0:00:02 > 0:00:04Each year, thousands of people die with no known family,
0:00:04 > 0:00:06and without leaving a will.
0:00:06 > 0:00:10If no relatives come forward, their money will go to the Government,
0:00:10 > 0:00:12and that's where the heir hunters step in.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15They married in the second quarter of 1927 in Fulham.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18They're experts in tracing long-lost family members
0:00:18 > 0:00:21who have no idea they're in line to inherit.
0:00:21 > 0:00:23We believe, sir, that you'll be untitled
0:00:23 > 0:00:26to a share in your cousin's estate.
0:00:26 > 0:00:28Their work involves detailed research
0:00:28 > 0:00:30and there's often thousands of pounds at stake.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32At the moment we're fighting quite a big battle
0:00:32 > 0:00:35with lots of heirs, lots of competition.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37But it's also about reuniting families
0:00:37 > 0:00:39and bringing people closer together.
0:00:39 > 0:00:43I will now be able to spend more time keeping everybody together.
0:00:43 > 0:00:47Above all, it's about giving people the news of an unexpected windfall.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51The whole idea of suddenly coming into a shedload of cash
0:00:51 > 0:00:55seems kind of seriously unlikely.
0:00:55 > 0:00:57Could the heir hunters be knocking at your door?
0:01:03 > 0:01:05Coming up:
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Research into one case uncovers a runaway marriage
0:01:07 > 0:01:10that made front page news.
0:01:10 > 0:01:13Really what we're looking at is two people who were in love
0:01:13 > 0:01:16who went to Gretna Green, and it all went horribly wrong in the end.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18And the heir hunters are given a clue
0:01:18 > 0:01:20that could blow a case wide open.
0:01:20 > 0:01:22That's incredibly useful
0:01:22 > 0:01:24because we've got a maiden name of the wife as well.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28Plus, how you could be entitled to inherit an unclaimed estate.
0:01:28 > 0:01:30Could a fortune be heading your way?
0:01:40 > 0:01:42Wednesday morning in central London,
0:01:42 > 0:01:45and the team at heir hunting firm Finders
0:01:45 > 0:01:48are hard at work trying to trace the final heirs to an estate.
0:01:51 > 0:01:55The case of Eric Stone was referred to us by a firm of solicitors.
0:01:55 > 0:01:58They've spent several days working on the case,
0:01:58 > 0:02:01which has an estimated worth of £300,000.
0:02:01 > 0:02:03With such a high value,
0:02:03 > 0:02:07it's their number-one priority to finish it as soon as possible.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Eric Stone passed away in March 2013. He was 84 years old.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20Eric had lived all his life
0:02:20 > 0:02:23in the coastal town of St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27For the last three years of his life, he'd lived at a care home,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30and manager Linda Astell remembers him fondly.
0:02:32 > 0:02:36When Eric came into us, he was quite a character at that time.
0:02:36 > 0:02:41He was a very private man generally, but with a really dry humour.
0:02:42 > 0:02:46And she still remembers how he used to make everyone smile.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51To look at him, you would think he was quite miserable,
0:02:51 > 0:02:54but - boy, oh, boy - he wasn't. A very witty man.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Very intelligent, very quick.
0:02:56 > 0:02:59If you say something, he'll be in there with an answer.
0:02:59 > 0:03:02He knew, he got the punch line every time.
0:03:02 > 0:03:04And he would always have us in stitches.
0:03:06 > 0:03:08Eric never married nor had children.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11However, he was close to his brother, James,
0:03:11 > 0:03:13who would often visit him at the care home.
0:03:14 > 0:03:17Eric being the sort of quieter one of the two,
0:03:17 > 0:03:21his brother, James, was more outgoing, more outspoken.
0:03:21 > 0:03:25But him and James were so joined the hip.
0:03:25 > 0:03:27They were a really great brother team.
0:03:31 > 0:03:32Eric died, leaving a will.
0:03:32 > 0:03:36He left his £300,000 estate to his brother, James,
0:03:36 > 0:03:41who sadly died just two years before him in 2011.
0:03:41 > 0:03:44As James had passed away, Eric's will was no longer valid.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48And that's why the case has been referred
0:03:48 > 0:03:52to senior general manager James Empson by Eric's solicitors.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56If a beneficiary dies before the deceased, the funds will pass down
0:03:56 > 0:04:01through the blood lines to the nearest generation of next of kin.
0:04:01 > 0:04:04It's quite a daunting task for the solicitor.
0:04:04 > 0:04:06That's where they will instruct a firm
0:04:06 > 0:04:09to try and find the missing family entitled to the estate.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14As it's a referral, the company take an agreed percentage
0:04:14 > 0:04:17of the heir's share of the estate.
0:04:17 > 0:04:19If they are unable to trace any heirs,
0:04:19 > 0:04:21they won't get paid a single penny.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24So they need to work fast to ensure it's beneficial,
0:04:24 > 0:04:28and to make sure that they keep the solicitors happy, too.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30When we take cases in from solicitors,
0:04:30 > 0:04:32they come with their own pressures.
0:04:32 > 0:04:36We have a client that wants answers as quickly as possible.
0:04:36 > 0:04:40They may have clients that they've also got to answer to.
0:04:41 > 0:04:45The solicitors believe they've already contacted beneficiaries
0:04:45 > 0:04:47on both sides of the family.
0:04:47 > 0:04:49The team need to confirm that the research is right
0:04:49 > 0:04:53and find the remaining heirs to Eric's estate.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55And they've been given some information
0:04:55 > 0:04:57to speed up the research.
0:04:59 > 0:05:01The solicitors provided us
0:05:01 > 0:05:04with a copy of the deceased's death certificate,
0:05:04 > 0:05:07some certificates relating to the family
0:05:07 > 0:05:09they were already in touch with.
0:05:09 > 0:05:12From this, they quickly established that Eric was born
0:05:12 > 0:05:15to James Stone and Jane Brody.
0:05:15 > 0:05:17He was the youngest of three children.
0:05:17 > 0:05:19Both of his siblings had died before him,
0:05:19 > 0:05:21without leaving any descendants.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26So the team have to look to the wider family.
0:05:26 > 0:05:28And James enlists case manager Amy for help.
0:05:30 > 0:05:33She's been making progress with Eric's paternal tree,
0:05:33 > 0:05:36and has identified Eric's grandparents.
