0:00:02 > 0:00:05Every year, thousands of people die with no close family
0:00:05 > 0:00:07and without making a will.
0:00:07 > 0:00:11If no relatives come forward, their money will go to the government
0:00:11 > 0:00:13and that's where the Heir Hunters come in.
0:00:13 > 0:00:16They married in December, 1927 in Fulham.
0:00:16 > 0:00:19They're experts in tracking down long-lost family members
0:00:19 > 0:00:22who have no idea they're in line to inherit.
0:00:22 > 0:00:26We believe, sir, that you will be entitled to a share
0:00:26 > 0:00:27in your cousin's estate.
0:00:27 > 0:00:32It's a competitive industry, often with thousands of pounds at stake.
0:00:32 > 0:00:35At the moment, we're fighting quite a big battle with lots of heirs,
0:00:35 > 0:00:36lots of competition.
0:00:36 > 0:00:39But their work also uncovers hidden histories...
0:00:39 > 0:00:42Basically, we're half Jewish and we didn't know.
0:00:42 > 0:00:44..and can often reunite long-lost relatives
0:00:44 > 0:00:46and bring families closer together.
0:00:46 > 0:00:50To try and build up a picture in your mind of really how they lived
0:00:50 > 0:00:52and what they did. It's really interesting.
0:00:52 > 0:00:56Above all, it's about giving people news of an unexpected windfall.
0:00:56 > 0:00:59I, sort of, just froze.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01Unbelievable!
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Could the Heir Hunters be knocking at your door?
0:01:08 > 0:01:12Coming up... The heir hunters get a confusing tip-off...
0:01:12 > 0:01:17I'm not 100% sure the half-sister comes from the mother or the father.
0:01:17 > 0:01:20..and one search uncovers the remarkable story of a family's
0:01:20 > 0:01:22link to Britain's waterways.
0:01:22 > 0:01:24Some of them stayed here and lived here
0:01:24 > 0:01:28and then started to produce a dynasty of people who worked the river.
0:01:35 > 0:01:38Late afternoon in the central London offices of Fraser & Fraser
0:01:38 > 0:01:42and the team are sorting through a new list of unclaimed estates
0:01:42 > 0:01:45that has just come in from the Treasury's Bona Vacantia department.
0:01:45 > 0:01:47Want another?
0:01:47 > 0:01:48That's down to Ben.
0:01:48 > 0:01:51How many have we got? Five each?
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Coming at the end of an already hectic day,
0:01:53 > 0:01:56the team are totally stretched to their limits.
0:01:59 > 0:02:02There's so much work, it's ridiculous. It's just...
0:02:02 > 0:02:06There are about 30 cases that appear to have come up, so...
0:02:08 > 0:02:11And, as the long list is divided up, case manager Gareth Langford
0:02:11 > 0:02:14gets straight to work, with the first name he is given.
0:02:21 > 0:02:22Mavis Botham.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27We don't know anything about her at the moment,
0:02:27 > 0:02:34apart from, she was born in 1922 and passed away in April, 2013.
0:02:37 > 0:02:41Aged 90, Mavis Botham died in Nottinghamshire.
0:02:41 > 0:02:43Despite living in the area for years,
0:02:43 > 0:02:46it seems neighbours saw little of her.
0:02:46 > 0:02:50I've lived next door to Mavis for about 15 years.
0:02:51 > 0:02:53She loved cats.
0:02:53 > 0:02:58She really did love cats, but I didn't know that much about her.
0:02:58 > 0:03:00Although Mavis was a private person,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03Glendys Hughes still remembers her fondly.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06She was always in a wheelchair so she never came out on her own,
0:03:06 > 0:03:07if you know what I mean?
0:03:07 > 0:03:10So, it would be on the street, talking.
0:03:11 > 0:03:13I used to like to talk to her when I got the chance.
0:03:16 > 0:03:18With very little information to go on,
0:03:18 > 0:03:21the team start by finding her address and then it's up
0:03:21 > 0:03:24to Gareth to work out whether her estate has any value.
0:03:26 > 0:03:27What we are trying to establish now
0:03:27 > 0:03:31is whether the deceased owned her property or not.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35That is the best starting point, really, because, obviously,
0:03:35 > 0:03:38if the deceased did own the property, then we work it.
0:03:40 > 0:03:44Heir hunters work on a commission basis, earning money by taking
0:03:44 > 0:03:48a percentage of the estate, which is agreed with any heirs they find.
0:03:48 > 0:03:51When an estate appears on the Treasury's list, the heir hunters
0:03:51 > 0:03:53have no idea of its value,
0:03:53 > 0:03:56which means that finding out whether there is any property involved
0:03:56 > 0:03:58is always their first priority.
0:04:00 > 0:04:02If we can find that the deceased owned property,
0:04:02 > 0:04:04we know we are dealing with a valuable case.
0:04:04 > 0:04:07We know we're dealing with a case that should be worth
0:04:07 > 0:04:10at least £20,000, which is our minimum cut-off.
0:04:12 > 0:04:15To add even more pressure to the team, they know that
0:04:15 > 0:04:19any number of rival heir-hunting firms could be working the case.
0:04:19 > 0:04:23Whatever the value of Mavis's estate may be, if a rival firm reaches
0:04:23 > 0:04:25and signs up the heirs first,
0:04:25 > 0:04:28Gareth and the team won't make a single penny.
0:04:28 > 0:04:31He wastes no time and gets researcher Dan to start looking
0:04:31 > 0:04:35to see if Mavis had any husband, children or brothers and sisters
0:04:35 > 0:04:37who could inherit.
0:04:38 > 0:04:41I'm trying to identify the deceased's birth at the moment.
0:04:41 > 0:04:46I think I have in Shardlow district.
0:04:49 > 0:04:52So, it looks like she's a spinster.
0:04:52 > 0:04:56Dan's research suggests that Mary had no close family.
0:04:56 > 0:05:01- Spinster, only child. - She was a spinster?
0:05:01 > 0:05:02Only child?
0:05:02 > 0:05:05But Gareth isn't convinced just yet.
0:05:05 > 0:05:08- I think she's been married and divorced.- Then gone back?- Yeah.
0:05:08 > 0:05:11Reverted back to her maiden name.
0:05:11 > 0:05:14I think you might possibly be right, mate.
0:05:15 > 0:05:16Married in Ilkeston.
0:05:18 > 0:05:20It turns out that Gareth's hunch was, in fact, right.
0:05:22 > 0:05:26Mavis married Polish man Joseph Menkavitch in Ilkeston
0:05:26 > 0:05:28two years before the end of the Second World War.
