But for many parents,
0:19:12 > 0:19:17the prospect of putting their child into care was heart-wrenching.
0:19:17 > 0:19:19Being told such catastrophic news that your child
0:19:19 > 0:19:21is different and you may need to
0:19:21 > 0:19:25have your child put away and somebody else can do your job for you,
0:19:25 > 0:19:27for the next 20 years,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30must have been so difficult for parents.
0:19:30 > 0:19:32One - to accept, because you think you're the parent.
0:19:32 > 0:19:36You care for your person. Nobody else can do that better than you.
0:19:36 > 0:19:40For a struggling working-class couple like George and Nellie,
0:19:40 > 0:19:44there would have been huge pressure to give up their newborn daughter.
0:19:44 > 0:19:48If you're in the low socio-economic groups, if you're in poverty,
0:19:48 > 0:19:51and living from day to day, trying to put bread on the table,
0:19:51 > 0:19:54it would be seen as the easy option
0:19:54 > 0:19:57to remove the child that was going to cause you a lot of hardship -
0:19:57 > 0:19:59difficulty, financial difficulty -
0:19:59 > 0:20:03and would affect the whole family just by being there.
0:20:03 > 0:20:06So although it might have been an easy option physically
0:20:06 > 0:20:07and practically,
0:20:07 > 0:20:10emotionally, it would be a really difficult decision to make,
0:20:10 > 0:20:13regardless of socio-economic status.
0:20:13 > 0:20:16But against the odds, Nellie and George
0:20:16 > 0:20:19decided to keep Kathleen and raise her themselves.
0:20:19 > 0:20:25Parents who made the decision not to have their child placed in a home
0:20:25 > 0:20:27would have both found it incredibly difficult
0:20:27 > 0:20:31and they'd have to think about the social issues,
0:20:31 > 0:20:34about going out and anticipating the needs of that child.
0:20:34 > 0:20:36They'd have to think about public transport.
0:20:36 > 0:20:39How do people get around if the person
0:20:39 > 0:20:43had a physical disability where they couldn't walk without assistance?
0:20:43 > 0:20:46They wouldn't have community nurses coming into help
0:20:46 > 0:20:48and to visit and advise.
0:20:48 > 0:20:51They wouldn't have easy access to health professionals
0:20:51 > 0:20:54without paying for it, all those years ago.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57So the whole disruption on the whole family unit
0:20:57 > 0:21:00would be huge and the parents would take the primary responsibility.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06Nellie and George were clearly a brave and caring couple
0:21:06 > 0:21:08but in the hunt for Kathleen's heirs,
0:21:08 > 0:21:11the key question for Saul was whether they'd had
0:21:11 > 0:21:14any other children who may still be alive.
0:21:14 > 0:21:18They began a search for other births with the father's name, Sharman,
0:21:18 > 0:21:19and the mother's name, Hawkins.
0:21:19 > 0:21:21And it paid off.
0:21:21 > 0:21:26They quickly found a possible brother who had been born in Ilford.
0:21:26 > 0:21:30Obviously, Romford and Ilford are very close geographically,
0:21:30 > 0:21:32so it was a reasonably good chance
0:21:32 > 0:21:34that this was the deceased's brother.
0:21:34 > 0:21:38If so, then this man would be an heir to Kathleen's estate.
0:21:38 > 0:21:41Saul got straight on the phone.
0:21:41 > 0:21:43I rang him up and I asked him
0:21:43 > 0:21:46whether this Kathleen Sharman who died in 1993
0:21:46 > 0:21:50may have perhaps been his sister and he said yes, she was.
0:21:50 > 0:21:52This was a great result for the team.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54They'd found an heir to Kathleen's estate
0:21:54 > 0:21:58but it soon became clear their work wouldn't end there.
0:21:58 > 0:22:02He also told me he and Kathleen had a younger brother named Brian.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04Now we hadn't found Brian when we were looking
0:22:04 > 0:22:07for Sharman-to-Hawkins births.
0:22:07 > 0:22:10I subsequently found out why
0:22:10 > 0:22:12is that on the birth index, Brian's
0:22:12 > 0:22:15mother's maiden name was down as Hawkin, instead of Hawkins.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19This was a mistake made at the time the birth was registered.