0:05:37 > 0:05:43The 1911 English Census indicates that William and Emma Stone
0:05:43 > 0:05:46had nine children in 1911.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49Eight were alive, one was deceased.
0:05:52 > 0:05:55The census also shows that the family were living
0:05:55 > 0:05:58in south-east London, in an area that is now known
0:05:58 > 0:06:00as the London Borough of Lewisham.
0:06:00 > 0:06:03Knowing this, Amy can narrow her search down
0:06:03 > 0:06:05as she looks into Eric's aunts and uncles.
0:06:08 > 0:06:10The majority of them were all women.
0:06:10 > 0:06:16They all turned out to be spinsters, aside from one.
0:06:17 > 0:06:20Constance Stone was the only one of Eric's aunts
0:06:20 > 0:06:23who did go on to marry, at the age of 46.
0:06:23 > 0:06:27She sadly passed away in 1965.
0:06:28 > 0:06:34This certificate is a death for Constance Stone.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38The informant is actually her widower, Reginald Johnson.
0:06:38 > 0:06:43And as she married late, we weren't hopeful for any children,
0:06:43 > 0:06:47as he's pretty elderly himself.
0:06:47 > 0:06:51Putting it all together, it all points towards
0:06:51 > 0:06:53them not having had any children.
0:06:53 > 0:06:55In my opinion, it completes this stem
0:06:55 > 0:06:57and I can focus on other branches now.
0:07:00 > 0:07:04There are no heirs to be found from Eric's paternal aunts.
0:07:04 > 0:07:07Amy has to now turn her attention to his two uncles,
0:07:07 > 0:07:09Frederick George Stone
0:07:09 > 0:07:10and William Arthur Stone.
0:07:12 > 0:07:14Eric's uncle Frederick married Edith Brown
0:07:14 > 0:07:17in 1918, and they had one daughter, Margaret Stone.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Margaret would be a cousin, and an heir to Eric's estate.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27But unfortunately, she died just a month after him.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30Because Eric died before her, it makes all the difference.
0:07:32 > 0:07:34When a beneficiary dies after the deceased,
0:07:34 > 0:07:38the funds that they were originally due from the intestacy
0:07:38 > 0:07:41will be distributed as per the terms of their own will.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43That could be left to friends, charities,
0:07:43 > 0:07:46or whoever they deem fit at the time of writing the will.
0:07:48 > 0:07:50If Margaret had died before Eric,
0:07:50 > 0:07:52the beneficiaries from her will wouldn't be entitled
0:07:52 > 0:07:56to a penny of Eric's estate, unless they were her direct descendants.
0:07:56 > 0:07:57Yes.
0:07:57 > 0:08:03Amy now has one last paternal uncle to research, William Arthur Stone.
0:08:03 > 0:08:04He's a complete mystery,
0:08:04 > 0:08:06but she hopes that the certificate she's ordered
0:08:06 > 0:08:08will shed some light on him.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13I'm waiting for a death certificate for him,
0:08:13 > 0:08:16and a couple of marriage certificates.
0:08:16 > 0:08:18The name Stone is fairly common,
0:08:18 > 0:08:22and of course William and Arthur are very common English names.
0:08:22 > 0:08:25So I need to wait for a death
0:08:25 > 0:08:28in order to try and narrow down the research.
0:08:29 > 0:08:32If the death I suspect is correct turns out to be correct,
0:08:32 > 0:08:35then I'm hoping that the informant will give me a lead
0:08:35 > 0:08:39to establish whether or not there are any heirs on this stem.
0:08:39 > 0:08:42If the informant happens to be a widow or a child,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44then of course that's a very important lead.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49With no time to lose, and Amy waiting on the certificates,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52the team turn their attention to the maternal side,
0:08:52 > 0:08:56where they've already made some progress.
0:08:56 > 0:08:58James has established that Eric's mother Jane
0:08:58 > 0:09:01was one of seven children.
0:09:01 > 0:09:04Once we had confirmed the top line of the maternal family,
0:09:04 > 0:09:08we followed the line of inquiry down to surviving cousins
0:09:08 > 0:09:10and cross-referenced the information
0:09:10 > 0:09:13with that that had been provided by the solicitors.
0:09:15 > 0:09:17The solicitors identified four heirs,
0:09:17 > 0:09:21and Amy has confirmed that their research was right.
0:09:21 > 0:09:25However, they've also found several other potential heirs
0:09:25 > 0:09:28who might be entitled to a share of Eric's estate.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31They need to find them and speak to them as soon as possible.
0:09:31 > 0:09:33So Amy puts a call in for some help.
0:09:33 > 0:09:36Of course. If you could double check that for us.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38OK, let me know how it goes.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Peter's just one of many travelling researchers
0:09:45 > 0:09:47that the team have at their disposal.
0:09:47 > 0:09:50They're based all over the country, and their job out on the road
0:09:50 > 0:09:53is to make enquiries, collect documents,
0:09:53 > 0:09:55and crucially, sign up heirs.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58We'll go and see if we can get any more information
0:09:58 > 0:10:00about any other potential heirs to the estate.
0:10:00 > 0:10:05They all revel in the chase, and enjoy it for different reasons.
0:10:05 > 0:10:08I'm a people's person, really.
0:10:08 > 0:10:11I find people extremely interesting, and it is surprising,
0:10:11 > 0:10:13some of the people we come across.
0:10:15 > 0:10:17Back in the office, and Amy has finally received
0:10:17 > 0:10:20the certificate she ordered.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22Hopefully the informant listed will hold the answer she needs
0:10:22 > 0:10:25to finish work on Eric's father's family.
0:10:30 > 0:10:35What I have here is a possible death certificate for William Arthur.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39Unfortunately, the informant is listed
0:10:39 > 0:10:43as the person that performed the cremation,
0:10:43 > 0:10:49so it's a non-relative, which doesn't help.
0:10:49 > 0:10:54And his death is in fact in a slightly different area
0:10:54 > 0:10:57to the rest of the family tree.
0:10:57 > 0:11:00William and his siblings were born and raised in London.
0:11:00 > 0:11:03However, the only death record Amy has found is in Bedfordshire.
0:11:05 > 0:11:07It means that I can't yet be certain
0:11:07 > 0:11:10that I've found a correct death for William Arthur.
