List of 82 unclaimed estates in Bristol you could inherit if you have these surnames - how to claim

If you have one of these surnames, you could be about to find yourself better off after the Treasury released its updated list of unclaimed estates in Bristol. An unclaimed estate happens when someone has passed away without having an effective will in place, with no family coming forward to make a claim.

It means the deceased’s property will become “ownerless property” and will therefore be in possession of the Crown. But within a 12-year period from when the Crown possesses the estate, family members can come forward if they believe they are entitled to a share of the property.

For 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.

Here is the most recent list of unclaimed estates in Bristol and how to make a claim.

Who is entitled to an unclaimed estate?

If someone dies without leaving a valid or effective will the following relatives are entitled to the estate in the following order of priority:

• 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.

Surnames of the unclaimed properties in Bristol

1. Alders
2. Barry
3. Banks
4. Bartlett
5. Bauknecht
6. Bidjikian
7. Black
8. Bridges
9. Brown
10. Bryant
11. Campbell
12. Carpenter
13. Clark
14. Cleghorn
15. Clements
16. Coles
17. Collins
18. Courtice
19. Cromarty
20. Cullen
21. Dallas
22. Davies
23. Delahunty
24. Ellis
25. Faulkner
26. Foot
27. Fox
28. Gaez
29. Gardner
30. Grahame
31. Gwozdzik
32. Hall
33. Harvey
34. Healey
35. Hirst
36. Horseman
37. Hudson
38. James
39. Johnston
40. Jones
41. King
42. Kowalski
43. Leach
44. Messer
45. Moore
46. Morgan
47. O’Donnell
48. Panes
49. Parkhouse
50. Peterson
51. Pinder
52. Pitman-Jone
53. Reid
54. Rudge
55. Ryan
56. Samuda
57. Saunders
58. Savage
59. Silverthorn
60. Smith
61. Staniek
62. Stevens
63. Sullivan
64. Spzak
65. Talbot
66. Taylor
67. Thomas
68. Turner
69. Tusus-Platis
70. Venn
71. Vieke
72. Walters
73. Watkins
74. Weaver
75. Whitcher
76. Whitcombe
77. Whybrow
78. Wiglasz
79. Williams
80. Wilson
81. Woodley
82. Wright

How to claim an unclaimed estate

Anyone who believes they might be entitled to a share of an unclaimed estate should contact the Treasury on the Government website.