Devon Live : If you share one of these Devon surnames you could be in line to inherit a fortune

Details of almost 200 unclaimed inheritance estates have been released by the Government in the hope that distant relatives might claim them.

They are people who either died in Devon or were originally from the county but passed away without any next of kin laying claim to their belongings or property.

If nobody steps forward, they are eventually handed over to the Crown permanently.

The latest official list of unclaimed estates – which was updated today – reveals thousands across the country.

Anyone with the same surname as someone on the list can make a claim.

The full list contains more information – such as marital status, spouses, aliases and maiden names – all of which can help you identify a long-lost deceased relative.

The Government is currently taking care of the estates because the deceased passed away without making a will or with no next of kin.

The money and property in the estates will revert to the Crown permanently if they remain unidentified.

According to Finders International – a specialist probate genealogist team – family members and heirs have 12 years to claim an estate once it has been reported unclaimed to the Crown. If you think that you might be the rightful heir to one of the estates listed you can find out how to make a claim for that estate here.

The list has seen a sharp increase in numbers over the past few years because Government cuts mean there is no search for a will before an unclaimed estate is added to the list.

See the full list below

How to make a claim

Check your entitlement

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will (intestate) the following are entitled to the estate in the order shown below:

1. husband, wife or civil partner
2. children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on
3. mother or father
4. brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
5. half brothers or sisters or their children (nieces and nephews of the half blood or their children). ‘Half ’ means they share only one parent with the deceased
6. grandparents
7. uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
8. half uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins of the half blood or their children). ‘Half’ means they only share one grandparent with the deceased, not both

If you are, for example, a first cousin of the deceased, you would only be entitled to share in the estate if there are no relatives above you in the order of entitlement, for example, a niece or nephew.

Make a claim

If an entitled relative survived the deceased but has since died, that relative’s personal representative (the person legally entitled to deal with their estate) must make a claim to the deceased person’s estate.

If you believe you are entitled to claim an estate, send a family tree which shows how you are related to the person who has died, and include the dates of birth, marriage and death of all those on the tree.

If it appears that you may be entitled to claim the estate, you will then be asked to supply documentary evidence that proves your entitlement.

This article has been first published in Devonlive.

Similar article has been posted in Plymouth Herald