0:11:12 > 0:11:15The search for Eric's heirs is proving harder than they hoped.
0:11:15 > 0:11:19Will a stroke of luck help them solve the case?
0:11:19 > 0:11:20That's incredibly useful,
0:11:20 > 0:11:23because we've got a maiden name of the wife as well,
0:11:23 > 0:11:25which means we can narrow down immediately.
0:11:31 > 0:11:35Heir hunters never know where a case is going to lead them,
0:11:35 > 0:11:38from talking to neighbours to tracing beneficiaries
0:11:38 > 0:11:41halfway around the world and back again.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45When heir hunting firm Fraser & Fraser
0:11:45 > 0:11:48took on the £350,000 case of Viera Feldwicke,
0:11:48 > 0:11:51they hoped the search for heirs would be straightforward.
0:11:51 > 0:11:54But for case manager Gareth Langford,
0:11:54 > 0:11:59it turned out to be one of the most memorable cases he's worked on.
0:11:59 > 0:12:02We were made aware of the estate of Viera Feldwicke
0:12:02 > 0:12:06several months after she passed away by one of our many contacts.
0:12:08 > 0:12:1382-year-old Viera Feldwicke died on 8th November 2012
0:12:13 > 0:12:16in the seaside town of Brighton, East Sussex.
0:12:17 > 0:12:23She owned her own flat, so she left an estate worth over £350,000.
0:12:25 > 0:12:28Viera spent many years working as an actress,
0:12:28 > 0:12:30and took on the stage name Viera Shelley.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36Barbara Whatley acted alongside Viera in the 1950s and '60s,
0:12:36 > 0:12:40when they both worked at the theatre on Brighton Pier.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47'I first met Viera when I was doing a play.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50'It was the beginning of a season.'
0:12:50 > 0:12:54She slightly over-awed me. She was about 26.
0:12:54 > 0:12:58Very upright, very professional, script in her hand.
0:12:58 > 0:13:02And that was my first impression.
0:13:02 > 0:13:05But there was always a warmth there.
0:13:05 > 0:13:07I went over and I said, "I'm Barbara,"
0:13:07 > 0:13:09and she said, "Oh, I'm Viera, darling!"
0:13:09 > 0:13:12and gave me an enormous hug and a kiss on the cheek.
0:13:14 > 0:13:17The company would perform various different types of plays,
0:13:17 > 0:13:19and Viera's talent stood out.
0:13:21 > 0:13:24She got amazingly good notices,
0:13:24 > 0:13:27I mean, the Evening Argus raved about it,
0:13:27 > 0:13:30and got many a standing ovation at the curtain call.
0:13:31 > 0:13:34And Viera's talent wasn't restricted to the stage.
0:13:35 > 0:13:38She was a valued member of a local playwriting group,
0:13:38 > 0:13:42where she met close friend of 20 years Nicolas Quirk.
0:13:43 > 0:13:45'She was eccentric.'
0:13:45 > 0:13:49She was passionate with her opinions and how she looked,
0:13:49 > 0:13:53and she was a really charismatic character.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55You know, she was very distinctive
0:13:55 > 0:14:00and you would notice her. Wherever you were, she would stand out.
0:14:01 > 0:14:04And Nick remembers how she had a passion for all genres.
0:14:06 > 0:14:13She always enjoyed dramas, and she always liked very good comedy.
0:14:13 > 0:14:17She quite liked farce. And she had a very distinctive laugh as well,
0:14:17 > 0:14:21so you would always know that one had entertained her.
0:14:21 > 0:14:25Although Viera was the centre of attention in a crowd and on stage,
0:14:25 > 0:14:29when it came to her personal life it was a very different story.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34She would let you in...let us say the front door of her life,
0:14:34 > 0:14:38and maybe into one room.
0:14:38 > 0:14:40But no further.
0:14:42 > 0:14:46However, there was one person who she was extremely close to.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50'Viera was devoted to her mother.'
0:14:50 > 0:14:52She did everything with her mother.
0:14:52 > 0:14:59Her mother was her best friend. Her mother was her emotional stability.
0:14:59 > 0:15:02And she lived with her mother all her life.
0:15:03 > 0:15:07Having such a close relationship had an effect on Viera.
0:15:09 > 0:15:14It prevented her from getting married, from having children,
0:15:14 > 0:15:17and probably, I would suggest to you,
0:15:17 > 0:15:20having some close friendships.
0:15:20 > 0:15:25Because her mother was her entire emotional existence.
0:15:26 > 0:15:29Having lived with her mother all her life,
0:15:29 > 0:15:31Gareth had already discovered
0:15:31 > 0:15:34that Viera never married nor had children.
0:15:34 > 0:15:38So he needed to start the search for her wider family.
0:15:38 > 0:15:40The two bits of information we had
0:15:40 > 0:15:44were the date of birth of Viera, and the surname Feldwicke.
0:15:46 > 0:15:49Gareth searched for a birth record for Viera Feldwicke.
0:15:49 > 0:15:51Unfortunately, none could be found.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55But the team had been told that Viera's mother's maiden name
0:15:55 > 0:15:59was Williams, and they had luck on their side.
0:15:59 > 0:16:02Fortunately Viera spelt her name in a very unusual way.
0:16:02 > 0:16:06So we could actually look at all the births of Viera in that period.
0:16:08 > 0:16:09Viera spelt her name with an I,
0:16:09 > 0:16:11whether she was using her stage name, Shelley,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13or her legal name of Feldwicke.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18It was this an usual spelling that made all the difference to the team.
0:16:19 > 0:16:22And we came up with one record, which was Viera Williams,
0:16:22 > 0:16:23also known as Viera Koch.
0:16:23 > 0:16:27The team now had her parents' surnames.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30However, this didn't explain where Feldwicke came from.
0:16:32 > 0:16:35It was very difficult to move the case forward.
0:16:35 > 0:16:40We couldn't find a marriage for Mrs Williams to Mr Koch.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Without the parents' marriage certificate,
0:16:43 > 0:16:47they couldn't identify if Viera had any siblings or any wider family.
0:16:49 > 0:16:53Now, that meant we couldn't really progress on this case.
0:16:53 > 0:16:56So, we needed a birth certificate.
0:16:56 > 0:16:58When we got the birth certificate,
0:16:58 > 0:17:00it was obviously quite a surprise, the information on it.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Viera was born in November 1930.