0:05:28 > 0:05:32Together the couple had one daughter, a little girl called Christine
0:05:32 > 0:05:37who was born in 1946, but who tragically died the same year.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Shortly afterwards, Mavis and Joseph divorced
0:05:40 > 0:05:42and Mavis went back to using her maiden name.
0:05:46 > 0:05:49As Mavis was divorced and had no living children
0:05:49 > 0:05:51nor any siblings that the team have found,
0:05:51 > 0:05:56the next job is to look for aunts, uncles and cousins of hers.
0:05:56 > 0:05:59But this means more research and the investment of more time
0:05:59 > 0:06:01and resources.
0:06:01 > 0:06:04It is a bold move to make on a case where the value is unknown.
0:06:04 > 0:06:07But these are the kind of risks that company boss Neil
0:06:07 > 0:06:08must weigh up every day.
0:06:09 > 0:06:12We're dealing with a relatively small estate,
0:06:12 > 0:06:16maybe £15,000-£20,000 and we suddenly start getting hundreds
0:06:16 > 0:06:18and hundreds of cousins, then we've got a problem.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21It may be that we have to drop the case.
0:06:21 > 0:06:25So, we have to really be careful to evaluate and make sure we're not
0:06:25 > 0:06:30just throwing money out of the window to solve a case.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33Using the address that they found for her, Gareth decides to
0:06:33 > 0:06:36contact some of Mavis's neighbours, to see if they know anything
0:06:36 > 0:06:39that could help determine at this early stage
0:06:39 > 0:06:41whether the case is worth working.
0:06:41 > 0:06:43I don't know if these numbers ever work.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50Good afternoon. I hope you can help me. My name is Gareth Langford.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53I'm making enquiries about a former neighbour of yours.
0:06:53 > 0:06:56It turns out that the neighbour might have a few leads
0:06:56 > 0:07:00on Mavis's family, but before he can follow any of them up,
0:07:00 > 0:07:03Gareth needs to know if her estate has any value.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06OK. So, when did she sell the bungalow? Was that...?
0:07:06 > 0:07:09That was about 20 years ago. And, what happened to Mr Start?
0:07:11 > 0:07:15He's still there. Right. Thank you. Bye-bye.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Well, slightly, erm... Confusing.
0:07:23 > 0:07:27It would appear that Mavis did, own a property some years ago,
0:07:27 > 0:07:3320 years ago, that was sold for approximately £40,000.
0:07:33 > 0:07:36Gareth has discovered that Mavis sold her own home to move in
0:07:36 > 0:07:39with long-term partner James Start and lived with him
0:07:39 > 0:07:41until she passed away.
0:07:41 > 0:07:43However, as the couple never married
0:07:43 > 0:07:45and Mavis died without leaving a will,
0:07:45 > 0:07:48James is not entitled to her estate.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51If any family can be found, they will be the ones to inherit.
0:07:52 > 0:07:54The big question is,
0:07:54 > 0:07:59does she have any funds left or was that money used, you know..?
0:07:59 > 0:08:03Apparently, they did up the property at number 21,
0:08:03 > 0:08:06so there may not be any finances left.
0:08:06 > 0:08:10Gareth's first priority, before following up any further leads
0:08:10 > 0:08:13from the phone call, is to resolve this issue.
0:08:13 > 0:08:15We need to talk to this Mr Start.
0:08:16 > 0:08:17James Start.
0:08:19 > 0:08:22Dan searches for contact details for Mavis's partner, James
0:08:22 > 0:08:24and has no luck.
0:08:25 > 0:08:28Ideally, what we want to do is to speak to Mr Start,
0:08:28 > 0:08:32because he will know all the information that we need.
0:08:32 > 0:08:35Unfortunately, he's not on the phone. Erm...
0:08:35 > 0:08:39It would be a question of trying to get somebody around to see him.
0:08:39 > 0:08:43The work of the heir hunters involves a huge team and encompasses
0:08:43 > 0:08:46a variety of roles, as well as researchers
0:08:46 > 0:08:49and case managers based in the office,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52the company has an army of travelling researchers on the road.
0:08:52 > 0:08:56Their job is to collect documents, make enquiries and, crucially,
0:08:56 > 0:08:58sign up heirs.
0:08:58 > 0:09:00I like the journeys across the country.
0:09:00 > 0:09:02You see different parts of the country.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05That's one of the enjoyable parts of the job.
0:09:05 > 0:09:07Once you've made contact with the family,
0:09:07 > 0:09:10that's when all the stories come out, you know.
0:09:10 > 0:09:12I love that side of it.
0:09:16 > 0:09:19To find out whether the case has any value, Gareth needs to send
0:09:19 > 0:09:23one of these travelling researchers round to see Mr Start.
0:09:23 > 0:09:28The drive is 64 miles... What about Ewart?
0:09:28 > 0:09:30Unfortunately, the whole team,
0:09:30 > 0:09:33including the guys out on the road, are stretched to the limits
0:09:33 > 0:09:36working the long list of cases that have come in.
0:09:36 > 0:09:38So, unless there's someone nearby,
0:09:38 > 0:09:41it looks unlikely that James will get a visit today.
0:09:41 > 0:09:43I was wondering where you are currently?
0:09:43 > 0:09:46Tomorrow, I was thinking. Tomorrow morning.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49It's late in the day and as the travelling researcher can't make it
0:09:49 > 0:09:53to visit Mr Start in time, a meeting is arranged for the morning.
0:09:53 > 0:09:56Half eight. Lovely. Thank you very much. Cheers. Bye.
0:09:59 > 0:10:01But there is still more work to be getting on with.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05Now that Gareth's done all he can to establish the value of the estate,
0:10:05 > 0:10:07he and Dan set about investigating
0:10:07 > 0:10:10the other possible leads the neighbour has given them.
0:10:10 > 0:10:13We've got information that there's a possible sister.
0:10:13 > 0:10:17So, just checking to see if there's maybe been a transcription error.
0:10:17 > 0:10:21While their initial research showed that Mavis was an only child,
0:10:21 > 0:10:24it seems there is a chance she might have had a sister.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Put in different variants and see whether we get an answer,
0:10:28 > 0:10:31but I can't find any at the moment.
0:10:31 > 0:10:34With only an online record of Mavis's birth to work with,
0:10:34 > 0:10:36the team are getting nowhere.
0:10:36 > 0:10:37We found the birth record.
0:10:37 > 0:10:40What we haven't found is the parents' marriage
0:10:40 > 0:10:44so we need certificates to help us with that information.
0:10:44 > 0:10:48And when it comes to ordering them, there is no time to waste.
0:10:48 > 0:10:50We have a cut-off point of four o'clock
0:10:50 > 0:10:54and we probably have 20 seconds, I would have thought.
