People in Greater Manchester could inherit a potential fortune from the unclaimed estate of someone who has passed away.
Government records published this week show there are 38 unclaimed estates across the conurbation. But some must be claimed urgently before legal deadlines expire and any cash passes into Government coffers.
Some estates are from as long ago as 1993 and are now on the cusp of the 30-year limit for collecting the assets. Read on to see our list of the unclaimed estates of people who died in our region.
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Why are some estates unclaimed?
When a person dies without leaving a will, their assets may not automatically pass to their next of kin. Instead, the rules of 'intestacy' will apply. Usually a spouse, civil partner or close relative will inherit the estate, but if no surviving relative comes forward or can be found, the estate may instead pass to the Crown.
As many as 60 per cent of adults do not have a will, while the wills of hundreds of thousands of others could be invalid because they were written before marriage. As a consequence, potentially a large number of estates are at risk of going unclaimed.
Who can claim?
When an individual dies without leaving a will, spouses, civil partners and close relatives may be able to collect the estate. This includes:
Husband, wife or civil partner
Children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren
Mother or father
Brothers or sisters who share both the same parents, or their children (nieces and nephews)
Half-sisters, half-brothers or their children
Uncles and aunts or their children (first cousins or their descendants)
Relatives have only 12 years to claim from the date the administration of the estate was completed, in order to receive interest on the money held. After that time, they can continue to claim up to a 30-year limit, but no interest will be paid. No claims will be considered after 30 years.
In any claim, relatives will need to provide evidence, including a family tree; identification documents, and marriage, birth, and death certificates. The full list of estates in England and Wales can be found on the gov.uk website, and to make a claim click here.
Here's a list of every unclaimed estate as of January 6, 2023 where the person either was born or died in Greater Manchester:
Unclaimed estates in Greater Manchester
Full name, marital status, date of birth (place of birth), date of death (place of death) and additional information listed for each unclaimed estate.
Note - some estates are in historical Greater Manchester prior to pre-1970s council boundary changes.
Kenneth Ashworth 17/09/1927 (Rochdale, Greater Manchester) 07/09/2008 (Lincoln, Lincolnshire)
Derek Austin 08/10/1936 (Bolton, Greater Manchester) 30/10/22 (Colchester, Essex)
Keith Bamber 17/04/1952 (Bury Greater Manchester) 18/05/2021 (Oxford Oxfordshire)
Kenneth Barnes 09/11/1924(Manchester) 01/12/1999 (Macclesfield Cheshire)
Janet Bowen 16/06/1944 (Oldham Greater Manchester) 22/12/2009 (Aylesford Kent)
Anthony Breslini 26/08/1932 (Salford Greater Manchester) 19/05/2021(Eastbourne East Sussex)
Mary Brown 21/02/1916 (Liverpool) 18/04/2009 (Wythenshawe Manchester)
Rita Carroll 22/06/1931 (Manchester) 12/11/2017 (Wythenshawe Greater Manchester)
Gaynor Cartwright 10/03/1951 (Manchester) 21/05/2022 (Stockport Cheshire)
Joan Cooper25/01/1941 (Bolton Greater Manchester) 18/09/2009 Banbury Oxfordshire)
Menvil Dowell 08/05/1948 (unknown) 17/03/2018 (Trafford Greater Manchester)
Basil George Drummond 07/07/1928 (Jamaica) 17/05/2003 (Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester)
Victor Foden 09/12/1921 (unknown) 06/06/2014 (Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester)
Mona Jean Giddens 08/03/1918 (Chorlton Manchester) 22/01/2009 (Enfield Middlesex)
Freda Gray 25/01/1901 (Denton Manchester) 20/09/1994 (Trafford Manchester)
Thomas Marsland 11/06/1921 Ashton upon Mersey Cheshire 06/02/2012 Wythenshawe Manchester
Jean Jackson 16/09/1932 (Stretford Manchester) 16/04/1995 (Altrincham Cheshire)
Stephen Jacques 18/12/1948 (Manchester) 17/04/2010 (Denbigh Denbighshire)
John Robert Kemp 02/08/1954 (Manchester) 14/07/2019 (Exeter Devon)
Mary Knight 05/06/1927 (Trafford, Manchester) 06/11/2018 (Wythenshawe, Manchester)
Edward Frederick Luckarift 23/01/1920 (Salford Manchester) 29/03/2010 (Llandudno)
Agnes Maloney 17/06/1992 (Brouhgton Preston) 23/04/1993 (Manchester Lancashire)
John George Mason 22/03/1971 (Manchester) 20/10/2017 (Aberystwyth)
David John Myers 19/03/1945 (Manchester Greater Manchester) 16/07/2012 (Stoke on Trent Staffordshire)
Joyce Pinder 08/02/1925 (Manchester) 19/05/1997 (Barnstaple Devon)
James Anthony Pounal 29/06/1956 (Manchester) 21/01/2008 (Finsbury Park London)
John Robert 15/12/1947 (Stretford Greater Manchester) 26/11/2010 (Ashton-under-Lyne Greater Manchester)
Kathleen Smith 11/08/1932 (Manchester Greater Manchester) 09/11/2012 (Abergavenny Gwent)
Alfred Rodney 19/06/1938 (Manchester) 25/04/2019 (Tavistock Devon)
Helen Fisher 13/12/1959 (Crumpsall Manchester) 26/12/2013 (Cambridge Cambridgeshire)
Gladys Turner 21/01/1922 (Manchester) 11/03/2012 (Bristol North Somerset)
Kathleen Turner 20/07/1908 (Cheetham Greater Manchester) 18/01/1999 (Pontefract West Yorkshire)
Dennis Francis Udeh 11/03/1955 (Manchester) 20/04/2022 (Colchester Essex)
Ian Walkden 30/04/1955 (Greater Manchester) 21/01/2013Stoke on (Trent Staffordshire)
Arthur Warwick 27/10/1912 (Rusholme Manchester) 15/05/2006 (Southampton Hampshire)
Kathleen Marion Whalley 29/01/1925 (Manchester) 07/12/2000 (Westminster London)
Margaret Lilian Williamson 21/09/1924 (Chorlton Manchester) 03/07/2005 (Clwyd)
Barbara Wood 09/08/1931 (Chorlton cum Hardy Manchester) 30/05/2021 (Bognor Regis Sussex)
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