0:17:05 > 0:17:08However, five years after her birth,
0:17:08 > 0:17:10several changes had been made to her birth certificate.
0:17:12 > 0:17:16The first thing we saw when we got the actual original certificate
0:17:16 > 0:17:20was that the father was Alfred Koch and the mother was Kathleen Williams.
0:17:20 > 0:17:25Alfred was born in 1905, and Kathleen in 1902.
0:17:25 > 0:17:27They were both born in Scotland,
0:17:27 > 0:17:30but the certificate shows that their daughter Viera was born in Kent.
0:17:30 > 0:17:33And this wasn't the only surprise.
0:17:33 > 0:17:36What was interesting was the amendment to the certificate.
0:17:36 > 0:17:40Her father, Alfred, has been added at a later date.
0:17:40 > 0:17:43Also, the marital status of Kathleen, the deceased's mother, has changed.
0:17:43 > 0:17:46Whereas she is stated as Kathleen Koch, formerly Williams,
0:17:46 > 0:17:49she is now described as Kathleen Williams, otherwise Koch.
0:17:49 > 0:17:52A subtle difference, but a difference nonetheless.
0:17:53 > 0:17:57Kathleen had reverted back to using her maiden name.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00From this, the team knew that Alfred and Kathleen had married,
0:18:00 > 0:18:04but at some point they'd gone their separate ways.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07The team were struggling to find the elusive marriage certificate,
0:18:07 > 0:18:09so they widened their search,
0:18:09 > 0:18:12and came across a rather intriguing news article.
0:18:15 > 0:18:19Her parents' relationship had turned into front-page news.
0:18:20 > 0:18:23From the article, we know that the couple were in love with each other,
0:18:23 > 0:18:25but their friendship was opposed by the girl's parents.
0:18:25 > 0:18:27To overcome that opposition,
0:18:27 > 0:18:30they entered into a scheme to bring pressure to bear in April 1929.
0:18:30 > 0:18:32They motored to Gretna
0:18:32 > 0:18:35where the ceremony was performed by a shoemaker.
0:18:38 > 0:18:41Couples had been heading to Gretna Green to get married
0:18:41 > 0:18:45since 1754, when a new civil law came into force in England.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49They had to be over 21 to marry
0:18:49 > 0:18:52unless their parents or guardians agreed to it.
0:18:52 > 0:18:55The marriage had to be a public ceremony in your parish,
0:18:55 > 0:18:58and overseen by an official of the Church.
0:18:59 > 0:19:02However, the Scottish didn't change their law.
0:19:02 > 0:19:04It remained the same as it had for centuries.
0:19:05 > 0:19:06Once you reached 15,
0:19:06 > 0:19:09you could make a contract with the man or woman of your choice,
0:19:09 > 0:19:10so long as you followed
0:19:10 > 0:19:13the basic convention,
0:19:13 > 0:19:14that you were not closely related
0:19:14 > 0:19:17and not in a relationship with someone else.
0:19:17 > 0:19:20You could make that agreement anywhere you wished,
0:19:20 > 0:19:21in private or in public,
0:19:21 > 0:19:25in the presence of anyone at all you wished, or no-one at all.
0:19:27 > 0:19:30So these English people down in England, very much in love,
0:19:30 > 0:19:34no approval, complete disapproval by unhappy parents,
0:19:34 > 0:19:37would come here to Scotland,
0:19:37 > 0:19:41and marry by the Scottish custom or convention, anywhere on Scots soil.
0:19:43 > 0:19:46Being so close to the border, the small village of Gretna Green
0:19:46 > 0:19:49soon became renowned for eloping couples.
0:19:50 > 0:19:53The concept of runaway marriages to Gretna Green
0:19:53 > 0:19:57became much more popular through the references
0:19:57 > 0:20:00of people like Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters,
0:20:00 > 0:20:05and one or two others who made reference to runaway marriages.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07And they would refer to Gretna Green.
0:20:08 > 0:20:10However, coming from England,
0:20:10 > 0:20:14couples wanted to keep some of the traditions that they were used to,
0:20:14 > 0:20:17and rather than just declaring the marriage to one another,
0:20:17 > 0:20:20they would look for someone in authority to oversee the ceremony.
0:20:23 > 0:20:25When they come to a place like this,
0:20:25 > 0:20:28there are obviously very few professionals,
0:20:28 > 0:20:32but there were the artisans, the skilled technicians,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37the blacksmith being the senior craftsman in the countryside.
0:20:37 > 0:20:42So the young couple would come here, and see the blacksmith working away.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46This is a very important man in his community, well respected.
0:20:46 > 0:20:49"He will be the one who will hear our promise, one to the other."
0:20:52 > 0:20:56Running away to Gretna Green wasn't just reserved for the English.
0:20:56 > 0:20:58It had become a tradition itself,
0:20:58 > 0:21:01and many Scottish couples decided to elope there too.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Alfred and Kathleen were both born in Scotland,
0:21:05 > 0:21:07and like many couples before them,
0:21:07 > 0:21:10they ran away to Gretna to get married.
0:21:11 > 0:21:14The ceremony was held at the Toll Bar, just a stone's throw
0:21:14 > 0:21:17from the English border, in the presence of a local shoemaker.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21He'd bring them into the little room,
0:21:21 > 0:21:24in the front of the toll house, and he'd go through the questions -
0:21:24 > 0:21:27are you of marriageable age? "Yes."
0:21:27 > 0:21:29Are you free to marry? "Yes." You are now married.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33And he'd give them that little piece of paper and send them on their way.
0:21:36 > 0:21:38The two words Gretna Green
0:21:38 > 0:21:40have become part of the English language, really.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43And to do with this idea of love and romance,
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and a happy marriage, and living happily ever after.
0:21:48 > 0:21:53But Alfred and Kathleen's marriage didn't have a fairy-tale ending.
0:21:53 > 0:21:56After three years, the couple wanted it annulled
0:21:56 > 0:21:59on the basis that neither of them believed it was a proper marriage
0:21:59 > 0:22:02but instead the ceremony was intended to be
0:22:02 > 0:22:04a show of their commitment to each other.
0:22:05 > 0:22:07It caused quite a stir in the press
0:22:07 > 0:22:09and the article also stated
0:22:09 > 0:22:12that the couple had never lived together as man and wife, even
0:22:12 > 0:22:16though their daughter, Viera, was born two years before the annulment.
