YOU could inherit a fortune from one of your ancestors if you have one of the surnames listed on this unclaimed estates list.

The list of 19 estates in across Cumbria was released by the Treasury earlier this month - and one could be yours.

When a person dies without leaving a will and there appear to be no family members, the estate passes to the Treasury as ownerless property, or ‘Bona Vacantia’.

In general, estates held on the Bona Vacantia list can be claimed within a 12-year deadline, from the date the estate was taken into possession of the Crown.

Type in your name below to see if you could be entitled to a fortune:

 

The list of unclaimed estates is updated and published daily on this gov.uk webpage

When it comes to unclaimed estates before 1997, the Treasury will allow claims up to 30 years from the date of the person’s death, subject to no interest being paid on the money that is held – if the claim is received after the 12-year period has ended.

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Who can claim an unclaimed estate?

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

  • husband, wife or civil partner
  • children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on
  • mother or father
  • brothers or sisters who share both the same mother and father, or their children (nieces and nephews)
  • 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
  • grandparents
  • uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
  • 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.

To find out how you can claim an estate, you can find advice on the UK Government website.