If you have one of these 265 surnames you could be entitled to a fortune through these unclaimed estates in Essex.

There are a number of estates across the county which have passed to the Crown as ‘ownerless property’, including a number added in 2023. 

This happens when a person dies without leaving a will and there are no apparent family members to claim the inheritance.

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

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

The list of unclaimed estates is updated and published daily on the government’s website.

You could be entitled to a share of a deceased relative’s property – simply type in your name below to see if you are sitting on a fortune:

Who is entitled to an unclaimed estate?

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will, the following relations 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.