0:22:17 > 0:22:21Really what we're looking at is two people who were in love
0:22:21 > 0:22:25who went to Gretna Green, got married, their parents opposed it,
0:22:25 > 0:22:28and it all went horribly wrong in the end.
0:22:28 > 0:22:32But what is very interesting is that there is no mention of Viera.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Viera was the only child born from this marriage,
0:22:36 > 0:22:39so the team had to widen the search for heirs.
0:22:40 > 0:22:41At that point,
0:22:41 > 0:22:45obviously, we need to see if there are any other near-kin relatives.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48I think the first port of call really was to establish
0:22:48 > 0:22:49what happened to the parents.
0:22:49 > 0:22:52During the research, we discovered that Kathleen remarried
0:22:52 > 0:22:55to a Mr Feldwicke, Charles Feldwicke.
0:22:55 > 0:23:00And that's obviously where Viera got the name from.
0:23:00 > 0:23:03Viera's mother, Kathleen, married Charles Feldwicke
0:23:03 > 0:23:06in 1933 in Brighton.
0:23:06 > 0:23:08In 1947, when Viera was 16,
0:23:08 > 0:23:12she changed her name by deed poll to Feldwicke.
0:23:13 > 0:23:16Viera had several surnames that she was using.
0:23:16 > 0:23:18Viera Williams, which was her mother's maiden name,
0:23:18 > 0:23:20Viera Koch, her father's name,
0:23:20 > 0:23:22Viera Feldwicke, which was her stepfather's surname,
0:23:22 > 0:23:26and Viera Shelley, her stage name.
0:23:26 > 0:23:28But would Gareth be able to crack the case
0:23:28 > 0:23:31with not one, but four surnames?
0:23:31 > 0:23:35If Viera had any half-siblings from her mother's marriage
0:23:35 > 0:23:38to Charles, they'd be entitled to a share of her estate.
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Unfortunately, from a research point of view,
0:23:42 > 0:23:45Charles and Kathleen had no issue.
0:23:45 > 0:23:50So that meant we then had to start looking at other possibilities.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54With no near kin on her mother's side,
0:23:54 > 0:23:56they looked to the father's family.
0:23:56 > 0:24:00Gareth was making progress on the case,
0:24:00 > 0:24:02but would one vital piece of information
0:24:02 > 0:24:05have huge consequences for the team?
0:24:05 > 0:24:07We'd found out quite a lot of information at this stage
0:24:07 > 0:24:09about Viera,
0:24:09 > 0:24:14but there was one last major surprise that she had up her sleeve for me.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23Heir hunters trace thousands of rightful beneficiaries every year,
0:24:23 > 0:24:25but not all cases can be cracked.
0:24:25 > 0:24:28There are thousands out there that have eluded the heir hunters
0:24:28 > 0:24:30and remain unsolved.
0:24:31 > 0:24:34Today we're focusing on two Scottish cases.
0:24:34 > 0:24:37Whereas in England and Wales, unclaimed estates are dealt with
0:24:37 > 0:24:40by the Treasury Solicitor, and their value is not revealed,
0:24:40 > 0:24:41in Scotland,
0:24:41 > 0:24:45they are advertised by the Queen and Lord Treasurer's Remembrancer.
0:24:45 > 0:24:49And there's a key difference, as they DO list the value.
0:24:49 > 0:24:53Could you be the beneficiary they're looking for?
0:24:53 > 0:24:57Could you be about to inherit some money from a long-lost relative?
0:24:57 > 0:25:02First up is a case worth just over £15,000.
0:25:02 > 0:25:07John Shaw was born on 19th May 1931 in Toronto, Canada.
0:25:07 > 0:25:12John moved to Scotland and died on 30th May 2008 in Edinburgh.
0:25:12 > 0:25:17He left no well and no-one has come forward to claim his estate.
0:25:18 > 0:25:19Did you know John?
0:25:19 > 0:25:22Do you have any information that could be the key
0:25:22 > 0:25:23to cracking this case?
0:25:23 > 0:25:29Next is the £8,853 case of Agnes Young,
0:25:29 > 0:25:35who was born on 8th April 1919 in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38Agnes was a widow and her maiden name was Shiels.
0:25:38 > 0:25:44She lived all her life in Paisley, and died on 17th February 2008.
0:25:44 > 0:25:47But despite this information, there's been no success
0:25:47 > 0:25:49in tracing beneficiaries to her estate.
0:25:49 > 0:25:52Does her name mean anything to you?
0:25:52 > 0:25:55Perhaps you know of some clues which could help find her family.
0:25:57 > 0:26:01Both these estates, totalling over £20,000, remain unsolved.
0:26:01 > 0:26:04And if no-one comes forward, the money will go unclaimed.
0:26:06 > 0:26:09Do you know anything that could help solve the cases
0:26:09 > 0:26:10of John Shaw or Agnes Young?
0:26:10 > 0:26:13Perhaps you could be the next of kin.
0:26:13 > 0:26:17If so, you could have thousands of pounds coming your way.
0:26:24 > 0:26:27Heir hunting firm Finders have been referred
0:26:27 > 0:26:30the £300,000 case of 84-year-old Eric Stone,
0:26:30 > 0:26:33who died in March 2013.
0:26:35 > 0:26:37For many years, Eric had lived at the family home
0:26:37 > 0:26:42in the picturesque coastal town of St Leonards-on-Sea in East Sussex.
0:26:42 > 0:26:44And for neighbours Anne Graham and Margaret Niss,
0:26:44 > 0:26:47Eric was a character who will be dearly missed.
0:26:48 > 0:26:56A lot of people called him Father Christmas, because he had a beard.
0:26:56 > 0:26:58- And...- It grew and it grew... - And it grew.
0:26:58 > 0:27:04And he was quite a character, because everybody would see him
0:27:04 > 0:27:06going along with his shopping.
0:27:06 > 0:27:10He'd go up to the village and do his shopping.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12And he was quite a figurehead, really.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15It's like part of the scenery's gone.
0:27:15 > 0:27:18- Well, yes. He was part of the scenery, really.- He certainly was.
0:27:20 > 0:27:22Eric had been a resident in the street for decades,
0:27:22 > 0:27:26and in later years he was joined by his older brother, James.