0:22:19 > 0:22:23And as Saul was about to find out, there were more surprises in store.
0:22:23 > 0:22:26He had been divorced but he had children,
0:22:26 > 0:22:27so in this instance,
0:22:27 > 0:22:31it would his children who inherited his share of the estate
0:22:31 > 0:22:33rather than his ex-wife.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Heir hunters trace thousands of rightful beneficiaries every year.
0:22:41 > 0:22:44But not all cases can be cracked.
0:22:44 > 0:22:47There are thousands of estates on the Treasury's bona vacantia list
0:22:47 > 0:22:51that have eluded the heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:22:51 > 0:22:54Cases will stay on the unclaimed list
0:22:54 > 0:22:57for a period of 12 years from the date that the administration
0:22:57 > 0:22:59has been completed.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03And that's the period of time that people can still come forward
0:23:03 > 0:23:05and claim the estate.
0:23:06 > 0:23:09Today we're focussing on two cases yet to be solved
0:23:09 > 0:23:10by the heir hunters.
0:23:10 > 0:23:14Could you be the beneficiary they're looking for?
0:23:14 > 0:23:17Could you be about to inherit some money from a long-lost relative?
0:23:19 > 0:23:22First of the case of Christine Ann Cunniah
0:23:22 > 0:23:24who died on the 6th of June, 2010
0:23:24 > 0:23:27in Hove, East Sussex.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Cunniah is a name originating in Asia
0:23:30 > 0:23:32and is incredibly rare in Britain.
0:23:32 > 0:23:37Did you know Christine, and if so, did she have any relatives?
0:23:37 > 0:23:39Do you share her unusual surname?
0:23:39 > 0:23:42In which case, could you be entitled to her estate?
0:23:45 > 0:23:48Next is the case of Edward Anthony Heffernan
0:23:48 > 0:23:53who died in central London on the 27th of September, 1995.
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Heffernan is an unusual name in Britain,
0:23:55 > 0:23:59with only around 1,500 people who share it.
0:23:59 > 0:24:03Are you one of them and if so, could you be a relative of Edward's,
0:24:03 > 0:24:05entitled to part of his estate?
0:24:05 > 0:24:09The name Heffernan originates from Ireland
0:24:09 > 0:24:13and in Britain it's in London that the name is most commonly found.
0:24:13 > 0:24:18Did you know Edward or do you have any information about his family?
0:24:18 > 0:24:23Christine and Edward's estates remain unclaimed
0:24:23 > 0:24:25and if no-one comes forward,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27their money will go to the Government.
0:24:27 > 0:24:29Money raised through bona vacantia
0:24:29 > 0:24:31ultimately goes to the General Exchequer,
0:24:31 > 0:24:33to benefit the country as a whole.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35But it's important to remember the Crown doesn't want to grab
0:24:35 > 0:24:37all estates that it possibly can.
0:24:38 > 0:24:41Do you have any clues that could help solve the cases
0:24:41 > 0:24:45of Christine Ann Cunniah or Edward Anthony Heffernan?
0:24:45 > 0:24:49If so, you could have thousands of pounds coming your way.
0:24:55 > 0:24:59At the offices of Fraser & Fraser in London, it's mid-afternoon
0:24:59 > 0:25:02and the team are searching for heirs of Rosemary Wall,
0:25:02 > 0:25:06who has left an estate estimated to be worth £200,000.
0:25:06 > 0:25:10But they're grappling with a hunt that's gone international.
0:25:12 > 0:25:16Rosemary Wall died on the 23rd of November, 2010,
0:25:16 > 0:25:18aged 83.
0:25:18 > 0:25:20Growing up, she and her family lived abroad,
0:25:20 > 0:25:25as her father, Frederick, was a diplomat for the British government.
0:25:25 > 0:25:29Rosemary was good friends with neighbours Bernard and Sylvia Lee.
0:25:33 > 0:25:37They sort of travelled the world, her and her sister Maureen.
0:25:37 > 0:25:40She was brought up, I think,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43in India or Iraq,
0:25:43 > 0:25:45which have got a lot of trouble now.