0:10:54 > 0:10:55Go, go!
0:10:57 > 0:11:01Go on, you can do it. No pressure! Just type faster!
0:11:01 > 0:11:04Go on. Don't make any mistakes, whatever you do!
0:11:06 > 0:11:08- Get it in?- Yeah.- Yes!
0:11:09 > 0:11:12With the research well and truly under way,
0:11:12 > 0:11:15will some new information below the case wide open?
0:11:15 > 0:11:19If all of these potential children from marriage are correct,
0:11:19 > 0:11:22we're going to have an awful lot of heirs to trace.
0:11:27 > 0:11:31While some heir hunts are relatively straightforward,
0:11:31 > 0:11:33others can end up as tangled webs,
0:11:33 > 0:11:36with layer upon layer of complications.
0:11:36 > 0:11:38Although he didn't realise at the start,
0:11:38 > 0:11:41for case manager Ben Cornish, the search for heirs to the estate
0:11:41 > 0:11:46of Mary Davies could definitely turn out to be on the trickier side.
0:11:46 > 0:11:49We first got the case of Mary Davies in late 2011.
0:11:49 > 0:11:52It was released on the Bona Vacantia website.
0:11:52 > 0:11:54We know that it had value
0:11:54 > 0:11:58and enquiries confirmed that the estate was worth about £28,000.
0:11:58 > 0:12:05Mary Davies died on 26 March, 2011 in West Bromwich.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07Robert was her carer at the nursing home
0:12:07 > 0:12:11where she spent her final years and remembers her fondly.
0:12:11 > 0:12:15Mary was quite a friendly person and
0:12:15 > 0:12:18she was quite open with everyone.
0:12:18 > 0:12:20And Mary was quite good with the rest of the residents.
0:12:20 > 0:12:24She was socialising with the rest of the residents.
0:12:24 > 0:12:27And she was somebody who loved company.
0:12:27 > 0:12:29She was such a lovely person to be around with,
0:12:29 > 0:12:33because she used to talk about all sorts of things.
0:12:33 > 0:12:36So, she will be missed, in that sense.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39Although Mary loved to chat about anything and everything,
0:12:39 > 0:12:43it seems there was one subject particularly close to her heart.
0:12:43 > 0:12:47She was a person who loved to talk about her life history,
0:12:47 > 0:12:53her family, and she was quite proud of how she looked at her family.
0:12:53 > 0:12:56To me, she used to say her husband was not a physically-fit man.
0:12:56 > 0:12:59He was a man who she used to look after.
0:12:59 > 0:13:05But she didn't regret marrying this gentleman, because she loved him.
0:13:07 > 0:13:09When Ben and the team began their search for heirs
0:13:09 > 0:13:14to Mary's £28,000 estate, they had very little information to go on.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19We were just given the deceased's full name, date of death
0:13:19 > 0:13:21and the place of death.
0:13:21 > 0:13:25So, we thought the best thing to do was to order the death certificate,
0:13:25 > 0:13:27in the hope it had more information.
0:13:27 > 0:13:30When the certificate arrived, it wasn't very helpful.
0:13:30 > 0:13:35As a place of birth, it just gave England and it did state that she
0:13:35 > 0:13:39was a widow, but didn't list her husband's name or her maiden name.
0:13:39 > 0:13:42Without a maiden name, the heir hunters couldn't check to see
0:13:42 > 0:13:46whether Mary had any children who could inherit or begin
0:13:46 > 0:13:49to build up any kind of picture of the family tree.
0:13:49 > 0:13:51So, it was time to hit the phone.
0:13:51 > 0:13:54The deceased's last-known address was a nursing home.
0:13:54 > 0:13:56We made some enquiries there and they informed us
0:13:56 > 0:13:59that she was once married to a Charles Davies.
0:13:59 > 0:14:00We found the marriage record,
0:14:00 > 0:14:03and realised that her maiden name was Mary Harris
0:14:03 > 0:14:07and Harris is one of the most common names in England and Wales
0:14:07 > 0:14:10and it can be a complete nightmare to research.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16The surname Harris is generally considered to mean "son of Harry"
0:14:16 > 0:14:19and early records suggest that the name Harris
0:14:19 > 0:14:23and Harrison were used interchangeably by some families.
0:14:23 > 0:14:27There are over 160,000 Harrises currently living in the UK.
0:14:30 > 0:14:34When Mary Harris married Charles Davies in July, 1965,
0:14:34 > 0:14:37she was 43 and he was 42 years old.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41From the marriage, we found no children being born
0:14:41 > 0:14:44and we knew that she hadn't been married previously,
0:14:44 > 0:14:46because she was the listed as being a spinster
0:14:46 > 0:14:48on the marriage certificate.
0:14:48 > 0:14:51Once we've established there's no children of the deceased,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54we look for any siblings that she may've had
0:14:54 > 0:14:56and we, first of all, look for her parents' marriage,
0:14:56 > 0:14:58as a point from where to check.
0:14:58 > 0:15:01With a little bit more digging,
0:15:01 > 0:15:05Ben discovered that Mary was born in Droitwich, Worcestershire in 1922
0:15:05 > 0:15:07to Mary and Frederick Harris.
0:15:07 > 0:15:09At the time of her birth,
0:15:09 > 0:15:12Mary's father Frederick was working as a country policeman
0:15:12 > 0:15:16in the local area, a job that would have been very varied.
0:15:16 > 0:15:18A county police officer
0:15:18 > 0:15:21in the morning, could be dealing with diseases of animals,
0:15:21 > 0:15:22in the afternoon,
0:15:22 > 0:15:24he could be dealing with a factory accident.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28As a bobby on the beat in the early 1900s,
0:15:28 > 0:15:32Frederick would have had very limited resources at his disposal.
0:15:32 > 0:15:36A helmet, a truncheon,
0:15:36 > 0:15:37and a pair of handcuffs.
0:15:37 > 0:15:41His hat would be very, very simple.
0:15:41 > 0:15:42Very basic.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44Made of cardboard.
0:15:44 > 0:15:50Absolutely no strength in it, whatsoever. Purely there for show.
0:15:52 > 0:15:55And at a time when telephones and radios were few and far between,
0:15:55 > 0:15:58policing was a rather different business.
0:15:58 > 0:16:03The biggest requirement was being able to talk to people.
0:16:03 > 0:16:07If we remember that there are not many policeman around -
0:16:07 > 0:16:10maybe half a dozen, at the very most -
0:16:10 > 0:16:13and their only form of transport is a bicycle,
0:16:13 > 0:16:17then he's not going to be in range to use a whistle,
0:16:17 > 0:16:21so the only way he can preserve the peace or break up a fight
0:16:21 > 0:16:25is - number one - rely on other members of the public
0:16:25 > 0:16:28to assist them, or - number two -
0:16:28 > 0:16:32use his mouth to try and prevent disturbance in first place.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36But while talking to people was essential,
0:16:36 > 0:16:38there were also rules and regulations,
0:16:38 > 0:16:42ensuring policeman like Frederick didn't chat too much.
