According to an online database, there are 54 estates in Essex that are currently sitting unclaimed with the Government.
Members of the public are mostly unaware that the details of thousands of unclaimed estates are recorded and kept online – and you can make a claim to one of them if you’ve got the right surname.
As reported by the Croydon Advertiser, all the information is kept on a spreadsheet that can be accessed by anyone.
The Government are responsible for taking care of the estates due to the deceased passing away without first making a will or with no named next of kin.
The database shows that there are currently 54 unclaimed estates in Essex that bear 51 different surnames – one of which could be your family name.
Some of the estates have been listed by the Government for decades, and will revert to the Crown permanently if they remain unidentified.
According to Finders International – a specialist probate genealogist team – family members and heirs have just 12 years to claim the estate once it has been declared unclaimed to the Crown.
Any member of the public can check the Central Probate Registry online at any time to see if any next of kin are on the unclaimed list.
If you believe that you are the rightful heir to one of the listed estates, you can find out how to make a claim by clicking here.
The Essex names on the list are:
Allen
Balding
Barbour
Bendall
Blair
Blanks
Bradd
Brown
Butler
Charlick
Clarkson
Coleby
Collins
Craford
Davey
Drake
Elsdon
Fuller
Gould
Hammond
Harrison
Hassett
Hinds
Holland
Holmans
Horton
Jennings
Jiggens
Lambert
Little
Manning
Mayne
McLeod
Pearman
Rees
Reeves
Scott
Shrubb
Slade
Smith
Spearing
Spilling
Taylor
Thorpe
Tracey
Walsh
Welch
West
White
Wright
Young
This article has been first published in essexlive.news