0:25:45 > 0:25:48But when Rosemary lived there,
0:25:48 > 0:25:51she said it was such a lovely place to live.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55But she had such a full and interesting life.
0:25:55 > 0:25:59Like his brothers, Frederick Wall followed his father, Michael,
0:25:59 > 0:26:00into the Army,
0:26:00 > 0:26:04and records reveal he fought throughout the First World War.
0:26:04 > 0:26:07After the war, he became a civil servant
0:26:07 > 0:26:11and some years later was transferred to the Foreign Office.
0:26:11 > 0:26:13His work took him and his family to countries like Hungary,
0:26:13 > 0:26:16Turkey and Iraq.
0:26:16 > 0:26:19Come on. Come here.
0:26:19 > 0:26:22Rosemary regaled Bernard and Sylvia with many tales
0:26:22 > 0:26:24from this period
0:26:24 > 0:26:27and one story in particular stood the test of time.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32I think she was 16
0:26:32 > 0:26:37and they went to these big balls out there.
0:26:37 > 0:26:41And one day she was going out for the evening.
0:26:41 > 0:26:43She danced with a prince.
0:26:45 > 0:26:49I'm not sure what country but he was an actual prince.
0:26:49 > 0:26:51And she was 16.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53The story - part of her life,
0:26:53 > 0:26:56that she could tell you about, was amazing.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59It's not every day you meet someone that's danced with a real prince.
0:26:59 > 0:27:03In later life, Rosemary considered moving to a smaller home,
0:27:03 > 0:27:06but in the end, decided to stay.
0:27:06 > 0:27:09She said, "But where could I find neighbours
0:27:09 > 0:27:10"like I've got here?"
0:27:10 > 0:27:14She said, "If I was to move in a flat,
0:27:14 > 0:27:17"I wouldn't have the neighbours that we've got down here."
0:27:17 > 0:27:20So she said she's staying put.
0:27:20 > 0:27:25I think that's how she enjoyed living.
0:27:25 > 0:27:29Bernard and Sylvia are happy they found such a good friend in Rosemary.
0:27:30 > 0:27:34Our life was quite enriched by knowing her, you know?
0:27:34 > 0:27:37She was such a lovely lady.
0:27:38 > 0:27:42She would never say a bad word about anyone.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45If she could help anyone, she would.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49We all miss her and that goes for the street.
0:27:51 > 0:27:53In London, the team have already ruled out
0:27:53 > 0:27:56heirs from Rosemary's immediate family.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59So the hunt is on for aunts or uncles, as either they
0:27:59 > 0:28:03or their descendants will be entitled to her estate.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06But what appeared to be a straightforward case
0:28:06 > 0:28:10has mushroomed into an international heir hunt.
0:28:10 > 0:28:13Rosemary's father Frederick may have had eight brothers.
0:28:13 > 0:28:17But having followed their father, Michael, into the Armed Forces,
0:28:17 > 0:28:19they had been posted throughout the world,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23so tracing their relatives is extremely tough.
0:28:23 > 0:28:26- He comes from Jamaica in 1930. - He comes from Jamaica?!
0:28:26 > 0:28:29Luckily, though, they've had a breakthrough on the mother's
0:28:29 > 0:28:31side of the family.
0:28:34 > 0:28:36We've finally managed to find the birth
0:28:36 > 0:28:38of the mother of the deceased.
0:28:38 > 0:28:40She dies as Rose May Wall,
0:28:40 > 0:28:41formerly Davison,
0:28:41 > 0:28:45but she's actually born as Rosie May Davison.
0:28:45 > 0:28:50Now they can check census records for the mother's side of the family.
0:28:50 > 0:28:54And they discover Rosemary's mother had a sister and three brothers.
0:28:54 > 0:28:56If these siblings had any children,
0:28:56 > 0:29:00they would be Rosemary's cousins and heirs to her estate.
0:29:00 > 0:29:02So it is crucial the team try and track them down.
0:29:02 > 0:29:06It is not long before they get a breakthrough.
0:29:06 > 0:29:10We have managed to find a family tree online which has some
0:29:10 > 0:29:12details - not all - on the mother's side of the family,
0:29:12 > 0:29:16mainly to do with the deceased's Uncle Herbert.