0:16:42 > 0:16:45He had a set beat to walk a particular street
0:16:45 > 0:16:49and, in some cases, a particular side of the street.
0:16:49 > 0:16:52So if he walked to the other side of the road
0:16:52 > 0:16:54to talk to another policeman on the other beat,
0:16:54 > 0:16:56the sergeant could discipline him
0:16:56 > 0:16:59for wasting police time and gossiping.
0:16:59 > 0:17:02The fact that they'd be exchanging information is immaterial.
0:17:04 > 0:17:06On the trail of Mary's descendants,
0:17:06 > 0:17:09Ben and the team had no time for dawdling, either.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11Having found Mary's birth certificate,
0:17:11 > 0:17:15they now needed to search for a record of her parents' marriage.
0:17:15 > 0:17:16When they found it,
0:17:16 > 0:17:21they discovered that Mary's mother's maiden name was also Harris.
0:17:22 > 0:17:26We had a Harris marrying a Harris, which makes it
0:17:26 > 0:17:28doubly difficult.
0:17:28 > 0:17:31Having one Harris to research is difficult enough,
0:17:31 > 0:17:34but we've got both the paternal and the maternal families,
0:17:34 > 0:17:37which makes it extraordinarily difficult.
0:17:39 > 0:17:41The team's only hope of saving themselves
0:17:41 > 0:17:44the headache of researching two Harris families,
0:17:44 > 0:17:47lay in finding brothers and sisters of Mary.
0:17:47 > 0:17:50We found one sibling of the deceased,
0:17:50 > 0:17:53a brother called Frederick, born in 1921 in Droitwich.
0:17:55 > 0:17:58As it turned out, Mary's parents Frederick and Mary,
0:17:58 > 0:18:02called both their son and their daughter after themselves.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04But as Mary's brother Frederick had passed away,
0:18:04 > 0:18:08any children of his would be next in line to inherit.
0:18:08 > 0:18:10When we found his death record,
0:18:10 > 0:18:12we did a bit more tracing backwards through addresses
0:18:12 > 0:18:15and we found out that he was married.
0:18:15 > 0:18:18Our research suggested that they didn't have any children, therefore
0:18:18 > 0:18:22the deceased didn't have any nieces or nephews.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25With the possibility of nieces and nephews ruled out
0:18:25 > 0:18:28the team needed to look to the wider family
0:18:28 > 0:18:30on both Mary's mother and her father's side.
0:18:30 > 0:18:33Only by tracking down aunts and uncles and cousins,
0:18:33 > 0:18:36did they now stand any chance of finding heirs.
0:18:36 > 0:18:39So it was time to take on the double-Harris challenge!
0:18:41 > 0:18:44But as they delved deeper and deeper into the tangled web
0:18:44 > 0:18:46of Harris families,
0:18:46 > 0:18:49would they ever be able to track the right heirs down?
0:18:49 > 0:18:51And they all intermingled.
0:18:51 > 0:18:55They not only married each other, but they worked for each other.
0:18:55 > 0:18:57They were very much a tight-knit community
0:18:57 > 0:19:00and they lived pretty well in the same street.
0:19:06 > 0:19:09Heir hunters trace thousands of rightful beneficiaries every year,
0:19:09 > 0:19:12but not all cases can be cracked.
0:19:12 > 0:19:16There are thousands of estates on the Treasury's bona vacantia list
0:19:16 > 0:19:19that have eluded the heir hunters and remain unsolved.
0:19:21 > 0:19:22There are actually two bona vacantia
0:19:22 > 0:19:24unclaimed estates list.
0:19:24 > 0:19:28One list is our current list of advertised estates.
0:19:28 > 0:19:29That's updated daily.
0:19:29 > 0:19:32And there is also an historic unclaimed list,
0:19:32 > 0:19:38that's cases that have been referred to us between 1997 and 2013,
0:19:38 > 0:19:41which have been dealt with by the Treasury Solicitor,
0:19:41 > 0:19:44but we're still looking for kin to come forward and claim.
0:19:44 > 0:19:46Today, we're focusing on two cases
0:19:46 > 0:19:49that are yet to be solved by the heir hunters.
0:19:49 > 0:19:52Could you be the beneficiary they're looking for?
0:19:52 > 0:19:56Could you be about to inherit some money from a long-lost relative?
0:19:56 > 0:20:01First is the case of Paula Barnby who died on 6th December, 1998
0:20:01 > 0:20:03in Grasmere, Cumbria.
0:20:05 > 0:20:07Paula is believed to have died a widow,
0:20:07 > 0:20:09and while she passed away in Cumbria,
0:20:09 > 0:20:13it appears she was actually born in Cologne, Germany, in 1908.
0:20:13 > 0:20:15Her maiden name was Wieben.
0:20:17 > 0:20:18Did you know Paula?
0:20:18 > 0:20:23Do you have any idea when and why she moved from Germany to the UK?
0:20:23 > 0:20:25Perhaps you have some clue that could help trace family
0:20:25 > 0:20:27at home or abroad,
0:20:27 > 0:20:32and find the rightful beneficiaries to her estate.
0:20:32 > 0:20:36Next, can you shed any light on the case of Joyce Rosemary Wrigley,
0:20:36 > 0:20:39who died on 19th March 2012
0:20:39 > 0:20:41in Kingston-upon-Thames?
0:20:42 > 0:20:45She was born Joyce Pallant
0:20:45 > 0:20:47in Teddington in 1928.
0:20:47 > 0:20:49Joyce married David Paul Wrigley
0:20:49 > 0:20:51in May 1967
0:20:51 > 0:20:54in Walton-on-Thames, Surrey.
0:20:54 > 0:20:57But records reveal David died in 2003,
0:20:57 > 0:21:03nine years before Joyce, and so far no other family have been traced.
0:21:03 > 0:21:05Both Paul and Joyce's estates remain unclaimed,
0:21:05 > 0:21:09and if no-one comes forward, their money will go to the government.
0:21:09 > 0:21:11The public can get in touch with us
0:21:11 > 0:21:13in writing either by e-mail or
0:21:13 > 0:21:15post, or on the phone.
0:21:15 > 0:21:18And that's how we will get in touch with them, as well.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22Do you have any clues that could help solve the cases
0:21:22 > 0:21:25of Paula Barnby or Joyce Rosemary Wrigley.