0:27:27 > 0:27:29Jim didn't live here in the beginning,
0:27:29 > 0:27:32because when the parents were here, when they died,
0:27:32 > 0:27:35Eric was on his own there.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39And it wasn't till some years later that Jim came down to live here.
0:27:41 > 0:27:42They were very close brothers.
0:27:42 > 0:27:45They were not just brothers, they were best friends.
0:27:45 > 0:27:50They went on holiday together. They did most things together.
0:27:52 > 0:27:56It's clear the brothers were close, as Eric left his estate to James.
0:27:56 > 0:27:59But as he died before Eric, the will was no longer valid.
0:28:01 > 0:28:04And this is why the heir hunters have stepped in.
0:28:06 > 0:28:08They've spent several days working the case,
0:28:08 > 0:28:11and it's proving harder than they hoped.
0:28:11 > 0:28:13I'll look for births instead.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16A travelling researcher has been sent
0:28:16 > 0:28:18to hopefully sign up maternal heirs.
0:28:18 > 0:28:20But on the father's side of the family,
0:28:20 > 0:28:23there's still plenty of work to do.
0:28:23 > 0:28:24The team still have to find out
0:28:24 > 0:28:29if Eric's uncle William Arthur Stone left any living descendants.
0:28:31 > 0:28:34We're currently trying to determine whether or not he left issue,
0:28:34 > 0:28:36and indeed surviving issue,
0:28:36 > 0:28:39that we will need to trace as beneficiaries to the estate.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41Amy has already received
0:28:41 > 0:28:43a number of certificates for William Arthur Stone,
0:28:43 > 0:28:46but as he was born and raised in London,
0:28:46 > 0:28:48and the certificates are from other areas,
0:28:48 > 0:28:50she's doubtful that they are right.
0:28:51 > 0:28:55But has some new information come to light that can help solve the case?
0:28:55 > 0:28:58Some of these were friends and neighbours of the deceased.
0:28:58 > 0:29:03The solicitors have sent the team some of Eric's personal effects,
0:29:03 > 0:29:05which could prove invaluable.
0:29:05 > 0:29:08From time to time, especially with a referral case,
0:29:08 > 0:29:13we might get given a bunch of photographs.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15That's not unusual,
0:29:15 > 0:29:18but it's not often that you actually get
0:29:18 > 0:29:21something written on the back that is useful.
0:29:21 > 0:29:26Eric's photographs just might hold the answers they're looking for.
0:29:27 > 0:29:31I've just noticed one referring to William Arthur Stone,
0:29:31 > 0:29:36and it refers to a wife, Grace, maiden name Hare.
0:29:36 > 0:29:39This is really good to have come across.
0:29:39 > 0:29:41It means I can now double-check the marriages
0:29:41 > 0:29:43I was considering yesterday.
0:29:43 > 0:29:47It's great news, but there's even more to come.
0:29:47 > 0:29:52This also refers to William Arthur. It's actually got an area on it.
0:29:52 > 0:29:54It relates to Bedfordshire,
0:29:54 > 0:29:58which makes me more confident that the death certificate
0:29:58 > 0:30:01that came through earlier is almost certainly correct,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04because the death occurred in Bedfordshire,
0:30:04 > 0:30:08and in this picture, William is looking a little older.
0:30:10 > 0:30:12So I'm more and more confident
0:30:12 > 0:30:15that he actually did die in Bedfordshire,
0:30:15 > 0:30:18and that I think I've found the correct death for him.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21Amy is now certain that the death certificate
0:30:21 > 0:30:24she has for William Arthur Stone in Bedfordshire
0:30:24 > 0:30:25is the right one,
0:30:25 > 0:30:27and armed with his wife's maiden name,
0:30:27 > 0:30:29and knowing that they were married in Lewisham,
0:30:29 > 0:30:32she starts looking for children from that marriage.
0:30:32 > 0:30:35There are three possible births,
0:30:35 > 0:30:40but none of them occur in the Lewisham area,
0:30:40 > 0:30:44which is where William is from, and also where he married.
0:30:44 > 0:30:48And also, out of all three births, none of them are together.
0:30:48 > 0:30:51They're all dotted about the country.
0:30:51 > 0:30:54Which makes it difficult to tell straightaway
0:30:54 > 0:30:56whether or not they're connected to this marriage.
0:30:59 > 0:31:01The team are finally making progress
0:31:01 > 0:31:05on Eric's father's side of the family.
0:31:05 > 0:31:08And on the mother's side, while there is still work to be done,
0:31:08 > 0:31:11the team hope they've tracked down an heir.
0:31:11 > 0:31:16Eric's uncle Thomas married Florence Ivory in 1927.
0:31:16 > 0:31:19They had three children, the youngest being Rose,
0:31:19 > 0:31:23and travelling researcher Peter is hoping he can sign her up
0:31:23 > 0:31:26for an agreed percentage of her share of the estate.
0:31:32 > 0:31:39The person concerned is that of a cousin of yours called Eric Stone.
0:31:39 > 0:31:42Peter needs to make sure they've found the right family,
0:31:42 > 0:31:44so he confirms some details.
0:31:44 > 0:31:46Do you know his date of birth, by any chance?
0:31:46 > 0:31:50- I'm sure it was 7th September. - Do you know his date of birth?
0:31:50 > 0:31:53- 1958.- That's it.
0:31:53 > 0:31:55- Dulwich.- That's fine.
0:31:55 > 0:31:58With confirmation that Rose is a cousin of Eric's,
0:31:58 > 0:32:02and entitled to a share of his estate, it's good news for the team.
0:32:02 > 0:32:05And for Rose, it's brought back many memories.
0:32:07 > 0:32:13As children, I met Eric, and very often we used to see them.
0:32:13 > 0:32:18Eric was very jolly, a very jolly fellow.
0:32:18 > 0:32:20We got on very well as cousins.
0:32:20 > 0:32:22We used to see quite a lot of them.
0:32:22 > 0:32:26But then, obviously, as we grow up,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28we all sort of drift apart.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31Although they hadn't seen each other for years,
0:32:31 > 0:32:35hearing news about her cousin has come as a shock.
0:32:35 > 0:32:39I didn't know Eric had passed away, not at all. I didn't.
0:32:39 > 0:32:43I feel very sad. I just can't believe it.