0:29:16 > 0:29:19We're just having a look at that at the minute.
0:29:19 > 0:29:21This is a stroke of luck that could help them
0:29:21 > 0:29:23trace Herbert's descendants.
0:29:23 > 0:29:26But after further research, Isha's got bad news.
0:29:26 > 0:29:30..marries an Ethel Wall Smith, they have one son
0:29:30 > 0:29:34and he dies in 2000 with no issue.
0:29:34 > 0:29:37He doesn't have any.
0:29:37 > 0:29:40But there are still reasons to be positive.
0:29:40 > 0:29:43They seem to stay around the Essex area
0:29:43 > 0:29:46so there is hope for the rest of the tree.
0:29:46 > 0:29:48As the family originally come from Essex,
0:29:48 > 0:29:50this is a promising development.
0:29:50 > 0:29:55At last the team can narrow down their hunt to a specific area.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58It is not long before the team have found their first potential heir,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02but everything rides on the lady Jo's about to speak to.
0:30:03 > 0:30:05Will she confirm that the research is right
0:30:05 > 0:30:08and that she is a cousin of Rosemary?
0:30:08 > 0:30:14Was your mother Alice Laura Davison? That was? Yeah?
0:30:14 > 0:30:16OK, and your dad would have been Edmund?
0:30:18 > 0:30:21- Yeah?- At last, they are getting somewhere.
0:30:21 > 0:30:24The reason I am calling is because we have been researching
0:30:24 > 0:30:28into the name Davison which would have been your mother's family.
0:30:29 > 0:30:33The heir Jo's speaking to is Rosemary's first cousin.
0:30:33 > 0:30:36Her mother Alice was Rosemary's aunt.
0:30:36 > 0:30:39She is proving to be a mine of information about other
0:30:39 > 0:30:42relatives on this branch of the family.
0:30:42 > 0:30:47Did your brothers, the ones who have died - did they have any children?
0:30:51 > 0:30:53Do you know their names?
0:30:53 > 0:30:56It is the end of the day and the team are confident
0:30:56 > 0:30:58they have cracked the mother's side of the family.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01But the epic hunt for the heirs on the father's side will have
0:31:01 > 0:31:03to wait until tomorrow.
0:31:03 > 0:31:05I wouldn't like to say how many countries
0:31:05 > 0:31:09we are going to finish up with, but it is quite hard research because we
0:31:09 > 0:31:13are in so many different jurisdictions and we are looking through so many indexes.
0:31:13 > 0:31:15But all in all, I'm quite happy with where we are.
0:31:17 > 0:31:20The following day the team start afresh and are finally able to
0:31:20 > 0:31:24make some headway on the far-flung paternal side of the family.
0:31:24 > 0:31:28They have been able to find heirs as far afield as France,
0:31:28 > 0:31:30America and Canada.
0:31:30 > 0:31:33They are beginning the process of contacting them to tell them
0:31:33 > 0:31:35about their surprise inheritance.
0:31:36 > 0:31:40The team have also found UK-based heirs on the mother's side,
0:31:40 > 0:31:42and travelling researcher Bob Barrett has been despatched
0:31:42 > 0:31:46to see them, and hopefully sign them up.
0:31:46 > 0:31:48We have got quite a big family.
0:31:48 > 0:31:50I wouldn't be surprised
0:31:50 > 0:31:53if we don't end up with 30 or more heirs on this case.
0:31:56 > 0:31:59Quite a lot of paper gone in to printing the family trees
0:31:59 > 0:32:00out already.
0:32:00 > 0:32:04In the office, Neil and his team now know that there are at least
0:32:04 > 0:32:0730 heirs across the two sides of the family who will share
0:32:07 > 0:32:11a portion of Rosemary's £200,000 estate.
0:32:11 > 0:32:16Among those heirs are siblings Peggy, Shirley, Beryl and Douglas.
0:32:16 > 0:32:18Their father Francis was Rosemary's uncle.
0:32:18 > 0:32:22News of the inheritance has come as a shock.
0:32:22 > 0:32:25It is sad when anybody in your family passes away.
0:32:25 > 0:32:30Even though we didn't know her, she was a part of our family, wasn't she?