0:21:25 > 0:21:27Perhaps you could be the next of kin.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31If so, you could have thousands of pounds coming your way.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39Day two in the case of Mavis Botham
0:21:39 > 0:21:43and Gareth Langford and the team are picking up where they left off.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46So far they've discovered that while Mavis had been previously married
0:21:46 > 0:21:48and had one daughter who died in infancy,
0:21:48 > 0:21:53many years after her divorce she met and fell in love with James Start.
0:21:55 > 0:21:59After meeting in 1969, the couple spent 40 years together,
0:21:59 > 0:22:03and often enjoyed trips to the seaside and a spot of bingo.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07It turns out that the way in which their paths first crossed
0:22:07 > 0:22:10was a rather unique one.
0:22:10 > 0:22:14She worked at Chilwell Depot with Jim, and that's how they met.
0:22:14 > 0:22:16Painting tanks,
0:22:16 > 0:22:21which I thought was rather romantic, in a funny, sort of, way, you know.
0:22:22 > 0:22:24Chilwell, on the outskirts of Nottingham,
0:22:24 > 0:22:27was the largest army supplies depot in the world,
0:22:27 > 0:22:30and was built on a site that had, for decades,
0:22:30 > 0:22:33been playing a vital role in British military history.
0:22:33 > 0:22:35During the First World War,
0:22:35 > 0:22:39Chilwell with the site for the national shell-filling factory.
0:22:39 > 0:22:46Between 1916 and 1918, the factory produced over 19 million shells.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51To give you an idea of how significant that was
0:22:51 > 0:22:54in the production of ordinance for the British Army during that time,
0:22:54 > 0:22:57practically every shell that was fired during the Battle of the Somme
0:22:57 > 0:22:59had its explosives filled Chilwell.
0:22:59 > 0:23:03By the time Mavis started working there, during the Second World War,
0:23:03 > 0:23:07the site had become the central ordinance depot and workshop,
0:23:07 > 0:23:12responsible for issuing weapons and vehicles to the British Army.
0:23:12 > 0:23:16Chilwell was an extremely important part of the supply of logistics
0:23:16 > 0:23:19to the British Army during both the Second World War
0:23:19 > 0:23:21and during the Cold War, as well.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25During that time, British Army vehicles were equipped and supplied
0:23:25 > 0:23:27from Chilwell.
0:23:27 > 0:23:30Without the role of the Chilwell garrison during the Second World War
0:23:30 > 0:23:33and during the Cold War, the British Army
0:23:33 > 0:23:36would have been unable to function properly around the world.
0:23:36 > 0:23:38Up until its closure in 1982,
0:23:38 > 0:23:42Chilwell continued to be a vital source of military supplies.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46Many of its employees were locals, like Mavis and James,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50who would've enjoyed a vibrant working atmosphere.
0:23:50 > 0:23:54Chilwell enjoyed quite a lot of facilities a small town would enjoy.
0:23:54 > 0:23:57There were two churches, social club, sports club...
0:23:57 > 0:24:02So, in a way, especially with people coming from the immediate local area
0:24:02 > 0:24:05there was almost a community within a community at Chilwell.
0:24:08 > 0:24:11After a meeting with Mavis's partner James Start this morning,
0:24:11 > 0:24:14a travelling researcher has just called Gareth to fill him in.
0:24:14 > 0:24:17He was able to confirm that Mavis sold
0:24:17 > 0:24:21a property in early 2002 or 2003.
0:24:23 > 0:24:25I don't think it's going to be a huge estate,
0:24:25 > 0:24:27but it's definitely something.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30This means that all the work they put in the case yesterday
0:24:30 > 0:24:32has not been in vain.
0:24:33 > 0:24:35And the good news doesn't stop there,
0:24:35 > 0:24:38as Mr Start has been able to shed a little bit more light
0:24:38 > 0:24:43on the possible sister that the team have been struggling to find.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45Generally, what we're seeing is,
0:24:45 > 0:24:47Mavis was likely to have been an only child from her
0:24:47 > 0:24:51parents' marriage, but probably had a half-sister.
0:24:52 > 0:24:54Using the certificates ordered yesterday,
0:24:54 > 0:24:58Gareth and Dan have managed to establish that Mavis's parents
0:24:58 > 0:25:01were Caroline and William Botham.
0:25:01 > 0:25:03Whilst together, they didn't have any other children,
0:25:03 > 0:25:07information gleaned from Mr Start suggests that one or other of them
0:25:07 > 0:25:10had a daughter called Winifred from a previous marriage,
0:25:10 > 0:25:15and it seems Gareth is going to have to try to track her down on his own.
0:25:15 > 0:25:19Everybody's a bit busy today, so I'm going to have a quick look myself.
0:25:19 > 0:25:22See if I can get it started, then pass it on to someone else.
0:25:27 > 0:25:28I am not 100% sure
0:25:28 > 0:25:31if the halfsister comes from the mother or father.
0:25:31 > 0:25:33The mother is the deceased.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Caroline Wickes was previously married,
0:25:35 > 0:25:38but I can't find any obvious issue of that marriage.
0:25:39 > 0:25:41So now I am looking at the father.
0:25:41 > 0:25:43It's tough going.
0:25:43 > 0:25:46But tracking down this half-sister is the key to finding heirs
0:25:46 > 0:25:50to Mavis's estate, as she would be next in line to inherit,
0:25:50 > 0:25:54according to the 1925 Administration Of Estate's Act.
0:25:55 > 0:25:58The order of entitlements is it goes to the spouse,
0:25:58 > 0:26:00then the children, then the parents,
0:26:00 > 0:26:02brothers and sisters or their children.
0:26:02 > 0:26:07It then comes into the half-blood brothers, sisters,
0:26:07 > 0:26:08or their children.
0:26:08 > 0:26:10Before we then go to cousins.
0:26:10 > 0:26:14After cousins, we go to the half-blood cousins.
0:26:15 > 0:26:18Sadly, it looks back Gareth is not getting anywhere
0:26:18 > 0:26:20looking for Mavis's half-sister,
0:26:20 > 0:26:22based on the information that Mr Start has given him.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Sometimes you can have too much information.
0:26:25 > 0:26:27Because now I'm going to spend all my time looking
0:26:27 > 0:26:30for the half-sister Winifred, or Winnie,
0:26:30 > 0:26:31erm, whereas, you know,
0:26:31 > 0:26:33possibly what I should be doing
0:26:33 > 0:26:35is just working the case with no information.
0:26:37 > 0:26:39With everyone else in the office flat-out,
0:26:39 > 0:26:44Gareth soldiers on alone and finally makes a breakthrough.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48So, Winnie, erm... I've actually just found her birth record.