0:32:46 > 0:32:48Back in the office,
0:32:48 > 0:32:51and the news has come through that they've signed up Rose.
0:32:51 > 0:32:54And with the information that she's given Peter,
0:32:54 > 0:32:58the team are sure they've found all the maternal heirs.
0:32:58 > 0:33:00But is it also good news on the paternal side?
0:33:02 > 0:33:05They've received the certificates they were waiting on
0:33:05 > 0:33:07for Eric's uncle, William Arthur Stone.
0:33:07 > 0:33:09And they're in for a surprise.
0:33:09 > 0:33:13William Arthur Stone was in fact married twice.
0:33:13 > 0:33:18The first time, he was married to a lady named Dorothy Maud Hooper,
0:33:18 > 0:33:20and this marriage occurred in 1923.
0:33:21 > 0:33:24Sadly, Dorothy passed away in 1932.
0:33:24 > 0:33:28So if William had any children from either his first marriage
0:33:28 > 0:33:30or second, to Grace Hare,
0:33:30 > 0:33:33these children will be entitled to a share of Eric's estate.
0:33:35 > 0:33:39Our research indicates that there were no children
0:33:39 > 0:33:45from either marriage, and that William Arthur died himself in 1969.
0:33:45 > 0:33:47With the news that William didn't have any children,
0:33:47 > 0:33:51both sides of the family tree are complete.
0:33:51 > 0:33:54In total, there are 12 beneficiaries, who will each inherit
0:33:54 > 0:33:57a share of Eric's £300,000 estate.
0:33:57 > 0:34:00So for Amy, the hard work has paid off.
0:34:00 > 0:34:04All in all, this case went really well.
0:34:04 > 0:34:09It's a decent-sized estate, so overall very pleased with this one.
0:34:09 > 0:34:12And for Rose, the news that she is one of the heirs
0:34:12 > 0:34:15has come completely out of the blue.
0:34:15 > 0:34:18Who would expect someone to knock on your door
0:34:18 > 0:34:21and tell you that you're being traced?
0:34:21 > 0:34:24It is just a big shock.. I can't believe it.
0:34:31 > 0:34:33Heir hunting firm Fraser & Fraser
0:34:33 > 0:34:38were on the trail of the £350,000 estate of Viera Feldwicke,
0:34:38 > 0:34:42an actress who died in 2012 in Brighton, Sussex.
0:34:43 > 0:34:48Barbara Whatley acted alongside Viera in the 1950s and '60s,
0:34:48 > 0:34:51when they both worked at the Brighton Palace Pier Theatre.
0:34:52 > 0:34:59Viera had a lot of fun in her. Viera was incredibly sincere.
0:35:00 > 0:35:06She was amazingly generous. She was a lovely person, absolutely lovely.
0:35:08 > 0:35:13Case manager Gareth Langford had made progress on the case.
0:35:13 > 0:35:15He knew that if any close kin were going to be found,
0:35:15 > 0:35:18it would be through Viera's paternal side.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21So he started to research into her father, Alfred Koch,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24who was born in Glasgow in 1905.
0:35:25 > 0:35:28When we were looking for Alfred, we picked up
0:35:28 > 0:35:30on a marriage in Middlesbrough.
0:35:30 > 0:35:32We didn't expect him to be in Middlesbrough.
0:35:32 > 0:35:35And it was also complicated by the fact that he was using,
0:35:35 > 0:35:38or appeared to be using, a different surname as well.
0:35:38 > 0:35:42Viera wasn't the only one in the family who had more than one name.
0:35:42 > 0:35:47When Alfred married his second wife, Mary, in Middlesbrough in 1942,
0:35:47 > 0:35:49he was going by the surname Nielson.
0:35:49 > 0:35:52But it was noted on the marriage certificate
0:35:52 > 0:35:54that he was also known by the name Koch.
0:35:54 > 0:35:57If any children were born from this marriage,
0:35:57 > 0:35:59they would be Viera's half-blood siblings,
0:35:59 > 0:36:02and they, or their descendants, would inherit her estate.
0:36:02 > 0:36:05From the marriage, we were able to establish
0:36:05 > 0:36:09that there was certainly one son, and obviously we needed to trace him.
0:36:10 > 0:36:13Trying to establish what happened to Alfred and his son
0:36:13 > 0:36:16became quite tricky, because there were simply no records
0:36:16 > 0:36:20that we could find in the birth, marriage and death records.
0:36:20 > 0:36:22It simply looked like they'd vanished.
0:36:24 > 0:36:27Gareth desperately needed to find Viera's half-brother,
0:36:27 > 0:36:29but had the research hit a dead end?
0:36:32 > 0:36:35Because we couldn't find any records in England and Wales,
0:36:35 > 0:36:38and indeed Scotland, we started to widen the field.
0:36:38 > 0:36:44And after quite a bit of searching, we started to pick up names
0:36:44 > 0:36:46that were relevant to our case - in Chile.
0:36:49 > 0:36:53In the mid-1940s, Alfred and his new family left the country
0:36:53 > 0:36:56when an opportunity arose for them overseas.
0:36:56 > 0:36:58Alfred was working as a sheep farmer,
0:36:58 > 0:37:01and throughout history, there'd been a demand for Scottish sheep farmers,
0:37:01 > 0:37:05which allowed them to travel the globe.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10During the 1850s, they were emigrating to the Falkland Islands.
0:37:10 > 0:37:13The rationale for choosing Scots was partly
0:37:13 > 0:37:15that the topography of the islands
0:37:15 > 0:37:17was reckoned to be very similar
0:37:17 > 0:37:22to the West Highlands, to the Hebrides, and also to the Shetlands.
0:37:22 > 0:37:27And there was a comment by one contemporary in the 1850s
0:37:27 > 0:37:29that soft Southerners wouldn't settle
0:37:29 > 0:37:33and wouldn't thrive in the harsh climate of the Falklands.
0:37:33 > 0:37:36But these Hebrideans and Northern Irelanders were used to
0:37:36 > 0:37:39that sort of climate, and would settle down and make a go of things.
0:37:41 > 0:37:45With stories of their new lives reaching the homeland in Scotland,
0:37:45 > 0:37:48many more decided to make the journey.
0:37:48 > 0:37:50And 100 years later,
0:37:50 > 0:37:53Alfred followed his countrymen to the other side of the world.