0:32:30 > 0:32:32It was a shock, really,
0:32:32 > 0:32:36because when we got the letter we didn't even know who it was.
0:32:36 > 0:32:40Douglas is the only one who met Rosemary,
0:32:40 > 0:32:44as he and his father Francis visited the family twice a year.
0:32:44 > 0:32:49When we got to the big house, my Aunt Rose and the two girls
0:32:49 > 0:32:53and my Uncle Freddie were always pleased to see us.
0:32:53 > 0:32:58They made us welcome and we had a real nice day down there,
0:32:58 > 0:33:01dinner and evening tea.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03After all the goodbyes,
0:33:03 > 0:33:06we used to get home right late at night-time.
0:33:06 > 0:33:10While unexpected, becoming an heir is also quite exciting.
0:33:10 > 0:33:15You just think, "Oh, is there any money and how much would we get?"
0:33:15 > 0:33:19I mean, as you say, we don't think that seriously on it
0:33:19 > 0:33:23but when we three have a chat we go, "I wonder how much we'll get."
0:33:23 > 0:33:26But a few weeks after the initial hunt for heirs,
0:33:26 > 0:33:29there is one final and dramatic twist.
0:33:29 > 0:33:32In the office, Neil has received news which changes
0:33:32 > 0:33:34everything on the case of Rosemary Wall.
0:33:34 > 0:33:39There was talk originally of a will in favour of a single person.
0:33:39 > 0:33:42That will has actually been disproven.
0:33:42 > 0:33:46It has been thrown out as not a genuine fair written will.
0:33:46 > 0:33:49A further will has come too light.
0:33:49 > 0:33:50That will's dated 1993,
0:33:50 > 0:33:54a considerable amount of time before the deceased passed away.
0:33:54 > 0:33:57That will is valid, it is held with a solicitor
0:33:57 > 0:34:01and unfortunately rules out all of the beneficiaries we found.
0:34:02 > 0:34:06This is a blow, not just for 37 heirs who lose their entitlement,
0:34:06 > 0:34:10but also for the firm who worked so hard to trace relatives
0:34:10 > 0:34:12and will now receive nothing.
0:34:12 > 0:34:14But every cloud has a silver lining.
0:34:16 > 0:34:20The beneficiaries who are entitled in this matter are a church
0:34:20 > 0:34:26and then two charities, cancer and Alzheimer's charities.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28So they will receive the money as a gift,
0:34:28 > 0:34:33really, as a pure legacy which goes to those charities.
0:34:33 > 0:34:39Inheritance from people giving to charity is quite
0:34:39 > 0:34:42a staple of their income, really,
0:34:42 > 0:34:45so it is very important that people do leave money to charities.
0:34:46 > 0:34:49The hunt has renewed family connections.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53Rosemary's money is now going to the people she wanted it to go to.
0:34:53 > 0:34:57But her true legacy is the memories she left for those who knew her.
0:34:58 > 0:35:03She was a great animal lover, she had a terrific sense of humour
0:35:03 > 0:35:05and we all miss her.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Saul Marks and the team from Celtic Research were
0:35:13 > 0:35:16hard at work on the case of Kathleen Sharman.
0:35:16 > 0:35:18Having traced one heir,
0:35:18 > 0:35:21they were now on the hunt for Kathleen's brother Brian.
0:35:22 > 0:35:27Kathleen Sharman died in 1993 at the Kingsbridge Residential Care Home
0:35:27 > 0:35:32in Barking. She was 56 years old and had Down's syndrome.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35No photos of her have survived.
0:35:35 > 0:35:38Parents George and Nellie Sharman had Kathleen at a time
0:35:38 > 0:35:42when attitudes to disability were very different from today.
0:35:42 > 0:35:43In the 1930s, George and Nellie
0:35:43 > 0:35:46would probably be advised that their daughter could be
0:35:46 > 0:35:51properly cared for in institutional care, away from the home.
0:35:51 > 0:35:55These institutions would often be in very isolated places.
0:35:55 > 0:35:58But George and Nellie decided to raise Kathleen themselves,
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and it wasn't until much later that Kathleen went into care.
0:36:01 > 0:36:05Jean Pettican was a friend of the Sharman family.