0:26:48 > 0:26:50She's not Winifred, she's Dorothy.
0:26:50 > 0:26:53Dorothy W, though, so it's bound to be Dorothy Winifred.
0:26:53 > 0:26:55I've got a date to play with,
0:26:55 > 0:26:57a proper name to play with.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Erm...so we know she actually does exist.
0:27:00 > 0:27:03It turns out that, prior to having Mavis,
0:27:03 > 0:27:05Caroline was married before, to James Hemsley
0:27:05 > 0:27:08and that she had one daughter - Dorothy.
0:27:10 > 0:27:12Got a marriage for her.
0:27:12 > 0:27:15Dorothy married John Martin in 1932 in Shardlow
0:27:15 > 0:27:19and passed away in 1977.
0:27:19 > 0:27:21So if Gareth can track down any children of hers,
0:27:21 > 0:27:24these half-nephews and nieces of Mavis's
0:27:24 > 0:27:26could be just the heirs he's after.
0:27:26 > 0:27:29They've certainly had two kids in Shardlow,
0:27:29 > 0:27:31then there's further children in Batsford.
0:27:33 > 0:27:35And then, possibly, Ilkeston.
0:27:35 > 0:27:37Derby.
0:27:37 > 0:27:40And if all of these potential children to marriage are correct...
0:27:40 > 0:27:42Although it's a near-kin case,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45we're going to have an awful lot of heirs to trace.
0:27:45 > 0:27:49With so many potential heirs to track down, the pressure is on.
0:27:49 > 0:27:51It's a race against the clock,
0:27:51 > 0:27:53as the team have no idea if the competition
0:27:53 > 0:27:55have picked up the case, too.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59And Gareth's job is getting harder by the minute.
0:27:59 > 0:28:02We're seeing if we can get any addresses
0:28:02 > 0:28:06for any of the potential heirs, but I'm struggling with the surname.
0:28:06 > 0:28:09And, unfortunately, we've gone from really, really good names,
0:28:09 > 0:28:12to a slightly more common name.
0:28:14 > 0:28:16Whereas Dorothy's maiden name was Hemsley,
0:28:16 > 0:28:18which is very unusual,
0:28:18 > 0:28:22when she married John Martin all of that changed.
0:28:22 > 0:28:25As a result, there are a lot of potential births
0:28:25 > 0:28:26from the marriage to check.
0:28:26 > 0:28:31Unfortunately, there are two births in the same area
0:28:31 > 0:28:35of a James P Martin and I can't tell whether this one is my one
0:28:35 > 0:28:37or the other birth.
0:28:39 > 0:28:41And there are two marriages in the area.
0:28:41 > 0:28:43I can't tell which one's which.
0:28:44 > 0:28:46But Gareth refuses to give up,
0:28:46 > 0:28:49and it's not long before he makes a breakthrough.
0:28:49 > 0:28:51He manages to trace five potential heirs
0:28:51 > 0:28:55born to Mavis's half-sister Dorothy and John Martin.
0:28:55 > 0:28:59One daughter of theirs, also called Dorothy, passed away in 2004,
0:28:59 > 0:29:02meaning her two children are now heirs to Mavis's estate.
0:29:05 > 0:29:09It's now a couple of weeks since Jason, Mavis' half great nephew,
0:29:09 > 0:29:10discovered he was an heir.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15I never knew Mavis. According to my sister
0:29:15 > 0:29:21she did stop at our house in 1967, but I wasn't born until '69,
0:29:21 > 0:29:23so I never met her.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25And when he was contacted by the Heir Hunters,
0:29:25 > 0:29:29news of a mystery inheritance seemed too good to be true.
0:29:30 > 0:29:36I got a letter through the door which I thought was a circular,
0:29:36 > 0:29:39so I was going to automatically throw it in the bin,
0:29:39 > 0:29:44but I spoke to my sister and she said that she had one
0:29:44 > 0:29:48and fill it out and see what happens.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51It's a bit of a shock to the system, to be honest,
0:29:51 > 0:29:54cos I wouldn't know how much I'm going to get.
0:29:55 > 0:29:58So, I'll probably have a week's holiday somewhere,
0:29:58 > 0:30:02treat me and me missus to a holiday.
0:30:02 > 0:30:05But while any inheritance will, of course, come in handy,
0:30:05 > 0:30:07Jason still has some regrets.
0:30:07 > 0:30:11I didn't know whether Mavis lived on her own or she's got a partner
0:30:11 > 0:30:17or anything, I mean, she was 96, I got told. I've never met her.
0:30:17 > 0:30:20Otherwise, I'd have gone round and visited her.
0:30:22 > 0:30:25In the office, the research on Mavis' estate
0:30:25 > 0:30:29is long since completed and, in total, there are nine heirs
0:30:29 > 0:30:32all of whom are half-blood relatives of hers.
0:30:32 > 0:30:34Complicated research, complicated family.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Hopefully, it's got some value. Got my fingers crossed.
0:30:38 > 0:30:41And early indications suggest that Mavis's estate
0:30:41 > 0:30:44may be bigger than they'd originally thought,
0:30:44 > 0:30:47perhaps even as much as £60,000.
0:30:47 > 0:30:49For Gareth and the team, it's looking like their time
0:30:49 > 0:30:51and effort is going to pay off.
0:30:58 > 0:31:01In the search for heirs to the £28,000 estate of Mary Davies,
0:31:01 > 0:31:04case manager Ben Cornish and the team
0:31:04 > 0:31:07were about to take on the double challenge of tracing two families,
0:31:07 > 0:31:12both of whom shared one of the most common surnames in the UK.
0:31:13 > 0:31:16The deceased parents were Frederick Harris and Mary Ann Harris,
0:31:16 > 0:31:20and the deceased mother's maiden name was also Harris, which added
0:31:20 > 0:31:22more complexity to the situation.
0:31:23 > 0:31:27As Mary's only brother had passed away leaving no children,
0:31:27 > 0:31:30the team were now looking for aunts and uncles and cousins
0:31:30 > 0:31:32and they began with her father's side.
0:31:32 > 0:31:35We know that the deceased father Frederick Harris,
0:31:35 > 0:31:39from his marriage certificate, his father was a guy called James Harris.
0:31:39 > 0:31:43James Harris married Ellen Fisher and had six children.
0:31:44 > 0:31:48This meant that Mary had five paternal aunts and uncles...
0:31:52 > 0:31:54..whose descendants the team needed to find.
0:31:54 > 0:31:58For Ben, who faced the daunting challenge of tracing generations of
0:31:58 > 0:32:01Harrises along all these lines,
0:32:01 > 0:32:05the unusual name of Mary's aunt Minnerena was a golden opportunity.