0:37:55 > 0:37:59There is a traditional wanderlust amongst the Scots
0:37:59 > 0:38:02that has led them to emigrate since time immemorial.
0:38:02 > 0:38:07So in some ways it's not surprising that Alfred emigrated.
0:38:07 > 0:38:10One of the triggers wherever Scottish emigrants went
0:38:10 > 0:38:14was a belief that pay, living conditions, life in general
0:38:14 > 0:38:16would be better than they were at home.
0:38:16 > 0:38:19The grass was always greener on the other side of the ocean.
0:38:19 > 0:38:23For example, what could be earned in a year at home,
0:38:23 > 0:38:26there was a belief that this could be earned in a month overseas.
0:38:27 > 0:38:29By the early 1900s,
0:38:29 > 0:38:31sheep farming in the Falkland islands had declined
0:38:31 > 0:38:33due to overgrazing of the land,
0:38:33 > 0:38:38and the spotlight had moved to Patagonia, in Chile and Argentina.
0:38:38 > 0:38:40Alfred and his family moved to this region,
0:38:40 > 0:38:42which at the time was home
0:38:42 > 0:38:44to the largest sheep-farming company in the world.
0:38:45 > 0:38:50The Scottish immigrants were employed not only as shepherds,
0:38:50 > 0:38:52but also as managers.
0:38:52 > 0:38:55And they would operate the slaughterhouses as well,
0:38:55 > 0:38:59and had various jobs at various levels.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02If you went out as a shepherd it was a pretty lonely life
0:39:02 > 0:39:06and a very hard life, and winter conditions were very challenging.
0:39:06 > 0:39:09Blizzards in which people could lose their lives pretty easily.
0:39:11 > 0:39:15It was hard work, and the region's ability to farm sheep didn't last.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19By the 1960s, it had started to decline.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21With farming opportunities demising,
0:39:21 > 0:39:23the Scottish farmers had a choice to make.
0:39:25 > 0:39:29There were two trajectories that the Scottish emigrants could follow.
0:39:29 > 0:39:33They could either put down roots in Patagonia,
0:39:33 > 0:39:38and become really Patagonian Scots, or Scottish Patagonians,
0:39:38 > 0:39:42or they could operate as sojourners, as temporary settlers,
0:39:42 > 0:39:44who came back to Scotland.
0:39:44 > 0:39:48And I would say there was about a 50/50 divide.
0:39:52 > 0:39:54Alfred and his family decided to stay in Chile,
0:39:54 > 0:39:57so Gareth had to search for any other children
0:39:57 > 0:39:59born to Alfred and his wife, Mary.
0:40:00 > 0:40:05We eventually discovered that Alfred had four children,
0:40:05 > 0:40:08and obviously they were the heirs we were looking for.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13Alfred had one child in England before moving to Chile.
0:40:13 > 0:40:15He then went on to have three more children.
0:40:17 > 0:40:21The eldest son sadly died in 2012, leaving a son.
0:40:21 > 0:40:24So it was the remaining half-siblings and a half-nephew
0:40:24 > 0:40:27who were entitled to Viera's estate.
0:40:29 > 0:40:32We were able to make contact with the heirs on this case,
0:40:32 > 0:40:34and it became evident quite quickly
0:40:34 > 0:40:37that they had absolutely no knowledge that they had a half-sister.
0:40:37 > 0:40:40So it obviously came as a huge shock to them.
0:40:42 > 0:40:46Gareth had signed up the heirs, and he hoped all the hard work was over.
0:40:48 > 0:40:51Our research in the case had finished.
0:40:51 > 0:40:52We'd signed the heirs,
0:40:52 > 0:40:55and we began looking to the administration of the estate.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00And at that point, that's when we got our big surprise.
0:41:02 > 0:41:04A simple call changed the course of the case.
0:41:07 > 0:41:10We were contacted by the authorities, who made us aware
0:41:10 > 0:41:13that there was a potential will for the deceased.
0:41:13 > 0:41:17And obviously if there was a will, it would have a massive effect
0:41:17 > 0:41:19on our heirs.
0:41:19 > 0:41:22Although the team had run various searches for a will,
0:41:22 > 0:41:24occasionally some are missed,
0:41:24 > 0:41:28and more detailed searches have to be run to find them.
0:41:28 > 0:41:31It was looking like all their work had been in vain.
0:41:32 > 0:41:35The first thing that we had to do at this point
0:41:35 > 0:41:37was confirm the validity of the will,
0:41:37 > 0:41:39so I contacted the solicitors who were holding it.
0:41:39 > 0:41:43Unfortunately, they were able to confirm that the will was valid.
0:41:43 > 0:41:48So our heirs, unfortunately, were not going to be entitled parties.
0:41:48 > 0:41:51So all the time and resources spent on the case
0:41:51 > 0:41:53turned out to be worthless.
0:41:53 > 0:41:55From our point of view,
0:41:55 > 0:41:59we were obviously quite upset that a will had been found on this estate,
0:41:59 > 0:42:03because we'd put in a lot of time and a lot of effort into this case.
0:42:03 > 0:42:05But we look at these things at our own risk,
0:42:05 > 0:42:09and occasionally they backfire on us.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13Gareth had discovered Viera's next of kin,
0:42:13 > 0:42:15but when he got a copy of her will,
0:42:15 > 0:42:19he was able to find out exactly who she wanted to inherit.
0:42:21 > 0:42:25On reading of Viera's will, she'd left her estate to a charity.
0:42:25 > 0:42:28I think what we can establish from that
0:42:28 > 0:42:32is that she also had no knowledge that she had half-blood siblings.
0:42:34 > 0:42:36Viera's wish was that money be spent on facilities
0:42:36 > 0:42:38for the elderly, with a special request
0:42:38 > 0:42:42that a room be named after the mother she was so devoted to.
0:42:44 > 0:42:46You know, that's a lovely sentiment.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51Although the team's research has been in vain, and the company
0:42:51 > 0:42:56won't earn a penny from their work, Gareth remains optimistic.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59We'd obviously put in a lot of time and effort on this,
0:42:59 > 0:43:03and there's no reward for us at the end of the day,
0:43:03 > 0:43:07but it's important to accept that Viera's wishes are being carried out,
0:43:07 > 0:43:10and that's an important aspect of this estate.