0:36:05 > 0:36:09She recalls regular visits to see Kathleen's mother Nellie.
0:36:11 > 0:36:14She was a happy woman and I used to go there on Friday,
0:36:14 > 0:36:18go down and get a bit of fish and chips and a bottle of Guinness.
0:36:19 > 0:36:23And she used to drink her Guinness and eat her fish and chips.
0:36:23 > 0:36:27Nellie's husband George died in 1953 when her three children were
0:36:27 > 0:36:29all in their teens.
0:36:29 > 0:36:33Her two sons left home but Nellie continued to look after
0:36:33 > 0:36:36Kathleen at home for almost another 20 years.
0:36:36 > 0:36:39Only when Nellie's own health became a problem did
0:36:39 > 0:36:41she decide Kathleen should go into care.
0:36:41 > 0:36:44She put Kathleen in a home when she couldn't cope.
0:36:44 > 0:36:50She was a diabetic and I think she fell and she lost one of her legs.
0:36:50 > 0:36:54Then she lost the other leg as well and she ended up in a wheelchair.
0:36:54 > 0:36:57But although she could no longer look after her Kathleen,
0:36:57 > 0:37:00Nellie had managed to defy conventional wisdom
0:37:00 > 0:37:04and bring up her daughter in the most difficult of circumstances.
0:37:04 > 0:37:08She sounds like an incredible woman, does Nellie.
0:37:08 > 0:37:14I guess I see lots of parents now who have the tenacity of Nellie.
0:37:14 > 0:37:17They are trying to fight systems to make sure that their children
0:37:17 > 0:37:18get the best.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21It feels like Nellie was trying to do that -
0:37:21 > 0:37:25she wanted the best for Kathleen. But she didn't have any of the support systems that we had.
0:37:27 > 0:37:31Nellie possessed qualities often associated with women from Barking.
0:37:32 > 0:37:36Barking has long had a reputation for very strong women that dates all
0:37:36 > 0:37:40the way back to the early Victorian period, with the fishing industry.
0:37:40 > 0:37:43Men would go off to sea, the women would immediately
0:37:43 > 0:37:46pawn their clothes and retrieve them when the men came back.
0:37:46 > 0:37:47For months on end,
0:37:47 > 0:37:50Barking was a town that was controlled by the women.
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Once the fishermen disappeared, there were jute girls
0:37:53 > 0:37:57moving in making sacks in an enormous factory in Barking.
0:37:57 > 0:38:01They continued the tradition which gradually grew until everybody
0:38:01 > 0:38:04knew a Barking woman when they saw a Barking woman.
0:38:04 > 0:38:07They said that they spoke their mind all the time,
0:38:07 > 0:38:09they were not backward about coming forward.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14200 miles north, in Liverpool, Saul and the team are on the hunt
0:38:14 > 0:38:18for Nellie's youngest son Brian, a potential heir to Kathleen's
0:38:18 > 0:38:23estate which was estimated to be worth a maximum of £5,000.
0:38:23 > 0:38:29- Saul made an important discovery. - Sadly, Brian had passed away.
0:38:29 > 0:38:33He had been divorced but he had children so in this instance,
0:38:33 > 0:38:36it would be his children who inherited his share
0:38:36 > 0:38:37of the estate rather than his ex-wife.
0:38:39 > 0:38:43Saul managed to get hold of Brian's ex-wife and Kathleen's friend,
0:38:43 > 0:38:47Jean Pettican, who was able to give him the information he needed.
0:38:49 > 0:38:51Brian's ex-wife Jean was very helpful to us.
0:38:51 > 0:38:55She explained that she had had two children by her first marriage,
0:38:55 > 0:38:58but that she and Brian had legally adopted them into the family
0:38:58 > 0:39:02so that they had become part of the Sharman family by law.
0:39:03 > 0:39:07As Brian had passed away, his share of Kathleen's estate would be
0:39:07 > 0:39:10split equally between his three children.
0:39:10 > 0:39:11One of them is Colleen,
0:39:11 > 0:39:14and Saul got in touch to tell her of the inheritance.