0:32:06 > 0:32:08When we come across a name like Minnerena,
0:32:08 > 0:32:11we do look at it first, simply because there are going to be...
0:32:11 > 0:32:14You'd be able to see the record pretty easily of who she marries
0:32:14 > 0:32:19and, hopefully, you can break the Harris stem.
0:32:19 > 0:32:22As it turns out, Minnerena married Walter Baird
0:32:22 > 0:32:24and went on to have four children.
0:32:24 > 0:32:26Of these, only one, Alice,
0:32:26 > 0:32:28had children of her own.
0:32:29 > 0:32:31So, when we looked at the stem of Minnerena, we realised that
0:32:31 > 0:32:35she was born in 1869, which means we'd probably be looking at her
0:32:35 > 0:32:37grandchildren or her great-grandchildren
0:32:37 > 0:32:40as possible beneficiaries of this estate.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43We eventually found a great grandchild of Minnerena,
0:32:43 > 0:32:47who informed us of the family and confirmed we were on the right track.
0:32:47 > 0:32:50This great-grandchild was Mike,
0:32:50 > 0:32:54a paternal cousin twice removed of Mary's and an heir to her estate.
0:32:54 > 0:32:56I was interested
0:32:56 > 0:32:59because I was following the family tree on my father's side,
0:32:59 > 0:33:04putting little bits and pieces together on my maternal side.
0:33:04 > 0:33:07I'd never heard of Mary, as a relation.
0:33:07 > 0:33:11It only goes back, really, as far as my great-grandmother.
0:33:11 > 0:33:15I knew that she was a Harris, a Minnerena Harris.
0:33:16 > 0:33:19We used to call her Mini.
0:33:19 > 0:33:23I visited her a couple of times.
0:33:23 > 0:33:26I was only about four or five at the time.
0:33:26 > 0:33:31I can basically remember that she was dressed in Victorian clothes,
0:33:31 > 0:33:35in a widow's dress in black,
0:33:35 > 0:33:39all dressed in black, as they all used to do, I believe.
0:33:39 > 0:33:43As an amateur genealogist, the call from the Heir Hunters
0:33:43 > 0:33:47was very welcome and gave Mike much more than just money.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50You try and build up a picture in your mind and...
0:33:50 > 0:33:54of really how they lived and what they did
0:33:54 > 0:33:57and, basically, where you came from, how you've evolved and...
0:33:58 > 0:34:00It's really interesting.
0:34:00 > 0:34:02And since inheriting from Mary,
0:34:02 > 0:34:05Mike's been inspired to keep on digging.
0:34:06 > 0:34:09I'm very interested to know more about her.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13Where she came from, what she did. It's part of the jigsaw, really.
0:34:16 > 0:34:18Getting in touch with Mike was key
0:34:18 > 0:34:20to cracking Mary's father's side of the tree.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23But Ben still had one more Harris family to trace.
0:34:23 > 0:34:27When we're looking for aunts and uncles that have been born in the
0:34:27 > 0:34:32late 1800s, we have census returns and other records which help us
0:34:32 > 0:34:33identify the family.
0:34:33 > 0:34:36It was in looking through these census records
0:34:36 > 0:34:39of Mary's mother's family that he made an unusual discovery.
0:34:41 > 0:34:44The occupations we found throughout the family line were that
0:34:44 > 0:34:48of being watermen. It's quite prevalent across the board.
0:34:49 > 0:34:53And it transpired that, at the time, watermen were very much
0:34:53 > 0:34:56in demand in their hometown of Droitwich, Worcestershire.
0:34:56 > 0:34:58Throughout the 1800s,
0:34:58 > 0:35:01Droitwich was at the centre of a booming salt trade.
0:35:04 > 0:35:07Ten miles that way along the canal, there is salt
0:35:07 > 0:35:09naturally bubbling up in brine springs.
0:35:09 > 0:35:14And a quarter of a mile down there, we have the River Severn
0:35:14 > 0:35:22and the canal was built to connect in 1771 the salt with the river.
0:35:23 > 0:35:25The building of the canal brought with it
0:35:25 > 0:35:27new employment opportunities.
0:35:29 > 0:35:32But there's been a need for people to actually work the boats
0:35:32 > 0:35:36in and out of Droitwich and some of these families, the watermen,
0:35:36 > 0:35:39would have come up the River Severn
0:35:39 > 0:35:43and they would have come from Devon, Cornwall, Bristol,
0:35:43 > 0:35:45some of them stayed here and lived here
0:35:45 > 0:35:50and then started to produce a dynasty of people who worked the river.
0:35:50 > 0:35:53The Harrises were one such family.
0:35:53 > 0:35:56Bargemen and barge owners, or watermen as they were known,
0:35:56 > 0:36:00travelled up and down the canal taking in the coal used to boil
0:36:00 > 0:36:03the salt and taking out the finished product.
0:36:04 > 0:36:08The salt came out of the boiling pans and was directly transhipped
0:36:08 > 0:36:14into the holds of, effectively, an open container.
0:36:14 > 0:36:16It had a cabin at the front and a cabin at the stern
0:36:16 > 0:36:18and in-between was an open hold,
0:36:18 > 0:36:22and they literally shovelled the salt into the coal, or the coal out of it,
0:36:22 > 0:36:25depending which end they were at.
0:36:25 > 0:36:28It was hard work, but it could be a lucrative business.
0:36:28 > 0:36:32If you were a family where you owned your own boat,
0:36:32 > 0:36:34you could be quite prosperous.
0:36:34 > 0:36:39There are records of some families, some of the Harris family,
0:36:39 > 0:36:41owning three or four boats
0:36:41 > 0:36:47and each one was capable of earning about £20 a voyage profit.
0:36:47 > 0:36:51£20 back then is the equivalent of around £2,000 today,
0:36:51 > 0:36:54meaning the family were earning a very decent living,
0:36:54 > 0:36:57but it was an occupation with some serious risks.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03The River Severn was so dangerous to navigate and the charts
0:37:03 > 0:37:07were so often out of date, you relied on the father saying,
0:37:07 > 0:37:09"I can smell where we are in the fog.
0:37:09 > 0:37:14"I know where we are. We don't need a chart.
0:37:14 > 0:37:16"I know we moor here for the night."
0:37:16 > 0:37:18That was the sort of skill that you handed
0:37:18 > 0:37:22from one generation to the next, so continuity was vital.
0:37:22 > 0:37:24With up to three generations of the family working the boats
0:37:24 > 0:37:28at the same time, the Harrises had a huge advantage
0:37:28 > 0:37:29that put them at the top of their game.
