26 unclaimed estates in Peterborough, Fenland, Wisbech and Whittlesey you could inherit with these surnames

If you have one of these surnames, you may be an heir entitled to one of the 26 unclaimed estates, listed by the Treasury.

The surnames have been narrowed down to those who have passed away in Peterborough, Fenland, March, Wisbech and Whittlesey over 28 years between 1995 and 2023.

An unclaimed estate happens when a person dies without a valid will in place and no heirs come forward to claim their inheritance.

When this occurs, the deceased’s property becomes an ‘ownerless property,’ and the Crown takes ownership of it.

However, family members can come forward during a 12-year period after the Crown takes possession of the estate if they believe they are entitled to a share of the deceased’s property.

If the claim is filed after the 12-year term has expired, 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 kept.

Therefore, if someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will, the following relatives 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.

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

Surnames of unclaimed estates in Peterborough, Fenland, March, Wisbech and Whittlesey:

• Borman
• Cartwright
• Crockford
• Davis
• Forbes
• Fox
• Gallagher
• Goode
• Hagan-Chambers
• Haliday
• Kernohan
• Klepper
• Lalko
• McDonald
• Mullins
• Perhar
• Quincey
• Robinson
• Rodriguez
• Secker
• Smith
• Smith
• Tooley
• Upchurch
• Wilson

The list was last updated on April 20, 2023 - with Quincey and Fox added this year.

Visit the Government website to make your claim or find out more information about the deceased.