0:39:16 > 0:39:20When they called me to tell me about Kathy dying, I already knew
0:39:20 > 0:39:23because I had been doing a bit of research on my family tree.
0:39:23 > 0:39:26I knew what year she had died but other than that,
0:39:26 > 0:39:31I didn't know any more. The fact that she had died wasn't a surprise.
0:39:32 > 0:39:35Colleen has vivid childhood memories of Kathleen,
0:39:35 > 0:39:38who was by this stage living at a local care home.
0:39:38 > 0:39:46I remember her coming to stay. Her being quite playful.
0:39:46 > 0:39:49I just remember as a child, because I was only a child,
0:39:49 > 0:39:54her looking different and didn't fully understand why.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58And then I used to go with my dad to go and visit her
0:39:58 > 0:40:02so I remember her when she stayed in the home.
0:40:02 > 0:40:05It is little things like, I remember the doll in her room
0:40:05 > 0:40:08and the layout of the place where she used to sleep.
0:40:10 > 0:40:11Things like that.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16Colleen was just ten years old the last time she saw Kathleen,
0:40:16 > 0:40:20and over the next few years the family lost touch altogether -
0:40:20 > 0:40:22something that surprised case manager Saul.
0:40:23 > 0:40:27Usually, if you have a case like this, it would be perhaps that the
0:40:27 > 0:40:31deceased had been institutionalised for many years
0:40:31 > 0:40:34and the family didn't know of her existence.
0:40:34 > 0:40:36But in this case, they actually did.
0:40:36 > 0:40:38Colleen thinks this might be linked to the death of her
0:40:38 > 0:40:40grandmother, Nellie.
0:40:40 > 0:40:44I think it is possible that my nan, being the head of the family, might
0:40:44 > 0:40:48have tried to make everybody stay in touch, then once she had died,
0:40:48 > 0:40:51people just drift off and do their own things.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55Maybe that's why we just all lost touch with each other.
0:40:55 > 0:40:59While attitudes to disability may have shifted over the years,
0:40:59 > 0:41:01some things never change.
0:41:01 > 0:41:06I think the fact that mums are the centre or the hub of the family.
0:41:06 > 0:41:08I don't think it is a cultural thing.
0:41:08 > 0:41:09I think it has gone on for ever.
0:41:09 > 0:41:15Even in today's times, when Mum dies families change.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17People lose touch with each other.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20You don't have the excuse of going to Mum's for Sunday lunch
0:41:20 > 0:41:21if Mum isn't there any more.
0:41:21 > 0:41:24So siblings having to make connections with each other,
0:41:24 > 0:41:26if they haven't got a reason to do it...
0:41:26 > 0:41:29And parents were often the reason.
0:41:33 > 0:41:35Colleen has found out that her long-lost
0:41:35 > 0:41:38Aunt Kathleen's ashes are buried at the City of London Cemetery,
0:41:38 > 0:41:42and today she has come to pay her final respects.
0:41:42 > 0:41:48Having been here and seeing how it is, I think she has been laid
0:41:48 > 0:41:53to rest in a good way, a nice place, and I'm happy with that.
0:41:53 > 0:41:59I'm OK with that and I would like to think that however much
0:41:59 > 0:42:04the inheritance is, it will be spent in a way that will be useful
0:42:04 > 0:42:07and not just squandered.
0:42:07 > 0:42:09The visit has also revived memories
0:42:09 > 0:42:12of her remarkable grandmother Nellie.
0:42:12 > 0:42:16I suppose I think about my nan in some ways because the last
0:42:16 > 0:42:21time I saw her I was a child, so I didn't know her with me as an adult.
0:42:21 > 0:42:24But from what I have been hearing from my aunt, my uncle,
0:42:24 > 0:42:29my mum, she sounds like a lady I would very much like to meet now.
0:42:31 > 0:42:34I think she could probably teach me a thing or two!
0:42:34 > 0:42:36But she sounds like a lovely lady.
0:42:36 > 0:42:39For Colleen, becoming an heir has been all about reviving
0:42:39 > 0:42:43memories of long lost family - not just her Auntie Kathleen
0:42:43 > 0:42:47but her gran too, one of the original strong women of Barking.
0:42:49 > 0:42:53For more information about building your family tree, go to...
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