0:37:32 > 0:37:35As Ben set to work tracing the many generations of the prestigious
0:37:35 > 0:37:39Harris watermen, he discovered that Mary's grandparents were
0:37:39 > 0:37:43Thomas Harris and Maria Harrison and that they had 11 children.
0:37:44 > 0:37:48Of these 11, however, only three went on to have descendants.
0:37:48 > 0:37:52One was Mary's mother and the other two Mary's uncles.
0:37:53 > 0:37:55But as both these uncles married
0:37:55 > 0:37:57women with the surname Harrison,
0:37:57 > 0:37:58Ben had his work cut out.
0:38:00 > 0:38:02We've got Harris marrying Harrises
0:38:02 > 0:38:04and we've got the Harris marrying Harrisons.
0:38:04 > 0:38:08Now, what happens when we're looking for birth records is that
0:38:08 > 0:38:14any births could be connected to either marriages, so it really does
0:38:14 > 0:38:17affect the way we do our research and if we're on the right track or not.
0:38:19 > 0:38:22Life was becoming increasingly difficult for Ben
0:38:22 > 0:38:24and it turned out that these added complications
0:38:24 > 0:38:27all stemmed from the family's work on the water.
0:38:27 > 0:38:33The salt trade required about, at any one time, say 15 to 20 boats
0:38:33 > 0:38:35working the salt trade.
0:38:35 > 0:38:39And those boats were managed and owned by a cluster of families
0:38:39 > 0:38:43and they all intermingled. They not only married each other,
0:38:43 > 0:38:44but they worked for each other.
0:38:44 > 0:38:48So, some could be boat owners and crewing for another family.
0:38:48 > 0:38:50They were all very much a tight-knit community,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53and they lived pretty well in the same street.
0:38:54 > 0:38:57Two of these families were the Harrises and the Harrisons.
0:38:57 > 0:39:01And, apparently, the interconnection of the family caused a few
0:39:01 > 0:39:03complications in their own day, too.
0:39:04 > 0:39:08One of the problems with having five key families is that -
0:39:08 > 0:39:12and often intermarried - is that you can have a surname which is common
0:39:12 > 0:39:16to four different generations and because fathers call sons
0:39:16 > 0:39:19after themselves, you end up with lots of Williams.
0:39:19 > 0:39:23So, if you went into the pub on a Friday night and said,
0:39:23 > 0:39:26"I need William Harris for a voyage tomorrow morning."
0:39:26 > 0:39:28You'd get half a dozen people standing up.
0:39:28 > 0:39:31That was going to be a disaster,
0:39:31 > 0:39:34so they had nicknames. There was William Harris Duke.
0:39:34 > 0:39:39There was William Harris Thromey. And there was William Harris Scragey.
0:39:39 > 0:39:42Every family had their nicknames and that was the only way you could
0:39:42 > 0:39:47tell which generation was which and which person you were engaging.
0:39:47 > 0:39:50For Ben and the team, sadly nicknames weren't an option.
0:39:50 > 0:39:53But they were slowly able to build up a picture of the family.
0:39:55 > 0:39:58They discovered that Mary's uncle George had seven children
0:39:58 > 0:40:00with Elizabeth Harrison.
0:40:00 > 0:40:03True to form, he called one of his sons after himself
0:40:03 > 0:40:06and that George had ten children of his own.
0:40:06 > 0:40:08It was through one of his daughters Annie
0:40:08 > 0:40:11that Ben found his first maternal heir.
0:40:12 > 0:40:16One of Annie's children Yvonne is a first cousin twice removed
0:40:16 > 0:40:20of Mary's and, prior to becoming an heir to her estate,
0:40:20 > 0:40:22Mary's name meant nothing to her.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25Didn't have a clue who she was - Mary Davis.
0:40:25 > 0:40:28Never heard her spoken about.
0:40:28 > 0:40:30Nobody ever talked about her or anything,
0:40:30 > 0:40:32so didn't know who she was.
0:40:32 > 0:40:37I didn't even know that we had relatives living in Droitwich.
0:40:37 > 0:40:41Which is what? Eight mile up the road, not even that.
0:40:41 > 0:40:43But despite not knowing each other,
0:40:43 > 0:40:47Yvonne and Mary stem from the same family of Harris bargemen.
0:40:47 > 0:40:53I can remember, as a child, going on my uncle George's boat.
0:40:53 > 0:40:55And he had four children himself.
0:40:58 > 0:41:03When he used to just moor up, we'd go on the boat and see him
0:41:03 > 0:41:06and talk to him.
0:41:06 > 0:41:09You couldn't move. So small.
0:41:09 > 0:41:13And I know me mum went on the boats after me dad
0:41:13 > 0:41:16come back from...the war.
0:41:17 > 0:41:20By that time, the salt industry had declined,
0:41:20 > 0:41:24but Yvonne's family were still flat-out ferrying other commodities.
0:41:24 > 0:41:30The family would carry coal or flour, also.
0:41:30 > 0:41:34Rum, chocolate, Cadburys.
0:41:35 > 0:41:41It was very hard work working on the canals, especially for women.
0:41:41 > 0:41:45The men worked, but I think the women had to work even harder
0:41:45 > 0:41:47because they not only had to look after the children,
0:41:47 > 0:41:50but it was washing, cooking...
0:41:53 > 0:41:56..using the tiller, so they could move along.
0:41:56 > 0:41:58So, extremely hard work, yeah.
0:41:58 > 0:42:05I think me mum stopped after she had me, because I think it was too much.
0:42:05 > 0:42:10There weren't enough space for two children under two.
0:42:10 > 0:42:12I wouldn't want to be doing it.
0:42:14 > 0:42:16As it turns out,
0:42:16 > 0:42:20Yvonne is one of a whopping 47 heirs that Ben managed to track down
0:42:20 > 0:42:24who are entitled to Mary's £28,000 estate.
0:42:24 > 0:42:28But the Harris' ongoing link with the water means that
0:42:28 > 0:42:30the family could, in fact, be even larger.
0:42:31 > 0:42:33Some of the births aren't registered,
0:42:33 > 0:42:36which means we can't prove their entitlement to this estate,
0:42:36 > 0:42:40we can't prove the link between them and the deceased.
0:42:40 > 0:42:43And this is because they were on the water
0:42:43 > 0:42:47and couldn't register the births at a particular time or place.
0:42:48 > 0:42:51It might have involved a lot of work, but the family's
0:42:51 > 0:42:56many complications have resulted in a satisfying search for Ben.
0:42:56 > 0:42:57It's a really interesting case,
0:42:57 > 0:43:00because it's the first time I've come across the occupation of watermen.
0:43:00 > 0:43:05And also, it's always good to be kept on your toes on a case where
0:43:05 > 0:43:09there are a lot of similarities and a lot of work that needs to be done.